Fishing – End of the winter gloom

What a run of unfishable weather we have had to endure over the winter months. Spring has finally arrived and the change of season will be very welcome. However, with the advent of the Rugby World Cup, I imagine a lot of anglers will be fishing from their couch, quaffing a good few cold ones.

There have been some good snapper caught even though the weather has been unkind. See the photograph of a nice snapper caught in close around Kawau Island late in August by Taryn Christie, who kindly showed her partner how it’s done. This wee beast was landed stray lining with pilchards, close in to the shore in shallow waters. After a quick photo, as this was her personal best, Taryn released the critter estimated at just over 9kg. For this photo of a catch and release, Taryn can collect an in-shop voucher for $25 from Tackle & Outdoor. Well done, girl.

The whitebait season has also arrived, running from August 15 until November 30. So far there have been some reports of small catches being landed. These whitebait are made up of several species, namely inanga, koaro, giant kokopu, shortjaw kokopu and the banded kokopu. The most common being inanga. These species are all migratory galaxiids. Eggs are laid upstream from February to May and these little fish can lay up to 13,000 eggs. Eggs develop for about two to four weeks before hatching and are then carried out to sea where they grow over the winter. In spring, they start to migrate up rivers and grow to about 55mm. It is now that avid white baiters set their nets each year and patiently wait to land this prized delicacy. Those that escape grow into adults of around 8 to 11cm. By summer they are ready to spawn. Most die after spawning. Whitebait have no scales and are transparent. Tight Lines!

Anthony Roberts, Tackle & Outdoors
tecnisportnz@gmail.com