b'SOFTBAITING The writer scored a solid 6kg fish drifting in the graveyard which fires in autumn.A utumn is mySo, you are fighting a fish and the currentWe typically head to the graveyard favourite timeto land your prize.I also believe thewhich starts under the northern of the year tosnapper we catch here on the TasmanPouto lighthouse and runs to the softbait, theside are built different to those on theentrance near the unforgiving bar.snapper come ineast side.They are longer and haveAlong this stretch of water which close looking toa much bigger tail, it makes sense asruns from 18m-50m in parts, are feed up beforethey need a longer paddle to live inhuge mussel beds which the fish are winter and thethese currents.They are also always onfeeding on.The sounder will show busy summerthe move with less reefs or structuresharp drop offs and good fish sign activity from otheravailable in a sandy bottomed harbour tohard on the bottom under larger water users has died down, so the fishingreside in as their eastern cousins over onbaitfish schools, this is where the isnt so fickle.Summer is too hot for mythe Pacific coast. snapper are feeding.liking as I prefer the cooler days on the water and some of my best softbaiting is usually in March and April especially out on the Kaipara.WEST IS BESTI grew up fishing the Kaipara harbour and the snapper are found here in good numbers and size in Godzones largest harbour.The harbour tides on average rise and fall 2.10m and the current here is amazing, running around five knots at the height of its flow (9km/h with a spring tide) at the entrance channel with 1,990 million cubic metres per tidal movement!This means two things; you drift a long way fast when softbaiting and theLooking for fish sign to drop softbaits onto is best after midday snapper use this current when hooked. when the sun is higher, and fish go deeper.44FISHING IN GODZONE MAR/APR 2022'