Biting Back in the Bay with Pinky Green

Western Bay of Plenty fishing opportunities have remained few but some have seized those rare opportunities and found the fishing to be 'pretty good”.

Most of those, who did seize the windows in the rough weather were fishing Thursday and/or Friday last week.

Garth Le Lievre (Deepstar) was fishing in the Early Middle Ground both Thursday and Friday.

With considerable patience and the necessary poking around they landed a tarakihi from spots varying from 'good enough' to 'pretty good'.

Brett Keller (Manutere) was fishing round Motiti last Thursday and Friday where he found it slow on inside and better outside.

There were some good catches and many anglers got close to their tarakihi limit. They also landed a lot of small fish (returned), a few snapper, and a 16kg kingfish.

Russ Hawkins (Fat Boy) earlier than most was fishing in three different areas round Motiti last Wednesday. They landed 40 tarakihi, some snapper (a lot too small and put back) and a snake eel (also put back).

It was very hard work in the 20knot wind, the boat swinging around in an arc, and the attacks of a couple of barracuda.

There were other reports of boats fishing inside Motiti and just in five metres of water off Matakana Island getting satisfactory amounts of both tarakihi and snapper, but having to work very hard to get it.

In the beach fishing our Papamoa kontiki regular was bettered when last Thursday and Friday with fellow kontiki fisher Brian Jolle with bonito and kahawai baits bringing in his limit of snapper both days and our veteran managed just eight snapper on Thursday, and some of the others got just one or two fish, or nothing at all.

At Pukehina last Thursday and Friday kontiki fishers were getting some good size and quality snapper.

Fishers in canoes / kayaks / tinnies in close to the beaches at Matakana, Papamoa, and Pukehina at the end of last week were getting good snapper returns.