There is no doubt winter has arrived but warm water temperatures persist, and this was demonstrated at Great Barrier Island this week.

The soft winter bite is how snapper fishermen describe the action at the moment, although some would argue that was the pattern for much of summer.

Of every 100 fish taken from the seas around New Zealand, 94 are caught by the commercial fishing industry and six by recreational anglers.

COMMENT: If we are to have faith in our government and the system that governs our fisheries we need to know more, writes Richard Baker. Nathan Guy needs to show strong leadership and demand a comprehensive, independent inquiry with broad terms of referen

Legal advisers for recreational fishing lobby group have been put on notice as the fallout continues over illegal fish dumping by commercial operations.

Heavy rain and a changing barometer put a smile on the faces of fly fishers in Rotorua and Taupo.

When chasing work-ups, the first item to pack should be binoculars with good optics.

At Lake Taupo, the delta of the Tongariro River has been fishing well for the past three weeks.

MPI's crackdown on illegal fishing activity in Hawke's Bay and Mahia has netted two more people.

The lesson took place on a remote section of our rocky coast about eight hours' drive from Auckland.

New Zealand has been named as a popular fishing destination for millionaires.

With a 3.6m high tide in the harbour, the channels would be unfishable.

David Baty, the director of Prestige Events, still hasn't handed over ute prize to contest winners.

There could and should be millions more snapper in the Hauraki Gulf.

Dean Young caught a 136.6kg fish but had to take a polygraph test to prove the catch was legitimate. He was told he failed the test.

A stoush over whether an ex-cop really caught a marlin in a competition continues after the event's promoter wants witnesses to take a lie detector test.

The man who put a Hawke's Bay fisherman through a lie detector test over disputed catch stands by the results but admits the test isn't perfect.

All four men aboard the fishing boat are adamant they caught the fish and should be handed the $48,000 prize, but the event promoter is so far standing firm. David Baty from OddsOn Promotions said former police detective Dean Young, who says he hauled in the 136.6kg catch, failed the polygraph test "terribly".

What is so amazing is that the marlin took a bait on a flasher rig which was aimed at snapper.

While snapper fishing is proving patchy at best, game fish are keeping anglers occupied.

John Key has downplayed the likelihood of a strict reporting regime for recreational fishers.

Recreational fishers may be required to report their catch in some of New Zealand's most popular fishing spots.

Kings are common from North Cape to the Marlborough Sounds, and have been caught off Christchurch, and spotted by divers in Fiordland and at the Chatham Islands.

With reasonably large tides this weekend and the bite time close to low tide this afternoon, there should be some good fishing.

A 25kg yellowfin tuna was caught in the Firth of Thames, and skipjack tuna can be found there too.

Sam Judd writes, "Today I thought that a story about how awesome the New Zealand coastline is would be appropriate, because what is not to love out here?"

When the weather is kind, the Hauraki Gulf teems with runabouts filled with fishers hoping for a catch.

The Government's proposals for revamping our marine protection legislation are long overdue. It is now 45 years since the Marine Reserves Act 1971 came into force, writes Raewyn Peart.

If commercial fishing is prohibited inside the boundaries of Recreational Fishing Parks, the displaced fishing effort will simply increase pressure on fish stocks outside the park boundaries, writes Jeremy Helson.

Hopefully the creation of these parks may shift the debate from who should get what, to what is holding back the fisheries to be more abundant, writes Katherine Short.