Situated right on the front doorstep of New Zealand’s biggest city, the Manukau Harbour (often referred to as the ‘Big Muddy’) is an incredibly underrated fishery. It certainly doesn’t attract the attention it deserves, so Ben Francis profiles some of the many attractions in this, the second of three articles…

If you managed to grab a copy of last month’s magazine, you’ll know that I’m a born and bred ‘westie’ and have spent my entire life fishing the waters of Manukau Harbour and beyond.

From the age of two, I was taken out and about in the 4.3m/14-foot family runabout inside the harbour. However, while I’m now fortunate enough to be able to fish over the bar, my passion for inner harbour fishing has not waned. The harbour offers the perfect playground for those who own smaller boats and is an ideal hunting ground when coastal conditions do not allow for bar crossings.

With winter now upon us and the colder weather playing havoc with the motivation to leave the comfort of a warm bed, many people will dismiss the idea of getting up early on a foggy morning to head out for a fish. What I can say for sure is that those who stay at home will catch far, far fewer fish than the guys who don their polar fleeces and beanies and get out on the water!

I will never forget my old man coming downstairs when I was a youngster, waking me up and getting me out of bed to go for a fish with him. I cannot recall a day when we didn’t come back with a good feed of fish, with the winter producing some of the most memorable days inside the harbour. I guess this played a large part in motivating me to write these two articles.

Having said that, I urge you to avoid assessing days purely on results; simply getting out with your family and/or mates is the main attraction, and if you’re enjoying yourself the fish are just a bonus.

In the next few pages I hope to provide some tips and advice to improve your winter fishing success, and encourage you to get out and give it a go.

Words of caution

Before moving on to the fishing aspects, it’s imperative that people understand that although this is a harbour environment and often apparently flat and calm, the dangers associated with the Manukau are not to be underestimated. This harbour has a huge volume of water flooding in and out with the tidal cycles, so can seem like a fastflowing river at times. Conditions inside the harbour can change in a very short time period too; I have often been caught out by wind-against-the-tide situations, leading to some very uncomfortable trips back to the boat ramp.

In the process I have also learnt that a well-maintained and sea-capable fishing platform is essential, as is all the necessary safety equipment – it’s an unforgiving environment at times.

Winter fishing in the Manukau harbour

The harbour is a dynamic environment with nutrient-rich waters that allow a diverse marine ecology to thrive. This means there are plenty of prey items available for predators to eat, and in turn there are lots of fish for us to catch.

Now it’s a matter of determining where to go and how to go about putting some fish in the chilly bin over the winter months.

THE REASON for listing the following points as numbers rather than bullets is due to each point being dependent on the previous one and some being intertwined. The ability to fully understand the potential implications of these considerations makes the difference between having a successful or unsuccessful day out, so read on...

Step 1: Tidal conditions

Tidal conditions are the single most influential factor when planning a fishing trip out on the Manukau. As a general rule, a small tide will fish far better than a big one, with much more productive fishing time leading into the slack tide. It will determine where I’m going to fish and the methods deployed (more on this in Steps 2 and 3).

Wherever I get out fishing, I aim to get there about two hours before the slack tide, and will generally fish through until two hours after the tide has turned. As the tidal flow drops away from its peak (the tidal midpoint), the fish will generally come on the bite. The bite is often intense and can continue right through the turn of the tide (slack water) until the current flow approaches peak velocity again. Keep in mind that although there is often a lull at absolute slack water, it can be well worth persevering, as some of the bigger fish hunt around at this time. As the period of reduced current flow is longer over smaller tide phases, they are generally more productive.

Now, with that sorted, we need to decide where we should go to try our luck.

Step 2: Area selection

Possible fishing-area options are obviously dependent on whether you are a beginner or have fished the harbour for many years. If you’re the former, it’s more difficult because you have yet to build knowledge of fish-holding areas, but, even so, a little bit of thought and some homework can pay dividends. Understanding how the fish move around and feed goes a long way towards figuring out potentially productive spots to try.

I personally focus my efforts on a couple of general areas – the Papakura and Waiuku Channels – with consistent success in the channels meaning I very seldom fish up on the banks. The whole harbour can fish well though, as my mates go elsewhere and catch fish pretty much everywhere they go.

In all cases though, the tidal influence plays a big part: on a small tide anywhere is suitable for fishing, but on a big tide fishing the deep channels will be difficult and can lead to the game plan being reassessed. This may mean that fishing a shallower channel such as the Waiuku or Purakau, or even a bank edge, can be a good option. If successful here, you obviously won’t need to move, but if struggling you can always head somewhere deeper when the current flow reduces – the best of both worlds!

Wherever you decide to fish, anchor up, as drifting is a waste of time in this fast-flowing harbour. Look for areas with features that indicate fish should congregate there or move through. For example, the deeper channels such as the Papakura Channel are great because they act as expressways for fish to move into and around the harbour. For similar reasons, finding little drop-offs, rocks, or where smaller channels join the main channel, can be keys to success.  

In the shallower areas it is often the subtler features that hold fish. A small gutter that feeds off a main bank system can be ideal; the fish will funnel through this area and/or hold here as the tide carries food off the banks and into the channels.

Channel edges are also well worth trying, as the fish move up onto, or come off, the banks with the tide. A personal favourite in winter involves anchoring up on the Waiuku Channel edge once the water temperature cools down.

However, it’s all very well knowing some potentially worthwhile places to fish; we also need to determine which species of fish we’re targeting to determine our final selection, and this is the main topic of next month’s third and concluding feature. 

July - 2016 - Ben Francis New Zealand Fishing News Magazine. Copyright: NZ Fishing Media Ltd. Re-publishing elsewhere is prohibited