KEY POINTS:
Spring has sprung and the fishing has improved, with hope further warming will spark the first game fish runs any day now.
From Whangaroa to Whakatane, boats that have gone wide have found water up to 19C, large patches of anchovies and saury, sunfish, flying fish, whales and lots of bird activity.
Commercial boats in the Far North have reported the blue water moving south.
The first marlin was seen this week by a boat travelling from Whangaroa to Paihia, tailing off the back of Stephenson's Island. The first albacore tuna was caught this week at Whakatane.
So things are close to firing - the tuna expected first, followed by spearfish and marlin.
At the Bay of Islands, Geoff Stone on Major Tom II reported water at 17.5C and rising, the water where the free-jumper was seen was 18.5C.
In the Bay, school snapper have moved in and fishing is good at Mita's Foul, to the east of Tapeka Pt and in deeper water at the centre foul and Black Rocks. Straylining is the best method for the bigger fish. There are kings on the 71m reef.
The Bay of Islands Swordfish Club hosted the police dog handlers' Blueheelers tournament, which produced 320 snapper to 10kg and some good crayfish despite sloppy seas, said weighmaster Dave Cadell.
Zane Grey's old boat Alma G remains in good nick, as proved by a run out to the 600m mark with skipper Scott Sutherland from the charter boat Saltshaker at the helm.
Like others who have been wide, he reported baitfish, gannets, whales but no billfish. First marlin for the club last year was in late November, Cadell said.
Further south, Brett Rathe on Assassin and his charters have been enjoying good sessions around Little Barrier and the Mokohinaus and at Simpsons Rock.
"It's springtime and everything is going nuts," he said. "There's fish all over the place."
They've taken hapuku from Simpson's, where big kahawai are feeding too. Best was 4.5kg. Soft plastics have reaped some of the bigger snapper but barracouta have plagued some areas, forcing anglers back to ledger rigs. Temperature is 18C with patches at 20C around Little Barrier.
Out of Auckland, we nailed good snapper, gurnard and some big John Dory in the hole in the Rakino Channel on ledgers and with straylines when fishing with Eugyn de Bruyn on Sea Genie. The area has been producing consistently, De Bruyn says, as proved by the usual presence of other charter parties as well as a line of fizzboats.
So has the area around A-buoy in the Rangitoto Channel with a steady run of 2kg fish and some to 4/5kg, all in good condition and nice eating. He favours cubes of pilchard on flasher rigs. We also had success with strips of fresh jack mackerel, schools of which are thick in mid-stream, using it on the flashers and straylining and that produced the bigger snapper.
De Bruyn agrees with previous columns which have remarked on the increase in JDs, gurnard and blue cod. Most trips are producing three or so gurnard whereas five years ago there were none.
The Mercury Bay Gamefish Club held its Icebreaker tournament last weekend, with Dale Wilkins on Niggly the big winner, taking best kingfish prize at 20.27kg and his 9.92kg snapper second only to crewmate Justin Wilson's 9.99kg fish.
During the week, a party fishing near Cuvier Island landed eight fish around 9kg and one that was over 15kg, which is being mounted.
MBGC manager Tony Fox said lots of kingfish in the 10-12kg range were being caught, with live baits and jigs taking fish to 30kg in the deeper water.
Hapuku and bass have moved in closer, very late this year.
Whakatane Sportfishing Club manager Kevin McCracken reported increased activity offshore with schools of mackerel and sightings of sharks, sunfish and blue whales and that lone albacore. "The snapper fishing is good, you don't have to go far." Water is 17.5C.
Gurnard are still in the Manukau in numbers, unusually late. The best success has been with Black Magic terakihi terror flashers with small squares of salted bonito. But juvenile snapper are flocking into the harbour and, even if the gurnard stay, it's going to be hard to get them among the little pickers. Kahawai are small and few in number. Some of the best fishing on the Manukau has been for trevally, using small hooks and shellfish baits tied with elastic.
