Hauraki Gulf
fishing report
September 8, 2023
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Whales right in and around the inner gulf of Tiri, Rakino, and The Noises area recently, have been an amazing sight in such shallow water, where if they dived/sounded head first, they’d hit their head on the bottom immediately.
A wonderful place to enjoy the sights and sounds of the gulf while catching fish within eyesight of the big city. The action out there is all over the show, close, mid, wide as the mammals are moving around a lot chasing their next meal. Here one day, but gone the next!
Winter it is out there, while Spring is on our calendar, it is still only just turned September and the water temp is still cold, around 13c. Traditionally October was just the very start of Spring swim-in of snapper into the gulf, we shall see over the next several weeks. A lot of the time there will still be ‘kabura-days’, the ones when the bite is so soft and tentative, kaburas are ‘required’, typical of winter snapper especially. Highly sensitive rods (e.g. microjig rod by Catch), light leader and line, using softly, gently moving Freestyle Kabura and Beady Eyes - hard to out perform in this current wintry scene. Start with putting a few fish in the bin with them, nice pannie sizes for dinner, then look at upsizing your lure, with the combined increase in rod and lure action to target some bigger fish. A good swap-out change from kaburas are microjigs , not too much of high lift/long fall, more gently blipping the sea floor, easy strike stuff, puffing up mud giving away it’s position. A smooth continuous wind up, slow jig retrieval style of the microjig is an absolutely dynamite way to catch fish like gurnard and snapper – whatever you’re target, that slow-jig gradual retrieve is a top winter technique.
Slow Pitch is a very good call especially when there’s a bit of a bite going on, and with both a good fall, and the all important ‘pause’ of your slow pitch technique (have you been to a seminar and seen this?) there are good sized snapper and kingfish looking for that falling food. There’re lots of good slowpitch jigs out there to choose from, if you haven’t already tried it, the BOSS is an absolutely top performer and benchmark lure, and easy to use with its ultra-fluttering fall, definitely one to have and use this Spring for both snapper and kingfish.
Weather and calendar points us all toward getting out and enjoying some well deserved fishing time as warmer, longer days continue their upward swing providing the motivation for us all to shake off the hibernation mode and get back into outdoor life.
HowTo...? Reels on Catch Fishing Facebook – check them out – practical hints, tips, setups, tackle advice, technique demo’s, rigging, all sorts of 100% bait free lure fishing, have a browse while you’re not fishing – so you are primed, readyand 100% sorted for your very next round of fishin’ missions, enjoying catching fresh fish, yes! Scaled, skin on, seared – taste buds going wild.
What’s on YOUR fishing calendar? Get into it. www.catchfishing.pro
Cheers
Espresso
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