Ahoy folks, the workup action is really starting to heat up out in the Hauraki Gulf. Gannet activity is intensifying in the usual spring areas such as east Kawau, north of Tiritiri Matangi, and the Firth of Thames. There seems to be plenty of baitfish around already, and we’ve been experiencing solid bins of snapper with the odd moocher thrown in. The kings haven’t really come into the Gulf in numbers yet and keen topwater anglers have yet to encounter much action. However, we’ve been snagging the occasional king around the workups.
With a week of winds from the north quarter this week we expect to see the water temperature perk up and this could be the switch for the packs of kings to turn up inshore and the workups to continue building momentum.
On another note, now is a great time of year to target squid during the day or night around the rocks and weed-beds. At this time of year they’re around in both numbers and size – we’ve recently managed a few around the 1kg mark around the Coromandel Islands and the inside of Kawau. The more natural / duller coloured squid jigs work well through the daylight hours – just beware of an inking to the face!
Cheers!
Nick & George