Fishing: Snapper playing coy? Try changing channels

Kingfish are starting to turn up in harbours all around the coast.

Snapper can be found pretty much everywhere at the moment, and as always the key is to work the tides.

This is particularly important when fishing the channels, and reports suggest snapper are turning up in all the channels. The Rangitoto Channel off A Buoy is holding snapper, and with strong currents it is a good idea to arrive at before low tide and fish through the slack water. This way both tides can be tested, as one usually produces better on the day and the first hour of the incoming is often the best time. You can start with small sinkers, increasing the weight as the current gets stronger.

Some people will use both a ledger rig and a trace below a sinker, and both will work but on some days one will outfish the other system so you can start with both and adjust accordingly. The general rule of thumb is - the stronger the current, the longer the trace. Conversely with little current baits can be moved by lifting the rod occasionally, and moving baits seem to work better than static ones.

But when the current is really pushing at mid-tide it can be hard keeping the gear on the bottom. There are several solutions - you can lift anchor and drift, or move out to wider areas away from the constricting confines of a narrow channel like in parts of the Motuihe, Tiri and Sargeant's Channels. Or try a heavy sinker with an extra long trace, or with a ledger rig simply thumb the reel while keeping it in free-spool so the gear moves slowly along the sea bed with the current. A fish will pick up a bait and swim away and when the line goes tight, start winding. There is too much line out to raise the rod and strike as the stretch in the line will absorb the energy. Winding will set the hook, and if recurved hooks are used the fish will hook themselves.

Tough baits are good in this situation, as you will not know when the bait has gone, and pilchards do come off easily. Fresh kahawai, jack mackerel or mullet are ideal, cut into small chunks for ledger rigs and strips for a running rig and trace. The white body of a squid with the skin scraped off, cut into strips, also works well.

In the Bay of Plenty there is still good fishing along the coast as the fish have been in close all winter. In Tauranga Harbour there are some kingfish around the structures, and there is a lot of bait fish in the harbour. Some good snapper fishing can be found on the Omokoroa side.

October and November traditionally see a migration of big snapper up the west coast, from north Taranaki to Northland, and long lines set from the beach usually do well at places like Mokau and Bayly's Beach. There is a similar run of mega-sized snapper at Whirinaki Beach in Hawkes Bay, and long lines set from the beach usually record several 9kg-plus specimens.

Surfcasting for kahawai at Port Waikato is always popular when whitebait are running, and a net set for mullet will catch a supply of fresh bait.

Two 9kg snapper were taken in the Bay of Islands this week, but fishing is not consistent yet. However, the Labour Weekend holiday is seen as the start of the good fishing and settled weather may confirm this. There are good numbers of pilchards and jack mackerel in the bay, and snapper will feed hard as they roe up. Some kingfish are being hooked at Whale Rock, but barracouta are still in close and can be a nuisance.

Warmer water temperatures will see them move out, and more kings turn up from the deep pin-nacles where they have been holding.

Freshwater

Smelt are appearing in Lake Tarawera, and harling jigging off White Cliffs has been producing well. One approach which is rarely adopted is to anchor the boat along the edge of the drop-off and wait for a trout to splash as it chases smelt and cast at it with a slow sinking line and a smelt fly.

This applies at spots like Hotwater Beach also as the fish use the hot water as a barrier to ball up schools of smelt. The structures on Lake Rotoiti, like the west bank, are starting to hold fish and jigging these areas should pick up as the summer approaches.

Insect life is prolific on the streams at Lake Taupo, and the best fishing is in the rivers with some late runs of trout expected up the Tongariro River this month.

Tip of the week

All fish react to noise and as water conveys sound better than air it can make a difference to fishing results. For example, an aluminium boat will send sound waves through the water when sinkers are carelessly bumped against the sides or dropped on the floor, but a section of old carpet glued in the right places can overcome this quite easily.

Bite times

Bite times are 9.45am and 10.05pm today and tomorrow at 10.25am and 10.45pm. More fishing action can be found on Rheem Outdoors with Geoff, 6.30am Saturdays, TV3, and at www.GTtackle.co.nz.