Great thumping snapper are being caught – mainly ‘up north’, big healthy snappers – on the drift, easy money, even when you’re not in the workups off Bream Bay! Further out the key, 50m.
Within the current lockdown 3 zone the simple pleasures of shoreline fishing are being enjoyed by many, a couple of fresh kahawai with a snapper land-based or from a kayak in close all bait-free, mackerel jigging, squid jigging…all topped off with a few mussels, sounds like a great family BBQ feast. It’s so good to see more than a few doing this style of fishing and similar in the current climate. Where there is a will there is a way.
Slow pitching snapper – the BOSS
October heads up. Snapper will be swimming be into the gulf from out wider, if the traditions hold true then right about now there’ll be some of the front runner male snapper (big boys) mooching in under the radar, well more like below strong winds and local lockdown restrictions. As October progresses the number of snapper can increase dramatically, fingers crossed the local Auckland lockdown levels drop and freshly caught snapper are on the table. Your prized lures should be in demand by the fish, when the feeding is on remember to go big, big slow pitch lures are ideal for eliminating smaller or undersized fish. And if you’re targeting snapper but need to get through lots of surface kahawai – use a big jig (slow pitch ideal like the Double Trouble or Deep V) with no skirts, you’ll catch fewer kahawai and more snapper. Dolphin pods quickly visited in and around the Waitemata this week, then yah-nah, lockdown definitely not their bag baby and hasta la vista it was, fast! Back out into open gulf waters chasing bait schools with the gannets in tow.
Is catching some of those true monsters of the deep blue in your near future, hapuka, bass, big kings, bluenose – if you’re into catching them already you’ll probably know about the Giant Squidwings, even if you do here’s something extra for those chasing dragons in high current, when there’s a fast drift on, and of course extra-deep water. Have you tried COLOSSAL Giant Squidwings? Check this monster out! A Colossal Giant Squidwings? Here’s how to go HUGE with Giant Squidwings, deeper, faster, bigger! – YouTube
Many big game anglers in NZ use trailer boats or smaller to catch marlin, striped, blue and black. Bonze has some great information about setup, and most importantly why so you can adapt your approach. Another guy putting back into the industry his knowledge and skill set, awesome. And who knows – marlin for sure, but while you’re out there how about bringing home a mahi mahi, or tuna for tea? A few tips here when you do hook up to that next marlin to help you land it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zlYEKllT34k
There are high expectations for fishing improvement over the next few weeks, still wild weather but when the wind wanes, and levels lower, dude and dudettes – get into it!
