We are still being spoiled with good fishing, although the yellowfin seem to have moved a bit. The last report was of one landed off Whitianga at 54kg by a lady angler.

Water temperatures are still averaging 22.2°C, with nice blue water and some good bait schools around the Penguin Shoals area.

I have had no recent reports of marlin being landed or tagged in the past two weeks, but that’s not to say they aren’t out there—as in the past, we have landed them as late as early May.

A very nice snapper was landed on a group trip to Great Barrier. It was caught on a soft bait rig with a 6kg main line and 6kg trace, topping the scales at 8.75kg. The angler had the perfect plan, played the fish very slowly, and won.

The local tarakihi fishing has been okay, but not as aggressive as we’ve seen in the past. That said, all clients have gone home happy with a good feed.

The harbour is still fishing well, with trevally up to 3kg and snapper around the 2kg mark in the shallows on the channel banks, especially in the early evening. Hopefully, this will last another month or two. When conditions outside are rough, the harbour is a good option—provided you work the tides in the early stages of movement.

We’ve just had a great week with nine other divers and fishos out of Whitianga on the Whai. We were blessed with six days of perfect weather—5 to 10 knots, plenty of sunshine, and a little easterly swell thrown in. Clear water, good company, and a great team.

Cheers,
Russ Hawkins
Facebook: Fat Boy Charters Ltd