The Spit Bridge At Night...

[Maiders]

When fishing the spit bridge area at night / early morning for squid and yellowtail how do you go about anchoring up? How close can you anchor to the bridge and is it safe to drift through the bridge with the tide?

I noticed the no fishing signs on my first outing under the bridge in daylight and thought I would ask before I start upsetting anyone!

Are there other reliable squidding areas for bait collection on the run from Roseville out into the harbour? I'm not asking for GPS marks but a gentle nudge in the right direction would be very handy indeed...

[andrew399]

You cant anchor in the channel under the spit. You see some people do it or tie off to the bridge but if the cops come they ask you to move, dunno if they fine you or not. Most people just drift with the tide, so yes it is safe. Just keep an eye out on weekends as it can be pretty busy and iv seen a few knob heads in cruisers nearly go straight over small tinnys before.

[kingiemaster]

You WILL get fined for anchoring and tying up to the bridge pylons etc.

Drifting is OK up until about 6am after which time there are too many boats.

Also depends on the type and size of your vessel as well. When I fish from the canoe it can a get bit hairy as Dicko said all sorts of knobs fly through there(despite being a 4 knot zone)disregarding the minimum distance rules.

If drifting in a boat you have to bear in mind that "A vessel drifting is deemed to be underway and has no special right of way".ie doesn’t give you the right to block the channel, generally must keep to the right, give way to starboard and if all else fails it’s up to each skipper to avoid collision. In other words “I was drifting” is not a reasonable justification for not starting your boat and getting out of the way if a boat under motor wants to go through the same channel.

[Day's Fishin]

No offence mate as your only asking, but if I was going through there and someone was drifting through fishing they would get an ear full. Its a small channel that is in constant use and has enough pitfalls with half wits fishing off the bridge without unpropelled boats floating everywhere.

Regards Jeff

[netic]

Mate just drift through there, and you will be fine, and it also allows you to cover more ground to locate the squid, i used to do it alot and always caught plenty of squid and never had any issues.

[mattwf]

drifting is def the way to go but the spit isnt always the most productive. it can be very hit and miss.

as summer approaches the spit will always fill up with boats and can be like a carpark at times.

[andrew399]

No offence mate as your only asking, but if I was going through there and someone was drifting through fishing they would get an ear full. Its a small channel that is in constant use and has enough pitfalls with half wits fishing off the bridge without unpropelled boats floating everywhere.

Regards Jeff

You must never have been through there at night or early morning cos you would have to be doing a huge amount of ! Everyone does it mate and its not against the law so as long as you keep your eyes open you will be fine!

[Geoff-]

the spit is a very narrow spot and during high traffic times it would be inconsiderate to drift under the bridge as you make it more difficult for traffic to flow in both directions.

at quiet times i don't see it as being a big issue, if a few boats come at once then duck out of the way and let them through and then you can resume drifting. generally just be considerate and then nobody has any cause for blowing a fuse

Jeff - I know some people are d1ckheads but having a go at someone for drifting because they're in an area where unrelated idiots are fishing off the bridge isn't really fair. yell at the bridge fishers instead mate. if someone's blocking the channel then give them a serve but if there is plenty of room for boats to move through then let them have it..

[Maiders]

Didn't want to start an argument guys! Think it's just a case of using some common sense and showing some consideration to others. I go fishing to relax so don't need people yelling or shouting... If the place was a car park I would just try somewhere else. I'm not a fan of fishing on top of people! I Have noticed that some of the popular harbour marks are packed at weekends so I guess I'm lucky to be able to fish during the week in that respect.

Edited November 14, 2010 by Maiders