KEY POINTS:
We are finally turning the corner from late-summer to winter fishing, as evidenced in all fisheries.
Snapper have moved offshore or inshore, best catches now likely to be taken in the shallows on reefs and structures or off the rocks.
These are resident fish that do not move to deeper water. Winter is the time to catch 9kg (20lb) trophy fish from the rocks.
Only in the Far North are large schools of snapper still prevalent close to shore.
The billfish run finally seems to be running north, the last fish caught out of Tutukaka on Queen's Birthday weekend.
One was caught off the Bay of Islands on Monday and Geoff Stone on Major Tom II brought in three broadbill after drifting with downriggers at night over the Ninepin trench.
Rick Pollock on Pursuit reports marlin still in the Doubtless Bay to North Cape area but there are few boats now looking for them.
Light tackle fishing for kingies has been the go up north with the Whangaroa Big Game Fish Club holding its 6kg contest last weekend.
Lawrence Franks from Kerikeri on Lady Luck took the big prize with a 27.1kg fish.
The club ended the billfish season with 378 stripeys, the best 142.5kg, 24 blue marlin, of which the best was 252.5kg, and one black of 169kg.
Best yellowfin was a creditable 67.2kg to Adam Scott fishing on Odyssey near the harbour entrance.
The Bay of Islands Swordfish Club light tackle contest - the 38th annual event, the longest-running contest in the country - started on Tuesday with 11 kingfish tagged and released, 14 landed, the best of which was a 25kg fish to Nick Brownley fishing on Salamander.
On the second day of the contest Matthew Smith fishing on his father Bruce's boat Striker landed a 37.8kg kingfish on 6kg, for which a world record claim is being made.
At Whakatane, Kevin McCracken from the Sportsfishing Club reports terakihi and hapuku moving in and snapper disappearing as the change of seasons bites.
The charter fleet has returned from the Far North and the early reports from bottom-bashing in the depths have been good.
The fishing has been hard around Auckland, with shallow water straylining or soft-baiting the best methods on the Hauraki Gulf.
Great Barrier and the Mokohinaus have been producing well but regular spots like Tiri, Kawau, Waiheke and Rakino are very hit-and-miss. Unusually, the fishing seems better in midday than at dawn, so it's not worth getting up early.
Gurnard are starting to come into the Manukau in patches, in time for next weekend's annual Gurnard Guru held by the Weymouth Cosmopolitan Club.
If you strike a dead patch, move, is the advice from John Moran. Cubes of salted skipjack are best baits, on flasher rigs with 3 or 4/0 hooks.
Few snapper and kahawai have been taken recently.
The seasonal change is also affecting the trout fishing, which remains relatively slow for this time of year, partially due to low water levels.
Good rainbows are still being caught in the deep in lakes including Taupo, jigging working well, proving they are still feeding at a time when they are usually congregating in shallows to run up river.
Jared Goedhart at Turangi's Sporting Life store said good catches were being taken off the Delta.
There are a mix of old and fresh fish in the Tongariro with slow runs starting in April and building.
Nymphing has been working well, with gold bead hair and copper and pheasant tails or the green cadis best.
Wet-lining with olive woolly buggers and red or orange rabbits is good, the glo-bugging still slow.
Rotorua has had a slow start to the season, said Steve Smith from Fish and Game.
"The temperature has started to fall and the best is still to come," he said.
Night fishing has been much better than day, with the Ngongotaha area the best, producing lots of big browns.
