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
