Boating New Zealand — January 2018

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adult fish from up and down the Northland coast.

Called the ‘schooling season’ it usually takes place during

October and November but it can be earlier or later. When it’s

late, holiday fishers experience a snapper fishing bonanza, but

most years the fish have gone off the boil by Christmas and the

fishing is tough.

That doesn’t mean you can’t catch fish: early starts and

taking the trouble to fish less-trafficked areas will pay dividends.

So will exploring the harbours and bays, which fill with post-

spawn snapper of all sizes hunting invertebrates and baitfish.

The rocky shorelines start to hold fish too, but you might have

to work for them, deploying plenty of berley or covering a lot of

water with your soft baits.

Out deeper, schooling snapper move around the bay, bottom

feeding and also joining the occasional work-up. Sporadic

spawning continues, so it’s possible to come across concentrations

of amorous snapper in the middle of the bay right through until

February or March, as is also true in the Hauraki Gulf.

Some of the most enjoyable holiday fishing can be found

‘up the creek’ in the tidal channels of estuaries and the upper

reaches of some of our harbours. Light tackle and well-presented

baits stray-lined into a berley trail at dawn or dusk can produce

really good fishing for snapper, kahawai, trevally and even

kingfish. However, boat traffic, jet-skis, swimmers and any

other water activities will turn the fish off very quickly.

If you restrict your fishing to ‘business hours,’ as many

holidaying families do, catching a feed can be more of a

challenge. Your best bet is probably to seek out areas of foul

ground in deeper water, or try any shellfish or worm beds

snapper are known to frequent. Fishing behind working scallop

boats can be good too, or near mussel farms, especially when

harvesting is underway. Fish are less alarmed by boat noise in

deep water and therefore more likely to bite. BNZ

When it’s easy to

catch fish, there is a

tendency for people to

get caught up in the

excitement.

ABOVE Getting on the water early

or late in the day can pay dividends

in summer.

BELOW New Zealanders head for

the beach en masse in summer,

all looking to enjoy its many

attractions, including fishing.

BOATINGNZ.CO.NZ

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