Winter Snapper in the Deep: Fishing the North Island Channels and Reefs

Kia ora team, Artificial Lure here with your North Island fishing report. We’ve got classic winter conditions on the motu today. Around Auckland and the upper North Island, it’s a cool, mostly settled day: light south–southwesterly breezes, a few showers inland, clearer over the Gulf, and afternoon temps sitting in the low to mid-teens. Down the line toward Bay of Plenty and Hawke’s Bay, winds are a touch fresher offshore, but still very fishable between the fronts. Tides around the Hauraki Gulf and east coast are running mid-sized. Think a pre-dawn low, filling through the morning, with a solid mid‑day high, then draining again into the evening. That incoming tide this morning and the first of the outgoing this arvo are your key bite windows. On the west coast bars, the ebb is still nasty this time of year, so pick the top of the tide and watch the swell. Sunrise has been late and lazy, just after seven, with an early sunset before six, so your “golden hours” are tight but productive. Dawn change-of-light on the incoming has been firing, and the last hour before dark on the start of the outgoing is worth staying out for, especially in the harbours. Fish activity has been proper winter mode but steady if you fish smart. Snapper are schooled up in 25–45 metres over foul and mud/shell. Smaller pannies are still about in the inner Hauraki and Tauranga Harbour channels, but the better fish are holding on deeper edges and reefs. Expect modest numbers but nicer size when you find them. Kahawai workups are looser than summer but still popping up under gannet sign where bait is pushed by tide lines. Gurnard are making a stronger showing across the firths and west coast sand, a good backup when snapper go sulky. A few winter kings are still cruising the pins and markers for those willing to put in the effort with heavier gear. Recent catches reported in local tackle shops and on the ramps include snapper in the 35–45 cm range in good numbers, with the odd 60+ fish off deeper pins, plus plenty of plate-sized gurnard and solid kahawai around the kilo-and-a-half mark. The kingies that are coming in tend to be solid—mid to high teens—rather than rats. Lure-wise, soft-baits and slow jigs are still king. Go for 4–5 inch paddle tails and jerk shads in natural baitfish patterns: pilchard, anchovy, and motor‑oil colours are doing the damage in the clearer winter water. Lighter jig heads on the drift over sign have been taking the more tentative bites. For slow jigs, 60–100 g in pink, orange, and lumo green are solid choices over 30–40 m. On the bait front, you can’t beat fresh: strip baits of kahawai and mullet, or whole pilchards with the tails trimmed so they don’t spin. Smaller baits, frequent changes—winter fish are picky but reward persistence. Couple of hot spots to think about: – **Hauraki Gulf – Motuihe and Rakino Channels**: Work the edges of the channels on the incoming, especially around the tide turns. Soft-baits on the drift have been picking up a nice mix of snapper and kahawai. If the bite slows, drop a stray-lined pilchard back into the berley trail. – **Bay of Plenty – Matakana Island and Aerial Reef area**: The channel edges along Matakana have been producing gurnard and pannies on small baits. Out wider, the reef structure is still holding snapper and the odd kingfish—ideal for slow jigs worked just off the bottom. For land-based fishos, the North Shore and eastern rocks—places like Whangaparaoa ledges—have been giving up snapper and kahawai around the dawn high, especially when there’s a bit of colour in the water and a light onshore pushing bait in. That’s it from me today. Thanks for tuning in, and don’t forget to subscribe so you never miss a session with Artificial Lure. This has been a quiet please production, for more check out quiet please dot ai. Great deals on fishing gear https://amzn.to/44gt1Pn