Devonport wharf is a popular spot for land-based fishermen.If you can't get out on the harbour on a boat, try these land-based fishing spots. James Russell reports.
Auckland is blessed with abundant and fruitful fishing spots just 10 minutes away by boat, but for landlubbers fishing can be a little more challenging.
And as American comedian Steven Wright once pointed out, there's a fine line between fishing and just standing on the shore like an idiot.
Still, optimism is ever the fisherman's friend, and there are fat, healthy fish swimming past our wharves and rocky outcrops every day of the year.
The most common fish caught from land-based fishing spots are kahawai year round, and snapper of legal size can be caught during the summer months. Trevally are a rarity, but not impossible, as are kingfish. Also about are piper, mackerel and sprats.
Swimming around, often in surprisingly abundant numbers, are parore. They feed on the weed around wharf piles or rock structures and, being vegetarians, will eat frozen peas, carrots or corn, even balled up bread squeezed on to your hook. The internet fair fizzles with the eating properties of the parore, for and against.
Here are a few spots you might like to try your luck at.
Waitemata Harbour
Being chock-full of ferries, container ships and private boats, you might think the Waitemata is not the best environment for fish, but it doesn't stop land-based fishermen from trying and, quite often, succeeding in hooking dinner.
Wharves to try on the north side of the Waitemata include the Devonport and Birkenhead wharves, and at the end of Northcote Pt under the Harbour Bridge.
On the south side of the harbour is the Herne Bay wharf and, probably the pick of the crop, the Orakei Wharf, which stretches 100m into the harbour. The wharves around the Viaduct Basin and Westhaven are full of parore.
A fish may also be hooked from the rocks beneath the Chelsea Sugar Refinery on the north side of the harbour.
On the south side you can try the Tamaki Drive wall, where baitfish can sometimes be seen being chased by kingfish. Rocky points around the Tamaki Yacht Club near Mission Bay can also yield results.
Also try the path at the bottom of Curran St that runs beneath the south end of the Harbour Bridge.
Manukau Harbour
On any given day, on the fullish tide, the old Mangere Bridge bristles with fishing rods. Now that the council has brought its sewage treatment plant in line with best practice, the harbour is enjoying something of a renaissance.
Poking a good way into the harbour, the Huia wharf is a beautiful spot at which to spend a peaceful hour. Best fished at high tide, an occasional snapper or gurnard may be caught, but more likely a kahawai.
North Shore
A fishing rod can be successfully cast from any of the rocky points on the North Shore at high tide, but particular favourites among land-based fishos are the rocks around Milford, the rocks at the south end of Campbell's Bay, Castor Bay and the rocks between Milford and Takapuna. If you want to stand on a wharf, try Murray's Bay.
East Auckland
East Auckland is blessed with some beautiful beaches, but most are shallow and not conducive to fishing. Exceptions are at the end of Musick Pt, on the eastern side of the Tamaki River mouth. If you wade out to the small island off the point at low tide, take care not to get stranded as it comes back in.
Further to the east is Maraetai Beach, and the stretch of coast right around to Duder's Beach is fair game.
There is a ski lane here so at high tide early morning or late evening is the time to try your luck.
Fishing tips
* For bait, use squid, bonito, pilchards (purchased) or kahawai and pipis (caught).
* If you are casting on to a sandy bottom, a sandgripper sinker is the go. Its prongs are like a miniature anchor and provide resistance when a fish strikes at the bait, as well as keeping your line where you want it in a strong tidal current. On a rocky bottom, however, it may snag, so use a smooth, rounded sinker with a hook above it to avoid your line catching on the rocks.
* A good ploy for attracting fish is to tie a berley bag (a mesh bag full of frozen fish remains) that slowly thaws and releases a heady cocktail.
* If you catch a sprat and can stomach it, use it as live bait (YouTube will show you how) and your chances of a mighty kingfish are much improved.
* If you're taking a youngster along, they would probably have more fun catching sprats with a bait catcher or tiny hooks and bread baits than waiting for hours for the monster of the deep to strike. Bait catchers and bread baits can often be successfully dangled inches below the surface so the fish can be seen striking them.
