Fishing: The fight for your right to hook dinner

The amateur fishers representation group, option4, is seeking a mandate from all recreational anglers as it prepares to do battle with the Government over the allocation of fish catch between industry and the public.

The Ministry of Fisheries is preparing a "shared fisheries" programme that option4 believes will seriously downgrade the rights of the amateur fisher - in effect, the public of New Zealand who enjoy hooking dinner.

In the background to the latest offering from the ministry is the challenge to the kahawai quota being brought to the High Court by option4, the NZ Recreational Fishing Council and the NZ Big Game Fishing Council.

And in early April those groups and Maori representatives meet at Whitiora marae at Te Tii in the Bay of Islands to discuss rights and access issues with an emphasis on public right ahead of commercial quota. The over-riding slogan of the hui held so far has been "more fish on the table".

The option4 group states its foundation principles as:

A priority right over commercial fishers for free access to a reasonable daily bag limit to be written into legislation.

The ability to exclude commercial methods that deplete recreationally important areas.

The ability to devise plans to ensure future generations enjoy the same or better quality of rights while preventing fish conserved for recreational use being given to the commercial sector.

No licensing of recreational fishers.

The Fisheries Act requires the minister to maintain fish stocks at MSY - maximum sustainable yield - with the country's export earnings, which were about $1.3billion last year, in mind.

Option4 wants stocks kept above MSY so the average recreational fisher can have more expectation of catching dinner than is the case now.

If you want more information and to give the group your mandate click on the Option 4 link below.

The game fishing has gone cold in many areas with the strong southerly-quarter winds.

The Far North clubs reported little action. Billfish are still being caught from the Bay of Islands - between 220m-300m off Main Rock - down to Tauranga. Whakatane has been quiet and Waihau Bay has not had anywhere near the year it did in 2005, with fewer blue marlin caught.

Around the Bay of Plenty, there are lots of school snapper and plenty of kahawai, with surfcasters and kite fishers doing well morning and night.

Out from Auckland, the Rangitoto Channel has picked up and the Motuihe Channel has slowed according to Lance Paniora on Smokin' Reels.

There were plenty of good snapper in the 1.5-4kg range from the number two to the number four buoy and they were taking squid in preference to pilchard, he said. Paniora's customers have also been catching good trevally in the 2-4kg range.

Further out in the Hauraki Gulf, kingfish are feeding but weather and sea conditions have not been conducive to chasing them. Anchorite Rock, the Noises, the Waiheke reefs and Flat Rock at Kawau have all produced kings for those handling the rough seas.

Bigger snapper had been coming into Manukau Harbour said John Moran, the deeper water near the heads holding fish up to 5kg.

The trout fishing has been similarly affected at Taupo. Those getting out to jig at the 40m mark had been catching good rainbows, but it was much harder work in shallower water according to Department of Conservation fisheries manager Glenn Maclean.

Brown trout are starting to move into the lower Tongariro area. Lake Otamangakau has been quiet.

It's a different story at Rotorua where Steve Smith of Fish and Game said it would be "an understatement to say they're good fish - they are outstanding".

The average size on Lake Rotoiti was up from about 2.2kg to 3.5kg this year, with extra nutrients in the lake breeding a smelt soup; the trout did not have to expend much energy chasing their food, Smith said.

Locals jigging on the thermocline at about 20m near bottom structure had been catching as many as 10 fish per hour, he said. Even the beginner angler could catch fish. Smaller flies were working well, size 10 good.

"The fish are about as well conditioned as they can be and catch rates are very good," said Smith. "Lake Tarawera is also fishing well."