There’s been a few good fish we know of well up into double figures, and even busting the magic twenty-pound mark, which is unusual inside the harbour and in November.

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At the Bowentown end there’s been some really big trevally, which will readily take a small bait, but really love microjigs and smaller soft baits too.  These fish put up a great scrap and are the best sashimi out there.

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The harbour is also nice and clean at the moment with no weed issues or anything else to worry about, including our old mates the bronze whalers, so it’s a great time to make the most of it right about now.

Fishing the banks and ledges around the entrances either side of the tides seems to be the best advice for success, even better if you can manage these conditions on change of light.

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Outside the harbour is also fishing well, with some really good snapper catches off the beaches, and out to 25 metres all the way from Matakana down to Maketu.

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We have had some good fishing around ten nautical miles (18 kms) straight out of the harbour entrance, just fishing to sign on the sounder.

Some really nice solid pannie snapper, good terakihi and the odd chunky blue cod.

The 60 – 80 metre zone wherever there is any foul or where the edges turn to sand is fishing nicely, if you are patient and fish the tide moving either side of high or low to turn the bite on.

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Further out the water is starting to turn a really nice blue, not quite the perfect indigo, but looking good enough for gamefish to start appearing at any time.  There’s also plenty of sign of bait schools around, so it’s well worth being the early prospector if gamefish is your bag.

Kingfish action is expected to pick up from now through to summer, and we’ve picked up a few just fishing ledger rigs with clients, so they are certainly about.

Great places to try at the moment in closer would be Penguin Shoals and Pudney Rock areas too.  

If you’re really serious head out to Tuhua reef off Honeymoon Bay with a full arsenal of topwater and jig gear, because now is the time of year the squid run through there, and the kingies go absolutely ballistic when this is on.  There’s plenty of mutton birds about which is the tell-tale sign to follow.

If you’re out that far it may well be worth investing some time trying to bag a few koheru on tiny jigs fishing in shallow on the west and nor-west side.  

These make an irresistible live bait for kingies and marlin and it often pays to sacrifice some fishing time to get a few on board if they are about.  Try a light berley in close and see what appears in the trail.

If you have the time in the morning before heading out, small/juvenile kahawai also make good livies and you can pick these up around the harbour bridge and the bridge marina if the tide is cooperative.

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Cheers

Russ

RUSS HAWKINS ...OWNER/SKIPPER FAT BOY CHARTERS

PH 5755986 OR 027 2863638

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