Fishing for snapper has been patchy, in spite of water temperatures up to 20C, and the biggest concentration of fish is south of Kawau Island in "the triangle", between 25m and 30m of water.
The bottom end of Waiheke Island and surrounding reefs have fished well at times, and the Firth of Thames has been running hot and cold.
A little fish which is important to snapper fishermen is the yellowtail, or more correctly jack mackerel. The humble "jack" has a symbiotic relationship with an ugly little creature called a sea louse, which hitches a ride while hanging on inside its throat and no doubt helps itself to the jack's dinner as it goes past. These loathsome white parasites desert their host when it dies and crawl out in search of another vehicle. Jacks always seem to die with their mouth wide open.
Experienced snapper fishermen know that the yellow-brown mackerel make just about the best bait for the big ones. That is what has been happening in the Firth of Thames, out off the Whangaparaoa Peninsula and in the Bay of Islands. Kingfish love them, too, and they are often referred to as "kingfish candy".
When hoping for a snapper of 5kg or more anglers will use the whole jack as a bait. They can be hooked with a single hook inserted under the pectoral fin on one side, hook facing forward, and rolled back so the shank rests against the flank and the point sticks out with the eye of the hook facing the tail. The trace can then be looped around the tail with a couple of half-hitches to secure it for casting.
