It’s no secret Wellington angler’s have had a tough run this summer. Jason Grimmet reckons the current north-westerlies could be just the ticket to fire things up.

Wellington fisho, Jason Grimmet’s delighted to see a few north-westerlies pushing warmer water down the Kapiti Coast. With water temperature still sitting at 14° to 15°, that’s no surprise.

Predominantly a kayak fisherman, making the most of rare opportunities has meant thinking outside the box. His strategy for success has been to work the mid-water and bottom hard with jigs. Blue cod in particular, respond well to this technique, with fish between 45 and 51 cm filling the bin. See the photos below as evidence.

Accidental genius

The first fish of a recent session was caught completely by accident when a mate wrapped his line around the prop. While the boys worked to unwrap the tangle, a 45 cm fish grabbed a Beta Bug in 70 metres of water prompting an immediate change of tactics. Switching over to Squidwings and Beta Bugs, the crew enjoyed a very productive session, which included a 51 cm cod on a microjig.

Mixing up boat trip with kayaking

A recent boat trip out to Tora, in the eastern Wairarapa, produced plenty of good blue cod for the crew. Generally speaking, boat trips have been very successful, with good catches of terekihi a welcome addition to the cod.

Positive reports from slightly further north suggest coming schools of snapper as warmer water pushes down the coast. The biggest snapper Jason’s heard of this season went 22 lbs.

Jason’s been feeding his fix with kayak trips in shallows around Kapiti and Mana Islands when the weather isn’t favourable for the boat . Hopefully, by the time we talk to him next, hungry snapper will be stacked up under his yak.