Police are today reassessing the search for missing fisherman Jason Kauta in the Bay of Plenty.

Weather conditions were not expected to be favourable, and to date, nothing of interest had been found, police said in a statement this morning.

Ōpōtiki Coastguard president Ron Jones said only the Air Force was out searching today because of the weather and all boats had been stood down.

Kauta went out fishing by boat from Torere around 7am on Sunday but failed to return.

His niece, Mia van den Broek, is asking the public for contacts of people who go fishing from the Ōpōtiki to Te Kaha region and may have seen a 12ft fibreglass dinghy.

Van den Broek described her uncle as a keen fisherman with a good sense of humour and a "massive heart".

Kauta is described as around 1.8m tall and has a whānau name "Wharekino" written on his right arm on the inside of his tā moko.

Police continued to ask members of the public who may be on the shoreline from Torere through to Maketu to be vigilant, and report any sighting of the following items of interest - a 100 litre white chilly bin, a red tote tank, wooden oars, and a yellow life jacket.

Anyone who comes across any of these items is asked to contact Police on 105 quoting file number 220418/0391.

Coastguard volunteers from Ōpōtiki, Whakatāne and Maketu searched at sea in the Torere area yesterday, while a RNZAF Orion also searched from the air.