Spring Coromandel snapper

Every year as winter moves to spring, massive change occurs with a large number of fish making their way into the Hauraki Gulf and Firth of Thames to spawn. It all starts just before the winter months when schooling snapper move out of the Gulf to spend much of their time in deeper waters. This takes them to the eastern zones of Great Barrier, Cuvier, Mercury Islands and even further afield. Coromandel acts like a barrier to the Pacific Ocean on its east side, protecting part of the Hauraki Gulf and Firth of Thames.

This also shapes the path of migrating fish, which is why the snapper returning from winter become concentrated as they move around. This migration usually coincides with spring continuing into early summer. The concentrations peak in numbers as they reach the upper reaches of Coromandel. From here, the snapper travel along and down the western side of the peninsula where they disperse into various areas like the Firth of Thames. Putting yourself in the snapper highway can offer some of the most amazing and consistent fishing on offer.

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Spring Coromandel snapper

Finding the migration path

All along the east coast from Opito Bay, snapper move in as they head north to the top of Coromandel Peninsula and around the north-western corner before dispersing out into the open grounds. During the travel time, they will remain in water depths from 10 to 50 metres.

A certain percentage of individual snapper will go into shallow areas; however, the majority stay deep. To be successful, it’s crucial to put yourself in the right location; no easy feat given the large area on offer. Understanding the time frame of snapper movements adds another layer to the puzzle - the consensus is that they move from late September to December. This year things are a little early, no doubt due to warmer than usual conditions, so things are slightly ahead of usual. The best places to focus on during the early part of this movement is down the east coast. After the migration has run its course, for a month the fish are more likely to be in the upper areas of the peninsula, yet some schools will have already made it down into the Firth of Thames. The upper reaches of Coromandel’s west coast provide consistent numbers of fish with schools of snapper peeking out during November. Then things will start to drop off in this area, and the remaining parts of the west coast get productive from October with some really nice patches of fish moving through. When they are moving around pre-spawning, they tend to feed hard to prepare themselves. During the migrations, a large number of snapper stay in water depths from 10 to 30 metres, preferring sandy substrate with contours changes.

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Snapper that are moving along the sea floor will more likely be in the deepest areas so try fishing the bottom of a slight drop off, as this is likely to hold fish. Coromandel’s coastline offers plenty of these, which form the path that the snapper travel down. Studying a marine chart or doing some hunting around with your sounder can assist with locating them.

Catch snapper with just about anything

With such high concentrations of snapper during the migration period, fishing can be hot.

At this time, snapper can strike at almost anything you put in front of them, which makes this a great time to experiment with artificial lures. Soft-baits are an excellent option that can be relied upon to put fish on the table. Options like four-inch jigging grubs are perfect for the job.

Spring Coromandel snapper

Slower sink rates are the key with soft-baits because the migrating fish will generally hit the lure before it reaches the sea floor. If it does get down without interest, a few flicks of the rod tip as you retrieve seems to incite interest from snapper passing by. One of the things I enjoy is capturing fish on objects that are made to match the species that fish prey on. This is very satisfying for an angler and soft-baits already do this really well by using traditional shapes that closely resemble baitfish and other marine life. Shaped lures made of metal that rely on exterior coatings plus different variations with added bling can also be effective. These can be found within the jig and inchiku tackle range with all useful options. Success comes down to proper techniques in combination with the right lure and the best way to learn this is achieved by getting out on the water and using them. Don’t be afraid to vary your technique - if it works, incorporate it into your routine. One thing is sure, lures do seem to get well above average percentage of interest from snapper during the annual migration runs. Micro jigs are especially effective at this time of year with one jig capable of providing consistent fishing during an entire day.

Techniques

Spring Coromandel snapper

Moving over an area of water is the best way to fish with soft-baits, allowing anglers to prospect as they move along. This is known as 'drifting' and may require the use of a sea anchor to slow the vessel down when wind is present. Getting the drift speed down to a minimum is part of the key to success. This not only allows the angler to stay in touch with what’s going on but also stay where the fish are for longer. Getting a handle on the drift direction can pose problems, so it’s best to do a dummy run which will allow the direction to be tracked. The easiest way to track movement is by using a chart plotter.

When drifting in the shallows, keep the noise down to a minimum - something that is easy when using a kayak. However, if fishing from a boat, try cutting the motor before you reach the starting point. Another option is using pedal-powered kayaks that offer the user an ability to eliminate the sea anchor because it’s possible to control the drift by forward and reverse pedalling. Electric motors that manoeuvre and navigate a vessel as well as hold it in current or wind can also be used successfully. In terms of fishing techniques, drifting also caters to methods that involve casting ahead or dropping down and dragging behind. Soft-baits offer ways to fish all of these options, but so can lures. For example, small micro jigs and other fluttery jigs can be effective when cast ahead of the drift. Doing this over sandy substrates is suggested to avoid snags which are perfect during the migration runs as the snapper prefer this kind of terrain.

The trick with casting ahead of the drift is keeping in touch with the soft-bait or jig as it sinks down to the sea floor. Jigs can be more challenging to master because of the action that is often fluttery causing them to dart all over the place. This will create slack line - the most common cause for anglers to lose touch with what’s happening. Soft-baits are much easier to deal with in this situation because their descent is usually more direct, unlike the jig that can hang in the water column for longer periods of time.

With soft-baits, the jighead they are rigged on will offer information about its sink rate on the pack it came in. This means you can count down the depth to know when it’s about to hit the sea floor. If you experience a lot of slack line while fishing with jigs, it could be because of current and subsequent high drift-speed. In this situation, you will need to change your technique. It’s best to slow-wind the reel, taking up any excess line as the lure descends to the bottom. Keep the rod tip down as close to the water as possible, so it is pointing in the direction of the soft-bait or jig.

There are various ways to retrieve soft-baits, jigs and inchiku lures. Casting ahead of the drift and twitching the rod tip upwards while retrieving back to the angler and vessel is the primary technique used. Movement is the key to inciting a bite, and by creating an erratic action the soft-bait or jig will attract the interest of a fish. Whether you're dropping down below the vessel or dragging along the bottom behind it, the same twitches can be applied in all cases. Soft-baits do well with this method, but inchiku lures and micro jigs can have other techniques applied.

Micro jigs can be slow-pitched, which involves lifting the rod tip high and dropping down again. Inchiku lures can be moved by using the reel and making quarter turns of the handle. Another option is to leave the lure hanging just above the sea floor and put the rod put in the holder. With the lure left to its own devices, any motion created by the movements on the vessel will work to give the soft-bait, jig or inchiku its action. Lastly, be prepared to work any of the lures through different depths as the fish can be moving through the mid-water at times.

These migrations provide plenty of opportunities, and your success will come down to an ability to provide what the snapper wants on any given day. Finding this sweet spot is all part of the challenge and when it figured out you could have some outstanding fishing.

Spring Coromandel snapper

 

 

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October - 2018 - Rob Fort

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

 

 

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