Geoff Thomas: Shallow waters generating big catches

Kahawai fishing in the Bay of Plenty. Photo / Alan Gibson

Kahawai and skipjack tuna are still providing plenty of action in most areas, and there is some great fishing to be found in the rocky shallows. From the Bay of Islands to the Bay of Plenty, straylining in the shallow water has been producing snapper up to 6kg.

Close to Auckland some anglers have been doing very well fishing floating baits in only two metres of water inside Rangitoto Island, and around the lighthouse. This is best at dawn and in the late afternoon, with plenty of berley and large, fresh baits.

But soft baits, which are usually fished from a drifting boat, have also been hooking big fish when just cast out and left to lie on the bottom. "We were using the little lizards and just leaving the rod in the holder. You would see it twitch as they nibbled the legs, and then you pick it up and strike. That was in four metres of water," said one angler.

Out wide in deeper water, live jack mackerel dropped to the seabed in 40m or 50m have been hooking big snapper - and the occasional kingfish. It is still "going nuts" over the Manukau bar, and limit bags of snapper were being taken in only 12m of water up to the full moon at the beginning of the week. The Kaipara Harbour continues to fish well after a summer of some of the best snapper fishing for many years. The bigger fish are coming from the Graveyard, and those anglers drifting and using soft baits are catching fish up to 9kg.

With light tackle in the strong currents it can be a challenge getting fish to the boat. Then when the occasional shark takes a fancy to a large soft plastic bait it is necessary to follow it to prevent all of the line being ripped from the reel.

But sharks are far less of a problem when lure fishing than when fishing the traditional way with baits.

Crayfish are proving hard to find around the outer islands, and soon the females will be carrying eggs and may not be taken over the three months they are "in berry". In the north game fishermen are starting to think about fishing for broadbill swordfish.

"We start when the marlin ease off," said Bay of Islands charter skipper Geoff Stone. "There are still marlin out there, but we will be heading out to the Garden Patch (24km offshore) when the weather is good." He uses large skipjack for baits, and slow trolls over upwellings and bottom features. "If you use small skippies the bluenose will monster them."

Fishing for broadbill has traditionally been done at night as the fish come closer to the surface to feed, but in recent years more and more people are fishing in deep water with baits set deep, and trolling very slowly during the day - and catching "broadies".

"The broadbill move down here from the tropics after Christmas and hang around till August," said Stone.

He said snapper fishing in the bay had been good when straylining in the shelter of the islands.

The lakes at Rotorua and Taupo are all high, and a four-wheel-drive is needed to launch at Lake Okataina. Boaties also need to watch for nets which have been placed off the main beach to stop the spread of lake weed.

With a bright moon this weekend fly fishing in deep water at places like the Log Pool on Okataina and the delta of the Tongariro River at Taupo will offer better opportunities than at shallow stream mouths. But trolling and jigging on all the lakes should improve as the moon recedes from the full phase on Monday.

The trout caught in Lake Tarawera have improved in condition and size, and more anglers are using downriggers to troll in deep water rather than traditional lead-core lines. Fish have been running through the trap on the Te Wairoa Stream, so with the cold temperatures on clear nights the fly fishing should pick up. But harling at dawn and dusk is always popular at this time of year, and a red setter harled off White Cliffs will usually produce some action.

Casting from an anchored dinghy off the points outside the bays where streams enter the lake can also produce well as the trout are starting to hang around these areas before the spawning runs start. A booby pattern or red-bodied Mrs Simpson or kilwell fished deep and slowly will also hook fish during the day.

More fishing action can be found on Rheem Outdoors with Geoff, 5pm TV3, and on the new internet television channel, www.FishnHunt.Tv.