Hi all, a bit wet underfoot but wow isn’t the grass growing around the district now. The first of October sees the opening of the new trout season, the local streams all open up and there should be some good fishing to be had. The streams had a bit of a flush out and are holding some nice fish. What you can do now is get your kids or grandkids out there and introduce them to some great evening entertainment. The next thing is the cost and that’s the good news, you don’t need to spend a lot of money. $49.95 will get you a spinning rod and reel and away you go.
In the Rotorua area everything is a buzz, as around here the Trophy lakes open on October 1 and the signs are looking good for a good season. Glenn Skinner is a local trout guide and he has been out on the lakes having a look around, he’s excited with what he has seen so get down there and have a go.
In the Taupo area it’s another good news story really, the rivers are all holding some reasonable numbers of fish, with a lot of them being fresh run fish. Out on the lake the results are quite good as well.
To the sea, things are really starting to hot up out west. Talking to Dwade Pinny, charter skipper out of Kawhia, he is very excited about the spring fishing ahead. Dwade has just added another boat to his charter business and it’s a beauty. Big, plenty of fishing room and very comfortable, get booked and get out there for a great experience.
On the Doves last couple of trips out there they have been back by lunch time with limit bags of snapper and a lot of them in double figures. If you feel inclined to take your own boat out, head straight out to about 60 metres of water to start with.
Next to the Coromandel, spring is in the air and as every day goes by the water is warming and the fishing is getting better and better. When you talk to Darryll, who runs snapper safaris, he hasn’t really had many quiet days during the winter this season, and speaking to a lot of my customers they are the same. All things considered it should be a good season ahead of us. Now the best fishing seems to be on the incoming tide and this week that means an early morning start, high tide is late morning.
Over the Ranges to the Mercs, big John Ellwood, owner and skipper of the Whai, tells me his evening stray lining is going very well. John has been targeting the edges of the foul around Stanley Island and Koropuki, now the secret is change of light, and plenty of burley. Basic really but that is the way to target big snapper. Talking to local fisho Clarke Smith the other day and he tells me the scallops are in great condition on Opito Bay, hard to find he tells me but worth the look.
Over in the Bay of Plenty it’s a bit of a mixed bag, the snapper fishing has been quite good out on the five mile reef off the Mount, talking to a guy who got his limit out there the other day in an hour, some quite nice fish too.
Out around the Islands, Mayor and Motiti it’s been a bit hard. I have also had some reasonable reports of snapper off the beach at Papamoa.
Last Saturday morning on my fishing show a guy phoned in and said he had had some very good fishing on Stealers Reef out off Waihi, and others have mentioned good fishing in 20-22metres of water out off Whanga.
Happy fishing, Bungey
PS: Come and see us for all your fishing supplies for the new trout season, rods, reels, lures etc. We have it all.