As I said back in November, December and January can be the hardest months of the year to catch snapper. The reason is, prior to and post-spawning, their whole metabolism changes to just picking and grazing as and when they feel the need. Leaving Half Moon Bay steaming down the inside of Waiheke across the Firth of Thames, not one work up and just a few small spasmodic patches of snapper, coming back, but this time on the northern side of Waiheke, it was just the same.
Due to the constant strong winds, we were unable to safely target areas where we knew there would be a resident population of snapper close to the rocks. However, those who did get out on the odd day with little wind all reported lots of gannets, dolphins, and whales, but all the snapper they caught were just in the 30-34 cm or smaller range.
So don’t feel bad if you have come home with an empty fish bin, as this has been happening right across the Gulf and north to Whangarei. Good mates who really know how to fish have been skunked, and I have only managed to nail no more than four fish on any day.
When the conditions are like this, it is time to think outside the square. There is no point in returning to your favourite spots that have failed. Try something completely different. Like us snapper are more aggressive feeders on the change of light and tide, this in mind rather than going deep head for the shallower water. Early start on the sand with very little sign on the sounder. You have to have faith that there will be a few odd fish about.
WATCH THE SERIES HUNTING FOR FISH
Casting out a pattern of three baits at different angles and distances from the boat covers the bases. Knowing the snapper that are spread out are just grazing as they feel the need, the bites will not be aggressive. With this in mind, the less resistance they feel when they pick up bait, the better, so only use 1/8th oz sinkers and one rod with no weight at all. Unable to catch any fresh bait, pillies cut in half were getting chewed, leaving just a backbone or head. Don’t be fooled into thinking it is just a small fish doing this. Think outside the square. Butterflying a pillie theoretically should present a soft, easily chewed offering. The butterflied bait was then tossed out on the floater [the rod with no sinker] well out to one side so it would sink and be taken by the current over a greater area than just directly behind the boat.
Being slow-fishing, I invested time cutting up pillies into thumb-size pieces, periodically tossing them well astern to drift back in the receding tide. As the tide run ended, the ground bait would be on the bottom, not far from the boat, with one bait set just off the stern.
Long story short, three out of the four snapper were caught on butterflied bait on the floater with the bait just off the stern, hooking into one in the 65 cm range, which bit me off as I struggled to find the landing net. Interestingly, there are very few small snapper around that destroy bait; all the snapper bar two were in the 35-47 cm range. Funny enough, I enjoy the challenge of having to think outside the square and trying something and somewhere different, as it all helps to build up a database of knowledge to turn to when fishing is hard for the reason of whether moon phase time of year. To be honest, and not wanting to sound like a smart arse, I have struggled but always catch a feed, but 90% of people I have spoken to at the ramp have come back fishless. I have always taken time out to fire up the chart plotter to show them where I fish and explain how to fish, yet when you see them again, they say they gave it a go for an hour but didn’t get a bite. Boring as it may be, stick to the game plan, and at some point of the tide, you will get bites. Let’s face going back to what you previously did that failed is pointless.
Take a look at some of the clips Haines has on their Facebook page, especially on the rigging of baits and using your sounder. They can really help you understand more easily than I can write about it.
Don’t despair, the fishing will improve before too long. The reason is that the fish have spawned and need to rebuild body fat and condition to get them through the winter months. It’s incredible to see the changes, especially in the inner Hauraki Gulf, where you struggled to find, let alone catch a decent fish. It’s a whole different ball game not only in the size of the fish but also in the aggressive nature of the way they feed.
I know a hell of a lot of the bigger fish that came into spawn end up in the estuaries and shallow water directly after spawning, feeding on shellfish and bait fish. Take Meola Reef as an example. The water in the area is very shallow, just a meter to a few meters deep. Tossing floaters, soft baits, and even trout flies have consistently caught fish in the last month; these fish will soon start moving out from the area to reside over winter, either close on rocky kelpy shorelines / shallow reefs, but most head out into deep water.
I have a gut feeling that in the next 2-4 weeks, we will see a marked change in fish movements. All your tried-and-true spots will have fish, yet the one constant is that no two days or years are the same. With this in mind, I believe that it is my civic duty to head out once or twice a week so I can gather as much intel as possible to pass on to you.
