Land, sea and air activities are all in full Spring swing.

The weather with its massive mood swings (several in the same day at times) and wildlife of all kinds are making their shift to Spring mode, and this usually means good things for fishing!

Snapper seem to be well into the early stages of spawning – early this year by many weeks, with vast areas of workup style furore stretching from Whangaparaoa Bay right across the top of Waiheke on some days, highlighting the wonderful sights and sounds of Spring fishing. Naturally, there will be times of rest, siesta and digestion. Previously the morning was the time to be out there as afternoon siestas by all concerned were the norm.

This feeding and fish catching timing will no doubt will change, however, most days there will be several hours of good feeding going on.

Kingfish are always a thrill, expected or not. When feeding on pilchard schools they can get really worked up, yet a bit finicky on the bite. The best thing is to try very different lures to see what catches their eye enough to strike, even when not actively feeding. Speed or mechanical jigs, topwater, slow pitch, inchiku and even kaburas can tip the scales in your favour. It pays to be prepared before heading out with a variety of offerings.

Dory, gurnard and some surprisingly large snapper around the 60cm mark are also being caught in close (along the North Shore Bays for instance) with early morning starts being the key here. Other shorelines no doubt have their hot spots, but it's more of a case of being there and presenting a life-like soft bait that proves too tempting for a hungry fish.

And while many workup hunters are doing their thing, it is still a good idea to anchor or drift in the 35-40m zones, and merely present various menu items and enjoy both a steady flow of fish and variety of species too.

The inner channels are starting to hold some very good snapper specimens – soft bait and micro jig heaven.

It is such a great time of year to be fishing with both aggressive and subtle bite times, a variety in lures ensures that no matter what time you happen to be there, you can come home with some beautiful fresh fish.

Enjoy!

Espresso