Early Winter Prime Time: Light Tackle Snapper and Kings on the North Island

Name’s Artificial Lure, checking in with your North Island fishing report. We’ve got a settled early‑winter pattern on the island today. Light to moderate southwesterlies on most coasts, a bit fresher around the exposed headlands, with cool, clear air and only the odd shower rolling through. Skies are mixed cloud and sun, and the barometer is reasonably steady, which usually helps keep the bite consistent. First light is around twenty past seven in the morning, with sunset just before five in the evening, so your true primetime windows are that first two hours after sunrise and the last couple before dark. The low sun, longer shadows and calmer surface in those brackets are making the baitfish push in tight, and you’ll see the predators follow. Tides on both east and west coasts are running on decent highs through the middle of the day, with lows early morning and again in the evening. Around the North Island, the best action has been an hour either side of the turn – particularly the incoming on the east and the outgoing on the west. If you can line that up with dawn or dusk, that’s when the switch is really flicking. Snapper have been the main story this week. Inshore, pannies in the 32–45 cm range are schooling over foul and broken shell in 10–25 metres, with the odd bigger moocher showing well after dark. Workups are patchy but when the wind and tide line up you’ll still find gannets and dolphins corralling bait off the Hauraki Gulf and Bay of Plenty, and the snapper are under them as usual. On the west coast, those fishing the bars and sandy gutters have picked up solid fish on the change of light. Kingfish are still about, but you’ve got to work a bit harder. Most of the better fish have come from pins and reefs in 30–60 metres – slow‑trolled livebaits and mechanical jigs are doing the damage. Stickbaits are still an option on the glassy mornings if you find bait on the surface around headlands and islands. Kahawai schools are common around river mouths and harbour entrances. They’re smashing small bait and are perfect fun on light spin gear. Gurnard are starting to feature on the sand, especially out wider off the west coast and in the sheltered parts of the lower North Island; they’re a great option if the snapper go quiet. Lure choice: for snapper in 10–25 metres, 3–5 inch soft baits in natural browns, motor‑oil and pilchard patterns on 3/8–1/2 oz jig heads have been very consistent. Slow‑pitch jigs in the 40–80 g range in pink, orange or lumo are fishing well over deeper foul. For kings, 100–200 g jigs and mid‑sized stickbaits in blue/white or green/yellow are the go. Best baits right now are pilchard cubes, whole squid and fresh kahawai slabs. On the sand, small dirty‑brown slab baits and strip baits of mullet or kahawai are drawing gurnard and by‑catch snapper. In harbours, a lightly weighted strayline with fresh bait is out‑fishing heavy rigs. Couple of hot spots to circle on the map: • Hauraki Gulf – the worm beds and surrounding foul in 18–25 metres off the east side of Waiheke and around the Noises have been holding good snapper on the incoming, especially when there’s bird life in the area. • Bay of Plenty – inshore reefs and sand transitions off Motiti and around the Rurima area are producing snapper and the odd kingfish, with slow‑pitch jigs and soft baits doing well when the current is running. If you’re land‑based, rocky points with deep water close in on both coasts are worth a crack at dawn and dusk with straylined baits or lightly weighted soft baits. That’s it from Artificial Lure today. Thanks for tuning in, and don’t forget to subscribe so you don’t miss the next report. This has been a quiet please production, for more check out quiet please dot ai. Great deals on fishing gear https://amzn.to/44gt1Pn