Hawkes Bay - May 2010

Gurnard, snapper reward anglers

Water temperatures are still up a little, so tuna and marlin have stayed on.

Toward the end of the month a fine 140kg striped marlin was caught off Mahia. Skipjack and albacore tuna have been plentiful over most sectors of the Bay. Some big schools of kahawai have been encountered as well.

Boat anglers after a feed of snapper or gurnard have not needed to go much further than the Mohaka/Waikari area. The best spots are on the 25m line through to Ridgemount. Good numbers of gurnard and trevally have been caught in 20m depth off Taits Beach.

Napier angler Clinton Reddington regularly takes his small tinny out off Waipatiki Beach and has been taking good catches of shoalie snapper and gurnard. Just to keep things interesting, he has caught many a fine kingfish here as well.

Surfcasters and kontiki exponents have seen some good catches. Mahanga Beach has slowed a little, but shoalie snapper and gurnard are the rewards for the persistent angler – and it’s a good spot for trevally at this time of year.

Whakaki Beach, just north of Wairoa, has turned on good catches of shoalie snapper and gurnard. This situation persists off most beaches right through to Whirinaki.

East Clive has seen the best snapper catches from shoalie size up to a very creditable 9kg specimen. The gurnard have been caught here since the weather and sea conditions settled.

Ocean Beach has been hard fishing, but those who have put in the effort have been rewarded with the odd prime gurnard or two. Kahawai have been a nuisance, with most being in the smaller sizes.

Some very big schools of kahawai have been reported off Whirinaki, through to Napier’s Marine Parade. The Bay’s river mouths have also seen good catches of this species, most of which are in good condition.
Surfcasters are still experiencing the occasional kingfish catch in the majority of locations. Most are responding to slide-bait techniques, but some are caught while casting for kahawai using sliced-chrome spinners.

Spotted dogfish remain plentiful for those using cray or crab baits. Early evening is the best time to target this tasty species, especially if the water is a little on the dirty side.

- © Fairfax NZ News