Kiwi

No pontoons at Terrigal. But the ramp is a lot steeper so the boat is in a good depth before the car needs to get wet wheels. A set of steps go down to the sand on the right hand of the ramp looking to sea. The cross ramp swell will still be an issue.

I was off Crackneck on Sunday. Drifting in 40m. Ended up with 10 snapper a couple of mowong and my son fought a 70kg thresher that ate a livie 2metres under the boat. Fought it for an hour before the hook pulled.

Hi Scratchie. I was out but only local with my son. Got a nice bag of snapper. He had a ball fighting a 70kg thresher that he fed a livie 6 feet under the boat for an hour until the hook pulled. Sunday was an afternoon bite. One boat got a 15 to 20kg dollie. Another tagged a 100kg blue. Some bait but scattered. Most pulled plastic. I heard about 15 shots during the day from sched reports.

Yesterday 3 striped marlin were tagged in the carpark area. Today lots of action. One boat went 5 3 3. Another had a 100kg blue come up backwards. 24 degree water and good bait.

Charter boats in nz run an unofficial minimum size of 1 metre short length. The kings off Terrigal have been hammered by the commercial blokes taking 400kg a day using a 25 hook drop line. Pulling up 9 or so each drop or 20 minutes. Nothing illegal and well within their rights. But does make it hard for the recreational bloke.

I have used Everdure. Water some down with turps. 50/50. Cover with heaps and let soak in. Leave until dry. Will take longer in this weather. Then light sand. Then 2 or 3 coats of full strength.

Some boys off the central coast got a 76kg earlier in the week. But found it very rough today once past the shelf in 1300m

In the last week there have been multiple shots of the small blacks off Little Isl just off Port Stephens. Lures until the bait comes up. A couple of boats tagged 10m each before the storm hit.

Wait until dark net plenty of prawns and use them live. I've been getting plenty of whiting, flatties and est perch around the bridge at dark.

Carpark is full of big slimies. I have heard of at least 5 marlin-striped that have been released from there over the last 2 weeks.

A nice striped marly was tagged last week at the carpark. Reports of good schools of slimies and big striped tuna.

My son 11 y/o 95cm Flatty 5kg on 4lb mono with no trace and 1/0 hook last July. Me 30lb snapper 6lb braid, 20lb trace single 9/0 gamagatsu last Sept.

Hi Joel, Check your pm. I am a kiwi ex Auckland charter skipper. I can point you in the better directions if you like. Cheers Rowan

Big question is "Light game?" What do you intend to chase? Yellow fin then 15 kg line with TLD 30-50 or 30/30w Tiagras with suitable rods. You can get these reasonably cheaply second hand. Marlin then with less than full experience then TLD 50 or Tiagras in 50 (15kg line) or 50w with 24 kg line. These reels are expensive but will last a life time with a good maintenance and cleaning system. You can get cheaper reels and even top line spinning reels but if you look at the top boats around check what gear they run and ask them why. I believe the new Penn Makaira are getting good reviews but I have not had any experience with them or spoken first hand with someone that uses them. I have 50w and 80w tiagras but have not been using them as the boat I fish on has a good cabinet of reels running line from 10 kg to 24 kg. We fish 24 kg on tiagra 50 reels and have not had any issues on line capacity on the general run of Striped and Black marlin. Cheers Rowan

Gibber is starting to fire as well. But smaller area and more pressure

Two of us got 8 last night at the Entrance and 15 the night before between 3. We used 65mm Squidgy paddle tail in black/gold with 1/16 heads. Fished slowly over the bottom. We dropped heaps more and let plenty go as well. Hope this helps. Cheers Rowan

Fish don't mind as they are already wet. But they do feed with pressure changes and also with the rain washing feed out to sea. They can also come in closer to feed under cover of the grey cover.

Have fun. The boys in Gisbourne will look after you. Nothing is too much trouble and if you can describe it they will build it. Cheers Rowan

Winter for big but not as many summer lots of smaller. Google NZfishing.net and have a ball

Big can of worms here. Every one has an opinion. I run singles as far back with the eye just inside the skirt semi still rig. Lots use double as the stripies bash and flick lures all over the place and with doubles there is more chance of one sticking in. If there are YFt around then with doubles there is a higher chance of one sticking. Lots depend on lure size and hook size also trace weight/ thickness. All impact on the lure action. Have a look at Peter Pakulas site. Lots of very relevant info. Then you get into hook size, shape, ss or not, open gape or not.

Hi Scotty pm sent cheers Rowan

http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&ll=-36.33269,175.501184&spn=0.055316,0.055447&t=h&z=14&vpsrc=6 If you look to Sandy Bay with the off shore island there would be good fishing in the gutter and also the Southern end facing back towards Coromandel. A long time ago there was good diving for scallops in Tryphena harbour.

Rock fishing the inner ledges should be good but the easier closer ones will have had more pressure. Just depends on weather, how keen you are and fitness. April will be great for the kings. No livie will be too big. I used 50lb main line and 3-4 metres 200lb trace with a 10/0 gamagatsu. Had a bit of light line tied to the swivel with a balloon. They don't need to be to far off the rocks. The outer ledges will fish better but the schooling fish will be all over the place. Snaps will be readily available- but then being an island you will have an offshore edge to fish no matter what the weather. Have a google and check out potential spots and ease of access. Catch yellow tail off the wharf each evening( also good for John Dory and kings off the wharf) and use the dead kahawai filleted for big strip baits. Whole yakkas or butterflied will work wonders. I was in NZ a couple of weeks ago with my kids. We went to a place I have just south of the Bay of Islands. I rowed out from the beach in a 12'tinny and fished a local sunken rock 25 min rowing. Over 3 days we landed 3 pb snapper. My daughter 9 got several 9 pounders and my son got his at 10lb. Then the next day he got a 14lb. I got mine of 29lb and another of 19lb. All on floating lines with no sinker fishing between 9am and 2pm.

Tim, I am a Kiwi. Yeah don't hold it against me. I used to fish there as a kid with my parents. We had an old 34' launch that we lived on for 3 weeks every christmas. We would hit Gb every year for the snaps and kings and also puka. We used handlines and would either fish out of a 10' dinghy or drag it up onto the rocks and fish with handlines off the rocks. Big hunks of Kahawai or yellow tail we caught at night on dusk. 30-50 lb line and a single 8/0. I have a scar on my finger from a 52lb kingie landed off the dinghy from the southern end. From 1990 until 2002 I ran an 8m charter boat and would regularly hit both ends of the Barrier. The southern end was great for big snaps and kings and just south was Coromandel and Cuvier. You can snorkel and dive 6 per person and can collect on tanks, for crays in shallow water (there are places you can get scallops as well). Burley for snapper and have 20lbers feeding at your feet. The heli fishing blokes also have favorite spots at both ends. Just find an area with a bit of wash, weed and a drop off and throw out a line. A little bit of current is important. No need for sinkers as you want the line to drift down and the fish will come up and into the rocks. Collect sea eggs and smash for burley. Softies and deep divers will work as well. Have a look at the site I sent you. Depending on who you use but some do several day trips with pickup and drop off to where you stay or you may stay on the boat. Depends on price and how many people.It has changed a bit but the market it tough so do the phone around and ask the questions. If you get close to a deal then send me an email and I can give you a bit of inside info. i will pm my email. Cheers Rowan

All Momoi on Tiagras and TLD's