Fishing: Satellite photos show billfish about to fire

The billfish are moving up and down the east coast of the North Island, with hot spots off Mercury Bay and the Cavalli Islands, and satellite pictures suggest that North Cape and the west coast are about to fire.

The tropical cyclone in the mid-Pacific this week is expected to push blue water closer inshore. Already the warm water was close in to the Bay of Islands and the whole coastline from Cape Brett north to Cape Karikari appears to be holding fish.

On Monday, Bruce Smith nailed three marlin on the charter boat Striker and Geoff Stone on Major Tom II got one out from the bay in around 120 metres.

Water temperature has been over 21C but the colour remains mixed.

The rest of the week was slow, with southerlies appearing to keep the fish from striking hard. Several hook-ups were reported but few fish landed.

At Houhora they were still waiting for warmer water, 20.5C the average. North Cape has been cold, said club recorder Debbie Bunn, the water dead.

The passing of the full moon may also bring the fish on the bite more aggressively.

The Mercury Bay club enjoyed a boom couple of weeks at the start of the month around the Mercury and Alderman islands, also in relatively shallow water, but it went quiet early this week.

It was similar down at Waihau Bay where there was a run of blue marlin late last week and at the weekend and then a lull. Rain and wind appeared to have subdued the fish, but better action was expected in coming days.

A large high is approaching the country and light easterlies are predicted for the coming week, perfect to push that blue water in even closer. With it should come marlin and mahimahi, which have already been caught by the bigger boats able to get wide from the Bay of Islands down to East Cape.

The easterlies will also allow west coast fishing, and if the satellite predictions ring true, marlin can be expected there in numbers, following skipjack tuna.

The easterly period will also be good for kite fishers, who enjoyed a bonanza off Muriwai beach during the last blow from that quarter.

Kite expert Paul Barnes said the south end of the beach produced the best and most snapper last time and recommended that area again.

"The fish are still off-shore but should soon start moving in in greater numbers," he said.

There were more shark catches reported from the top end.

In the Hauraki Gulf you still need go no further than the Motuihe Channel to take an easy limit bag of nine snapper.

Evening was best said charter operator Lance Paniora on Smokin' Reels.

Whole pilchards stray-lined on as light a sinker as possible were out-fishing running rigs and flashers.

There are good-sized trevally in the shallows all around the Waitamata Harbour, from the sand barges up to the Greenhithe bridge. These are up to 3kg and put up a great fight on light gear. Use small hooks and pipi or tuatua baits to target them.

Scallop season closes this week.

The International Game Fishing Association has just approved the use of iki-spiking to kill fish.

Previously, fish had to be intact to qualify for record status. The NZ Big Game Fishing Council said that it would quickly ratify iki-killing here too and that it would be allowed at the NZBGFC national championships that start tomorrow and run through next week.

Amateur fishing representatives and Maori were to hold their fourth hui at Whakamahara Marae on the Hokianga Harbour on March 2-3 as they continue to seek accord on an approach to take to Government.

The Ministry of Fisheries has been represented at the previous meetings but not at a decision-making level.

The groups asked for higher representation from government and that has been agreed, but a delay was forced because of a high-powered conference in Sydney next month to discuss South Pacific fisheries management. Meanwhile work continues to amalgamate recreational fishing bodies into one voice with a united approach.