Thread: Catching something thats not wrasse or spotties off the rocks on Stewart Island

As above. I am not much of a fisherman but do a but when I go down for my annual hunting trip. I have no problem catching fish but struggle to catch the better eating fish.

The bay I am normally fishing in is a small cove with volcanic rocks and a kelp bed. Many snags.

How can I target something other than wrasse and spotties? The blue cod are there but further out than I can normally cast. Would using bigger hooks help? Is there a particular soft bait that is more attractive to cod and monkfish than the reef fish.

Any help appreciated.

spotties and wrasse both live hard on the bottom, so you could float your bait a bit more up in the water column
blue cod eat anything bait wise, even blue cod makes good bait

soft baits catch most things, even added a 2m shark to that list over the weekend
hard lures tend to catch blue cod really well up here in northland

if you cant go to the fish bring them to you with a good stream of burley

Originally Posted by Bill999

spotties and wrasse both live hard on the bottom, so you could float your bait a bit more up in the water column
blue cod eat anything bait wise, even blue cod makes good bait

soft baits catch most things, even added a 2m shark to that list over the weekend
hard lures tend to catch blue cod really well up here in northland

if you cant go to the fish bring them to you with a good stream of burley

Sadly cod live on the bottom as well so I am worried that I add a float I might be above them. It's still worth doing though as less snags is better.

Are their any baits that cod will eat but wrasse\spotties won't?

Cod will eat anything, inluding a bit of rag on a hook, tho bait does work better.
How about a cod pot?

maybe cast a small spottie out as a live bait for cod?

are you using a surf caster? If not you can get a reasonable 3 piece for around a $100 a 14 footer. That will pack down small enough for transport. Also go with 20 lb nylon it will give you more distance on your casts.

Is there a gravel or sandy beach you can fish off rather than rocks/ kelp ... Cod will come to a bait in the sand..

If snags are a problem limit you rig to a running sinker and hook straight on your main line no swivels etc cuts down the costs of bust offs and reduces shit to get snagged.
Gather kina for burley at low tide ... Plus paua should be amoungst the kelp..

If all this fails a 3 mill skin suit and a spear gun ..my preferred option

Go with 1oz sinkers to they will give you heaps of weight for casting and 7/0 hooks..

Similar issues down here. I have pretty good success as stingray said by limiting the amount of rig. The other thing I do, depending on where I am is
1, attach the sinker to the trace with a small cable tie (works as a break away/weak link)
2, attach the sinker to the trace with a heavy rubber band - the brown ones that are about 1/4" wide (works as a break away/weak link)
3, dip the sinker in fibre glass resin (about $25L from a glasser and stores forever) or the silicon liquid for electrical tool handles -expensive but I use it on my gear (the lead grabs onto rocks etc and the coating makes them slip)

Stop using rod and get in ,25x more fish in the sea when u swim

Including great whites!

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Originally Posted by veitnamcam

Including great whites!

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Funny I was going to post the same thing.. Did some diving down there when on the Lords river block, I stopped when I saw the size of the Sharks that where coming in and out of the river! Very Very Big. Made the tinny look tinny

Sharks everywhere along the south coast defiantly a few areas iv fished I wont be going for a dive even those 7 gillers are mongrel things close to shaw and they can be nasty I had 1 go me in milford ...easiest solution to get out a little further would be to take a small inflatable boat/kayak as you wont need to go far to get into cod country down there

Originally Posted by Boaraxa

Sharks everywhere along the south coast defiantly a few areas iv fished I wont be going for a dive even those 7 gillers are mongrel things close to shaw and they can be nasty I had 1 go me in milford ...easiest solution to get out a little further would be to take a small inflatable boat/kayak as you wont need to go far to get into cod country down there

Man the last thing that you would chatch me in is a kayak/inflatable boat rember jaws 2 those guys poaching in the fish pond just your luck you would run into the colour blind shark that has a fetish for rubber