North Island Late Autumn: Snapper, Kings and Gurnard in the Gulf

Kia ora, it’s Artificial Lure here with your North Island fishing report. We’ve got a classic late‑autumn pattern settling over the motu. A cool, fairly stable south‑westerly flow is pushing across much of the North Island, bringing clear skies in many spots but a chill on the water. Offshore winds on the east coast are flattening things out nicely in the mornings, while the west coast is seeing a bit more swell and chop. Around the Hauraki Gulf and east Northland, the morning high tide is lining up well with first light. Expect low just after dawn and a building tide through the morning, with another low in the evening. That incoming mid‑morning tide has been the key bite window, especially around structure and current lines. Sunrise is early, just after seven, with sunset around five‑ish, so your prime fishing period is a short, punchy mid‑morning session. Snapper fishing has picked up again in 15–30 metres from Waiheke out to the Noises and up off Kawau. Local skippers are talking about pannies in the 35–45 cm range with the odd bigger moocher. Workups aren’t huge but scattered gannet sign over bait schools is enough to warrant a drift. Soft‑baits in natural anchovy and pilchard colours have been the standout – 4–5 inch paddletails and jerkshads on 3/8 to 1/2 oz jig heads. If you’re bait fishing, fresh squid and mullet cubes on ledger rigs are doing the damage. Kingfish action has been patchy but rewarding for those putting in the effort. The pins off Little Barrier and the reefs off Coromandel have produced solid rats with a few legal fish when the current is humming. Mechanical jigs in the 120–180 g range, blue/silver or green mackerel patterns, are a good bet. Live kahawai slow‑trolled around the edges of the pins are still your best shot at a proper North Island king. Out west, from Raglan up towards Kāwhia, the bar has been workable on the smaller tides but always check with the locals and Coastguard before heading out. Boats that slipped out found good numbers of gurnard on the sand in 30–45 metres, with a mix of snapper and the odd kahawai. Small flasher rigs baited with skipjack or bonito strips, and a bit of berley, are encouraging the carrots onto the line. Inshore, land‑based fishos around Northland’s east coast ledges have been picking up kahawai and the occasional snapper just on dark. A light berley trail and unweighted baits – pilchard, fresh mackerel or squid – tossed into the wash are getting bit. Stickbaits and small metal lures are still turning over kahawai when they’re busting up close to the rocks. A couple of hot spots to circle on the chart: 1. Around Kawau Island – especially the edges of the mussel farms and foul ground in 18–24 metres. Drift with soft‑baits on the incoming tide; keep an eye out for birds picking at small bait schools. 2. The worm beds out from Rangitoto Channel and east towards Motuihe – light wind days have seen nice snapper sitting just off the bottom. Micro‑jigs in 20–40 g, in pink or orange, fluttering near the sand have been doing real damage. As the water cools further, downsizing your lures, fishing lighter leaders, and really focusing on those tide changes will be the difference between a quiet bin and a good feed. Fish are still there, just a bit more selective. That’s the wrap from Artificial Lure – tight lines, fishos. 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