Snapper have a more or less typical annual migration pattern around the Auckland area and if you want to consistently get fish you need to learn that plus how to hunt for fish. Then you need to perfect your fishing technique whether that be bait or sliders or softbaits or jigs etc etc. For beginners I would normally recommend starting with some classic bait setups.

If you were going to head out next weekend for instance I wouldn't go anywhere Motihue. The best fish are further out. BUT if this Westerly storm rolls in and smashes up some reefy coastline out around Rakino or the Noises etc I would be tempted to go and burley/strayline onto some of that shallow reefy structure once the storm has passed. Need to get the wind and tide right though.

Bottom line is that different 'spots' are just places to start hunting at the right time of year. 'spots' are often also tide dependent i.e. spot abc is usually good for the first hour of the outgoing tide from Feb to April etc. My favourite 'spot' is probably 10 square miles and is good from Oct to Dec. I know the good fish will be there, so just got to hunt until I find them, and then move again to hunt when the tide turns.

Getting a bit late in the winter now mind you but we caught some reasonable fish in the shallows off Ponui island in the weekend

 Seasonal.. inside the islands over winter , just get undersided and occasional pannie.

 We find baits work better than lures in winter.. often can see the fish, just need to stimulate them a bit.. Burley.. Strayline and drift.

 Dont write off shallows, 2 to 5m either..

 Yes winter fishing is 'harder' but in saying that  this and last winter have been the best we have seen in nearly 10 yrs.. numbers and size.

 Many think fishing is luck.. its not.

 Mark Twain said " Luck is directly proportional to the effort put in" 

 Also keep in mind accurate positioning, if you are maybe only 5m off  can mean catching and boredom.

 Wind direction is very much matching spots, being able to fish in lea of land, wind and tide same direction.. calm water/ drift direction.