THE ESPRESSO REPORT APRIL 5
Shark hunters โ hunt away! Surrounded by thousands of anchovies huddling along the hull trying to avoid the toothy smile of hungry BIG Bronze Whalers. Several Mako and many other wide eyed fish on the feed, kingfish, skipjack, kahawai and snapper just below.
Heart-thumping adrenaline filled fishing when the switch is on out there in Autumn. This is peak season for many big game, medium game and small game. Even the tiny little white smelt that are causing a huge amount of ruckus both in the middle ground of the gulf and popping up around the edges. Great news for land-based fishing and inshore kayakers. As opposed to the offshore kayakers… Yes like the Catch Pro Team who take a Mother Ship to outer islands. They set off in pure stealth mode in Jurassic Park like surroundings at dawn and dusk armed with a array of highly lethal weapons. Fishing nirvana for many.
If youโre after a kingfish, the sharks like them a lot too. It may pay to up the line and leader weight to get them to the boat a lot quicker, whole kingfish are better than just a head.
Snapper are getting into the Autumn groove, starting to feed before the inevitable winter slow down in a few short months. Some stunning mornings and evenings beckon for a quick inshore fish with a little light rod, a softbait and thatโs about it!
Those big kahawai, the ones that feel like a small kingfish on hookup, seriously strong and a never-say-die attitude are turning up randomly. They hunt their fleeing prey, such wonderful fishing on light tackle. Although sometimes when they are eyeballing the little white smelt they too can be tricky to get to bite. Try going really small, say a 20gm micro jig or small white softbait if you can. Fun times and freshly smoked kahawai? Delicious!
Skipjack are still around and so are their predators striped marlin, between Little Barrier and the Mokes for instance, if thereโs a flat day coming up, it could be just the ticket, a marlin from Auckland in a day could be great fun.
Beautifully clear water, crisp cool air temps โ and if you can find a patch of water calm enough either near or far, now is an ideal time to throw down your chosen weaponry and hold on tight for a fish fight.
Enjoy the magic of Autumn fishing, you just have to be out there with a handful of lures and a rod. Easy.
Espresso.
