b'FeatureThe writer started out fishing with two rods, one with bait and the other with the softbait rig.On a recent springtime surfcasting trip to the Kaipara, the snapper fishing went off and switching to softbaits on a new rig paid off for editor Matt Hewetson.F or those Kiwi anglers who know it, say it, the west is best!.The fish stocks on the east coast in many parts of Godzone has really been feeling the pressure over the last few years and just look at what is being proposed for the Hauraki Gulf.Being based in Tauranga where the fishing in the Bay of Plenty is also a struggle at times, I often drive hundreds of kilometres to find better waters.For snapper fishing and especially when surfcasting, the west coast off my hometown in Dargaville, Northland offers some of the best you can experience. Conditions on the North Kaipara were flat calm at low tide.72FISHING IN GODZONE MAGAZINE'