At Kawau Island, there are good solid snapper in the shallows (curly tail softbait territory?) – with more than one angler sheltering and catching well-conditioned snapper over the past two weeks – fatties too, nice. There are more good snapper to be caught in and around the top end of Waiheke/Ahaas right now as the Spring rush into the Gulf and Waitemata harbour is well underway. This area around northern Waiheke is great for fishing with lots of habitat welcoming the incoming snapper (and a few kings) and is a great place to shelter in calm when there’s a bit of a SW wind. Some well-conditioned snapper are to be had in and around here.

It’s nesting time for gannets, with the need to breed and feed being paramount. Similarly, with a lot of the wildlife out there in Spring, it’s all on. November is THE month of the year to get excited and head out fishing, try new tackle, new techniques, new fishing. Fishing reset

A word of caution: Loch Ness monsters are out there! Fully, semi, and barely submerged branches, trees, and other major debris are lurking, ready to wreak havoc on your wonderful day out. Keep a wary eye out, particularly along tidal current lines, as some of what lies just below the surface is very ‘Titanic-like’. From an elevated vantage point this week, a tiny tail poked out above the surface not far from an Auckland shoreline, with an ominous dark shape just below the surface, it looked just like ‘Nessy’. Half a pine tree will do that.

Seminars:

Next week, Tuesday Nov. 7, there is a Whitianga bait-free competition with the helpful addition of a pre-comp seminar on what to use, and what not. The following week in Wellington/Plimmerton, an epic open day is being held at KP Marine, with a softbait specific seminar at 1pm, covering past, present, and future softbaits – are you up to speed or are you missing out? Find out easily and for free.

Excited about the fishing season ahead? We all are, and our choices are wide, not only in terms of equipment but also where and how to catch fish. Overwhelmed by information? That’s usually more a function of social media opinions, not so much fishing facts. So perhaps with the seasonal change, some changes to your fishing are in order? Adapt to what can be fished, not just what you currently do, or have done for many years. What’s your ideal fishing day? A bit more shallow water fishing, some sneaky land-based sessions more often than not?

The challenge of catching ‘even’ a kahawai on a blustery ‘non-fishing’ day can be a thrilling new personal challenge, or the adventure of catching a flounder on a softbait, or a kingfish on a softbait (big 10inch 😉), even fishing a softbait as a live bait under a balloon, or those marvellous mackerel overlooked by many New Zealanders. There are lots of ideas and ways to enjoy this Spring/Summer of fishing, have a browse on www.catchfishing.pro for ideas and to expand your bait-free fishing thrills. Have you tried the new Curly Tail softbaits? They are almost too good with their action in water, a heap of bite triggers built in, check them out and their incredible vibe action, epic stuff and a great addition to your fishing prowess.

Cheers,

Espresso!