Biting Back in the Bay with Pinky Green

Recreational fishing in the Western Bay of Plenty over the last ten days or so has been both good and spotty.

The fishing is good provided you know your spots. Perhaps your good spots of old are still good or you have found some new good spots recently.

It appears that the good fishing has been largely limited to fairly limited spots. Regular fishers although complaining have still found the fish at good spots old and new, but very little outside them.

The following were typical of the various types of fishing in various popular areas during the last ten days:

Beach fishers have still been finding sufficient snapper. Our regular veteran kontiki operator last Friday in Papamoa still got his limit of snapper within two sets going a fair distance out. However, at the weekend going far out in one set he got just two snapper while a fellow kontiki fisher fishing beside him but in close brought in seven very good size snapper.

The good spots there seemed to have moved from far out to close in. They were also troubled by baracoutta not only biting into the caught fish but also gnawing at the lines.

Surfcasters were fairly rare, the very few however did catch the odd snapper.

Russell Anderson (Bugger) fishing with four others between Matakana and Karewa at the end of last week on a flat sea they landed 31 snapper, four kahawai and two gurnard.

Some of the snapper were quite large the largest being just short of 5kg and a number within the 2kg to 3.5kg bracket.

The gurnard were also very large and the kahawai quite robust. It was a good days fishing at a good spot.

Russ Hawkins (Fat Boy) at the Mayor Knolls early last week landed seven gemfish and two rays bream and had a couple of break- offs. Later in the week at Mayor and the Penguin Shoals they had a rather disastrous day with nothing of significance.

At the weekend however the Penguin Shoals again early in the morning it was very slow but picked up quite dramatically after 9.00am. They then landed 30 golden snapper and nine ordinary snapper. It was so good that they left for home early in the afternoon with enough fish.

Garth Le Lievre (Deepstar) mid last week northwest of Motiti found it not too bad at all with plenty of predominantly tarakihi but also a fair sprinkling of snapper, john dory, and kingfish. At the weekend in roughly the same area it was not so good at all but in the end they did have enough fish.

Brett Keller (Manutere) out at Mayor in the hapuku spots says there was nothing not even a sign, but while bottom fishing they did get some snapper and tarakihi.

In the afternoon in close around Karewa they picked up some good snapper. On Saturday outside Motiti in beautiful conditions it was good fishing for snapper, tarakihi, and red snapper.

Saturday in the same area with norwesterlies all day, the sea was sloppy, and although the fishing was still not too bad in the same species as the previous day the conditions were literally painful.

There were three fishing tournaments of Tauranga- based clubs over the weekend:

The Tauranga Game Fishing Club The Tile Depot Snapper Classic Sweepstake 2 – day

Tournament saw 86 anglers weigh in 29 fish.

Although the number of anglers was down a little on last year the number of fish weighed in was very similar, results:

Snapper 1. Mitch Pennell ( Riff Raff) 11.77kg; 2. Allan Sizemore (Santana) 7.455kg; 3. Jason Groom (Riff Raff) 6.335kg.

Tarakihi,1.Wok Morunga (Strictly Fishing )3.46kg; 2. Aaron Sargent (Strictly Fishing) 3.36kg.

3. Ben Pokiea (Strictly Fishing) 2.46kg.

Wreckfish, Lawrence Flude (Gulfseeker) bass, 64.0kg; 2. Ben Pokiea (Strictly Fishing) bass,

40.5kg; 3. Wok Morunga (Strictly Fishing ) bass, 35.1kg.

3.Mount Maunganui Sport Fishing Club Kilwell 3 – day Trout tournament at the Rotorua Lakes and Rivers. 75 anglers competed, and weighed in 167 fish.

Results: Land -based, fly fishing, David Kirk, 2.77kg.

Boat -based, 1. Andrew Drever, 4.255kg; 2. Winston Cox, 4.2kg; 3.Hemi Craig, 4.11kg;

4.Winston Cox, 4.105kg; 5. David Simms, 3.87kg.

Junior, 1. Todd Hemingway, 3.98kg. & 2. 3.225kg; 3. Josh Gwilliam 3.22kg.

Tauranga Fish and Dive Club One – Day Three Species (Snapper, kahawai, & Trevally) Trophies tournament (Sunday, May 27) The sudden downturn in the weather to wet and rough discouraged quite a few. Only seven fish were weighed in. Results:

Kahawai, 1. Trev Tunbridge, 1.995kg; 2. Debbie Bryant, 1.86kg.

No snapper or trevally were weighed in .