Looking for somewhere new to Kayak, try Narrow Neck. This is one of those spots that goes to show what a fantastic place we live in. How many places in the world can you catch yourself a feed of fresh fish within sight of the city skyscrapers?
I’m talking about fishing in the Rangitoto channel and the launch point for this spot is Narrow Neck Beach on Auckland’s North Shore.
Only 20 minutes and under 10km from the Auckland Harbour Bridge you will find our launch spot.
So where to find the fish?
1. Beside the Channel
The Rangitoto Channel moves huge volumes of water throughout the tides and is the only shipping route into Auckland ports. But it’s also the main highway for the fish entering and leaving the inner Auckland Harbour so targeting the channel is always the first port of call.
The channel is very well marked even for those without electronic charts - each side of the channel is marked with a series of red and green channel markers.
The tide will dictate the direction of your drift so take note of that before you paddle out and head into the tide.
Once you reach the marker start fishing and the current will push you along to the next marker.
Simply fish along the channel and you should find fish. If the fishing is not great try drifting down to the next marker and so on.
Alternatively you can try the other side of the channel as well.
2. Under the Cliffs
If fishing the channel is not your thing or it’s busy then look at heading north along the shore.
Hang a left from the beach and paddle towards Takapuna. Staying fairly shallow, use your electronics to spot the schools of fish sitting on the bottom.
Note:
At no time should you be fishing or anchoring directly in the channel. If you want to cross the channel to the Rangitoto side then do so only when its safe and do not stop for a fish on the way, even if your fish-finder lights up.
If the fishing is hard or the day is long there is a small café by the beach that is open for refreshments but unfortunately doesn’t sell fish fillets for you to take home. The ice-cream however, is outstanding
Both Narrow Neck and the Rangitoto Channel can become very busy in the height of summer so get there early for the best parking and fishing spots.
There is limited parking by the beach but this is complemented by a huge sealed car park across the road. It’s easy to load the kayak on your trolley and wheel it across the road to the beach and concrete boat ramp.
