Fishing: Up North, they're preparing for a final fling

Some say the game-fishing season is over, but others are banking on a late run in the Far North, where clubs have had a dismal season so far.

Even at the Three Kings, the fishing has been hard.

The Houhora, Doubtless Bay and Whangaroa game fish clubs held their annual interclub competition for the Taiho II Cup at the weekend without a billfish being caught. A 12kg kingfish won the competition.

At the Houhora One Base tournament, which wound up last week, 94 gamefish of all varieties were caught. They were generally smaller than the 129 caught last year. Of the marlin, most were around or under 90kg. Forty-nine were tagged and released and 25 landed.

Just four tuna were caught, two of them yellowfin, but a 25.4kg albacore that equalled the New Zealand record won the tuna prize.

The absence of albacore this season and the diminishing size of skipjack tuna are seen as reasons for the falling numbers and size of billfish. Also, the Australian commercial fleet is still allowed to land marlin, and intercepts the fish on their way to and from New Zealand waters.

Houhora Big Game and Sports Fishing Club secretary Debbie Bunn said some anglers predicted a late run as the billfish gathered for a last feed-up. Others said the season was finished.

On the west coast, Linda Pattinson from the Hokianga Big Game and Sport Fishing Club said the game fish were gone. She and her husband John caught the last fish recorded by the club two weekends ago.

It was their first fish for the season and fewer than 40 were recorded by the club this year. Last season the Pattinsons had 20 fish, most released, and the club 206.

Both Pattinson and Bunn reported that even the snapper and kingie fishing was hard.

Local Neil Williams cleaned up the Taipa Tavern contest last weekend taking first, second and third prizes, all caught off rocks on Karikari Peninsula. His biggest snapper was 8.5kg.

Doug McColl of Coopers Beach Sports reports lots of kahawai in Doubtless Bay and snapper beneath them, in close. The Mangonui wharf continues to fish well for john dory.

Around Auckland, the snapper are over sand rather than reefs. Find them, then fish. Movement is the key attraction, whatever bait you use. Try a slow retrieve if using pilchards.

Game fish remain off Mercury Bay. Two striped marlin were landed on Good Friday, and a blue estimated at 300kg was played for some time and lost last Saturday.

The Mercury Bay Game Fish Club has recorded 144 billfish this season (including one black marlin of 169kg), 29 blues (the biggest at 329kg and the average 199kg), 92 striped marlin, 14 short-billed spearfish and 85 yellowfin tuna averaging 22.5kg.

"There's bait everywhere, it could go on to May," said club manager Tony Fox.