90 Mile Beach Trip Report (Chad Prentice)

19 Oct

90 Mile Beach is well known for it’s exceptional surfcasting. But it’s not always easy.

90 Mile Beach trip report

Spring time fishing on the west coast is often heavily decimated by prevailing conditions. When conditions are suitable, however, you really want to capitalise on it and smash every spare second into an epic fishing session.

Over the past week, a few mates and I have done really well on the 90 Mile beach… but it hasn't come without lessons and learnings along the way.

Sometimes you’ve got to put in that extra effort to reap the rewards. Facing down a wall of water will allow you to get your cast in the sweet spot for passing fish.

The beach was really fickle this time around, being extremely hot in some areas and desperately cold in others. We fished several areas that have produced over the past few years, and for the most part, they still fished really well, resulting in lots of fish in that 2-5 kg bracket. We found the secret to finding the bigger boys and consistent numbers of snapper was fishing the areas with lots of mussel spat in the water. Along with the spat comes a lot of nutrients/natural food. Other shellfish, like big horse mussels, sea biskets, kelp and tuatua also accompany the spat. The fish were starting to feed in a frenzy and every bait got smashed. Chasing the spat lifted the average size fish to 5-6kg on most casts, and provided for long & consistent bites; which made for some phenomenal fishing!

Fishing the areas with an abundance of mussel spat resulted in a larger fish and a more consistent bite.

On the calmer days, target those shallow tuatua shelves that fish wouldn't normally be able to feed in, and when the sea is up and pumping, hunt the deeper water.

Here’s a few of the highlights from our trip up the 90 last week. All the fish caught on the 90 Mile were on 3/0 BKK Octopus Beak’s and Heavy Circles. We’ve found them to be extremely strong for their gauge, with unbeatable penetration. They get the job done every time and give us the confidence to land the fish in the heavy swells that’s often produced on the west coast of New Zealand. When baiting up with octopus, just remember that the bait swells up, so ensure you leave heaps of hook point exposed to make good contact with the fish during a strike!