KEY POINTS:
Fishing can be full of bad decisions and like most anglers I've made my share.
Shoving my fist into the mouth of a kingfish to try to retrieve a trace last week was one such instance.
The fish gave a huge leap and swallowed my forearm halfway up to the elbow. I smacked it with a left punch and, as it opened its gob, I ripped my hand back out. But as it was coming free, the kingie got revenge, bit my watch strap in half and spat a $350 Seiko over the side. It was a hard day's fishing too with "Captain Bucko" warning us before we left Waitangi wharf that we'd picked the wrong tide and were too late in the day.
We loaded up with slimy mackerel on sabiki jigs, though, and went out with confidence looking for kingfish. The slimies were back-hooked under the skin just in front of the dorsal fin and sent to the bottom. We had three hook-ups, two fish dropped the bait, and just that one brought to the boat. An evening snapper fish hooked one wrasse, proof the winter fishing conditions haven't quite passed yet.
A three-hour drive up and three hours back for one fish, a lacerated forearm and a lost watch. It could have been worse - I didn't tell my fishing companions about the watch, the ribbing would have been unbearable.
Next day mate Lee Wynyard fished the same spots and loaded up on snapper, to 7kg. It's been the same around Auckland. Eugyn de Bruyn on Sea Genie reports some good results, some poor. There are pockets of fish around foul ground inside the harbour, around Rangitoto and The Noises but bite time is critical. "You'll have one hour of hot fishing then, that's that." It's mainly been on an out-going tide. Saltwater fly-fishing was productive on good days with clear water, large kahawai coming into the berley trail at The Noises. Like others, including me, he is catching more blue cod in the Hauraki Gulf and they are bigger than in previous years.
Bite-time has also been crucial on the Manukau and Kaipara harbours, where gurnard fishing is hot for those in the right place at the right time. John Moran reports the hour after high is best, with soft plastics and ledger rigs producing gurnard to 1.5kg. Braid is better than mono because the fish are often soft on the bite. Moran said: "You don't want to strike them because you'll haul the hook out of their mouth. When you feel the bait being nudged, just lift the rod tip slowly and let the recurve hooks do their bit." The bite-time should lengthen this week as the moon drops.
Desi Rogers reports snapper in close in Doubtless Bay but they are yet to show up in numbers.
At Taupo, anglers are hoping for some rain to cloud the rivers and prompt runs of spawning fish. The rivers are clear, so it is mostly the smaller and already-spent fish that are being taken easily. Nymphing has been productive but the better fish are being hooked by the wet-line fishers, says Jared Goedhart of Sporting Life, Turangi. "There is no shortage of fish. The wind has made it hard sometimes. Any rain will bring good runs, especially if the rivers colour," he said.
Fish and Game have contributed heavily to a new title in the "Spot X" series of books on hunting and fishing, Freshwater New Zealand. The comprehensive guide to the country's inland fishing is compiled by Opotiki guide Mark Draper with input from well-known anglers.
Trout, salmon and coarse fishing are covered, with detail on 1000 "spots" covering more than 5000km of river and stream and 70 lakes.
Included are topographical maps, access details, rules and regulations and the varying seasons. Locals give advice on conditions and how best to increase your catch.
At $40 it's a good buy for any freshwater angler or anyone planning to try their luck.
