Fishing spots: Auckland a fishing heaven

By PETER JESSUP

Auckland is blessed with two coastlines, two harbours within a few kilometres of each other and therefore a big range of fishing opportunities.

In what other city in the world can you leave the boat ramp and be catching snapper within 10 minutes?

And where else can you get a limit bag of fish inside an hour, as is possible at this time of year?

Recreational fishermen who have been dangling a line since they were kids mourn the days when gurnard were everywhere, snapper were bigger and the schools of kahawai were prolific.

The fishery declined from the 1960s through to the late 1980s but is improving again.

In summer, snapper can be taken from the wharves and rocky headlands of both harbours. Often, they are in closer than people think, with straylining around rocks very productive in the early morning and at night on a rising tide.

Bruce Duncan, author of Fishing the Hauraki Gulf and wholesaler of gear including Line 7 safety jackets, runs schools that teach people how to catch fish then prepare them and is regarded as the expert on the inner gulf.

He recommends one of two types of rig for boat-fishing in the inner gulf and the Waitemata Harbour.

In deeper water or when the current is running fiercely in the channels, use a running rig with a sinker around 4 ounces above a swivel and a trace of between 1m and 1.5m, longer as the current picks up. The bait wants to be just off the bottom and movement definitely works. When fishing nearer the shore or near slack tide, a strayline rig - with no sinker or as small a ball sinker as is needed to get to the bottom tied to the bait - is best.

Duncan generally uses a single hook, 7/0 or 8/0 to deter small school snapper. Bait is whole pilchard or whole baby squid. "Use good-quality bait," Duncan advises. "Ratty, re-frozen baits won't work."

Let them have one bite, then strike.

Duncan swears by berley and uses a "wobbly pot" set on the bottom on its own rope, which allows regular stir-ups that send chunks of bait into the current stream. He offers the following "hot" spots:

1. The Motuihe Channel: You can't go wrong early morning on the incoming tide. Try the two rocks to the north of the channel markers just off Emu Pt, or as the tide comes up move to the 31m hole on the south, inner side of the channel.

2. North of the Rangitoto lighthouse: Off McKenzie Bay on a line north to Tiritiri Matangi, from one to one-and-a-half nautical miles out, is a large area of worm bed that attracts fish coming on to spawn from November through December and early January. Look for the schools on the sounder then anchor and fish the incoming tide. A northerly or nor-easterly wind is best.

3. A-buoy to the Rangitoto lighthouse: Offers more shelter from northerly swells. Again, find the fish on the sounder, then drift and jig-fish or use a running rig with one-metre trace.

4. Between the sand barges and No 2 buoy: The bottom shows a series of undulations where fish rest out of the current. Ledger rigs work here too, otherwise the running rig. Evening is best on the incoming tide.

5. The eastern side of Browns Island: Duncan calls this "The Rubbles" - the bottom featuring a lot of low foul ground. Crabs, shrimps, horse mussels and oysters attract snapper post-spawning. Line up between the water tower on Motuihe and the Browns Island light. Berley works well here. Nor/nor-east winds on the incoming tide and south westerly on the outgoing are best.

6. Crusoe Rock-Park Pt: The channel between Papakohatu Island and Waiheke features a number of rocky outcrops and the bottom is the same. Piper can be caught on jigs, then kingfish targeted in the current on the incoming tide. The current rips here and big sinkers are needed at times.

7. Off Cheltenham Beach: About 200m out from the south end of the beach is a patch of low foul that holds snapper, especially in the early morning. Watch the mugs speed past to fishing grounds further afield then compare bins at the boat ramp and you'll find this spot is often better than some well out.

The harbour shoreline also offers a multitude of opportunities for anglers and Adam Clancey, presenter of NZ Fishing on Sky television and holder of national records for land-based fishing, offers these tips:

Use as light a line as possible for the species you are targeting because harbour waters are often shallow. Hard baits like trevally, mullet, kahawai strips or fresh baitfish are better than pilchards.

8. Duders Beach: Clancey has a couple of favourite spots near here. A 20-minute walk around rocks from the right end of the beach brings you to a halt under a large pohutukawa tree, on a ledge that offers access to a hole holding bronze whalers and snapper, with passing kahawai. Get around on the low tide and fish across high. Your retreat is cut off on full tide.

9. The ski lane between Duders and Maraetai: This is a good spot to surfcast for snapper and kahawai very early in the morning or late evening when there is no boat traffic, Clancey says.

10. Near Kawakawa Bay: Heading south on the Kaiaua Rd about 1.5km south of Kawakawa Bay is a small island which can be easily accessed at low tide. Again best fished across the high.

11. Musick Pt: Good as the tide rises at night. But don't get cut off.

12. From the reef in front of the old Tamaki Yacht Club: Cast straight out to another reef 80m out. Mullet works well on the snapper here.

13. The Tamaki Drive wall: Next to Mechanics Bay is an area where kahawai and kingfish school up baitfish. Clancey has caught kingies to 15kg here on a piper live-bait. Snapper come in close very early in the morning and as evening falls.

14. The rocks to the right of Castor Bay: This spot attracts snapper at night on a rising tide. The water is very shallow and berley is a must. Pilchards work best here, stray-lined.

15. Wesley Bay: Clancey also says a good spot to take the kids to is this small bay off Hillsborough Rd. It has a flat sandstone rock platform that offers good fishing for piper and kahawai across the two hours at the top of the tide.

* This is the final in our fishing spots series.