The shore-based fisherman will also do well along all of the coast lines mentioned and, like the fisherman in his dinghy, will find the most success at dawn and again at dusk and into the night. This is when the fish shed their fear of the shallows and venture in close, within casting range. Many techniques used in the boat can be applied to the rock-hopper.
In water of 2m to 3m you need current, patience and berley. The key is light tackle — rods are more than 2m long for casting with 6kg line on overhead reels. Spin reels are fine, but good quality is essential. The bait runner-feeder type of reel is well suited for this style of fishing as you can let the fish run before striking.
Some anglers tie a double in the end of the line and put a small ball sinker above the single hook. The bottom is clean and in shallow water 2kg to 3kg snapper go well.
You can uses half pilchards to get the fish started then switch to squid or mullet. The firmer baits produce the bigger fish, but they hang further back so longer casts are needed.
The tides are important, and on the shallow flats this can mean not being able to launch your boat before half tide. Ideally you go out early in the morning and fish the incoming, allowing three hours through to the top of the tide.
Another approach is to use soft plastic baits or micro jigs, drifting and casting out and working them back in the shallow water.
In deeper water most fishing is of the vertical type — dropping lures, or sinkers and baited hooks straight down to the sea bed. Tackle is heavier, with stronger rods and overhead reels spooled with 15kg line and 20kg traces set up as ledger rigs.
Hooks are recurve style for their self-hooking ability, baited with chunks of pilchard or bonito. All anglers should use the same size sinker to prevent lines tangling.
Drifting in deep water over reefs or pinnacles is a more specialised approach for targeting large snapper. There is a misconception that heavy gear is needed to land trophy fish; more often it's a combination of being in the right place, with the right bait presentation and handling your rod in the correct manner.
Rods rated 6-10kg with stiff butts for lifting power and soft tips for added feel coupled with an overhead or free-spool reel, this combination lets you feel the bites and runs you often get while dropping the bait.
The lighter lines allow a more natural movement from your bait, as you require less weight on the drop and there is less friction from thinner line dragged through the water. A popular rig is a two-fixed-hooked rig with 80cm to 1m of trace with a sliding ball sinker above the hooks.
The trace is attached to the main line with a swivel, with 6/0 to 8/0 suicide hooks to match the size of the baits.
When snapper are softer biting, such as in the winter months, 5/0 to 6/0 circle hooks are used.
These are both tied with a snood or long-line knot 8cm apart and the recommended trace depends on the time of year and how the fish are feeding.
Game fishing has taken off around the country, with sea temperatures reaching 26.4C off Raglan last week.
Tip of the week
A good indication of trace to use is the shape of the snapper's teeth. Use tougher, hard trace of 60 to 80lb when the snapper have sharp teeth and are hitting the baits hard, or 40lb when the fish are biting slowly or feeding on the sand and have blunt teeth. More information at GTTackle.co.nz.
Bite times
Tomorrow 7.50am and 8.20pm, Sunday 8.50am and 9.20pm.
