Snapper are still in close and around Auckland they can be caught in 4m of water off beaches like Eastern Beach and Cockle Bay, and along the shoreline of the East Coast Bays. In fact surfcasting from Eastern Beach at a full tide in the evening is producing a lot of good snapper. And in the Panmure Estuary fish are being caught up to the Waipuna Rd bridge.
The Waitemata Harbour is still full of fish and they can be caught from the shore as well as out in boats. But it can be hard keeping baits on the bottom when big tides create powerful currents in the harbour, and the solution is to fish the turn of the tide.
Shallow water fishing can be productive at low light, casting lightly weighted baits on light tackle well back from a small boat. Some big snapper can be caught like this if baits like fresh yellowtail are used. Reels with a mode that allows a fish to run with the bait are ideal for this type of fishing. These spin-type reels are also easy to cast and it is important to get the bait well out away from the boat.
One spot that has been consistent is the Waiheke Island shoreline between Matiatia and Church Bay. It has fished well all summer and is still firing. What some fishermen do is catch fresh bait in Matiatia Harbour, and when they have a good supply of yellowtails (more correctly jack mackerel) they head around the corner and anchor in shallow water. With a good berley trail and big baits they catch good snapper. One advantage of using such baits is that, while the bites are less frequent, it deters the small pickers which can be such a nuisance when using frozen bait like pilchards and squid. An added bonus is the number of big trevally which have turned up in the harbour, and can be caught on small chunks of pilchard. Trevally will test light tackle, and should always be netted rather than lifted into the boat, as their soft mouths tear easily and they fall off the hook.
