We’ve had a pretty good winter – mild at times, but far from freezing as it usually is. Fishing has been good, especially on the beach and inshore reefs. Squires are over most of them, and I expect they’ll get bigger as spring brings them over the gravel to spawn. Bream have been on the beaches along with schools of salmon.

Stockton breakwall has been giving up school mulloway, but yellowtail have been hard to get for livebaits, so squid is in. They’ve worked a treat.

Some nice bream are also in the river mouth, so take lighter gear. They have been taking worms and fresh prawns.

Luderick are there during the days, and with bream at night you couldn’t ask for more.

Offshore should start firing now. An array of fish will turn up as the water temperatures have been a little warmer this year. It has been around 18-20°C, fluctuating. There are plenty of nannygai and teraglin being caught at the mud hole, and some huge mulloway up around 15-25kg.

North Reef, the Marbles and Toms Spot have red morwong on them with heaps of barely undersize kingfish. The biggies haven’t shown up this year, but the water is temperate and they could show up any time. A friend of mine likes his flyfishing, and he said around the North Reef buoy it’s unreal. You can watch them chase the fly across the water surface. I prefer a live bait or big squid down there, but he gets his fair share of fish and releases them all.

Around the wrecks on Stockton, there were a few crab traps in a line towards the heads. I pulled over and asked the anglers if they’d been getting a few. They had a few and had only just started. They were putting them in the canoe, then every few hours they’d paddle out to check.

Permits are now being introduced on Redhead Beach. Yearly permits start each financial year and last to the next. Now is a great time to get one and get the most use from them. This month, work the rocks for bream, mulloway and flathead that show up. Also try for a few crabs.

1

Early morning fishing with a bit of fog turned up a nice Maori cod. These are one of the best tasting fish.

2

If a crab is full of eggs like this, fishers call it a ‘berry crab’. We have to let them go.

3

Chris Jelfs with a nice squid he spotted over some weed beds. He quickly changed to a squid jig and got it first go.