Fishing: Snap to the shallow end and zigzag slowly

If you take a look at your chart of the inner harbour you will see a reef marker off St Leonards beach - from that point south to the end of Cheltenham Beach the bottom is quite shallow even at high tide.

This bottom is largely flat and sandy but there are some small, rocky outcrops that hold fish.

Late February through to April is the time to target this area as the snapper come out of the channel to feed on the shellfish before heading out of the harbour for the winter.

No one spot is preferable as the snapper are quite spread out.

The best idea is to zigzag with your sounder until you find fish and get a berley trail underway before you put your first bait in.

Cast well behind the boat and allow your bait to slowly sink to the bottom.

If the fish stop biting move and find them again as the influence of the tide plays a big part on their feeding movements.

Next week's spot: Surfcasting Te Arai.
Acknowledgement: Excerpts have been sourced from Bruce Duncan's book Fish the Hauraki Gulf.

\- HERALD ON SUNDAY