The whiting are biting, and the bay’s swimming with squid! - The Community Leader and Real Estate New and Views

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The whiting are biting, and the bay’s swimming with squid!

Fishing

Photos: Spero Kartanos.

BY SPERO KARTANOS

Well, my call last month announcing the arrival date of the spotty mackerel proved pretty accurate. A couple of fishermen had caught some a few weeks back, but last month, boats were catching them throughout the bay – not in great numbers or big schools, but enough for most who follow the turns fluttering above the feeding schools to get a few. The only problem (but fantastic for the bay) was the amount of baby school mackerel and spotty mackerel you had to catch and release to get to a few bigger fish, but it was fun. So, January should be our best chance to get a few.

Whiting and squid should be in plentiful supply around the Chain Banks, with the tiger squid being very aggressive this time of year and attacking the squid jigs with purpose. It’s fun to watch, catch, and put on the dinner table. I get many emails about getting inked as you bring the squid on the boat, and I’ve found one of the best ways to deal with this is when you lift the squid out of the water, hold them between the body and the head and turn them upside down. When you do this, they release all the water, so they can’t mix the ink to spurt it out.

If you are after some lovely tasting whitebait, a light on the back of the boat at the western side of Green Island and a butterfly net should get you a feed.

So, the kids are on holidays, and there is nothing like some fishing fun on the bay. Happy New Year to you all, and hope we can do it all again this year! Good fishing.

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