From now through spring is one of the best times of year to fish, says Ōpōtiki Bait and Tackle owner Keith Davey.

“We get a lot of big snapper in close to shore at this time of year. Surfcasting in places like Torere can be frustrating but this time of the year always produces big fish off the beach.

“It’s great fishing out on the sea at the moment as well; a lot of people are fishing around that 30-metre-mark which is producing heaps of fish.

“The groynes have a sign saying not recommended, which at Ōpōtiki means help yourself. They are doing well, especially with the whitebait running up the river for the last few months.

“That drags in snapper, king fish, kahawai and so forth.

“There were a couple of very large king fish caught in the groins a couple of weeks ago.”

Does this mean more happy faces in his shop?

“Actually, it means more faces overall. It’s been a rough time for retailers around the country over the previous few months but with the change in weather people are slowly poking their heads out of their caves and coming out, which is great to see.”

Mr Davey said you were never too young or too old to take up fishing, but he had an important tip for new anglers due to the warm weather.

“I do find some people can lack knowledge of the need to preserve their fish. Make sure you have ice with you wherever you are.

“Put them on ice straight away, especially as the weather gets warmer because those fish just won’t last.

“This especially applies to kahawai – you must bleed them straight away and put them on ice otherwise if you leave them lying around, they could get histamine in them.

“You could even get sick (from eating them) if they are left long enough.”