One solution is to do what some experienced fishermen do and get out on the water before daylight. You don't have to go far, and those in small boats like the traditional "12-foot tinny" are finding some hot action.
A carpet or sack on the floor softens the noise of dropped sinkers and clumping feet, which can make a big difference in shallow water.
And that is where the fish are at that time of the day - anywhere from 2m to 4m deep.
The gear must be super light, like a soft bait rod and spin reel spooled with 3kg braid line, and the terminal rig which works well is a standard flasher rig, or a ledger rig.
Instead of putting a sinker in the loop at the bottom, attach another hook and the three or four baits provide enough weight to cast it well out from the dinghy.
No sinker is needed, and as the baits settle and slowly sink you leave the spool open. If you are using an overhead reel set the drag to free-spool, so a fish can take out line when it bites and swims away.
Then put the reel in gear, or flick the bail arm over on a spin reel, and wind until you feel the fish. You can use a combination of baits, from pilchard (a half pillie is good), squid or fresh fish such as mullet or jack mackerel. A good berley trail is also essential.
But once the sun has risen and boat traffic increases it is all over. Time to go home.
One young couple took home a dozen good snapper out from Duders Beach one morning this week.
The technique will work pretty much anywhere from Northland to the Bay of Plenty. In Auckland, Martins Bay, Browns Bay, Kawakawa Bay, the mouth of the Clevedon River and Kaiaua are all good spots for this approach.
Fishing on the Manukau Harbour is patchy, with reports of only three snapper for the day from one experienced fisherman while another pair filled the bin on their boat with nice fish up to 3kg.
The limit on the west coast, and on the harbours there, is 10 snapper over 27cm a day.
The deep foul in the Papakura Channel just before the top or bottom of the tide when the current has abated would be worth trying, says experienced Manukau fisherman John Moran.
"I would try a variety of baits. But the red hot snapper fishing in the harbour will not kick in until the end of February and should last until early May if we are lucky."
Good numbers of kingfish are around the marker buoys in the channels and over reefs. While most are "rat kings" smaller than the 1m minimum size limit, there is an occasional fish up to 12kg.
The best time to fish for them is at slack low tide, and while you can cast poppers or jigs around the buoys, the fish will take a whole pilchard which is cast out and allowed to sink slowly. A slow retrieve will help provoke strikes.
The pillie can be rigged with a hook inserted behind the pectoral fin and revolved around so it comes out through the gill plate on the same side, and a half hitch around the tail secures it for casting.
Fresh water
Summer has arrived on the lakes and streams, and dry-fly fishing is taking off on small streams and back country rivers, and also on the rivers and streams feeding Lake Taupo.
It also means deep jigging is improving on deep lakes, and fly fishing at cold water stream mouths is also picking up.
The runs of large brown trout in the Ngongotaha and Waiteti Streams at Rotorua have started, and while these fish can be hooked on a nymph, holding on to them is challenging.
Some local anglers use heavy leader - up to 5kg breaking strain - and weighted nymphs tied on strong hooks, which increase the chances of landing a trophy brown in the small water.
Bite times
Bite times are 4.40am and 5pm tomorrow and 5.20am and 5.45pm on Sunday.
Tip of the week
Use a net to boat fish caught on light tackle, and don't lift the rod tip above 45 degrees. This is called point loading and rod tips can snap when bent too far. But if lifting fish into the boat by holding the trace, a sticking plaster around the joint on the finger used will prevent line cuts.
More fishing action can be found on Rheem Outdoors with Geoff, 6.30am Saturday, TV3, and at GTTackle.co.nz.
