Bay of Islands Fishing Report: September 18, 2025

Welcome to your Bay of Islands fishing report for September 18, 2025! Our fishing efforts over the last fortnight can be summarized as hit and miss. We've experienced notable success with slow jigs at around the 60m mark. However, fishing can be unpredictable; one day we catch plenty, while the next yields very little. Reports have indicated good catches using baits and live baits around the Black Rocks, which might mean I put my strayline gear away a bit too early.

In recent outings, workups have been scarce and often short-lived, with birds appearing for only brief moments. Last Monday, though, we had an exceptional morning, landing Snapper, Terakihi, Gurnard, and a sizable Blue Mackerel using slow jigs. I believe adding a small strip of Fishbites on the assist hooks accounts for the impressive Terakihi catch, touted as the best eating fish available.

The big bluefin tuna are still around Waiwiri Rock, with Luke Davis from Precision Angling tagging a massive 200kg specimen last week. Darren Knapping from Days Out Fishing Charters teamed up with Trent from May Marie Charters to land a robust 196kg tuna last Tuesday after a challenging six-hour battle. I’ve tried my luck, but unfortunately, I hooked a blue shark, which we had to cut off at the boat. The weather looks reasonable for Saturday, and we plan to join other boats at Waiwiri for another attempt at the bluefin tuna!

Stay tuned for more updates on fishing conditions and best practices. Happy fishing, and let's make some great catches together!