As many of you know, the northerly-southerly conditions in Wellington have been nasty lately, so when we get a window to fish, we take it.

This report covers my last trip for 2024, fishing off Waikanae Beach with a mix of boat and kayak alongside some fellow Catch ambassadors.

26th December
The day was supposed to be wind-free, but the rain was another story. I got up at 4 am, and it was absolutely bucketing down. Initially, we cancelled the trip, but then one of the crew already on the water reported that it was just drizzle on the Waikanae side. So, we packed up and headed over to set up.

Some nice snapper showed up, though I lost a very good fish on a 10-inch soft bait. Scott managed to land two nice snapper using the Deep V Catch jigs. By the end of the session, we had four good snapper and two kahawai in the bin before heading home. I filleted the kahawai, vacuum-sealed the backbones, and packed them for my son to take north.

A Few Days Later
The conditions were perfect again at Waikanae, with calm swells, so I chose the kayak and got out early.

While paddling out, I struggled to find snapper due to the southerly dropping the water temperature to 12°C. Instead, I came across gurnard—always a nice surprise. It was a great experience watching the sounder and seeing the jig going down to meet the fish.

After a few hours of drifting over the sands with Jonathan, we decided to head in before the current change carried us too far south.

All in all, a couple of great trips to cap off the year despite the challenging conditions.

Tight lines!

Jason Grimmet.