Haines HQ fishing report.
If the strong equinox winds in the last few weeks has made getting out on the water a bit of a mission the days that have been ok each trip bar one it’s been wind against tide and a bad moon phase.
Out of adversity comes opportunity knowing the fishing will be hard I take the time to study the chart and bottom looking in different areas and depths. Cruising along at five knots to be honest its as boring as bat shit till I see a large school of fish mid water along with a fairly large spread of blue dots hard down on the bottom. Remember snapper are not just bottom feeders often chasing bait fish squid and the like right up to the surface. What I then look at is the depth the contours lines current state of the tide, the blue dots hard on the bottom are snapper but what are the fish mid water 8-10 meters off the bottom.
Looking at the chart plotter I then go up wind so the boat will drift down through the school with both a sabiki and ledger rig set at mid water. Remember these schools frequently brake up or move so it can take a couple of drifts to get a hook up, catching a few jack macs and slimy macs I suspect the bulk of the bigger fish are feeding on squid. Its all about getting a greater understanding and learning the movements of fish.
One trip out despite the moon phase being very bad I at least had the wind and tide in my favour, as I suspected when things are bad and it appears the snapper are feeding on selp like jelly fish] and squid they will be very lite on the bite, mostly a few small taps on the line is all you get and the only thing coming back is the crushed head of a pilchard. Never dismiss this as small fish its just the way they feed in these conditions at this time of the year. Fishing with either a tiny or best of all no sinker gives the least resistance, even in 22 meters the weight of the hook and the head of a jack mac slowly sink to the bottom. By casting it out well out to one side of the boat the bait will hit the bottom the be dragged by the current toward the stern of the boat so covering a lot more ground then being cast out directly astern of the boat. From tiny taps to a monumental bust off all within 5-10 minutes of the bait hitting the water, rigging the tail section of the jack mack but being ready to strike again some small taps the weight came on the line, hooked up on a snapper around the 4 kg mark.
When the conditions area against you fishing out the side of the boat or it’s a choppy sea it’s hard to focus on the lines so it’s all about either having fresh bait or using tougher baits such as mullet kahawai which make the fish chew on it often the bigger fish have a light chew then inhale the rest.
This year it appears the snapper coming into the gulf to spawn are slowly moving in around Little Barrier down towards Anchorite rock, more and more bait fish work ups in the area with bigger snapper below than normal.
The inner gulf has been fishing well nothing flash but decent size pannies with the best fishing at the change of light early or on dusk, ideally if you can get the combination of the change of tide at those times you will get an hour of good fishing before it slows.
As I have always said you will never regret getting out for a fish as there is always something to see or learn, as I said to my crew the other day when the fishing was slow but consistent only to just stop, something is not right then to have a big seal bloody near jump in the back of the boat.
With the days getting longer and the weather on the improve all be it slowly now is the time to book the boat in to get the motor serviced so all will be tickity boo for summer. As I write this Haines HQ are serving the mighty Yamaha now having run up 240 hours in just over two and a half years, the great thing about the team at Haines HQ is they also go through and check everything from bilge pump to nave lights.
My picks for those getting out on the water in the inner gulf are.
Firstly, out from Omaha it’s either strayline close in on the foul in 12-15 meters or out wide in at least 20 meters. Out wide watch for current lines or check the chart plotter for variations, the closer the contour lines are indicating a slight drop off where the fish will feed more vigorously.
Area 1 spots 9,10 and 19
Area 2 spots 11,17 and 18
Area 3 spots 13, 14 and 16
Area 4 spots 4, 13 and 17
Area 5 spots 8, 18 and 19
Area 6 spots 12, 13 and 14
Area 7 spots 9, 8 and 17
