Snapper City - just out there not far away from the human city, and December it is which means the aquatic metropolis is a much better place to be, anytime this month really.

The festive fervour has started for humans with the ‘must be finished before Christmas’ catch phrase in full swing, particularly among the all-important tradies – and what with the windy November most jobs shouldn’t be running too far behind schedule from occasional (fishing) days offsite.

Similarly the snapper annual life cycle is in full effect – aggressive feeding preceding the breeding slowdown around our official holidays, so between now and Christmas Eve is ideal to head out and enjoy the local paradise – before packing all and sundry and heading off to holiday destinations at various points of the compass – with new fishing grounds to explore?!

Great news for kayakers and tiny tinnies as the mid Hauraki gulf action has spread out with good fishing all around, and inshore hot spots bursting into life bottom end of Waiheke, Tamaki Strait, out from the northern North Shore bays (especially the last couple of evenings), as well as the gulf’s edges further north.

Kayakers and some land based anglers have been doing very well, numbers of fish and solid snapper sizes too as a result of fishing in the lee. Softbaiting and smaller jigs (micros) around the inner areas have both been working well after the recent rain runoff clearing.

Perhaps the Orcas delighting us up and down the coastlines got the message and are into the same sort of hunting mode, in just waist deep water. Stunning to watch. Of course when the top predator is in town, fishing usually goes really, really quiet! Unsurprisingly.

Best to kick back and enjoy the intensity of the experience, and once they’ve cleared the area – successful fishing gradually resumes.

Further out into the greater gulf, it’s a wonderland of whales spouting off in 50m, dolphins perfecting their aerobatics with birds of prey flying every which way at times – spoilt for choice of buffet some days. A bit like a healthy looking tackle box – lots of good choices for you and more importantly the fish you’re targeting.

While there are good times to be had out there, fish won’t feed all day every day, so that menu approach is still key to ensuring you come home and don’t have to speed-dial a pizza delivery for dinner. Lots of skirt laden lures or softbaits when the going is relatively quiet, then pump up the volume with heavy metal, and few if any tassles/skirts/flashers – if you intend to target the bigger snapper and fewer kahawai.

The new normal. Randomness I call it.

For instance getting a small lure priority couriered to Melbourne from Auckland took 10 days, a standard courier from China the size of several large tackle bags..5 days.

The previous way of thinking that you can buy what you want, when you want it is not so unfortunately, so if there is a fishing item you have your eye on (whether for you or someone else) best get it, there is a lot of tackle that will (and is already) being bought with no chance of new stock arriving this year, perhaps for quite some time.

Windy, changeable weather is still good for inshore fishing most days, and while there is no shortage of interesting things going on (how about the Waikato Field Days for a day of discovery?), somewhere there is Spot X to fish in shelter, calm enough waters in relative safety.

This first week of December is the lead up to full moon for the month, so while that may throw a curve ball or two for a few days, it should be plain sailing and good fishing at least right up to present-opening time! Carpe diem, seize the day!

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Cheers

Espresso

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This report is supplied by Grant 'Espresso' Bittle from Catch and Wave Dancer Charters.

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For Wave Dancer Charters: Visit www.wavedancer.co.nz

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