Thread: Taupo - Catfish Cull

Arvo all - anyone here done the catfish cull in Taupo?

I'm heading up to have a go this coming weekend for the first time - if anyone has any tips on locating them (not ya secret spots!) please let me know.
Going to be interesting using a sling rather than speargun.

I've done it five or six times. I still suck at finding the little pricks. All about having a good time and helping control a pest. No one is overly serious and even the guys who have cracked it will be happy to tell you where to look.

Originally Posted by Dorkus

I've done it five or six times. I still suck at finding the little pricks. All about having a good time and helping control a pest. No one is overly serious and even the guys who have cracked it will be happy to tell you where to look.

Sweet - just don't want to be the only guy to weigh in nothing!!

Last time I was up there, the locals said they were quite thick around the boat ramp/jetty at Tokaanu.
The kids said corn was a good bait.
A mate has also got a few night fishing at Omori.

Originally Posted by wsm junkie

Last time I was up there, the locals said they were quite thick around the boat ramp/jetty at Tokaanu.
The kids said corn was a good bait.
A mate has also got a few night fishing at Omori.

Thanks for that!

@thejavelin how many did ya get

Originally Posted by FatLabrador

@thejavelin how many did ya get

Meh don't get me started - it was an embarrassment. A teenage girl weighed in 100 on her own....
I got 24 - for 6hrs diving.
Combined total for the boat (4 divers) was only 39.
We lost a lot of time working out how to actually find them and the kind of bottom features we were looking for...... with 3 hours to go we finally worked it out and got cranking.

Be going back next year hopefully - be proper game on then.

@

@thejavelin

I used to take students for their deep dive cents at Motutere.

About 40 m off the beach is a reef drop off that runs parallel with the beach.

Depth is from 20 to about 40 meters.

There was always lots of the buggers hiding in the holes of this reef.

Lots of old Whisky bottles too for some reason

Cheers
Pete

Originally Posted by P38

@thejavelin

I used to take students for their deep dive cents at Motutere.

About 40 m off the beach is a reef drop off that runs parallel with the beach.

Depth is from 20 to about 40 meters.

There was always lots of the buggers hiding in the holes of this reef.

Lots of old Whisky bottles too for some reason

Cheers
Pete

Mate - if I could dive 20-40 meters for 6 hours I'd be doing really well
We found 4-5 at a time in less than 5 meters - and it seemed to be all about the weed type and density. Once we worked that out all we needed to do was cruise along in the boat watching the bottom - stop and smash out 100mtrs either side of the boat parallel with the shore - then move onto the next section.
Hawaiian sling was interesting to learn - much prefer my spearguns!

Yeah

Probally not a good idea to put in 6 hrs of bottom time at 30m

The deco time would kill you.

Cheers
Pete

Get your self a hookah setup they are good fun iv got 1 I use but generally after 1.5 hours start getting cramp its nice to not be in a rush as a tank of gas will last 4 or 5 hrs I like to sit on a rock & watch the fish swim by schools of terakihi , trumpeter are neat , sharks not so much! iv got a wrist mounted depth gauge I only go to 10 meters.