I just can’t believe the run of great weather and of course sea conditions are some days actually glassy until around 1pm.

The skip jack are now out there but on two different occasions vastly different in size from one day 4.5kgs ! And a few days later virtually great bait size or “Cokes”. Not in vast numbers but forever hopeful.

A number of sightings of Marlin to the North West of MayorIsland have been coming in and quite a few vessels trying their luck, I have not heard of any actual landings and of course some vessels may go to Whangamata to do the weigh in anyway.

A big plus for me is that over the previous two months at least, the pickings have been bloody awful and the sounder doesn’t lie. PlacesI have fished for many years just looking bare but just this last week a big difference in a lot more fish sign and at least some reasonable fishing with a few more pannie snapper in the mix and some great sized tarakihi.

The kingfish have been a bit harder on the jigs but some nice hits as long as you can beat those bronze whaler sharks and so far no reallybig kings.

I will be in the Mayor Island areas this Friday so hope to have some news for next week on the kingfish front.

Present reports from the locals down Papamoa way that some are doing quite well surf casting which is just great and the kontiki guys mostly being happy with their catch but those damn sharks are being a constant nuisance but that’s the way it is as we are in their domain anyway.  

I was preparing some filets on the edge of the main shipping channel on Monday and during a fairly short time had four bronze whalers right behind the boat cleaning up the scraps and this was in pretty damn dirty water but beautiful creatures. I was happy to finally make the number of sharks tagged in this very spot over five years to a total of 90.

Just a reminder we do not actually catch them but use a tag pole from the boat so to be “Woke” no sharks were hurt during this process !!

Well just a wee prick anyway ,actually reminds me of someone on board ??

Usually going in to late February /March we start to get better sized snapper in the deeper water from 70 to 85 meters .

Total change for me had some flounder fishing down Thames way and got a nice feed of fresh  fish although not big they were a beautiful change of taste as it is a long time between feeds of these beauties.

The harbour fishing usually picks up as well and if it works for you on the later time of the tides incoming or outgoing just happen to be on daybreak or dusk you should be lucky ?

Finally if it is anything like last season the fishing stayed pretty damn good right through until late April all round whether harbour oropen ocean.

 Cheers Russ Hawkins

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