The Fishing Archive, updated weekly

4 September 2010
The moon was its furthest point north for the month 2 days ago and when the moon’s over the northern hem in winter it drags warmer air downwards over us and that mixes with all the colder winter air that’s still coming up and the result is rain. And over the next few days there’s quite a bit of rain and wind coming. On the 8th the moon will be the second closest to Earth for the whole year as well as being new moon, and I’m expecting some real extreme weather then.. So we’re not out of the grips of winter yet, even though some are saying it’s supposed to be spring. I don’t know why they’re saying that, officially spring comes on the 24th of September, that’s when the sun moves into the constellation Libra. As far as the jetstream goes there’s a bulge upwards over the country and that’s what is bringing cold temperatures, because the freezing cold southerlies push that jetstream upwards from underneath. If the jetstream dips downwards, like it’s doing at the moment over Queensland and was doing over NZ last week, it brings milder temperatures. So coming up, skies are clearing for today and tomorrow, then rain returning and hanging around for most of the week off and on. But at least the amount of rain this month will only be about half that which we all got in August. As John said, in a week’s time the tides are going to be very high, kingtides, and because of that close perigee the tides will be the highest in the month and could be the highest for the year, although the March tide was pretty high too. So that means on low tide it’ll be a really good time to go diving because most of the water will be out in the estuaries. That’s about 9th-11th. I'm expecting it to go really cold in that second week of September and that’s good for fishing because colder water retains oxygen and the fish like that, so in a rivermouth, about 100 yards in from the sea, that’s the place you need to set a net. The fishing has actually been good all week but tomorrow it’s back to average chances, and best bite times are around 8-9 and 2-3, and that's am and pm. Coming up, the 9th-14th will be a good time for surface bites and surfcasting, because the currents will be bringing the fish more towards the surface, and also the extra water will be coming in because of the higher tides and they bring more fish in. So all in all, some extreme weather coming, you’ll be reading about floods and winds and earthquakes and snow over the next week or so, particularly the South Island and central high country and the Hawkes Bay ranges, and this time next week things will start to ease off and we’ll get the aftermath. I think Taiwan will be in the news, also Adelaide because of flooding. And if anyone’s going skiing this weekend it’ll be perfect conditions at Ruapehu. There's even the chance of snow on the hills near Raglan.
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28 August 2010
The moon crossed over the equator two days ago and it's now in the Northern hemisphere. Moon's energies are all going downwards, (that's because the moon is both going down further in the sky because it's going north, and also because it's waning, which means approaching new moon) and this applies to sea currents, so you probably won’t catch much if you’re trolling and it could be a good case for loading up the traces nearer the sinkers to attract the middle and bottom feeders. That should be the general situation until after the 1st. If you want surface bites or for surfcasting you might want to wait until 9-14 September, when the moon's energies will be maximised upwards. The tides are not doing anything extreme, just a bit higher tidal variation at the moment due to full moon, but not a really big king tide because the moon is not close. . It was full moon on Wednesday and it was also furthest from earth for the month. Different story in the second week of September when it's both New moon and perigee on the same day, really close moon , very big tides, and weather may go really cold in that second week of September. It’ll be really good fishing then. Yesterday there was a dip downwards in the jetstream and that brought some warmth at the top of the country and NWs.  So coming up, more rain coming in around Sunday and that will make it a bit warmer up here around the first half of the week because of the low cloud holding in heat from the ground, but clearing skies and colder temperatures are on again in the second half of the coming week. The fishing has been really good from Monday to Thursday, we're back to average chances today, best bite times are around 2 and 8, and that's am and pm. You add just a bit over three quarters of an hour a day to that, so by Monday best bite times will be around 4 and 10. And the next better fishing time period is between next Tuesday and Friday.
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21 August 2010
Today is 2 days out from the S declination, furthest point south for the moon in its 27-day N-S-N again cycle between the earth's hemispheres. And when it’s just starting to come N, we always get Ss generated, because the moon is dragging airflows up from the S pole onto and over NZ. I’m expecting that about Monday, so it could go really cold then. We're also coming up to full moon Thursday, and full moon brings king tides. These won't be really big, you only get the really big tides when the moon is also closest to earth for the month, which was two weeks ago, around new moon, and biggest tides are still going to be around new moon until November. Between Monday and Thursday the fishing will be really good, especially as there are still plenty of westerlies around, which make fish bite more often, because the barometer drops during westerlies, there's more turbulence in the water, faster currents, fish work more to stay in the same place where they know the food hidey-holes are, so they get hungrier, and so they bite more. Whitebait, or Inanga begin their downstream migration a few days before full and new moons. You don't want too much rain and you don't want swift water if it's making the water murky. It's not that they can't swim in fast water, because they can swim up waterfalls if they want to. So best to keep an eye on the water colour. They spawn on the highest tides. They're also attracted to fresh water around river mouths, because it's cooler than the sea and calmer. There's more oxygen in cooler water, which they love, and that's where you'll often find fish, within 200-300 yards of a rivermouth. So this week good fishing, with full moon on Thursday. There's a jetstream covering the top half of the NI at the moment. It means winds are mainly from W and should stay that way til a S change around Monday. So the weekend is looking wet at first, drying a bit on Sunday, the cold southerlies clear the sky after Tuesday, but a whole lot of rain again in the NI around Thursday in the NI, which could bring some flooding to low lying areas because of higher tide levels. Actually the SI dries for a couple of days then. August was always going to be the wettest month, with rain within 3 days all through the month. Best bite times this weekend are 9.30-10.30 and 3.30-4.30, and that's am and pm.
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14 August 2010
You always get strong winds within two days of the moon crossing the equator heading south and that's what's going on the moment. It's pretty choppy out there but it's dying down as we get further away from the 12th. The moon is also moving away from its closest point for the month which was during the week and so there's a general settling back going on in nature, which means the weather, the currents in the sea, everything is settling back to normal routines. We had the highest tides of the month in the past couple of days, that's just over as well. So I'd say the excitement has been and gone and we're in the mode now of easing back. The fishing was great up to Wednesday, and the next good period for bites will click in on Monday and go to Wednesday because the first quarter moon is on Tuesday, but the fishing won't be AS good as what it has been last week, one consolation is that this coming week the waves should be a bit quieter. So the moon is now in the southern hemisphere and will be so until the 26th. That means we can expect some colder temperatures coming later in the week because the moon will be at its most southenmost point on Thursday. Weather wise, over the next four weeks we've got some pretty heavy snowstorms arriving and squally weather, much of it from the southwest, so it'll put a whole lot of snow on the ski fields and block some of the roads. So the boaties want to be a bit careful, I think even though there's a lot of wind from the NW the preciptation part of winter is just starting to arrive. Although we had a lot of cold in July there's a heap more coming and I don't think some milder temperatures in the north and west means spring has arrived, which is what some weather people have been saying lately. I say watch out September and October will be unusually cold. August was always going to be a month of westerlies, and the west wind is the good one for catching fish, so I'm hopeful that this month works well for people. My bite times for the weekend are 3-4 and 9-10 and that's a.m. and p.m. but the chances will only be average until Monday.
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7 August 2010
It was northern declination yesterday, and because it brings turbulence within two days it means today and tomorrow weather starts to play up. It's already getting windy and choppy out on the water. As we said two weeks ago, northern declination means more deeper fish which means more snapper and John Dory. We're coming up to new moon on 10th that's Tuesday and perigee Wednesday, and it's perigee #4 so a potent one, moon is fourth closest for 2010 to earth on that day. On Thursday the moon crosses equator heading south.  So what we have is the three lunar times the moon speeds up, that's new moon, perigee and crossing equator, and they are close enough together to keep atmospheric disturbance going. So expect most of next week to be a bit squally especially overnight.  Not only that but new moon+perigee brings highest tides 11th-13th. It's all good for fishing, except right on perigee Wednesday, because it may be too rough to get out there. But bigger tides, more fish in shallower waters, stronger currents due to moon's increased tug on everything, falling barometer today onward, it all adds up to better fishing chances. Biggest tides of the month are usually accompanied by stormy weather, especially in winter months. Actually the moon has more influence over weather in winter, because sun's heat in hotter months can bring about increased evaporation which leads to convective rain - it's still influenced by where the moon and the airtide and the perigee is, but when cyclones are the result you'll find the moon might take a back seat for a few days until a system expends itself. So in winter it’s nearly all the moon running the business.  I've got better fishing Monday to Wednesday but fish will be on the move now and entering the estuaries to get early seats for their version of the big game. Everything will be picking up, you'll hear the sea roaring which is a good sign of squally weather developing, you may see a dolphin or two swimming towards the storm, you can bet birds and fish will be hearing it too and be getting unsettled and skittery which means they'll bite at things without thinking. It's like how we often binge when we feel nervous. I've got best bite times today and tomorrow around 9-10 and 3-4 and that's both am and pm. Average bite chances but improving Monday.
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31 July 2010
The moon crossed the equator yesterday and is heading north, so it is now in the northern hemisphere and descending in the sky. It'll reach its lowest point, the northern declination, next Friday. So not so much happening at the ocean surface, plenty of fun and games in midlevels of the sea. When the moon crosses the equator there is a turbulence effect and the surface winds increase and it's often a time for gales, and you find fish don't come near the surface so much, presumably because there's nothing for them to eat there. The tides are decreasing rapidly too, and the smallest tidal variation for August will be Wednesday and Thursday.  Really, fishing chances are not much more than average this weekend, and better biting chances will be Monday to Thursday because of the last quarter moon that comes on Tuesday. So we're just in another lull at the moment and it might be a good time to gather shellfish and do maintenance on gear. In terms of weather I've got August as the wettest month of the year in the NI, and nearly all regions except Canterbury should get good rain from westerlies and southwesterlies. It won't be a really cold month in the NI although there'll still be plenty of snow in all skifields. But the cold will come again in September and October, so watch out for a late burst of wintry weather, especially the second week of September. I think September minimums will be about the same as July average minimums. And October minimums should be about the same as August averages. So spring will be fairly cool in some places. Why August should be mild and wet is because the winds will be prevailing westerly, and that’s not as cold as a SWly, but wetter. If you do go fishing this weekend, best bite times are 3-4 and 9-10, that's am and pm, but don't get your expectations up too high.

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24 July
It's always interesting to ponder what fish really like to eat. They say when you eat a pound of fish you eat ten pounds of flies. Certainly surface feeders like kahawai will be into that, but bottom feeders like John Dory will be after creepy crawlies and little fish down below. But even snapper will come to the surface to feed at times. Look in the intestines when you gut them. Flounders' guts are like a Xmas stocking full of mudflat crabs. You have to work out what fish are eating what, where the food-fish are so you can be there too. Sometimes it'll be warmer parts of the sea like sides of a channel, sometimes it'll be around a rivermouth where warmer water comes down to meet the cooler sea. But I reckon the declination of the moon tells you as much as anything, and that’s moon low or high in the sky, the highest being southern declination, that was two days ago, and the moon is just starting to generate southerlies. When the moon's in the south there's a lot of activity near the surface, not only when more tide comes in and that rides over the other water, but also because winds are cooler, insects are gone, but you've still got fish looking for a meal in the upper half of the water. That's when you could be using bait that resembles insects, things not too big, a bait light enough to jiggle more. Unfortunately birds work the surface around this time too, so scare them away. Conversely when the moon's in the north you want to put your snapper hooks on, because there'll be more fish at deeper levels where currents will be dragging them, and the same currents will be taking what those fish will be chasing. So that will be in two weeks time. But today, two days before full moon, tides are increasing over the next few days, I think it's shorter lines and traces, it's floundering on the mudflats because water is coming back in that hasn't been there for a while so there'll be new crabs for fish to find, and you might want to forget about snapper and John Dory for a couple of weeks. I have best bite times this weekend 10-11 and 4-5, that’s am and pm, today’s average in ratings, but chances get much better tomorrow and stay better till Wednesday. Weatherwise, a new cold spell is just starting up, I expect frosts in the NI from about Wednesday onwards, and southerlies should bring a fairly dry week.

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17 July 2010
Wind in the east, fish bite least, wind in the west, fish bite best, according to the old saying, because a westerly wind comes with an unstable weather pattern, lowering barometric pressure. Falling pressures make fish active along shorelines where fishermen are and so they say fish bite more. Wind direction is important, depending on season. A southeaster can be hot in summer because it'll be anticyclonic. Nice weather is not always best fishing weather. On hot days fish get listless. With not many insects buzzing the water because they're hiding in the shade, surface feeders go deeper into cooler waters and look for other stuff. That's why in summer people might fish in early morning or early evening, and when a cold front comes in displacing heat, fish bite more. A southeaster in winter is a colder wind because it's coming from the Antarctic. Fish are sluggish in the cold, they follow slower trolling baits and bite less often. Colder water carries more oxygen and fish may be more interested in that than your hook. Around full moon you often get northeasterlies. In eastern harbours like the Waitemata the northeaster gets behind and raises the incoming tide, so more fish come in sheltering from rougher currents that are further out. On the outgoing tide, that same wind opposes the tidal flow and stops the water leaving. The longer a nor'easter blows, up to a point, the higher the high and low tides will be. The wind keeps the water stored. This higher water invades areas of grass and mangroves and tidal flats that normally won't have enough water on them for fish to swim, home to small crabs and animal life, all food for larger species and usually they're protected by the lack of water. So extended winds keep lots of water on these previously shallow areas, and the fish are quick to move onto them in search of food. On the Manukau it's SWs bringing extra water in. Southerlies in the North island bring sunny calm weather. Wind strength is important too, because wind is caused by surface currents, which means if insects aren't there fish will go deeper, except around estuary bends out of the wind. When it rains, insects get knocked into the water, so fish bite more and stay close to the surface in a downpour. Some fish come closer to sides of a channel if it is windy. This is because small bait fish are pushed there, or follow insects blown to the lee of the wind. So use the fishing tables PLUS the day's wind for best results. Today till Tuesday better than average, best bite times 4-5 and 10-11 am and pm, NWs today and next few days but possible change to easterlies around Wellington on Monday and to other places more mid week.

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10 July 2010
It's the day of the northern declination today, the day the moon is furthest north for the month. That usually means low pressures, and lower pressures are a good sign for fishing. Also, we have new moon in two days time, and perigee the next day which is Tuesday, and perigee means moon closest to Earth for the month. It's the seventh closest for the year, which is quite a significant one. So from tomorrow onwards, as is the norm around new moon, an excellent time for putting the line in the water and that lasts for three days. The proximity of the perigee means highest tides of the month looming, which will be Tuesday to Thursday. Highest tides mean more fish coming in. So whereas last week was a quietening down time, now we're into a hotting-up time again. The perigee also brings stronger currents, and it's an earthquake time as well, so the underwater world will be shaking and rocking and rolling a bit more than usual which should get the fish more skittery which means they should grab at anything. In terms of weather, it's going to pack in a bit after the weekend and I expect some rain next week and even some flooding in places. We should also get snow down south. They haven't had much at all so far for July, well I think this week will be the time to expect it. Hawkes Bay clears up, their next rain comes around the 19th and Canterbury may get some heavy precipitation then too. Bite times this weekend should be around 10-11 and 4-5, am and pm.

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3 July 2010
The moon crosses the equator heading north today and tides are on the way down, the moon is descending as it heads towards the northern latitudes of the earth, the moon is also on the wane as it is past full moon and heading towards new moon. So everything is diminishing, petering out, dropping in energy, whichever way you want to look at it, nature is in a rest period after excitement which brought a hurricane and earthquake in Mexico, flooding in China and extreme weather in NZ including earthquakes. It means more settled waters, and because waters will be warmer after full moon, fish will be leaving the estuaries but they're in no hurry because they like the warmer waters. They'll be quite hungry because being cold-blooded they'll be upping their metabolisms, and they'll be moving around the bottom because of decreased tide heights, so it's a good time for fishing. Because of the activity on the ocean floor I'd be hooking for bottom feeders. We have last quarter moon coming up on Tuesday, and from now till then the bite chances are better than average, if you get out there early in the morning. Weatherwise, the excitement is over as far as extreme weather is concerned, moon-crossing-equator generates winds which blow some rain in, the north may get some rain over the next few days but nothing major. Also HB and the lower NI but it'll be quickly passing and there's no big storm system until around 9th onwards for the north, which will be when three things happen - the moon reaches northernmost point, it'll be closer for the month and new moon, and that's a stormy combination with possibility of flooding. For most of the country, for the next 9 days or so, mostly dry weather but more cloud than sun, which is fairly typical of July anyway. Bite times this weekend will be 5-6 and 11-12, am and pm.

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26 June 2010
Today's the full moon day and yesterday the moon was furthest south for the month, hence the colder temperatures, and there's more cold to come over the next week mostly in the SI. As the moon starts to trek northward it generates southerlies and they come up from the bottom of the country and there's a flow-on effect. The full moon of course means good fishing around noon and midnight, and pretty good around 6am and pm as well. The tide is higher than it was a week ago, so the fishing has improved now, but the highest tidal variations with their biggest volumes of fish won't be back again until 14 July. Weatherwise we have rain and snow this weekend and then an easing of frosts in the NI until the end of June, but then when July starts, two weeks of fairly dry conditions for the whole country, and it'll be really cold, the coldest period of winter. And that's partly because the sun is furthest from the earth during the first week of July. Anyone having a BBQ, over the next couple of nights clearer skies, because that's what happens right on full moon..It's all because oif the extra tidal effect on the air and as the full moon rises it tends to clear the sky. So after Monday, the next good fishing period will be next Saturday to the following Tuesday.

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19 June 2010
Today the moon crosses the equator heading south so initially over the next few days whilst it's on or near the equator, expect windier weather out on the water. You’ll see the word windy on today’s page of the almanac. Tomorrow is a change to first quarter phase, and also a node. And what that is, it's to do with the ecliptic which is the circle in the sky above us that goes roughly overhead but leaning to our north, which is the plane of orbit of all the planets around us, as well as being the plane in which we and them travel around the sun. The moon is on the ecliptic too, but it moves 5d above and below it, kind of hopping from side to side. When the moon is right on it and crossing it, it’s called the node, or the nodal crossing, it's a fortnightly thing and the next one is tomorrow. On the node you get a focusing of weather, so if a front is brewing, it’ll usually deliver most on node day. So I'm expecting rain tomorrow. 1stQ moon day tomorrow means any rain is likeliest before lunch. The moon will be in the S hem this week and furthest south on Friday, so expect cooler temps and more snow, especially towards the end of the week. Winter solstice on the 21st/22nd means longer nights so less sun, therefore colder, so more chance of rain. As far as tidal variation goes, it's diminishing, so fish are packing up and moving back to deeper waters. It doesn't mean there's no fish around, just getting to be less. There's always fish around. We have better than average fishing chances until tomorrow because of the change of phase, but then it goes average again until Friday. The moon's at its highest point at 6.30pm today, so that's the luckiest fishing time. So best bite times should be 6-7 and 12-1 and that's am and pm. Weatherwise, I think you can say goodbye to any longish run of fine days now until the beginning of July, and then we'll have two weeks of dry weather, in other words for the first half of next month.

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12 June 2010
Today's the day of new moon and the day the moon hits the furthest point north, which means the lowest poiint in the nightly sky when it crosses due north, which it does today at lunchtime. That means good fishing, as usual around new moon, and the good run of excellent bite times is from yesterday to Monday and won't come as good again until 25th-28th. best bite times this weekend 12-1 and 6-7 am and pm. The winter new moon in the north often brings colder temperatures at night and rain. And quite a few frosts up and down the country over the next week. The tidal variation is the greatest this month between the 14th -17th, and that factor alone will bring the fish around. The new moon+ N dec bring earthquakes and whale strandings. Just a word about moon and tides. The Manukau has high tide an hour before the moon is at the highest and lowest points in the sky, overhead and underfoot, so the best fishing is on the outgoing tide there. But in the Waitemata moonrise and moonset is an hour before high tide, so the best fishing on the Waitemata is just before high tide. You'll theroetically get more fishing in the Manukau because of that moon overhead factor, but the outgoing tide means they're not as interested in feeding as if they are coming into an estuary, which they will be on a good rising moon time on the Waitemata. So it balances out there. And that applies all year around, so whenever you see the moon between NE and N part of the sky it's always high tide then on the Manukau and between E and NE it's always high tide on the Waitemata.
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5 June 2010
It's the day of last quarter moon and also the day the moon crosses the equator heading north. And when the new phase comes in you usually get a change of weather patterns, which is why unsettled weather is returning today. Because the moon is heading north its dragging southerlies northwards and that means a big drop in temperatures. So as the moon gets lower in the sky it's kind of a sign temperatures are dropping also. This weekend the tidal variations are the lowest for the month, and the barometer is correspondingly unusually high. It's also apogee, which means moon furthest away, which is a calm as far as winds go, so after today the winds pick up again. The air pressure goes hand in hand with the sealevels, although there's sometimes a lag between them. As for fishing, the next few days will be good because the barometer will be on the move, the currents spring into action and the fish will pick up on the pressure changes and the currents and they'll get energised, which makes them hungrier. I'd say until Monday excellent bite chances, and the best bite times, both am and pm, will be 6 and 12 today, and a half hour later each day for tomorrow and Monday. After Sunday it goes back to average ratings, so that works in quite nicely for the long weekend. The high pressure should return during the coming week, so skies should clear by about Wednesday, and then we're in for a dry spell that should last until the next lot of widespread rain about the 16th.

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29 May 2010
We're back in kingtide now, biggest tides of the month were yesterday and full moon also yesterday. It's the last month that new moon and full moon tidal variation causes same size kingtides, and after May it'll only be new moon tides that are the biggest ones, until after November. So big tides right now mean a lot of fish around. The full moon is also a good time to fish because fish are more active and so get hungrier, mainly around midday, noon and those halfway points which around 6, am and pm. Also today we have the moon at its southernmost point, in the upwards and downwards cycle it does between the hemispheres every month, called declination. When the moon's in the south we get southerlies generated and much colder weather. The same happened at the beginning of May - snow fell on the 4th. That was the last time the moon was in the south. The next time will be 25 June and we'll get another cold wollop then. When the moon is on the turn as it is now, it’s a lull time in the swell, and I think a better time to fish, because winds drop for a day or so and you get calmer waters. The good fishing at the moment should run until the end of today, and then not better-than-average again until Thursday to Sunday. Weatherwise, some bad weather returning to the NI after the middle of the week, and the SI are in for some subzero temperatures all month starting now. The NI will get some too, which means frosts mainly on the eastern side, now and later this week and around the end of Queens Birthday weekend. And then the whole NI may get some with the new moon period which is after the 10th of June. The next highest tides are going to be 14-16 June. Best bite times today and tomorrow are 1 - 1.30 and 7-7.30, that's am and pm, and about 40 minutes either side of those.

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22 May 2010
We've just come through a significant moon event time, Thursday was the perigee which is moon closest to earth, yesterday was change of phase to 1st quarter, and today the moon crosses the equator heading south. The perigee always brings highest tides for the month within 7 days and that was on 15th, just 4 or 5 days before perigee, and the barometer went low as a result and the waves usually get choppy when the barometer does a dive. You get earthquakes clustering around perigee also. The moon crossing equator usually brings winds and perigee exaggerates whatever is going on, so because we're in winter mode and close to the S pole we copped the brunt of a southerly storm. Because it's 1st quarter the moon is out of the sky between midnight and noon, and that’s when bad weather and/or colder temperature comes if you're in winter. Around 1st quarter the weather improves just as the moon rises which is just after lunch. Weatherwise we're not out of the woods yet, we're just in a lull and rain is returning after this weekend because we've got big tides again around 27th which is Thursday, so at least part of the coming week should be a bit stormy. This coming Friday is full moon and the following day is southernmost point of the moon, and when the moon is in the south the whole country goes cold. So there's a chance of more snow in the next week, and good fishing because more tidal water is coming in, and full moon is one of the main fishing times. Best bite times 7 and 1 today, and 8 and 2 tomorrow, and that's am and pm. The best day is today and bite chances are only average tomorrow, and the next best day to be out fishing will be Thursday.

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15 May 2010
It was new moon day yesterday. It's also highest tides for the month at the moment, and high tides plus new moon adds up to good fishing and it's actually been good since Thursday. We've been getting a falling barometer too over the past couple of days. Fish have got their own barometer and they can detect changes in pressure through their lateral lines. That's why they react so instantly when something large sneaks up behind them. So they're also sensitive to weather and air pressure changes. For instance when air pressures are high, and the sky is clear, that's not a good time to fish because fish seek cover. It may be that the water gets less murky under the higher pressure and other fish can see them and they don't want to be targets. So to be a good fishermen you have to keep an eye on your barometer. If the needle's steady, it's just normal average fishing. But if it’s either rising or falling then fish get more active. And a falling barometer with the weather getting worse is the best time to go fishing. So you watch the barometer and watch the skies, and when you see clouds gathering, the needle's falling, it goes a bit cold, grab the gear box. But when the rain sets in, it's too late, fish get less active. Then you'll have to wait till things start clearing again. So the New Moon is in its second day, that's ideal, and you want to be fishing as the moon is rising, and it'll be above the horizon at 8.20am so you've got 40 minutes either side of that. The moon reaches highest point at 1pm and sets at 6pm. So around those times are excellent fishing but by tomorrow chances return to just being average. Weatherwise, the moon reaches highest point for the month tomorrow, northern declination, and because of that the thrust of the weather has been northwards. Anticyclones are in charge, being bigger and heavier air masses, and when there's one to our north with a low under it it'll force that lower pressure area south. And that's what has been happening. To see what I mean, just look at the huge high pressure system covering most of the centre and east of Australia and extending across the Pacific. Looking ahead, as far as rain goes, the period of 19th-25th holds promise of rain, because it'll be the time of a closer moon on its way south.

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8 May 2010
The moon's crossing the equator tomorrow heading north, so the southerlies are easing a bit as the moon gets further from the south. It's also in apogee which means it has a weakened effect which means calmer weather with lighter winds until about three days time, because when the moon is crossing the equator it speeds up and that brings a bit of turbulence. At the moment the tidal variation is the smallest of the month, so many of the fish schools will have gone back to the deeper waters of the sea, and the big tides will come again in another week's time. So meagre fishing after today, good again around Thursday. The moon was at its southern declination on the 2nd, when it was the highest in our sky, so now is descending, meaning going from southern to northern hemisphere, and that means the fish are retreating more to the north along with the currents. Weatherwise, the Northland drought was always set to end mid-May and nothing has occurred to change that. There's this front passing over right now - we had it in the almanac to arrive on 7th, so bang on time, which should hang around till the 11th, which is Tuesday, but because the moon is going north I don't think we'll get much rain out of this system. The moon (moving north until 16th) will be nudging this system north and off NZ. If the moon was moving south right now it would be a different story. So it'll be next Thursday's lot that really counts for the far north, and they'll be the rains to watch for. Best bite times this weekend for fishing will be 7-8 and 1-2 am and pm. Bite chances will very good today but from tomorrow will only be average.
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1 May 2010
The perigee, which means moon closest to earth for the month, was on the 25th and so because the biggest tides have been brought on by the perigee+Full moon from January-April we have had kingtides over the past few days, with the subsequent flooding in some places where the rains have also been. But from now til November the next biggest tides are going to be around new moons and the next kingtide and best fishing time will be around the middle of May. So whereas best fishing has been at the ends and/or beginnings of the months between January and April, from now on the best fishing times are going to be around the middle of the months at first, creeping back to the second week by August, and creeping further back to the first and last weeks of the month again by December.  At the moment the moon is coming higher in the sky and will reach its highest tomorrow. That will be the southernmost point for a month, and after that it will start to go north again and start descending in our sky, and taking tidal variation down as well. May and June will be good for fishing in the second halves of those months, because tidal variation will be averagely higher then than in the first halves, because higher tides bring more fish in. And that means the first halves of May and June will be better for diving because of that shallower water.  Weather-wise, we've got the coldest periods at the start and ends of May, because that will be when the moon is in the south, and that's when you’ll be reading about places down south getting a bit of snow. I've got about 12 mainly dry days from now on, except for a brief front passing through around 7th, and I've got the drought breaking up north around the 13th-25th. Best fishing times this weekend will be 2-3 and 8-9 am and pm, but chances only average, and the next better than average day will be Wednesday, and the next excellent time will be on the 13th.
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24 April 2010
Tomorrow we have perigee and moon crossing equator heading south, perigee brings winds and higher tides, and already it's getting a bit choppy out at sea but the wind hasn't reached full strength yet, but will do in a few days. The wind is also blowing a fair bit of rain in, and its a rain system I thought would arrive about yesterday but it got held up on the other side of Tasmania and it'll be making up for lost time after the weekend. So watch out for good rain, which is a better scenario, because the way I had it picked would not have delivered more than a day's rain to ther dought affected areas but this looks like being a good dollop. As of today when coming out of the neap tides and the king tides will be here in four days time. The bigger tides equals more fish and it also means easier diving when the tide goes out. We're also coming up to the full moon. on the 29th which is Thursday and so the really good fishing in terms of the fish biting, probably the best for the month, will go from this Tuesday the 27th to Friday the 30th. When the moon crosses the equator as it's doing tomorrow, it generally takes about two days for the wind from that to reach us, so that'll take us to about Tuesday. That means any rain around, and I expect the rain about Monday or Tuesday, will probably blow off after that, but the system will still be here, and when the winds die down, which should be about Friday, we could get some more rain. So we're in for unsettled weather, and it might be that you can get out in a boat today and tomorrow, but after that the seas could get a bit rough. The perigee is usually a pretty good time for fishing, because currents are stronger, fish have to work harder to stay in the same place, and so they tend to feed more. I have best bite times 8 to 9 o'clock that's am and pm, and next best around 2 - 3 am and pm.
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17 April 2010
We've just been having some good new moon kingtides and that's brought in a lot of fish. We have low neap tides on Thursday and Friday, also 1st quarter moon, and the perigee 3 days later on the 25th. It adds up to good fishing between Wednesday and Friday, just after some unsettled weather has whisked through. So that's happening midweek. At the moment there's a front crossing the middle of the Australian Bight, bringing some showers to SA and Adelaide, and because the moon is speeding up, that system should cross Tasmania today or tomorrow and by Sunday or Monday should be sitting in the Tasman and should be picked up by the metservice radar. I think the wet may miss the top of the SI, and if it doesn't get held up it'll all blow over by the end of the week for a dry weekend.  Anyway, best bite times today and tomorrow are 1-2 and 7-8, and that's am and pm. Chances are only average because we're just past the new moon period - that ended yesterday.
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10 April 2010
We're just past the apogee, which is the moon furthest from earth for the month, which is why winds have died down compared with last week's gusty southerlies in some places. The moon's going down in the sky, it's still in last quarter mode and it'll be new moon on the 15th which is next Thursday, and new moon is usually a good time to be fishing, and the good period will be Tuesday to Friday. The tidal volumes of water are coming back in, the estuaries are starting to get a bit higher in water levels each day, but not to the levels they were at the beginning of the month, but enough to bring more fish back. Weatherwise, new moon is generally calm and fairly settled, but you can get some rain overnight and I think there will be some on the east coast of the NI this week from East Cape down to Canterbury, but I don't see Northland getting any until the 21st. And that's partly due to the tide heights. How it works is that big storm events follow times when tides peak. For instance, in January the tides were really high around Full moons at the beginning and end of that month and Auckland got rain at both ends of the month. In the troughs between the high tides, when tides were lowest, Auckland got rain exactly at those times too. And at each of those four times the barometer suddenly took a dive too, which means the air pressure is to a large extent working with the tide heights. There are other factors too, like what the sun's doing, but you can't discount the effects of tide height on weather. In Feb, same story, each time when the tides were higher, the barometer dropped, sometimes not on the exact day but within 2 or 3 days, and so we got high tides plus rain around the start, the middle and the last days of the month. This month the higher tides come back with the perigee around the 25th and I'm expecting rain to just precede that. Bite times today and tomorrow between 8-9 and 2-3, and that's am and pm.
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3 April 2010
Next Tuesday we have the southern declination, so the moon's still rising in the sky and its going fairly fast through the heavens around the earth but will slow down about Sunday. So the weather's been a bit changeable but from now on it'll be tending to clearing to fine. The SD will produce Ss, and with the Ss cold drier weather, so we'll all be feeling autumn in about a week's time. The watertable is dropping quite dramatically, and the fish will be having last feeds up the estuaries and the channels, so it's a good time for fishing coming up. The tidal variations will be greatest this month on the 1st, 15th and 28th, so the best fishing for the month should be 13th-16th(NM) and 27th-30th(FM) and next best 5th-8th and 21st-23rd. . The 8th and 9th is least variation and that's the time to go wading and diving for shellfish because you haven't got so far down to go. We have the lastQ coming up on the 6th, Tuesday, and some cold afternoons around then, so if you're out standing around holding a line better dress up warm, and especially dress the kids up if you're out on the boat. The good fishing begins on Monday because of that lastQ moon, and goes through to Thursday. best bite times over this weekend are 3+9, 4+10 and 5+11. You have to allow for daylight saving. Don't forget to wind the clock back an hour tonight. The way to remember it is spring forward, fall back.
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27 March 2010
Well, yesterday Egmont got a bit of snow, and so you might say winter has almost started. The moon's perigee is tomorrow, it's the eighth closest that the moon will be for the year, and the full moon is 3 days away, it's crossing the equator heading south in 2 days time on the 29th. The perigee exaggerates whatever else is going on, so the wind may get up and waves may get a bit choppier over the next few days. The Full moon+Perigee is a cyclone breeder, especially when crossing the equator and already there's another Australian cyclonic event developing at the top there and may come down with the moon's drift over the next week. The perigee always brings the king tides and tidal variation is already starting to increase and coming up to be extra high next week. The barometer could drop about the 30th. I'm expecting fishing to be only average but shooting up to excellent from Monday to Wed, bite times around 1 and 7. The tides will be kingtides 30/31, so Tues/Wed will probably be really good fishing days. Now Easter's coming, so get ready for some more rain, as it always does.
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20 March 2010
We've got the moon well down in the sky now, on the 8 March when it was the furthest south it was right overhead and the tides were just coming down from being the highest for the month 3 days before. It won't be back overhead until 4 April. Now, there's not much happening with the tides until 10 days time when they'll be way up again. On Monday it’s the equinox day, that’s to do with the sun and the earth and the fact that the earth is going faster past the sun on that day, it’s like the midpoint of a pendulum, earth relative to sun goes faster, there’s a twisting and a distortion of the atmosphere as a result, and we get turbulence aloft and more winds. It used to be called the equinox winds before the days of global warming. Moonwise, on Tuesday the moon will reach its northernmost point, and therefore the lowest point in our sky, and the tide will be really slack then, it'll also be first quarter moon so a real neap situation. And two days later the water's going to start coming in with a vengeance. The Monday equinox will join the moon’s events on Tuesday to bring more winds and should manifest in a new cyclonic system up in N QLD and I think we’ll be reading about that during next week. I’d say the fishing will pick up between Monday and Thursday. I think when the water's calm and the currents are slower on a neap tide the fish are less jittery and they'll come in closer to shore. Also, it's the perigee on the 28th so they'll be coming in for a feedup a few days beforehand, because around perigee day they usually stay out to sea where the turbulence in the sea is less. Weatherwise nothing much is happening until next Friday and Saturday, the 26th and 27th. Best bite times today and tomorrow, allowing for daylight saving will be about 4 and 10. Rating average until changing on Monday to very good.
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13 March 2010
We're coming up to the new moon on Tuesday, and the tides are getting bigger. So the fish are starting to come in again, and tomorrow we'll be back in the optimum fishing times that you always get around the new moon, and the good fishing is going to last until Wednesday. Now weather wise there's a jetstream racing up the country, it's the whole length of New Zealand, and the jetstreams - fast rivers of air, there's always some between the bottom of New Zealand and Antarctica and they usually circulate both around that level and one comes across Australia about the level of Brisbane. Now depending on where the moon is they sometimes skew up this way. On the 8th, the moon was the furthest point south, and midweek the moon started to trek north again. When we look up when it's the furthest point south, it's actually the highest it gets to in the sky, and that was almost exactly overhead in this part of the world. So that was on Monday. As the moon starts to come north, it gets lower in our sky, but if you view it from space you'd see that it was coming from the South Pole upwards, and dragging air from the polar region which is freezing cold, and so you get these southerlies coming up the country. Now you get that every single time the moon is in the furthest point south, and whenever it does that in the winter well that's when you get your snow dumps. Over the last day or so, it's worked itself into this jetstream and it's caused a bit of damage down around Wellington where the winds always strong anyway because of the shape of the hills and the narrowness of Cook Strait, it acts a bit like a venturi. And what is focusing it, is a big high pressure system that's out there in the West and that's just going to sit there for about the next week or so. It's going to have the effect of bringing some dry weather to us, and cold to begin with, but then as it does start to move, the age of it will bring winds from the other way, because these systems rotate anticlockwise. Well that means in a week or so some places again to be getting northwesterlies which will be unusually hot, and they'll think that summer has come back again, but it won't, and after that and we're looking at about the 20th, autumn will be here for real. The jetstream is often viewed by weather people as the early signs of the storm, but that's just because there is a lot of wind in them, and the wind often blows the rain in. But of course if the wind is coming from the south then there's not much rain going on because it's too cool for evaporation to happen. That's always a good little weather secret. If you see clouds coming from the north they will always have more rain in them because of that warmer air closer to the equator evaporating more seawater up, than clouds that are coming from the south that are just too cool to carry much water. That's why in Auckland a straight southerly is nearly always a perfectly fine day. Best bite times today and tomorrow are around 11 and 5, and roundabout Tuesday 12 and 6 and that's a.m. and p.m.
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6 March 2010
We've had the highest tides and correspondingly some of the lowest tides, which meant some people would have gotten some shellfish they haven't had access to without diving. And that's been all over the world. It's been due to the FM+P which was around 1-2 of March. You have certainly seen the effect of those in Queensland, 80% of which is still underwater. There's a bit of rain coming down to us from that event but it'll mostly stay well to the east of the NI. Could be some rain today. The moon is halfway between full moon and last quarter, known as waning gibbous, it sets around 1pm. It's also midway between crossing the equator and the southernmost point, which will be on Tuesday. The moon's still climbing in the southern hemisphere sky, and dropping in the northern hemisphere sky, all because it appears upside down from the hemisphere to another due to of the tilt of the earth. If you are standing on the northen hemisphere and you want to see what the moon looks like from Sydney, climb a hill, bend over and look at the moon between your legs. So the tides are going down and days are cooling off a bit and here in Auckland, NZ, autumn will come quickly. In two weeks time we'll all be shivering in autumn temperatures. But in the North Island we've still got about 10 days of relatively dry weather, just a few odd showers will interrupt this until 17-19 just after new moon, which will be a time of some good dumps in Northland. The cicadas are getting quieter and they'll soon be bird food. The moon is slowing, which means if rain sets in it won't pass in a hurry, probably be a bit of rain on and off over a couple of days. It's actually quite windy and choppy out there on the water right now on both coasts, so care is needed. But underneath the surface, I think after the really big tides, all the fish that came in with the extra water wouldn't have left yet.  When the moon slows so does the current. They may not be moving all that fast, but they'll still be competing for food, so I think they'll be wanting to sample some baits. I'd go for the estuaries and creeks about this time, because in some cases like some of the inland rivers, they won't have come back down yet to the sea.
The fishing is better than average from today until Tuesday, because of that last quarter moon setting just after lunch, and the time to be out there will be a half hour on either side of 5 and 11, am and pm.
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27 Feb 2010
On Tuesday 2 March we have a phenomenon, the highest tidal variation since March 2002, and won't be as high again until February 2014. So we have tides starting to swell and bringing in more water. More water=more fish. In every month there's a short period when the moon is both getting daily higher in the sky due to its crossing hemispheres of a tilted earth, and waxing which means coming up to full moon, and that's when upward energies are the uppermost, and that's right now, having started on Thursday and lasting until tomorrow, so 24th-28th. So this is the period gardeners ought to have been planting stuff flat out, because of those upward energies, the sap is getting high in the trees too so you may have noticed more insects flying about or heard louder cicadas over the past week, and because the insects are going for it there's more birds about, so there's lots of pollination going on, and also cats are out chasing the birds. This is what happens in nature, one lot gets going and they all follow one another. The fish are no exception. They won't just be messing about on the bottom, they'll be all over the place and at different depths. Lots of fish mean they're competing for food which means they'll willingly take the bait. Tomorrow is also perigee, the third closest moon-to-earth distance for the whole year, which means faster moving swells and currents, which make fish hungrier. So I think come tomorrow and they'll be biting flat out so that's the time to be out there. And the fishing will stay good til Tuesday. The full moon is on Monday, the 1st of March. As for the weather itself, the moon's 'node', sometimes called a 'nodal crossing', is when the moon sits at what we call the ecliptic which is the plane all the planets are on. When it does that at the same time as full moon you get an eclipse, but not this time. The moon was nodal on the 25th. The node has the effect of focussing the moon’s energies, and I always think fishing not too far from nodes is generally pretty good. Now fronts typically follow nodal crossings. But because the node has just gone, it means wet cold weather which we got a day or so ago is also lessening around the place over the next few days. In fact the next two weeks should be relatively dry for the North Island. And bite times will be 11 and 5 today and 12 and 6 tomorrow, that's am and pm and that's also adjusting for daylight saving.
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20 Feb 2010
We're coming up to a 1stQ moon, that's on Monday, and a better fishing period begins tomorrow, than it has been over the past few days, as we enter that quarter-moon fishing phase which is always better than average, especially around lunchtime when the moon is around the horizon, and that will last until Tuesday. The moon's going down in the sky, the tides are going down too, there'll be a neap tide on Tuesday. So it's like the bath is emptying and things are going quiet, and the fish do come in closer, at times like this, because they're not buffeted around so much by the pounding of the currents. We've got an anticyclone coming over with higher pressures on the sea's surface, and that's normally not particuarly good for fishing, with the seas getting smoother, not a wildly good time for fishing, but here's the difference. We're right in the middle of the cyclone season now, and cyclonic systems form around the New moon and the Full moons. Remember the last one up in the islands formed around Valentines Day the 14th which was new moon, and started to weaken as soon as that day passed. Well, the next one is coming up as we get close to the full moon on the 1st of March. So this is a lull and there'll be a lot of fish down here where the waters are a bit quieter. Because here's another thing. The moon is still closer to earth and will be until March, so the new and full moons bring more earthquake activity as well, and most shakes are under the sea. So you've got your turbulance on top and on the bottom as well, around those new and full moons, and I think the fish panic a bit and take the bait when those shock waves are coming through the ocean. But in the lull which is now they'll be hanging around down here away from any turbulence further north, so I think the numbers will be up.  So that means better fishing, and the bonus is that it's just a more pleasant time to be out in a boat or standing on rocks without a whole lot of rogue waves going on around you. And a calm and settled fisherman is always a better one, whatever else might be going on in the sea.
As far as the weather is concerned I've got until Tuesday nice and clear across the country, temperatures dropping, and that will allow for some rain to come in later in the week as the next cyclone gets pumped up again up around Queensland and sends down some unsettled weather that should slightly affect us. It'll send down some increased swell which will push water further into estuaries and inlets and that will bring fish in at the end of the month. The last three days of the month should be fine also.So after this, that's the next good fishing time looking ahead. So bite times, taking into account daylight saving should be better between 5 and 6, and about 12-1
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13 Feb 2010
We're coming up to another kingtide in about 3 days which means the current strength is growing and the water is beginning to move faster, which is not good for swimmers because rips are developing, but it's getting better for surfies and the fish are like little surfies. They're going to be out there when the current is stronger because stronger currents bring more in. On the west coast the westerlies are building, strong onshore at the moment, wind swell increasing so tomorrow the waves may be even higher. So theoretically it's excellent fishing today and tomorrow, in fact right up til Tuesday. The New moon will be here tomorrow which explains part of it, because not only does the New moon generate westerlies, sometimes fairly solid at water level, but at new moon time there's greater gravitational pull going on and the moon moves faster than it does at any other phase, and that whips up turbulence in the atmosphere. It’s also an earthquake-prone time because that turbulence affects the land as well, and Wellington had a 5 magnitude shake during the night. Add in that it’s also apogee today, which means moon furthest from earth for the month, that translates to downward forces rather than upward ones - add to that that the moon is on its way from South to North at the moment, which is why the South Island is getting SW systems right now, moon descending in the sky day by day until its northernmost point in about 10 days time. And so what we’re getting is a double dose of downward energies. Therefore currents are descending as well which is good news for deep water fishing. The new moon gusty-weather should last from today till about Wednesday. Out at sea extra westerly winds make the sea choppy and squally in the west but fairly flat on the east side being more sheltered, so the east will be more pleasant to be out on. But you'll always catch more fish on the western side when westerlies are blowing. Especially in sheltered inlets like the Manukau. Plus sea surface temperatures are warmer on the west but still cooler than normal in the N and E. The new moon is always a time for change, it's in Aquarius which is a cooler sign. But it is the start of autumn in some places, like Canterbury, and Christchurch were due for some frosty weather mid February and Ruapehu may get a sprinkling of snow over the next few days. It’s still summer in the northern half of the North Island but rain comes to Auckland around Thursday and elsewhere they should be going into autumn soon. So for best bite times, be out there 11-12.30 and 4.30 - 6.30 this weekend, and that's am and pm.
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6 Feb 2010
Today's the day of last quarter moon phase, and the moon is in an area of sky known as Scorpio and that denotes oppressive dryness and very little rain, so I'm expecting it to be quite hot over the next couple of days, which is good for the Waitangi Day celebrations but not so good for the farmers. There's a lot of high pressure around which accounts for the sea being fairly smooth. The tides are still fairly big but they're going down, and it'll be a real shallow neap tide on Tuesday which coincides with the moon being the furthest point south. You'll notice the moon every morning getting higher each day in the sky until being just about overhead on Tuesday morning. The king tides of about a week ago were partly because of the moon entering the S hemisphere and partly because the moon was close to the Earth. So Tuesday would be the day to get shellfish that you have to dive deep for, because you won't have to dive so far down. The moon changes hemispheres, N to S to N over 27 days. The tidal energies are immense. So because of the moon being almost south now, over our hemisphere, currents are rising in the sea, and I like to think of it as a sort of hidden tide because it's not visible. But what it does, is have a mixing effect distributing salinity levels and temperatures, bringing colder water in the depths up, and that not only brings fish up but also means certain schools are in certain places at the same times of the declination month. So, for example, this equivalent day last month which was 3 days before S declination would have been 9 January. So whatever you caught then, and it was a Saturday, at that spot you may catch another of the same species. That's why it's a good idea to keep a fishing diary, so you can refer back to successful catch days. Fish know what they like, and they go there. They're just like people and you have to think like a fish if you want to catch them. And every fish has got a lunar clock inside him, it's better than a Rolex. The moon is so clockwork it only loses 10 seconds a year. So, last quarter moon, better than average chances today and tomorrow, be out there 5.30-7.30 and 11.30-1.30 and that's am and pm.
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30 Jan 2010
The moon's in an astrological area of sky called Cancer, which is traditionally a very wet sign. Todays the day the moon is closest to earth for the whole month, also the full moon, so if it looks bigger that's because it is closer. It's low in the sky at the moment because it's really directly over the northern hemisphere at this moment, and is making its way back down here, it'll be crossing the equator into the southern hemisphere on Monday. It's the highest tide for the month tomorrow, and the tide height won't be as high again until the beginning of March, and that March one will actually be the highest tide for the whole year. There's a bit of rain around, so there could be flooding because with the more water coming in and filling up the estuaries, some rivers may be swollen, and the outflow is slow getting away so it banks up. Now that's good for fishing because the estuaries have more fish coming in with the more water, and they tend to stay between tides because there's more feeding opportunities. On the actual day of the full moon you generally find the wind drops right off, but the more turbulent water and choppy water is probably your main worry if you're out in a boat, so it'll be a day or two before that settles down. You want to get out this evening and look at the moon and show the kids, because it won't look as big as that again until 20 March 2011. Don't worry about clouds blocking your view - the full moon usually brings eneough heat to the evening air to make most of the higher level clouds disappear. So good fishing at the moment, one of the best times of the whole month, and will stay that way just till tomorrow. Best times to be out there will be 11.30-2 and about 6-8.30 and that's am and pm. Roughly that's when the moon is directly overhead and under your feet, and on the horizon.
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23 Jan 2010
We have a first quarter moon today, and that usually means most of the rough weather is in the morning, clearing a bit after lunch. Then I have another lot of weather about mid week, and clearing by the weekend The reason is the closeness of the moon, and next Saturday it'll be the closest to the earth for the whole year. And because of that maybe next weekend is a time to be careful out in a boat, could be some gales and some rough seas. But it's this factor, how close the moon is to earth, that always causes the month's highest tides, the king tides, and the next one will be on the 31st. When you get king tides in the sea, you also get them in the air, and you generally get unsettled weather around king tides.. But even though it’s the closest moon for the year, it won't be the highest tide for the year, we have to wait till the end of next month for that. Nevertheless, after Wednesday the tides are going to get bigger by quite large amounts each day until the end of the month. Because of that, from Wednesday on, the fishing chances are going to be better with all that more water coming into harbours and estuaries. Meanwhile right now it's a bit of a lull - but not completely. The moon's in the northern hemisphere and trekking further north, and reaching its northernmost point on Wednesday. That means it's slowly descending in our sky, a little bit lower each day, and that means the energies and forces are downwards, the water tables drop, the tidal variation too, and the lowest point of that is Wednesday. I think it means right now the fish spend less time at the greater depths because that's where the stronger currents are, and that means you're going to have more luck if you're not trolling the bottom, and I'd say in the larger scheme of fishing-things, chances are better than average until and including Monday.
And best bite times this weekend are both am and pm, and that’s 5.30-7 and 11.30-1
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16 Jan 2010
Well, it was new moon yesterday, and that means of course that it's in the sky during the day but it's alongside the sun which is why you can't see it because of the glare of the sun. Now there are three times during the month when the moon moves faster than at other times and the new moon is one of them, and that means that the weather systems speed up around new moon times. So that's why what happens from one day to the next is hard to predict if you're only taking photos of the tops of clouds from satellites, and that's why the metservices got it so wrong for the big Day out, because if you remember the night before they said that it was going to be wet wet wet and it was about the sunniest it could possibly be. Now because the moon moves faster during the new moon time, I think it causes the currents to move faster in the sea, and that means the fish have to work harder just to stay in the same place, which means they expend more energy which they have to replenish and so they tend to be hungrier. And that's probably why all fishermen know that round the new moon time is good for fishing. We've got some king tides going on as well between now and about the 19th, but they still not the biggest tides of the month they'll be around the 30th and 31st, and the fishing should be even better then, because of the more water coming in. Around the new moon time you tend to get quite strong westerlies at water level and you also get some rough weather developing. Now there's been a cyclone getting itself ready over the last week and I think it will arrive here after the 20th. If anybody has a boat on a mooring I would be making plans to bring it to a shelter around about the end of the month because I think this could be gales and a bit of storm damage around the 28th give or take a few days.  For your fishing bite times, I think today and tomorrow if you're out there between 12.30 - 2.30 or 6.30 - 8.30 that's am and p.m. I don't think you'll come home empty-handed. That means people should be out there right now with their line in the water, and they've got about another half hour of it. And you can find out more from my book the PredictWeather Almanac, available from bookstores or from my website www.predictweatherCOM, or from the NZ Fishing World magazine. And I have a wall calendar available now as well which is a condensed version of the almanac and which has all the fishing in it. And I still haven't sent you one so I must do that.
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9 Jan 2010
The moon rose this morning at 1am, it'll be directly above us in 15 minutes time, (well, it looks like its above us, but it's really over Fiji) and it sets at 3.30. Any rain happens more when the moon's below the horizon.What we have is the moon in last quarter and not doing much, it's a tidal lull, which means we're approaching a low point in the tidal variation and that will be tomorrow and Monday, and after that the variation will increase as the moon ascends, climbing higher in the sky until reaching its peak next Tuesday which will be its southernmost point for the month, and as usual when its ascending, the tides get higher and the barometric pressure tends to drop. We're seeing the results of that this weekend with all the severe weather warnings that the metservice has been issuing over the past 24 hours. The next king tides are not until the 17th which is tomorrow week, and that will be the next excellent fishing time, but it's the king tide after that which is at the end of the month that will bring the best fishing chances. So the best fishing is not right now, but because of that last quarter moon you're still better than average today, but dropping off tomorrow. Today it's pretty windy on both coasts from S systems and choppy when you get out a bit, dropping off this afternoon and calmer tomorrow with that smaller tide. SSTs are going down, as they usually do when the moon gets to that southernmost point because of the Ss that get generated. So that tends to slow fish down too. Warmer waters means better fishing, because there's more food about, also being cold -blooded fish move faster and they get hungrier. But on the other hand we are moving into El Nino this year, and that means generally warmer waters and so a better fishing year overall.
best bite times are going to be, am and pm,  6.30-8.30 and 12.30-2.30. Today very good, tomorrow only average.
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19 Dec 2009
Even though the moon is in the sky all day between 9am to 10pm, if you want to actually see it remember it's still New moon time and you won't see the moon against the glare of the sun during the day, except as it goes down about 9-9.30 and it'll be a beautiful silvery crescent between W and SW on the horizon. So it's quite high in the sky at the moment, being furthest south 3 days ago and new moon 2 days ago, but in a few days it's going to be descending and losing height which means even though yesterday was a king tide we're just past that turn and all that water is just beginning to ebb. Still high though and a lot of fish have been brought in, and are still there so it has been an exciting time to be out fishing but we're now only one day past the excellent stage and settling back to average. I wouldn't write today off at all, I'd get out there but just not as special as yesterday. It's like moving through the leftovers of a huge feast, still plenty to satisfy most anglers I think.
The best times to be out there are between 1.30-3.30 and 7.30-9.30 and that's of course both am and pm
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12 Dec 2009
We're in a wee lull in terms of tide heights but it's not way low, it's dropped about half a metre in the Manakau from the height of the highest tides for the month which were on the 4th, so there's still a fair bit of water coming in. The next higher-than-normal tides will be in 5 days time so right now you could say the trend is tides increasing. The moon, in the cycle called declination in which it goes N-S and N again over 27 and a bit days, is halfway between crossing the equator and being the furthest south at the moment, so its what they call an ascending moon, and estuaries and streams are swelling tidewise. The watertable is coming up too and when you look in the sky you'll see the moon between 3am and 4pm and the moon's getting higher in the sky each day. The moon'll be the furthest south on Wednesday and you'll find the temperatures will drop a bit around then. So it's not a wild fishing time, the moon's between phases, between high tides and between equator and the southernmost point, but there'll be fish there, and fish have to eat, so quiet patience will be the order of the day. Possibly a good time to fix gear, do stuff around the boat, keep an eye on the lines but no need to hold onto the rod too feverishly
And the best bite times are between 7.30-9.30 and 2-4 and that's of course both am and pm..
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5 Dec 2009
Well, the moon's well to the north at the moment in the northern hemisphere, northernmost point 2 days ago, so it's relatively quiet and not moving much. Soon it's going to be a rising moon, which means tides going to start getting bigger, as the moon crosses into our hemisphere on the 9th as well as changing phase on that day too. So that's about Wednesday and that's 4 days off. It'll then be in a better area of sky for fishing. Moon in Virgo is the best astrological time for fishing down here. But it's a 3rdQ Virgo moon, and not as good as if it was a FM or NM in Virgo, that situation will occur on the 31st of January and 1st of March (for FM in Virgo), also 8 Sept (for NM in Virgo). Those who keep diaries might want to check what it was like this year for the 11 March (for FM in Virgo) and 21 Aug (for NM in Virgo) and see how your catches were those days. Well, now, it's the perigee today, moon closest to the earth for the month, in fact the 7th closest for the year, and that's quite powerful, and because of the full moon only a couple of days ago, it's the highest tide today since the 18th of Oct. Add the stronger currents that perigee brings, to the soon-to-be-in-our-hemisphere-again moon plus the kingtide which brings in more fish, and you get fish competing for food so they'll take your bite if they're there. And I'm talking middle water to surface which means groundbaiting is going to be effective so long as it's not bird food, so maybe time to boil up the cabbage water. It also means you should be watching for bird activity, the birds will indicate where the fish are, because they won't be that far down that the birds can't spot them from the air. So even though we're between phases, the mitigating factors mean average-to-better chances, and getting better each day over the next 4 days.
And the best bite times are between 2-4 and 8-10 and that's of course both am and pm. But you'd have to be mad keen or really hungry to out there between 2 and 4Am.
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28 Nov 2009
Well, the moon has just moved into that part of sky called Aries, which is one zodiac sign, or 30 deg of sky past Pisces, and a Pisces moon was always good for fishing in the northern hemisphere which is why fish is the Pisces sign. But the opposite applies down here. Its between first quarter and full moon which they call waxing gibbous. You'll start to see it in the sky from about five in the evening onwards. Then it stays in the sky until about three in the morning. Now a Pisces moon is a decsending moon and everything is starting to drop downwards, so the tide variations have been quite suddenly getting smaller and yesterday was some of the lowest tides for the month. You add to that, the fact that it crossed the equator into the northern hemisphere a couple of days ago, so if you like the water has started going to the other side of the world. The moon crossing the equator always brings winds within two days which we've just had, and it's been whipping that sea up, but as we get further from that point the calmness will slowly return. It's all going to quite rapidly change because we've got full moon in only four days time and about a week from the moon being again closer to the Earth, called the perigee, and this perigee is going to be a powerful one because it's the 7th closest for the year. That means it's going to pack a punch, gravitationally speaking, which means quite a bit of water is going to come in quite quickly and the winds will return. But all that extra water will bring more fish, and because things are moving faster, there'll be increased currents, and hungrier creatures that are working harder just to stay in the same place. It's not only that that wears them out, you try chasing a steak or hamburger that's got legs of its own and is ducking and diving away from you. You're going to get even hungrier because you're working harder just to get the same regular meal. You're expending all that energy which you want to replenish with food so you're biting like mad. We are between phases so right at the moment it's a bit of a lull at and it's kind of like the calm before the storm, or like the day before the end of the school holidays when the traffic on the road is fairly bare but the next day it's chockablock. What I'm saying is hang in there, fishing today and tomorrow just so but early in the week I think it's really going to pick up.
The best chances over the weekend will be 8-9 am and p.m. and 2-3 am and p.m.but Tuesday to Friday that full moon period is going to be excellent if anyone can get out there.
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21 Nov 2009
Well the moon's in the area of the sky that call Sagittarius and it's pretty well coming over us at its highest point that it reaches up to, which means during the day mostly good weather but you can expect a bit of rain overnight, and that's because when it's really high in the daytime, but at night it's just below the horizon, so that means for us it' doesn't allow all that much cold air from space to come down and condense a few clouds. In terms of phase, it's between new moon and the first quarter moon and if you want to find it in the sky you'll see it up there pretty well most of the day between 10 and a morning and about 10.30 at night. The tides are over their highest variation period, and now beginning to descend once again, the point of smallest tidal variation for the month and lowest tides which will be round about the 26th. In terms of fishing it's going to improve in a couple of days time, but this is a bit of a lull period in which not much is happening. The moon being in the South, don't forget it was the furthest point south only two days ago, means that water temperatures are cooler and so all cold-blooded things like fish tend to move slower. It's kind of like they go a bit dopey. On the other hand it'll be quite nice to be out on a boat away from the troubles of the world. There will still be some fish around because of the recent high tide flows so I wouldn't write the time off altogether.
The best chances over the weekend will be 3-4 am and p.m. and 9-10 am and p.m., and if you can take the day off and go out on Monday your chances will shoot up about three fold.
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14 Nov 2009
We've got NEW moon coming up on the 17th and it's now rising higher every DAY in the sky, being over OUR hemisphere again. The only trouble is, you won't see it because of the glare of the SUN but you MAY see it as a crescent in the MORNing over the EAST around 5am before the sun gets clear of the HORIZON or just AFTER five in the EVENING - as a big round shadow just south of west just before it sets and before the SUN sets, and it will have VENUS following behind it like a trailer. The thing is, it's actually in LLIBRA, which is half way between its LOWestmost point and its UPPERmost, and usually the HIGHer the Moon the more SETTLED the weather - actually it'll be the highest in the sky for the MONTH in about four days time. If there are showers they'll be quickly passing. So I think today will be a fairly pleasant one and so a nice time to be out and about.
So we're heading back towards some respectably HIGHER tides, although they're STILL not going to be as high as they will be at the end of the first week in DECEMBER But still, those higher tides ALWAYS bring in the FISH and it's THIS period that's arguably the best because they are coming back to places they haven't been to for a while and there's new things for them to discover. Fish are very curious creatures and there's nothing they like better than having a poke around familiar territory. With the NEW moon coming up we've got stronger CURRENTS and that creates stronger WINDS so therefore some choppy seas depending on where you are, so I'd watch out for that and maybe don't go too far out. I really don't think you'll have to anyway because there'll be a lot of fish coming in closer to shore with that deeper water coming in. So it's a promising sort of day. I find in the Manukau, I don't know if John concurs, quite often the new moon brings easterlies, solid at water level.
The best bite chances this weekend are 10-1 am and pm, and also about 4-7am and pm.
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7th Nov 2009
Today is interesting because it is the day of closest moon to earth for the whole month, and yesterday it was also the furthest north. We had full moon on the 2nd and its coming up to lastQ on the 10th.You'll notice that the moon is only seen very low in the north this evening but that it looks bigger than normal because it is closer. Because it is low in the northern sky, the tides are getting dragged more to the opposite side of the world where the moon is the highest in their skies and so their tides are bigger at the moment. But it means over down here, our tides are approaching the second lowest in height variation which will be in 4 days time. A modifying factor is that the perigee keeps them a bit higher than they would otherwise be, and the pergiee means greater swells and currents swirling around, which is always better for fishing because it makes them hungrier. But this perigee is only the 11th closest for this year, so not a very powerful one, but I wouldn't write it off; it still has an effect. I'd be still expecting some wind gusts and rough seas in some parts for a day or two because of the turbulence that the perigee always brings. So..tides decreasing, less fish around, those stragglers that are there will be near the sea floor looking for anything moving, but they'll be small groups and not big shoals. It's kind of like after the match, the big excitement's gone but some are slow to leave the grounds. And the big groups usually prefer the safety of the deeper waters. In terms of phases, we're exactly between FM and lastQ, which is not good for bites, but tomorrow we enter the lastQ zone and so the fishing should be better tomorrow than today. And when the moon's again over our hemisphere, which will be over most of the second half of the month, everything gets fired up more, meaning tides and the air and the barometer - they all go up and down more sweepingly, and the fishing will pick up too.
The best chances are 4-6 am and pm, and also about 10-11am and pm. Allow 30 minutes either side of that.
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31 Oct 2009
The moon crossed the equator heading N yesterday. That brought the recent gusty winds, and we’re coming up to FM on Monday night. The tides are building again to the highest for the November in a couple of days time. This November the tides won’t have as much variation as to highest and lowest heights as they got to about the 18 October, and we have to wait until about 5 Dec for the next biggest variation in the height range at the highest tides. So if you look up this afternoon you’ll see the moon is not directly overhead like it was last week, now it’s a bit lower in the sky towards the north as it goes across in the course of the day. It is in the part of the sky astrologers called Aries rising in the east and setting nearly due west, and the biodynamic farmers call it a descending moon. When the Moon’s aligned like that and gradually moving north until it reaches its northernmost point which will be a week from today, everything’s going downwards; the water tables, the sap in the trees, and as well the currents are beginning to be directed more toward the sea floor than the surface. Also, things quieten down when there’s no change in phase going on, and the weather is more settled as are the currents. So…you’ve got more water starting to come in as the tides get a bit higher because of the full moon only two days away, you’ve got more water but more downward currents and they’ll be slower,  you’ve got higher air pressure up above, and I think that adds up to fish having a bit less interest in bait than at other times. So they’re scooting around lower, they’re probably eating the things that crawl along the bottom and there’s always plenty of tucker there, so I’d set my hooks for bottom-feeders meaning, blue cod, gurnard, hoki, john dory, red moki, snapper, terakihi, trevalli, and you may get a few but but I wouldn’t expect to come home with as big a hauls as other times.
The best chances are 10-11 am and pm, and also about 4-5 am and pm. Again not the very best in the month, always worth going out though if you choose the right times, even if you have to wait a bit between bites.
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24 Oct 2009
Right now the moon is at its southernmost point for the month, and because of that at this time of year you get anticyclones and sunnier days and cooler weather, and soon you’ll see southerlies get generated which come more into effect as the moon moves away from that position which is in a few days time.  If you look up this afternoon you’ll see the moon is directly overhead and coming up to first quarter on Monday. It’s going through the part of the sky astrologers and astronomers called Sagittarius and Capricorn, which is the time in the month the moon is the most directly overhead and highest in the sky. We’ll come to what this does in a minute. Now on Monday the moon is also the furthest away for the month, called apogee, on the 27-day cycle it does of coming closer and further away. Of course that means the moon is even higher than it would otherwise be and here’s a little secret: the higher the moon the more settled the weather. There was rain right up to yesterday of course, but it’s now over. You can see the pattern on p382 of this year’s almanac. So, several things about what that all means for fishing. The First Q moon is better than average because the tides are neap so lower and currents are gentler because when you get less water coming into the bay, the water is moving more slowly, so fish also slow down. That means they’re less skittish. Apogee means less turbulence in air and sea so that adds to the calmer waters. And southern declination means the moon is in our hemisphere which always brings the month’s higher tides, but the month’s highest tide was last week around the new moon, so tide heights are now beginning to ebb, not build, and I would imagine it’s just more pleasant for fish to get around. I’d liken it to the removal of rush hour traffic. So because food is probably scarcer they may go for anything dangling in front of them. So even though less fish, the ones that are there are presumably hungrier.
The best chances are now till Tuesday or Wednesday, 5-7 am and pm, and also about 11-2 am and pm. It may not be the best in the month, but I don’t think you’ll come back empty-handed..
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17 Oct 2009
Wednesday was the perigee, that’s when the moon comes closest to the earth for every 27 days, and that usually brings gales and stormy weather at this time of year, which we indeed had in some places, and yesterday was the moon crossing the equator heading south, and then tomorrow we have the new moon. So you add those last two together, that’s phase of new moon and it crossing the equator heading south (and that’s the combination we always get in our spring months), that usually brings cloud and showers for about 3 days. It’s also always a time of rising tide heights, and the highest the tides get for October will be tomorrow. Also, the closeness of Wednesday’s perigee will be adding to that. That’s all over the world, that’s not just the Hauraki Gulf, or the Manukau.  You jump in a plane and go to Alaska and you’ll see the highest tides for the month there too, give or take a day.  Of course it’s good fishing, with all that high water coming in and out.  Most rain over new moon is overnight, I’ve got some of that coming around Monday, so that shouldn’t worry anyone on a day trip in a boat. The higher tides often induce a lower air pressure too, and fish seem to be more springy and hungry when that pressure is less.
The best chances are today till Monday, 10.30-12.30, am and pm, and also about 5-7 am and pm, allow a half hour either side. If you’re out there, it’s not rocket science, you’ll soon become aware of when that sea is boiling. So chances are pretty excellent, I’d even say best in the month at the moment.
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10 Oct 2009
Yesterday was N dec, that’s the moon furthest point N for the month, which is the low point of the tidal variation. The moon is in the middle of its monthly time spent in the other hemisphere and it’ll be back over this half of the world after the 16th which is next Thursday, so tide heights will increase then. The N dec brings warm air down here, low barometric pressures and slow moving unsettled weather.  The fish will bite more readily on the low pressure days, and the old barometer is really low today.  It’s the last Q moon tomorrow, and that means the moon rises around noon and sets about midnight. The middle of that is when you drop your line in, Northerlies follow, and with them, shallow ACs.
The best chances over the next 3 or 4 days are from about 6-7am and pm, also from about 12-2. Chances are very good
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3 Oct 2009
We have the full moon tomorrow, and today the moon crosses the equator heading north, and usually around the crossing waters are always rough, but the moon's been over the southern hemisphere for the past 14 days which means tides have been higher and now they’ll be on the decrease for a while. Interesting that the tsunami at Samoa happened just after their high tide, which would therefore also have been the high tide in the land under the sea, where the earthquake was. The main thing I think was proximity to full moon, most big earthquakes do happen at or near FM, like the Asian tsunami and our 1931 Napier EQ which were both on the exact day of the FM, and many others besides, as well as typhoons, cyclones, hurricanes – they all come around FM time. Just look at all the stuff that’s happening around the world, not just Samoa, but Japan, Indonesia, the Phillipines – floods, earthquakes, eruptions and typhoons. Anyway, being FM usually means good fishing, winds will drop a bit tomorrow, fish are hungry on FM because their little metabolisms are being activated more quickly, the blood runs thinner in everything, the sap flows faster in the plants and trees so there’s always extra growth spurts, in fact everything’s going for it.
For best chances over the next 3 or 4 days, from about 10.30 - 1pm, also from about 5-7. Chances are excellent
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26 Sept 2009
The moon has been over the southern hemisphere which means tides have been higher, but the moon will start to head north in the next couple of days and so these king tides will be on the decline. But they’re still pretty high. This weekend will be good fishing when the moon is overhead or on the horizon, but next weekend will be better still. Now when the moon is in the south like it is, the weather systems go cooler, and we get weather associated with cold, which is snow, hail, fronts and unsettled conditions, and that’s what we’re currently having. Tomorrow’s a brief fine day but the weather’s not going to really clear until about October 19 which will also be around the time of the next king tides.
Everyone’s been a bit excited about the Sydney dust storm. Let’s not forget dust is in the air all the time. That’s why it gets on our furniture. That’s why we vacuum every day. And when it rains a molecule of water hangs onto a dust particle or it actually doesn’t get to fall as rain, which is why your windscreen has dust on it after the water from a shower dries off. Dust-storms are an everyday event in the interior but when they reach a big city is a rarity and so it gets reported. But what brought the dust across was high winds, and you often get those around the equinox, which was a couple of days ago, and which is when the earth is traveling past the sun, relative to the sun, faster than it does at other times, which sets up more turbulence because there’s a kind of twisting and a distortion of the atmosphere. Now if the equinox brings unsettled weather then the equinox can therefore affect the fish, because you’ll find there’s a bigger increase in feeding just prior and after, fronts or storms no matter what the moon phase is or time of day. Also, equinox tides affect all localities, and fish will naturally move onto any shallow flooded areas in search of food, and if you know where those areas are, you can catch these fish.
For best chances this weekend, both days, between 5.30 and 8, am and pm, and also between 11.30 and 2. Chances are about 20-30% better than average.
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19 Sept 2009
We have the new moon today, and it's in the southern hemisphere which means tides are higher, in fact the highest tides of the month are from yesterday until Monday. This weekend is probably the best time all month to go out fishing, and it'll last until tomorrow and won't come again as similar until the 3rd of October. That's not to say you won't catch any fish in the interim, it's just a statistical and a probability factor..
Now, there are two main ways weather gets to us, firstly wind-driven across the bottom of Australia, and that weather results in SWs which are mainly wind and eventually peter out as they work north; and the second type is weather that comes down to get to us, down the side of the east coast of Australia, and this is more moon-driven after the moon has crossed hemispheres and heading to the south (it’s called the declination cycle, it goes N to S and N again every 27 and a bit days). When you get a low getting carried down this way, it is generally squashed between a couple of highs and it builds into quite a rainy system. Being around new moon means the rain arrives mostly overnight and before breakfast. So that is what’s building right now.  Northerlies are going to replace the southwesterlies, the sun will give way to cloud, and we're in for a period of unsettled stuff that's going to be a bit wet off and on, over the next three weeks. Now, fish seem to love a bit of turbulence, as they are ever curious and I think the extra currents churn up new morsels for them to investigate. You add-in the higher tides and the bigger fish numbers coming closer to the shoreline and that all adds up to better bite chances.
for best chances this weekend, both days, 11.30-1.30, am and pm, and also 6.30-7.30. Chances are excellent
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12 Sept 2009
We have the lastQ moon today, and also the day it is furthest north for the month. Two things happen there. The Ns produced by the moon being in the north mixes with the cooler air coming off the poles and that causes a lot of precipitation because the warmth evaporates the water from the oceans into the air, and the cooler air layers hit those clouds and cause rain. The lastQ moon is usually a change of phase as well, so you start a different weather pattern. That's what has been happening - little or no rain for a while then suddenly all manner of things happening in the sky. And it should last until Sunday. I'm picking things should largely dry up by about Monday with a SW change, except for the far N, and the next lot of good rain will be the 22nd for the SI and the 23rd for the NI. The N dec often causes earthquakes around these times when the N dec meets up with a phase change, and I think these knock the dolphins around, because I've noticed that you often get a stranding somewhere. What I think happens, is that they're shell-shocked and don't know where they are, so they come to the surface to breathe and the tide brings them in. I've often wondered if the fish are similarly affected. If so, it would affect those out in the deeper channels and it may make them too sick to eat for a while, even though they may show up on the fishfinder as being there. The highest tides are about the 16-18 which is when the moon comes closest to the earth. And with the new moon shortly afterwards, next weekend, that's the time to go hard out fishing, that'll be 18th-20th .
For best chances this morning between 11-1pm, then this evening 5-7, and tomorrow morning before breakfast from about 6-8 then between 12-2 around midday. Chances are better than average, very good in fact.
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5 Sept 2009
We have the full moon today, but last night was the nearest to the actual time of it, and you always get a lovely clear sky on a full moon night. And it’s always cold as well, because there’s no clouds to keep the heat in. The full moon usually makes the wind drop and today there’s the added effect of the moon crossing the equator heading north in its declination cycle, that’s like the midpoint of a pendulum which is the fastest part of its swing, so it means winds are once again on the increase, revving up a bit midweek. It also means the tides are increasing again over the next 4 or 5 days and that means more fish coming in. This is a good fishing time, it’ll stay good till tomorrow and then drop off, with the next better-than-average time being the 12th which is next Saturday.
Between 11-1pm today for best chances and this evening between 5-7pm, and tomorrow morning before breakfast from about 6-8 then between 12-2 and then after dinner in the evening.
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29 Aug
The moon hits the southernmost point today, there’s some cooler temperatures when that happens, and the weather usually stalls for a few days, which means slower weather systems passing through. Whenever you get the moon at the northern or southern point in this 27-day cycle, weather movements are usually be slow enough to carry over til the next day so it’s the time the metservices are the most correct. Over the next week there may be more rain and then a clearing the week after. It’s also first quarter moon which means any rain, if about, could be before lunch. The good fishing chances ended yesterday and will return next Thursday and last till next Sunday, that’s the 4th to the 6th. So it’s only going to be average fishing today and tomorrow.
I’d say between 7- 8.30 am and pm and 1-3 am and pm.
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22 Aug
The moon crosses the equator heading south today, astrologers call it the lunar equinox, usually it signals a windy period within two days because it’s like the midpoint of a pendulum as it treks from a northern hemisphere position to a southern hemisphere latitude, and the midpoint of a pendulum travels fastest, and a faster moon brings more turbulence. The moon is constantly on the move in this way, it’s called the declination cycle, and this changing of latitudes changes the barometric pressures, that’s if you like the air tide, and correspondingly it changes the seatide too. Over the next 14 days there will be more tidal fluctuation than over the past 14 days, because when the moon is over our hemisphere it creates more pull on the water. So it’ll come in further and go out further. Usually when it’s at this midpoint, barometric pressures get relatively lower but tides go higher, and that is the case today. Today’s the highest tide of the month. And you may have seen on the TV screen last night a sizeable low pressure system working itself up in the West Tasman Sea at the moment, and that will take a couple of days to get here. So the air and the sea work together, a lot of fishermen and boaties already know this, and it has to be that way because the air and sea are joined at the hip as it were – we are walking around between two giant tides – the one in the sea and the one in the air. So it’s going to be good fishing today, because a lot more water has been coming in and carrying fish with it. Also we’re still in New moon phase which is always good for bites. But I think bite chances may start to drop off after tomorrow.
Between 12 and 2 this afternoon and 6-8 tonight and tomorrow morning just before breakfast. After tomorrow the high tide height drops half a metre over the next 3 days which is quite a lot of water, and your bite chances will swing back to being around average.
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15 Aug
We had the third quarter moon yesterday which means good fishing until today at dawn and dusk. The moon will be fully north for the month tomorrow which is why temperatures have been mild over the past few days. Next Wednesday the Moon will be at perigee which is the name given, to the sweeping closer and further away from earth that the moon does on a regular 27 day beat. On Wednesday it’ll be the 4th closest that it comes this year which is significant enough to bring an increase in wind strengths, bigger swells and rougher seas, especially with that New moon happening as well, and they’ll be westerlies. We’re starting to see that clicking-in now. The fish don’t like coming in too close to shore on perigees, they don’t seem to like too much turbulence, I think it wears them out, but they don’t mind before and after perigee. The technique in the ancient past if you were the tohunga in charge of the fishing ,was to run your thumb along a calibrated stick held up against the moon in the background, so you could tell how much wider it was getting, hence how much closer. And it can vary up to about 15-20% more or less in diameter and therefore closer.
Then Thursday is the day of the new moon and the bigger tides this week between the 21st and 24th which is Friday to Monday, and which will mean a bigger volume of water bringing more fish in. The barometer will start to go up as well and there should be a bit of clearing in the weather between Thursday and the following Monday.
So, fishing chances slacken off tomorrow, but come back with a vengeance between Thursday and Saturday. Around 7 and 1, and tomorrow 8 and 2, and those are both ams and pms. There’s about another half hour in it if you’re out there on the water now. So virtually best around breakfast and just after lunch.
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8 Aug 2009
We had the full moon on Thursday night, lovely clear sky as it always is on a full moon night. Now, the full moon usually makes the wind drop, which doesn’t help clear fog, and just after a Full moon you often get NEs and Es (as against Ws with a new moon), and when the moon rises in the south as does is in winter full moon time and it was doing over this last week, you often get higher air pressures which flatten the sea and fish don’t seem to like it when the water is too still. Maybe it slows them down so they don’t get so hungry, because water movement makes them work harder. But having said that, it’s always a good fishing time around the Full moon, the wind is going to pick up over the next couple of days because tomorrow the moon rises over the equator which means right now it’s changing hemispheres, so fishing could be better for deeper water species which aren’t so affected by surface considerations like air pressure, so maybe put a snapper hook on! But speaking relatively, the tides are building up slightly higher every day and fishing will be better when the NEW moon time comes up around the 20th which will be bringing even bigger tides and so bigger flows of water which will mean more fish coming up your channels and so forth. More fish means more competition for food so better bite chances and more fun for the fisherman.
Between 1-3pm today for best chances and this evening between 7-9pm, and this full moon period runs out after today so I’d say today should be better than tomorrow. I’d try maybe tomorrow morning after breakfast, but it may not be worth going out tomorrow afternoon, catches may only be average so you may have to wait a while.
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1 Aug 2009
When the moon’s overhead, especially full moon or new moon phase, it pulls the currents around more, the fish are territorial and fight the currents to stay in the same place, so they feed to get back their energy and that’s when they bite. So that’s why full and new moons are best, and around noon and midnight, because that’s when the gravitational pull is the greatest.We’re between phases at the moment, so the chances will be about average, not fantastic. The first quarter moon was on Wednesday and the fishing was better than average from Tuesday to Thursday, but it won’t improve again until next Tuesday and then continue good until next Saturday, which will be the August full moon period. But I have to tell you actually the winter new moon is better this month than the winter full moon, because the winter new moon is in perigee which means physically closer to earth from August - October, and that means tides tend to be higher and that extra water brings more fish in. So the 19th-22nd will be the best fishing time in August. You’ll still catch something tomorrow though.
I’d say get out there between 8 and 9.30 both am and pm and you’ll be in for the best chance. Don’t forget the two golden rules: have your line in the water, and perseverance
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