By JACK MANGROVE
WITH the promise of a very wet Easter, we were pleasantly surprised when we woke up Easter Friday to find patches of blue ski on the horizon. With the finer weather and fishing rod in hand, many families made their way to the river.
Whiting have still been in good numbers and have been the perfect target for the kids, with the dog beach and frying pan fishing well on the incoming tide. Live worms, yabbies and pealed prawns have been the baits of choice. Bream have been thick in Woods Bay.
On prawns, pillies and strips of bonito, small soft plastics and blades have been the lures of choice. Lots of trevally have started making their way into the river, as the water temperature drops, and this will only get better.
Small micro jigs have been accounting for good numbers of golden and big eye trevally. Flathead and tailor are also being hooked on the little jigs. Jack have again been landed around the rock wall at the river mouth.
Quick reflexes and a heavy drag are usually the key to muscling them away from the rocks.
The inshore reefs are again the place to be with large schools of bait congregating on them. Halls, Sunshine Reef and Jew Shoals have all been producing with good catches of sweetlip, snapper, coral trout, tuskfish, tuna and mackerel.
Trolling diving lures around the reef edges and drop off has seen some great results. Micro jigs have also been accounting for a great mixed bag of reefies as well as pelagic. Sunshine Reef is perfect for this style of fishing.
Soft plastics have again been getting there fair share of reefies with the scented plastics working a treat. Mackerel have been quite thick with good catches of spotted and Spanish mackerel coming from North Reef and Chardons Reef. North Reef has also seen a fantastic bag of reefies with pearl perch, snapper, tuskfish, maori cod, sweetlip, just to name a few.
On the beaches, we are starting to see some good catches of winter bream coming through and dart are still hitting baits as soon as they hit the water. Whiting are in good numbers on the incoming tide with the deeper gutter holding some bigger fish.
On behalf of Jack Mangrove, best of luck on your fishing adventures.
