Hapuku are slow growing fish and resident populations can be easily decimated by fishing pressure, which is why they are regarded as a deepwater species.

The channels are starting to fish well, but the most consistent results are in the Hauraki Gulf in 42-45m of water.

One Auckland fisherman who fishes out of Half Moon Bay, reported his first 20 pound snapper of the summer season last weekend.

Anglers dusting off their rod and reel for the new trout season have been assured that access to their favourite fishing spots won't be blocked by new health and safety laws.

It would be nice to think the Webb Ellis trophy will be on the aircraft when the All Blacks leave London to return home early in November.

If you had to pick one month of the year that is bad for fishing, August would have to take the prize.

A simple glove could make a difference, Finn Ross reckons. A decent fishing rod would be a game changer.

The whitebait season opened today, and whitebaiters will be out on the river banks at Port Waikato, the Bay of Plenty and Taranaki looking for their first catch.

Some keen types ventured out on to the water last weekend, and Saturday was a stunner. Fishing was hard around Auckland, although one nice 6.5kg snapper did come from the Ahaaha Rocks.

Elisabeth Easther took her fondness for fishing to new heights - this time from a seaplane over Auckland.

Last weekend's lovely weather enabled anglers to dust the cobwebs off the boat trailer - and some did well.

They start off by piping in the oyster, an old Scottish tradition associated more with haggis than oysters. But not in Bluff. Oysters rule in Bluff.

They were a few kilometres off the coast of Coromandel trying to catch some snapper - they then hit a 63kg pig.

There are some good snapper to be caught at the moment - when the weather allows fishing.

John Waenga can see the funny side of a fishy tale which cost him more than $700 after he lost a rental car key in Bay of Plenty surf.

Big Al has been trying to catch a big GT for about 10 years. He has made thousands of casts with a surface popper on heavy tackle in waters from Vanuatu to the Cook Islands to Tonga.

Just as hunters swap their rifle for a shotgun when the attention switches from stags to ducks, so the fishermen who never stop pursuing their love change with the seasons.

A fishing boat captain has died after being impaled by a 1.82m-long swordfish in a Hawaiian harbour.

When you reach Welcome Rock 800m above the homestead at Blackmore Station you can see why visitors are amazed by the breathtaking 360 degree scenery.

A reader writes: Is it safe to eat the oysters growing in clumps in the Manukau Harbour?

Although they are frequent visitors to the Manukau and Kaipara Harbours, white sharks are rarely seen in the gulf.

Two seasoned New Zealand spearfishermen found themselves in a sticky situation when over half a dozen sharks swarmed and stole their catch.

Thousands of anglers will next month take to the waters around New Zealand for the Million Dollar Snapper Challenge.

Thousands of anglers will next month take to the waters around NZ for the Million Dollar Snapper Challenge.

'The long-liners have been working this area," said Peter Blackwell, as he stopped the boat and dropped a baited ledger rig over the side.

The first trout have started to congregate at stream mouths in the Rotorua lakes, as temperatures plunged after this week's cold snap.

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.

The families of two fishermen missing at Port Waikato endured a third anxious night waiting for any news of their loved ones.