Finally, over the last four weeks, there has been a gradual change in the weather patterns. Hopefully, we are now at the end of the equinox winds and settling in for lighter winds from the east for summer.
Schools of snapper have moved in from the deep into the Hauraki Gulf down onto the worm beds with a surprising amount of snapper already well up in the inner harbour.
Out wide from north of Little Barrier east to the tip of the Coromandel’s there a lot of work ups, nothing huge but plenty of them so when one goes off the boil there will generally be another close by.
At the top of the Coromandel, between Channel Island and the mainland, where your chart shows strong currents given the right conditions, the snapper is big [ 45-65 cm] and going ballistic with mates of mine all limiting out in slightly less than an hour.
Snapper are now well spread across the worm beds from Tiri south to Rangitoto, you won’t see masses of sign on the bottom more like long red blotches either on or just off, fishing has been best on the in coming tide. Bait fishing is really working for those who are catching fresh bait, butter fly a jack mac or a strip bait of fresh kahawai tossed back in the burly trail will always nail the biggest fish of the day.
It is earlier than normal, but the snapper have moved right into the inner harbour with some really good size snapper being caught up in the shallows around Meola reef, a stray line with a very light sinker casting the bait well out from the boat, and a number of keen fishos have been catching good size snapper on fly rods. Spot 3, in area 1, just outside of the Bayswater marina entrance, has been consistently producing pannies in the 32-42 cm range on the incoming tide.
If you only have a short amount of time or it’s a quick fish after work this early run of snapper in the harbour spots around Browns Island and the southern side of Rangitoto will be well worth targeting.
The other week, I was forced to fish out of the wind at the entrance to Mullet Bay on the eastern side of Motutapu, caching a few pannies I was surprised at the size and number of squid I caught on a baited stray line. What more could you want catching an entrée of calamari followed by crispy skin snapper as a main. The recipe for crispy skin snapper is on page 70.
In all the reports I have had, the fishing out around the Noises and Rakino has greatly improved, with workups [not big] of Kahawai having a crack at live baiting a kingfish close in around the rocks in the Zeno Rock area.
Onetangi beach in around 14-16 meters just on the change of light has consistently producing good numbers of snapper but be aware of the number of kayaks out there soft baiting fishing.
This is the time of the year when I really love fishing the southern end of Hooks Bay on the incoming tide. Fresh baits tossed out into the burly trail get smashed by snapper and, at the odd time, a hungry kingfish. For quite easy fish in calm water, try spots 16 and 17 in area 7, as these two spots have never failed me yet; nothing big, but also great spots to catch bait fish.
The fishing out of Omaha has greatly improved with the snapper moving in close on the sand outside the surf club in 12-14 meters; again, the bonus is I am catching squid and a few good-sized gurnards. Slightly to the south of T Point in 21-23 meters, has consistently been holding bigger snapper, some up around the 8-10 kg mark, with the best fishing on either the first or last hour and a half of the tide, on slack water I generally move into around 12 -14 meters and work across the bay to the south looking for schools of squid and bait fish. These schools of bait fish are mainly mid-water; going slightly ahead of the school, I drop a baited flasher rig [ use a heavy sinker so it stays directly below the boat and out of the way] to catch jack and slimy macs while working the squid jig mid-water. If it's calm and there is little wind, cut a big, fresh, unweighted bait and toss it well away from the boat as the big snapper is coming off the bottom to feed on the schools of bait fish.
With the snapper about to spawn, remember to just take what you need for feed and let the rest breed. Nobody can accurately tell you which are male or female fish, but as a rule, if the fish is pure white from under the jaw back to their bellies, they are female, whereas the males are red/black in the same area.
With my Haines now having had its annual service from the team at Haines HQ, I am really looking forward to calmer weather, getting out on the water, and enjoying the great Hauraki Gulf. Go well, and stay safe.
