By Ant Bostock
Inshore
THE near-shore waters along the coastline are teeming with fish and locals would be hard done by to not come home with a feed. There are herring as fat as juvenile salmon along the shores and resting in the wash areas of any surf break. Skippy are still around in good numbers but may not be as solid as they are throughout the winter months. Tarwhine and King George can be landed from any of the sand patches along the inside reefs and weed edges. For those that are chasing larger fish from shore then I would recommend ballooning off the rocks on any days that offer a good easterly breeze. There is a chance you will potentially pick up any number of pelagics feeding in our waters these include Spanish mackerel, southern blue fin tuna, shark mackerel and large yellow tail kingfish. Local fishermen have already hooked southern blue fin tuna from the rocks and I am sure it is only a matter of time before someone balloons a large mack from the shore.
Offshore
This summer has dished up some of the finest offshore fishing conditions you could hope for on our coast. Those that have ventured out wide to the shelf and fished the 200-350m of water have not been wasting their time or fuel. Some very impressive hapuka and big eye trevalla have been landed out in these waters. There is also the massive grey banded cod that resides out in these waters. Back in the 40-60m waters, fishermen are landing respectable bags of demersals. Dhuies, pinkies, queen snapper, red snapper, breaksea cod and even baldchin groper have been landed out on the coral over the last month. Those that have jigged with soft plastics have probably had the most fun as their lures have either been smashed by a passing tuna on the drop or nailed by a solid dhuie on the bottom. There have already been a couple of decent Spanish mackerel landed by anglers of our coast and I am sure there will be many to follow. They are here earlier than previous years and will remain present as dependant on the temperature of the water.
Freediving
Conditions could not have been better than what we have seen throughout the last six weeks. Local freedivers have all done very well while hunting the “oceanic beetle” and “flatsnail”. Inshore freedivers have had perfect conditions for the sneaky dawn session or arvo rockhop for a feed. King George are everywhere and so too are some solid flatties. Those of us who like to fish out wide in the deeper water have been landing some decent\ dhuies and queen snapper. Local freedivers have seen many Spanish and southern blue fin out wide while diving in bait balls, so it’s only a matter of time before one of you land a good pelagic.