KEY POINTS:
There is a snapper fishing bonanza under way in the Hauraki Gulf right now. Get out past the 40m mark and you're in.
The high-pressure weather systems of recent days have produced brilliant conditions, with anglers cleaning up under big work-ups of dolphins and whales that are feeding
on anchovies.
Spot these via the wheeling gannets then jig, using fish weighted soft-baits or flasher and ledger rigs.
The gulf still holds lots of anchovy schools, and this fishing will continue until a sustained, southerly cold blow arrives, which will drive the snapper in-shore and the bulk into deeper water for winter.
At the moment, both varieties are feeding hard on the fall-out from the work-ups, as well as on worms and small crustaceans, according to the evidence after filleting.
Often, the fish are holding in numbers in areas where there is no foul ground, over sand and mud where worms are prevalent.
Find them on the sounder, work out the direction of drift according to wind and current, then turn the sounder off and work through them.
Drift-fishing has been much more productive than fishing while anchored. Berley is not necessary in these depths, though it will hold snapper on the bite.
We have been bagging the limit on every trip, and the snapper are all in the 40-80cm range, well-fed and good eating. That was the case with charter skipper Alan Viskovich on Cobalt, who persevered with the desire of most of our crew to use soft plastics in close for most of a day.
Few fish were landed while working the eastern side of Waiheke Island for several hours in usually productive spots. And they were in the 30-35cm range.
Same story at Gannet Rock in deeper water. But as soon as we hit the 43m mark, the fish were on. With a backdrop of Alan talking about "real fishing" - meaning with bait - the softy enthusiasts all gradually changed, and soon the bigger fish started coming over the side in numbers.
There is no doubt the plastics work. Some people regard them as the new be-all and end-all. I prefer to think of them as yet another tool in the arsenal, as jigs are. Some days they work, on other days the fish prefer something else, just as squid will be best bait one day and pilchard the next.
The best snapper were caught on fresh yellowtail mackerel strip baits on a running rig, and Viskovich confirms this is his usual experience.
Be alert as whatever rig you use gets near the bottom. The fish will rise up to take food, but often there is no hard strike and the unwary will either lose their bait or miss setting the hook if using soft plastics.
* Meetings continue regarding the Maui's dolphin "threat management plan" being prepared by the Department of Conservation and Ministry of Fisheries.
At Titirangi RSA on Monday, the Conservation and Fisheries representatives were told there was little faith among both commercial and amateur fishers that they will get a fair hearing on the issue.
Fishing representatives want any extension of existing net bans dealt with under the Fisheries Act, so they must be considered. Forest and Bird, the World Wildlife Fund and others are pushing for measures under the Conservation or Marine Mammals Sanctuary Acts.
* The Hokianga Accord working group of Maori and interested fishing parties will hold its ninth meeting in August, venue to be determined.
As Maori generally grapple with balancing their commercial fishing interests against recreational rights and ability to catch fish, Ngapuhi have said they will support conservation quotas in the interests of growing fish stocks.
"Food on the table for the whanau and our mokopuna must take priority over commercial interests," said Te Runanga a Iwi o Ngapuhi representative Paul Haddon.
Other Maori iwi are opposed to Fisheries Minister Jim Anderton's intention to change the law to ensure quota decisions lean towards conservation, especially when the science of fish stocks is inexact.