The top performer is Lake Rotorua itself, because with an average depth of only eight metres the lake water gets so warm in a hot, dry summer that oxygen levels plummet and the trout are forced to seek the rich, cold water flowing in from spring-fed streams such as those at Awahou and Hamurana.
Anglers line up shoulder to shoulder to harvest the bonanza although many fish for the sport, releasing their catch, while others will take their limit of eight trout for the smoker. That a fishery can sustain such a harvest is a testament to the richness of the resource. Rotorua is a wild fishery where the population is maintained through natural spawning in tributary streams.
Harbour fishing can be affected by the sudden influx of massive quantities of fresh water, changing the salinity of the seawater and making it less habitable for the snapper which have moved into the harbours in large numbers this summer.
But this summer the Waitemata Harbour has delivered a bonanza for anglers, and charter vessels have not needed to venture past Devonport in recent weeks. It has also been good news for the surfcasters who line the breakwall under the approaches to the harbour bridge and cast from wharves such as those at Devonport and Birkenhead.
But such fishing is better on small tides when the baits and sinkers can reach the bottom. The so-called king tides of the past week were simply the big tides which are created by the close proximity of the moon to the earth over the phase of the full moon.
For six months of the year the biggest tides of the month coincide with the full moon and the small tides match the new moon, while it is reversed for the other six months.
Big tides mean strong current flows, and this brings increased activity on the part of fish like snapper as moving sand uncovers food like worms and crabs, but putting a bait in front of the fish in such conditions is a challenge.
Where narrow shores constrict the flow of water like in the Sergeant and Motuihe Channels and in the harbour, the currents at mid-tide defeat even those with the heaviest of sinkers.
The answer is to fish the hour each side of slack water until the current becomes too strong, or to drift when the wind and tide are opposed and the boat won't move too fast. Another technique is to let the current pull the terminal tackle along the bottom by leaving the reel in free-spool and thumbing the spool so it slips out until a fish can be felt pulling it out and the reel slipped into gear. It is a waste of time striking at this point as there is a lot of line out and the current will have formed a belly in the line. Simply wind in until the weight can be felt, and keep winding. The use of recurve hooks, which are designed for fish to hook themselves as on a long-line, is also an advantage.
Game fishing is another which benefits from a La Nina summer as easterly winds push blue water close to the eastern coast, bringing the game fish within reach of small boats.
Fishing on the west coast is also influenced by weather, and offshore winds allow trailer boats to get out through harbours such as Manukau, Raglan, Kawhia, Hokianga and Kaipara or launch from beaches at Muriwai and Piha.
The East Auckland Current is the highway which brings the marlin and tuna and other game fish to our shores each summer and this is split by the top of the North Island. The prevailing westerly winds will push more water to the east side, but in a season like 2017-18 plenty of water and fish move down the west coast also, and fishermen on both sides win.
Tip of the week
When using a very long trace, as some anglers do when fishing in the strong currents at The Graveyard on the Kaipara or in the channels on the Manukau Harbour, it pays to use a tough bait like fresh mullet as pilchards or squid are more easily torn off the hook by small fish.
Bite times
Bite times are 10.20am and 10.45pm tomorrow and 11.10am and 11.30pm on Sunday.
