Haines HQ fishing report.
Having said many times this year winter fishing is very different to any I have experienced in the last fifty years. What was traditional is no longer, never before have I seen so many changes over a short period of time and this continues even as I write this report.
For the past three months the fishing has been hard if you use bait but even harder on those chasing them on lures. Never before have I caught so many snapper of all sizes that their guts have been completely empty. With that you would think they would be hungry and be aggressive on the bite, not just the opposite and yet they are not starving as they are in prime condition.
It’s taken all my patience and skill to catch a feed as they have just been mouthing baits, sitting on it, crunching it, sucking the goodness out and leaving it. So what are they feeding on and my best guess is squid and selp [ basically jellyfish] which easily and quickly digested would not show up in their gut when opened up. This would also make sense as why they are so light on the bite with you feeling tiny taps and destroyed bait would ordinarily indicate small fish feeding, no wonder soft baiting has been so hard.
Having just had a couple of trips out on the water there have been some signs of change for the good. Bait fish, having been scarce, are now showing up in good numbers on the outside of Rangitoto to well out on the worm beds but what is a bit weird is so have the anchovies. The schools of anchovies normally show up early in the new year but the good thing is where you have kahawai jack macs and bigger predators such as king fish. If you are into lures and soft baits when the schools of bait fish are getting racked up it puts the snapper into a more aggressive feeding mode.
What it's going to be like in the next few weeks or months I am buggered if I know so I guess I just need to get out at every opportunity to bring you updates.
Out on the worm beds just south of Tiri towards the east you will hopefully find a few works happening, either anchor up and stray line with lightly weighted small baits or drift with micro jigs or small 3-inch jerk shads.
Closer around the northern side of Rangitoto and Motutapu look for the birds otherwise stray line closer to shore but make time to catch fresh bait. Even now the snapper are a bit more aggressive strip baits of fresh kahawai or jack mac will out fish all other baits, all our big snapper have been caught by cutting the heads of the bait fish back at an angle to the gut cavity rig it up on at least a 7 0/0 hook then left to slowly float down the burly trail.
People on social media have been bleeting on that there has been the odd longliner working the Rangitoto and Motuihe channels recently, so what they are entitled to have the quota and work bloody hard long hours in all conditions to make a living but let’s take the positive out of the negative they would not be wasting fuel and time setting their gear if the were no fish.
My picks for the next couple of weeks:
Area 1 spots 7, 16 and 18
Area 2 spots 3, 13 and 14
Area 3 spots 6, 13 and 15
Area 4 spots 12, 13 and 14
Area 5 spots 15, 17 and 19
Area 6 spots 16, 18 and 21
Area 7 spots 11, 16 and 17
I guess we just have to see what mother natures going to turn up in the next few weeks but the good news is the days are getting warmer and longer and the fishing is on the up and up. If you can't get out then do what I have done and had an early annual motor service before the team at Haines HQ get booked out. Go well and good luck.
