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New Zealand’s Major Sportfish - Saltwater 1

Saltwater

Striped Marlin:
This is probably our most recognised game fish and the one that put New Zealand on the map as a world-class marlin fishery. We host the largest striped marlin in the world as attested by the stranglehold we have on world records for the species in almost every line class.

In the summer months, striped marlin are abundant throughout the top half of the North Island. The east coast gets more pressure due to the more sheltered ports and conditions, but a large number of fish also run down the west coast. You need to wait for the ideal conditions to be able to get across the west coast bars, but when you do manage to get out there, the blue water is often really close in and the fishing can be phenomenal.

Hot spots are the Bay of Plenty, the entire northeastern coast from Tutukaka through to North Cape and the Three Kings islands. In the last ten years the Middlesex and King banks off the Three Kings have built a reputation as the premier spots to target trophy striped marlin. From February through to late May they congregate in big numbers to feed on the masses of bait fish attracted by the current up-wellings and it isn’t uncommon to have over ten shots a day at fish that grow in excess of 200kg. 80-120kg fish are considered average.

Blue Marlin:
Over the last couple of summers, catch-data suggests that blues are becoming a lot more common in our waters. The Three Kings, North Cape and the Northland coastline are all hot spots and a good run of Blues can be expected off the East Cape during a short time frame, usually around February. Their average size is usually around the 200kg mark but much bigger fish are frequently encountered and occasionally landed. In 1998 a 456kg specimen was taken off North Cape, the first grander caught in New Zealand waters in since 1968.

Black Marlin:
Blacks can be encountered throughout the summer months around the upper half of the North Island coastline. They are more frequently found in closer than the other species and are usually hooked by unsuspecting anglers who are live baiting off a reef or headland for kingfish. Most are found off the Northland coast and Bay of Plenty, especially off Mayor Island, White island, Whale Island and the Motu river mouth. These are often very large fish and although no granders have been taken, some have gone very close and numerous fish over 350kg have been caught.

Broadbill Swordfish:
The Broadbill fishery is still in its relative infancy in New Zealand, yet it has been made clear through commercial catches that we do have a good stock of them here. Swordfish can be caught year round off our entire coastline but the more popular spots are the canyons off the Northland coast and the Three Kings. These fish grow very large with the average size normally between 150-250kg.

The fast growing charter fleet is becoming far better equipped to get out to the deep water where these fish abound, and the only hindrance is usually the weather.

Yellowfin Tuna:
Every summer these powerful predators turn up in significant numbers off our upper North Island coastline. They are particularly common in the Bay of Plenty where they herd great schools of baitfish into ‘meatballs’ which makes for spectacular fishing. The fish average around 20-35kg but this tends to fluctuate from season to season. The bigger fish tend to show early on in December and January with 50-60kg fish not uncommon. These early fish are normally taken trolling, but as the season progresses and the ‘meatballing’ kicks off around February and March, anglers tend to switch to live baits and chunking techniques. Further north Yellowfin are caught in good numbers but usually as a by-catch when trolling for billfish.

Continued.....Saltwater 2

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