Fishing the turn of the tide
Search for big snapper: Shallow water can be productive at low light on the Waitemata
Snapper are still in close, and around Auckland they can be caught in four metres of water off beaches such as Eastern Beach and Cockle Bay, and along the shoreline of the East Coast Bays.
The Waitemata Harbour is still full of fish and they can be caught from, the shore as well as out in boats. But it can be hard keeping baits on the bottom when big tides create powerful currents in the harbour. The solution is to fish the turn of the tide.
Shallow water fishing can be very productive at low light, casting lightly weighted baits on light tackle well back from a small boat.
Some big snapper can be caught like this if baits like half a fresh yellowtail are used. Baitrunner type reels are ideal for this style of fishing, and the original baitrunner was developed specifically for fishing in New Zealand and Australia.
One spot that has been consistent is the Waiheke Island shoreline between Matiatia and Church Bay. It has fished well all summer and is still firing.
What some fishermen do is catch fresh bait in Matiatia Harbour, and when they have a good supply of yellowtails (more correctly jack mackerel) they head around the corner and anchor in quite shallow water. With a good berley trail and big baits of half a yellowtail cast well back behind the boat, they catch some good snapper.
One advantage of using such baits is that, while the bites are less frequent, it deters the small pickers which can be such a nuisance when using frozen bait like pilchards and squid. An added bonus is the number of big trevally which have turned up in the harbour, and can be caught on small chunks of pilchard.
Trevally will test light tackle, and should always be netted rather than lifted into the boat, as their soft mouths tear easily and they fall off the hook.
Fishing for snapper around the Noises is picking up, and some big kingfish were caught there over the Easter weekend, including two of around 25kg.
The Firth of Thames is still full of fish although the shallows are proving quite lean, and the 40m mark off Gannet Rock has been going well. There was a lot of bird activity in the area in the last week, with plenty of snapper underneath. But snapper can be found right through the firth, and if there are no favourite spots logged