Fishing: Big snapper are keen to bite early

The orange kabura slow jig is a top performer when fishing under work-ups. Key is to get the lure quickly to the seabed, casting ahead of the boat's drift.

After months of miserable weather and patchy fishing, the snapper fishing has taken off. It is not yet like mid-summer, when only a cupful of petrol is needed, but the big fish are lurking and they are not far away.

Massive work-ups out in the Firth of Thames have produced the hottest fishing recently, with dolphins, gannets and whales churning the water and snapper up to 8kg taken. This sort of action can't always be found easily, and a pair of binoculars is handy for spotting the circling white dots in the sky.

Large work-ups can also be found north of The Noises and east of Tiritiri Matangi Island where birds and other predators bail up schools of bait fish and while snapper are not always thick underneath, they can be found without too much trouble.

The best approach is to drift, employing a drogue to slow the drift if there is any wind. Lures like the kabura slow jig and flutter jigs work well, and some anglers also use the older-style silver jigs effectively. The key is to get the lure quickly to the seabed by casting ahead of the boat's drift then working it by jigging, or a very slow wind for a kabura. Work the lower few metres then drop it back down, repeating the action until the lure is well back behind the boat when it is retrieved and cast again.

Big snapper are also coming from the shallows around Rangitoto Island, but they can be harder to locate. The lighthouse is always a beacon for good fishing in the surrounding reefs, and it is a question of working the tides. Big tides produce the strongest currents and this weekend the tides are good, with 3.4m today on the Waitemata Harbour, and the tide turns to come in at 5.47am, which coincides with the bite time so an early start would be a good call.

Snapper are schooling prior to spawning and in aggressive feeding mode before reproduction, which is why the first congregations produce hot fishing.

The fishing has picked up in Bream Bay with snapper up to 9kg in water up to 20m, and drifting with lures is a good approach.

In the Bay of Islands the Centre Foul and Ninepin are holding snapper, and straylining in the shallows around Tapeka Rock is producing at dawn and dusk.

Bay of Plenty snapper fishers report better results also, fishing over the sand off Matakana Island with lures and pilchards, and there are good numbers of tarakihi over the foul in 40-50m.

The west coast is producing some hot snapper also, and off the Manukau Harbour in about 50m the fish are not hard to find with one party of five anglers bagging their limits, including a couple up to 9kg, in a short time.

There is usually a run of large snapper up the coast from Taranaki northwards in October. The beaches at Mokau, Kariotahi, the top end of Muriwai and Baylys can produce some great fishing during the spring.

Another feature of this particular time of year is the incidence of big snapper forcing their way into the small opening in crayfish pots.

Freshwater

Lake Taupo is very high after a wet winter, making it hard to find the currents at the deep water river mouths. But wading the shallows and fishing for smelting fish in the early morning can be enjoyable. Rivers are clear and fishing well, with the improved quality of the fishing and the trout welcomed by fly fishers.

The Rotorua lakes fished well this week, with the largest fish coming from Lake Rotoiti. Fishing on Lake Tarawera was good, but there was a large proportion of small trout. Early morning harling produced good fishing, but deep trolling accounted for the majority of fish caught.

Bite times

Bite times are 5.20am and 5.50pm today, and tomorrow at 6.15am and 6.40pm.

Tip of the week

The biggest fish can be targeted with a whole jack mackerel (yellowtail). It is easily hooked with a 6/0 or 7/0 octopus hook inserted under the pectoral fin on one side and out through the gill plate, reversed so the point is facing backwards, which will hold the bait firmly. A half hitch round the tail with the trace and a ball sinker running freely down on to it completes the bait. The sinker can be incorporated in the half hitch.

• More fishing action on Rheem Outdoors with Geoff, 6.30m Saturdays, TV3, and at www.GTTackle.co.nz.