b'FeatureCalm conditions for an early morning beach launch in the Oceanpro 460 along from the Pouto lighthouse.Editor Matt Hewetson returns to softbait the infamous Kaipara graveyard.S oftbaiting has beensoftbait hanging from their mouth,The Kaipara out on the west a popular method ofmuch like the cover of this very issue! coast of Northland, is an area lure fishing that hasSince those early days, I have beenthat I have grown up fishing near been adopted by asold on the merits of softbaiting,my hometown and with around lot of Kiwi anglers forit is my preferred way to fish in3350km of coastline, it makes almost 20 years now. boats for snapper and it works onthe Kaipara the largest harbour When it arrived on ourso many different species and spotsin the Southern Hemisphere.shores, I can rememberaround Godzone.Whether castThe region is steeped in how all the keen early adoptersinto the shallows, fished in harboursmaritime history and back from were softbaiting using Gulp Nuclearand out off the coast they can bethe 1860s, it was kauri that made Chicken Jerkshads and casting thememployed to good effect.Usingthe Kaipara. These towering into the wash.This was how mostsoftbaits hasnt changed much, yougiants were toppled from the people started out fishing withneed a long 7ft or longer rod withNorthland hills surrounding softbaits and it was highly effective,your reel spooled with braid, a monothe harbour, brought down with all the fishing mags runningor fluorocarbon leader, a jig headthe Northern Wairoa River and cover shots of 20lb+ snapper with aand of course softbaits to use. loaded onto ships for export.12FISHING IN GODZONE MAGAZINE'