Fishing Report

Fishing Report

By Tony Marsters

Well snapper are scattered but biting hard, taking pretty much anything you throw on a hook. Jigs and soft baits are doing well with flavour of the week being the Nuclear Chicken and Bruised Banana on 3 oz lures.

Work out your tides and get in the currents. 1.5 hours before change of tide seem to be delivering the best result. Burley up hard using frozen burley to make it last with fish in your burley trail. A good idea it to set two burley pots, one on each side of the boat. If fishing off the rocks, give yourself plenty of line and get your burley flowing out in the current. Tuna and pilchard burley work the best, and last longer than salmon.

For you boaties using lead sinkers, if you accidentally drop a sinker or hooks on board, make sure you pick them up and stow asap because they can cause some serious corrosion issues if they end up in the bilge especially in alloy boats. Off cuts of braid and nylon should also be collected as these can end up in the bilge and destroy your bilge pumps.

Speaking of the bilge, it’s always a good idea to flush the bilge out at least once a month. It will help stop corrosion and avoid a smell you won’t believe from. Make sure you store your boat with bungs out so rain water drains out.

Check your stowage areas, especially where life jackets are stowed as these are usually damp, and full of mold so dry these areas out when you can.

Remember to take your tote tanks off at night if applicable as Whitianga is notorious for stolen fuel. On this note, if you can get a lockable fuel tank cap for underfloor tanks then do so as fuel bandits will suck fuel out of your tank, and normally this won't register on a electronic fuel gauge as these deduct fuel used from the engine use. If you get out to your boat in the morning and smell fuel or see the fuel cap is open, chances are your tanks have been siphoned. Call into the gas station and top it up just to be sure. Don't make anything easy for these low life scumbags ( as Graham Bell would say).

Be safe out there, keep an eye on the weather, and if in doubt...don't go out.