A super blue blood moon dominated the skies and of course, the tidal forces had flow to match. These tides will return to a more moderate size from Wednesday on.

Marlin

The previously frantic bite slowed right down. There’s still fair number of striped marlin messing with the mental state of fishermen by smacking at lures, taking them for a wee run, then letting go. Perhaps this is just to watch the frustrated antics of the humans on the boat second guessing their hook set-ups and general tactics?

East coast or West coast of the North Island, the fish are there and after this big Easterly blow, there should be more, ready and waiting. Tuna, mahi mahi, short billed spearfish and even a wahoo have been surprising anglers as well, so good times out wide on the blue, all-round.

Snapper

The bite has slowed big time; maybe the moon, and almost certainly breeding priorities driving this trend. The tides will ebb back to normality from Wednesday so watch for weather windows and get your fishing game back on point.

The shallows provide some excellent fishing at times.  Early morning in downtown Auckland is reported to be producing number of bag limits, with fish in the 40-50 cm range too. Between the Harbour Bridge and the container terminal, one of the busiest waterways in the country, is delivering great fishing!

Kingfish

I’m happy to report no real slow down from these fish, lately. Whether top water around various headlands and structures or out in open water among the bait schools with jigs, all techniques are working when the conditions are right. As always, this hard hitting species delivers thrills and spills all over the place as they hunt around aggressively.

More on tuna

Yellow fin tuna are still somewhat scattered but so much better than last year! Albacore are more prevalent and providing some seriously good eating to many trolling lures.

And lets not forget the skipjack. Whether for bait to catch that monster snapper, for sashimi or as pure fun fishing when trolling ultra-light gear and little lures like the Lil’Squidwings, skipjack are excellent fighting fish that never give up. They’re also one of the best ways to get an introduction to basic game fishing techniques.

Be patient with the conditions

Big tides and added swell height do make for lumpier conditions, something to be aware of at the moment. So, while the Easterlies prevent many from heading out into deeper water, the inner areas are the go for snapper. Those fish out wide will still be waiting and hungry when the wind to drops!

Exciting fishing times ahead. Enjoy.

Expresso