Fishing: Go with the flow for fish at the Finger

A finger of deep water runsparallel to both Waiheke and Pakatoa islands.

The southern end is 46 metres deep, rising to 33 metres at the northern end.

On an outgoing tide, a lot of snapper hold in the area where the bottom starts to rise at the northern end of the narrow finger (use your sounder to find the exact spot). They usually stay on the end of the rise but not on top.

The tidal flow is very strong so you may need up to 8oz of weight to stay on the bottom. Use either a ledger rig or a flasher rig with 7/0 re-curve hooks with a 30lb trace. Squid or mullet are the best baits as they hang on better than the soft baits in the deep.

On an incoming tide with a northerly wind it is well worth drifting with a baited flasher rig back down towards Pakatoa where the finger widens and drops down to 46 metres.

Next week's spot: Thompson's Point.