North Island, New Zealand Fishing Report Today

Kia ora, Artificial Lure here with your North Island fishing report. We’ve got a classic early‑winter pattern settling in across most of the motu. MetService has light to moderate south‑westerlies for much of the North Island coast today, easing in the evening, with a cool, fairly clear day and only the odd shower sliding through the west. That means fishable seas on the east coast and a bit more lump on the western bars, especially around the Manukau and Waikato. Sunrise was around twenty‑to‑seven this morning and sunset will be just after five, so the *bite windows* have been those first two hours of light and the last hour before dark. On the harbours, the outgoing tide in the morning and the first push of the incoming this afternoon have been the go. Around the **Hauraki Gulf and outer Gulf islands**, the workups have been smaller but consistent. Local charter skippers are still putting clients onto pannies in the 32–40 cm range with the odd 50+ snapper coming off the deeper edges in 35–45 m. Gannets and dolphins are picking on small anchovy schools; soft‑baits in natural baitfish colours and 40–60 g kabura/slider jigs are out‑fishing plain ledger rigs. Micro‑jigs in 20–40 g are also nailing mid‑water kahawai. In **Auckland harbours**, snapper numbers have thinned in the very shallows, but there are still solid fish on the channels and shell banks. Pilchard cubes and fresh kahawai strips are the standout baits, with stray‑lined unweighted baits doing best when the current slackens. A few carrot‑sized gurnard are coming from muddy bottoms in 8–12 m, especially on the Manukau. Up north around **Bay of Islands and the Far North**, the inshore snapper are holding over reef and foul from 15–30 m. There have been reports of good hauls of legal snapper with a handful of fish nudging 60 cm on lightly weighted baits sitting back in the berley trail. Kingfish are still buzzing the points and pinnacles; live mackerel slow‑trolled around current lines are producing 10–15 kg kings, with a few bigger hoodlums mixed in. Topwater stickbaits in blue‑silver and mackerel patterns are worth a thrash if the wind drops. Over in **Bay of Plenty**, boats off Tauranga and Whakatāne have been picking up mixed bags: snapper, trevally, kahawai and the occasional john dory. Slow‑pitch jigs and inchiku‑style lures are consistent in 40–60 m. Fresh squid and mullet baits are also doing damage on the reef edges. Hot spot number one: **The Noises to Rakino line in the inner Hauraki Gulf**. Work that 18–24 m zone with 5‑inch soft‑baits on 3/8–½ oz jig heads, drifting with the wind and current lined up. Keep an eye out for bird sign and nervous water – often the better fish are sitting under the kahawai. Hot spot number two: **Cape Brett and the Ninepin area in the Bay of Islands**. Fish livebaits around the wash and current edges for kingfish, then slide out a berley bomb and stray‑line for snapper on the afternoon incoming tide. Best lures today: - Natural‑coloured soft‑baits (pilchard, anchovy, bruised banana) - 40–60 g slider/kabura jigs in orange, pink, and glow - Medium stickbaits and poppers for kings when the surface comes alive Best baits: - Fresh pilchard, squid, and mackerel - Fresh kahawai strips and mullet cubes for gurnard and mooching snaps Fish activity is classic winter – fewer rats, more quality if you put in the effort, fish the bite times, and keep that berley going. Thanks for tuning in, 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

Kia ora, this is Artificial Lure with your North Island fishing report. Around the upper North Island, we’re sitting under a settled high with light variable winds in many areas this morning, tending seabreeze in the afternoon. Expect calm to slight seas and good visibility. MetService reports patchy cloud but plenty of clear patches, so it’s a good day to be on the water. Sunrise was around twenty past seven, sunset just after five, giving a short but punchy bite window at dawn and again late arvo. Tides around the Hauraki Gulf and East Coast are running mid‑range today, with a decent morning incoming pushing bait up onto the edges, and an afternoon outgoing that’s been firing up the channels. Local tide boards and Coastguard notices point to stronger flow on the headlands and reef points, so plan your drifts and anchor jobs to make the most of that moving water. Snapper have been the main story. Inshore, inner‑gulf patches in 8–15 metres have produced pannies to the mid‑40s on soft‑baits and straylined baits, especially over foul and shell. Out a bit wider, the 30–45 metre line has seen better numbers of solid fish, with a few larger models mixed in. Recent club comps and tackle shop chat from Auckland through to the Bay of Plenty all mention consistent snapper bins, plus the odd by‑catch of kahawai and trevally. On the lure front, small to mid‑size soft‑baits in natural baitfish colours have been hot: think motor‑oil, new penny, and anchovy‑style patterns worked close to the bottom. Slow‑pitch jigs in 40–80 grams, pinks, oranges, and golds, are doing damage over the deeper pins. For bait fishos, fresh is best: pilchards, squid, and fresh kahawai or mullet cubes, lightly weighted and allowed to waft back in the burley trail. Kingfish action has been patchy but worth the effort around the offshore reefs, markers, and workups. Live jack mackerel and kahawai slow‑trolled or dropped on the edges of structure are your best shot, with a few fish also taken on mechanical jigs and topwater stickbaits when bait schools are pushed to the surface. Couple of hotspot ideas for you: • Hauraki Gulf – the worm beds and surrounding foul off Auckland have held steady snapper schools, with birds picking and gannets occasionally dropping on anchovy and pilchard workups. Drift these areas with soft‑baits and slow jigs for a good shot at a mixed bag. • Bay of Plenty – inshore reefs and sand edges off Tauranga and Matakana Island have been turning over pannies and the odd solid snapper on the change of light. Fish the tide changes with a solid burley trail and unweighted baits, and keep a livebait out for a cruising king. Overall fish activity has been best around the top and bottom of the tide, lining up nicely with dawn and dusk. Midday has been quieter in the clearer water, so go lighter on trace and more natural with your presentations if you’re stuck fishing the middle of the day. That’s your North Island report from Artificial Lure. Thanks for tuning in, and don’t forget to subscribe so you never miss a session on the water. This has been a quiet please production, for more check out quiet please dot ai. Great deals on fishing gear https://amzn.to/44gt1Pn

Kia ora, this is Artificial Lure with your North Island fishing report. A settled high is sitting over most of the motu today, light winds for many and cool mornings giving way to mild, clear afternoons. Around Auckland and the Hauraki Gulf it’s light variable to southwest breeze, easing through the morning and picking up a touch of sea breeze later. Far north coasts are a bit fresher with easterlies, while the Bay of Plenty is enjoying gentle offshore winds and a small, tidy swell. Skies are mostly fine with just a bit of coastal cloud. Sunrise has been around ten to seven in the morning, with sunset just after five in the evening, so the bite windows around dawn and that last hour of light have been prime. The cooler water and shorter days have pushed a lot of the better snapper bites into those edges of the day, plus the change-of-light around the tide turns. Tides on the upper east coast have been running mid‑morning highs and late‑afternoon lows, with a decent bit of movement but nothing extreme. That has suited soft‑baiters and slow‑jiggers nicely, especially over the sand and mud fringes where snapper have been grazing on shellfish and baitfish. Recent reports from local tackle shops and charter skippers talk about good numbers of **pannie snapper** in 10–25 metres right round the inner Hauraki Gulf, with the odd 60–70 cm model taken off the foul and deeper pins. Off Coromandel and western Bay of Plenty there have been steady hauls of snapper and **trevally**, plus a few **kingfish** still hanging on reefs, markers, and work‑ups when the bait has pushed in. The far north – Doubtless Bay, Karikari, out toward the Garden Patch – has seen **puka**, bigger **kingies**, and solid **snapper** for those willing to run wide on the calm days. Lure-wise, it has been very much a **soft‑bait and slow‑jig game** inshore. Natural baitfish colours – browns, motor‑oil, new penny, and muted baitfish patterns – are out‑fishing the brights in the clear winter water. In 1/4 to 1/2 oz jig heads over the inner‑gulf sand, just a slow drag and pause has been deadly. Out deeper, 60–120 g slow‑pitch jigs in pink, orange, and blue/silver are doing the business on snapper and the odd kingfish, especially when there’s sign mid‑water. For those fishing bait, **fresh is best**. Strips of freshly caught kahawai, mullet, and jack mackerel, plus whole baby squid and small pilchards, are all producing. Smaller hooks and tidy baits are out‑performing big slabs in the cooler water – think 4/0–5/0 recurves on a ledger or running rig. A smear of berley has been key in the shallows, but you don’t need a trail like a burley bomb; a steady trickle is enough to pull fish onto your patch without bringing in every shark in the Gulf. A couple of North Island hot spots to circle on the map: • **Rangitoto Channel & the worm beds, inner Hauraki Gulf** – Snapper schooling over the mud in 12–18 metres, especially on the incoming tide around dawn. Ideal for drifting soft‑baits and micro‑jigs. • **Rurima Shoals and adjacent reefs off Whakatāne** – Mixed bags of snapper, trevally, and rat to legal kingfish around the pins and edges. Slow‑pitch jigs and livies are top choices when the current’s humming. If you’re land‑based, the eastern side rocky ledges from Whangaparaoa north through Kawau and up to the Bay of Islands have been turning over nice evening snapper on stray‑lined baits, especially when there’s a bit of swell and wash. 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

Artificial Lure here with your North Island, New Zealand fishing report for today. In the **Hauraki Gulf, Bay of Plenty, and upper East Coast**, the bite is running on the back of the winter changeover, with **snapper** still the main target, plus **kahawai**, a few **trevally**, and the odd **kingfish** hanging around the warmer edges, reefs, and workups. Recent local chatter has fish coming in best on the moving tide, especially where current pushes bait along reef edges, channels, and headlands. For **today’s tide and weather details**, I can’t verify live conditions from the results I have here, so check your local tide chart and forecast before you launch. As a rule for this stretch of coast, the **last of the outgoing tide into the first push of the incoming** is usually prime for lure fishing, while the soft light around dawn and dusk gives you the cleanest window. **Sunrise and sunset** for North Island in early June are short-day winter times, with first light coming late and dusk arriving early, so plan for a compact session and get on the water close to daylight for the best shot at active fish. On **recent catches**, the best numbers have generally been smaller-to-mid snapper inshore, with better fish coming from reefy structure and foul ground. Kahawai have been feeding aggressively where bait is present, and that makes them a reliable option for a fast bend in the rod. If you’re hunting a kingfish, work the deeper pins, foul, and current seams with patience, because they’re not everywhere, but they do show when the bait stacks up. For **lures**, I’d be running: - **Soft-baits** in natural baitfish colors for snapper over sand and reef edges. - **Jigs** and metal lures for kahawai and any kingfish sign. - **Slow jigs** when the current is manageable and you want to stay in the strike zone longer. For **bait**, the local money baits are still **fresh pillies, squid, bonito strips, and salted mullet**. If the fish are fussy, a small fresh bait fished neat and lightly weighted often outperforms the big glamorous rig. A couple of **hot spots** to try: - **Inner Hauraki Gulf reef systems and channel edges**, especially anywhere bait is marking or birds are working. - **East Coast headlands and rocky points from Coromandel down toward Plenty Bay**, where current and structure give snapper and kahawai a reason to stop. If you’re fishing from the beach, keep an eye on gutters, foam lines, and wash zones. If you’re offshore, fish the color change and any bird action, because that’s where the feed is likely to be stacked. Thanks for tuning in, and don’t forget to subscribe. This has been a quiet please production, for more check out quiet please dot ai. Great deals on fishing gear https://amzn.to/44gt1Pn

Name’s Artificial Lure, checking in with your North Island fishing report. We’ve got a classic early‑winter pattern setting in. A cool southwesterly flow over much of the island is keeping mornings crisp but the days clear and settled in many places, with a bit more cloud and wind for the west coast and Cook Strait. Air temps are sitting in the low to mid‑teens, dropping close to single digits at dawn. Swells are moderate on the west, a bit more forgiving on the east, especially in the inner Hauraki Gulf and Bay of Plenty. Around Auckland and the Hauraki Gulf, first light is just after 7 a.m., with full dark a bit after 5 p.m., so your real bite windows are tight: dawn until about 9 a.m., then again late afternoon into dusk on the change of light. Tides are running mid‑range neaps right now, so you won’t see screaming current, but you do get those nice soft edges where fish are happy to graze. Aim for the two hours either side of the high for snapper on the sand, and the first push of incoming for workups if any bait shows. Snapper fishing has been solid rather than spectacular. Inner‑gulf structure and channels are still holding pannies in the 30–45 cm range, with the odd better fish out deeper. Boats working 20–35 metres around the eastern side of Waiheke and down towards the bottom end have been finding steady bins by staying mobile: drift a patch, pick a couple, move on. A lot of fish are sitting hard on the bottom, so get your offering right down in their face. On the west coast off Muriwai and Kaipara way, bar conditions need to be treated with real respect in this swell pattern, but when it’s safe to cross, the 40–60 m line has been giving up good snapper and a few chunky gurnard. Down the line off Taranaki, the inshore reefs are still producing reasonable numbers of snapper and kahawai, with the odd kingfish cruising the bait schools. Best lures this week have been smaller profiles and natural colours. In the Gulf, 3–5 inch soft‑baits in new penny, bruised banana, and pilchard blue are doing damage on light jigheads. Micro‑jigs in 20–40 grams in pink, silver, and lumo are hot when the sign lifts mid‑water. Slow‑pitch jigs in gold/olive are picking off better snapper and the odd kingi on the deeper pins. For bait fishos, it’s hard to go past **fresh**. Strips of fresh kahawai, mackerel, or mullet are outfishing frozen pilchard in the clearer water. Small cubes of squid and salted bonito are great for keeping pickers busy and drawing in the better fish. Out over the mud, lighter traces and smaller hooks with a steady berley trail are converting more tentative bites, especially on those neap tides. Fish activity overall is bunched right around tide changes and low‑light. You’ll often mark fish that refuse to chew for an hour or two, then it’s all on for twenty minutes – be ready with gear tied, drags set, no mucking about when that window opens. Couple of hotspots to circle on the chart: - The southern side of **Motuihe Channel** and out towards **Sergeant Channel**, targeting the edges of the current lines in 12–18 metres with soft‑baits and lightly weighted straylines. - The 25–35 metre foul off the **eastern side of Waiheke**, working slow‑pitch jigs and small baits right on the bottom for mixed snapper and the odd john dory hanging under the bait schools. If you’re further south, the reefs off **Plimmerton** and the edge of the **Mana Island** foul have been steady for winter snapper and kahawai when the wind and tide play nice. That’s the wrap from Artificial Lure. Thanks for tuning in, and don’t forget to subscribe so you never miss a 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

Name’s Artificial Lure here, checking in with your North Island fishing report. Up top around the Bay of Islands and Whangaroa, MetService is calling light west to southwest winds, easing swells and a clear, cool morning with a bit of high cloud rolling in this arvo. Sunrise was just after 7, sunset around 5, so you’ve got short days and long, fishy dawn and dusk bite windows. NIWA’s tide tables show decent highs around mid‑morning and again late evening on both coasts, with enough run to fire things up but not make life ugly in the harbours. Water temps have slid into that classic late‑autumn band: mid‑teens off the west coast, a touch warmer on the east. That’s pushed a lot of bait into the inner gulf and harbours, and the predators are right behind them. Local tackle shops from Auckland to Tauranga are reporting steady snapper and gurnard numbers in 10–25 metres, plus solid kahawai workups wherever the birds are working. Snapper fishing has been consistent rather than crazy, but those putting in the time are bringing home pannies with the odd 15–20‑pounder from deeper pins. Fish & Game-style updates from club comps last weekend around Coromandel and the Hauraki Gulf mention bins of 32–40 cm snapper, a smattering of trevally, and some horse kahawai off the channels and shell banks. Out wider off the Bay of Plenty and Northland, game‑fishing club boards still show the tail end of the kingfish action on the reefs, with a few 15–20 kg kings for those slow‑pitching and live‑baiting. Best lures right now: - For snapper in the gulf and BOP, soft‑baits in natural baitfish colours, 4–5 inch jerk shads on 3/8–1/2 oz jig heads, worked slowly near the bottom. - Micro and slow‑pitch jigs around 20–80 g in pink, orange, and blue/silver are doing serious damage on both snapper and trevs. - For kings, stickbaits and poppers over the reefs when the wind allows, with slow‑pitch jigs and live mackerel or koheru dropped down the sign on your sounder. Best bait: Fresh is king. Freshly caught kahawai, mullet, or jack macks cut into small baits are outfishing frozen pillies. In the harbours, a simple ledger rig with salted bonito or squid is still putting gurnard and table‑sized snapper in the chilly bin. Berley is worth its weight in gold right now – a light but consistent trail on the incoming tide is pulling fish right to the back of the boat. A couple of hot spots to consider: - Hauraki Gulf: the worm beds and edges of the shipping channel out from Auckland, plus the shallows around Motuihe and Rangitoto on the change of light. Work soft‑baits and small jigs in 8–15 metres and be patient – the better fish are coming on the slower drifts. - Bay of Plenty: the inshore reefs off Motiti and Papamoa, fishing 20–40 metres. Drop micro‑jigs for snapper and trevally during the day, then switch to straylined baits as the sun drops. On the west coast, when the bar and swell allow, boats out of Raglan and Kaipara have been finding quick limits of snapper in 25–50 metres, with gurnard mixed in. Simple ledger rigs with squid or fresh kahawai, plus a bit of luminous bead or skirt, are doing the damage in that slightly dirtier water. Overall fish activity is best around the top and bottom of the tides, especially the morning high matched with first light and the evening low blended into sunset. Use your sounder, follow the birds, and don’t be afraid to move if you’re not getting proper marks under the boat. Thanks for tuning in, and don’t forget to subscribe so you never miss a bite‑time update. This has been a quiet please production, for more check out quiet please dot ai. Great deals on fishing gear https://amzn.to/44gt1Pn

Kia ora, Artificial Lure here with your North Island fishing report. A light westerly has been brushing most coasts today, with settled high‑pressure conditions and only a bit of afternoon chop. MetService has been calling it mostly fine with scattered cloud and only the odd shower inland, so it’s been comfortable on the water and along the rocks. Overnight temps stayed mild, and that’s helped keep the baitfish active close to shore. Sunrise was around twenty‑to‑seven this morning with sunset just after five, giving a short but productive bite window at both ends of the day. The low‑light periods have been the standout for inshore action, especially the first hour of light and the last hour before dark. NIWA’s tide tables show mid‑morning and late‑evening highs on both east and west coasts, and the turn of the tide has really been the trigger. The first hour of the incoming has fished best for snapper and kahawai, with the outgoing pushing bait off the flats and firing up trevally and gurnard. Reports from Hauraki Gulf charter skippers have been solid: pannie snapper in 30–45 cm range with the odd 60 cm fish, plus steady kahawai workups under gannets. Around the Bay of Plenty, local clubs are weighing in mixed bags of snapper, tarakihi, and a few john dory from inshore reefs. West coast bars like Manukau and Kaipara have given up good gurnard numbers and some chunky winter snapper for those picking the weather and tide carefully. Lure fishing has been doing the damage. Soft‑baits in natural baitfish patterns – 4–5 inch minnows in pilchard, anchovy, or new‑penny colours – fished on light jigheads over 10–20 m foul have been deadly on snapper. Inchiku and slider‑style jigs in 40–80 g, pink, orange, and blue, are still pulling fish when drift speed is right. For bait fishers, fresh mullet, bonito, and pilchard have outfished frozen; smaller baits on recurve hooks are getting more consistent hookups on the tentative winter bites. Kahawai have been smashing small metal slices and hex‑wedges retrieved quickly near workups. Trevally have favoured small bits of prawn or shellfish on flasher rigs, especially where there’s berley in the water. John dory are turning up around bait schools; slow‑jigged soft‑baits or live yellow‑eyed mullet are your best bet if you’re targeting them specifically. A couple of hot spots to circle on the map: • Inner Hauraki Gulf foul around the Noises and Ahaahas: steady snapper on soft‑baits and slow jigs in 12–18 m, with kahawai pushing bait to the surface at first light. • Inshore reefs off Tauranga, 25–40 m: mixed bags of snapper and tarakihi on ledger rigs with squid or pilchard, and good results on 60 g slow jigs when there’s enough current. Fish activity will taper off in the bright middle of the day, so plan your sessions around that dawn or dusk tide change, keep your rigs light, and match your lures to the small baitfish that are thick inshore at the moment. Thanks for tuning in, and don’t forget to subscribe for more local fishing intel. This has been a quiet please production, for more check out quiet please dot ai. Great deals on fishing gear https://amzn.to/44gt1Pn

Artificial Lure here with your North Island fishing report. A cool southwesterly pattern has settled over much of the Island. MetService is calling it partly cloudy with scattered showers, cooler temps and a bit of lump on the open coast this afternoon. Winds are generally SW 10–20 knots, easing inshore by evening. Seas on the east coast are choppy but manageable; the west coast is rougher with a solid swell rolling in. Sunrise came just after 7, with sunset due a touch before 5:30, so it’s a short, tight bite window. The low tide around the Haruaki Gulf and Bay of Plenty areas has been late morning, pushing into an early afternoon incoming that’s been fishing well, especially that first hour of the flood. Up north around the Bay of Islands, the top of the tide mid‑day and again into dusk has turned the fish on around structure and channels. Snapper have been the main story. In the Hauraki Gulf, most boats picking away at 32–45 cm pannies with the odd 50–60 cm model out wider. Workups have been patchy but when the gannets and dolphins do line up, the fish under them are in good nick. Inshore foul from Tiritiri to Kawau has held solid numbers early, then going quiet as the sun gets high. According to local charter skippers out of Tauranga and Whakatāne, the deep reef country is holding some nice terakihi and good‑sized snapper. West coast out of Raglan and Kāwhia has been slower with the swell, but those getting out in the weather windows have found snapper and the odd solid gurnard on the sand in 40–60 metres. Kingfish activity has picked up with the cooler water tightening the bait schools. Reefs off the Bay of Islands, along with shallow pins in the Gulf, have produced rats right up to proper hoodlums. Live koheru, jack macks and piper are still the top offerings, but stickbaits and mechanical jigs in natural baitfish colours have been smashed on the turn of the tide. Best lures lately for snapper have been 5–7 inch softbaits in new penny, motor oil and natural browns, especially on 3/8 to 1 oz jig heads drifted back in 10–25 metres. Slow‑pitch jigs in 40–80 grams, pink/blue and orange/gold, have outfished bait when the drift is right. For bait fishos, fresh jack mackerel and squid strips are doing better than frozen pillies, with lightly weighted straylines into the berley trail still the go‑to around the rocks and in close. Land‑based fishers have had a decent run off the Northland ledges. The evening incoming has produced snapper to mid‑50s on big squid baits and whole pillies, with a few kahawai schools pushing bait tight in against the wash. A few solid kings are still cruising the edges where there’s current and bait. Two hotspots to consider: first, the inner Hauraki Gulf channels between Rangitoto, Motutapu and Waiheke on the afternoon incoming tide – plenty of good pannies holding along the edges. Second, the inshore reefs just north of the Bay of Islands, fishing the change of light with livebaits down deep for kingfish, and lightly weighted baits or softbaits for snapper. That’s the state of the water today – keep an eye on the wind, fish the tide changes hard, and match your bait to the local forage. Thanks for tuning in, and don’t forget to subscribe so you never miss a 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

G’day crew, Artificial Lure here with your North Island fishing rundown. Around the top of the island, it’s been a mixed bag but there are still fish on the chew. According to local reports from the last few days, kahawai have been schooling hard in the bays and harbours, with plenty of rat kingfish shadowing workups and current lines. Off the rocky points and reefy ledges, snapper are still showing in good numbers on the right tide, mostly pannies with the odd solid eater, while the harbour mouths and estuaries have been kicking out trevally, gurnard, and the occasional john dory. Around the deeper edges, a few bigger snapper and kingfish have been reported by crews fishing live baits and slow jigs. For today, the tide is the big player. Fish the last of the incoming and the first of the outgoing if you can, especially around current-swept points, harbour heads, and the edges of channels. That moving water has been the key to finding active fish. Sunrise today was roughly around 7:00 am and sunset will be about 5:20 pm, so the dawn and dusk windows are the money periods. If you’re out mid-morning into the arvo, work deeper gutters, shaded structure, and the down-current side of reefs. Weather-wise, May on the North Island is proper autumn fishing weather: cooler mornings, changeable breezes, and often a bit of swell or chop to stir the bait. According to MetService, keep an eye on wind direction before you launch or head to the rocks, because a light offshore can make the bite cleaner, while a northerly puff can dirty things up and push bait into the wash. A bit of swell is not your enemy — it’s often what gets the snapper feeding. Best lures right now? Soft-baits in natural baitfish colours, small metal jigs for kahawai and workup kingies, and slow jigs around structure for snapper and john dory. If the water’s coloured, go brighter: pink, orange, and nuclear chicken have been doing the business. If it’s clear, keep it subtle with pilchard, pearl, or motor oil patterns. For bait, you can’t go wrong with fresh pilchard, bonito strips, squid, or salted mullet. For kingfish, a live kahawai or jack mackerel is still hard to beat. A couple of hot spots to try: the Kaipara Harbour mouths and channels for snapper, kahawai, and trevally; and the East Cape and Bay of Plenty rock points for kingfish, big snapper, and good straylining when the tide’s moving. If you’re closer to Auckland, the inner gulf islands and channel edges have been producing on the right tide, especially at first light. In short: fish the moving water, match the bait, and don’t overthink it. Keep your cast tight to structure, stay mobile, and if the bite slows, shift. That’s the local way. Thanks for tuning in, and make sure you subscribe for the next fishing update. This has been a quiet please production, for more check out quiet please dot ai. Great deals on fishing gear https://amzn.to/44gt1Pn

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