2015 KAIKOURA FISHING GUIDE
www.thefishingpaper.co.nz
2015 KAIKOURA FISHING GUIDE
www.thefishingpaper.co.nz
KAIKOURA SPOTS 1 - Hapuku River A good spot for surfcasting for rig, also known as lemonfish. Rig are night feeders prowling for paddle crabs. Best fishing for rig is late spring when they come close to shore to pup, through summer and into early autumn. February usually particularly good.
2 – Old Sawdust Pits Surfcasting for rig, school shark, sevengill sharks, skate and kahawai. Moki and gurnard are also caught from here. Try using prawns or crayfish as bait.
3 – North Beach The entire coast from Kaikoura township north to Hapuku River provides a long stretch of attractive surfcasting beach. Access is off Old Beach Road, but permission must be sought from landowners to cross paddocks. The other option is to walk along the beach from either end. Target species are rig, school sharks, moki, kahawai, the occasional blue cod and even salmon!
4 – In front of Whaleway Station along main beach Surfcasting for rig, moki, kahawai, gurnard and the odd conger eel. Surf casting behind the breakers with bait will produce red cod, rig, skate, blue shark, and there are claims of snapper in late summer. In late summer through autumn salmon are caught in the surf along this stretch of beach too. The good old faithful green and gold ticer or silver zeddy lures have produced good results for both salmon and kahawai.
5 – Davidson Rocks Blue cod, kahawai, perch and greyboy.
6 – Lyell Creek This sluggish looking waterway behind the town can be a surprisingly productive trout fishery - remember to buy a licence. Large brown trout are often found just behind the town centre. Spinning with a veltic or a toby can produce results. In the early morning and evening a dry fly around by the trees is deadly. But it’s not advisable to eat trout from this creek, due to the poor water quality. Casting into the sea by the mouth, especially when the whitebait are running, will produce nicely conditioned sea run trout, good sport and good eating.
7 – Ruby Shoal Perch, kahawai, skate, barracouta, wrasse and some sharks.
8 – The New Wharf The new wharf was opened in 1909 and is still used by local fishing boats for loading and unloading. It’s also a structure providing access
reef funnels fish close into the beach and has good fishing results on the incoming tide. Blue and red cod are caught here and the odd blue shark.
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17 - Kowhai River Mouth A good spot to surfcast for kahawai using silver zeddy lures. Other species caught here include moki, red cod, gurnard, school shark and rig. During the season you’ll also catch salmon in the surf. Try prawns and crayfish baits for elephant fish in late spring through to late autumn.
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to a large variety of species. Opposite the fish factory on the western side is a great place to catch sprats. There is an outlet pipe from the factory and the water can be thick with small fish. Children have great fun here. The sprats also provide good bait for larger fish. Live bait cast off the wharf will pick up red and blue cod, kahawai and the very large conger eels.
18 – Cod Spot
LAUNCHING RAMPS
Anywhere around this region between 30 – 150m produce blue cod and sea perch.
South Bay
Council operated concrete ramp with fuel and wash down facilities. A good, safe, relatively sheltered launching site.
9 - Lynch Reef Check out the big kelp forest and swim with the seals. Spearos target butterfish and banded wrasse.You’ll also find spotties, and sea perch. Crayfish often lurk near the base of the rocks.
Jimmy Armers Beach
10 – Peninsula Coastline Line fishing for blue cod, perch and banded wrasse. Over summer target barracouta, kahawai, salmon and albacore tuna. This is also a popular area for diving for crayfish and paua. Tip – to find good fish habitat, look for cray pot bouys.These generally indicate areas of foul ground. But do not tie up to a cray pot buoy as you may inadvertently drag the pot and snag it under a reef.The owner could be out of pocket $300 to replace it!
North side of the peninsula. Launching across sand with sea access through a gap in the rocks. Be aware the channel can be a challenge to navigate, especially at high tide with rocks lurking just below the surface.
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11 – Peninsula East Troll for salmon in mid to late February with Rapala lures.
12 – Eastern Mark Good blue cod and groper. Tarakihi over foul ground and some trumpeter. Rays bream in mid-water. Troll for albacore tuna when temperature rises above 17 degrees. Tuna from here out.
BLUE COD GPS 42 26.404S 173 41.240E
13 – South Atia Blue cod and perch. Troll for albacore over summer.
GROPER GPS 42 44.760S 173 32.098E
14 - Atia Point Dive only in calm conditions, which generally provides good viz. A scenic dive with colourful kelp garden and a variety of sea tulips and anemones. A good crayfish spot. A good spot to meet the seals.
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Blue cod, perch and wrasse. Kahawai, school shark and barracouta throughout summer. Interesting diving country with plenty of cracks that hold crayfish. Butterfish making a comeback around the kelp areas.
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16 - South Bay A very pleasant fishing spot when north-east winds are blowing on the town side of the hill. The first spot runs straight out from the small car park by the trees at the South Bay turn-off near the racecourse. This
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Legend
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Fishing Spot
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Surfcast Spot
9 Dive Spot
Boat Launch
Try Fishing Here! 10
15 ShallowWater
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Deep Water
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Groper, bluenose and ling. Look for changes in contour that create current and up-wellings, and drift big dead baits or jigs. Bluenose move around a bit so be prepared to prospect. Good electric reel country.
20– South Face From 130m over steep drop-off expect groper and bluenose.
BE AWARE - KAIKOURA NEW FISHING RULES The new rules for the Kaikoura Marine Area came into effect in August 2014 and apply to an area from the Clarence River in the north to the Conway River in the south. The new regulations have been established to promote fishing for abundance and apply to several popular recreational species for the area. Some of the more high profile rules are: • Paua – six per person per day, with an accumulation limit of 20 • Rock lobster/crayfish – six per person per day, with an accumulation limit of 18, and must be telson-clipped • Blue cod – six per person per day, minimum length 33cm • Sea perch/Jock Stewart – 20 per person per day, minimum length 26cm • Tarakihi – 10 per person per day, minimum length 25cm • Butterfish/greenbone – 10 per person per day, minimum length 35cm • Blue Moki – 10 per person per day, minimum length 40cm • Red Moki – NO TAKE PLEASE VISIT www.mpi.govt.nz for more information.
15 – Cone Rock
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19 – The Deep