Biting Back in the Bay with Pinky Green

There has been a definite, but perhaps small improvement in WBOP fishing.

It appears to be limited to certain restricted areas, times of day, tide times, wind directions and strengths, currents, and temperatures. However local knowledge proves more than useful, and after all - it is winter.

Russ Hawkins (Fat Boy) last Thursday found the fishing around Motiti slow except for a brief period after mid-day when tarakihi were biting. The five anglers aboard ended up with more than 11 tarakihi each. Saturday in the Middle Ground at first they found only small snapper. A second spot produced more reasonably sized snapper, and briefly quite a few tarakihi, but then it slowed. However they all got their quota of tarakihi and snapper.

Brett Keller (Manutere) Thursday last week around Motiti it was slow at first, but then reasonable with largely tarakihi and a few snapper. Saturday at the same spot it was much harder. It remained pretty hard all day, but they ended up with enough tarakihi.

Garth Le Lievre (Deepstar) mid-week last week at the Rangatiras they picked up quite a few bluenose, a little down in size, two gemfish, and two Peruvian oilfish. Friday and Saturday at Mayor bottom fishing was harder than usual, and puka fishing they collected just four bluenose.

Beach fishing our regular veteran Papamoa kontiki fisher last Friday midday at the far end of East Papamoa Beach in two sets brought in six snapper.

At Pukehina Beach early last week a local kontiki fisher brought in five snapper in one set. Last Thursday the same fisher battled a new offshore current which took his line sideways but he still managed to bring in a small kahawai. Other fishers at Pukehina reported mainly no catches.