b'KAIPARA GRAVEYARDIcey-Teks Extreme 605 Centre Console at Shelly Beach offers great room for three anglers to cast softbaits from.A measure mat is used on biggerto stand out in the depths below.Cast fish with their weight checkedthem well ahead of the boats drift and on the Fish Weights App. keep a watch on your line at all times , it can be difficult to know when you have hit the bottom as the drift is so fast.When you are on the bottom the softbait feels like you are getting small hits, but it is just the speed of the drift as it passes over the sea floor.You will know when you get a proper fish strike.CONSTANTLY MOVINGDont use a drogue (sea anchor) when softbaiting the Graveyard, as this just helps the current pull the boat along even faster.You will be moving the boat constantly back to where you started as you cover a lot of ground.If the tide is going out when you first arrive at the The harbour entrance is a channel outwe sometimes need to add a ball sinkerlighthouse, start from straight in front of to the Tasman Sea and it narrows to aor two above the jig head to reach thethe lighthouse in around 25m and drift width of 6km and is over 50m (160 ft)bottom.The snapper are hard on thedown towards the Graveyard. deep in parts. On average, Kaiparabottom, trying to reach the big mussels. Take notice of where you are getting tides rise and fall 2.10m (6.9 ft). SpringRight on slack water when the currentstrikes or fish and move back to that tidal flows reach 9km/h (5 knots) in thehas eased off and just before the changearea soon to work it again.If the tide is entrance channel and move 1,990 millionof tide, the fishing can simply fire.Itcoming in when you arrive, then go past cubic metres per tidal movement orseems the fish have also been waitingthe lighthouse for a couple of kilometres 7,960 million cubic metres daily! for the current to die and they can getand start from there, drifting back into That is an amazing amount of waterinto the structure and rocks to feed onthe harbour.Often you will see other and it is why the current is quite mindthe mussels. boats doing this, so it is a good guide on blowing when you are drifting andThe best softbaits to use are large 7where to start.Charter boats will always softbaiting.You need heavy jig headsZmans as the water is murky and stirredbe anchored and using bait, but they to get to the bottom, 1oz minimum andup with sand, so they need a good profileneed 16oz+ sinkers!Not fun.72FISHING IN GODZONE JAN/FEB 2021'