Hooking the Tastiest Catch: A Guide to Bluenose Fishing in New Zealand Waters

Bluenose are a large (and delicious) species of deep-water fish found readily around New Zealand waters. These fish are known for their fatty white flesh and are commonly targeted by both recreational anglers and commercial fishermen. Bluenose are reasonably easy to hunt down and catch, provided you have the knowledge on where they hang out, what time of the year they’re best targeted, and the gear to use to handle these big ol’ slabs of meat.

Season

It’s important to note that Bluenose can be caught year-round in New Zealand waters, but they are most abundant and easier to target during the winter months. In general, the best time to fish for Bluenose is between May and October, when the fish congregate to spawn and they can be found in much larger schools around under-sea structure. You can catch this species year-round if you know where to find them, but the numbers are typically lower at any given location in the warmer months.

Regions & Habitat

Bluenose can be found in most regions off the coast of New Zealand, but the most renowned fisheries are those around the North Island, including Mayor Island, White Island, or the Three Kings.

Anywhere there are significant undersea features has a good chance of holding them, as these are the areas where their prey, such as baitfish and squid, will hang out. The best way to find potential locations is using a bathymetric contour chart, which allows you to easily identify features such as mounds, ledges, or canyons on the sea floor. The depth you’ll be looking for can vary, but generally, you’ll want to find these features around the 250-350m mark, although they can be found in shallower and deeper water than this so never disregard a spot that falls outside of this depth range. On this day we were spotting them at a depth of 300-350m.

It’s worth noting, however, that without a GPS and depth sounder, you might struggle to really nail down catching these fish. The balls of food that they prey on are easily visible on most modern sounders with adequate power, and on a good deep water low-frequency setup you can usually spot the fish themselves, but without these you may be in for some good old trial and error.

The point here is that some pre-planning will take most of the hard work out of targeting these fat bottom-dwelling fish, so keep that in mind before heading out.

Hook Type

We’re a hook company, so this is the part where we really shine!

When fishing for Bluenose, it's important to use the right hook type to maximize your chances of success. Remember, these fish are essentially lumps of fat that you’re dragging up from the deep, meaning you want a reliable hook that sets deep and will hold strong. Along with this, the depth of the action means that you want a hook that can set itself without relying on you to strike at the right time.

You won’t need a massive hook for Bluenose, but you will need a strong hook. This naturally means that you will want to use the BKK Monster Circle. The Monster Circle is a heavy gauge hook designed for any species that fight hard and carry some mass.

Using a size 10/0 to 12/0 Monster Circle allows you to use a fairly sizeable chunk of bait and provides the strength and holding power required for Bluenose, without being too large or cumbersome.

As always with circle hooks, it's important to use a slow, steady motion when setting the hook to avoid yanking the hook out of position. Be sure to let the fish run a little bit before applying pressure and allowing the hook to roll nicely into the corner of the mouth.

BKK Monster Circle Bait Hooks - When raw perormance and reliability are important.

The TECHNIQUES

Now that you have the hook sorted, you need to figure out the rest of your rig.

Reaching the depths that Bluenose are found at requires a weighted rig to get you down fast. Some of these deep water features can hum with current, so a weighted rig will also help you to punch through the current and keep your bait in the right place.

When targeting Bluenose we typically use a standard two-hook ledger rig using 200lb mono. We will also place a lumo-bead on the line above each hook. At these depths light from the surface is nearly completely gone, so a lumo bead adds a little bit of attraction for any nearby fish.

As far as bait goes, Bluenose are attracted to pretty much anything, but the best baits seem to be fresh Squid, Tuna, pilchards, and mackerel. The trick is to use a good amount and keep the point of the hook exposed so it can penetrate when it finds the fish’s flesh.

Bluenose will typically hang 5-50m above the seabed, so once you’ve located the Bluenose school, you’ll want to set up so you drift over them (this is where an experienced driver makes life much easier). Note the depth you saw them on the sounder and drop your bait to this depth using multi-coloured braid, or an electric reel with a digital counter.

Give it some time, and if you’re successful you’ll feel some action on the tip of your rod in the form of bouncing and tugging. If you see/feel this, begin slowly winding your line in and allow the circle hook to set.

That’s about it! Bluenose aren’t a hard fish to catch, you just need to go armed with the knowledge of where and when to find them.

Fishing for Bluenose in New Zealand waters is a solid experience for anglers of all skill levels. By using the right hook type, targeting the right regions, and using the right techniques, you can increase your chances of success and land one of the best tasting fish around. With its firm, white flesh and buttery flavour, Bluenose is one species that is always worth the effort to catch.

Ready to take on the mighty Bluenose?

Check out the Monster Circle range for the strength and performance required.