Fishing Report 13.09.2019

By Steve Reed
on September 13, 2019
Fishing Report 13.09.2019

Wellington Area Fishing Report

Wellington Harbour. There have been a few early moki being caught along with some good sized spotty sharks, with fresh crabs being used for bait. Winter red cod are still around with some big kahawai being caught as well. This can be a tough time to fish the Harbour this early in the season, but a nice snapper, trevally or gurnard is only a cast away.

 The West Coast is slowly starting to warm up with some nice size snapper having been caught, not in big number but good sized fish. Gurnard are being caught in very good numbers, along with some spring time trevally. Unfortunately there are still plenty of spiny dogfish around so to avoid catching them, get some of those slow jigs out as the gurnard love the 60 gram red gold Baku Baku slow jigs, and the spiny dogfish don’t generally touch this kind of lure.

South Coast. Tarakihi and blue cod are still fishing well with most reefs holding good numbers of fish.  Gurnard, just like the West Coast, are showing up in good numbers with Fitzroy Bay being one of the best places to fish in 20 – 30 metres. Bluenose and groper have been patchy at best with most bluenose being smaller fish 2 – 4kg caught in 130 – 180 metres on the Wellington side of the Trench.

 Are you ready for the coming season? Have you set yourself some fishing goals? Is your fishing gear and terminal tackle ready to go? Now is the time to check your guides for cracks as this causes your line to break and can cost you a good fish and the loss of your terminal tackle. Is your reel running smoothly? Is the handle turning smoothly, is the bail arm tripping easily, or is your level wind running smoothly. Is your line ready to go, or is it fraying and looking faded? Check all these things out and when you are ready to get out, you will have a really enjoyable time with gear that performs well for you.

If you need help with anything fishing related, Felix and I are always happy to help. Not sure what questions to ask about servicing? Just give us a call, we are always happy to talk.

 Tight lines, and GO THE ALL BLACKS!

 Cheers, Steve

Wellignton Area Fishing Report 27 August

By Steve Reed
on August 30, 2019
Wellignton Area Fishing Report 27 August

Wellington Area Fishing Report.

West Coast Boat Fishing. With spring only a few day away it is encouraging to see some good kingfish and few snapper being caught on the West Coast for those anglers lucky enough to get out there. We have had several reports of large snapper being caught from Makara up to Otaki, with most fish being between fifteen and twenty pounds. Kingfish have been fairly consistent over the winter months particularly at Hunters Bank and around Kapiti Island, but just like the snapper it is encouraging to hear of them being caught down as far as Ohau Point. Tarakihi and Blue Cod have been caught reasonably consistently on the West Coast in the foul ground behind Mana, Hunters Bank and of course down off Boom Rock.

 

Wellington Harbour. With the whitebait running the river mouths, there will be some exceptional lure fishing (spinning) for Kahawai. Gurnard are starting to arrive in the harbour which is good for the boat fishermen and the surfcasters. Along with the gurnard don’t be surprised if you catch some beautiful elephant fish, these are usually quite a rare fish to catch with a surf rod but don’t be surprised if you hook into one or two this time of year.

 

South Coast. In between the gale northerlies and the big southerly swells, those anglers who have been about to get out have experience some fairly consistent bluenose and hapuku fishing for those anglers fishing inshore, just like the harbour the gurnard are starting to show up around Lyall Bay and Fitzroy Bay. What has been surprising has been the exceptional blue cod fishing.

 

This is the time of year to set your goals for the coming season. Hopefully you have achieved what you wanted to for the winter season and are ready to set some goals for the summer, such as your first kingfish or a snapper over five kg or maybe your first moki from the shore.

 

Tight lines, and hope to see you out there, Cheers Steve

PS Picture is of me, to remind myself to catch a bigger snapper this coming season!

The Wellington Area Fishing Report For January

By Felix Wenzel
on February 01, 2019
The Wellington Area Fishing Report For January

This great fishing will continue on for several more months so there is lots of opportunities ahead to get out there and wet a line. All the best for your upcoming fishing adventures! If you need a hand with anything just get in touch. 

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Wellington Area Fishing Report 17 October 2018

By Felix Wenzel
on October 19, 2018
Wellington Area Fishing Report 17 October 2018
Stunning Snapper and Gurnard galore!

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September Fishing In Wellington

By Steve Reed
on September 18, 2018
What's been happening in September round the fishing traps!

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Fishing Report 08 August 2018

By Felix Wenzel
on August 11, 2018
Fishing Report 08 August 2018

West Coast The fishing is slowly starting to heat up with kingfish already beginning to show up on some of the more popular reef structures, along with schools of trevally. These fish are best targeted with smaller whitebait style imitation soft baits either fished on a jig head or even on a ledger rig, letting the tide move the soft bait as this will entice the fish to bite. For kingfish, jigging seems to be the go.

Inshore, there are some lovely fat gurnard around, along with a few snapper and trevally. Flasher rigs with small strips of bonito or fresh trevally work very well for gurnard. Provided we don't get any big southerly fronts we could be in for an early start to the fishing season – here's hoping! Hot Spot on the West Coast would be off Rocky Bay just south of Titahi Bay, or 20 – 30 metres off Raumati Beach.

South Coast
Fishing has been improving with lots of big tarakihi, some thumping big blue cod, as well as some small bluenose out wide in the 170-metre mark. For catching tarakihi and cod try anchoring in 40 – 50 metres just off the foul ground, and between Arabella Rock and Bearing Head. Using burley will help increase the size and numbers of the fish you can catch.

Harbour Fishing has been a bit slow in the last week, however, there are usually always some kahawai around to make it a fun day out. Make sure you fish light traces and soft tip rods as this will significantly increase your catch rate.

If you need any help setting up for the kinds of fishing I have talked about in this report, give me a ring, or Steve, we are always happy to help. Good luck out there with your fishing, and we hope you have been making the most of the lovely run of nice fishing conditions we have been enjoying.

Pictured is Richard Deeble with a lovely 15.5 kg Kingfish caught at Makara, nice one Richard!

Cheers, Felix

Wellington Fishing Report 27 July 2018

By Felix Wenzel
on July 27, 2018
Wellington Fishing Report 27 July 2018

Wellington Area Fishing Report – 27 July 2018

 

Winter fishing is at its best this time of year, with good Tarakihi and Blue Cod on both the West and South Coasts. Warehou have shown up as well, with the West Coast holding good numbers. Hunters Bank, North End of Mana and off Boom Rock are proven spots to try on the West Coast, with 30 -40 metres off Lyall Bay and out off Hobart Rock on the South Coast good places to try.

Groper are very patchy on both Coasts once again, with not many fishos reporting fish to be caught. This is for two reasons. One being the weather making it hard to get out, and the other is the fish numbers just aren’t there like they used to be. Maybe we just have to get used to the fact that the Groper fishery is going to get even tougher in the future unless something is done to protect them from overfishing.  

Beach fishos have had is tough lately too, mostly because of the typical winter weather. With the Whitebait season not far away, it won’t be long till big runs of Kahawai start to show up along with Trevally. There are a few early spring Gurnard being caught along with some Moki as well. This is very encouraging for the coming weeks, and I am hoping for some light winds and the chance to get out for a fish!

Tight lines

Steve.

Wellington Fishing Report - July 9, 2018

By Felix Wenzel
on July 09, 2018
Wellington Fishing Report - July 9, 2018

Wellington Fishing Report - July 9, 2018

Shore Fishing

Winter fishing has really arrived. The  erratic fishing is a reflection of that, there are still some good fish being taken on all coasts, although it a bit nippy round the pipi! It’s well worth getting out there and coming home with a feed.

The Harbour.

The Harbour has been a bit hit and miss with some anglers getting plenty, and others not catching much. Kahawai are around in good numbers but are not schooling much on the surface so make sure you grab some Pilchards and stray line for them off your chosen possie. Tarakihi are found in the deeper parts of the Harbour, this is also where you still can find the odd late season Snapper, and some big Red Cod. It’s still worth live baiting this time of year as there are still some Kingfish around. Most people think ‘winter = no Kingfish’ – which is wrong! Now is when you could well get a trophy that is still cruising the Harbour. There was a nice Kingfish taken off a boat a couple of weeks ago that weighed 17kgs! Gurnard have been slow but are getting caught at Miramar and Karaka Bay, which is also good for Trevally. And of course, we have the most awesome Southern Right Whale keeping everyone totally fascinated by it's  continued presence, a really beautiful sight!

South Coast.

Wainuiomata and Palliser Bay , these areas are fishing very well for really good condition Red Cod, Kahawai, Rig (Spotted Shark) and various other Shark Species. There have still been a surprising number of good Moki and the odd Snapper being caught too.

East Coast.

White Rock to Castle Point is fishing very well for Kahawai and Rig with a few good Moki and Gurnard thrown in the mix. Castlepoint is producing good Kahawai and a few Gurnard. 

West Coast.

The West Coast also has good numbers of Kahawai, particularly around the river mouths with the onset of the Whitebait season. Large Spotty Sharks are around in good numbers and are a lot of fun to catch. There are also some Trevally being caught at Makara and Titahi Bay, and these versatile fish put a great scrap are a lovely eating fish, and the scraps make for great bait. What is coming up. Expect winter species to arrive, these being Spineys, Red Cod, Kahawai in good numbers the Whitebait start their run. The Kahawai should be fat and healthy, and are a fun sportfish to catch. Tarakihi should be on your list to target in the deeper parts of the Harbour, as should Trevally. Now is the perfect time to run through your gear, check your rod guides, fishing line and get your reels serviced for the coming season. Shortest Day has been and gone which is great and really means one thing, and that is we’re on the upward run towards summer, yeeha!  Wrap up warm, and enjoy some winter fishing.

Tight Lines

Felix.

Boat Fishing

Wellington Harbour.

Wellington Harbour has and will always be a great place to fish in winter. You can still catch a feed of Tarakihi and the odd Gurnard, along with Elephant Fish and some big Red Cod and many other different species. One of the keys to fishing Wellington Harbour is using light tackle ie 4-6 kg line weight soft tip rods along with light trace line ie 20 – 30 lb and a small sinker, 1 -3 oz is plenty of weight depending on where you are fishing. Hooks only need to be 1/0 to 3/0 in size, and smaller baits work best, ie cubes of Pilchard or fresh Squid bait. Don’t be shy on trying a few different places ie the ledge off Point Gordon or the 25 metre hole off Kau Point is an often overlooked spot, over towards Eastbourne try fishing in the weed beds or even off Point Arthur on the sand. When fishing the shallow parts of the Harbour you are better off to have your berley pot half way up from the bottom or even keep it on the surface so your berley can travel further to draw the fish to you. If your not sure where the above spots are, give us a ring, we are always happy to share fishing info.

The West Coast.

Winter fishing is in full swing on the West Coast with Groper being caught out wide along with a few Bass. Caseys off Hunters Bank and out wide off Verns Reef are starting to produce a few Groper mostly small fish under 10kg with the odd large 20 kg fish thrown in for good measure. There is still the odd winter Snapper being caught. Fisherman’s Rock and 78 Metre Rise should start to fish for Groper soon when we get those lovely windless winter days (which cannot be too far away!) giving us a chance to have a crack for a good fish. Inshore the Tarakihi have been full on with most inshore reefs holding good numbers. Blue Cod have been patchy at best unless you trail down to South Makara where there is good numbers of Blue Cod to be caught, along with Tarakihi. It’s hard to find a better spot than the fence line off north Makara for Tarakihi this time of year, or the northern end of Mana Island. Like all fishing berley will help improve your catch for Tarakihi. Try lifting your berley pot 5 -6 metres off the bottom and wind your hooks up 2 – 3 metres as the berley drifting down will drag the larger Tarakihi and Blue Cod to your Line. Over the next few weeks fishing the sand for Gurnard and Trevally can be very tough with large numbers of Spiney Dog Fish around causing havoc to flasher rigs and bait, so try soft baits or slow jigs as the Spinny Dog Fish don’t tend to eat them that often. This gives you a chance to catch Gurnard and Trevally. I am a big fan this time of year using slow jigs or soft baits. My favorite are 60 – 80 gram Pink Lucanus lures or Bottom Ship 90 gram. Like most lures, don’t over work the lure, jig slow and let the lure do the work.

The South Coast.

The weather plays a big part this time of year marking it hard to get out wide for Bluenose Groper etc, so it’s not too surprising that the fishing has been patchy with not many anglers reporting good catches. It’s not all bad as the days get longer we will get more opportunities to drop a line out wide, and now we are well past the shortest day longer daylight hours are heading our way! Inshore is the place to go where the Blue Cod and Tarakihi fishing is good with most reefs holding good fish. When fishing for Tarakihi pay attention to the size of your baits, the smaller the better, however for Blue Cod use much larger baits, long and tapered. Timing is very important, as well try to anchor a couple of hours before a tide turn, ie before high tide, or low tied as the best fishing is when the tide is slowing down, rather than slack water. If you have no luck at your location, then pull the pick on slack water and try somewhere different ie a little bit deeper or shallower but it is well worth the effort to change spots. Some places worth a fish are Shark Tooth Point in 30 – 40 metres off Lyall Bay, or Arabella Rock in 20 – 25 metres. Best Baits are fresh Squid or Trevally fillets. Lots of berley will help improve your catch. And remember, if we can help you in anyway with your fishing, just get in touch. We love our fishing, and sharing our knowledge with others who love fishing too.

Go hard and good luck.

Steve

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Fishing Report 13.09.2019

Fishing Report 13.09.2019

September 13, 2019

Wellington Area Fishing Report Wellington Harbour. There have been a few early moki being caught along with some good sized...

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