This is the up to date blog written by the Jetskifishing Guy, Andrew Hill from New Zealand. There are many adventures including the latest photos and videos of daily fishing trips.
It has been a while between posting a report and Jetskifishing sessions, so I made a plan to enjoy a session in the Far North. I made the early morning departure from Auckland setting off for a 4 ½ hour drive to the region of Cape Kari Kari. With the long drive ahead, I had plenty of time anticipating the opportunity to fish the unpressured fishery. On arrival, the Police Dive Squad were on a search and recovery mission after the chopper crash while attending the recent fire arsons.
Overly excited with fishing the area, I went for a short session to get me warmed up for the area. It was a 1 hour Snapper session with the Snapper on a frenzy, all fish bar one (kept for the tractor driver assisting the rescue operation) were released and I was amazed to also see the agressive Snapper chasing a Gulp soft bait on the surface.
The conditions out wide were a 2 metre plus swell, with a building 20 knot easterly… We made our heading to an area known as the Shallow Patch to target some Kingfish. Unfortanetly on this occasion it was only smaller Kingfish on the bite and the chop was getting the better of us!
After half an hour of mechanical jigging I decided to have a break and give the soft baiting a go. The area was 30 metres in depth with the fast moving seas, so I flicked out the 2 ounce Nitro – Elevator Hook Rig with a Gulp - New Penny Grub to entise a big Snapper! The bait hadn’t even dropped ten metres in depth and it was hit by a decent Snapper… I was concious of the approaching reef structure and it was an exciting battle on the light gear.
The Snapper was released and then we opted to go back to our launch point of Rangiputa, so we could relaunch over the other side of the peninsula for some Kingfish action. Attached is the video link of the above Snapper and some of the action over the other side…
The Kingfish was what we had been looking for and it was Peters day in the sun, with plenty of action for him on the jigs! We tried a few different spots around the area of Knuckle Point as we came across the menacing razor gang, who cost us a few extra jigs!
The colour jig of the day was blue, with Peters hook up rate being two to one against my orange jig. As with any lure, jigs or soft baits, if the fish aren’t biting, try other colours. There is usually a hot colour of the day, keep in mind scenarios such as what the fish are feeding on and how bright the day is etc. There were a few lessons learnt with our jigging session, including one broken rod tip and the monster that was dropped at the ski, any newbies can watch my videos to see what works for me.
As the day got shorter, we tried one other spot under the bird activity, there were plenty of bait fish and Snapper beneath! This one was attracted to the jig and managed to get foulhooked, so it was taken home for dinner…
With Peter having his Kingfish, we headed back and it was time to make some gear repairs and prepare for a quick next morning session before heading back to Auckland.
Day 3 - Started bright and early, launching off Whatuwhiwhi Beach and heading out in some miserable conditions. On arrival, it was looking promising on the Raymarine sounder at our best spot from the day before.
First drop and my hook up was a beauty, hitting the Daiwa 400 gram jig and giving me a decent work out! (I required a larger jig to ensure getting to the bottom with the fast drift) It was a real battle in the choppy conditions after a tough ride out…
Here is the video of the sharked Kingfish
The fish size weren’t quite the trophies we were after, but still plenty of fun considering the weather that was trying to keep us off the water. Here is the last video clip which includes a glimpse of the not to be missed ride home.
With a couple of fish in the Ultimate Catch Bag, we headed back nice and early, icing our fish at the local tackle store and packed to head back home.
The trip was another epic adventure showing how convienient the skis are to tow to different vantage points when the weather does not play ball. I personally find fishing away from your local territory is always an opportunity to learn more, introduces new people to the sport and always plenty of fun.
Our biggest social trip is coming up in February 2012, with two nights stay at the Bay of Islands, be sure to visit our Facebook Page to secure a spot as there is limited numbers.
