Local angler Ben Francis provides some insights into this unique fishery, covering how to get onto the fish, with a few cautionary words for those unfamiliar with west coast bar crossing and conditions…

Spring is an exciting time for anglers across New Zealand, especially for those targeting snapper in the upper North Island. When it comes to the wider Auckland region, the vast majority of anglers spend their time out in the Hauraki Gulf chasing the extensive work-ups, and why wouldn’t you with all the excitement that goes with it? However, there is another option when one looks across the isthmus, beyond the notorious Manukau Bar to the vast waters of the Tasman Sea.

The snapper fishing during the spring months can be nothing short of spectacular on the west coast. Many anglers will boast of catches with fish in the 3-7kg range, with the odd bigger specimen in between. When you fillet them, your knife comes out smeared in fat, the end result being tasty fillets that can be shared with friends and family. In this article, I will share some of the experience I’ve gained from fishing this patch of coastline throughout my life.

Where to head – the lay of the seafloor…

When out on the water, most anglers start the day by asking themselves where they want to head. There are no obvious answers when looking at the chart plotter on the west coast.

The bottom topography inside the continental shelf (<150 m) is devoid of any significant structure. The bottom is generally comprised of silt, mud and sand, which has built-up over the majority of the inshore topographical features.

As a result, it can be quite difficult for anglers new to the coast to decide where to focus their efforts. However, on the west coast it’s more about fishing the contours. The bait usually congregates in specific depth ranges at certain times of the year and finding these places should be the goal. As we are talking about spring, it is worth heading out to between 50 and 65m, which is known by local anglers as the general ‘zone’.

In my opinion, it’s not overly important to find sign on the sounder but if you happen upon good sign, then by all means use that as a starting point. Unless you know your sounder, however, this will often result in plague proportions of kahawai, so be wary of this. I’ve had some fantastic days where I’ve simply dropped the anchor on a seemingly lifeless bottom and then been into the fish within minutes… it’s amazing how quickly fish that are spread out will congregate if there is something happening beneath the boat.

There are more considerations when it comes to finding good areas that will consistently produce fish on the west coast but we will leave those for a future article.

It’s not just snapper

When one mentions the west coast in spring, snapper are certainly the target species. The fishing can be exceptional with very few undersized fish caught and plenty of pannie-plus sized fish gracing the chilly bin. If the bite is hot, it’s not uncommon to pull up double-headers on every drop, which undoubtedly leaves many anglers with the impression that snapper are the only fish on the bottom.

This is, however, not the case. When things are a bit slower, the “by-catch” can include gurnard and kahawai, and the occasional addition of trevally, kingfish and, if you are lucky, the very odd tarakihi. If you’re keen on taking home a mixed bag then the Manukau can certainly provide that on the right day.

Wayne Thorburn with a typical fat spring kingfish, caught using a simple baited ledger rig.

Bait or artificials?

Ask any old school Westie fisherman and you’ll get a pretty consistent response when it comes to catching fish out west: “yeah, just chuck a couple of baits on a simple ledger rig and you’re good to go.” Now, as much as I like to experiment and support my local tackle store and manufacturer of shiny lures, I would group myself in this old-school way of thinking, simply because bait works very well. I like to work on the principle of KEEPING IT SIMPLE!

I personally think the Manukau is predominantly seen as a successful bait fishery due to the general lack of fish-holding structure or work-ups to hold the fish in a given area. As a result, the fish can be quite spread out at times, so getting a bait in the water will usually attract one or two fish, which in turn attract a few more, and so on. Be patient; it can take a little while to get things going but once it’s happening, you’ll end up with a feeding frenzy underneath the boat.

The go-to bait fishing rig used over the Manukau is a simple two hook ledger rig, with a weight to suit the depth, current or your preferred style of fishing. Any of the commonly available rigs from your local store will work; however, due to the gear loss attributed to toothy critters which the west coast is well known for, using pre-made rigs can become an expensive exercise. To help maintain fishing funds, I tie my own ledger rigs. 24-37kg clear/blue monofilament and 4/0 or 5/0 recurve hooks will cover all of your bases pretty well. I’ve found that using a clear/blue monofilament will help keep shark by-catch down, in contrast to hi-vis mono from left over game fishing spools which seems to attract sharks and barracouta. Using heavier trace doesn’t seem to impact the snapper fishing and gives you security in the event you hook a decent kingfish or trace-crushing moocher (it’s amazing what a snapper’s grinders can do to heavy trace).

When it comes to fishing with lures, I’ve tried both soft-plastics and many of the hard-body lure variations with varying levels of success. There is no doubt that they do work and I have some mates that persevere and do well; however, I’ve found that bait is the more consistent producer. It does seem that many of the bigger specimens are caught on lures so if you are after that trophy fish, then maybe this is the way to go…

If you are going to persevere with lures, it’s important to consider that during spring you will generally be targeting the 50 to 65m depth range. I’ve found that the hard-body slider type lures are the most effective, particularly when worked slowly up and down or simply left in the care of Mr. Rod Holder – a surprisingly effective way to catch a few fish if you are feeling lazy or having lunch.

After giving full consideration to the often extreme west coast conditions, as well as the above advice on catching a few fish, you will be all set to have a good day with your crew and gather a feed for the table.

The writer with a couple of representative west coast snapper.

I haven’t provided detailed advice on crossing the Manukau Bar, so if you would like to know more about this or anything else related to fishing the west coast, please feel free to follow me on Instagram and flick through a message (@benfrancis_133).

Tips for Fishing Across the Manukau Bar

It’s probably fairly clear from my introduction that although fishing the west coast can be very appealing and productive, it’s not a simple matter of just hooking the boat up and launching at your local ramp. If you are considering crossing the Manukau Bar, I cannot emphasise enough the importance of making sound decisions and following every safety precaution available to you.

This is a topic that could fill an article in itself so I’m not going to cover every detail, but the following are a good starting point and should be considered by anybody looking at fishing across the Manukau Bar.

• Ensure your vessel is fully sea-worthy and has all the safety equipment recommended by the Coastguard on board.

• Understand the forecast and how this can affect local conditions by talking to the Coastguard and local fishermen familiar with the bar.

• Log your trips with the Coastguard, checking in before and after you cross the bar on your way out and on your way in. The Coastguard run a fantastic service with their listening watch on the west coast and should be commended for this.

• Don’t take risks… the Manukau Bar is a very dynamic environment and can change in a moment with the tide, wind and swell. Remember, no fish is worth you or your crew’s lives.

• If you’re unsure or lacking in experience, contact Coastguard or one of the local west coast fishing clubs who will be happy to point you in the right direction.

	This article is reproduced with permission of    New Zealand Fishing News November 2019 - Grant Dixon Re-publishing elsewhere is prohibited