Fishing: Billfish abound if you get around

There is no doubt that heading to marlin hot spots will increase your chance of billfish catches markedly, and the game fishing off the Northland east coast this summer has reinforced that fact.

Trailer boats that can shift to other parts of the country quickly and those prepared to put in the kilometres despite the high price of fuel have found lots of billfish in the waters from Great Barrier north to Stephenson's Island off Whangaroa, but the Far North remains quiet.

Likewise, there have been hot spots off the Manukau bar, with marlin being taken in 80m of water and less and small boats reporting multiple strikes.

But up north at the Hokianga, fishing has been relatively quiet.

Oddly, there have been few yellowfin anywhere after an early run suggested a good season was in the offing.

More peculiarly, the water temperatures have been extraordinarily high in some parts, including the lower Bay of Plenty and off East Cape, attracting unheard-of numbers of short-billed spearfish.

Australian angler Adrian Lewis was coming to the end of his third trip with charter skipper Rick Pollock on Pursuit when a 37kg line set for marlin was nailed by what turned out to be a world-record spearfish.

Generally, only five or six of the species are caught off Whakatane each year.

But this week boats have reported multiple strikes.

Instead of the usual sizes from 10kg up to an average 15kg, the spearfish have generally been around the 20kg mark.

Two were landed by the boat Bite Time during the Whakatane Sportfishing Club ladies contest last weekend, and the boat Peigas landed four in one day of Waihau Bay.

But the best catch went to Lewis with a fish that weighed 36.8kg, an all-tackle world record.

The Aussie felt the fish should stay in New Zealand and donated it to the club, which is having it mounted.

The biggest fish of the women's competition was a 189.2kg blue marlin to Andrea Woolsey of Opotiki.

Pollock said the water temperature was above 22C in places and the water was "absolutely cobalt" in colour.

Marlin have been taken in anything up to 600m around White Island, but they are in shallower off Waihau Bay.

Several blue marlin, and one black, were landed at the bay this week.

One unlucky angler lost a blue estimated at 300kg when the hook broke right at the boat after an 8-hour fight.

Many striped marlin were caught this week between Whangaruru and the Cavalli Islands.

The sizes of the fish, which were averaging 80kg to 90kg early in the season, have increased markedly with most now in the 110kg to 140kg range.

So the waters out from Whangaroa have turned hot after starting the season cold.

Marlin were also landed at Doubtless Bay this week.

Further north at Houhora it's still cold, and strong onshore winds didn't help this week, though they should bring warmer water close to shore.

The Bay of Islands is also hot, with 12 fish tagged and two weighed during their Marlin Classic contest last weekend.

The biggest catch was a 210kg mako to Dougal Fergus fishing aboard John Batterton's charter boat Harlequin.

It was caught near the Cavalli Islands after diverting its attention from eating a swordfish on the surface. Angler Peter Griffiths took 15 minutes to reel it in.

Charter operator Eugyn de Bruyn on Sea Genie was among those who scored stripeys close-in off the Manukau bar during the week. A 110kg black was among the billfish landed. The attraction is big schools of skipjack tuna.

"I've never seen anything like it," de Bruyn said, "the water is frothing with them."

Purse-seiners have been fishing the schools so it may not last long.

Snapper fishing is hot everywhere, from beach, rock or boat. In Auckland, there is no need to go further than the Motuihe Channel where limit bags have been regular for anglers with de Bruyn and another charter operator, Lance Paniora.

They are taking all baits, Paniora said, with squid or whole pilchards on straylines the best method.

A shortage of New Zealand pilchards has pushed many anglers to try other baits. One of the regular pilchard trawlers blew a net out, and another has been harbour-bound for repairs. Pilchard fishing is normally hard during the full moon period and with that approaching, supply may be short for a couple of weeks.