Basic Guide To Rock Fishing
Rock fishing is a great way to get into fishing without going to the expense of buying a boat. Rock fishing tends to be more productive than beach fishing and with some basic information and a little persistance you'll soon be able to catch a feed of fish from the rocks. This article tells you what you need to know to get started with rock fishing, the focus is on New Zealand but much of the information will apply well elsewhere.
Safety
We'll start with the only downside of rock fishing, it can be dangerous if appropriate care isn't taken. You should always go with someone else, so they can help you if you get into trouble. Before going down to the waters edge just spend a couple of minutes watching the waves breaking, this will give you a feel for how big the waves are and where it will be safe for you to stand. Just remember it's not worth risking your life to catch and fish and you'll be fine.
Tackle
A typical setup for rock fishing is a 12 foot rod with a threadline (spinning) reel. This will allow you to cast a long way if required. A long rd is useful for getting your gear off the bottom quickly when reeling in. If you're fishing off a rock ledge with deep water straight off the rocks then a shorter rd can be used, one of about 8 foot is a popular choice for these situations. If you're on a budget the rod is the place to cut costs not the reel, a cheap reel is unlikely to last and can very easily ruin your fishing experience.
A line with 10kg breaking strain is a good place to start. You'll need to go heavier if you're targetting really large snapper or kingfish, 15kg or even 24kg line may be required. You will probably want to have a section of stronger line near the hook, this is called a leader or trace and is designed to withstand abrasion by rocks, kelp and the teeth of the fish. 15kg is a good starting point but if you're using heavier main line for large fish you will want to use a heavier leader.
Unless you're fishing really close to the rocks you'll need a sinker of some sort to get your line down. I thoroughly recommend using spoon sinkers when fishing in areas with lots of rock and/or kelp. Spoon sinkers will plane to the surface as you wind your line in, this makes getting snagged much less likely and will reduce your frustration and increase time spent actually fishing rather than tying on new hooks.
If casting a reasonable distance the long line style black magic KL's are a great choice. You don't need to strike just keep the line tight and wait for the fish to hook themselves, this means you don't need to tend to the rod and also you're less likely to get your line snagged because you won't be dragging the sinker along the bottom everytime you strike. If you're fishing in close to the rocks you might have a better hookup rate with the normal style of hook, with a short line out it's easier to feel the fish bite and time your strike. 3/0 is a good size hook if you're targetting snapper just over the size limit, you can catch bigger fish on them as well but if you're going after really large snapper or kingi's then a larger hook will hold the fish better maybe 6/0 or 7/0.
Bait
All the same baits that are used for boat fishing can work off the rocks. However if you're casting out a long way or there are lots of small fish present a tougher bait like squid or mullet is often a good bet. A tougher bait will stay on the hook better when casting and won't be as easily pulled off by small fish.
Live baits are usually used when targetting kingfish. A small kahawai or a yellotail mackerel sent out under a balloon is the usual way in New Zealand. Smaller live baits such as sprats can work very well on kahawai and snapper as well.
Berley can be very useful if you're fishing close in to the rocks. Berley is basically just some oily fish frames in a frozen block, this block is put in a cage of some sort and then lowered into the water on a rope, as it thaws the fish oil will be released and attract other fish - sprats will almost always turn up in droves, hopefully some larger fish will turn up as well. Kahawai often arrive on the scene quickly.
Setup
There are two main ways to setup your hooks and sinkers for rock fishing.
This is the running rig. Note the sinker runs free on the line, the swivel stops it from sitting right next to the hook. So the baited hook is free to move around quite naturally with the water. All knots are uni knots.
The dropper rig. Here we have the sinker tied to the end of the line with the hook attached to a loop made in the leader. This is great if you need to cast a long way because it cuts through the air a lot easier than the running rig. You can also put another hook on a second loop which allows you to fish with two baits which can increase your chances. The only disadvantage of this is that the bait doesn't move as freely as it does with the running rig. The loop is made using a dropper knot.
So now you know how to setup your gear it's time to find a place to go fishing.
Location
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There are good spots for rock fishing all around New Zealand but Northland, Coromandel and the Eastcape are particularly good for snapper and kingfish. Further south blue and red code start to make up a lot of the catch. Stewart Island and Fiordland have brilliant blue cod fishing from the shore. Things to look for when selecting a spot are deep water close to shore and high shell fish populations or kelp along the shore. |
Fishing
Finally it's time for some fishing. Bait up your hooks and cast your line out and you're fishing, you just need to wait for some bites. If you don't get bites try casting further out or closer in, just vary what you're doing until you find fish.
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