The Ten Pound Contest will have anglers trying to catch the closest snapper to 10lb (4.5kg) around Auckland next week.

Which rig is best to use on the business end of the snapper line? Some people opt for a ledger rig, others prefer a trace.

Fishing is a waiting game at the moment, with wind and weather playing havoc with anglers' hopes of getting out on the water.

Crayfish and food. That is what springs to mind when the word Kaikoura is mentioned and the translation kicks in. So when Anton Evans offers to take us out in his 9m charter boat, the Rodfather, to pick up crays we don't hesitate.

A diver who died off the coast of North Cape yesterday passed away shortly after surfacing without his gear, police say.

The 2014 trout fishing season has opened. The New Zealand Herald ventured out onto Lake Tarawera to see how anglers were doing.

As thousands of Kiwis prepare their boats to make a splash over summer, fishing expert Nicky Sinden has urged boaties to ensure their journeys don't sink before their vessels even hit the water.

The Department of Conservation is warning anglers not to eat trout in areas where 1080 poison has been dropped - a reversal of its position seven months ago.

Dave Witherow's Open Season is pitched at anglers, travellers, tourists and anyone who appreciates skilfully told fishing yarns.

Commercial fishing would be banned from the inner Hauraki gulf and the entire Marlborough Sounds under National's plan for new recreational fishing parks in those areas.

Jimmy Spithill was onto a big one. Over 400 metres below the glistening Bay of Islands sea surface, his bait had been snaffled by some monstrous creature of the deep.

Fish & Game officers step-up their efforts to combat the problem of trout poaching in the central North Island. Please help Fish & Game - if you see anything suspicious, phone 0800-poaching (0800-762244)

David Letterman once billed him as the "extreme fisherman" but Matt Watson sees himself as a custodian of the sea.

Three Auckland fishermen chanced upon a great white shark during a day in the Hauraki Gulf over the long weekend.

Three Auckland fishermen chanced upon a great white shark during a day in the Hauraki Gulf over the long weekend.

Danielle Wright discovers clubs happy to welcome you in out of the cold.

The highly prized sport fish bonefish is found on shallow, clear flats in tropical waters including the islands throughout the Pacific Ocean.

A monster kingfish surprised a party of snapper fishermen last weekend when it swallowed a bait meant for snapper. The 36kg king took the piece of pilchard on a flasher rig by the Noises and was eventually subdued on the light 10kg breaking strain line.

Snapper can still be found around Auckland, but they are only in patches and the best way to find them is to look for changes in the temperature of the water.

Snapper fishing is still going well as seasons change and fish can be found just about anywhere.

Anglers looking for a dinner of fresh fish over the long weekend don't have to go past the harbours at the moment.

There is a trout lure called a toby which has been around for generations, and like many top lures it originated in Scandinavia. But, as with most fishing experiences, one is often surprised at how the fish change the rules or do the unexpected.

Fishing is fickle, the saying goes. And as summer departs and cold nights descend and leaves start turning, the snapper turn up. It has been a long wait, but the old Maori knew this was often the way. They called May tamure, in honour of the snapper.

Recreational fishers are waking up this morning to tighter daily limits for snapper caught off the upper North Island's east coast, including the Hauraki Gulf.

Scientists have used an underwater camera to count large snapper in Hauraki Gulf marine reserves.

Celebrity chef Michael Van de Elzen has stepped up to the plate to support a charity fishing event.

Snapper fishers will need to lengthen their rulers and return more fish to the sea from Tuesday as measures to restore the country's most popular fishery take effect.

Cuts to snapper limits come into force on Tuesday, with the increase in the minimum size from 27cm to 30cm. The new rules apply only to the Snapper 1 area, which runs from Cape Runaway to North Cape on the east coast, which is the main snapper fishery.