Whether you’re thinking of checking out the Inshore fish activity, heading out to the middle, or venturing further afield, there’s fish everywhere at the moment.

Inshore fish activity is full of action and has been great to watch lately. Pilchards and other tiny baitfish fleeing across the sea surface. Terns, petrels and a few gannets can be seen divebombing in, highlighting the buffet bullseye. It’s so very exciting to see and fun to fish too! With mackerel on baitfish, kahawai small, medium and large splashing the sea surface and other predators lurking. Some action has literally been at your feet as the kahawai chase bait into the shallows right onto the rocks and sand! Whangaparaoa Peninsula, Waiheke and more.

Mid ground of the Hauraki Gulf has also been good. 30 metres and further out has seen lots of fishy activity. Birds (those low flying petrels in vast numbers) are out there. The fish are easy pickings with smaller lures dangling just off the sea floor tempting snapper and gurnard to take a hit. Consequently a reel retrieval or rod lift using a very slow action has been surprisingly good recently. Fishing just the 1m to 2m range off the sea floor providing good snapper fishing.

Outer areas of 50 metres have seen good steady fishing with some big guns being out and about. Dolphins, and a whale or two attacking baitfish schools providing sure fire fishing action when you get onto them. Some days you need to put in the miles to find them. And if your arrival time is right, let the story of big fish jumping on your line unfold, and it surely does. Solid sizes of snapper, kingfish in attendance, and skipjack tuna too. Speaking of skippy (not the bush kangaroo) they are still around in good numbers but have been playing hard to get lately. It’s pure fisherman’s frustration watching them jump and blip all around, but taking the ‘just say no’ attitude to most offerings.

Inshore fish activity aside, the annual Hutchwilco Boat Show is next week.

The excitement and amp is already starting, the boat show offers massive boat prizes. It’s such a great place to browse, compare or simply enjoy window shopping and dreaming in one true mega-store. Take your time, pace yourself to look listen and learn new things. Have a bite to eat and a good coffee and then on to more things fishing, boating and otherwise. It’s a great day whether weekday or weekend if you can’t be out fishing that day. So if you are there, do come and say hello.

Cheers

Espresso

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