While landbased angling is rarely a ‘shooting fish in a barrel’ kind of affair, it is an extremely satisfying and enjoyable form of wetting a line. Casting a lazy line from a beach is the perfect family activity, or, for the more adventurous, there is always the option of bushwhacking and scrambling your way to a remote oceanic ledge. Here are a few pointers to help stack the odds in your favour and make bringing home the goods a shore thing… pun intended. 

Gearing up

Fortunately, it’s a small investment to gear up to cast a line from the shore. When surfcasting from the beach or shallower rocky ledges, casting distance is normally important. That’s where long rods (12-14’) come in handy, allowing long casts and holding the line above the breakers when your baits are out. Specialised surfcasting reels feature large-diameter spools which also maximise distance, but any large spin reel will do the job. Pre-tied rigs are great for surfcasting. Simple ledger rigs with a breakout sinker that holds in the sand are effective, although keen surfcasters often make their own long-cast rigs that incorporate a pulley and clip-down feature designed to give extra casting distances. The other crucial bit of kit is a rod spike and a deck chair so you can sit down and enjoy the fishing hands-free!

Baits from the beach should be firmly secured. Fresh kahawai or frozen mullet have tough skins, or you can use softer baits like pilchards or shellfish and wrap them onto the hook with bait cotton. Shellfish baits are particularly effective on trevally and blue moki. Casting lures can also be effective from the shore, particularly for kahawai at river mouths and estuary or harbour entrances. Small, silver lures like chrome slices are perfect for attracting these hard-fighting fish. 

For rockfishing off ledges with access to deeper water, a variety of fishing techniques can be applied. Fishing unweighted baits into a big berley trail is a tried-and-true method for catching big snapper, trevally, kahawai and kingfish off the bricks. A spin reel matched with an 8-10’ rod is perfect for this. The more berley the merrier, and often on more remote spots you’ll have fish swimming around right at your feet, munching on your tasty Hansel and Gretel trail. Make sure you pack a decent pair of polarised glasses. Lenses specifically designed for shallow water or trout anglers really come into their own for not only identifying fish swimming below, but also for seeing when a fish is homing in on your bait or lure. Once you’ve hooked your prize, a long-handled gaff is helpful for safely landing it. 

Picking your spot

Fortunately, we are surrounded by coastline here in New Zealand, so the shore fishing opportunities are pretty much endless. West coast beaches are prone to big waves, but when conditions allow they offer some exceptional fishing. Ideally, you want to land your baits in deeper gutters and channels that sit between the banks and sandbars along surf beaches. Note that these shift greatly depending on the stage of the tide.

On the east coast, generally the more remote beaches such as those in the Far North, East Cape, Hawke’s Bay and Wairarapa offer the best fishing. In saying that, however, there are nice snapper catches to be had around Auckland’s inner-city beaches, so you can’t write off any spot until you’ve tried it! 

Similarly, the prime rockfishing spots tend to be remote ledges that offer depth, current and decent water clarity. Think Northland, Coromandel, East Cape, and offshore islands such as Great Barrier. These areas are definitely where you want to head if you’re after consistent year-round trophy snapper and kingfish action. Google Earth is a great tool to scope out rocky areas that have a lot of foul close to deep water or current. A bit of wash tends to help your chances, and having the wind behind your back makes casting and seeing fish a breeze.

However, there are many more accessible locations that produce desirable species like kingfish and john dory – especially during the warmer months. Harbour entrances, break-walls, and wharves where baitfish congregate are all worth a crack. 

For spots with decent hikes in and out, having your gear organised and secured well with rod straps and bags will make life a lot easier! 

Turning the odds in your favour

Like all fishing, good preparation will help you make the most of your fishing time. Experienced surfcasters will often have spare rigs ready to go with pre-rigged baits so they can get back in the fishing zone immediately after checking baits or landing a fish. Another tip is wearing a bait bucket with a belt to ensure pre-cut baits are always on hand.  

Berley can be a real game-changer off the rocks. Unlike boat anglers who can drift or change spots regularly to cover ground, landbased folk are confined to their chosen ledge. So, it makes sense to bring the fish to you with an oily attractant. A variety of New Zealand species become aggressive and cocky when you berley up a storm from the rocks – and watching snapper, trevally and kingfish cruising around literally at your feet certainly gets the knees a bit weak! Salmon berley is excellent with its high oil content.

Another secret weapon is taking the time to catch a few livebaits like mackerel, mullet, piper or kahawai. It’s no surprise that predatory fish often want to eat the real deal, and you can look like a superhero when you hook up to a big john dory or kingfish down at the local wharf! The other bonus is that any livebait you nab can be repurposed as fresh cut or whole bait to target other desirable species like gurnard and snapper – you beauty! The final piece of advice is to aim for dawn and dusk (and even night) bite times, when predatory fish use the cover of darkness to hunt the shallows.

For all your fishing tackle and boating equipment, visit jarviswalker.co.nz

- NZ Fishing News