Aotearoa July 18
Posted: Tue Aug 07, 2018 1:30 pmgot out twice on oarakai wharf just east of the centre - 15 min bus journey
very handy being 100 m into the water - loads of nibbles first day, but only hooked up at end using size 2 hooks - the locals recommended 7/0 at least!
the red snapper were ravenous cleaning hooks after 7 mins. the locals about 20 in the end had no joy - go big or blank!
then two days later i tried again, pretty much on my own. lot colder - nibbles werent there, but got 2 small snappers at the end
up the coast then to omapere again another old wharf, big blow the night before and shallower than above, but bites from the off, snapper and then a yellow eyed mullet - all on small hooks - nothing on the big hooks and baits
then 3 days later bay of islands on an estuary near pahia, the spotties were in control savaging any bait, pity the never get bigger than 30 cm - fish the rest of rise bites died off and nothing after dark, could hear fish jumping the other side of bridge but couldn not get them interested in the squid baits.
sea angling is huge over there - dont know if id make it there again but if i do, much much longer and more fish focussed!
very handy being 100 m into the water - loads of nibbles first day, but only hooked up at end using size 2 hooks - the locals recommended 7/0 at least!
the red snapper were ravenous cleaning hooks after 7 mins. the locals about 20 in the end had no joy - go big or blank!
then two days later i tried again, pretty much on my own. lot colder - nibbles werent there, but got 2 small snappers at the end
up the coast then to omapere again another old wharf, big blow the night before and shallower than above, but bites from the off, snapper and then a yellow eyed mullet - all on small hooks - nothing on the big hooks and baits
then 3 days later bay of islands on an estuary near pahia, the spotties were in control savaging any bait, pity the never get bigger than 30 cm - fish the rest of rise bites died off and nothing after dark, could hear fish jumping the other side of bridge but couldn not get them interested in the squid baits.
sea angling is huge over there - dont know if id make it there again but if i do, much much longer and more fish focussed!