Opportunity knocks, aquatic space invaders, to swivel or knot? Easter Espresso.

Know when to answer the call to go fishing, and when to ignore it!

Deciding on our day out fishing weather wise – wind speed is only one part of the equation, yet how often is that all we look at? Using just a couple of other factors we can be very accurate and know what to expect, where and at what time of the day, and plan our fishing adventure accordingly.

Easy to understand graphs on Swellmap

Making most of weather windows, knowing the real conditions we will face is relatively easy thing to predict, and it’s not all about falling into the just the wind trap. Here are 2 top sites and 3 key things to note when you decide if fishing is a go, or no, especially out in more open water. Some accurate indicators found useful over the years, like low and high tide times are mainly for current direction, to determine which half of the day will be smoother i.e. wind direction with tide. Another big thing is to check tidal current strength, basically the moon phase, but it’s really easy to use Swell Map's fast simple diagrams. A big current or tidal range of 2m+ can mean sea conditions when wind with tide may be ok, but when they are going in opposite directions, the bigger the current – the more it’s white cap city, and this is usually when the moans and groans on social media start about the forecast being wrong. And remember when the tide is close to changing the current is very little, but mid-tide the current is strongest by far i.e. it can get rough!  Similarly, when there is little tidal movement between low and high tide say <1.2m, conditions will tend to be much less choppy – perhaps even one of those blissfully mercury-smooth like days when there is little wind. Another quick thing to check is the swell, not only height, but period i.e. the time/distance between each swell. A 1.5 metre swell may barely be noticed when 15seconds+ apart, but if only 6 seconds, it's a roller coaster ride and very rough especially in a small boat, ski or kayak. So, if there’s a big tidal flow, a swell that’s close together, even a 10-15kt wind forecast (Windy.com is great) against the tide can make for an unpleasant time, plan for another day out in open water.

Are swivels for bait only, a thing of the past with all the lures and jigs these days? 

No more chipped rod guides from smacking the swivel ’yet again!’. With a small shift they can still be used to do what they do best. Check this Pearl out: To Swivel, or Knot?

So, you or a mate want to get started, really improve your fishing and get into catching snapper? The next series of Espresso’s Fishing School classes coming up are aimed at getting started in snapper fishing and improving novice anglers, including those who are using mostly bait, but would like to add lures/jigs to their fishing adventures. Step by step, how to, and the all-important why classes showing and explaining exactly what to do, how to do it, and what you need (and don’t need!) to catch snapper. Saving so much money, and even more time catching tiddlers or worse, no fish at all. Here’s the perfect place to make your boat, ski or kayak snapper fishing really come alive! Coming very soon, email: fishingcoachpro@gmail.com

Flasher rigs with bait, a very popular and effective way to catch snapper for so many people, especially novice and young anglers – check out this way to quickly and easily improve them, adding a new dimension – who knows where it will lead.

Temps dropping steadily, notably sea water temp is triggering some excellent feeding times, particularly for snapper, so while the temp is still not low enough for hibernation mode to kick in, using your jigs and bigger soft baits can create some epic sessions. Big jigs, slow pitched can put you onto some excellent snapper, sure using smaller jigs the shallower you are, is generally the right approach but don’t forget to upsize your ideas when moving out deeper. My normal rule of thumb for jig weight is 2 times depth in metres = weight in grams, especially to start with (given certain drift speed, current and rod assumptions). So, in 40m start with 80gm jigs. But when the going is good, particularly out in amongst the epic Autumn workups currently in 50m, or even simply on the drift over the open gulf areas in 35-45m it can pay excellent dividends in terms of big, beautiful snapper, by going up in weight and size of jig. For example, a 200gm jig for snapper can be just what they’re looking for to bulk up on in Autumn, standard jigging, a long fall motion, a high lift slow pitch approach, even a slow mechanical jig up several metres, all can really spark some big snapper into an aggressive attack at this time of year. So, when the opportunity presents, or just try it to see what’s down there - think and go big all Fall.

@mohammedali.boxking with his whopper of a snapper - shallow water bliss on the Full Moon!

To finish the fishing, that full moon last weekend waved its wand alright – with some thumper of workups out in 50, eastern side of the gulf leading up to it, but also those migrating snapper that are in numbers going through the gates right now, both sides of Gt Barrier Island, easily found, an exploratory inchiku or sounder sign. But also, right on full moon, what looked like every white tern in the Hauraki Gulf along with thousands of petrels, swooped in and jockeyed for position, circling and eyeballing what must have been large schools of baitfish down below the surface just offshore…it was like every bird had got the txt/email that there was a major party going on along the Bays. But that wacky full moon put the kibosh on the monumental gathering! Weird and wonderful at the same time, glorious to see such birdlife fill the skies with the promise of imminent fishing mayhem, but like a dud firework it fizzled and left us watching and waiting, just a fleeting moment of unfulfilled thrills, I guess the thousands of birds battling the wind to stay aloft were the same, frustrated. That’s fishing! However, some good snapper have been caught in and around the mussel farms, and Firth of Thames - like this big red caught by @mohammedaliboxking even during the short sharp bite over the full moon, expect longer bite times this coming long Easter weekend if the wind drops. Now with moon in a better frame, the frenzy out there beckons, be amongst it if you can, when the wild weather passes, check that forecast.

Here's what those nasty aquatic space invaders look like!

Enjoy your Easter weekend, watch a video or two and we’ll see you on the other side.

Cheers,

Espresso.