Kawhia / Raglan

Recent improved weather has led to successful fishing trips off Aotea, with great snapper catches, including some over 10 lb, despite occasional slow feeding due to spawning.

Despite challenging weather limiting outings, our last trip out west saw decent catches of snapper, gurnard, and kahawai, with hopes for improved conditions by early October.

Fishing remains productive with regular limit bags, though colder water temperatures are influencing feeding patterns, alongside a forecast of challenging westerly weather ahead

The fishing has been exceptional this winter, with calm seas and impressive catches making for ideal conditions off the coast.

Recent fishing south of Kawhia have yielded impressive catches of large snapper and various bycatch. Window to get out next Saturday

Good catches of snapper, gurnard, and kingfish off Albatross Point.

Heaviest weekly snapper in June earns $170 voucher plus fishing remains excellent with solid catches near Albatross Point.

Despite challenging weather conditions, there have been successful fishing outings at Aotea Reef and nearby areas, with unexpected marine sightings adding to the excitement.

Fishing remains very steady along the coast, with the 10-20 meter zones, particularly around Aotea Reef, yielding some impressive snapper catches recently.

Young anglers are making the most of the superb fishing opportunities on the west coast.

Fishing report for Kawhia / Raglan supplied by Rob and Jacqui at Venturer Charters on Friday the 12th of April 2024

This week's Kawhia fishing report from Rob and Jacqui at Venturer Charters

Steady catches off Albatross Point at depths of 58-65 meters, sizable gurnard, and marlin activity extending into shallower waters of 55-65 meters.

Fishing off Marakopa in deeper waters has been unexpectedly productive, with excellent catches of snapper and a standout game fishing season, despite an unusual shift from traditional closer-in spots.

Fishing south of Kawhia continues to be productive, with barracouta strips proving top bait, although upcoming strong winds and 5-meter swells suggest a pause in fishing activities this weekend.

Tough fishing near Kawhia has improved, with successful catches of snapper, gurnard, and kahawai, and the anticipation of marlin closer to shore as water conditions continue to be favourable.

A mix of great and challenging fishing days off Marakopa with catches of snapper, gurnard, kahawai, and kingfish, and anticipates a promising marlin season ahead.

Recent fishing trips have been highly successful, with quick limits of average-sized snapper and plenty of gurnard...

Fishing in full spring mode with rapid catches of up to 140 fish in an hour, a rise in barracouta and gurnard, and promising signs for kingfish and game fishing as water temperatures approach 18 degrees.

Exceptional fishing off Albatross Point has yielded up to 170 snapper in under two hours, with a variety of baits effective and settled weather promising great conditions for upcoming west coast fishing trips.

This week's fishing update brings a mix of weather challenges, fish on the move in closer with promising catches, with Gurnard taking the spotlight.

Fishing opportunities improving and some thoughts about the next few weeks.

Start of Spring quarterly report from Venturer Charters in Kawhia

Most of the action has been south of Kawhia off Harihari and Marakopa in the 40-60 meters, not a area we would normally fish during this time of the year.

Out west here we are still having some pretty amazing fishing considering its August, which is traditionally the hardest month to be out there fishing wise.

Fishing is still pretty steady out west, winter snapper are in great condition.

A short summary of the fishing conditions at Kawhia this week with Rob and the team at Ventura Charters

Fishing is still very much simmering away, despite the wintery weather. There are the usual days that are a bit slower than others, but on the whole still going pretty strong, particularly on the snapper.

The snaps are well and truly on the chew, putting on condition and getting fat for winter, and they can now be caught in some pretty shallow water, 10-20 meters in fact, which is good news for any local surf casters.

Fishing is still going pretty hundy at present, and most of the action is happening in 20-30 metres, not too far south of Taharoa.

Hope things are drying out up there or summer turns up some time soon. The weather has had an effect on us also, with customers not able to get through slips and flooding.

The fishing is going gang busters at present, most days we are done in three hours.

Great fishing out west.

What a way to get to grips with a new boat.

The fishing is definitely in full-on spring mode, with some really nice snaps coming over the rail in our last few trips.

There is definitely more than a hint of spring fishing in the air, the snapper are going off in 50-60 metres off the bar leads at the moment.

August has treated us extremely well. It’s generally a month that can be pretty hit and miss, and it’s nice to be heading out of winter and into spring. The fishing we have managed to get in has been what you could describe as early spring, and with our bountiful west coast fishery, getting limit bags is still very common and we’re seeing some really nice fish.

Although we have had some pretty crappy weather recently, when it’s turned nice it’s been just awesome. You gotta love the easterly wind which is not typical for this time of the year. Fishing August is generally not my pick for best month of the year, but weather and fishing have been on the boil, with limits of snapper most trips and done around lunch time.

A quick report from out west, where it really has not been giving anyone much opportunity to fish over the past few weeks When the gates finally open the fishing is still very good for this time of the year.

Even though it can be wild at the moment, the weather does have windows of opportunity. A good case was last weekend and by crikey the fishing was on!

Well, it’s feeling like winter alright. There are still plenty of fish about when the weather is on our side, but windows of opportunity are pretty slim at present. Believe it or not, the weather reports for Sunday through to Tuesday are looking pretty sharp with wind from the nor-west.

Last week we talked about the effect of the moon. Well over the past few days, with the moon in the ‘upward facing cup’ position, it has treated us very well with some outstanding fishing, including consistent snapper catches of fish up to fifteen pounds.

Usually, the fishing is so good off our patch we are happily reporting bumper catches of magnificent fish. I guess we are so lucky to have such a great fishery that is not heavily fished due to its remoteness and access ‘challenges’ but things are not always so super easy.

Not that it ever got that bad, but right now, fishing has started to go off the dial again! The kingfish are hard on the bite currently, and we are only catching them on the bottom whilst snapper fishing. We’re getting them most days in good numbers and they are not babies either, most around 10-15 kgs so they are giving the bottom fishing gear a great workout.

As we fall out of summer and into autumn, the fishing out this way is still amazing, with plenty of snapper to be found in 40-50 metres south of Taharoa. If that’s a bit far, there’s also good fishing also in 50-60 meters off Albatross Point. We have had no trouble catching snapper limits most days, and some days getting it done before lunch, and the sizes have been pretty solid.

You’ve gotta love getting out west at the moment. Fishing is still very much on fire, and by all accounts should stay like that by my estimates until at least April. We have been getting plenty of good catches south of Taharoa in the 20-40 metre zone recently, with good numbers of snapper in the 15-20lb range!

Bluefin tuna off the west coast! Yes, for the first time in writing these reports for 10 years, we can report bluefin tuna, right in close in only 35 – 50 metres of water off the coast of Marakopa. Most of the fish that have been landed are in the 10 -15kg mark, so nothing like the big SBT’s off Waihau Bay, however, you know you’re happy catching 30 pound bluefin anywhere, anytime, and it’s not to say bigger ones are not there also. These fish can be found by chasing workups and birds sign, so something new to try for out this way?

What a year 2021 was! Thanks to all those that have supported us and enjoyed what the west coast has to offer. The fishing over the past few weeks has been pretty good overall. The big spawning peaks seem to have finished now and you are always going to get the odd slow days here and there.

First of all, a great story recently on the tagged kingfish that came from our own Gannet Island and travelled all the way to the sunny east coast of Australia to be recaptured and the data recorded.

The west coast continues to be the place to fish. Fishing is still going strong for this time of the year with no shortage of snapper every trip we make out there. Although the opportunities are few and far between with the blustery winter weather, that just makes it all the better when we do get out over the bar.

The west coast has really continued to fire this year, and as yet, has still not showed any signs of slowing down. In fact, fishing for this time of the year has been much like spring fishing, with limits by lunchtime now just standard.

Fishing out of Raglan and Kawhia this year has just been so good really since summer. We have had a bumper season with no real let-off as far as fishing goes. It’s been a bit like that all up the west coast this year, from here to Manukau, and right up to the mighty Hokianga. This year for bottom fishing and big game in close, west has certainly been best.

At the risk of sounding like a broken record, fishing is still really hot 95% of the time here still. Heading out to 40 metres off Aotea and the reef, has been delivering the goods consistently with some pretty solid fish up to 17lb. Out deeper is faring just as well with fish around 12-14lb and it’s easy to get a limit of 10 snapper per head rather quickly.

Fishing has been outstanding over the last few trips, that is, when you can get out there. The weather has limited our trips, lately, but we have been really doing well, sometimes even being done by 10.30am, ready for another session after 12.00.

The fishing is still pretty damn fantastic out over the bar, and this is one of the best months of the year to fish. Judging by the water colour in close, you could easily think you were at any tropical Pacific Island far from here. Unlike our previous report, there are lots of skippies, about and we are still seeing marlin in less than forty metres. There’s lots of bird action around as well, to draw your attention to where the action is happening.

It’s pretty much the same old, same old really. Which by anyone’s standards, is pretty damn good! Limits almost every day currently. Yes, we do have the odd slower day, but they are few and far between. Lately we have been fishing off Taharoa in the mid 50 metre zone.

Just a brief report to confirm the fishing is still fantastic out here, as per our last report! There are still plenty of snapper about in the 30-40 metre zone off Marakopa, and the same applies off the Kawhia Bar, but they seem to be smaller fish than we are getting down south.

If you think spring fishing is great, this time of the year is proving to be just as good, with flat seas, warm water, very pleasant air temps, and fish biting like nobody’s business. We have had some fantastic fishing over the past few weeks, with as many snapper as you like every day, some of them up to 15 lb.

Recently we have been running some overnight trips targeting snapper, albacore tuna, and marlin. There are plenty of these magnificent fish out there, perhaps the best season for marlin we have seen in many years, with fish in so close we are seeing them when snapper fishing.

The fishing is crazy at present, with limit bags around lunch time, and the snapper are of very good size. Commonly we are getting fish of 40 cm up, and even the odd magic -mark 20lb specimen. They are not too fussy on the bait, but some days squid tends to do better, mostly because it stays on the hook well. Fresh couta and kahawai do have their moments but you have to test if they are into it. You don’t need big baits either, they seem to just pull them off rather than swallow the lot down.

We will start with the harbour first and work our way out. You can stay inside the bar, and here the harbour is fishing very well at present. Near the entrance is good fishing over the last hour at the change of the tides, with fish up to 3 kilos plus, and always the chance of a decent kingfish. Most of the harbour is producing pretty well for a number of species on a whole, including kahawai, gurnard, trevally and of course, snapper.

The fishing has been outstanding over the last couple of weeks, particularly because it can be hard going traditionally at this time of year when the snapper get a bit fussy to do with spawning. Earlier in the month we had been fishing south of Albatross Point covering various depths from 40 to 60 metres and doing ok. In the last few days the 45 – 48 metre zone seems to have been fishing the best.

Well the weather has thrown a wobbly over the last few weeks, and opportunities to get out of Raglan and Kawhia have been very limited. This sort of weather is not what we usually expect to see in December, and is supposed to have passed a few weeks ago traditionally. However, that is one thing that is always out of our control and hopefully we will get a good run soon.

Fishing has been very good over the past few weeks, with good sized snappers and some donkey gurnard also very plentiful. Most good fishing has been happening out towards Gannet Island or off Albatross Point, which is our go-to destination, in around 50-60 metres.

The week started off pretty well with plenty of very good snapper on board by early afternoon. As we progressed through the weekend, Sunday to Monday the bite became very late in the afternoon, around three pm which is pretty much home time for us on a charter, but we hung around to get the best results we could which made for a long day.

Go the wild west coast! We have been getting some very good snapper up to 20lb 8-10lb being pretty common and really good eaters seem to fill the rest of the gaps. Limits are pretty easily achieved most days, and in very short time generally.

Things are definitely heating up out west, and most days we are achieving limits or very close to them for snapper. The reds can still be a bit choosey on the baits at times, and we are finding bonito seems to be the best flavour, closely followed by the good old trusty barrcouta.

Snapper and gurnard are on the chew, with limits on the snapper coming most days very early in the afternoon, and very healthy numbers of gurnard to make for a good catch bag.

Not too many chances to get out at present, but over the past few days we have been braving the elements and the fish are on the bite steady all day

The fishing in the past week has been great, and we are thankful to be able to get out at all at the moment. There were no real donkey snapper pulled in this week, but the average size has been good with pannies up to three kilos making up the catch. As you can sometimes get in the colder months, the spiny dogs have been out in force, which can be a bit of a pain. Usually there’s enough table fish to ease the pain and hang in there. These mini sharks seem to come through in waves but there is often good snapper fishing in between.

Fishing opportunities are getting few and far between with the wintery weather patterns doing their thing to preserve the fishery and keep us fisho’s at bay for a bit! The best days always seem to be weekdays of course, and the last trip was absolutely stunning weather-wise, and you would be forgiven to think we were in the middle of November. Absolutely dead calm and hot!

The weather windows are small at present, and weekdays seem to be offering the best opportunities which can be a bit frustrating for the nine to fivers. The fish are out there for the taking, and currently, the deeper you go the less spiny dogs seems to be the case. We have been targeting the area from 53 to 60 odd meters north of Albatross point the last few trips, and it has been pretty clean fishing.

There’s plenty happening out there this week. The easterly winds have been pretty fresh, but very fishable as there’s not so much swell. We have been fishing in around the forty-seven to fifty-five metre zone south of the bar leads, and getting some very nice snapper, and plenty of gurnard. There’s a lot of folks that prefer gurnard to snapper for the table, so getting a few good sized grunters on board is a welcome addition to the catch.

Fishing is running really hot at present, in fact so hot this story line almost sounds like it would be a spring fishing report. The last week’s fishing has been so amazing, catching limit snapper daily by lunch time or very early in the afternoon, and good size averaging three to eight kilos.

Despite the weather being a bit up and down, we did fish all of the long weekend. The fishing has been great for this time of the year, with plenty of snapper allowing limit bags commonly. On the slower days, there are lots of gurnard around at the moment, and they can be a great size often jumping on the dropper rigs two at a time.

Well it’s great to get back out on the water, and as expected the fishing is all go with limit bags common on our first week back in action. There are plenty of pannies about, and good patches of smaller fish that are really good for that perfect eating size fillet.

As luck would have it eh! The fishing would have no doubt been magic over the first 10 days of lock down, you just can’t beat still days and big snapper out west. Don't want to get into politics too much. What does the future hold? Well the world and NZ are going to be a very different place compared to a few weeks ago.

The days are getting shorter and cooler but the snapper are getting bigger and biting hotter. Yes, we are having some pretty good fishing at present and snapper in the mid-teens are been caught most days. We are finding the 30-40 metre zone now is the magic mark, particularly south of Taharoa.

Fishing has moved into its usual autumn pattern, which is a good thing here at Kawhia! The snapper have been going pretty hard on the bite, as they are getting ready for winter and trying to put on as much condition as they can,

West is best right now. Fishing out of Kawhia is really where the hot action is at currently. The snapper fishing is far better than most of the east coast, and the pelagic species are right in now. Game fishing is going really well at present, with the 100 metre line or thereabouts being the most productive for marlin.

Fishing is going is as hot as the weather at present. The snapper fishing here are absolutely on fire with some very solid units up to 15lb. The main area we have been fishing down off Marakopa in about 45-50 meters but had a try off Aotea Reef a few times, and the results have been much the same but out a little deeper in in 50-60 metres.

Fishing has been a bit on and off for the last few weeks. Fishing around workups has been productive when you can find them, and these can be any depth including right in shallow to 10-50 meters.

Fishing seems to have turned a corner as it has been getting better over the last ten days. We were struggling a bit sometimes, and then boom! in the last five trips we’ve had limit bags and these include some really good fish. I’m not talking great big donkeys, just really nice, solid snapper up to 10 lb which are ideal to give you a good solid fillet without getting too course.

Yes, the wind recently has not been a lot of fun, and subsequently we’ve been fishing in some pretty average conditions. The fishing itself hasn't been too bad for January, considering. I usually find this month a bit up and down fishing-wise. One day they are in close and the next out in the deep, or even worse, some days are just downright hard work everywhere!

Snapper have been biting very well the last week and if you want to know the best baits… I have to say fresh couta and kahawai are doing the damage on the bigger fish. Big bait, big fish, is not always correct. We are seeing the best results on smaller strips at the moment, as I find the big fish just come in and nail the smaller baits in one go.

Well its been a busy few weeks but this week has been a no go due to the big storm in the southern ocean that's been sending some pretty big waves our way, despite our weather been pretty nice up here.

The fishing has been going great with double limits common on the days we have two trips.

Things are definitely heating up out west with consistent results each day we are out. Maybe not limit bags every trip, but very solid fish are coming on board and we are seeing a lot of smiles from our customers with the numbers and size so what more could you ask for?