September
PRESENTED BY OUR FRieND’S AT HUNTING AND FISHING NORTH SHORE
FISHING IS FIRING IN THE GULF…………. lots of snapper in prime condition. They are fattening up for spawning, perfect to eat. Some nice kingfish have also been caught around the work ups.
MEMBERS EVENING
Great to see many of you at the Riviera members evening. Awesome to get to spend some time with you and talk about fishing techniques. I thoroughly enjoyed it. For those of you who weren’t there, hopefully we can catch up next time.
BIG FISH – OUTER ISLANDS
Spring has sprung and the water temperatures are shooting up. It’s bringing in lots of large snapper in the 4-8kg range. They are in good numbers at outer islands of the Hauraki Gulf (Great Barrier, Little Barrier, Kawau, Motuketetkete). These large snapper have predominantly been male so far. They are identifiable by the gray area under their chin. The large females will be rolling in soon to join the party.
I recommend fishing the islands in the shallow waters (5-25m) using bait and burley, or my favorite style of fishing, soft baiting.
To target larger fish using soft baits, I use large 6-7 inch soft baits rigged on a 1/4-1/2oz jig head. My choice of soft baits includes: Gulp 6 inch Grubs: Z-Man 7-inch Bruised Banana and Atomic Sunrise Jerk ShadZ; Daiwa 7-inch in Killer Kutai and Baby bass. The spots to look for around the islands are on the reefs and along the sand surrounding the reefs. Look for areas that have lots of current.
WORK UPS
There are still lots of pilchard workups around, until now predominantly holding lots and lots of snapper underneath. The work ups around the Cable Zone and Anchorite have generally had 30-45cm snapper around them, along with a few larger fish. This might change to larger fish as the spawning fish move in. The area where the most active work ups have been around Flat Rock, just north of Anchorite, south of Little Barrier and northeast of Tiri (past the Cable Zone).
INNER GULF
As the water temps rise it will certainly bring the snapper and kingfish closer into the gulf, making it easier and quicker to get out to the fishing zones. It won’t be long before we can catch good numbers of fish around Kawau, Tiri, Motuora, Noisies, Rakino, Mototapu, Waiheke, etc. Work ups can also be found around these areas.
As you run out in your boat, keep an eye on your fish finder and if you see lots of fish sign, stop and fish. They are no barriers to where the fish might turn up, so be vigilant.
A customer, Peter Renolds, caught a 4kg and an 8.2kg snapper off Milford Beach on the same day this week. Wow – a good sign of things to come!
Gurnard are still around in the bays. Target them by dragging small soft baits (2-4 inch) along the sand whilst drifting. Or burley up and use small 3/0 flasher rigs baited with small slivers of fish bait (salted bonito or mullet).
THE GEAR
If you’re looking for a new soft bait set, I would thoroughly recommend the Shimano Dialuna-Vanquish rod and reel set – I love it. There are quite a few options you can choose from, and we can custom fit the outfit to suit everyone at North Shore Hunting and Fishing.
NORTH SHORE HUNTING & FISHING – HERE TO HELP YOU
Please call into North Shore Hunting and Fishing store (1 Holder Place, Rosedale) for any tackle advice, or give me a ring on 0278056056.
If I’m not around, introduce yourself to the fishing staff. The guys have a wealth of Knowledge and decades of experience. The fishing team consists of Mark Kitteridge (famous Kiwi angler and fishing journalist), Justin Russell, Chris Ackerman and Al Mair (who are also very experienced fishermen).
We can also advise you on where to fish and the best techniques to fish for each area. We are always happy to provide you with the latest fishing intel and show you the gear you need to ‘get out there doing it’.
