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CHARTERS
Yellowtail Kingfish/ Reef fishing
Live baiting for Yellowtail Kingfish is one of Steve's
forte's. Pound for pound these fish have to be one of
the greatest fighting fish in the ocean.
When targeting Yellowtail Kingfish, Steve will
initially hunt out patches of live bait amongst the
Inner Islands. Anglers will now get their first taste
of fishing.
Here Sabiki Fly rigs are used on a rod and reel to
catch
Jack Mackerel or Slimey Mackerel
The
novice angler will find Steve gives plenty of tuition
while catching live bait - a great chance to become
familiar with the procedure before having to do battle
with kingies.
These
small mackerel are held in the live bait tank with a
constantly replenishing supply of seawater so that
they remain as lively as possible to attract the true
bounty, Kingfish. It is then onto deeper waters where
a combination of live bait, cut bait, jigs (lures) or
even balloons may be used depending on weather and sea
conditions, fish feeding patterns and any other
influencing factors indicated on recent fishing
expeditions. Not only do the live bait attract
Kingfish, they also tend to attract shark action for
some added excitement at various times of the year.
Our angler to the right is holding up the evidence of
a hungry shark or two!
Snapper/ Bottom fishing
If you prefer to target Snapper we have trips available for
you to join as part of a shared group charter or make
up you own group for the sole charter option. Snapper
fishing trips are generally within the inner bay
depending on the length of your charter. Pilchards,
squid and mackerel are the most common bait used but
the odd live bait is always handy as big Snapper are
quite partial to these tempting morsels. Ledger and
strayline rigs are predominantly used for this species
but jigs and soft baits (artificial rubber like
teasers) can also be effective for those experienced
anglers keen to preserve.
Marlin
Marlin and Tuna are very seasonally in the Bay of
Islands unlike other gamefish such as Yellowtail
Kingfish that are available all year round. Our season
ranges from January to April with February/March being
the best months for more dependable results. Water
temperatures need to be consistently around 18° - 21°
C. When warm currents move in from the North to
Easterly quarter over our summer months they bring
with them a good supply of bait fish such as Ocean
Garfish, Sauri, Squid, Nautilis Octopus, Skipjack Tuna
and Frigate Mackerel.
Following this valuable food source are the big
predators. Surface bird activity and bait balls on the
fish finder indicate hot spots for these large
predators. Methods used include libe baiting, trolling
with skip baits (whole dead fish) and lures. A day
trolling for these big gamefish can seem overly laided
back until you have a hit…. Then it is all action with
an adrenaline rush to match. Once hooked up your crew
will guide you through the process of landing your
fish or releasing it to fight another day.
I.G.F.A. rules must be adhered to for anglers wishing
to weigh in and record their catch. Anglers who have
tagged and released fish will be notified if this fish
is captured any time in the future.
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