Fishing: Spring brightens snapper prospects

File photo / Brett Phibbs.

Fishing is all about the weather, and after a miserable spell of two months things are looking brighter. Maybe it was the shifting of the clocks to daylight saving time that made the difference, but around Auckland there are a few snapper being picked up at 35m north of the Noises, over the worm beds off Rakino Island and east of the Ahaaha Rocks.

From the area north of Kawau Island up to Omaha there are good reports of snapper moving south with schools of pilchards. One large work-up, about half a kilometre long, could be found east of Kawau last week, and that area should just get busier.

The west coast should fish well after the huge seas stirred up everything. One area that is popular after a storm is fishing at 30m, south of the Manukau Bar. You find the fishing usually comes on as dirty water starts to clear. This also applies to trout streams, to harbours and inshore waters after stormy weather.

But with snapper carrying developed roe sacs, all the signs of spring are turning up, including kowhai trees in flower before the wind stripped them bare. But the fish are not yet consistently hot in one spot, and what works one day can be barren the next. The answer is to look around, using the depth sounder to look for patches of fish on the bottom or schools of bait fish in midwater; and there are more fish on the sand than over foul at the moment.

The other obvious indicator is birds working, and that is always a magnet that charges up every snapper angler's attitude.

When approaching a work-up it is not a good idea to drive right through the centre, as some boats often do, but check the direction of the current by dropping some berley, then drifting down current away from the activity. In water of 30-40m the snapper will be some distance away from the surface action as the current carries scraps down to them. If the motor is switched off you will often find pilchards or anchovies sheltering under the boat, and the fish will come to you. A landing net can also be used to scoop up some fresh bait, which is the best option to use.

But lures like jigs and soft plastics are also a good way to find the snapper and after locating the fish you can always drop the anchor and start bait fishing, or motor back up and repeat the drift. This type of fishing is about as exciting as it gets, and from now through to Christmas should be easy to find.

With the Canterbury region recording more than 800 earthquakes since the first big shock, fishing will not be going well as experts agree that fish go off the bite for a couple of days following underwater tremors. This is common in the Bay of Plenty, where volcanic activity at White Island is usually accompanied by earthquakes. So if you experience even small shakes, don't head out on the water.

The strong winds recently will have helped the Lake Taupo fishery, and other lake fisheries, by mixing the water.

What this means is that instead of the water settling in layers, like a cake, where temperatures change by even small amounts, it will be well mixed.

This is more evident at the height of summer when temperatures peak, and trout become condensed in narrow bands where oxygen levels are favourable. Anglers who are aware of this can target trout with the use of sophisticated fish finders, and drop jigs accurately on to the fish. This is why so many trout are caught on lakes like Rotoiti in December.

The Waikato River and Lake Taupo are high after prolonged rainfall, and it is hoped that Mighty River Power does not lower the lake level drastically this summer. The food for the trout is generated in the shallow margins, and fluctuating lake levels are not conducive to a healthy trout population.

Reports from the United States detail the most expensive fishing lure in the world, and probably in history. It is a skirted big game fishing lure 30cm long and made from 1.3kg of gold and platinum, and encrusted with 100 carats of diamonds and rubies comprising 4753 stones.

The trolling lure was used in a tournament in Mexico, in 2006, and fortunately for the owner it was not lost. The lure can be bought in the US for US$1 million ($1.4 million) from MacDaddy's Fishing Lures, who make customised jewellery and fancy lures. Another report from the US tells of an antique "wooden-bronze orange fishing lure" which sold for US$31,857. So there is money in sport fishing.

More fishing action can be found on the new internet television channel FishnHunt.Tv.