Taranaki - June 2010

Autumn brings big snapper

Right along the Taranaki coastline, big snapper have been taken in 8-20m depths, with fish up to the 13.6kg (30lb) mark.

A variety of techniques have been producing the goods, including stray-lining, jigging and soft-baiting.
Directly off New Plymouth the bottom fishing has been patchy. Most catches consisted of tarakihi and oversize gurnard, generally from 60-80m water, as spiny sharks and red cod are abundant in shallower water.

North Taranaki has been fishing well for school snapper, particularly in 20-30m between the rig and Wai-iti. South Taranaki has also been fishing well. With the cooler water come hapuku in good numbers. Any reef in the 70-110m range should produce at least a couple.

For most it was an odd gamefish season. The marlin numbers were here, but in most occasions they were hard to catch on a lure. Livebaits or tease-and-switch tactics may have been the answer, but windy weather patterns limited time on the water and there was no area with a concentration of fish.

Reports of better-than-average snapper and the odd spotty shark are keeping the surfcasters interested.
Meanwhile, the kayakers have also been amongst the action. The Taranaki Kayak Classic completion held in early April saw most anglers weighing plenty of good-sized fish in all species categories (see report elsewhere).

South Taranaki rivers, such as the Kaupokonui, have been producing reasonable numbers of well conditioned trout. However, most anglers have got their sights set on the winter runs in the Taupo area.

- © Fairfax NZ News