b'Feature BOATS OFF THE COASTWhen the sea is calm with the swell under a metre, then the locals will beach launch their trailer boats to head out off the coast to fish in about 30m for snapper.We have had some outstanding fishing when conditions allow you to do this.I have taken Auckland friends up to experience this and told them they will catch a snapper as soon as the sinker hits the bottom.They laugh and say whatever Matt, it usually takes less than 10 seconds for a good 40cm+ fish to smack their bait, and they are left dumbstruck in awe.Often when the fish turn up in force and the baits are all getting hit bringing them underneath after a good 15-20 minutes of fishing, we switch to softbaits and simply drop them at anchor, and the Brian Snooks on Cloud9 poses with an 80cm snapper at the graveyard on a calm day.This 7kg+ fish hit a 7 Rapala Crush City softbait on a 1oz jig head when testing at the graveyard.Over high tide and you can pick upAs we neared, there were a few snapper in the deeper holeshundreds of gulls, terns and gannets that fill up with water, but trevallyall diving into the water and are the dominant fish you tend tothousands of small baitfish were catch and especially if you are usingfleeing and beaching themselves tuatua baits.I can recall the firston the sand.We jumped out time I realised that Ripiro Beach wasof the cruiser and collected a a special place for fishing when I wasbucket load of the fish for bait.a teenager and getting into fishing. The sea was boiling all around us in My grandfather and I had goneknee deep water as trevally frothed down the beach in the afternoonthe water chasing the fish into the when high school finished asshallows.As soon as you cast out the easterly wind was strongyou were on instantly and we caught and as we drove south of Baylysnearly 30 trevally over the next Beach in his Land Cruiser, Icouple of hours.It was mayhem could see a massive flock of seaand you spent more time unhooking birds in close to the beach. fish and dispatching them!14FISHING IN GODZONE MAGAZINE'