Marlin catch signals season

It's game on for Taranaki's annual game fishing season.

The first marlin of the year has just been weighed in, and the tuna are in the area in their thousands.

Yesterday a charter vessel called into Port Taranaki to refuel during a journey from the Bay of Islands to Fiordland, and its crew weighed in a 112kg striped marlin caught in Taranaki waters.

Word that the big fish had been caught quickly shot around the region's recreational fishing community, and it's a certainty that there will now be a big increase in the number of small boats heading out in search of more marlin.

"It's all quite exciting," said Lee Drummond, president of the New Plymouth Sportfishing and Underwater Club.

"Summer hasn't really arrived yet, but already we've had our first marlin caught. And I spotted a good-sized mako shark and several blue sharks while I was out checking my crayfish pots this morning."

There are also plenty of albacore tuna now in local waters – to the extent that one commercial fishing vessel recently caught five tonne of them off Mokau – and they are beginning to provide excellent summer sport for Taranaki anglers.

Mr Drummond said the early arrival of the game fish was a little unusual, because water temperatures are still quite low.

Yesterday the temperature was at 16.5C, which normally would be a little too chilly.

"But days ago we had some really good water that was up around 18 degrees," said Mr Drummond. "So obviously that's brought them down. I can't wait until things warm up a bit more – we could be in for a great season."

Fellow fisherman Barry Govier said all the signs looked good for a successful game season. "It's funny, but every time there's a bit of that algal bloom around, the fishing seems to take off. Well, there's been plenty of the bloom around in recent days."

- © Fairfax NZ News