Haines HQ fishing report.
Not only has the weather come right but now is the best time of the year to head out for a fish. PLANNING YOUR TRIP
With the spawning over, snapper are back in full-on feeding mode to regain their condition and build up body fat to carry them over the winter months.
Over the last few weeks there has been a vast increase in the number of anchovy schools coming right up and into the inner gulf, feeding on the anchovies are the kahawai and king fish with snapper below feeding on the scraps.
Targeting the snapper below or in the vicinity of the schools gives you a number of options, from soft baiting, tossing small metal micro lures to bait fishing ledger rigs or stray lining. WATCH FISHING TECHNIQUES
On the northern side of Rangitoto, east to the top of Motutapu, the anchovies come close in along the shoreline and beaches, especially when there is an easterly wind. Close in, I tend to stray line due to the bottom being a bit foul, but out on the sand, it's ideal for soft baits or jigs.
Administration Bay is my go-to spot as it covers all bases, from drift fishing to anchoring when the wind and tide are right. If you carefully look at your sounder at the eastern end of the bay, you will see three small patches of low foul [ spot 17 areas 3]; this area always has bait fish lurking around the foul, which in turn holds snapper kahawai kingfish plus the odd john dory. If the wind or tide won’t allow the boat to lay so you cast back to the edge of the foul, drifting in 4-8 meters along the sandy beach using micro jigs. BOAT HANDLING AND TRIMMING
Often, the bigger fish are right up in the shallows, hooked up in shallow water. Even the small fish put up a hell of a fight.
Rakino has been fishing well from right in on the rocky shoreline, but the stand-out spot is the channel between South Island and Awash Rock which is at the southern end of Rakino [ spot 18 areas 5 ]. Often overlooked is Māori Garden Bay. The reef extends a long way out from the shore; anchoring around halfway along the reef gives you the option of catching snapper, but it is where I have always caught kingfish at this time of the year. The key to landing a kingfish here, as the area is very rocky, is when hooked up, do not apply any pressure until the anchor is up and you have slowly moved out into clearer water. This is what we call “walking the dog. “Just very slowly take in the line until he realises it’s hooked, then apply the pressure. If it heads back towards the rocks, back off the pressure, and it will stop running, then move out and slowly wind in again. Have patience, as it can take up to half an hour to land some of the bigger fish.
The Noises are holding some kingfish up and over the 25 kg mark; often, you see them right at the back of the boat following up the snapper, but seldom will they take the bait. Even a live bait will get ignored. The trick is to have at least four piles of chopped-up ground bait ready, toss the first close to the boat and watch the kings race around competing for the scraps. Toss the next hand full well away from the boat to draw more fish in [ more often than not, the bigger fish hang well back]. The next handful is again tossed close to the stern, and by now, they become very competitive. Rig a small chunk of pillie on a recurve hook and put it in the middle of the next handful of chopped-up ground bait, being so wound up and competitive they don’t see the hook.
Out on the worm beds, there appears to be more snapper out 20 meters to the southeast of Tiri, but closer to home, look at the chart north of A buoy just outside of the shipping channel. This area is fishing best on the incoming tide with a north-to-north east wind, especially at the change of light, either dawn or dusk. Catch some bait fish, butter fly them, then toss them out as far from the boat as you can, ignore the small tap-tap bites and just wait till you see the line really straighten out before striking.
If you haven’t got a lot of time but need just a few hours on the water to get your fishing fix, try Flax Point at the southern end of the Rangitoto Channel [ spot 10 area 1]. Fishing best on the incoming tide and just ten minutes from the boat ramp.
Don’t forget to look after the catch, ike them, to prevent them from thrashing about and bruising the flesh; carefully placed in a bucket of salt water with a bottle of frozen water will chill the fish down in ten odd minutes so you can then put them in a chilly bin of ice or frozen water bottles. HANDLING AND CARING FOR FISH By looking after the fish, they not only taste better but last longer in the fridge.
