Fishing: Scallops easy pickings with mild weather

Scallops are a good option for those finding the fishing hard.

Right now you can pick them up in knee-deep water from both the Manukau Harbour and the beds off Waiheke if you know where to look. And the shellfish are fat, full of roe and in very good condition.

Even the inner-harbour beds around Rangitoto seem to be in very healthy condition for early spring and the recent run of mild, settled weather may be the reason.

The weather is again impacting on the fishing but after the exceptionally bad run at this time last year, 2005 is a pleasant change. Snapper are fat, some already heavy with roe and the school fish are clearly feeding up ready to spawn. Just before and just after that happening they will come on the bite with a vengeance.

Anglers are reporting a wide catch-bag from the Hauraki Gulf this year. It is far more common to take home blue cod or gurnard. Trevally, scorpion fish/grand-daddy hapuku, parrot fish among others seem to be about in greater numbers. And for the first time in around 20 years there are schools of kahawai, regularly.

The small rainfall bursts in the central North Island are triggering major trout runs in the Taupo/Tongariro area. Even the heat showers of late afternoon have prompted a big change in the numbers of fish in the river.

Genesis Energy spilled water over dams on the Hinemoa River early in the week, prompting another run despite there being no increase in water flow, just diversion around the turbines.

Best tackle is still 14/16 nymphs and copper wire tails work well, says Department of Conservation fisheries manager Glenn Maclean. Some technique is needed as the fish are wary, the water low and clear.

Two weeks out from the opening day at Rotorua the season is shaping as a boomer, says Steve Smith of Fish and Game.

Surveys of lake-caught trout show they are bigger than in recent seasons and that fish released two years ago have put on a growth spurt, perhaps again due to favourable weather. The smelt runs that were so late last year have started early this year and anglers are already catching fish harling in the shallows.

One Rotorua angler scored a 7kg brown trout this week. The fish in both Lake Tarawera and Lake Okataina will be bigger than those caught last season, Smith predicts.

The snapper catch remains patchy. Those landed are in very good condition, the grey/white fat of omega three slicking the knife.

Be wary for touches. What some anglers believe to be the "little pickers" of summer are in fact big fish mouthing the bait - they are not yet in hard-feed mode. The best method I've found lately is a slow retrieve or allowing the bait to 'walk' slowly across the bottom.

Movement is a key to bringing them on the bite. Soft baits have been effective for some but I've been fishing in close to weedy reefs, where they tend to snag too often.

There has been much debate during our fishing trips about the value of dispensing with any trace line, tying direct to an 8kg mainline, which is clearly encouraging more bites. It is also prone to bust-offs when fishing in close in shallow water and I'll agree I'd like a dollar for every time I've been snaked by a big fish and another for the expletives that followed.