Hauraki Gulf Report

With the weather being what it was for the last couple of weeks, planning a fishing trip has been more good luck than good management.

Often when these fronts come barrelling onto the coast, there is a small gap just for a few hours before the next front hits. Theses gaps tend to be on the turn of the tide so you may only get out for a few hours before the wind picks up and it all turns to custard. The good thing this winter is that I have found the fishing close in on the local reefs and shorelines to be very productive, with more and bigger fish compared to years past. Being self-employed, I am more able than most to drop everything when I see a break in the weather and get out on the water for a much-needed fishing fix. If winter fishing is not challenging enough by the very nature of the way fish feed, my last three trips have been right on the slack water, making it even harder to get a fish to take a bait.

The way to overcome this is to drift fish over the sand. The one spot that has been very productive when drift fishing is an area called the "The Barges". It has just the odd bit of low foul and the bottom is mostly mud and sand. I slowly move around and closely watch the sounder for fish marks to get an idea of where the fish are, then move up wind from the fish so the boat will drift back through the area. If the wind is not too strong, I can fish three rods using a strayline rig, but the trick is to use a small 1/4 oz sinker to get the bait to the bottom. Big sinkers just do not work as the fish tend to drop a bait if they feel any resistance. By the very nature of how the fish are feeding, small baits get way more hits than big baits. Don't ask me why but squid has a lower hit rate than a pilchard cut in half.

Fishing three rods covers more ground, but you have to be focused to avoid tangles. Cast the first bait out from midships as far as you can, letting out line until the rig slowly hits the bottom; the next bait is cast slightly shorter to one side; and the third line is cast even shorter to the other side. Should the boat swing, the terminal tackle will all line up but at various distances back from the boat.

While I am drift fishing, I have a bait line (baited sabiki) just off the bottom to catch a few jack macs. Once the tide turns, I drop the anchor and cast pilchard baits out either side of the boat while deploying a fresh slab of jack mac on a long cast directly astern. With the fish being bait shy, I cut two or three small chunks from the tail up to the gut cavity and toss them out as ground bait. As these bits slowly sink down, in time I find the fish tend to take the bait more aggressively. When the current picks up, I will go up in size on one rod to a whole butterflied jack mac as the bigger fish tend to chew down on it and basically hook themselves, leaving me to focus on the two other rods.

This is really focused fishing as every bite or tap on the line is so slight you would naturally think they are just very small fish.

Knowing when to strike is key. By holding the rod tip down and pointing it in the same direction to the line entering the water, you will see and feel the line start to straighten out. Only when the line is dead straight do you strike and wind to take out any line stretch, which sets the hook. To be fair, when the fish are tentative on the bite like this, I must admit my hook-up rate is just one in 10 shots. A couple of mates that have been out with me have never fished like this and were very sceptical, but within the few hours of fishing, they understood the reasons why and how it works.

Now is the time of year when the snapper are at their best eating due to their high level of body fat and it's well worth the effort of getting out. Remember, watch the weather as no fish is worth risking your life for.

- Bruce Duncan (Capt. Swish)

For more information and spots for fishing in the Gulf, check out Hauraki Gulf Fishing Hotspots by Bruce Duncan. Available on line at www.nzfishingnews.co.nz RRP $39.99