Fishing: Following tell-tale signs the secret to a good catch

Anglers on Lake Tarawera show off their catch after an early start.

Experienced anglers know there are some useful relationships between different fish species. For example, large snapper are often accompanied by a baby trevally, while kingfish will follow a stingray as it meanders across the sea bed.

The kings know that the ray will disturb small flounder, which the speedy predators like to catch and swallow. And where you find common jack mackerel, or yellowtail, snapper are not far away.

But there is another pairing few people know about. It involves diving or setting pots for crayfish. Large reef structures are good country for crays. But in some places, like much of the Bay of Plenty, there is a huge amount of water with no serious reefs.

What the local divers do is look for a rock on the depth sounder. It is usually a single, round rock sticking up from the flat seabed. And if it has fish on top, then you stop and jump in. The fish are commonly maomao, tarakihi or mackerel.

People often ask where to find crayfish around Auckland. There are rumours of crays living among the piles under the Harbour Bridge, but there are certainly crays around the Waiheke Island coast and the foul bottom between Maria Island and Durville Rock.

Kawau Island has been hot for crayfish this summer, according to local fishermen. The Manukau Harbour inside the entrance is also well known, but divers have to work the tides, avoid strong currents and watch for the jungle of fishing lines trapped in the rocks because visibility is not great.

Snapper will be starting to spawn and may not be partial to baits, but the spawning takes place over a long period and the fish that have finished will be hungry as they regain condition.

The inner channels and the Waitemata Harbour should pick up when the settled hot weather finally arrives. The number of rods sticking out off the wharves is always a clue that the fish are in the harbour.

Further afield, if concentrations of birds and dolphins can't be found, then motor along until you see a school of bait-fish, usually mackerel like yellowtail, in mid-water. It will be a good spot to stop and drop anchor.

Albacore tuna are running off the west coast and a free-jumping marlin was reported by a commercial fishing boat off the Kaipara Harbour.

In Tauranga Harbour, kingfish and trevally can be found around wharf piles and other structures. Drifting past marker buoys and dropping a lure is a good way of checking to see what is around. Both species will take jigs and soft plastics. Snapper to 3kg can also be hooked around the wharves.

Fishing is still slow off the Mercury group of islands, but soft plastics over the sand is producing pannie snapper off Matarangi. The deep pinnacles around Cuvier Island have also been fishing well for snapper and kingfish. In the Bay of Islands, there are reported to be good numbers of snapper on the centre foul, and in 40-50m under the birds.

Freshwater

The evening rise on the Tongariro River is going well but persistent wind during the day makes fishing uncomfortable. There are still some silver fresh-run trout in the river, along with large numbers of juveniles. And harling on the lake is also improving, particularly in the early morning.

In Rotorua, lake temperatures are increasing. This usually signals the start of fly fishing at cold-water stream mouths and jigging on the deep lakes. Spots like the Awahou and Waiteti stream mouths on Lake Rotorua usually start firing around Christmas depending on weather conditions.

The deep lakes stratify in hot weather, separating into layers where temperature changes and where they meet - called the thermocline - is where schools of smelt congregate in vast numbers, attracting the trout.

The smelt and trout can be located on a good fish finder, and this is where jig fishing with small smelt flies is so deadly. Finding other boats is an obvious way of finding fish, but it is also important to respect their position and not get too close.

Tip of the week

When harling on the lakes, a smelt fly can be used in conjunction with a lure, such as a small cobra. The fly can sit above a small swivel with the lure on the end of the trace about a metre away.

Bite times

Bite times are 3.45am and 4.05pm today and tomorrow at 4.30am and 4.50pm. These are based on the phase and position of the moon, not tides, and apply to the whole country.

• More fishing action can be found on Rheem Outdoors with Geoff, 6.30am Saturdays, TV3, and at www.GTtackle.co.nz.