Fishing: Footpath fishos hooked on a feeling

Fishing from the footpath is a popular pastime in Auckland. Photo / Brett Phibbs

Who owns the foreshore on the Waitemata Harbour? Who owns the various wharves along the city waterfront? The people of Auckland, through the Auckland Council and its subsidiary, Ports of Auckland. Correct?

In which case the public debate banging around the media on the extension of wharves and reclamation of portions of the harbour should include access for fishermen. Auckland city has some of the best snapper fishing in the world. At this time of year the snapper come right into the harbour, and in heavy rain they are almost swimming up the gutters at the bottom of Queen St.

Right now snapper of 2.5 to 3kg are being regularly pulled in by the footpath casters who can be seen guarding their rods along the breakwater under the Harbour Bridge, and on the edge of the Tank Farm. But there are actually few spots where a line can be cast from that point all the way along the waterfront until you get to Orakei Wharf. And how much room is there for fishermen on the other side of the harbour at Devonport Wharf?

It would be nice to think that in the discussion about what is to be done with the wharves, some access was to be included for fishermen. Of course, the further a wharf protrudes into the harbour, the better it will be for fishing. It is all about currents and where the strongest flows run past a structure like a breakwater.

The wharf at Orakei is always popular and the platform at the end often resembles a porcupine with rods sticking out at all angles. But it isn't one of the better spots around the city to hook a sizeable snapper. There is no end to the number of baby snapper which fall prey to the small hooks employed by many of the anglers who are targeting the tiny fish like paketi, piper, sprats and yellowtails.

These are fish which Kiwis have traditionally scorned, but those members of the community who have moved here from more crowded climes are happy to take home a bucket of these fish for dinner; in fact, they often prefer them to larger fish. This will have to be addressed before the common littlies which hang around the wharf piles are no longer so common.

But the strong currents don't race past the end of that wharf, unlike the breakwater at the Tank Farm, where on every tide the current sweeps past the rocks and it is not necessary to cast out into the middle of the harbour.

Like fishing everywhere, there are a handful of experts who have honed their angling skills to the situation. They use wafer-thin braid line -- which has less drag in the current than monofilament -- with a short trace which attaches to a clip which slides down on to a swivel, which sits above the sinker. So the sinker is on the end and pulls the gear out when cast. Bait will be half a pilchard, which is sewn on to the 5/0 super sharp hook in advance (and kept in the chilly bin), or a long, thin piece of fresh squid -- not frozen, but fresh from the fish market.

They know how to work the tides so that a good current will be running into the harbour at first light, or in the evening. And they will often fish into the night. It is a friendly place where there is always a helping hand if a climb down the rocks to the water's edge is needed to grab a large fish, with plenty of banter and shared stories -- a mini-community in the heart of the city.

It would be preferable to leave the wharves as they are, with the powers that be not rushing to push extensions into a harbour which is already quite narrow, but carefully considering how the waterfront can be put to the best use for the people who own it.

Freshwater

Fishing on the deep lakes at Rotorua and Taupo has picked up, which is to be expected as temperatures cool and the trout become more active in preparation for spawning later in the winter. Deep trolling and jigging is producing the best results, and the old favourite - the black toby - is one of the best lures.

Bite times

Bite times are 1.30am and 2pm tomorrow, and 2.30am and 3pm on Sunday.

Tip of the week

Smart footpath casters will have spare traces on ice, baited ready to be clipped on to their line when a bare hook is brought in or a fish caught. It is much quicker than rebaiting a hook, and special baits like a strip or tentacle of squid can be carefully threaded in to the hooks at home before going fishing.

More fishing action can be found on Rheem Outdoors with Geoff, 5pm Saturday, TV3, and at GTTackle.co.nz.