August Fishing Forecast

Winter is feeling relentless at the moment, we have a good old wet and windy few months on our hands. The weather windows are still short and sharp, so if you can drop everything at a moments notice, there are still some good fishing opportunities out there!

A couple of recent forays to the outer Gulf have been fruitful and it sounds like there is a bit of workup action starting to heat up out wide. Myself and the team at work were assigned the task from Stabicraft to give the new 1550 Frontier a burn, we made the decision to hit the Barrier. The fishing was steady but the bigger 75cm + fish of recent trips were absent. That being said, we encountered a lot of fish in the 40 – 65cm range, which make for great fun on the softbait gear. You can check out Part I from that adventure here, and keep an eye out for Part II coming out soon. The bigger fish yet again fell to the 6.2” Baitjunkie Minnow, the big bait big fish theory seems to be a consistent theme when casting these baits. 

Word on the Hauraki is that the workups are popping up around Horn Rock. So if workup fishing is your thing, this is a good place to start the hunt. It sounds like up the Firth is beginning to heat up too. 

Squid are thick on the ground at the moment and a great option for both land-based & boat anglers. Typically most of the squid fishing takes place on the shore, due to the accessible nature of the fishing spots. If you’re out looking for a spot, find a sheltered bay or piece of coastline with good kelp beds & clear patches. This is typically a favoured hunting ground. If fishing the daytime, try natural colours and light leaders, down to 6lb Fluoro, it often makes the difference between a good day & a slow day. 

For the hardy offshore angler, the tail of the Bluefin run is still producing the odd fish. Whilst not red hot, there are still enough fish being caught to keep anglers keen. The fish seem spread out from East Cape to east of the Aldermans. 

The canals are proving to be hit or miss, mainly due to the flow of the canals. If the canals are flowing the fish are more active and likely to be feeding. If the flow has shut down, the fish tend to go doggo too. It sounds like at the moment it is a case of find the flow and find the fish! 

Much the same as July, patience through the cooler months will continue to be key and making the most of the settled weather patterns. 

Good luck out there!