Spirits Bay is certainly a worthy Bucket List location; it holds a place in the hearts of the most hardy and ambitious landbased anglers in New Zealand. Over the years the ledges there have been graced by world-class fish that have to be seen to be believed.
The great thing about this place is that there are so many different species to catch during various periods of the year. One of my own personal goals when fishing this area is trying to catch Kermedec kahawai. In the past the more serious guys like Gary Kemsley have helped people catch kahawai of over twenty pounds here - that’s a phenomenal kahawai in anyone’s language!
The great thing about this place is that there are so many different species to catch during various periods of the year. One of my own personal goals when fishing this area is trying to catch Kermedec kahawai. In the past the more serious guys like Gary Kemsley have helped people catch kahawai of over twenty pounds here - that’s a phenomenal kahawai in anyone’s language!
Words & Photos: Chad Prentice
Each year many passionate anglers procrastinate about fishing this location. They keep putting it in the too-hard basket – but it’s really very accessible and doesn't require much effort at all. There are fantastic DOC facilities for freedom camping, which includes showers and toilets set on a huge open grassy area, and provided you are man enough to put up with the prehistoric bird-size mosquitoes you’ll love the place. In the past decade of fishing this location I have never had any issues with the security of my vehicles either; you can go fishing without any worries at all.
Spirits Bay has many fishing options available: surfcasting along the beach and rock fishing off the island as well as the mainland.
Conditions
This area faces to the north, so anything with swell from the North will affect it, but it’s generally safe to fish here when the swell is less than one metre. You can fish it in a bigger swell, but use common sense. The ideal condition is a swell of around half a metre and a light onshore northeast breeze - which usually occurs through the summer months. Any wind from the south from southwest to southeast will be fine in this area and flatten the sea out. You can fish rodholders in northeast conditions as it is sheltered then also. My advice is to spend some time studying a map and becoming familiar with the area. As long as the wind is slightly offshore it will be as good as gold.
Time of year
Fishing here year-round can produce great results. From my experience the snapper fishing can be difficult through summer but does pick up from March onwards; even in winter there can be some great snapper fishing to be had. My favourite months to target snapper in this area are October and April. The kingfish however are there all year. Through the spring and summer months there are lots of rats (small kingfish) around, but later in Autumn the bigger fish become more prolific.
Trevally are there all year round, but they thrive in summer in amazing numbers. Their average size is around the 4 kilogram mark, although there are a few there that breach 6 kilograms. For the bigger fish, target them in the middle of winter with lots of burley; this is when they reach peak condition.
Surfcasting
To be honest, the surfcasting can be very slow on this stretch of coast. There can be good numbers of trevally, snapper and resident kingfish but in the same breath it can also be over-run with large tope (school sharks) and bronze whalers. It’s possible to surfcast off the left hand side of the island - it’s all sand with very few snags. The benefit with surfcasting off the island is you are able to reach deeper water, although because this water is usually so clear it can be slow grinding through the daylight hours, but it certainly picks up through the early morning and late evening sessions.
Directly out in front is a great place to target kingfish; there are good kahawai numbers that lurk through this section of the beach which draws the kingfish in from further afield to feast. I recommend you take a chilly bin to hold livebaits and target the kingfish through the middle of the day with sliding livebaits. If you are having trouble with sharks though, pack up and move; they won't be leaving, and they don’t give the kingfish much opportunity to take your bait.
My preferred surfcasting location here is at the western end of the beach, nearer to Pandora. Unfortunately it’s walking access only, which is a shame as the fishing is fantastic down that end. Frequent catches of large trevally and solid snapper are on offer, with the best months for this being March, April, and May. If you put the effort into getting to the western end to surfcast, the fishing is that good it doesn't really matter what rig you use, you will catch fish!
Rockfishing
The Island
Here the fishing access is tidal: you can only get on and off the island within 3 hours either side of low tide. From experience it’s not ideal being trapped on the island till three in the morning, so it pays to keep an eye on the tidal charts! You will find easy access to livebaits to target kingfish on the left hand side nearer to the beach; there are lots of small kahawai there, which are ideal for the job at hand. Most of the fishing I have done here has off the point on the rock you can access on dead low. And make sure you take plenty of burley, to get the best out of this spot. The main target species are trevally which can be targeted with softbaits, snapper which respond well to large strips of kahawai, and kingfish on livebaits. From the car park it’s about a ten-minute walk on flat land - you don’t need to be fit to fish this location.
Bucks Ledge/Rod Holders
This is the series of rocks that run out towards Hoopers Point opposite the island; it’s a spot that consists of good fishable ledges right along, and deep water right in close. Access to this location has to be gained by walking along the bottom 3 hours either side of low tide but it’s safe to fish there over the high tide. These ledges offer good opportunities for stick baiting, livebaiting, softbaiting and bait fishing. You can expect to catch almost anything although snapper, kingfish, trevally and kahawai will be the main victims.
I personally like this area because you can be constantly active; you can walk along the entire stretch, casting into new areas and really working the water. For best results on snapper and trevally strayline un-weighted baits like pilchards and fresh kahawai. Cast them out into some berley and let them settle gently near the bottom before slowly retrieving to avoid snags. You will find old rod holders concreted into the ledges, hence the name of this location. Many massive snapper, trevally and kingfish have been landed in this spot.
Hoopers Point
This is my favourite out of all the sites; its rugged unpredictable nature has a certain allure about it. It’s at the very point at Spirits Bay and should only be fished in calm conditions. Walking/wading access to this spot is OK 3 hours either side of low tide, or you can walk up and over the hill and come down on it, in which case the tide won’t really matter.
This is one of New Zealand’s premier land-based spots. That’s because it is possible to catch a host of species here and the water is very deep close to land. It also catches good currents of warm water that see many tuna come close to shore. For years many have tried to catch the first recorded land based marlin here without success, but it is a very highly-regarded spot that has had many sightings close to shore.
This is a great spot for kingfish, though not so great for snapper a lot of the time. And don’t be afraid to use big kahawai livebaits; there are certainly fish here in this area well capable of devouring them.
One of my fondest memories of this area dates back to about four years ago. I was doing some product testing and was sent some new Berkley Fireline Exceed to trial, and after carefully putting it on the reel, tying fancy leader knots and sorting out my lure rod I was ready to hit the reef. With big trevally in mind I cast the lure carefully on the edge of some structure and gave it time to settle. I’d worked the lure all the way back to my feet and was about to lift it from the water when a monster kingfish come from nowhere and inhaled it. I nearly burnt the skin off my hand trying to stop the reel to save the brand new line, but my efforts weren't enough and within a few seconds over 130 metres of brand new line was last seen heading for the horizon. I must have stood at the water’s edge for a good 30 minutes after that, dumbfounded - I couldn't believe it! But it’s this sort of activity that keeps me heading back: Spirits Bay is an incredibly special place that captures the soul of every dedicated landbased angler.
Each time I hit the dusty long, dusty, windy road home, unfinished business lingers in the back of my mind as I recall all the large specimens that evaded capture - only to grow even bigger! There's a damn good reason this location should be on the Bucket List of every serious landbased angler in NZ, and it will only take one trip to this fantastic part of the country for you to find out why!
Spirits Bay has many fishing options available: surfcasting along the beach and rock fishing off the island as well as the mainland.
Conditions
This area faces to the north, so anything with swell from the North will affect it, but it’s generally safe to fish here when the swell is less than one metre. You can fish it in a bigger swell, but use common sense. The ideal condition is a swell of around half a metre and a light onshore northeast breeze - which usually occurs through the summer months. Any wind from the south from southwest to southeast will be fine in this area and flatten the sea out. You can fish rodholders in northeast conditions as it is sheltered then also. My advice is to spend some time studying a map and becoming familiar with the area. As long as the wind is slightly offshore it will be as good as gold.
Time of year
Fishing here year-round can produce great results. From my experience the snapper fishing can be difficult through summer but does pick up from March onwards; even in winter there can be some great snapper fishing to be had. My favourite months to target snapper in this area are October and April. The kingfish however are there all year. Through the spring and summer months there are lots of rats (small kingfish) around, but later in Autumn the bigger fish become more prolific.
Trevally are there all year round, but they thrive in summer in amazing numbers. Their average size is around the 4 kilogram mark, although there are a few there that breach 6 kilograms. For the bigger fish, target them in the middle of winter with lots of burley; this is when they reach peak condition.
Surfcasting
To be honest, the surfcasting can be very slow on this stretch of coast. There can be good numbers of trevally, snapper and resident kingfish but in the same breath it can also be over-run with large tope (school sharks) and bronze whalers. It’s possible to surfcast off the left hand side of the island - it’s all sand with very few snags. The benefit with surfcasting off the island is you are able to reach deeper water, although because this water is usually so clear it can be slow grinding through the daylight hours, but it certainly picks up through the early morning and late evening sessions.
Directly out in front is a great place to target kingfish; there are good kahawai numbers that lurk through this section of the beach which draws the kingfish in from further afield to feast. I recommend you take a chilly bin to hold livebaits and target the kingfish through the middle of the day with sliding livebaits. If you are having trouble with sharks though, pack up and move; they won't be leaving, and they don’t give the kingfish much opportunity to take your bait.
My preferred surfcasting location here is at the western end of the beach, nearer to Pandora. Unfortunately it’s walking access only, which is a shame as the fishing is fantastic down that end. Frequent catches of large trevally and solid snapper are on offer, with the best months for this being March, April, and May. If you put the effort into getting to the western end to surfcast, the fishing is that good it doesn't really matter what rig you use, you will catch fish!
Rockfishing
The Island
Here the fishing access is tidal: you can only get on and off the island within 3 hours either side of low tide. From experience it’s not ideal being trapped on the island till three in the morning, so it pays to keep an eye on the tidal charts! You will find easy access to livebaits to target kingfish on the left hand side nearer to the beach; there are lots of small kahawai there, which are ideal for the job at hand. Most of the fishing I have done here has off the point on the rock you can access on dead low. And make sure you take plenty of burley, to get the best out of this spot. The main target species are trevally which can be targeted with softbaits, snapper which respond well to large strips of kahawai, and kingfish on livebaits. From the car park it’s about a ten-minute walk on flat land - you don’t need to be fit to fish this location.
Bucks Ledge/Rod Holders
This is the series of rocks that run out towards Hoopers Point opposite the island; it’s a spot that consists of good fishable ledges right along, and deep water right in close. Access to this location has to be gained by walking along the bottom 3 hours either side of low tide but it’s safe to fish there over the high tide. These ledges offer good opportunities for stick baiting, livebaiting, softbaiting and bait fishing. You can expect to catch almost anything although snapper, kingfish, trevally and kahawai will be the main victims.
I personally like this area because you can be constantly active; you can walk along the entire stretch, casting into new areas and really working the water. For best results on snapper and trevally strayline un-weighted baits like pilchards and fresh kahawai. Cast them out into some berley and let them settle gently near the bottom before slowly retrieving to avoid snags. You will find old rod holders concreted into the ledges, hence the name of this location. Many massive snapper, trevally and kingfish have been landed in this spot.
Hoopers Point
This is my favourite out of all the sites; its rugged unpredictable nature has a certain allure about it. It’s at the very point at Spirits Bay and should only be fished in calm conditions. Walking/wading access to this spot is OK 3 hours either side of low tide, or you can walk up and over the hill and come down on it, in which case the tide won’t really matter.
This is one of New Zealand’s premier land-based spots. That’s because it is possible to catch a host of species here and the water is very deep close to land. It also catches good currents of warm water that see many tuna come close to shore. For years many have tried to catch the first recorded land based marlin here without success, but it is a very highly-regarded spot that has had many sightings close to shore.
This is a great spot for kingfish, though not so great for snapper a lot of the time. And don’t be afraid to use big kahawai livebaits; there are certainly fish here in this area well capable of devouring them.
One of my fondest memories of this area dates back to about four years ago. I was doing some product testing and was sent some new Berkley Fireline Exceed to trial, and after carefully putting it on the reel, tying fancy leader knots and sorting out my lure rod I was ready to hit the reef. With big trevally in mind I cast the lure carefully on the edge of some structure and gave it time to settle. I’d worked the lure all the way back to my feet and was about to lift it from the water when a monster kingfish come from nowhere and inhaled it. I nearly burnt the skin off my hand trying to stop the reel to save the brand new line, but my efforts weren't enough and within a few seconds over 130 metres of brand new line was last seen heading for the horizon. I must have stood at the water’s edge for a good 30 minutes after that, dumbfounded - I couldn't believe it! But it’s this sort of activity that keeps me heading back: Spirits Bay is an incredibly special place that captures the soul of every dedicated landbased angler.
Each time I hit the dusty long, dusty, windy road home, unfinished business lingers in the back of my mind as I recall all the large specimens that evaded capture - only to grow even bigger! There's a damn good reason this location should be on the Bucket List of every serious landbased angler in NZ, and it will only take one trip to this fantastic part of the country for you to find out why!