Warehou can be caught by using a mid-water longline.

As warmer months approach, Peter Langlands offers up a few suggestions to help anglers ‘bring home the bacon’ when fishing in the briny.

One of the most exciting elements to marine fishing for me is learning new techniques and strategies, not only to keep fishing exciting and challenging, but ultimately because the more options available, the better the chance some seafood will end up on the table at the end of the day.

The following 10 methods and tactics worked well last season:

Scoop-netting over mudflats at night

During the night large garfish (piper) and mullet move in over shallow water, especially over eelgrass beds. Garfish in particular are attracted to lights and will swim dazed just below the surface. A large whitebait scoop net will allow you to catch them. Garfish are top eating and well worth the effort to catch. Wading quietly over firm sand is the best approach.

Setting up a mid-water long-line.

Over the summer months a wide range of fish will feed in mid-water, such as kahawai, warehou and salmon. By using a 25-hook long-line with the hook snoods spread well apart and a system of floats set between every group of five hooks, you can spread the presentation of your baits through the water column to increase the range of species you catch.

Catch results can be further enhanced by using flasher rigs, as many mid-water fish are visually attracted. Also use a range of baits such as pilchards, small squid and soft-plastic teasers. Teasers can be added in addition to the 25 hooks allowed.

Targeting butterfish on long surf rods

Recent set-net bans have seen butterfish numbers build in many of our inshore waters. While many people consider butterfish herbivores and therefore difficult to catch on a hook, they can be targeted and caught on a rod and line. By releasing a berley of finely cut kelp, sand and crushed prawn shells, and then presenting small pieces of prawn on a small flasher hook with a luminous bead, you can attract butterfish to take your bait. Butterfish are well worth catching: possessing a streamlined, trout-like form they fight hard and are also top eating. Butterfish are most active over the summer, which is when they are most likely to be caught on baits.

Flounders on soft-bait lures

For me, exploring estuaries is good fun as they are easily accessible using small craft and kayaks. All of our large harbours and estuaries have good flounder populations (river mouths along the east coast of the South Island have good populations of black flounders, too), making it possible to target them in those with reasonable water visibility (especially Southland/Otago and the Marlborough Sounds) using small soft-baits.

By fishing the deep channel edges during the day and shallower waters at night (adding luminous attractor beads), flounder will take a slowly worked soft-bait. Be sure to cover new ground as flounders can be spread out, but at times they will be found in groups, too. Flounders put up a reasonably hard fight for their size; I like to use 4kg braid as it gives me the bite sensitivity I need.

Flounder long-lines

Flounders can also be caught on a lightweight long-line fished over the mudflats from either a boat or by wading out at low tide. Small hooks are the key – around #8-12 – baited with sand worms, small pieces of prawn, pilchards or sweetcorn. Use a variety of baits and alternate them between the hooks. Use about 15-pound (7kg) traces and a 27kg backbone/main line. As many inshore harbours have summer set-netting bans, using a long-line with small hooks is a good Plan B (drag-netting is another option if you have a few mates). Large yelloweyed mullet and kahawai provide a welcome bycatch. 
Setting is best done at night to avoid any bird bycatch issues; a soak of about two hours is ideal.

Float fishing

Another fun way to cover the mid-water zone and fish in amongst the rocks and kelp involves using a float. You can swing your bait into the surge and in amongst the foul. Use a long rod and small- to medium-sized hooks. A wide variety of fish can be caught in reef areas – such as large banded wrasse and butterfish – and many are fun to catch. Use some berley to encourage bottom fish (such as blue cod) up and out of the weedy foul. By using a stopper knot you can control the depth at which your baits are presented in the water column. Try a variety of hook and bait sizes; the rig can sport up to three hooks. Crimp on just enough split-shot to sink the baits and cock the float. You can have a lot of fun by effectively adapting coarse-fishing methods to saltwater.

Berley

Employing berley to attract fish is often a major advantage. A slingshot makes a great way to deposit balls of berley in exactly the spot you’re casting the baited float into. This is a coarse-fishing technique, but works every bit as well in the salt.

Snorkelling

Spearfishing over estuary channels and sand flats is productive and fun. While many people take the time to snorkel over reefs during summer, try exploring more open environments. You can spear flounders, soles, stargazers and other species by snorkelling over open ground at times. There is also a wide range of shellfish that can be taken. In addition, if you own a pontoon boat, try towing a small dredge for the wide range of edible surf-clam species we have, many of which are overlooked (at this stage) by the recreational fishing sector.

Bow fishing

Bow fishing and its potential has been explored (especially for koi carp) in recent years, yet there is an opportunity to take bow fishing into estuary and harbour environments to target a wide range of marine fish. Large yelloweyed mullet, kahawai and kingfish are all realistic options. Working around surface-schooling pelagic fish is also an option for bow fishers. For North Islanders, large grey mullet and parore are possible targets for those keen on trying out some shallow-water bow fishing options in the estuaries.

Combine your interests

Summer provides a wonderful opportunity to integrate interests. A kayak offers a good way to deploy a beach long-line. I also know of surfers taking long-lines out off the beach at Spencer Park, resulting in good catches of elephantfish. Having a friend who is a competent whitewater kayaker is an advantage when some waves are running. Not only can a kayak be used to deploy a long-line off the beach, they can also take surfcasters’ baits out further than they’d be cast. A small kayak is easy enough to carry or be put on the car’s roof-rack: it’s a good angling accessory that increases your options when fishing from the shore.