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The Aldermen Islands have so much to offer for Spearfishing as this location like many others around New Zealand still have excellent fish holding qualities. Just last weekend we headed out to the Aldermen Islands with Bryn and his partner Oona from the UK; even though the weather was somewhat against us initially it turned out to be a fantastic day seeing a lot of fish like Kingies in excess of a metre and a half. Bryn was more in shear awe of being in the water with these fine fish as he was surrounded by 100’s of them around the Gorilla’s head dive site.
The only fish that Bryn took on this particular dive was a Porae as he said that would be enough for their evening meal. Other divers on this trip got some nice sized Red Crayfish around an area known as the Moki Maze and there is no better way of getting to some of these more exclusive dive sites, other than with Aldermen Charters known as Delphinus Charters. You can find them by clicking on the link opposite or here Aldermen Charters.
Sharks frequent these islands not that I have had the pleasure of any encounters whilst having my underwater video unit, but Bryn had the shivers put up him on this particular day. He was Spearfishing along the weed edge when all of a sudden all the fish disappeared in a flash, only seeing a very large outline with a large dorsal cruising the outer limits of his visibility range. Bryn made no waste of time retreating back to the shallows where he awaited the return of the boat to collect them. |
Dolphins Dolphins Dolphins |
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The return trip back to shore was an awesome sight in itself for Bryn and Oona as we were surrounded by a large pod of Dolphins. We first saw only a few but these were more than likely the scouts searching out prey or dangers that lay ahead for the main pod. Other divers have been lucky enough to see Dolphins mating here at the Aldermen Islands as well as other locations further North like Little Barrier Island.
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Fish Species Aldermen Islands |
| Here at the Aldermen Islands you are likely to encounter Snapper of epic proportional sizes along with Kingfish that have been taken in excess of 37kg. Marlin is currently circumnavigating the islands with one of 88kg being taken on the 20th of February. Other species include all your typical reef fishes with the likes of Porae, Butterfish, and Snapper, just to name a few. |
Crayfish Hunting Aldermen Islands |
| During the last month we have noticed that the Crayfish have been found mainly around the 15 metre mark all the way up to the surface. One of the crayfish I was able to take I got sitting out in the open at the 5 metre mark. Packhorse Crayfish have been and can be found amongst large nests around the Aldermen Islands, generally we have been seeing them around the 25 to 30 metre mark unlike the reds that have been found in shallower water. |
Kingfish Marlin Fishing Aldermen Islands |
| If you are planning on fishing the Aldermen Islands I highly recommend Carl of Epic Adventures. Carl has an intimate knowledge of the entire Coromandel coastline knowing where to catch the best fish from Snapper to marlin. This guy seems to be like a Kingfish magnet as he always manages to have all aboard catch and release a lot of Kingies. Kingfish are not in abundance as they use to be some years back so it is vital to release all that you do not need to take in order to keep the stocks protected. I like to go shares in one that has been caught then release the others after having the photo opportunity as bragging rights of the day’s action. |
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