NZ Fisher e-Magazine Issue 16

f sher ISSUE 16

June 2012

NZFisher’s Landbased Bumper Issue - GT’s in Raro - Far North epic - Kings on Stickbaits

www.nzfisher.co.nz 1

CONTENTS Pg 4 SPORTFISHING

12

4

The Ultimate Roadtrip – Far North Success

GAMEISHING 8

Landbased GT’s – The Ultimate Test

SPORTFISHING 11

Top Water Antics – From the Shore

12

Reader Pics

13

Fishing Video of the Month

8

SPORTFISHING

2 www.nzfisher.co.nz

14

Electronics Tricks to Find (and Land!) the Big One

17

Recipe

18

Regional Reviews

Pg 14

editorial

//From the

EDITOR Winter has met us face on and

industry and the Ministry of Fisheries

ABOUT /

it’s been just the ticket to get lazy fish

(now MAF) that there will likely be

Short and sharp, NZ Fisher is a

motivated to feed up for winter. Almost

an increase in Snapper Quota in the

free e-magazine delivering thought

all the reports I’ve received have been

Hauraki Gulf, Bay of Plenty and East

provoking and enlightening articles,

of hungry, albeit sporadic, fish coming in

Northland (SNA1) area. While we are

across the North of the North Island.

enjoying great fishing it’s only a taste

Although a few lucky souls are still

of what this area can produce. The

getting their hooks into marlin and the

‘best science’ on hand tells us that the

odd tuna most of us have hung up the

Hauraki Gulf rebuild is at about 18% of

game gear for the winter and we’re

it’s ‘Virgin Biomass’ (the volume of fish

focusing on the biggest of the ‘other’

before we began harvesting), but the

species. For NZFisher’s top team it was

BoP and Northland are well below their

Snapper and Kings in the far north.

targets. Kiwi fishers need to be ready

ADVERTISING ENQUIRIES /

Cape Karikari once again provided

to act and quickly should there be a

Phone Richard on 09 522 7257

the target species, but their size didn’t

revew of these fisheries. I urge you to

or email richardl@espiremedia.com

quite match our expectations (Well, not

watch this thread and others like it on

ADDRESS / NZ Fisher,

if you exclude the disproportionately

fishing.net. The NZRFC are on the

high number of bust-offs!).

charge and keeping a close eye on

This months issue has become a bit of a Land based special. There’s some great stories and excellent info on he right (and wrong) ways to get nto some of NZ’s best fishing form the Rocks.

Congratulations to Joe Anderson of Whakatane who landed the biggest Snapper I’ve heard of since Mark Hemmingway’s 17kg (World Record)

Ministry proceedings so keep an ear to the ground and please help if you can to keep some of the fish we’ve worked hard to keep in the water, alive!

I’m off off to the Boat show this afternoon and hope many of you

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

C/- Espire Media, PO Box 137162, Parnell, Auckland 1151, NZ WEBSITE / www.NZ Fisher.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!

check out the best and brightest of the industry.

NZFisher will be back on a once

BOP too – well done Joe!

a month release from now going

the North seems to be getting better

to forward-thinking fisher people.

have had the chance to get there and

monster – this one was caught in the

While the snapper fishery up here in

and industry news and information

forward. For the days in between, check us out on Facebook too.

each year we’re hearing more and

Tight lines,

more noise from the commercial fishing

Derrick

Cover Image: Wayne Downer with 41kg Kingfish

www.nzfisher.co.nz 3

sportFISHING

The Ultimate Roadtrip – Far North Success

By Ross McNaughton

It’s difficult to pinpoint the exact

inexperienced eyes it was a monster,

torment as inspiration. My attempts to

moment when my pursuit of a land

surely some sort of kingfish whale

top the 75cm mark became a litany of

based kingfish became a full blown

hybrid. In reality it was probably a 15kg

bust offs, and encounters with cagey

obsession. But I can remember when it

fish, but when it snaffled the small

kings who would disdainfully circle live

started. May 2008. Shortly after dawn.

popper and started to tear line from

baits before departing. Even worse

On the crumbling remains of a wharf

my reel at an alarming rate I felt like a

were the days when the kings didn’t

in a Northland harbour.

featherweight boxer who’d stumbled

show at all, days spent on spent on

into the heavyweight division.

remote ledges carefully spooning

made me abandon my snapper hunt

With my spool rapidly emptying I

berley into a sea devoid of everything

to cast a popper. Perhaps it was the

panicked like only a true amateur

but Mao Mao.

splashing around a not too distant

could, and screwed down the drag.

Even after travelling thousand of

marker buoy. Whatever the reason I

This barely slowed the king, but it was

kilometres and fishing some of the

was about to embark on a long and

more than my poorly tied knots could

best ledges from Spirits Bay to the East

expensive journey.

handle, and I was soon winding in limp

Cape, I only managed to catch my first

line. I trudged back to the bach later

legal king last year. And while that 8kg

Perhaps it was the lack of bites that

I was just about to give up when a small king flashed through the berley trail. Another cast was fired out, and frantically cranked back in,

that morning with my head bowed and muttered to my girlfriend “I lost the fish of a lifetime”.

specimen temporarily saved me from the psychiatrist’s couch, it didn’t satisfy the craving for a decent king. A big

only this time it was being hounded

In the intervening years that memory

king, a fish whose photos could be sent

by a substantially larger king. To my

has become as much a source of

to doting relatives, emailed to work

4 www.nzfisher.co.nz

sportFISHING

colleagues, or even posted on that

unpacking headed out to fish the

holy grail of Internet ego massage; the

change of light.

Facebook profile pic.

With the sun draining from the sky we

The latest chapter in the kingfish saga

cast our first baits, hoping to start the

would be played out in the far north.

trip with a large snapper. What we did

My trusted fishing mate Callum ‘the

hook were fish bigger, and infinitely

Alvey Assassin’ Geekie once again

more annoying than snapper: the

coming along for the ride.

dreaded school shark.

Our productivity at work dropped

Virtually every bait resulted in Tope

to an all time low in the weeks

and after a couple of hours battling

preceding the trip. With the

the grey plague we gave up and

fanaticism of a terrorist organisation

headed back to camp. While the

we plotted our assault on the north,

entree had failed to deliver we

poring over online maps, checking

were hopeful of a decent helping of

and rechecking weather reports, and

Kingfish and Snapper when the main

carefully calculating bait and burley requirements.

course started the next morning.

Trophy snapper don’t come easily though, the fish found the foul, busting his line.

Some decent Trevally were starting to appear in the berley and after a short tussle a 3.3kg specimen begrudgingly accepted an invitation to dinner.

The morning had started promisingly, and things were about to get a whole lot more interesting. I’d just missed

Dawn was breaking as we arrived on

a run on a big kahawai fillet and was

our chosen ledge on Sunday morning,

reeling it back to the ledge when a

the dim light revealing a gentle swell of

blur of green and yellow inhaled it,

half a metre washing along the kelp.

and started peeling line off my old

building for me, would be ready for

The burley trail was soon a seething

baitrunner at a great rate of knots.

the trip. Maybe, just maybe, the stars

mass of Mao Mao, and when kahawai

Thinking ruefully of my heavy duty live

were aligning.

joined the throng I quickly landed

bait set sitting untouched in the rod

The forecast was nearly perfect, and only increasing the excitement levels was the news that the live bait rod another fishing mate, Tom Hatfull, was

As we headed north on the Saturday morning, fishing unsurprisingly dominated the conversation.

one, returning him to the water soon

holder, I hung on for the ride.

after with a live bait hook lodged in

With 13kg mono and a short 60lb

his shoulder.

leader I was expecting to be busted

Perhaps a little too much so as we

Callum was using the early morning

almost collided with the Kawakawa

conditions to try and snare a big

vintage train. That mishap aside we

snapper, and when I looked up to see

made it safely to Waitiki landing by

him desperately palming his Alvey it

mid afternoon and after hurriedly

seemed he had found his prey.

off quickly but despite some storming runs, a chase along 30 metres of rocky ledge, and a few scrapes through the weed and rock the line stayed intact.

After a 10minute fight a king of

www.nzfisher.co.nz 5

sportFISHING

around 12kgs emerged just metres

the line went slack. The storm clouds

picked up my rod, offering some not

out from the ledge. Callum was poised

were already gathering as I reeled

so gentle words of encouragement

with the gaff and I’d carefully worked

in, and when a bare hook rather than

to the king. It’s dorsal fin and tail

the king to a small gut when a pair of

shredded line appeared I erupted.

were both now clear of the water and

big waves came through, the hook

I tore off my gimbal and sent it

judging by the distance between them

pulled, and the kingi disappeared in

clattering across the rocks, a torrent of

I knew this was a serious fish.

the wash. Jaw clenched I looked over

abuse echoing off the steep cliffs. This

at Callum, his face mirroring my own

Finally the king launched itself down

time Callum wasn’t meeting my gaze,

stony expression.

on the kahawai in a spectacular strike,

instead making a detailed study of his

for an instant the entire rear half of the

We spent the next couple of minutes

shoes and probably stifling laughter.

fish was suspended vertically out of

discussing the lost king when my

I composed myself and after replacing

the water, a solid mass of green and

TLD50 made the most welcome of

the scuffed up trace, got a fresh livie

silver silhouetted against the morning

interruptions, a howl that sent us both

out. The fishing slowed for the next

sun. I waited an agonising few

sprinting to the water’s edge. The reel

hour. Adding to the frustrations was

seconds and struck, the line coming

had stopped by the time I got to it, but

the arrival of the school sharks who

up reassuringly tight.

after reeling in the slack a solid weight

took launched an attack on the berley.

came on, the brand new rod doubled

This king didn’t show the same level of

A brief tug of war left the Cray bag

over and a very angry kingi started

fight as the previous fish, and within a

with some large holes. I was mending

peeling drag with ease.

couple of minutes a substantial kingfish

this with some heavy line when I heard

After a several strong runs I felt like

a large splash out from the ledge.

appeared just below the surface a few metres of the ledge. But from there he

I was beginning to get control. Even

I looked up to see a large yellow tail

wasn’t keen to get any closer, taking

the sensation of line rubbing through

churning the water around my balloon.

line in short bursts and swimming back

weed didn’t worry me too much, until

With a rapidly increasing heartbeat I

and forth as I newrvously clung on.

6 www.nzfisher.co.nz

sportFISHING

A couple of tense minutes followed

decidedly off colour and started my

north and with the prospect of a

before the fish tired and Callum slid

own berley trail in the bathroom sink.

long drive home in the evening we

the gaff home. Not for the first time

I’m not sure if I’d picked up a stomach

opted to head back to Spirits and fish

that morning I began to yell, this time

bug, or perhaps my body couldn’t

the famous ’rod holders’ ledge. The

with delight, and gave a fist pump

handle the shock of actually catching a

sharks had disappeared completely,

worthy of Tiger Woods.

king. Either way I wasn’t up to the long

and we were able to catch a good

walk in we’d planned.

supply of livies but apart from a pack

nemesis was finally conquered. Callum

Instead we headed to Spirit’s Bay to

of 4 undersize rats the kings weren’t

wisely moved out of hugging range.

target more kings. Conditions were

making an appearance

The king was hooked deep, which

perfect, but a shortage of kahawai

Standing in the autumn sun with the

explained the lack of fight, but that

combined with an oversupply of

expanse of Spirits bay stretching

didn’t dim the smiles on both our

Tope made for a frustrating day with

before us it was impossible to feel

faces, especially when we weighed

every live bait returning chopped in

too disappointed though. We were

the fish and the digital scales settled

half. Only one small king was sighted

having a chat to a surfcaster from

at 21kg. With the snapper not biting

all day, a stroppy 88cm rat which I

Te Puke who had wandered round

Callum put out his own livie, but in

landed on a skipped Saurie. The kingi

the rocks, the small matter of a 21kg

what was to become a theme for the

was released, as were the rest of my

kingfish may have even snuck into the

trip he suffered the first of a series of

stomach contents a little later. With the

conversation, when Cal’s reel burst

sharkings, his kahawai severed behind

tide coming in we headed back along

into life. His balloon popped off but

the hook.

the rocks before we were cut off.

then everything fell silent.

Even in the bright conditions the

With my digestive system still

Thinking he’d been sharked again

bait fishing was productive though,

engaged in it’s own violent civil war

Callum began winding in casually,

Callum landed several decent Trevally,

Callum headed out alone the next

but when his rod developed a serious

the biggest a fish that would have

day. Unfortunately the sharks again

bend and the drag started screaming

weighed at least 4.5kgs. I couldn’t

arrived to keep him company, their

we knew it was kingi on. The fairytale

match that, but finished the day with

toothy attentions making live baiting

a 4kg snapper. With the prospect of

virtually impossible. He had consistent

an already overloaded backpack these

action with the snapper though, losing

fish were released.

another decent fish in the rocks, and

A chunky king lay on the rocks. My

The first day had gone to script, but there was a nasty plot twist on Monday morning when I woke up feeling

landing and releasing plenty in the 2-3kg range, plus a 60cm Trevally.

Wednesday was our last day in the

finish to the trip didn’t eventuate though as the fish found the rocks soon after, Cal’s line coming back severed. With no more action in the next couple of hours we packed up to start the trek back to Auckland ending what had been an eventful trip.

www.nzfisher.co.nz 7

gameFISHING

Landbased GT’s – The Ultimate Test

By Forsyth Thompson

GTs: Not hard enough from a

and in Aitutaki and caught Yellowfin,

tough the coral is on your shoes, and

boat? Try landbased.

Wahoo, Albacore and GTs. Of all of

it’s absolutely devastating to braid.

them, the GT was without a doubt the

So the trick was going to be not just

toughest fish I’d ever been connected

finding some spots to hook GTs, but to

to, and I couldn’t wait to get another

then somehow keep them away from

go at them. But this time we upped the

the coral until we could land them.

stakes a lot – trying to hook and land

On the coral. Clearly this wasn’t going

one (hopefully more) from the land.

to be easy. Then, not long before it

When a friend phoned up last minute and asked if my wife and I wanted to house sit in Rarotonga for 3 weeks over Christmas, it took us all of about 30 seconds to day yes. Having been to the Cooks a few times (including our wedding!) over the last few years,

Anyone who’s been to the islands and

I’d done a little bit of fishing in Raro

walked on the reefs knows just how

8 www.nzfisher.co.nz

was time to leave, the good buggers at Composite Developments gave

gameFISHING

me their new Popper Rod specifically

flooding us in and bringing a tree

We walked a few more metres down

designed for travel to the islands with

down over the driveway! But what

I wound the drag up so tight I literally

an Okuma Salina II loaded with 24kg

we were hearing from friends back

couldn’t pull line off by hand, and

braid. A few more phone calls sorted

home was that it was no better there,

started casting, still laughing and

out as many low cost poppers as I

so that was some consolation. Then

shaking my head at the ridiculous

could get and we were just missing one

Alan got back to the island and we

power of these fish and the absurdity

thing: local knowledge.

did what all good fishermen do:

of what we were doing. And a few

swap stories, drink beer and plan a

casts later, bang, it was all on again

fishing trip for the next day! So out we

but fortunately this fish went down the

headed, wading out down the edge

passage rather than straight into the

of the passage towards the edge of

coral. It was still stripping line, even on

the reef in torrential rain, at times

this ridiculous drag setting, but I got

so hard we couldn’t even see the

it slowed down and then stopped and

beach. The water running out the 25m

we were in an absolute arm wrestle.

deep passage was pouring out and

I struggled to keep my footing until

the colour of milky coffee – just full

Alan ran round and grabbed the back

of runoff from the hills. We stopped

of my gimbal and then the fish headed

about 100m before the passage

fishing some well-known spots, talking

for cover just at the edge of the “cliff”

joined the sea, standing about knee

to some locals and hearing some

we were standing on.

deep in water won the edge of the

great stories about the monster GTs.

passage – effectively standing on a

There’s a well-known monster which

25m coral cliff. After nearly a week

cruises in the harbour around the

of failed attempts and appalling

charter boats estimated at 60kg+

conditions, I wasn’t overly confident

by the skippers. That certainly got

but this was the spot Alan swore by so

my imagination fired up… and in

we started throwing poppers. Within a

snorkelling but this one looked much

between this I got a 25kg Yellowfin

couple of casts I had the first hookup:

bigger – Alan then told me it was

for good measure, although not of

an enormous smash on the surface as

the biggest one he’d seen and we

course from the land!

the unseen Trev engulfed the popper

got down to trying to take photos in

and then the absolute screaming of a

the pouring rain. My first land-based

reel as braid stripped off it. I’d wound

trev in the Cooks, not the GT I really

We all know how important local knowledge is when fishing a new area, and through Fishing.Net I got in touch with Alan Syme, a kiwi PE teacher who now lives, works and fishes in Raro.

A great guy, good fishing mate, and excellent source of local knowledge – without him, there’d have been a lot less fish! But as he wasn’t getting in for a week or so, I spent a few days

I cast every size and colour of popper I had all around a couple of the

Thank god for long leader – 120lb trace was rubbing but holding on the coral and with Alan on the trace, a really big blue trevally was up and out of the passage. I’d seen heaps

the drag up tight, what I thought was

wanted but this was a fantastic fish

passages and down in the harbour,

really tight, but it was going out so

and a brutal battle.

but although I saw a couple of GTs

fast it made me double guess myself.

Now I was really buzzing, this was

Under huge drag pressure, and with

the most fun landbased fishing I’d

the difficulty of keeping my footing on

had in a long time, and a totally

the coral even without a fish on, the

unique experience. More casts,

job of trying to keep the rod tip up and

more enormous hits and more lost

away from the razor sharp coral was

poppers, but also more fun than I’d

impossible and a few seconds later it

even imagined. The hits were just

was all ever. But what a buzz! That was

monstrous – crazier even than kingies

a seriously big fish, and even with this

on jigs out at the 3 Kings, and the task

gear I’d been absolutely spanked by it.

of stopping them was equally mad.

Alan took over casting with his gear, I

Then, in quick succession, the two

retied leader and just as I was fishing,

moments, which made the whole trip.

and blues as well as having quite a few sea turtles cruise by to check me out, I didn’t even get a hook up.

Talk about frustrating. But it did give me a chance to fish some of these deep water passages which drain into the lagoon, watch barracuda chase baitfish and try to imagine how I was going to land a fish if I did manage to hook one. Clearly I was going to need my fair share of luck and another pair of hands at the very least.

we repeated the scenario – whoops of

I’d lost all my smaller poppers and was

The weather then took a dramatic

excitement, screaming reel, peeling

fishing a massive one, just about to lift

turn for the worse, torrential rain

braid, then the ping.

it clear out of the water, just under my

www.nzfisher.co.nz 9

gameFISHING

rod tip, at the edge of the “cliff”.

A monster of a GT just rolled out from under the overhang, no more than 3 metres from me, with a mouth the size

and this was the one…I locked up, it

whole different ball game. The locals

went one way and I pulled the other in

just shook their heads at us: imagine

a complete stalemate until it wedged

going to all that trouble to catch a

itself in a crack near our feet.

fish you can’t even eat! Hopefully our friend is going to need a house sitter

of a bucket and just inhaled the popper

Alan again saved my fish with some

like it was a 4” softbait! By now I was

great work at the trace and we had a

fishing the reel with the drag more

GT in by our feet. This was what I’d

for another go at these again!

or less locked up but I truly think that

talked about and dreamt of for several

How did the rod perform?

even if I’d had a 50 wide on 37kg it

weeks and was even more satisfying

It’s a difficult balance trying to find the

wouldn’t have made any difference.

than I’d hoped! While not a PB, it was

perfect rod for this kind of work – you

far more rewarding and far harder

need enough length to cast as far as

than any fish I’d caught from the boat

you can. But too much length makes

in the Cooks. That put the final score

it impossible to keep the tip up at all

at 8-2 to the trevally and that was

under the extreme drag pressures.

how it stayed, the tide was coming

The rod needs to be stiff enough and

back in and we couldn’t safely stay

tough enough to provide the grunt

and fish, but for once I didn’t feel any

but soft enough for casting. Cheap

disappointment at all, leaving when

guides and reel seats are obviously

fish were still biting.

pointless, and for transport a 3-piece

We talk here about how much harder

in a carry case is a big bonus.

LBG is than boat fishing, and there’s

I’m not sure if there’s a perfect rod for

no doubt amongst my mates that we

catching GTs landbased in this kind

The fish rolled over and powered straight down into the coral with a very predictable but totally unavoidable ending. For a few minutes I did nothing, just laughing and pointing, trying to shout over the wind and waves to tell Alan what had happened. Truly the most ridiculous fish I’ve ever seen, or imagine I’ll see, land based.

Then after a few more bust offs and pulled hooks for both of us, a few minutes later, one of my few remaining poppers got smashed

appreciate big fish way more from the land than out of a boat (generally!).

next Christmas and we can get back

of terrain, and there are a number of hugely expensive alternatives. But

and solidly hooked up. This one was

I think in large part this is because the

at a staggeringly low $299 I’d have

obviously not as big as some of the

fish has a much better chance, but

no hesitation in recommending the

previous ones, but as it hit the popper

taking on fish as powerful as these

Okuma to anyone heading out to

it was also obviously black! A GT on,

big blues and GTs off the land was a

throw poppers in the islands.

10 www.nzfisher.co.nz

sportFISHING

Top Water Antics – From the Shore

Ariel finally nails a landbased King on Top-water gear – and what a stunner

By Ariel Alibangbang

After having the opportunity to

instant, but sadly no kahawai. We

set the hook and when it realized it was

fish with some stick baiting enthusiasts

desperately waited for the kahawai

hooked it made desperate splashes on

from the boat, at White Island I

to turn up so we could put a livie out

the surface then dove deep. Fight on!

managed to get the finer points on

but for some reason they didn’t come

how to work these stick baits (casting,

around all day. Then, about an hour

swimming the lure properly and

and half after deploying the burley, a

setting the hook up). I managed to

pack of 3 kingis showed up close to

land some descent size kings and now

the ledge chasing the maomao out

the next thing for me I thought, will be

from the burley trail. I had my stick bait

to get one from the rocks.

gear fully rigged up so I immediately

The weekend arrived last mid Feb with

made about 5 casts but none hooked

The king made two mad runs away from the ledge before I managed to get control and move it to an accessible spot where Tasman was ready with the gaff. We both thought it will be an easy lift of the gaff but Tasman was surprised how heavy it

up or even showed a good follow. The

was and I had to climb down and help

kings seemed to have swum away as I

him lift it up. We didn’t had scales at

we could not see them anymore. But

that time but when we got home it

I decided to continue casting..... then;

weight 14+kg after 5 or so hours out

out of nowhere a king showed up from

of the water. We both think it might

the under the ledge. He head towards

have been on the 15kg range. It was

my lure, stopped just beside it for a

my first Land based King on a stick

Burley was deployed and blue

second and decided to slowly swallow

bait & I was stoked! I can’t wait for the

maomao were everywhere in an

the whole thing! I pulled my rod up to

next mission & a new PB ;)

a good weather forecast and a plan was hatched with my mate Tasman to hit a spot North of Whangarei. It took us an hour’s paddle or more to get to the spot and about 20 minutes of rock climbing before we reached the ledge.

www.nzfisher.co.nz 11

Stefan Bennet, Matai Bay

READERpics

Theo taught his Dad Stefan how to catch these great fish on their annual vacation to Matai Bay. Theo’s totally hooked now – “Come on dad, take me fishing MORE!” Ted Audain, Tairua Ted with a nice Snapper caught during Tairua/ Pauanui Sport Fishing Clubs Land based competition Aaron McDonald, Tiritiri Island Aaron landed this nice king on 4kg spinning gear at the back of Tiri this summer. Not his biggest, but Azza reckons it’s one of the best fights of life.

Ian Mcleod, Cape Karikari Ian caught this Kingfish on a recent NZFisher trip to The far North. While not huge, it was Ian’s first & he’s stoked to have knocked one more species off the list

Click here to email your photos and go in the draw for an NZFisher goodies Prize Pack

12 www.nzfisher.co.nz

Ian Biddick, Hen & Chicks

Ian caught this big snapper off his own boat at the Hen & Chicks. Ian was being ‘guided’ by NZFisher’s Game Fish writes Kurt Bennetto.

VIDEO

Fishing Video of the Month The extraordinary talent of Gannets

This is a little off the fishing topic, but this video is a stunning eye opener on the actions of Gannets below the surface. It has always been my understanding that they dived & took fish on the dive, but this wonderful video provided by Massey researcher Gabriel Machovsky Capuska shows they are in-fact very adept at swimming & chasing fish underwater for some time.

Carl Muir & the Epic team have had a sensational summer, topped off by their massive Big-eye tuna in the nationals. Carl’s put this video showing their exceptional summer from the Merc’s to the back of Mayor. May the 2013 season be just as generous!

www.nzfisher.co.nz 13

SPORTfishing

Electronics Tricks to Find (and Land!) the Big One Story by Tom Francis Images by Danee Hazama

14 www.nzfisher.co.nz

SPORTfishing

There are not too many things in

One of my favourite examples is that

Smith who took his time, caught fresh

this world more satisfying then a well

of the millennium tournament that was

live bait and ran into the rock to arrive

laid plan coming to fruition; whether it

held out of Tutakaka, New Zealand.

at the change of tide to catch this one

be passing an exam, getting the girl,

The fishing had been very slow for

or breaking that record.

everyone concerned and the fleet

I am of the opinion that the true

was wondering what to do on the last

legends in sport fishing are the

day, when it was revealed to a few the

fisherman that plan to catch that big

night before that a very large black

fish, or target a particular species on

marlin had been sighted at the famous

dreamt, planned, executed and the

light tackle, not the ones that go out

hole in the rock, Bay of Islands.

result is history‌.Very very satisfying!

and incidentally catch a record fish

The very next day, a number of the

I cant say I have had anything similar

or that one big enormous one. These

few who were in on the secret headed

to this feat, but just the other week,

are meritorious catches for sure and

to the area to try and catch this fish.

we had our own simple plan. We

deserve recognition! But they are

Now a few boats had been live baiting

had long time guests onboard and

not ones of true legendary status.

the rock all morning, but it was Bruce

the weather was glamorous. We had

big fish. Just as it probably played out in Bruce’s head earlier that morning, Bruce and his team caught the fish, won the tournament and took home the money. Ignoring the fact that, this one fish was over 400kg, the plan was

www.nzfisher.co.nz 15

SPORTfishing

been fishing on the southern side of

and some distance from the school of

the picturesque Moorea, in French

tuna. I turned and asked the boys to

Polynesia. We fished 2 days for 3

get a live bait ready. we followed the

bites and 2 fish but decided to head

fish and determined its depth. When

to another spot which I was hoping

I marked the fish directly under the

would have more bait, and perhaps

boat at 60 meters, I called to the boys

a tuna or two. However this plan

to throw the bait in.

proved fruitless, so we continued to fish another location which GeoEye lead us too. Funnily enough, just as the GeoEye fishing charts had suggested, we found a nice break with good water and bait and sure enough, We came across a patch of fish and started getting bites.

We were not only raising fish for no bites, but also marking them on the

began swimming, the marked fish now appeared some distance behind the boat, but with one particular noticeable change… the fish was now following us! Having heard the stricken vibrations of the tuna, the fish caught me by surprise at how quickly it swam up towards the boat.

sonar and sounder but not raising

The marlin looked for its lunch only

them. So we needed to change

to turn up between the boat and

our game, or what a long time

the bait, swimming straight past the

friend would suggest “we needed

bait, obviously not very interested

to approach the situation from a

in a healthy tuna to eat. The call

different angle”. The next morning we

was given for the bait to skip, and

spent some time catching some live

with in seconds of the rigger peg

bait, in order to pitch to the fish we

hitting the top position, the live tuna

were marking on the electronics but

skipped twice and was engulfed by

wouldn’t raise to lures.

a blue marlin in the 700lb range.

The next day with Fresh skippies onboard, we trolled the glassy calm

“The initial cost of these electronics are expensive, but so is going the wrong way in the morning and not catching that big fish!”

16 www.nzfisher.co.nz

As the live bait entered the water and

waters of Tahiti making our

What ensued was a fantastic fight and release in glassed out conditions. It doesn’t get a whole lot better then

way back to the previous

witnessing a big marlin jumping close

days bites, when I noticed

to the boat in flat calm weather!

a patch of birds on my

So there you go, utilizing our

Furuno S band Radar, 60

electronics, from the GeoEye sea

degrees to port and 3

surface and current charts, to radar,

nautical miles away. We

MAQ sonar and sounder, they all

altered course, and once

played a key role in finding this marlin,

within a mile of the birds

with the fresh live tuna and swift crew

I could see them through

work being the last and pivotal step

my binoculars.

in the days success. The initial cost of

As we approached, I

these electronics are expensive, but so

noticed a solid mark on

is going the wrong way in the morning

my new MAQ sonar out

and not catching that big fish!

to stbd, 750 meters away,

From Tom aboard Ultimate Lady

RECIPE

Tasty Treats with Derek the Chef These are awesome as finger food for the woman folk while the blokes are standing around discussing the state of the nation or who won

Smoked kahawai Spinach and feta Filo Most important it you bleed any big

Preparation:

skipjacks you plan to eat. The blood if

1. Lay the filo sheets out on the

not taken out seems to leave a strong

table then either brush with

taste and more often than not, makes

melted butter or spray with oil,

an itching reaction on ones tongue.

each sheet. Lay on top of each

Big skip jacks are sold already bled and most often cut into stakes on the fish shops in the Philippines. Small ones are also sold whole and those are treated differently (boiled up to hours).

But the total secret here to eating Skippie is for it to be cooked really well. Skip Jack tuna braised on Coconut milk is regular lunch fair back in the Philippines for us. They are usually prepared in the morning as fish are bough fresh early from the markets.

Ingredients: Spinach stalks removed and blanched.

the last game. We enjoy them for a

Feta Cheese crumbled

Sunday nights snack food in front of

Smoked fish flaked.

the tele with lashings of Sweet Thai

Salt & Freshly ground black pepper

chili sauce. The ingredients are not in

to taste.

measure as you can determine then to

4x Filo pastry sheets

your own taste or quantity.

Melted butter or oil spray.

other to form a stack.

2. Cut into strips lengthwise, (around three per sheet) 3. Combine the spinach, feta and smoked fish in a bowl and season well with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

4. Take a tablespoon of the mixture and place on the bottom of the Layer filo. Now fold into triangles to seal the mixture in and from a triangular parcel.

5. Brush or spray again with oil and place into a preheated oven at 180째c until golden.

6. Remove place onto a platter an serve with Sweet Thai chili sauce.

Chefs tip: Ensure you keep the filo sheets under a damp cloth to stop them drying out. Note, any smoked fish or chopped shell fish may be used

www.nzfisher.co.nz 17

w regionalREVIEWS

Far North Report Source: Rick Pollock – www.Pursuit.co.nz

Good, at least reasonable,

many miles. While the easterly winds

and jigs working a treat on the healthy

weather continues to prevail. While

sure make for jumbled, bumpy rides

specimens. With most in the mid

the number of boats on the water

it’s served to keep some generally

20’sm there are enough fish over 30 to

have dwindled considerably, the ones

nice water along the entire coast.

make things interesting.

Deepwater (150-200m) bottom fishing

King Bank

is gratifying for those who care to stop

Despite some war, cobalt water

Doubtless Bay – Cape Karikari

with some nice bass the apex creature

there are relatively few marlin there

Gone very quiet here on the game

coming out of the depths.

at present. Part of the problem

still making the effort have been generally rewarded.

scene despite a fair thrashing lately.

Water still looks good with decent temps but only the occasional stripee being pulled out. Back inshore the snapper just keep on biting very consistently along with a good number of kingis – if you can get them

Three Kings – Great Island Finally some decent koheru fishing in the early am! Water temps have dropped radically around the island (16-17 degrees) so maybe that has spurned their newfound appetites!

are sharks, plenty of them! Both makos and bronzies some days are maddening with their antics – eating everything in sight. Live baits, both koheru and skippies, are jumped on with relish by the toothy critters.

Expect no more than two or three

Prince’s Group

chances on marlin daily but this could

After years in the doldrums, one

change as well! In a rarity, one boat

visiting boat has finally had a good

scored two smallish blacks during his

– make that great session. Just like

trip to spice up the predominantly

the “good ole days”, kingis in the

stripee fishery. The odd mahi mahi

mid twenties were biting all offerings

about as well. Kingi fishing here

well with the largest landed at 33kgs.

is currently superb with the best

Hopefully this will set a trend that will

fishing in years! Again, all offerings

continue into the future.

accepted with some well over 30k’s.

Middlesex Bank

Bottomfishing, other than terakihi

Few visiting here but they have been

remains difficult.

productive ones. Even though water

Summary

is cooler (by a degree or more) and

Things seem to be at a stand still just

off colour compared to the King Bank,

now but the feeling is anything could

“The Shelf” – (“Hook” – “Compass

there are still some marlin that refer it

still happen with this season. It will be

Rose”)

there. One recent foray yielded only

a case of “last man standing” to see

A real disparity of water quality along

sharks on bait but two stripies on lures

who gets the late season prize!

here with temps varying by nearly a

just trolling from A to B. Otherwise

couple degrees in sometimes that

kingis are biting well with both bait

through the bronzies!

Garden Patch Also lot of attention paid here but with little reward except for bottom bouncers. The decent catches of both marlin and swords from last week have dried up for no apparent reason.

North Cape – Great Exhibition Bay Again, slow on the game fishing and also for no apparent reason. Back inshore it’s the same deal with good to excellent snapper fishing with 20 pounders nearly an everyday catch.

18 www.nzfisher.co.nz

regionalREVIEWS

Coromandel Source: Carl Muir www.EpicAdventures.co.nz As well as this report, check out

opportunities. If you are keen to get

Carls summer report in the ‘Video’

amongst the action check our calendar

section on page 13.

here for our next available spots

Epic Autumn Action While we continue to be dogged with south easterlies, when the autumn weather gods let us get out fishing, it

getting smashed within seconds of hitting the bottom!

has been superb. Autumn is generally

We’ve pretty much been doing 2 or 3

a great jigging season – it’s the

drops for a feed and then moving on as

perfect time to chase kingfish on jigs

the action while you are there is pretty

and they’ve been smashing them, the

crazy, the arms get pretty sore coming

Bluenose are big and fat and biting

up from the depths and there is only so

jigs hard and with hapuku, snapper

much bluenose you can eat..!

and a chance at a late season game

Hapuku

fish also on offer, it’s a great time to

Plenty of good hapuku fishing from

get on the water - when you can!

the 100m line out. Livies are the best

Kingfish

bet for chasing the puka and there are

Last week saw a crazy bite at the

some good models around the deep

Aldermen Pins with some of our crews

foul out from Red Merc at the moment.

releasing 30-50 in a day. Jigs were

Gamefish

getting smashed as much as livies, in

Our last encounter was a 106kg Big

fact the bigger fish were coming on

Eye from the back of the Aldies, but

jigs. Plenty of guys shattered after

we haven’t had too many shots at it

some awesome kingi fishing!

since then with the weather. Innova

Since the fish have spread somewhat

bagged a stripey from the Hook last

and the action spreading further

weekend, a couple of boats fishing

afield and the Cuvier Pins have fired

the Tauranga One Base also got into

up. We’ve done a mission to Mayor

marlin including a 300kg+ blue very

as well and found some good kings

wide of the Aldermens and Tobes had

on the 100m line out there. There are

a Blue cruise past the boat while kingi

also some good kingfish to be had

fishing at Cuvier yesterday so the fish

hard in on the coast amongst the bait

are still there.

now the murk of the last downpour

Snapper

has disappeared.

Fishing the deep for kingfish

The kingfish are all in great conditions

sometimes the snapper have been

and feasting up hard before winter,

more prevalent than kingfish on baits

so it is a great time to get into an

on the deeper reefs. Plenty of good

aggressive kingi bite.

fishing in the shallows on softbaits

Damo from the Charter Connection

too, with good schools of bait around

(Diversity) has these words of

in 15m round the sand and fringes of

advice on the Hauraki at present too

the kelp.

– Cheers Damo!

Bluenose These fish have to be one of the tastiest in the ocean and right now is the time to chase them.

Don’t need bait either – jigs are

The Hauraki Report

So…when the weather gods allow, plenty of awesome fishing

www.nzfisher.co.nz 19

NEXTmonth

IN NEXT MONTH’S NZ FISHER • Mid-Winter Far North – What, where, when & how • Building your own rods - A beginners guide • Auckland Trout. Really?

Have you subscribed to NZ Fisher? It’s free!

Simply visit www.nzfisher.co.nz to get a copy of NZ Fisher delivered straight to your inbox every month!

www.nzfisher.co.nz 20