Light line which can be cast well back from the boat works best, and with line of, say, 6kg breaking strain, hooks can be tied directly to it with a small ball sinker above the hook. Small spin reels and light rods, like those used for soft plastic lure fishing, are ideal, but monofilament line is more forgiving than the braids of lure fishing. Most reels come with a spare spool, and this can be loaded with mono for bait-fishing.
Berley is always a good option to attract fish behind the boat, and baits should be small on hooks of 5/0 or 6/0. Allow the fish to run with the line before striking; bait feeder-type reels are ideal for this kind of stray-lining.
Overhead baitcaster reels are also good, provided the angler can cast and thumb the spool to avoid over-runs, and can be fished in free-spool with the thumb on the spool ready to let line slip as a fish bites.
It is exciting fishing and very rewarding. A net is necessary to lift fish hooked on light line into the boat; small fish can be unhooked and released without touching them.
There are also good numbers of kingfish around Waiheke Island although bronze whaler sharks love to nail hooked kingfish and can be a problem on the reef at Crusoe Rock.
There has been good fishing this week at the back of Tiritiri Matangi Island, from the reefs in close out to 30m.
On Manukau Harbour, fishing has been average inside the harbour but better off the coast. The consistent north and east winds over the holidays, which have brought such mayhem to the east coast, have allowed divers and anglers to access the west coast, with crayfish and paua rewarding those who know where to go. Of course, it is the weather which protects the west coast, and this year has been one of the best in terms of conditions.
Further afield, fishing is not so good, and holidaymakers on the Coromandel coast are finding it one of the worst seasons for many years at popular places like the Mercury Islands. The weather has been a problem, with rough conditions over Christmas-New Year, but fishing and diving have been disappointing.
This may not improve until next month, when people are back at work and traffic on the water returns to normal.
It is the same around Great Barrier Island, where snapper-fishing has been slow. It is expected to pick up when snapper move from inshore waters in the Hauraki Gulf to deep water. This doesn't usually happen until April or May, depending on the weather and water temperatures.
In Northland, one or two marlin a day are being recorded, but water conditions are mixed and fishing should take off when water temperatures improve. The big shoals of schooling snapper have dispersed from the Bay of Islands and moved to deeper water, where they are harder to find. Kingfish are running well on deep reefs like the 71m reef, but there are still barracouta around and they won't move out until the water is warmer.
In Rotorua, the cold-water stream mouths, like the Awahou and Waiteti Streams, are firing, with the water in Lake Rotorua topping 20C, and this will only improve if the still, hot weather continues.
It also sparks the deep-water jigging on Lakes Rotoiti and Tarawera, and on Lake Okataina small boats can be launched - although the high lake level hides the rails on each side of the launching ramp, so care is needed.
* A new series of Rheem Outdoors with Geoff starts at 5.30pm on TV3 tonight, and more action can be found on the internet television channel www.FishnHunt.Tv
