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Fishing Spot A - West of the Ninepin Rock
The beach on the western side of the Ninepin Rock is the easiest and most productive place to fish with a kite rig at Whatipu. The north channel cuts in close to the beach here and the bottom is mostly clear of snags. Sets deploying the terminal fishing
tackle 300 - 400 metres offshore are best.
The current is very strong, so any of the dropper rigs are recommended. While it is possible to use a longline rig here over slack water, it is not advised due to large sharks and the currents. A conventional sand dropper hook section works well here.
Snapper, gurnard and kahawai can be caught year round. Schools of kingfish regularly pass through when the mullet are running from November to May and skipping a live kahawai or dead whole mullet under a kite can be very productive. Trevally can often
be caught close in at this spot and very big sharks sometimes frequent the area.
Fishing Spot B - The Ninepin
The Ninepin rock has been the cause of several drawing over the years and great care should be taken getting on and off the rocks when the tide is running.
A deceptively narrow channel runs between the rock and the beach and it is easy to step into
holes caused by the fast current that runs through the gap and be swept out to sea.
Storms can change the lay of the channel so always use a rod tip or pole to check what depth you will be stepping into or better still go with someone who knows the area and safe times of the tide for crossing.
The rocks are popular with surfcasters because deep water is within easy casting range although the strong current can cause problems.
A Flexiwing kite dropper rig run from a rod and reel spooled with spectra is the ideal system for fishing this spot because it is important to keep the mainline off the rocks. A three to five hook ledger rig run below a 10 to 15 kg spectra dropper fitted
with with a sacrificial 500 to 850 gram sinker on the bottom is the ideal rig for kite fishing over the reef here.
This system will minimise the effect of the current and the chance of gear or fish loss. Sets between 150 to 250 metres offshore are best for snapper here.
Best winds at the Ninepin Rock are north to north west. Big snapper, trevally and kingfish are the main target species. Reef fish are a common by-catch and huge dogfish are easily caught if using shellfish, crayfish, shrimps or crabs for bait. Surprisingly
blue moki are sometimes caught here on the same baits as those used for targeting dogfish.
Fishing Spot C - The Bay
When conditions are unsuitable for getting on to the Ninepin Rock, fishing to the left of the offshore rock near the ninepin is good. However the whole bay is productive and the same reef ledger rig as used at the Ninepin Rock should be used anywhere
in the bay. Because you are fishing from the beach here a big dropper rig can also be used as the line can be hauled directly on to the beach.
Sets that put the hooks into the middle of the bay are more productive than setting right out. 200 to 300 metre sets are best and will result in similar catches as those taken at the Ninepin. When the tide is going out sometimes an eddy forms in the
middle of the bay and fishing the center of it with a ledger rig may cause line twist. Deploying surface baits for kingfish under a kite could result in some action anywhere in the bay.
Fishing Spot D - Paratutae Island
The whole of Paratutae Island is popular with surfcasters, a ledge goes right around the island but a large fissure in the rock on the channel side prevents circumnavigating more than half way around it. If you want to fish on the side facing the Ninepin
head around the western side.
Deep water is in close here and the same rig used for fishing off the ninepin rock should be used here. Using a kite dropper rig in areas like this allows the hooks to be held well offshore against the rip while those surfcasting often get their terminal
tackle washed straight back in to the side of the rock.
Wonga Wonga Bay on the other side of Paratutai sometimes hold schools of kingfish over summer months and if the winds are from the northwest a kite skipping a live or dead bait can be set out from the gap into the middle of the bay, if the wind is more
westerly walking around to the point on the island allows the baits to be skipped across the bay from the opposite direction.
Turbulence from the island and cliffs can make launching difficult in and other wind direction than those given.
Fishing Spot F to G - Paratutae to Destruction Gully
This piece of coast has several small coves and splits in the cliff which big schools kingfish herd schools of mullet into.
Most of the kingies busy themselves patrolling the edges of the mullet school and keeping them penned in while the others take
turns at picking off the mullet. Sometimes this goes on for hours - if you see a commotion in the water along this stretch of coast it certainly is worth investigating.
Other than fishing from Spot A all the other areas mentioned in this report require specialist kite fishing knowledge and/or terminal tackle.
Destruction Gully can be accessed via a track from the Whatipu Road. It is a steep walk and getting back up with a load of fishing gear and the catch can be strenuous. Kite fishing from the ledges at destruction gully is not practical because of the
high cliffs.
Fishing Spot H - Manukau South Head
This is a top surfcasting spot for gurnard and snapper. The sandy beach drops into deep water close in several places. In certain winds it looks like it would be a good place to experiment with a kite dropper rig. Because it is similar to the Kaipara
South head it is possibly fishable in a south to southwest wind. Send us an e-mail if you have more info on the fishing spot.
Kite Fishing Trips
Recently Neill Sperath has started running guided kite fishing trips for those wanting to check out kite fishing or who need to brush up on some of the more unusual kite fishing techniques, Whatipu is one of Neill's favorite spots.
More information regarding guided fishing trips and kite fishing demonstrations with Neill or the specialist ledger or trolling rigs.
Read Niell's latest fishing report here Whatipu Fishing
Above : Fishing guide Neill Sperath (left) with a happy client and a couple of great fish from Whatipu.
Thinking Of A Trip to Other Fishing Destinations?
Octopus.co.uk is fantastic website directory of marine resources such as fishing, diving, boating and specialized marine travel services around the world.
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