April 2009
Bay of Islands Fishing Report
4th April - 4th April - Thank goodness we only had 6 customers and were able to spread out around the boat. We endured the 1-1.5 metre swells for a couple of hours and caught some reasonable Snapper but they were few and far between. We stayed very fussy about what we kept though as the good fish were very good. The most uncomfortable part of it all was the wind was blowing from one direction and the tide was flowing in the other, which put us side on to the swells. When the tide was right, we moved to calmer water. Unfortunately the fish weren't biting very well here either. We caught just enough good fish to show that they were there but on the whole they were not interested (even the Kahawai were scarce). By the end of the trip, although a bit disappointing for us, we had enough fillets to go around to give everyone a couple of meals.
7th April - There was a huge swell today, so we decided to check out the sheltered parts of the Brampton Reef. It was pretty disappointing but we tried a combination of dropping the anchor and also a bit of drifting but without success. By then the tide had changed so we ventured into the swell as the wind and tide were now in the same direction. There was snapper being caught but they were all borderline or below. We caught two Kahawai and threw one of them back (I started to regret that later) but no Snapper worth keeping. With this looking like the worst day we've ever had we set off for Nobby's up the Opua Inlet. Nothing there so we ventured further up the inlet and tried a couple of other spots. Our last place yielded five Snapper, one of which was very promising. Five Snapper and one Kahawai between four people - we just saved our pride.
Our Next Trip is....
1st May - Another month gone and the weather is looking
good.
10th April - No swell, what-so-ever today. The huge SW winds we had yesterday killed the swell completely. Easter is looking good with very light variable winds and dead flat water. We fished in 25 metres within the Kerikeri Inlet for the whole of the day. It started out very slow until the tide started to run. The water was full of Enunga and the Kahawai were intent on feeding on as many as possible. The Gannets were diving all day like hordes of Stuka dive bombers. It was pretty entertaining to watch. Gradually the Snapper started to bite and then they got bigger and bigger as the day progressed. By the end of the day we had lots of Snapper, Trevally and about half a dozen Kahawai.
11th April - Today was pretty much the same as yesterday. However the tide was 3/4hr later and there was no bird life at all. We were trying to decide wether or not to move as the tidal flow was still almost non-existant at 11am. Luckily we hung in there and by 11:15 we had started to score a couple of good sized Snapper and a few Kahawai. It soon became apparent that this was going to work okay. By the end of the trip we had so many Kahawai and Snapper that it took the entire 45mins of the return trip to Paihia just to gut and gill the fish. No-one is going hungry for the next few days that's for sure.
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Anthony's fish was the biggest Snapper of the day measuring in at 2.2 kgs. He had a bit of competition but this fish was definitely the best. Naturally he was pretty stoked when it came aboard
12th April - Beautiful weather yet again with gentle 5-10knt winds. The fishing started off very slowly but eventually we started pulling in some Snapper. However it was too slow for us so we tried a second spot with a bit more success. Lately there has been very little tidal flow and the fish are very slow to bite in these conditions. By the end of the trip we had plenty of fish to keep everyone happy but it is getting hard to find them.
13th April - Another hard days fishing in beautiful weather. Our first spot wasn't doing so well as the tides were once again virtually non-existant. Getting desperate, we ended up heading up towards Opua and managed to hook enough fish to supply everyone with something to eat. But it was our worst day for fish this Easter.
14th April - It was time to try something different so we headed out past the islands to a spot off Urapukapuka Island where our sources were saying that there was some quality fish. It took us an hour to get there but it was worth it for the scenery alone. The Snapper were okay but slow to bite but we were having fun pulling in a wide range of different species. Our tally at the end of the day included Kahawai, Snapper, John Dory, Granddaddy Hapuka, and Kingfish. We finished the day with five lines getting busted off in the kelp by Kingfish, all within a five minute period.
15th April - Terry spotted a likely patch of fish on the way back from our trip yesterday so we headed there today. Once again it was a very slow start but then the fish started to come on board. The more we caught, the better the quality got with the biggest Snapper measuring around 38cm. The competition was friendly but fierce on board with everyone trying to better the previous fish caught. Just before high tide the Kahawai put in an appearance and provided a few good fights. However once the tide changed, the action died completely. We were secure in the knowledge that everyone had sufficient fish so we took a risk and headed up towards Opua again. This spot we went to provided us with more very good snapper and some good sized Kahawai. It was good to know that there were still some good fish up the creeks. It took another 30 mins to fillet all the fish, further proof that the catch was good today.
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Lots of variety today. Michael Smith hadn't realised that he'd caught a small snapper which was lucky for him because this John Dory pounced giving Michael the nicest tasting fish on the boat. Lorraine Torrance did well to get her Kingi under control before it hit the kelp. She had a good battle to bring it in but was the winner in the end. Louis Brown was pleased with his Granddaddy Hapuka. I don't think he'd seen such a fascinating but ugly fish before.
Wait for all the images to load and then left click on the photos for a description and slideshow
Wait for all the images to load and then left click on the photos for a description and slideshow
17th April - Because of the weather and the fish we found here yesterday we headed up towards Opua again. What a nightmare day, no matter where we tried we had very little luck. It was three stops before we even got a bite. Luckily, our very last stop was at Nobby's and it delivered. Not a lot of fish but we managed to get a feed for both groups on board.
18th April - After yesterday, we decided to try our luck amongst the islands. The wind was promising to be strong and swells were huge going around Tapeka but our intended destination was going to be in calm water. Our first spot produced a couple of good snapper straight away but unfortunately the wind caused us to drag our anchor. Attempts after that to get on the exact spot proved fruitless apart from a very nice John Dory which appeared to have gone for a piece of squid. The wind had calmed down considerably, despite the forecast, so we headed into shallow water and hit the jackpot. It turned into quite a good day with our group filling a couple of chilly bins with Snapper and the John Dory. The three Kahawai had to be carried separately as there wasn't room. Like I said, a good day.
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28th April - We finally got out again. There was a huge swell running but we were able to get around Tapeka and into the calm water amongst the islands. The Snapper were pretty disappointing today. We were catching quite a few but most were only around the 27cm mark. We kept enough to feed everyone and returned the rest. The highlight was the John Dory. We'd had a live bait out for ages and I was just about to give up on it when the first Dory struck. We were giving the Dory time to swallow the bait but Abi decided she wasn't going to wait. She sidled up with her line, got it tangled with the Dory line and pulled it in herself. Piracy was alive and well on our boat today. We put another live bait over the side, made sure it was safe from Abi and were quickly awarded with another Dory. A third bait attracted another but it got away as did the 4th unfortunately. We headed home with a couple of Kahawai, nine Snapper and two John Dory between four people. Incidentally, I've managed to find a new recipe for Kahawai and it's a ripper. Super simple and very very tasty. Check it out.....