New Zealand spring weather is a continual surprise, not just in terms of what the weather is today, more like what it will be in the next hour or so.
Rapid changes in wind speed and direction, from eerie calm to gusting 50kts, sunshine, rain/hail, and back again, that is the true nature of spring. Being fully prepped and ready to rock is key to getting into good snapper fishing right now. With the full moon adding extra randomness, traditionally referred to as the Harvest or Wine moon, perhaps down-under it should be called the Pollen moon since we are spring-bound.
A Pygmy Blue Whale was spotted checking out Kawau Island, a bit too close for comfort and having the incredible experience of hanging out with one a while back for an hour or so just off NE Little Barrier I can attest to their magnificence, diminutive it is not. It was utterly bucket
list stuff, and the fishing was epic with her,
perhaps the same one? A couple of other
behemoths in the general area were gorging
on fresh fish themselves. We are so lucky to
have such a unique and special aquatic playground.
The JetFish evening at Farnley’s Yamaha was superbly set amongst the beautiful big boys’ toys of PWC Waverunners, and more, with Simon from Garmin NZ, Russell from Rustler Fishing Gear and of course Jordan from Hutchwilco, all lending their expertise and very helpful advice.
Food, drink, and a friendly atmosphere of sharing expertise and a few fishing yarns was awesome. It was a wonderful setting to officially launch www.FishingCoachPro.comwith so many keen anglers eager to return for the fishing tutorials and workshops to be held at Farnley’s Yamaha, school opening and class details are all coming soon, to keep informed email FishingCoachPro@gmail.com . One-on-one coaching has also kicked off, with most dates/times already filled, just a couple available, email to get your personal coaching session booked (on-water workshops are a possibility on the horizon, let us know if you're keen).
Local Fishing
Patience is for hospitals; it’s hard being patient to go fishing right now, with the blustery weather being the main inhibitor to a day out on the briny. However, when the big calm does swoop in, heading out towards Great Barrier past Anchorite Rock is a good option for local Auckland dwellers.
Deeper water means a higher likelihood of better workup action, but also finding a few snapper schools with some early season big males making their way into the big pond unannounced. Using the prospecting approach of just stopping and drifting for 10 minutes here and there on the way out with kaburas and tungsten micro jigs is a great idea. A well-setup sounder should tell you all you need to know. Even a gently jigged and retrieved inchiku is a good prospecting lure. You never know what/where the flash mob will pop up, like some workups pumping just out off the Ahaa’s. A bit random, but that’s to be expected fishing around the full moon, and good news.
In general, the water temps aren’t rising quite yet, so although it’s still wise to take a few big tackle setups (as discussed at the JetFish night) start with the winter-mode approach for snapper: your softly-softly approach with kaburas, similarly gentle jigging action with micro jigs, and slow-motion with lightly weighted and small 3-5 inch soft baits. Even use a double hook approach on the softies; big snapper still take small tail-bites, especially while still in winter-wary-mode themselves. If you’ve cottoned on to a good snapper bite but it drops off, go straight back to the subtle approach when that bite dwindles. Bite times can be very short right now.
Quick Bites:
How’s that fish smoker looking? If yours hasn’t been used for a while over winter, give it a good clean now, and sun bake it ready for your next mission. Some nasty little belly bugs and mould may be lurking
Batteries – charge them up. Whether you have a trickle charge or borrow a mate’s, then see if it holds the charge, one of the most common mega-hassles so easily avoided out on the water, turning a wonderful memory into a day to forget
Rust never sleeps, and winter is prime time for its unwanted spread. Hooks, knives, trailer rollers – a little bit of time getting rid of the orange virus now pays dividends for when you're just itching to get out there
Remember to take your fishing approach lead from Mother Nature. If it’s a quiet day, use ‘quiet’ lures and a gentle slow-retrieve approach as well. But when it’s a good action-stations bite, go big. Go big in lure and importantly big in your action – giving your lures more attention-getting action and vibe, more aggressive motion to attract the bigger, more aggressive fish.
Enjoy this build-up to more fishin-mission-possible days and get prepped now so you can get out there, hassle-free, fast. Let’s go fishing.
Carpe Diem, Seize the Day!
Cheers,Â
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