Catching dinner a few minutes from home... 23rd of September 2013

A big attraction for us seasoned Jetskifisho’s is knowing we have the luxury of heading out with the smallest of weather window, when we are prepared correctly with safety. As much as I enjoy the longer rides which add to each unique experience, it’s a rewarding challenge catching fish so close to home. This trip, I left after a leisurely 7am start from my favoured launch point of Bucklands Beach in Auckland.

I headed with the intention of fishing the Noises area, as the fish are now moving in from the deep as we fast approach summer. Even with a plan set in place I still constantly scan the area on route to my destination for any opportunity of fishing activity. This session had me sighting Dolphins and Gannets working off the inside of Rakino Island. A quick course deviation and I confirmed nature was making an early start with the bait fish being targeted in a feeding frenzy! Within a couple minutes the activity had soon made a move towards Rakino Channel and gradually moving round to Billy Goat Point. It was at Billy Goat Point where the work-up was more concentrated and spread to a massive 2 km area where I could target the fish beneath.

Regardless of the predicted bite time, the fishing was hot for a solid 2 hours! Slow jigs started off the flavour with hook-ups on every drop, but with so many fish on the bite the biggest challenge was striking the better sized fish.

The 350mm to 420mm fish I was catching are great eating size fillets, but the excitement of string pulling Snapper is more what I was after! A tactic I use when the fish are hot on the bite is to upsize the baits, so I can encourage a bigger sized fish. I switched to a past proven bait in the Gulp range – Nuclear Chicken Nemesis. I first scouted some close by structure with the fish finder/GPS and set up for a drift through the fish I had marked. The target species Snapper, were aggressively hitting the bait on the drop! This is the fishing I enjoy, with the rod being bent buckled beneath the foot-wells of the ski, makes for some exciting soft baiting!

For those new to Jetskifishing, a key tip to enjoying the sport to its full potential is you must have the ski practically kitted. I personally, further developed various options to hold your soft baits and accessories after these working so well for me. It’s all about convenience and we have luxuries such as a stainless bait tray for inside the various chilly bin models and handle bar pouches for any extra tackle.

Having my gear handy makes for quick tackle selections with changes between baits and jig weights. You don’t want to miss the fish when they are biting, so always be prepared to make the most of the bite time.

After a few hours fishing and enough fish on ice for a couple of nights dinners, still having time for an afternoons work. Anyone who has experienced Jetskifishing would already appreciate the lifestyle us Jetskifisho’s enjoy, with fishing more often on these quick and easy platforms.

You may notice I have been keeping the odd Kahawai of late, they are great eating if bled and added to the smoker. Another tip for the Kahawai is using it for a smoked fish pie, a nice easy meal for the whole family to enjoy.

Our “Goes Wild” Coromandel trip is in October and we will have fishing pics uploaded daily at our FaceBook Page.