Winter it is! Frosty starts a tad south spreading north, no surprises โ but with the big chill down comes reward, and the rewards have been excellent a bit further out in the Hauraki Gulf lately, wonderfully so at times and as the saying goes, the whole 9 yards. Epic eruptions of baitfish flying through the air with whales on their tails, dolphins managing the melee, all and sundry taking part in the frantic feast if they can, birds, fish you name it. The winter โslow downโ is imminent but in the mean time, slow it is not out there at the end of the rainbow(s).
The inner area action has been rather flighty, gannets and terns sitting waiting pre-dawn in an area, and after the feast โ how ever long that may last from minutes to an hour or more โ a vanishing act. Nothing to be seen. And the next day? Probably several kilometres away and a fresh start.
Big fat โocean goingโ kahawai have been notably up and around the Kawau side, massive line pulling specimens too. A great plan is to grab some for a big smoke-up and share around, wherever youโre fishing. As is or however you prefer these kahawai, such an exciting fish to catch and a healthy delicious dinner or two too. Treat them well and they will reward with exceptional flavour. Iki instantly theyโre aboard, then bleed and ice ice baby. Absolutely primo!
Snapper out wider are in feeding mode, 45m+. Drifting with a few good lures presented well on light leader (20lb maximum, but 15lb better) should result in excellent pannies accompanying you home, ย no workups required. A few big reds are likely so a little patience is required to land them on lighter leader, but with nothing to bust off on over most of the gulf, easy and enthralling. Softbaits are a reliable and effective go-to, especially in the inner shallower waters of <20m, but also further out. Just short of and not far past Anchorite drifting a lonely looking imitation baitfish about a metre (one wind) up off the sea floor โ disco! Snapper city. In these depths of 50m (or m
ore) it pays to use much more weight to get your softbait down to where then snapper are, using a 3/4oz jighead your softbait may never reach them โ drift speed, current, sheer depth. Using heavier jigheads, allowing them to smack the sea floor once or twice (a great sight and sound dinner gong to a snapper in the area) is the way to go. 2ounces and more are needed, particularly when using big softbaits, chasing big snapper. The boat motion is often enough to get the snapper interested, and provide and easily attacked and eaten โfishโ. 4ounces in 50m, now weโre talking.
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has created. Impressive, effective, twin-hook options too โ and see snapper attacking and hooking up on the softbaits in 50+m deep!! Definitely worth checking out, much to see and learn on the Deep Water Rig video just put up on Catch Fishingโs Facebook today !!>>>
Have a great weekend, short, long, or long-er. The weather looks good, the fishing will be great fun โ just add you!
Espresso.
