Fishing – Fish your feet first

This is the time of the year when the Mangawhai harbour is fishing at its best – early autumn. Former Mangawhai-based charter skipper Tony Orton introduced me to the delights of shallow-water angling for snapper, kahawai and trevally. When a falling tide corresponded with daybreak was the best time. Our early morning efforts were always rewarded with at least a couple of snapper each for dinner.

The beauty about getting your fishing fix in the harbour is that it doesn’t matter if conditions in the open water prevent you negotiating the bar and the grounds beyond, in all but the most extreme conditions you will be able to fish somewhere. By fishing your feet first, fuel costs are minimal – zero if you paddle or row to your spot – and if you only have time for a short session, a harbour mission is perfect.

While lures will get the job done, bait and berley was our go-to option, especially for snapper. Tackle doesn’t have to be particularly sophisticated. I fish four-kilo mono with the hook tied directly to the main line. Minimal weight is required even when the tide is in full flood as you are only fishing in 3-4 metres of water. Hook preference is for a 3/0-4/0 full recurve style that most often hooks a fish in the corner of the mouth. If you intend to release the fish, then the recurve mininises any damage, just remember to have that wet towel with you to handle the fish in such a way you don’t have to touch it with your hands.

Fishing recurves required a different approach when you have fish interested in your bait. You don’t need a hard strike to set the hook. Just reel in the slack, and the recurve should catch in the corner of the fish’s mouth. One of the most important things is to stay in touch with your bait so you can react quickly to any inquiries. If you miss the first bite, feed a metre of so of line back to the fish, the moving target most often resulting in it having another shot.

Even small snapper in shallow water will give a good account of themselves. I have had snapper in the 45-50cm range, where most will be sub 40cm.

One of the most popular spots is among the moored craft a couple of hundred metres south of the main ramp. Find yourself an unoccupied mooring and tie up to that. Quite often you will find yourself sharing your hot spot with shore-based anglers who have waded out and cast in your general direction, cunningly taking advantage of your berleying efforts!

Tight lines.