NZ Fisher Issue 21

f sher

ISSUE 21 February 2013

Summer Snapper Bonanza What softbait, when?

Five Days of Northern Land-based Heaven

www.nzfisher.co.nz 1

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2 www.nzfisher.co.nz

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10

editorial

CONTENTS Pg 6

12

LANDBASED FISHING 6

5 Days Hardcore in the Far North

10

Roctoberfish Revisited

12

Reader Pics & Competitions

BOATFISHING 16

Summer snapper slam

18

Faking It Right

JETSKIFISHING 20

Our best soft bait fishing yet‌

22

Gear Reviews

24

National Body Report

25

Video of the month

26

Fishing Video of the Month

Pg 18

www.nzfisher.co.nz 3

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editorial

//From the

EDITOR ABOUT /

Short and sharp, NZ Fisher is a free e-magazine delivering thought provoking and enlightening articles, and industry news and information to forward-thinking fisher people.

EDITOR / Derrick Paull ART DIRECTOR / Jodi Olsson CONTENT ENQUIRIES / Phone Derrick on 021 629 327 or email derrickp@NZ Fisher.co.nz

AFTER TROLLING THE internet for

On the bright side, weather has

ADVERTISING ENQUIRIES /

many may hours looking for good

been largely friendly recently and

Phone Richard on 09 522 7257

stories & images to share, you get a

there have been some great catches

or email richardl@espiremedia.com

bit blasé about the stories & images

reported. Out own sub-editor Forsyth

ADDRESS / NZ Fisher,

you see and read about. But every

is in Rarotonga this week facing

C/- Espire Media, PO Box 137162,

now and again a story catches the eye.

Cyclone Gary and searching for GT’s

Parnell, Auckland 1151, NZ

This one is simply too long to publish

while we’re mostly getting back into

WEBSITE / www.NZ Fisher.co.nz

in NZFisher, so here’s the link and a

the swing of the five day working

few pics to accompany it are here.

week.

While New Zealand does have some

Team NZFisher have been out wide,

incredible fishing and some great

but marlin have remained elusive. Our

fisheries right on our collective door

inshore fishing has been fantastic with

steps, we do no longer have a yellow-

a number of guest fisher’s landing

fin tuna fishery, so let this be my 2013

personal bests on consecutive trips.

homage to YFT.

It’s pleasing to hear fishers talking

It does not look good for the future of either YFT or marlin in our waters now the Chinese offshore fleet has increased so dramatically and headed to our once forgotten corner of the Pacific. Sadly, time is probably passed for us to secure these fisheries for

This is a GREEN MAG, created and distributed without the use of paper so it's environmentally friendly. Please think before you print. Thank you!

about the improvement in both snapper and kingfish numbers in recent years – fingers crossed we don’t see the gains sold away to commercial interests!

Keep fishing while the weathers good – and enjoy issue 21!

the future as the future is now and

Tight lines,

they’re being scooped up en masse.

Derrick

Cover Image: Derrick Paul with the winning kingfish at the 2013 Chesters New Lynn ‘Fsnatical Fishes’ competition Credit: Simon Bell

www.nzfisher.co.nz 5

landbasedFISHING

5 Days Hardcore in the Far North

By Brendon Deacon

BOZ, GROVO, JIMMY and myself had

Managed to get 3 kahawai for livies all

kahawai around, I managed to site fish

been planning our now almost bi-annual

set up along the ledge and we threw a

a couple of snapper out of the burley.

trip up to Waitiki landing for quite some

few poppers around, had a quick chat

time, with dates finally booked and

to a guy out the end who sounded like

the weather not really sure what it was

he had fished there for a few days and

doing, with a bit of encouragement

all he had caught was tope.

from Chads trip report we said stuff it

That was it on the snapper front.

Highlight was Grovos livey getting picked up by a decent king (after telling me he would get one shot

He had a good hit and run while

on the trip that morning) sending

we were there only for what he/we

him scampering around the rocks,

believed to be a kingfish spit the

unfortunately it dived into the reef and

A reasonably early get away and

hook. Jimmys turn to get hit, bit of

it was all over pretty quickly.

making it to Waitiki before 1 am as

excitement then….. a stinkin Tope, half

per usual was a great start to the trip

an hour later and my balloon was doing

and we were amping to get started.

a dance and….. half a kahawai back.

we are going with fingers crossed the weather would play ball.

Main aim for the trip was to get Boz his 20lber off the rocks! What followed was some of the hardest 5 days of fishing up north we have experienced.

After getting a bit demoralised about the lack of, well anything, we decided to jimmy up some boat sets from our gear

That was us for day one we left the guy

(mainly bait-runners and popper or Land

at the end to it, would be interesting

Based Game rods, would have looked

to see if he finally got one, we know he

rather amusing!) and went and fished

was still there for the next two days.

the reef at spirits. Finally we managed to get into quite a few snapper almost

Day one: Quick trip to Taputaputa to find the swell too big to launch, down to Houhora and up the coast, swell too big to land where we wanted, hopped off at a spot only to be greeted by a 30knt wind coming round the corner so ½ an hour here and we had had

Day two: We chose to put the boat in the creek at spirits and carry the trailer down to the beach to launch, first time we have done this and with 4 of us it was actually quite easy, definitely beat trying to launch in swell!

straight away, Grovo with the biggest of 15lb before the tope turned up.

Back to camp to re-gather ourselves to be greeted by about 10 boats from Oakley? Fishing club….. great usually have the run of the place and enjoy the peace and quiet! Being the friendly folk we are (well ok Jimmy can

enough, back for a short but rather

Down the coast we went, once again

talk the backside off a cow) we found

wet trip back in the inflatable. Last

the wind and waves followed us but

out that they were all launching out of

option for the day was out to spirits to

we eventually found somewhere

taputs creek so would be interesting

catch the outgoing.

to land. Berley pumping, very few

to see what they turned up with.

6 www.nzfisher.co.nz

landbasedFISHING

So a bit more demoralised we went into day 3:

Day 4:

Launching with the other boats out

and show those boaties up! So off we

of taputs, quite possibly the most

went on a drive…

exciting part of the trip, we were greeted on the beach by two rather attractive tourists in bikins going for/ just coming out from an early morning swim! Glasses were donned and we

Right time to do something different

Places will remain nameless for this one, if you know where we are keep it quiet. As you might have guessed this is the day we finally got a decent fish!

definitely had to wait a little longer for

Off in the inflatable to a place we had

a “flat spell” in the waves.

wanted to hit, landing on a really nice

Unfortunately that was as good as it got for us, once again the swell and wind were making it difficult to fish, we couldn’t get to some spots we wanted to, once again the berley pumped and the odd kahawai flittered through and were put out for livies.

The boat with its new reinforcing: So we once again packed up and headed about 50m off the rocks (after a rather wet trip and quick turn around trying to get back to spirits reef after the wind decided to pick

deep ledge it just screamed kingfish!

Berley in and a snapper was sighted, think I got busted off under the ledge on that one but Boz finally got into the action with a nice snapper, kahawai were caught and deployed, mine behaving itself in a deep hole just near the end of the ledge while Jimmys decided it eventually liked the deep water well clear of the ledge, I was quietly hopeful that one of them was going to get hit and must admit to thinking that mine was in as good a position as you could get….

up 10knts half way there!) where we

A few hours went past, all was quiet

finally caught a few snapper not quite

and we were deciding whether to

so big this time but at least it was

make a move or set another berley

some action.

up, the call was made to give it a

Back at camp the boat fishers had

few more hours, so I finally decided

had a good day, snapper to 9.95kg

to do something useful and change

and two horse kingfish of 36 and 37kg

the berley over, throwing quite a

from the same boat (unfortunately

few chunks out of what was left in

both killed just to weigh them and

the bucket out, half way through this

were given away to the locals, I guess

Jimmy said “I think your balloon is

at least they weren’t wasted) later

getting dunked, oh maybe not” so

learned they were jigging one with

I had a quick look and sure enough

a Tica and the other a Saltist so who

after watching it for the last couple

says you can’t catch big fish on cheap

of hours it was definitely doing

gear! They did take over an hour on

something different! A quick run over,

each fish though!

reel clip released and the balloon was

www.nzfisher.co.nz 7

landbasedFISHING

starting to go under as I clicked it out of the light gear setting line peeled out, very much different to a tope, causing a small over run, as soon as this was cleared, up to strike and the weight came on! The fish was still unsighted but I could feel the weight in it as I was dragged along the rocks for 20 or so metres with a close call trying to go round one rock.

Scales were brought out and bottomed out easily…..Just the week before I had decided to buy some 100kg scales “in case” someone caught a horse of a fish, luckily we threw these in the boat for the trip so off over the hill to get them. First weight with two people having to hold it up was 24kgs which left us all a bit dumfounded (and me disappointed)

By now everyone was running around,

as we thought it was similar to the

finding gaffs and gimbles and giving

boat fish that had been caught.

advice (good advice ha-ha), the fish

Luckily Bozs brain hadn’t been fried

made a couple of good runs but not

and noticed that the scales weren’t

storming, I managed to turn it and stop

collaborated properly! Phew, next

it travelling down the rock and a stale

lift…. Ooh that looks more like it

mate was reached the fish came up

32.5kgs!

just out of sight then peeled off, finally after maybe 5mins we had colour and “kingie” was yelled out, now hoping all of the gear and knots were going to hold together (I had a sample chinese made game swivel on!).

I think everyone was stoked with that. Definitely a fish of a lifetime, we have spent many days and money on charters in top locations to try and get a big kingfish like that and then to go and do it off the rocks with your

I am not sure how much longer it took,

best fishing mates is just awesome, it

but the gimbal was finally on and

took a day or so to actually sink in and

Grovo did a good job stopping me

enjoy what a catch it was.

from being dragged in. Finally it came up I would say disappointingly quickly but I would be lying and Boz put in a great gaff shot…. Tried to lift it up and

We eventually packed up and fished another spot for snapper but with once again no joy….

stopped dead, Jimmy quickly gave him

The rums were on me on the way back

a hand and hoots and hollers followed

and it was quite satisfying to show off

along with high fives and a few words

our landbased catch to the boaties

that can’t be repeated were yelled.

who were all stoked and amazed for

The fish was still a bit lively with Grovo

us. (Their biggest snap that day was a

trying to ride it to calm it down. Finally

little over 10kg). Boz did a good effort

after it had clamed down it was photo

filleting the fish for the smoker and

time, I could barely lift it!

the frame and head went to the locals.

8 www.nzfisher.co.nz

landbasedFISHING

Day 5: We really wanted to get Boz his snapper so stopped off at Whangaroa to fish for the day out there for something different, this spot definitely had a bit more action about it with Boz and myself getting a couple of double figure fish and all of us missing some good runs of possibly bigger fish, Grovos livie also got harassed by a kingi but fishing came to a finish all too quickly.

The wind decided to follow us everywhere we went, the fishing was VERY slow, but I will forever have great memories not only of the kingfish but of the good times we always have on these trips, unfortunately we couldn’t get bozs 20lber but I guess it gives us an excuse to start planning another trip!

Cheers to my mates for making it another memorable trip, especially to Boz for doing the driving of the truck and boat, taking most the photos and doing the gaffing, we will be back for your special fish soon!

www.nzfisher.co.nz 9

Laying into one

Sweet success

landbasedFISHING

Roctoberfish Revisited

By Forbes Taylor

Too many whiskys; No excuse!

It measured up; a new PB THIS WAS MY second year of

and reel set up. I’ve never fished

attempts to net it, watch it swim

ROctober fish. Last year got me a PB,

an overhead before, so Brenton

away, flop about on the surface

so the anticipation and excitement of

gave me a few pointers. With his

and finally end up on the rocks.

great fishing was building for some

last words of “take it easy on your

When we did get it safely ashore,

time before the comp. I managed to

first few cast until you get used

it measured 65cms. Another PB

render myself almost incapable the

to it” ringing in my ears, I chose

for Forbes! Delighted! I wish I

night before after being cajoled in to

to completely disregard all of his

could say the rest of the weekend

drinking whisky until the wee small

advice and gave it some oomph.

continued in the same vein, but

hours. It lead to me leaving behind a

Massive birds nest. After spending

unfortunately the fishing was tough

number of key pieces of kit, including

15 minutes untangling it, the first

for me for the rest of the comp.

one of my reels and anything to drink.

couple of casts saw the bait picked

The second day I landed a few nice

Not my smartest moment.

off by the prolific midgets. My third

pannies, but not the monsters we

(I take absolutely no responsibility; but those drinks didn’t pour themselves! Ed)

cast had only been soaking for a few

were here to catch.

seconds when it took off with some

The social side of this ROctoberFish

After launching out of Maitai Bay,

serious pace. A few steaming runs

has been brilliant both years and the

Brenton and I were dropped off on

later, up popped a good sized fish.

fishing for the most part has been

a ledge on one of the islands off to

Cue lots of shouting to Brenton to

outstanding. I have already put this in

the north of Cape Karikari. It didn’t

get the net. I watched in horror as

my diary for next year. See you there!

take me long to get my only rod

he had a nightmare taking multiple

10 www.nzfisher.co.nz

www.adventuresmart.org.nz

KNOW BEFORE YOU GO The Boating Safety

CODE Before you go boating on our seas, lakes and rivers, get familiar with New Zealand’s Boating Safety Code, no matter what kind of boat you use.

1

Life jackets

5 4

Take them – Wear them.

3

Skipper responsibility

to help you stay safe:

Marine weather New Zealand’s weather can be highly unpredictable. Check the local marine weather forecast before you go and expect both weather and sea state changes.

Boats, especially ones under 6m in length, can sink very quickly. Wearing a life jacket increases your survival time in the water.

2

simple rules

5

Avoid alcohol

The skipper is responsible for the safety of everyone on board and for the safe operation of the boat. Stay within the limits of your vessel and your experience.

Safe boating and alcohol do not mix.

Things can change quickly on the water. You need to stay alert and aware.

Communications

The Water Safety

Take two separate waterproof ways of communicating so we can help you if you get into difficulties.

Also available:

CODE

The Outdoor Safety

CODE

For more information about safe boating education and how to prepare for your boating activity, visit www.adventuresmart.org.nz

READERpics

WINNER! Michelle MacKinven showing dsome great ‘ikiing’ skills!

Arial & his first King of 2013

David Wills with a stocky 19lber last July

Erina Brown with a Koura from Kai-iwi Lakes they caught early one evening Daryl Lock with his PB (no surprise!) King.

12 www.nzfisher.co.nz

Forbes Taylor proving theres more to him than just big landbased snapper

READERpics

Ian Biddick at an NZFisher super sectret spot. The fishing was sublime, but this is the closest we’d let him get to it!

Daryl Lock with his PB (no surprise!) Kingi

www.nzfisher.co.nz 13

Simon Bell with a tasty summer king from the mokes

READERpics

Rob Johnson with a prime Hauraki Gulf spring schoolie.

Alan Mck’s ‘Englishman’ mate with a PB king on plastics.

Ian Smith & his first Porae, tasty bycatch on a snapper mission to the mokes.

This month’s winner is Alan McKinven (making a habit of winning too!). Alan wins a Reel Adventures, ReelWear Tee-Shirt for his Pic of Michelle MacKinven with her “iki’d” snapper. Alan drop us a line to arrange your size & delivery details. Keep sending in your pics for the great OKUMA and Reel Wear prizes up for grabs every month. And Daryl Lock wins the OKUMA hoody for his giant Kingfish caught on EPIC adventures (and it was his first king EVER!

Win this Reel Wear tee shirt next month by sending in your fishy pics to Facebook 14 www.nzfisher.co.nz

COMPETITION

Win a Rod & Reel with OKUMA & NZFisher!

Every subscriber who posts a pic is in the draw!

JUST POST A pic of you with a fish

ReelWear T-shirt between now and

to our Facebook page and you’re

June 2013. Every image you enter

in the draw to win an Okuma Salina

has a chance to win each month and

II Rod and Reel combo plus tackle

also the big prize. The more and

worth $750.00.

sooner you enter, the better your

Not only that but every month we’ll

chances so get fishing and posting

give away an Okuma Hoody and

those images to Facebook!

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boatFISHING

Summer Snapper Slam Spring bites

By Derrick Paul

ONCE A YEAR myself and a couple

together nicely this year – except that

of friends head north to grab a few

my dream of a World Record on SWF

eating size snapper for the table to

was ruined when I mixed up the current

sustain us over the Christmas break

record weights & released what would

when family take precedence over

have been the new record (but was

fishing (and to be fair, the fishing is

still a personal best for me)!

usually sub-par).

fully tooled up and rearing to go!

The fishing was tough because of the weather, but once we were in the right places the fish bit like there was no tomorrow. The problem (if it could be seen as one) was that the fish we were

This was the first real trip utilising the

targeting were being beaten to the

As with most years we were once

new Lowrance HDS-7 Gen 2 Touch

baits every drop. Normally 6lb after

again confronted with nasty weather,

7-inch touch screen and we were all

6lb snapper would be glorious, but

this time North Easterlies of 15-25

impressed. I’d had fears of a tacky

were after 20lb plus fish – every drop

knots for all four days.

screen and poor interface but they

if possible!

We were equipped well on the New NZFisher Frewza (a boat I can now confirm is a dream in sloppy, lumpy windy North-Easterlies!) and the new, Honda 60hp. The new set up was a saving grace, as most other 5 metre

were unfounded. The ultra smooth glass touch surface doesn’t naturally hold water & there was no salt build

clearly the depth that the bigger fish

messy I simply rinsed it with fresh

were holding in so we were constantly

water & it was like new again.

raising or dropping our soft-baits to

We’ve since coated the glass surface

nightmare in these conditions.

with Diamond Fusion and it’s like

as bad as the fishing was good. While we didn’t drag up any monsters their numbers were beyond belief.

through helping to identify quickly &

up. When I felt it was getting a bit

boats I’ve been on would have been a

As with other years the weather was

The new Lowrance helped the cause

touching silk with zero residue. The 7 inch gives so much more than a standard sounder, especially if you

the right depth. It took a few hours to work it all out but the results were excellent with both Ian & I landing 70cm fish that were sighted above the 10m mark in 20 meters of water.

run a structure scan transducer too

The bigger fish didn’t necessarily take

(Aprox. $500 additional cost, the

bigger baits, but the bigger soft-

I’ve been trying for some time to get

software and additional electronics are

baits did account for a larger fish on

snapper on salt water fly & it came

now built into the head unit). We’re

average (if you can follow that logic!)

16 www.nzfisher.co.nz

boatFISHING

What we ended up with was over 300 snapper and 30 kings between three anglers in three days (of which 30 came home). The arms hurt after that mauling but the knowledge gained is in-valuable.

Having four days on the water, rather than just a Saturday out wide, we were able to try things you just don’t normally bother with, including new and different techniques. The Assassin Softbaits form Australia worked particularly well in the shallower depths –opaque and white being lethal even in smaller sizes. The Z-man 4inch Paddle-Z lasted for hours and accounted for about half Ian’s fish. We only had one packet but could have probably fished the whole weekend with them if we’d had more.

To emphasise the absurdity of the fishes thirst for plastic, Daz tore the top off a blue branded softbait packet and threaded his hook through it on the last drop of the weekend.

This torn, anaemic piece of plastic accounted for a spirited 2.5kg snapper that went straight back in the drink but it shows just how daft these fish can be and perhaps how much soft baits are designed the way they are to catch our eye as much as the fishes!

www.nzfisher.co.nz 17

boatFISHING

It’s not hard to see why Softbaits have been such a commercial success over the last five years. Fact is they work and often far better than bait, other times not so well.

The current kiwi favourite is still Berkley Gulp with its secret attractant or scent, the biodegradable base & bold, contrasting colours. The market has flooded recently with imitators, complimenters and brands unheard of in NZ but legendary in their country of origin.

I was in Go Fish recently on the north Shore & started to have a closer look at some of the offerings of the world of soft baits (SB’s). We were preparing for our annual Far North snapper session and I’ve often thought the “Big-bait = Big-fish” adage might be able to be replicated in the realm of softbait fishing. While the results of that mission are detailed elsewhere in this issue, the idea that the plethora of SB’s on the market might actually be more useful than just eye candy for those with TAS (Tackle Accumulation Syndrome).

Early in the days of SB fishing I was convinced that the most natural SB imitations were the most effective in shallower, clearer water and high contrast, bright colours were the best for deeper, dirtier water. While I was able to consistently prove myself right I wasn’t approaching the other colour options available & using them outside of the patterns I’d already created. I’ve tempered my views over recent seasons but the question of what is the BEST SB still gets asked & I’m often answering it with far too many words rather than a simple “Nuke-chook mate”.

18 www.nzfisher.co.nz

Faking It Right

Getting the best from imitation baits

By Derrick Paull

boatFISHING

re fer a mo JD’s pre

looking natural

SB

Horse for courses

My answers are a bit more considered

naturally and not just presenting

and tend to be more action, season

them with what I the angler

and size related. I don’t think there is

thought looked tasty.

a ‘Best’ Softbait, but there are some suitable for pretty much every season.

Berkley’s ubiquitous Nuclear-Chicken is the most imitated colour and largely it’s in the 5 inch ‘Jerk-Shad’ form.

There’s a reason for their success – they work. Often. But there are other options that catch a lot of fish, some depend on season and it’s a case

I’ve found the same goes with Inchiku jigs – at certain times its a big jig that’s required but as the water heats & smaller anchovy type baitfish fill the inner waters a lighter, more natural jig (fished much slower) does the trick.

of matching the hatch (to steal that

There’s no doubt that on some

freshwater gem of a line)’

days bait will out-fish artificial

As the spring season turns to summer & snapper disperse for their dense spawning aggregations their food sources also change, leading to a change in approach from switched on soft baiters.

Paddler Z

lures I am convinced and often surprised that soft baits are a reliable & effective method all year round, but you can’t rest on your laurels! tch Mix n ma

Last season I discovered Z-man paddle tails, but they were too large for my summer fishing which, back when I was bait-fishing I used yellow eyed mullet, so I looked for smaller paddle tail options – Z-man also provided the solution there with the 4inch Paddler-Z baits. It was a matter of matching what the fish were eating

Mauled & Munted

www.nzfisher.co.nz 19

jetskiFISHING

Kirsty & a wee pannie due to swim again

Kirsty ge ts a new PB too

Our best soft bait fishing yet…

I HAVE JUST arrived back from an

generous sized pannies.

trophy fish on the soft baits... After

amazing few days break in the Far

We persisted fishing for Kristy, in

some consideration about releasing

North with the family.

hope to catch her, this better size

it, we decided to take it home

Over the duration of the trip we all

fish she had been dreaming about. It

with us as I had always hoped for a

landed a number of Personal Bests

was then while I was casually fishing

decent Snapper to be mounted and

on the soft baits, enjoying some

when I instead was fortunate enough

on display at the Jetskifishing Store

exceptional fishing and all within

to “hooking the big one”!

to show the success we have fishing

5km from the beach.

The action was caught on video,

off jet-skis.

Even with the first day’s weather not

it was not long after me casting

After that fish, we called it quits for

turning out to be terribly flash, I still

the Gulp, 7” Lime Tiger, that the

the day and headed back to the beach

made the most of the average sea

bait was smashed as it was sinking

for a few photos and had its weight

conditions and managed to catch a

through the water column. The fish

verified by Kieron at Reel Rods.

few small Kings and a nice Snapper

had so much power that the initial

The third day was a trip out with

on the Jigs.

hook up had the peeling braid cut

my 10 year old son Cooper at first

The next day, was a morning on the

through the handle bar grips as I

light. He was eager to get some big

water with my partner Kristy, whose

was railed by the fish’s first run! After

Snapper action and I assured him

goal was to land a good fish on

what seemed like a brief tussle, my

the reward come after a early start

the soft baits off her jet-ski. There

new ‘Personal Best’ emerged to the

on the water. The morning started

were plenty of Snapper at the 20

surface to our surprise, so much so it

slowly but finally he was catching

metre mark, but after a morning of

was a mammoth task for my net!

and releasing a steady stream of fish

trying all she seemed to land were

What a thrill this was landing such a

between 450 to 500mm in length.

20 www.nzfisher.co.nz

jetskiFISHING

s in on the Cooper get ction too. kingfish a

A true northern monster!

Bigger again. Andrew makes it look easy!

Jayden w ith a

nice ‘rat’ ki ng

Doubtless Bay Pannie

He was really after a 10 pounder so

smoker. Cooper continued to fish

all her hard work so I suggested one

we kept going with a focus he could

and what he thought was going to

last drift. The pressure was on and

hook a big one at any time.

be a great Snapper, soon realised

then she finally managed to hook the

Most times I take out a passenger on

with the screaming braid that he was

fish she was after... I knew I would

the ski fishing, I normally pass time

to going to land his first Kingfish.

be in the dog box if she lost the

by having a soft bait at the same

He did great and after a 15 minute

fish, so I was carefully choosing my

time myself. As I did the day before,

battle, had a legal Kingfish for a

words. The story ended great, she

a cast of twenty metres ahead of the

photo, which was swiftly released.

ski, this time using a Gulp, 6” New

landed her fish and our mission was

Cooper had enough after a

Penny Grub. With me manipulating

strenuous Kingfish battle and called

the bait on the drop, it was smashed

it quits for his days fishing...

at 10 metres depth, this was another

After phoning Kristy with the early

solid fish! I couldn’t believe the quality

wake up to let her know that the

of fishing and to our amazement 10

fishing was hot, the opportunity was

minutes later a bigger fish than the

offered at one last attempt for a

day before was landed!

big Snapper? She was undoubtedly

I had to get Cooper to help with this

keen, so with a quick ride back to

one, as we intended on releasing it!

the beach to swap passengers,

Check out the video link, truly special

we set back off out to the fishing

much as we do.

the excitement kids get with fishing.

grounds and were soon on to the

With this manic month ahead we

We eventually removed the jig head

Snapper again. Her goal fish was

will also be getting prepared for our

that was awkwardly wedged in the

a struggle and after a good dozen

biggest Jetskifishing over-nighter to

fish’s mouth. Unfortunately after

fish released, she finally thought she

the Bay of Islands, 30 skis for 4 days

three challenging attempts the

had the big one, to only find a foul

of fun!

fish was unable to swim away, so

hooked Snapper had consumed her

Cheers, Andrew Hill

needless to say is destined for the

energies! Kristy was devastated after

www.jetskifishing.co.nz

accomplished. Sure was awesome fishing in the Far North and plenty of family fun with memories to look back on.

All back to work now and after selling a couple more new skis, I will be setting these up so these happy new customers can get started with Jetskifishing and enjoy the sport as

www.nzfisher.co.nz 21

GearREVIEWS

Tackle Tests

rd Starboa

As tested by NZFisher

Finnor Marquesa in action on 20kg king

The Okuma Nano 6-10kg and Fin-Nor Marquessa From NZ Fisher: Okuma Nanotex 6-10kg Softbait rod I had the pleasure of trying the new Nano 6kg spin rod on a recent trip out to the back of Tiritiri in search of snapper. The very first thing you notice is the incredible ‘lack’ of weight. The blank & fittings are so light it’s hard to believe it’s got the good to deliver on a decent fish. In trying conditions I managed a number of solid snapper

of this new rod. I’m a fan of stiffer, fast action rods and while this is slightly more parabolic it responses very quickly on the strike allowing for a fast, efficient setting of the hook. The tip has give, but when required there’s plenty of grunt down low. As summer progresses I move to barbless hooks and it’s important to stay in touch with your quarry. The Nano provides all that’s required to make this happen.

From NZ Fisher: Marquesa MA12 I’ve used the Marquesa MA12 as a bait & live-bait reel previously (and reviewed it for another magazine) but I recently had the opportunity to take it jigging off shore on a real teat in company of some brutish kings.

There’s been a mass of reels come into the market that offer mixed functionality, claiming both jigging,

up to 4kg and was left astounded by

Tested paired with the Okuma Raw II

live-baiting & traditional fishing

the strength, responsiveness & ‘feel;’

40 reel & 10lb Tuf-line Tuff XP braid.

practicality. The Marquesa is one of

22 www.nzfisher.co.nz

boatFISHING

few that I think will work in all cases (the Okuma Makaira and Shimano Trinidad would be two others I that come to mind).

My best fish was around the 20kg mark & the reel was very capable; paired with the new Fin-Nor Troppo PE-5 / 350g rod I felt I could have handled much larger fish. The only

Built-in StructureScan® HD sonar imaging, plus award-winning Broadband Sounder® with DownScan Overlay™ and TrackBack™ feature. The ultimate fish-and structure-finding display. www.lowrance.com/find

down side was the anti-reverse during the jigging action, but to date I haven’t found a multi-purpose reel out there that manages everything and gets the anti-reverse right. It

Personalised or optional Navionics® charts. View both at once in 3D perspective view, plus StructureMap™ and Broadband Radar™ capability. www.lowrance.com/navigate

feels a bit heavier than dedicated jig reels but it certainly isn’t one of those old school reels that have your arms quaking after 5 drops. The 6.1:1 retrieve is great – again others tall me it’s too fast, but I like it fast! It’s

New super-bright widescreen displays in 7, 9 and 12-inch sizes with touchscreen control. Dominate your time on the water with greater command and control that’s now easier to learn and customize. www.lowrance.com/dominate

only after I’d finished and put the rod back in the rack at the end of the day that it was pointed out here no dual speed (unlike the Makaira) – as

PREVIEW THE NEW HDS GEN2 TOUCH AT LO W R A N C E . C O M

I hadn’t noticed, I can only say it wasn’t a problem! At $469 on sale the Marquesa MA12 is a very viable low cost option and we give it a 4 out of 5 – a high pass mark.

Tested paired with the Fin-Nor Troppo 350g 5’6” jig rod

www.enl.co.nz

www.nzfisher.co.nz 23

REPORT

National Body Report

Closer ties between NZ’s two major rec’ fishing organisations

By Paul Batten

OVER RECENT YEARS there has been a cementing of relationships between the NZACA and the NZSFC with the agreed joint administration of NZ

It was also agreed that there be a working towards the ability for members from each organisation to

Fishing Records.

be able to compete in each others

This closer relationship went a step

Nationals and it was hoped that this

further when, last year, the NZSFC

may see NZSFC members competing

provided the uniforms for an NZACA

at the NZACA Nationals at Gisborne

NZ Team competing across the ditch

nextMarch. The ability for NZSFC

at the Australian Anglers Association

Members to be part of the NZ Team

bi-Annual Championships.

to compete at the Australian Nationals

The 14th of October saw an official joint meeting between the two organisations with senior officials from both bodies meeting at Hamilton.

This is the first formal meeting as such since 1995.

in August 2013 was also agreed to.

The NZACA has extended the invitation to NZSFC Members to be eligible to apply for its Masters Award – a challenging test of a fishers skill. NZSFC Membership benefits will hopefully be able to

There was an agreement that in the

be extended to include NZACA

interests of NZ recreational fishing

members wherever possible.

there needs to be a coming together in those areas which were common to both and a unified approach wherever possible in matters furthering the interests of NZ fishers.

24 www.nzfisher.co.nz

weight where it matters most.

It is hoped that this move to greater unity will not only be beneficial to members of both organisations and rec’ fishing in general but also assist in removing confusion that sometimes

These would include greater on-going

exists by the general public about

consultation on submissions affecting

the role of these two well established

the fisheries with the realisation that

fishing bodies. Further joint meetings

joint submissions would carry more

are planned.

VIDEO

Fishing Video of the Month

IT’S DEFINITELY GAME season & this is one to get the ticker pumping – How many damned cameras do they have.

Andrew Hill from Jetski fishing.co.nz has been up to all-sorts of mischief in the far North – check these two.

www.nzfisher.co.nz 25

NEXTmonth regionalREVIEWS

f sher

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www.nzfisher.co.nz 26