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  • North Island Snapper & Kingfish Report: Bay of Islands to the Hauraki Gulf

    North Island Snapper & Kingfish Report: Bay of Islands to the Hauraki Gulf
    2026/06/22
    Kia ora, it’s Artificial Lure here with your North Island fishing report. We’ll start up north. Around the Bay of Islands and out of Tutukaka, the morning high tide has been lining up nicely with first light, giving snapper fishos a good bite window in 10–25 metres. A soft, glassy start has been common this week with light offshore breezes, building to a bit of sea breeze and chop mid‑afternoon. Sunrise is just after seven, sunset a touch before five, so your prime bite times are those first and last two hours of light around the turns of the tide. Snapper have been the main show inshore. Anglers running 3–5 inch soft baits in natural browns and pinks on light jig heads over the sand and foul have been putting good pans and the odd 60‑plus into the bin. Straylined baits have still done the damage: fresh kahawai slabs, pilchard, and bonito cubes are the standouts. Berley on the sand in 12–18 metres off places like Whale Rock and closer in to the Ninepin has been drawing fish right up the trail. Kingfish activity has picked up around the usual haunts – markers, reefs, and headlands. Live mackerel slow‑trolled around prominent structure, or dropped down on the pins, has produced some solid fish. For lure fishos, 80–120 g mechanical jigs in blue/silver or green/yellow and mid‑sized stickbaits worked just subsurface have been reliable. Workups have been sporadic but where gannets and dolphins are found on the mid‑harbour bait schools, there have been school kings and good snapper underneath. Down off the Hauraki Gulf and East Coast Bays, cooler mornings with light southwesterlies have had the harbour pretty calm early before the afternoon sea breeze kicks in. The bigger bite has been on the incoming around the edges of the channels and over the worm beds. Micro‑jigs in the 10–30 g range and small fluttering slow‑pitch jigs have been accounting for mixed bags of snapper, kahawai, and the odd gurnard. Fresh jack mackerel and squid baits fish well here when the wind is up and lure control gets tricky. West coast missions out of places like Raglan and the Manukau need a close eye on the bar and forecast, but when the swell has eased back, the 40–60 metre line has given up good snapper and juvenile puka. Ledger rigs with salted bonito and squid have been doing the business, and there have been reports of solid kahawai schools on the surface – perfect for both the smoker and livebait tanks. A couple of hotspots to circle on the chart right now: • Off Cape Brett in 25–40 metres: good snapper numbers and by‑catch of kahawai on soft baits and lightly weighted baits, especially around the morning high. • The workups and worm beds out from Tiritiri Matangi down towards the middle gulf: when the birds are on, micro‑jigs and lightly weighted soft baits are getting hit on the drop. Overall, fish activity has been best around the tide changes, particularly when that lines up with dawn or dusk and a bit of current. Keep your rigs light, your presentations natural, and don’t be afraid to move if you’re not getting bites within 20–30 minutes. 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
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    3 分
  • North Island Fishing Report: Settled Skies, Steady Snapper Action Across the Gulfs

    North Island Fishing Report: Settled Skies, Steady Snapper Action Across the Gulfs
    2026/06/21
    This is Artificial Lure with your North Island fishing report. A settled high is parked over the North Island today, giving most coasts light winds and clear skies. MetService has light variable winds in the morning, tending sea breeze in the afternoon, with only a slight chop for the Hauraki Gulf, Bay of Plenty and the Far North. Air temps are cruising in the mid-teens to low 20s, so it’s a really comfortable day to be on the water. Sunrise was around twenty past seven, with sunset just after five in the evening, so your prime bite windows are the classic dawn and dusk change-of-light periods. NIWA’s tide tables for Auckland show a mid‑morning high and late‑afternoon low, with decent movement through the middle of the day. On the east coast, especially the inner gulf and Bay of Plenty, that run‑in tide over the morning has been the key. Local tackle shops around Auckland and Whangārei report snapper still feeding well in 10–25 metres, especially over broken foul and shell. Most fish are pannies in the 35–45 cm range, with the odd bigger model nudging 60 cm. Workups are patchy but when the kahawai push bait up, there are gannets on top and snapper underneath. Soft-baiters have been doing well with 4–5 inch jerk shads and paddle tails in natural baitfish colours – nuclear chicken, bruised banana, and pilchard patterns all getting bites. A 3/8 to 1/2 oz jighead has been about right in the current. Straylining fresh bait is still deadly: pilchard, mullet, and fresh kahawai slabs drifting lightly weighted back into the burley trail are producing consistent tables of fish. For those microjigging, 20–40 g lures in pink, blue and lumo worked slowly near the bottom have found snapper, trevally and the odd john dory on reefs off Kawau, Little Barrier and Mayor Island. Tauranga and Whakatāne charters report solid kingfish on the deeper reefs, mostly schoolies but a few brutes. Live mackerel and koheru are top baits, with mechanical jigs in blue/silver or green/gold also producing when the current is humming. On the west coast, when the bar conditions allow, charter skippers out of Manukau and Kaipara say the snapper are holding a bit wider, with gurnard and school shark mixed in the bins. Fresh kahawai cubes and squid on ledger rigs are doing the damage there. A couple of hot spots to circle on the map today: • Hauraki Gulf inner reefs around Waiheke and Motuihe channels – great for snapper on the incoming, especially flicking soft-baits along the edges of the banks. • Bay of Plenty reef systems like Penguin Shoals and the inshore pins off Motiti – good mixed bags of snapper, terakihi and kingfish for those fishing jigs and livebaits. Overall fish activity has been described by local skippers as “steady rather than on fire” – you’ve got to move a bit, watch your sounder, and make the most of those current changes. Keep your leaders light, your presentations natural, and don’t be afraid to drop down a hook size if the bite’s tentative. That’s your North Island fishing 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
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    3 分
  • North Island Fishing Report: Spring Snapper Action and Tide Timing Tips

    North Island Fishing Report: Spring Snapper Action and Tide Timing Tips
    2026/06/20
    Name’s Artificial Lure here, checking in with your North Island fishing report. Up north around the Bay of Islands and out to Tutukaka, a gentle high‑pressure system has settled in. Light southwest winds, a bit of cloud drifting through, and afternoon temps sitting mid‑teens to high teens. Offshore the swell is a tidy 1–1.5 metres, with calmer stuff in the bays. Sunrise was around twenty‑past seven this morning, sunset about quarter to five this arvo, giving a short, sharp bite window either side of those times. Tides on both coasts are running moderate – a morning low and a solid afternoon push. The best action has lined up with the incoming: first two hours of the flood and the top of the tide have been the go. In the harbours, that moving water has really switched the fish on around channel edges and current lines. Snapper have been the main story. In the Hauraki Gulf and off Kawau, pannies to 45 cm have been coming aboard in good numbers on the mid‑depth reef systems. Soft‑baiters doing well with 4–5 inch jerk shads in natural pilchard and new‑penny colours, rigged on 3/8 oz jig heads. Bait fishos drifting stray‑lined pilchard and fresh kahawai cubes back into the berley trail are also filling bins, especially on that afternoon tide. Out wider, off Whangaparaoa and Tairua, the workups have been patchy but when the gannets and dolphins gang up, there are some better snapper and the odd kingfish underneath. Micro‑jigs in 20–40 g, silver or blue, dropped straight through the sign and worked with short lifts, have been deadly. Live mackerel slow‑trolled around those same bait schools are picking up solid kings for those putting in the time. On the west coast, when the bar has played ball, anglers off Raglan and Manukau have reported good mixed bags: snapper, gurnard, and a few trevally on long traces with squid and salted bonito. The colour change line has been a hot zone; anything with scent has helped in that slightly murkier water. Land‑based, a couple of hot spots worth a mention: – The rocks around Mahurangi and out toward Tawharanui have held nice evening snapper on whole pillies and floating baits with minimal weight. – Down the line, the ledges around Coromandel town have produced decent fish on the dusk change‑of‑light, with squid baits and smaller hooks doing the damage when the bite’s been finicky. Best baits right now: fresh kahawai, squid, and pilchard. Best lures: natural‑tone soft baits, 20–40 g micro‑jigs, and small slow‑pitch jigs worked close to the bottom over sign. Keep your leader tidy and drop your weight as light as the drift allows; the fish are responding to a subtle presentation rather than heavy hardware. In general, fish activity has lifted around the stronger tide phases, then tapered off during slack water. If you can, plan your session to straddle the change of light and a tide change – that’s when most of the better catches have been reported across the Gulf and the northern harbours. That’s the wrap from me, Artificial Lure. 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
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    3 分
  • North Island Winter Bite: Snapper, Kahawai, and Micro-Jigs firing in the Upper Gulf

    North Island Winter Bite: Snapper, Kahawai, and Micro-Jigs firing in the Upper Gulf
    2026/06/19
    Kia ora, Artificial Lure here with your North Island fishing report. We’ll start with the conditions. Around the upper North Island the day’s been mild and settled: light to moderate south‑westerlies easing through the morning, a bit of high cloud but plenty of blue patches, and afternoon temperatures in the mid‑teens to high teens. Coastal sea temps are sitting around the mid‑teens as well, which is keeping the winter bite ticking over. Tides on the east coast have been classic winter middles: a decent morning incoming and a handy evening outgoing, giving you two solid bite windows. The best action has lined up an hour either side of the turn, especially around the low when the current backs off over the reefs and pins. First light has been just after 7am, with last light around 5pm, and those edges of the day are absolutely worth setting the alarm for. Fish activity has been surprisingly lively for this time of year. In the Hauraki Gulf and along the eastern bays, pannie snapper have been hanging on the 12–18 metre foul and over scattered shell. Most fish are in that 32–40cm range, with the odd 50cm model mixed in. Out a bit deeper, over 35–45 metres, there have been good hauls of table‑sized snapper for those willing to do a few drifts. Kahawai schools have been working bait on the surface off the harbour mouths and prominent headlands, especially when the tide starts to push. They’re a great option if you’ve got kids or just want some easy action. Gurnard are starting to feature on the sand in the inner harbours and channels, and there have been a few solid trevally turning up around wharf pylons and over sand‑mud fringes where the burley’s been flowing. In terms of what’s working, soft‑baits continue to do the damage. Five‑inch jerk shads and paddle tails in natural baitfish colours – think blues, browns, and motor‑oil style hues – fished on 3/8 to 1/2oz jig heads have been deadly when hopped slowly near the bottom. For those fishing bait, fresh is king: slimy mackerel, kahawai strips, and squid are all producing. Smaller baits on lighter traces are out‑fishing big slabs; it’s that typical winter “less is more” pattern. Micro‑jigs in the 20–40g range are well worth a go over the mid‑depth foul. Slow, fluttery actions are getting eaten by snapper, trevally, and the better‑sized kahawai. If you’re into stray‑lining, an unweighted or very lightly weighted pilchard or fresh strip bait drifting back in the berley trail has been deadly in close around the rocks. A couple of hot spots to put on your list: • The outer Hauraki Gulf reef edges and pins, especially the transition from foul to sand in 15–25 metres. Drift those lines with soft‑baits or micro‑jigs and watch the sounder for bait stacks and arches tight to the bottom. • East Coast rock ledges and headlands north of Auckland, where wash meets deeper water. A steady berley trail and unweighted baits lobbed into the whitewater have been producing solid snapper and the odd trophy fish for the patient. Inner harbours aren’t to be ignored either. Working the channel edges on the outgoing with small baits and light gear has been turning up tidy snapper and some very respectable gurnard for the chilly‑bin. That’s your wrap for today from Artificial Lure. 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
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    3 分