Tasty 'carrots' the catch of the day

John Moran is a gurnard guru, creating the popular Gurnard Guru fishing contest. Photo / Geoff Thomas

It's the time for carrots.

Just as hunters swap their rifle for a shotgun when the attention switches from stags to ducks, so the fishermen who never stop pursuing their love change with the seasons. The heavier snapper tackle gives way to the lighter gurnard gear. Many will continue with the same outfit, just changing the terminal bits. But the canny old salts know that a slender but strong graphite rod armed with a small reel and 4kg braid line will hook more tasty carrots - as gurnard are affectionately known - than the thicker 15kg monofilament line they have been employing throughout the summer to drop baits in the channels. In fact, soft-bait tackle is ideal for targeting gurnard with small cut baits instead of the squiggly lures they usually deploy.

It is all about fishing to the conditions and the prime carrot country is the wide flats and channel edges where currents race past, which are found on the Manukau and Kaipara harbours.

The seasonal fishing is another reminder of how fortunate we are in this country. Snapper move inshore when temperatures rise in spring and remain throughout summer and into autumn, moving back to the depths for the winter where the water is a couple of degrees warmer. Conversely, gurnard migrate into harbours as water cools, remaining through the winter. So we always have prime fish to target. Trevally and kahawai can be found all year round.

Carrots have got to be about the most user-friendly fish that swims. They are easy to catch, and make beautiful eating. Many prefer their fillets to that of snapper.

The normal approach is to use a flasher rig with several hooks, usually decorated with gaudy flash material in different colours. Veteran Manukau fisherman John Moran is a bit of a legend when it comes to catching carrots. He created the popular Gurnard Guru fishing contest which is held out of the Manurewa RSA in mid-winter, and has been going for about 20 years.

He always carries flasher rigs in a variety of colours, but pink has always been a favourite. Sometimes the flashers do not work and he will use a plain dropper rig with 5/0 or 6/0 recurve hooks. He makes up his own rigs with 9kg fluorocarbon trace, cutting the loops for the hooks close to the main leader and connecting the hook on the single strand with a blood knot. He keeps the traces short, about 100mm to 150mm.

Another tip is to use a flasher rig as a running rig, by having the sinker at the top and adding a single hook on the end where the sinker usually goes. A big hook with a big bait on the end often equates to a big carrot. The golden rule is to always carry a selection of rigs and use a variety of baits, including cubes of pilchard, fresh or salted mullet and bonito.

Moran is also a firm believer in the value of movement, which does trigger gurnard to strike. If they are not biting he twitches or raises the rod tip with an erratic lift which acts like a magnet to any gurnard in the vicinity. When the sinker hits the bottom it creates a puff of dust which adds to the attraction.

When fishing the Manukau, target sides of the channels in around 7m of water. A basic rule of thumb is at the top of the tide go shallow and at the bottom of the tide go deep.

Fresh water

As the trout season in Rotorua winds down towards the closing on June 30, the better fishing is coming from shallow water.

It is not necessary to use long wire or lead lines to fish deep and trout can be caught trolling with three or four colours of lead-line and a long trace, or harling lines with flies or lures. The traffic light Tasmanian devil is a consistent producer, and the ever faithful black or green toby.

Bite times

Bite times are 2.55am and 3.15pm tomorrow, and 3.40am and 4pm on Sunday.

Tip of the week

Gurnard can be filleted with the skin on, and many anglers feel it is better eating when cooked with the skin. There is a layer of fat under the skin which retains moisture and flavour. When made crispy in a hot pan the skin is delicious.

More fishing action can be found on Rheem Outdoors with Geoff, 6.30am Saturday, TV3, and at GTTackle.co.nz.