| Kahawai
fishing in the
Bay
of Islands since 1994
by Steve Radich 2004
Who am I?
Steve Radich, [BA, Dip Tch], currently Property Manager for the
Far North District Council. A weekend recreational fisherman, fishing
columnist, author, fishing guide.
Where do I fish?
60% Bay of Islands region, 40% Whangaroa –Cavalli Islands.
Occasional west coast trips.
How much time do I spend on the water?
At least 1000hrs per-annum. For the season 2003-2004 my engine hour
recorder registered 300hrs. This is a record of travel time only.
I would estimate fishing time to be in excess of that figure by
a factor of at least three. And this doesn’t include time
fishing on friend’s boats.
What was the fishing like?
Kahawai were ubiquitous in the mid 1990’s, often so prolific
that they were almost a nuisance fish at times. I cannot recall
returning without a few kahawai in the bin and a few returned.
How has it changed?
The exact date of the change is unclear, but suddenly the kahawai
disappeared. The change was quite precipitous. Rumour suggested
that kahawai were being landed by commercial interests for bait
and cat-food.
Since that time, kahawai have become a rare catch. So rare in fact
that to catch one has become a point of conversation.
As I write, I cannot re-call the last time I caught one, but incomplete
diaries suggest about 6 per annum currently. I would estimate my
current catch to be less than 10% of the catch in the mid 1990’s
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