The price of petrol is on everyone’s mind, but as I said to some friends, look at the true value of getting out on the water with family and friends. What does it cost to go out for dinner or the movies? We are so blessed with the amazing Hauraki Gulf to be able to head out to one of the islands, catch a few fish, and have quality time. A couple of snapper at fifty-odd dollars in the shops makes it a cheap day out.
The thing is, you don’t need to go far and burn a heap of petrol. My 70 hp Yamaha pushes my Haines 485 at 17-20 knots, burning around 12 litres an hour. On average to head out for a fish and a swim at Rakino and back I may only use 15 litres for the whole day, that’s a hell of a lot cheaper than going to the movies. Being out on the water is all about quality of life, as Mark Twain said: “Every day a man spends fishing is another day added to his life “.
With the change of season, now is when the fishing just gets better, snapper are in close, feeding up large to regain their body fat to carry them over winter.
Rather than charging out wide looking for works, you need only to fish locally to fill the bin. If it’s jigging or soft baits, good snapper and trevally are being caught in the Rangitoto channel. On the eastern side of Motutapu, there are numerous work-ups of small kahawai with plenty of pannie-sized snapper spread out on the bottom.
If you are into bait fishing and you launch at Westhaven, all you need to do is idle across to the Bayswater Marina, on the incoming tide, fish slightly to the west of the entrance, where the bottom shelves up. The perfect time is at the change of light on the incoming tide. A mate of mine filled the bin and reckons they used less than 6 litres from the ramp and back.
Further to the west, fish the incoming tide at Meola reef, you only need to be in around 3 meters of water, so very little weight or best of no weight. The snapper will pick up the bait and put up a hell of a fight. Try tossing out just a very small jig and work back to the boat as you would a soft bait.
Being on a fuel-saving binge, one of my go-to spots is West Bastion Reef, where fish bite on both the incoming and outgoing tide. I don’t bother looking for fish on the sounder as we are fishing back onto the reef. Line yourself up around fifty meters on the inside of the red marker and just outside of casting distance from the reef, plenty of ground bait and burly will get taken back by the current, drawing fish to the bait from both sides of the reef. You don’t need to use any sinkers, as they only get snagged, and your baits will float down and around more naturally.
Hey big spender lets use a couple more litres and head across to Rangitoto, off Flax Point in around 8-10 meters the bottom is mostly flat and featureless but you will see tiny bits of rubble with a few fish scattered about this area fishes best on the incoming tide a burly bomb set about a meter off the bottom along with ground bait puts a scent out over a wide area. Straying out the back and then wait for the fish to come to you, but while waiting, catch a few jack macs as they are stunning bait in this spot.
Want to have a neat family day and a sneaky fish on the side head down Islington Bay, fish back towards the shore any where from the entrance to the old wharf, it can get a bit sloppy at times with the wake of the ferry’s but once you have a couple of fish on ice go right up to the head of the bay and take the family for a walk around the historic old houses.
These are just a few of the spots close to town, and most boats would use very little petrol, so it’s a cheap day out. Don’t think about just do it and have fun.
Originally published on Haines Hunter HQ. Republished with permission.
https://www.haineshunterhq.co.nz/news-and-events/hq-fishing-report-with-captain-swish-march-2026/
