Small kingfish have turned up in large numbers around Crusoe Rock, and casting poppers or stick baits or dead piper around the channel marker buoys at low tide can trigger some good action. On light tackle these battlers are impressive.
Live baits set along the edge of the reef will target larger fish, particularly if kahawai are used. Small baits such as yellowtails or sprats will catch fish, but a larger proportion of small kings will be hooked as they are much more aggressive.
The liveys can be fished either on the seabed with a breakaway sinker attached with dental floss to the swivel, or under a balloon. When on the bottom they are hooked through the nose, and on the surface the hook goes through the back in front of the dorsal fin.
In Bay of Plenty, kings are running well on pinnacles like those off the Aldermen Islands and reefs like the Penguin Shoals.
They can be hooked on surface lures such as poppers and stick-baits around the reefs, or speed jigs over deep pins. One favoured spot with canny local anglers is the deep reef off Cape Runaway, near Waihau Bay, where huge snapper and kingfish congregate to spawn at this time of year, and some seriously large fish are taken.
There is a famous photo of an angler holding two snapper weighing 19.5kg and 17.7kg which he caught on speed jigs while jigging for kingfish in mid-December.
Out in the Firth of Thames some larger snapper are being taken, and whole fresh yellowtail is the top bait for the big ones.
This can be fished on one rod, casting the bait well away from the boat and the rod left in the rocket launcher with the drag set lightly and the clicker on to signal a strike. You want the fish to be able to run with the bait, and you soon know when something takes it.
Meanwhile, you can continue fishing under the boat with regular cut baits. Most big snapper are caught of fresh baits like this, and if a live yellowtail is used the occasional kingfish or stingray comes along to stir things up. It is also a good bet for a john dory for the frying pan.
Although large snapper are always a target for keen fishermen, many people realise that these are old fish which are also breeders and don't make good eating.
They are better returned to the water, perhaps after taking a photo; but you can take the photo in the water and remove the hook from the snapper's mouth with a pair of needle-nosed pliers and the fish will be sure to survive.
Holding a fish up in the air is not good. They cannot support their weight in the air. Avoid slipping fingers into gills, which are highly sensitive, and if you must hold the fish up cradle its stomach with a forearm for support.
To encourage the releasing of fish the trend in fishing contests overseas is to judge catches on length, taking a photograph of the fish on a special board with the date, then requiring it to be released.
Fresh water
The runs of trout into the Lake Rotorua tributaries such as the Ngongotaha and Waiteti Streams have slowed down, but brown trout can be targeted in the shallows around the stream mouths.
The fish hang around the mouths waiting to run up, and it can be exciting — but challenging — fishing as the angler first spots a cruising fish than casts in front of it. Bully imitations such as a Mrs Simpson or Hamills Killer work well, as the slower swimming browns favour bullies while their rainbow cousins like to chase smelt.
Fly fishing at cold water stream mouths such as the Awahou Stream will improve as water temperatures rise. Harling and shallow trolling on all the lakes is best at dawn, although Lake Okataina has been the hardest place to catch a fish.
As the sun rises and fish move deeper, lines which can get down to 15 metres are used with lures like the black toby or traffic light.
Jigging on Lake Rotoiti is picking up and the west bank has been the most consistent area.
On Lake Tarawera, jigging and deep trolling has been working well, and harling at first light with a red setter is always popular.
Tip of the week
When bait fishing a piece of rag tied to the trace helps attract fish. It can be a thin strip of red or yellow cloth about 15cm long tied tightly around the trace.
Bite times
Bite times are 6.05am and 6.30pm tomorrow and 7am and 7.20pm on Sunday. More fishing action can be found at GTTackle.co.nz.
