Hauraki Gulf

fishing report

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Hauraki Gulf March
Note: If map is showing it is created by LINZ / New Zealand Hydrographic Authority and made available by Creative Commons 3.0. Maps should not be used for navigation

Fast, faster and fastest. Fast bite times, fast paced workups, fast chasing dolphins, even faster birds, fastest are the baitfish?! Endeavouring to keep up with small attack pods of dolphins, with a handful of gannets seemingly tethered to them diving in exploratory angst each time the dolphins stop and try their hand at rounding up a bait-school.

But those baitfish are fast.

Fast at avoiding the pounding from global attacks, the bait can go deep to out-manoeuvre or use outright (short term) speed.

Targeting snapper can be challenging with this style of workup scene. Perhaps it’s better to target the kahawai chasers, or kingfish? Or stop, drop and roll out your lures - stay put to target bottom fish like snapper and gurnard?

Choosing a lure is all you, your choice, you can’t get it wrong, only more right. A very slow wind up off the sea floor of a little ‘Livie’ soft bait, or a little flailing micro- Squidwings, tasty looking tiny temptations work well whether there’s surface action or not.

Even over the long periods of quiet bite, the odd snapper, gurnard or john dory just has to have an easy snack. When the bite is tentative like it has been for many hours in the day – also change your leader to suit.

The difference can be stunning. Down from 30lb to 15lb made a huge difference this week – either hooked up and grinning (from a tentative bite), or ‘there’re no fish here’. Leader weight the only difference.

A lot of activity has been heading in the past few days, in from out, so the inner gulf and edges are looking good for fishing.

Between Tiri and western Rankino area has seen as lot of baitfish interested followers (gannets, dophins, kahawai) the past few days, and there has been many mackerel rising in the evenings along the southern Whangaparaoa peninsula for instance.

The outer middle ground of the gulf has been eerie-quiet for several days.

If you’re a shark hunter, enjoy your workouts at Anchorite in particular at present – just an idea for those that are that fish inclined. Take your big gear and your big boy game-face, these fish are the real deal. Treat them with the respect they deserve, they’re beautiful in their own right, quintessential terminators.

There’s a Tiri tiri concert this weekend I believe – how about fishing close by and enjoying an outdoor concert on one of the most precious inner islands around?!

There’s always something on around the gulf, or perhaps drop in to Waiheke for a few hours before an evening fish off the Ahaa’s (a good place to be with bait and action late afternoon lately).

Marlin-mad anglers are chasing-the-dragon all around.  There have been good blues hooked, lost and landed north of Great Barrier, and black marlin hooked at anchorite!  The hot bite is on the west is best right now,  although this changes even faster than the weather. Still early days, and a couple of months left.

Full moon rising on Tuesday – I suspect straight after there will be a notable BITE. Plan on being in amongst it.

The soft baits are working well in close at the moment.  Here’s a look at out Livies and Stingaz that really do the business if you want a gear fix :-)

Enjoy!

Espresso.

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