ISSUE 80
June 2018
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CONTENTS 6.
10.
FAMILY GRASS CARP ADVENTURE
14.
ABOUT / Short and sharp, NZ Fisher is a free e-magazine delivering thought provoking and enlightening articles, and industry news and information to forwardthinking fisher people.
EDITOR / Derrick Paull
SUNSHINE TUNA: 101
GROUP EDITOR / Colin Kennedy ART DIRECTOR / Jodi Olsson CONTENT ENQUIRIES / Phone Derrick on 021 629 327
16.
LEGASEA UPDATE
or email derrickp@NZ Fisher.co.nz ADVERTISING ENQUIRIES / Phone Derrick on 021 629 327 or email derrickp@NZ Fisher.co.nz ADDRESS / NZ Fisher, PO Box
R FIRST BOA G N FOR A YOU BUCK
18.
LET’S GET THIS DONE FOLKS!
NZ LURE MASTERS 2018
20.
READER PICS
47794, Ponsonby 11144 WEBSITE / www.NZFisher.co.nz 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!
Cover Photo: Mark Pandelidis found it too windy in Wellington for the last week but took the little one out to catch his first Grass Carp at a local pond
24. www.nzfisher.co.nz 3
EDITORIAL
I
’m so pleased to see in the news this
“We have found that it is inevitable
week that the future of the Okura
that increased human activity in
Residential Development has hit a
the vicinity of the Estuary arising
(final?) road bump with the Environment
from urbanisation of the Okura
court denying them the right to build
Holdings Ltd (OHL) land will have
1000 homes on a 180ha development
significant adverse effects on bird
adjacent to the Okura Long Bay Marine
life in the estuary,” the court said.
Reserve. Todd Property’s Okura Holdings
The court said it had considered
had previously sought permission from
Auckland Council’s Unitary Plan
Auckland Council for a 1000 house
objectives and policies relevant to
development on the land but was barred.
marine and birdlife. “We were not
The company then took the issue to the Environment Court.
confident that the OHL proposal would protect marine ecology from adverse effects as required
The Environment Court, in its
by the objectives and policies and
decision, said the Okura Estuary
have identified the need to take
was an important habitat for
a precautionary approach in that
avifauna in the Auckland and the
regard.” It’s a small win for our
wider coastal environment.
Hauraki Gulf marine environment
4 www.nzfisher.co.nz
and we congratulate the Environment
If you’re not already following Tony
Court on their finding. You can
on his ‘Journey of a Fisherman’
find the full story here.
Facebook page, it’s an inspirational
On the water, I was pleased to be at
one to follow. Tony, normally based
the first ‘Lure Masters’ competition last month to both fish, win (a spot prize, but I’m not complaining!) and witness a very stoked chap and his group of mates with whom he shared the winning of the Honda-powered
out of Mangawhai, north of Auckland, takes tours of keen kiwi fishers, along with his partner Bea and son, Sami, to the world’s greatest fishing locations - generally tropical - in search of world-class sportfishing.
Stabicraft main prize. It’s not every
Right now Tony and the team are in
day you see a $50k boat package won.
Guatemala, avoiding the volcanoes,
The event was great and I’m looking
and getting donkey deep in sailfish
forward to competing again next
and mahimahi to name a few. If
year - Wayne and Daniel assure me
you aren’t jealous yet and reaching
it’ll be bigger, better and even more
for your credit-card you will be
valuable to win next time - well done
after watching a few of Tony’s live
on a great event, guys. You can read
feeds on his page - check it out!
Neil’s full write-up later in this issue.
For us mere mortals, gulf work-ups
Winter hit us pretty hard in the last
are just beginning, so there’s a light
few weeks, but while some of us are
at the end of the tunnel, I swear!
suffering loudly, others are heading to the warmer climes to chase sportfish and see some pretty tropical sights.
Tight lines fishos!
Derrick www.nzfisher.co.nz 5
// FAMILY FISHING
Family Grass Carp Adventure The Urban fisher’s answer to Wellington’s bane BY Mark Pandelidis
6 www.nzfisher.co.nz
W
ellington was living up to
Aaron and his daughter Ainsley,
its windy reputation so we
who were both experts in catching
left the boat at home and
freshwater species including today’s
me and my little boy Theo headed to a local pond to try our hand at something a little different.
target fish, the grass carp. Our first job was to bring the fish around. Instead of using the usual
Our local is Whitby Lake, a serene
fish berley, we fired out clumps of
setting and a lake long utilised for the
damp breadcrumbs with a slingshot.
enjoyment of families with a passion for
We then baited up a very small hook
fishing. It is a great little spot to take
with a piece of corn, something
the kids fishing, safe sheltered and a
I have never seen used bait, and
playground if the little ones got bored.
cast that out towards where the
Waiting for us was my friend
breadcrumbs had been landing.
www.nzfisher.co.nz 7
// FAMILY FISHING
8 www.nzfisher.co.nz
Now for the waiting game - but before
After a couple of quick photos, as grass
we had a chance to finish counting the
carp are a little fragile, the fish was back
ducks, the rod doubled over and Theo
in the landing net where Theo helped
was hooked up. With some impressive
Aaron to release it back home. Grass
teamwork, Ainsley holding the rod and
carp are used to control weed growth
Theo winding the reel, the two of them
and unlike Koi carp are not a pest or
worked like one to bring a really nice
required to be destroyed when caught.
fish to the edge where Aaron was able
We managed one more fish within the
to net it and bring it on shore.
hour or so that we were there and I
I’d never seen a grass carp myself
went home with one very happy and
and was quite impressed with the
excited little boy having caught his
size and the fact these fish are in
biggest fish to date and something even
such an accessible place. Being a
his dad has never caught before.
freshwater species, you do need a licence which costs $20 for a day license, or is free for kids on the Fish and Game website.
Mark is a keen Wellington fisher who spends his time chasing sport fish around New Zealand’s Coast. You can follow Mark on his Facebook page ‘Obsession Fishing’
www.nzfisher.co.nz 9
// SPORT FISHING
Sunshine Tuna: 101 It ain’t easy, but it ain’t tough!
10 www.nzfisher.co.nz
Camo-style Viking kayak, a tuna specialty
Daniele with his brace of Tuna
Nice ‘fin!
Jason’s fish for the day - what a screamer!
E
xpat Kiwi Jason ‘Paddle Guy’
place and your there to share it with an
Milne heads up the Viking Kayaks
awesome crew - these guys all meet for
Australia arm of Viking HQ, based
the first time today and now the bond is
on the Sunshine Coast but doesn’t let
strong after some reel screaming fun in
work get in the way of a good fishing
glorious Sunshine Coast conditions.
opportunity. Last week Jason took
Thanks Ken for the heads up on the fish,
out a bunch of newby fishers to chase
big shout out to Daniele not only landing
Northern Bluefin Tuna with spectacular
his first BFT but 2! And both on a $50
results - in Jason’s’ words:
rod and reel combo that is now pretty
“It’s so good when the plan falls into
wrecked after that action!”
www.nzfisher.co.nz 11
// SPORT FISHING
Watch on YouTube
There a few Kiwi fishers fizzing at the bung seeing this action, but there’s still a few who think Aussie’s (Especially Queenslanders) only fish for brim and barra’s - how wrong can they be! If you want to know how fast these fish are check out Jason’s video here of the strike and first run
12 www.nzfisher.co.nz
“
There a few Kiwi fishers fizzing at the bung seeing this action...
www.nzfisher.co.nz 13
// SPEAR FISHING
First Boar for a Young Buck BY Xavier Allen
14 www.nzfisher.co.nz
A
s a keen young spearo, shooting
I crept up slowly to get a good shot in.
a boarfish always felt well out
I didn’t know how spooky they were or
of my grasp. I always thought
how they might react to seeing a diver
you’d have to be pro, have a five-minute
swimming alongside them. Having
breath hold and be able to reach 30
only taken a 750mm gun, I had to
metres easily to shoot a boarfish.
slowly get as close as possible to make
I remember thinking I had shot and
the most of the shot. As I pulled the
missed a boarfish when I was young;
trigger, I was a mixture of nerves and
it turned out to be a pigfish and I saw
excitement. Adrenaline was rushing
Darren Shields’ boarfish and all the other
through me as well as fear that the
experienced spearos with theirs, but never
shot was going to be bad.
saw a beginner with one. But you never
The shaft went straight through the
know! One day we were out on a scallop
head, almost stone shot it. I shot up to
dive and had our bag limit sorted when
the surface beside my Dad and excitedly
it was time to head back to the boat. I
screamed ‘boarfish’. We put it straight
decided I would stalk the weed line on the
into the float boat with the shaft still
way back, so I swam over to where the
in it. Unbelievably, as I swam back to
sand met the kelp at about ten metres.
the boat still struggling to believe what
I was checking in the seaweed for any
had just happened, I saw another two
butterfish or maybe a small snapper
boarfish in about six metres. I tried to
when suddenly I saw a brown and white
get my dad or cousin to shoot them but
blur swim past in the distance. I surfaced
sadly, they were gone by then.
and my thoughts were racing. Was that a
It just goes to show that with all
boarfish? Surely not, it’s too shallow!
hunting based activities it’s all about
I dove down again and as I descended
being in the right place at the right
all I could think about was shooting a
time, and the right place doesn’t have
boarfish. I got to the bottom and looked
to be 30 metres beneath the surface.
up, sure enough a nice big boarfish was
I’m only a beginner and look what
waiting in the weed line, completely
I managed to pull off. Don’t think
still. My mouth dropped, I couldn’t
that you’re not good enough because
believe what I was seeing.
sometimes you get lucky!
www.nzfisher.co.nz 15
// FISHERIES MANAGEMENT
Legasea Update
www.legasea.co.nz
I
n just one week, 48 separate
the Director-General Martyn Dunne or
items of news have appeared
Minister Stuart Nash takes action?
in the media pointing to
MPI, now called Fisheries New
leaked reports identifying mass
Zealand, has done its best to hide
fish dumpings, years of non-
a fleet of reports exposing similar
compliance, blatant under-reporting behaviours aboard trawlers working of thousands of tonnes of New in New Zealand waters. Some of the Zealand fish and MPI senior officials
reports are years old. After much
turning a blind eye.
pressure, the Manager of Compliance
Now we learn some commercial
Investigations, Garry Orr, is trotted out
skippers are refusing to take aboard
in the media to defend FNZ’s inaction.
official observers, despite the legal
His explanation was, in short, that
requirement to do so. How much more they were internal reports not meant can we and our fisheries take before
16 www.nzfisher.co.nz
for (prying) public eyes.
Internally FNZ staff must be gutted. It’s
the fishing opportunities for future
not easy tracking what happens at sea
generations the deliberate stonewalling
on non-complying vessels and building a
by FNZ to stall the release of more reports
case to report on the illegalities. Then to
is galling. We know these reports exist,
have their hard work stymied by those
so there is no point in FNZ holding out
in senior positions must, in colloquial
on us because eventually, as our mothers
terms, rip their nightie.
taught us, the truth will come out.
A few years ago the public could easily be
In the meantime, FNZ keeps coming
fooled into thinking the illegal behaviour
back to us as recreational fishers,
was happening aboard foreign-owned
expecting us to accept tighter controls
vessels. With new legislation that
in an effort to rebuild stocks that have
alibi has gone. These are New Zealand
been overfished for years by commercial
permitted operators from some of the
fishers. It is time for FNZ to come clean
country’s biggest fishing companies
and do more to show us that they work
harvesting our common marine resource
in the public interest. FNZ also need
in a quest to maximise profits.
to prove to us that they have indeed
What’s more, this ongoing and deliberate
addressed the problems of chronic
wastage makes a mockery of the slick
wastage and illegal behaviour.
adverts that we see every week in the
There are ingrained, fundamental
media espousing the sustainable practices
problems with the Quota Management
of the commercial fishing industry. No
System and fisheries management that
amount of spin can mask the wanton
are clearly beyond the scope of FNZ to
wastage that has occurred, and every
address. We just need to look overseas
week as the sunlight shines on more
to see there are solutions that could
reports, fewer people will be fooled.
deliver abundance for all, we just need
As recreational fishers and
to have the guts to look beyond our
environmentalists concerned for
current horizon.
LegaSea is a public outreach initiative of the New Zealand Sport Fishing Council. The Council has an experienced fisheries management, science, policy and legal team. On behalf of the Council LegaSea raises funds and provides public-friendly information about a variety of processes that are important to restoring abundance in our fisheries for future generations.
Call 0800 LEGASEA (534 273)
Subscribe at www.legasea.co.nz
Email us info@legasea.co.nz
Read more at www.facebook.com/legasea
www.nzfisher.co.nz 17
// THE BIG CLEANUP
Let’s Get This Done Folks!
T
here’s not a soul alive who hasn’t
What’s encouraging is the recent
seen trash lining the shore of our
groundswell from future-minded
beautiful islands. It doesn’t matter
individuals who’ve taken the bold step of
where you head, you’ll almost invariably
making beach clean-ups an everyday thing
come across trash, either domestic or
and getting their communities involved.
foreign, washed up on the shore. Sadly,
Every day on Facebook, Instagram and
as we ‘progress’ as a society it seems
even mainstream media I’m seeing posts,
there is more and more flowing into the
photos and articles of these great Kiwis
ocean - plenty from Aotearoa too, don’t
doing their bit to help reduce the impact
think we’re immune!
we humans have on our environment.
18 www.nzfisher.co.nz
In Auckland, there are two guys who
On the Coromandel Coast, Rob Fort is
I’m going to label as heroes, who are
one of the crusaders who’s been busy
leading the public charge to clean up
doing his bit for the environment and
the mess of our fellow citizens: Daniel
clearing away a lot of rope and other
Anderton and Thomas Nehemia. These
chaff - byproducts of local marine
two blokes have gone above and
businesses - as he does his bit to keep
beyond to target their local areas, the
the shoreline clear of trash.
beaches they love to fish and some
In an age when nigh on everything is
spots that are less frequented but are
disposable and half the population seem
still in need of our love in the crusade
to want to just be rid of their trash,
against the growing trash issue.
irrelevant of the impact, these guys are
Between them, Daniel and Thomas
making real change. A real highlight
have organised groups on given days
is the enthusiasm shown by the kids
to come together and collectively
that are included - see the pics - they
clean up an area, but each in their own
genuinely want to make a change for the
ways and independently have also just
better - it’s just such a shame this kind
gotten stuck in and got the job done.
of community spirit is even required.
www.nzfisher.co.nz 19
// LURE MASTERS
NZ Lure Masters 2018
NZ’s first lure only, length measure fishing competition
N
Z Fisher and our Editor, Derrick, have been huge fans of lengthbased competitions that have
run before, but the format and lureonly plan for the 2018 Lure Masters comp really got us interested. In 2018 there’s a growing desire from some people not to see ‘death piles’ of fish after a big day out - particularly the mass kill-shots at the business end of competitions where there’s a well placed perception that these fish are caught not for sustenance, but for the glory and financial reward.
20 www.nzfisher.co.nz
One of the best in rubbish conditions
It doesn’t get much better than this!
www.nzfisher.co.nz 21
// LURE MASTERS
The Ian Hunt Memorial Trophy, hard fought for
With only two possible winners left, the nerves were tight!
22 www.nzfisher.co.nz
An incredible prize, at $48k - who wouldn’t want to win!?!?
But, we (generally) love pitting our
and while we got a generous feed, we
skills against the best and the rest to
weren’t in the mix for prizes, all of
prove our prowess as mercenary fishers,
which were quality fishing and boating
the ones destined to land the ‘big one’.
tackle courtesy of the competition’s
Beyond just a measure and (if you
main sponsors.
want) release format, the competition
Not all prizes in this comp were for
also forces anglers to work hard to get
caught fish, with the biggest prize,
more than just the ‘big one’, by making
a Stabicraft/Honda package (worth
the premier snapper and kahawai
$48,000) being drawn as a gate prize.
prizes a total length of three of your
While this isn’t unusual, the way in
fish in that category - it’s a fair bit
which the boat was drawn, was.
harder than fluking that on a single
Organisers invited ten randomly
monster and taking all the silverware.
selected punters to the stage to
On the water we had a bit of a tough
compete in a ‘last man standing’ style
time dealing with 40 knot sou’westers
prize draw. Such a cool way and so high
and fish with their mouths firmly shut,
stress (and we were just watching!).
www.nzfisher.co.nz 23
24 www.nzfisher.co.nz
// READER PICS
Ben’s 25kg Wellington harbour kingfish is an outstanding fish in any area, but a real trophy for this part of New Zealand. Ben describe’s himself as ‘extremely keen’ and by the looks of this fish he’s on the right track to achieving his spearo dreams
A hard fought and long time chased 90mile Trev for North Shore Surfcasting Club member, Kevin Oglesby
Brooke Lee with her first snapper out with beau, Leighton
Apparently this is Bryce Helms with a Pacific Yellowfin Tina, but we’re just not sure who this masked man really is. Nice YFT though!
www.nzfisher.co.nz 25
// READER PICS
George Watson 8kg on 6kg line in the Gulf, not a bad effort at all young man!
Great snapper and nice pic from Brandon Roxburgh
26 www.nzfisher.co.nz
Graham Boyd and a pair of prime Waiheke eaters
Hell of a snap for Micheal Conley on the Kontiki
Jake Clark - BBQ RibMaster and South Island Snapper Slayer
Lee ‘FrewzaYak’ Kennedy trading jaw dropping snapper for tasty tablefish
Jaques Lombard looks pretty damned focused on this Hauraki Gulf king on light gear!
www.nzfisher.co.nz 27
// READER PICS
Lisa Noble in Vanuatu ready to release a Vanuatu Blue
Mark Loper with a chunky jig caught Blue Cod
Miles Rushmer - a hard man to please, trout like these and not even a smile!
28 www.nzfisher.co.nz
Mark Thompson fishing aboard ‘SatFly’ with saltwater fly guide Matt Von Sturmer landed this huge (for fly) snapper from the shallows off Waiheke Island this Autumn
Micheal Conley just about ready to serve up breakfast on Himatangi beach
Matthew Sexton with a wicked haul of Snapper & two Gurnard! Best of all, he forgot his sinkers so used a pocket knife!
www.nzfisher.co.nz 29
// READER PICS
Rob Henson stoked as with his new PB 17.5kg king from the yak! Great fish Rob!
Peter Otis Yiannoutsos enjoying a flat day chasing puka off the welly coast
Sam Julian with very long arms or two VERY nice kings!
30 www.nzfisher.co.nz
Shane Carter ready to dispatch a lit-up Hawkes Bay king
Shay Ward stoked as with a prime condition Coro kelpie!
Mark Loper showing off a decent Wellington Coast Puka
Nicky and Ritchie with a massive ‘tag-teamed’ Ranfurly Bank kingi
www.nzfisher.co.nz 31
// READER PICS
Stunning pic of a hard jig-caught king by Chris Foster off Mayor
Steven van Schoor with the fish of the day on a gurnard mission!
Zak Mockett - doing his best to play down the size of this huge trev
32 www.nzfisher.co.nz
Beautiful conditioned Salmon for Jason Pullan 12lb+ (11 3/4 gutted) on the fly gear
F
Chris Thomas and 22lbs of Kapiti strayline snapper! Great fish Chris!
Delish Johnny by Jeremy Saunders in the Gulf
Drew Wilkins looking underwhelmed with his PB 24lb Leigh snapper! Hella fish Drew!
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