Searching for the right spot in spring and early summer, with so many changing variables, can be frustrating. Gary Kemsley suggests a few ways to work out your best fishing plan…

Winds swinging to all points of the compass, rain in the wind and less than sub-tropical temperatures, topped off by fish that can’t decide just when to feed, are all things becoming increasingly common in this period, and all make finding a fishing location tough. But there are a few rules to go by that will help put you on the right spot at the right time. It’s all about research, reading the weather, riding the swells and finding safe access to the spots you want to fish. I will take you through a typical planning exercise for a fishing trip.

Tidal movement

The first thing I will always look at is the tidal movement on the planned day, and not just high and low tide times, but the height of the tides as well. If I want to go and fish Ocean Beach south of Cape Kidnappers here in Hawkes Bay, for instance, it takes a bit of planning. The best producing water is well away from the access point on the beach. With a quad bike you can head up to the top of the beach at high tide and reach some good spots. If you only have a four-wheel drive truck you are limited to the three to four hours around low tide, and that depends on the height of the tide. Tide times are extremely important and can define the length of your visit to not just this location, but most places with limited access and grounds for fishing.

The best producing water can be well away from the access point to the beach, as is the case with Ocean Beach.

Wind direction

Wind direction is very important too – not just during your planned fishing trip but also the days leading up to it. If the wind has been strong onshore for a couple of days, you may be arriving to a big swell and unfishable water even if it is now blowing offshore. It’s disappointing to travel long distances only to find out that you need to revert to Plan B. Ocean Beach is a difficult one to get right every time. Five days of nor-westerly or westerly winds will usually flatten it right out. If there’s even a sniff of a southerly, you may as well stay at home.

Here in Hawkes Bay, a southerly makes fishing uncomfortable and usually unrewarding. The southerly also usually indicates poor weather ahead, a temperature drop and is associated with a dropping barometer. The fish just don’t like it and shut up shop till it passes. There are exceptions of course, and one of those is that a lot of our largest snapper caught from the shore in Hawkes Bay are taken at the beginning of a southerly.

Wind blowing from the shore to the sea is ideal for the day itself. This has a few advantages. Firstly, it will help you get good distance with your casting. Aim high and let the wind make you look really good in front of your mates. Secondly, it will allow fishing in comfort – better the wind on your back than blowing in your face. And lastly, it will ultimately bring any nearby baitfish (yes whitebait too) close to shore and the fish you’re after should be following close behind.

However, there are always exceptions. During the dog days of summer when seas are calm and fish seem elusive, an afternoon onshore that sets up a half-metre jobble and some noise on the beach can bring in schools of shoalies (0.5 to 2kg snapper). Fish close as the snapper will often come right into the beach in these conditions. This is prime snapper fishing if you’re at the right beach at the right time. It happens everywhere that snapper roam. I have experienced it at Marine Parade here in Napier, Mohaka Beach, Mahanga Beach, Tahaenui, and in the far north, at East Beach, 90 Mile Beach and Tokerau Beach. Beaches that seemed barren all day can suddenly fire, and you really need to be ready for action as the bite might only last for half an hour.

Water clarity

Water clarity and salinity are other factors to consider. Some species crave clean water; others couldn’t care less. As a general rule, snapper, trevally, kingfish, gurnard and moki favour clear water (though there are exceptions with snapper and moki). In darker, dirty waters you will find red cod, sharks and rays. Smooth-hounds can show up in dirty waters too, even in the middle of the day (they generally like it really rough). Look out for rain in the days leading up to your planned trip. Heavy rain can send mud down the rivers overnight. Local knowledge as to how quick rivers can clear is invaluable.

As far as salinity goes keep in mind that freshwater floats on top of saltwater. It may look hopeless but there could be fish coming into your area under the muddy surface waters.

Best bait?

When it comes to baits, I find it’s advantageous to change your bait to suit your target species. My thoughts on best baits for desired species are as follows:

• Snapper: octopus, crayfish, crabs, tuna and pilchards.
• Gurnard: salted skipjack tuna, fresh kahawai and pilchards.
• Moki: mussels, crayfish, prawns and crabs.
• Trevally: crayfish, tuatuas, mussels and pilchards.
• Kingfish: livebait.
• Blue cod: octopus and tuna

Rigging up

When it comes to rigging up, I tend to lean towards two primary rigs. The first is a simple two-hook dropper rig with the sinker below two circle hooks on short droppers. I use this when fishing for moki and gurnard. It allows me to use two different baits if desired and keeps the baits hard on the bottom where these fish feed. Casting distance with this rig is average but it’s the way to go when fish are close.

The other rig is a pulley rig for times when distance is required to reach the feeding grounds. I use a one-metre backbone of 37kg line and an 800mm leader with a circle hook. On this leader I can add a float to lift the bait and give it a bit of movement if I want to. This makes a big difference when after kahawai. The hook is attached directly to a clip which is part of the sinker (a special sinker is required) and all clip downs like splashdowns, imp clips and impact shields are dispensed with. This gives better streamlining during the cast and more distance due to lack of drag in the air. I like to keep baits small and streamlined too. It all helps when you are attempting to reach distant holes and channels. The bait detaches when the rig hits the water. Try this and you will add metres to your casting distance. If you are floating the bait it will rise above reach of the crabs instantly.

Different locations require different rigs to get the most out of the fishing opportunities.

I use circle hooks and fish with a hard drag. This rig sets circle hooks long before you even get to the rod. These hooks were developed to be used on unattended longlines so they had to set in the fishes mouth without anyone pulling on the line. It stands to reason that they are the ideal hook for surfcasting. You just need to keep firm pressure on the line as you retrieve and the hook will stay where it is, probably in the corner of the mouth.

A final factor worth considering is your time of arrival at the chosen spot. While tides will shift fish around during the day, the two change of light periods in the morning and again in the evening are worth persevering with no matter the state of the tide.

It’s not till you write it all down like this that you realise just how much goes into making the decisions that put you in the best spot for a day of fishing, particularly when targeting a certain species. The bottom line is that good research, good bait and good decisions will result in good catches.

	This article is reproduced with permission of    New Zealand Fishing News January 2020 - Gary Kemsley Re-publishing elsewhere is prohibited