It will more than likely be a cheap start-out rig, not designed to handle the rigours of salt water and big fish. But to the young angler it is the best rod in the world. There may well be such a prize waiting under the Christmas tree on Monday morning.
There are wharves in every part of the coast, and some produce very good fishing by any standards.
Like all fishing situations, the more remote the location the better the fishing will be. Places like the Paua Wharf on Parengarenga Harbour, Pukenui at Houhora and the wharf at Mangonui are highly regarded by serious anglers who know they can hook large kingfish, trevally, kahawai and other species from their planks.
A yellowtail set under a balloon will attract any marauding kings, but tackle has to be sturdy — a 24kg outfit will stop most kings.
A visit to the Pukenui wharf many years ago revealed a most ingenious method of extracting fish from the water. A man had a wheelbarrow full of rocks and was enthusiastically firing them into the water. "These are Zane Grey rocks!" he explained.
When he spotted a john dory, which are common around the wharf piles, he would shoot a rock at it, driving it towards the shore like a sheepdog herding errant sheep.
When the dory, which are poor swimmers, reached the shallows it floundered on to its side and the fisherman's Labrador retriever raced in and grabbed it. Dory can also be targeted with a rod and a live bait of a sprat, yellowtail or bully. The wharf at Whangamata is another where dory can occasionally be found.
Kahawai and yellowtails, or more correctly jack mackerel, are other common catches from wharves.
They will take small baited hooks which can be cast out under a float and floated with the current, or rigged above a sinker. The sabiki rigs with several hooks are also fine and can be baited with scraps of bait like pilchards or squid. The tiny, sharp hooks can easily penetrate a finger and snipping off every second hook will reduce the chance of accidents when small hands are involved.
Traditionally, both of these fish have been regarded as only good for bait or for smoking, which shows how spoiled for choice we have been here. They are fine as fresh fillets or raw fish in its different forms. But just like when fishing in a boat, don't leave the catch lying in the hot sun. Take a chilly bin packed with ice for keeping fish cold. And kahawai and mackerel destined for the table can be bled by cutting the throat, which some anglers maintain improves the flesh.
Occasionally snapper can be hooked from a wharf, but such fishing is better at night when these shy fish move closer to shore. Around Auckland the Orakei Wharf is always popular, and snapper are regularly hooked from the sidewalk under the Harbour Bridge or at the Tank Farm, or casting into the Tamaki Estuary from the end of the Glendowie sandspit at low tide. The wharf at Cornwallis is another favourite and kingfish regularly patrol these waters.
Serious surfcasters will use thin braid line and will have spare traces and hooks pre-baited with a strip of fresh squid with the skin scrubbed off ready to clip on when a fresh bait is needed. Experienced casters can send a sinker and bait soaring 100m out into the Waitemata Harbour.
Trevally are another common catch, and can be targeted by using small baits of shellfish like tuatua which is secured to the hook with bait cotton. Small hooks are needed and a landing net is advisable. Gurnard can also be hooked from the Shelly Beach Wharf near Helensville, and from the rocks below the signal station on the southern side of the Manukau Harbour entrance.
Check the fisheries regulations for size restrictions which may apply, for example snapper 30cm on the east coast and 27cm on the west coast, trevally and gurnard 25cm, while kahawai, mackerel and sprats have no minimum length requirement.
Fresh water
Heavy rain early in the week put some fresh, cold water into the Lake Taupo tributary rivers and streams, which should attract fish to the mouths at night. Brown trout are starting to run up the Tongariro River, and with cicadas starting to hatch the lower Tongariro will be worth stalking for large browns.
This is exciting fishing as it is sight fishing, and once a trout has been spotted finning quietly by the bank it is a question of casting without putting the line over the fish, but the cicada imitation should drift down over it. A twitch of the line will add movement to the fly, and fish will often swim some distance to take it.
Tip of the week
A handy bait for wharf fishing is easily made by mixing flour and water into a sticky dough, then adding some cotton wool to bind it. This can then be moulded on to a small hook aimed at small fish.
Bite times
Bite times are 4.40am and 5pm tomorrow and 5.25am and 5.45pm on Sunday. More fishing action can be found at GTTackle.co.nz.
