ISSUE 17 July 2012
Whangarei Juniors take out BOI Kingfish International
- The fishing Mecca of Feilding explored www.nzfisher.co.nz 1
CONTENTS Pg 4 SPORTFISHING
12
4
The NZACA National
Championships 2012
8
The Bay of Islands International
Yellowtail Tournament
BOATFISHING 11
From Heavy Metal to Tinfoil
GAMEFISHING 12
The Three Kings, Finally
15
Reader Pics
16
The NZ Fishing Competition
17
Fishing Video of the Month
8
BOATFISHING
2 www.nzfisher.co.nz
19
The NZFisher Boat unveiled
20
Recipe
22
Regional Reviews
Pg 17
editorial
//From the
EDITOR of Snapper in areas SNA1 (North Cape
Keep warm, spring’s just around the
to East Cape) and SNA2 (New Plymouth
corner and with it comes the very best
to North Cape) are not as effective as
fishing of the year!
DAMN IT IS COLD! My memory gets
it should be. Early results claim that
worse every year and maybe we’ve
the stocks are at between only 6-8%
had a few mild winters these last few
on the West Coast and under 15% (of
Tight lines,
years; but damn it’s cold!
virgin bio-mass) [LINK: http://dictionary.
Derrick
I took a trip out on the Kaipara
babylon.com/virgin_biomass/] on the
Harbour for a quick gurnard hunt
East Coast. These are just numbers but they are worrying. While we may feel
ABOUT /
the fisheries are in good shape and
Short and sharp, NZ Fisher is a
console boats – there is no-where to
they are better than ‘before’, there are
free e-magazine delivering thought
hide from the biting, icy cold wind!
reasons why we need to pay heed to
provoking and enlightening articles,
Thankfully the sun emerged from the
the science. There is a real possibility
and industry news and information
fog and warmed us up as the fish
that bag limits may be cut or minimum
to forward-thinking fisher people.
came on the bite to further warm us.
lengths increased. While these are not
on a very cold morning. We learned some things very quickly about centre
Winter is a great time of year for fishing the inshore waters of the North Island. Its a time of year when I revert back to traditional fishing (i.e. bait & burley). After 5 years of not buying bait I was finally cornered by Forsyth & opened my wallet to buy a boat load for a Little Barrier Mission. I’m so used to using soft baits to catch everything, including Kahawai I forgot the joy of frozen bait. I soon remembered....frozen hands, smelly clothes and big screaming runs!
necessarily bad things, we must be mindful that one of the reasons this fishery was researched was because the commercial industry were thinking there might be an increase in their quota’s if the fishery had further rebuilt. If we take a cut now – who gets the benefit in the future? There are always consequences to these actions and we would be wise to keep an eye on the upcoming changes. We’ll keep up in the loop. I have donated to LegaSea recently and encourage others to do the same.
We spent a few days out at Little Barrier
They’re the ‘action’ department of the
and revisited some spots we haven’t
NZ Sport Fishing Council and they’re
been to for about 15 years. They still
growing a strong base to build an
produced the goods, but not quite the
ongoing defence to provide abundance
monsters of the 90s. What was really
of fish for our future generations.
surprising was the lack of action on soft baits in the shallows. Bait worked a treat, but not the expected soft bait hits – needs more research I think!
Don’t forget the NZRFC AGM &
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 ADVERTISING ENQUIRIES / Phone Richard on 09 522 7257 or email richardl@espiremedia.com ADDRESS / NZ Fisher, 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!
Conference this year either. It’s being held at the Buckland’s Beach Yacht Club, Halfmoon Bay on the 28th July. There
Some research results that have reached
will be discussion on the Future Search
us recently show that the stock rebuild
initiative and the RFC’s Strategic plan.
Cover Image: Wayne Downer with 41kg Kingfish
www.nzfisher.co.nz 3
sportFISHING Overall Team Champions, Feilding Surfcasting Club
The NZACA National Championships 2012 Feilding, by the sea
By Derrick Paul SINCE 2009 I’VE fished the NZACA
on top against the Manuatu and
caster, this discipline is more novelty
Nationals with passion. 2009 and 2010
Wellington Coast anglers in their own
than sport for me but it’s a great
were based at Coromandel, a very
back yard. That’s when I looked to call
spectacle to watch the top casters do
fishy and local spot for us Auckland
in local expertise to help the cause.
their stuff. The best casters in New
fishos. 2011 was the year we hosted
Reece Claxton, Kapiti Islands answer
Zealand sling their lead weights out past 200 meters. Makes my best effort
the Nationals at Orewa, opening up
to Carl Muir has been slaying the
the boundaries and ensuring there
Wellington coasts’ kingfish for six
were plenty of fish available for
years, ever since he moved away from
everyone. But this year they were
his native Auckland. His exploits are
being held in Feilding. Yes, Feilding,
well known to locals and those who
the hotbed of Red Cod and school
have come across Reece on Facebook
sharks – or so we thought! Feilding is
or the fishing website, he’s passionate
a town best known for sheep shearing
and very skilled. Some might even say
The best distance this year was set by
and fast cars at the world renowned
he’s a bit of a magnet, so I made it my
Neil Angus of Wellington Surfcasting
Manfeild Park raceway. Fishing is not
goal to twist Reece’s arm into taking
Club with a phenomenal distance of
readily associated with Feilding.
me out and more importantly getting
200.3 meters!
I committed to Feilding Nationals
weather god Tawhirimatea on side!
of 135meters look pretty average really. I want to say a big thanks to Dick Lash of Fielding club for lending me his casting rod and reel two years in a row now. I just don’t think my softbait rod was going to do it!
With the AGM out of the way it was
last year and as the time drew closer
I arrived late to Fielding on the
time to make a plan for two days
I found myself very short on ideas
evening (or rather early morning of)
full on fishing. Sadly my prayers to
or really even a hope of coming out
the distance casting. Not being a bit
Tawhirimatea had not proved entirely
4 www.nzfisher.co.nz
sportFISHING
Kingfish third placed The authors
North Sh ore
Clubs’ Ta reta Cur Ladies S ruthers hore sec with the tion first place tro phy
effective and the forecasts were
with lighter and lighter gear. Reece’s
Reece’s boat is a 4.5m centre console
looking pretty shoddy. Reece is pretty
newest toy is a 75gram Synit acid
inflatable with plenty of room, but
keen & despite the poor forecast
wrapped jig rod he’s paired with an
you’ve got to be smart about how you
he reckoned we’d get out in the
Accurate 400XN filled with 50lb line.
fight fish due to the low gunwales. The
afternoon so I had a sleep-in to look
I had a chance to drop a few jigs with
drag on the little accurate was wound
forward to while the rest of the field
this light set and managed a small
up hard & there was very little room
struck out early to get the best out of
king to bend through it. It’s beautiful
for letting the fish run. Reece carefully
the south’s dawn bite.
combo, but I’m astounded that Reece
dragged us out to some deeper water
The wind was peaking at 20 knots but
managed 15kg fish, let alone a 28kg
& the fight was slugged out over a
there was a chance Reece’s spots at
model earlier this year.
clear bottom.
Kapiti might be sheltered from the
The fishing was a bit tough to start
After a few minutes the king
southerly gusts. We headed out from
& Reece took me further out to his
showed itself from under the boat. It
Waikanae Beach in relative calm &
big fish spot. Due to the terrain &
looked mid-teens to me but Reece
headed across the southern stretch
generally larger fish Reece upgraded
immediately called it for a 20kg fish.
of the South Taranaki Bight across to
me to the Synit 350gm combo loaded
That is what we were there for! The
with 50lb. He scanned the pins for a
fish was bought aboard & we could
Kapiti Island. Reece has hooked and landed
few minutes before giving the thumbs
hundreds of kingfish at Kapiti
up to drop the jig “There’s two good
including some 30kg++ models. He’s
fish there” was the call. Right on cue I
honed his skills and begun working
hooked up to my first west coast King.
admire its size. On reflection, Reece’s call for 20kg was a good one – that was one fat fish. Due to the late start we only had three
www.nzfisher.co.nz 5
sportFISHING
place s pin for first ns reciving hi Eddie Hawki
Niel Angus, National Casting Champion with his trohies
hours on the water so we kept this fish
common species followed by kahawai
NZACA Nationals Events. The various
and thankfully too as it turned out to
and cod. There was even a Hapuka
fixtures and events were executed
be the only one of size we landed.
thrown in for good measure.
with the depth of planning evident in
After helping Reece with the clean up
I had been hopeful of placing with
at his place I was back off up to Palmy
my one and only fish, but by the end
to store the fish on ice.
of the weigh in I realised I wouldn’t
run but very entertaining.
be getting a podium spot at all! The
We were privileged to be the first to
locals had show us the way – with
see the promotional video produced
Eddie Hawkins of the Wellington
by The Gisborne Surfcasters club for
Casting & Angling Club being be far
the 2013 NZACA National Champs
the most successful on 489points. To
(13-16th March 2013). There is no
put this in perspective, I came in third
doubt that Gisborne will pick up
with only 139 points!
where Feilding left off and produce
The Nationals results have been
the best Nationals yet. NZFisher will
posted the NZACA website so please
be there & we look forward to seeing
take a minute to go there & see the
many of you there then too!
Fridays weather was worse than Thursday so there was no opportunity to fish at all so the day was spent with the family waiting for the weigh-in Friday arvo. At the weigh in I was genuinely astounded by the sheer number of fish weighed. I’d heard the land-based fishing had been hard, but the boaties did themselves proud. There was a wide range of species & sizes. My
outcome of the weeks fishing.
their smooth running. The prize giving and final meal were not only smoothly
Thanks again to the Feilding
ignorant northerners thinking was that
The Feilding Surfcasting team
Surfcasting club and your volunteers.
there would be Blue Cod & Kahawai
approached the running of
I truly enjoyed the time with you –
with the odd snapper thrown in but
the Nationals with a level of
even if my fishing experience only
snapper and terakihi were the most
professionalism not recently seen at
lasted 3 hours!
6 www.nzfisher.co.nz
?
What if there were no fish
sportFISHING
Many Kiwis think we have a God given right to fish, but the reality is different! Our fishing resource should belong equally to ALL New Zealanders but, sadly, recreational fishers have been left scrambling for the scraps. This has to change – recreational fishers need to unite – we need to have a say - we need a legitimate stake in the fishery and we need to chart a better fishing future - for us and our kids. The time is NOW! Future Search is an inspirational process that will achieve these aspirations and you can be part of this positive movement. Future Search is bringing together, in Nelson during February 2013, 70 Kiwis from diverse factions of the fishing community to move forward and make a difference. Do you want to be one of those 70? If you have a vision for a better fishing future and would like to put up your hand to be part of developing some solutions email the Future Search Project Manager, Miranda O’Connell. miranda@folkus.co.nz or phone 021 345 056 by the 20th August 2012.
Charting a New Path for OUR Fishing Future www.nzfisher.co.nz 7
Photo credit: Wildcat Charters Golden Bay.
sportFISHING Zac waiting for a bite
The Bay of Islands International Yellowtail Tournament Juniors turn the Tournament on its head
By Craig Smith, Shannon Kitchen, Ollie Wakeman, Bevan Johnson and Zac Dixon. Excerpts taken from the NZSFC’s ‘Current Lines’ June 2012 issue.
IT’S NOT HARD to understand why
the Juniors section but the main draw
Ollie Wakeman claimed runner up in
Craig Smith has fished five years with
against vastly more experienced and
the Junior Male Angler Most Points
the Whangarei Deep Sea Angling
resourced teams.
section with a total of 2,851 points.
Club juniors in the Bay of Islands International Yellowtail tournament. There is little in the world of fishing that beats seeing a young angler hook their greatest fish, get taken to the limit then after nearly giving up manage against the odds to boat what may be a fish of a lifetime. Once in a while that can be replicated a number
The BOI yellowtail tournament is fished annually (not surprisingly) in the Bay of Islands. The competition is fished for on a points system where line weight
Bevan Johnson not only won the Heaviest Yellowtail caught by a Junior Angler section with his whopping 23.4 kg yellowtail on 8 kg line (a pending NZ record no less) but also received
is relative to fish weight. The biggest
the Tio Bay Lodge Trophy for the Most
fish may not necessarily a winning fish,
Meritorious Catch by a Junior Angler.
but the lighter the line, the better the rewards. Conversely – if you fish line
Bevan then went on to win the Junior Male Angler Most Points section with
of times in a day or over a couple of
too light, it makes it impossible to stop
days. And even less often it might
even an average kingfish!
happen in a fishing tournament.
The WDSAC Junior team comprised
section with a massive points tally of
This very rare, incredibly rewarding
of anglers; Zac Dixon, Bevan Johnson,
9,288 with “GPS” skipper Hayden
set of circumstances came together
Shannon Kitchen and Oliver (Ollie)
Wright receiving the trophy for
like magic at this year’s Bay of Islands
Wakeman. Great fishing for Shannon
“Skipper Junior Team Most Points”.
International Yellowtail tournament
Kitchen and Zac Dixon saw them in 7th
To cap it all off Hayden Wright
for the Whangarei Deep Sea Angling
and 9th place respectively in the overall
took home the prize for the Overall
Club juniors as they not only took out
Junior Angler most points section.
Winning Skipper and then Zac, Bevan,
8 www.nzfisher.co.nz
a total of 3,099 points!! The WDSAC team were clear winners of the junior
sportFISHING
is was also a very on 6 kilo line. Th r, Zac Dixon, 16.5 c is a gifted angle m points, and Za his first for e important for tea siv es pr im gifted, very very steady and e on 8 kg line. another good on year, he caught
…
Shannon and Ollie stepped up to take
start fishing, start fishing”.
the Medinova Trophy for the Winning
MY Favourite day with WDSAC
We chuck our livies in and find the bait
Overall Team Most Points (a huge
junior team:
schools; Hayden yells bait at 20-30
1,117 points ahead of the next team!!).
“When I go to sleep, I wake up in the
metres!! 9 out of 10 we get a bite,
We are told that this is the first time in
morning to Craig telling us to get out
that is when my heart starts racing
twenty years that the Overall Trophy
of bed. Knowing me I don’t normally
and the adrenalin kicks in!! We wait a
has been won by a junior team - Well
like to get up early but once I sit up
few seconds for it to swallow the bait,
done to the 2012 WDSAC Junior Team.
and look around, my head kicks in
strike it and then the FIGHT is on!!!!!!
to realise we are going Kingi fishing
Hayden does the most important job of
I jump out bed get dressed, bag
leading the fish out to sea so it doesn’t
packed, Go to the breakfast table
bust us off, the FIGHT continues….
and Pauline and Adrienne serve up a
Once up to the boat we gaff it on
great breakfast to keep us going for
board then we all YAHOO (to say the
the day. Once we have finished we
least)!!! And then back to our spot to
leave for the boat with Pauline and
do it all over again until we hear the
Adrianne wishing us good luck.
dreaded words “stop fishing, stop
We hop on board, head to the start
fishing, stop fishing. Then it is back
line where we wait for the signal and
to Russell for weigh in and photo
Please have a read of the junior’s
all roar off at once.
opportunities all very, very happy!
reports below; they really embrace the
At our bait spot we stock up before
Four days of this = four days of
passion for the sport and enjoyment
moving to our Kingi spot and wait
fantastic fun! Thanks to everyone.”
of fishing we relish at NZFisher.
for the sweet sound of “start fishing,
Ollie Wakeman
Special congratulations are due to Skipper Hayden Wright, First Mate Russ Briars, Chief Deckie Craig Smith, Deckie and ‘Brenda Saul, assistant Camp Leader Adrienne Foote and Camp Mother Pauline Yearbury. It’s only with the help, time and deduction of volunteers like these guys that a team can succeed.
www.nzfisher.co.nz 9
sportFISHING
Bevan Johnson, his second year with the WDSAC Junior Team, group photo with his National Record claim 23.4 kg on 8 kilo line
Ollie with his 17.7 kg on 6 Kilo line
WDSAC Junior Team photo from day two. Craig re-tying a line, waiting for the bite Ollie Wakeman, 17.7 kilos on 6 kilo line on day two, very important fish because we got a lot of points for this one
“Our week started on June 9th when These words are from Shannon, the
we travelled to the Bay of islands
only girl on the WDSAC Junior team.
for the 43rd International Yellowtail
Shannon weighed two 15kg & one
Tournament. My best memory was
16.5kg king, all on 8kg line.
being able to fish in an International tournament and win the junior
10 www.nzfisher.co.nz
“My overall experience of the
section while also taking out the
International Yellowtail tournament
whole tournament.
was absolutely unbelievable. I had
This experience taught me how to
the time of my life. I learnt so much
be a team member and especially
in the short 4 days we were on the
how to catch large fish on light
water. I’m so grateful for all the help
tackle. One amazing thing was
us juniors had getting up to Russell
to watch Bevan play his 23.4kg
and while we were fishing. This was
yellowtail, and then finding out it
my first time fishing for yellowtails
was a New Zealand record fish. My
and I have a new found love for
experience of catching a 16.5 kg
these fish. They are everything that
Yellowtail on 6kg was awesome.
makes fishing enjoyable for me,
Thanks to our amazing skipper
mostly the fight they’re just like a
(Hayden Wright) deckies Ross Briars
mini marlin. I wish I started fishing
& Brenda Saul. Not forgetting
earlier but unfortunately was my first
our super coach Craig Smith.
and last year as a junior fishing this
If it was not for his experience
tournament, but I will definitely be
and knowledge we would not be
coming back next year to kick some
successfully fishing this tournament.
more butt.” Thanks,
Thanks a million Craig!”
Shannon Kitchen
Zac Dixon
boatFISHING
From Heavy Metal to Tinfoil AS MUCH AS I love catching kingfish, they truly are a pain in the butt. Getting amongst good sized kingfish requires extensive finance to get out to the deep water pins where they hold. Even then, the only thing you can be sure of is a decent petrol bill on your return home. Alternatively, you can always go back to the sure thing of snapper fishing; there is much less risk of getting skunked
large school of fish popped up,
boat it; a decent fish, no gaff, 30 lb
and less money needs to be spent to
mouthing at the surface. Likely to be
leader and fragile hooks make for a
get amongst good sized fish. While
trevally or kahawai I put on a tiny 15
prolonged dance around the back of
I shouldn’t take them for granted,
gm hex wobbler. Kahawai will take
the boat. I couldn’t believe that the
however, snapper fishing does get a
these and the trebles on the back
tiny hooks had held or that this kingi
bit “been there done that” at times.
work well at foul hooking trevally. One
had thought that such a miniscule lure
cast confirmed that it was indeed a
would be worth the effort. Weighing
school of trevally. The second cast
in at just over 15 kg it was just the
confirmed that something larger
ticket, and more than a handful on 10
was also amongst the school. As
lb braid.
With these thoughts in mind, and a real hunger to get in a tussle with a good kingi, my buddy Steve and I gambled on a day trip out to the Hen and Chicks in the northern Hauraki Gulf. Things were not looking great initially when we couldn’t even catch a livie. They didn’t improve much either when we couldn’t even get a hit after a few hours of sore arms from mechanical jigging. We’d seen a stretch of good sign in the channel between some islands on the way over so we headed back to check it out. On our return the sign had gone and jigging in 15 m didn’t seem that productive. About then I reluctantly started to think about that trusty old back up the snapper. Fortunately, a
line whizzed from my soft bait reel I wondered whether an extremely large trevally could put up this much fight. Steven chased down hard on the fish, which had moved out of the shallows and settled down in about 25 m of water. From there it was just a long wait until the tiny treble hooks straightened or the fish actually began to tire. I couldn’t put any pressure on him due to the light line, so it really was a waiting game. After about 20 minutes we first sighted a decent kingfish. It was another 10 minutes before we managed to actually
We went back to the trevally school and this time the sight of fish exploding from the school made sense with the knowledge that there might be more kingfish around. I got busted off and Steven hooked up straight away. Steven’s fish eventually dropped the hook well over half an hour into the fight. All in all we got what we were after, even if it was through unconventional methods. Goes to show that you don’t need top end gear to land decent fish and most importantly, you can’t catch fish by complaining about petrol prices.
www.nzfisher.co.nz 11
gameFISHING
The Three Kings, Finally By Wayne Downer
WAYNE (AKA ‘OF2FISH’ on www.
work for 10 years) it became apparent
So on Wednesday morning the boys
Fishing.net.nz) is a hardy fisher with
that the weather was going to spoil
assembled at my place; we loaded
a history of big inshore fish – this trip
the trip. 60 knots and 8 meter seas
up the trailer, with all the gear, food,
was his best shot at a Marlin, let’s see
will do that I suppose... With bitter
80 kilos of whole frozen bait fish and
how he got on!).
disappointment we postponed the
tackle that we would need for a 3
trip till May, about then I knew that
week trip.
Many months ago we planned a trip to the 3 kings on Rick Pollock’s “Pursuit, [Link: http://www.fishing.net.
the chance of a marlin was slipping thru my fingers...
The drive to Mangonui was quick, a stop or 2 on the way for refreshments
nz/fishing-charters-and-guides/pursuit-
So at the beginning of May we
and before we knew it we were
fishing-charters/] The date was to be
readied ourselves for 5 days of fishing
standing on the wharf...Well standing
mid -February and the plan was to
the kings, with dreams of huge fish,
on the wharf in 40 knots of wind,
catch me a marlin (sounds easy!),out
sore arms and aching backs was soon
freezing cold rain, with a bunch of
of the 6 blokes I was the only marlin
turning to frustration once again as
tourists thinking we must be going on
virgin and the boys were keen on me
the forecast turned from 5 to 10 knots
a crab fishing in the Bering sea.
catching one.
to 55 to 60 knots again.
As the day approached, (and we were
Damned again; we had no choice but
and the boat loaded to the gunnels
in the middle of our busiest season at
to shorten the trip a couple of days.
with fishing crap. The next stop was
12 www.nzfisher.co.nz
So on with the thermals and rain coats
gameFISHING
dinner at the fish shop, a beer to wash
evident I needed to get up and
bass was winning, then Mike got the
down 3 doses of Paihia bombs [Link:
get some fresh air. After standing
reel looking somewhat full again, then
http://www.tuugo.co.nz/Companies/
for 6 hours out the back of pursuit
the bass went on a long run with the line
paihia-pharmacy/0210003062281]
focussing on the ever fading Cape
crackling off the reel and found a hole to
(Sea sickness tablets) and we were on
Rienga we had made it to the bottom
hide in cutting off the line. Bugger.
our way to North Cape.
of the King Bank.
The trip was uneventful, the off shore
Zane the deckie had rigged all our
fillets to fill the freezer. Around 4
winds kicked up a fair bit of chop but
gear, tied enough traces, PR knots,
pm we headed into the Three Kings
otherwise it was semi comfortable.
bimini twists and leaders on to see us
Islands for dinner and a sleep. The sea
We hit the bunks at nth cape around
thru the entire day. Deckies should
had eased to 4 meters from 6+ and
10pm...
never ever be underestimated.
the wind was just under 20knts. This
Sleep was at a premium in a sloppy
The plan was to fish the first day for bass and second for kingies.
did nothing for me though, the uneasy
anchorage and 6 restless guys dreading the next part of the trip which was to be a 7 hour steam in some very rough seas.
All the boys were all looking a bit under the weather. I reckon they were feeling and thinking about the same
After what felt like 30 minutes sleep
as me “what the hell are we doing out
the engines fired up, the anchor
here?!?!” Mountains of water were
was weighed and we were off. Strait
coming from the Sth West, the wind
line from North Cape to the King
had ‘dropped’ to 25 to 30 but most
Bank .The first hour was mint; we
importantly.. the fish were biting!
even stayed in bed waiting to hit the rougher seas off the top of the nth island. It wasn’t long before the good ship Pursuit was rolling and pitching in a large South West swell with 40 knots of wind hammering us beam-on.
The fishing went from good to amazing, anything at all sent to the bottom was swooped on by a bass or puka from 30 to 45kgs...every time. The fish were holding in 80 metres of
We were soon topped up with enough
feeling of nausea soon came flooding back..damn, I was over this **** . We hit the anchorage in 3 hours. North West Bay was very average, so we went around the corner to another anchorage but it was worse. We settled in back at NW Bay, dinner was cooked and quickly eaten by a hungry bunch. Desert was scoffed, a shower taken and bed followed. That night was very average, a sloppy anchorage does nothing for me at all. With about 2 hours sleep in 2 days I was shot when the motor started at 5 am.
water, they fought like kingies, nearly
We moved 50 mtrs to the live bait
Its not very often I feel sea-sick; I’ve
all the way to the boat. As it so often
spot,6 weary anglers were soon
been in some horrendous seas and
happens, a larger model turns up to
smiling as large kohies and trevally
never really felt sick.
test out the knots and drags - today’s
entertained us for 2 hours..
Today was very, very different. I was feeling very average and it was
victim was Mike who got smashed. For 20 minutes it was looking like the
Tank filled with bait we headed out a bit further to throw some stick baits...
www.nzfisher.co.nz 13
gameFISHING
my stick bait was a live kohi on 37kg
in neutral ,thumb on spool, waiting,
braid. Something about a fish like this
waiting.... waiting...come on eat it !!!
dead baits but the biggest were on livies.
Braid started to leave the reel very
Then the call was made - “last drop
fast, lever to strike, wait for the line to
“ - words you never want to hear, but
We steamed back to the king bank
go tight, strike Hard and...Boom ‘Fish
quietly you might be relieved.
with the wind, swell and current all
on’! Rod hard on rail drag to sunset
helping get us there in 1 hour 30..
thumb on spool, thumb burning ,braid
that soon had the queasiness gone and the adrenaline pumping...
he boys were split, 3 livies and 3 on jigs... the 1st drop was just outstanding,
still peeling... **** this looks bad. A few nervous minutes later Rick saw the
Our trip was drawing to an end. We packed up, Rick turned the boat south and we headed for tom bowling bay...
drag and said to ease it back to strike,
7 hours later we weighed anchor in
as soon as I moved it the fish took
the dead calm water of Tom Bowling
off again. Rick said “leave the drag
Bay, the warriors were getting a
- that’s a big fish you don’t want to
hiding on the radio, dinner was
pull the hook” It is a hard thing to do
cooked and consumed. Desert was
when you’re still losing line, but Rick’s
hammered to the point of licking the
The live baits were working way better
the man. And35 minutes later I had a
bowls and it was off to bed with sore
than the jigs, with only 30 livies we
new PB - 41 kgs; A new PB for me and
arms and backs.
dug out some frozen skippies and
a best for the boat so far this year!
Saturday morning dawned to dead flat
swapped the jigs for dead baits..Dead
The fish was tagged and released, but
seas, we anchored off nth cape and
baits worked as well as live koheru
unfortunately it didn’t make it coming
floated the last of the skippies down a
So with the amount of fish coming
back to the surface.
berley trail for some monster snapper..
onboard over 30kgs and amidst all
We had no choice but to put him
What followed was icing on the
the fun it was going to be a magic
in the ice box. The afternoon was a
cake...Snapper to just under 20lbs,
day for me..
blur ,the fish were still coming over
kingies to just over 20 kgs and sharks,
the side for a new shinny tag at an
couta, Trevally, eels and an unlucky
astonishing rate. The jigs really started
mollymawk! It’s a pretty decent way to
to fire late in the day. The current had
finish off a wicked trip!
looking down the rail to see rods bending over the rail with braid pouring from the reels is just superb..
The fish were all over 25kgs with the best going 35kgs..wow
Waiting at the livie tank while Zane set the marlin bait out under a balloon, I was getting antsy as the boys were all hooked up ...Zane dug deep and popped out a massive koheru, too big for your hook he said..”No way” I said,
eased and it was the 300 gram jigs doing the damage...Olly had a run of fish that was spectacular to watch,
At 10 am we headed for the wharf. Zane cooked our last feed; the boys settled in for the 5 hour steam home
just hook it up I’m missing out...
His benthos jig never hit the bottom.
and Zane set about cleaning the boat.
Over the edge with 14 ounces of lead,
The jig caught fish were the smallest, we got more fish on
A big thanks To Rick and Zane for a memorable trip.
down 100 meters , 3 winds up, reel
14 www.nzfisher.co.nz
Terry Williams
READERpics
Terry Williams-King getting kicked by a monster Three Kings King
THIS MONTH’S WINNER Alan & Mike MacKinven Alan MacKinven & his brother Mike with a couple of nice winter snaps formt he back paddock
Andrew Evans Andrew Evans with a 7.66kg from the 2012 Bounty Hunter - 6th place at the end of day one...
Johnathan Hill Johnathan Hill with his best from the 2012 Bounty Hunter
Gregor Kregar Gregor Kregar with a solid Little Barrier Snap taken on smelly old bait!
Click here to email your photos and go in the draw for an NZFisher goodies Prize Pack
Ted Audain & Neil Brown
Shane Cameron Shane Cameron (not the Boxer!) and his teams best from the 2012 Bounty Hunter
Ted Audain & Neil Brown from the North Shore Surfcasting Club with a couple of winter moochers taken from Doubtless Bay 2012 www.nzfisher.co.nz 15
competition
The NZ Fishing Competition – by the Fishing Website More than just a fishing Contest -
gurnard, tarakihi, john dory, blue cod,
available from selected retailers – check
it’s time to measure up!
blue moki, hapuku/bass and trout.
www.fishingcomp.co.nz for details.
The NZ Fishing Competition is a
“There is a strong environmental
“While there will be a significant
totally new concept that allows
aspect to the competition, and if the
drawn prize for each of the eligible
anglers from anywhere in New
angler wishes to release a trophy fish
species, the main aim of the
Zealand to enter their catches on-line
it can be quickly photographed on the
competition is to recognise some
and compare them with others from
measure and returned to the water”
great fishing achievements right
around the country.
says the organiser, Grant Blair.
throughout the year while having
With this unique contest, fish to
The type of fishing activity (such
be entered are photographed
as boat, beach, rocks, kayaks and
lying on a purpose-made official
jetskis) as well as the technique used
The main prizes include 2 Bradley
measure with a digital camera, The
is recorded at the time of uploading
six-rack smokers to be drawn from the
photos are uploaded to The NZ
to Fishingcomp.co.nz, and these
top 30% of entries for the snapper
Fishing Competition website (www.
are destined to become separate
and kingfish sections and a range of
fishingcomp.co.nz) and fish length,
leaderboards over time. Freshwater
Fin-Nor rod and reel combo sets for
rather than weight, is the criteria for
fishing for trout will have leaderboards
both drawn and longest fish in each of
“who has the biggest.”
for fly or lures.
the other species categories.
A series of leader boards displays the
Entry to The NZ Fishing Competition
Fishing is often about some good-
names of the most successful anglers,
costs $29.95 + $4.95 freight (if bought
hearted, friendly rivalry between
with the very best catches making it into a permanent ‘Fishing Hall of Fame’.
on-line) which includes the price of the official measure. If you’re fishing with a
The contest includes the following
mate who already has a measure, then
species caught using a rod and reel;
a registration only option is available for
snapper, kingfish, kahawai, trevally,
just $19.95. Measures will also be made
16 www.nzfisher.co.nz
some friendly competition with your fishing buddies”, adds Blair
mates and the NZ Fishing Competition captures that aspect of what many New Zealanders enjoy about fishing. The inaugural year finishes 31st March 2013. More at www.fishingcomp.co.nz
Fishing Video of the Month
VIDEO
IT’S DEFINITELY WINTER and that means we’re into some hard-core fishing – including night fishing for Squid. Check out this video of Taiki Natsume demonstrating and explaining the best Squiding (Egi) techniques with quality squid lures. This is a very in-depth look at the techniques, designs, sizes and tackle that will work best. This video is a little less intense and is made here in NZ – many of you will recognise the ‘experts’ in this one! And here’s something much more lightweight to get that cold blood boiling! This video is too awesome for words. If there was ever a good reason to have a Lottery win, this is it! It’s a bit jumpy, but there’s plenty of reasons to forgive them very quickly! The trevs from 3.11 onwards are out of this world.
www.nzfisher.co.nz 17
BOATfishing
The NZFisher Boat unveiled Story by Derrick Paull
Every magazine needs a boat
Auckland, the East coast of Northland
and we decided it was about time
and Coromandel using soft-baits,
NZFisher out grew our Kayaks and
jigging, cut baits and occasionally
joined the ranks of ‘real’ magazines
we get out game-fishing. This led
and found a boat to best suit us and
us to chose a walk-around or centre
our readers.
console design and for added safety a
First of all, we don’t charge for NZFisher so there was always going to be a tight budget. We started looking around $15,000 but soon realised that the extremes we were going to subject our boat to wouldn’t be well served by the conventional, open hull and tiller steer options $15k buys. We decided to make a line in the sand at $25,000 and began the search for the best boat for the money.
18 www.nzfisher.co.nz
pontoon style hull. The centre console adds a lot of fishing flexibility but reduces onboard storage – something that can be a two edged sword. After asking around, following discussion threads in online forums and checking a few hulls out personally we narrowed the search down to three brands. Sportcraft Boats in Morrinsville have recently released their new hull the ‘APB’ (Aluminium Pontoon Boat – original
Our prerequisites were fairly generous
huh!) under their Scorpion brand,
and the scope in the under five meter
that ticked the most boxes and just
category getting wider by the week.
squeaked inside the budget.
As we’re fishing predominantly in
Due to the aggressive hull designs
BOATfishing
most 4.5 – 5.0meter boats are being
The APB comes standard with a 30hp
We chose to forego any seating (a
designed with they’re being fitted
Mercury ELPTO outboard and again
swivel skippers seat comes standard)
with 50hp or bigger outboards. The
we went with an upgrade to the 40hp
to provide more fishing and ice-box
Scorpion APB, (designed by Spencer
version with Hydraulic trim and tilt - a
space. The 90litre ‘long’ Icey-tek
Black former offshore racer and vastly
must have in our eyes.
sits neatly in front of the outboard
experienced boat designer) comes with a much shallower hull ‘vee’ at under 10 degrees. This shallow dead-rise is countered front end by an aggressive, scything bow that cuts through the chop and rises the hull gently and consistently above the worse we’ve put her through. I admit I was sceptical that such a shallow rise would handle the conditions but during the Leigh Family fishing comp in March we pushed the boat into and across heavy seas in
Sportcraft manufacture their own trailers under the ‘Sport????’ brand.
providing a bench seat and bait board when required.
They’re strong, capable and well
There is no such thing as a perfect
made but we have sadly struck a
boat and we wouldn’t try and pass
few issues with the axle and hub
this off as one, but the 480APB ticks
componentry. We trust Sportcraft are
so many of the most important boxes
taking care of this issue. The boat is
it’s getting close. Off the shelf the
extremely easy to launch and retrieve
480APB borders on cheap but the
due to both the trailer design / layout
upgraded outboard, hull and fore-
and a well chosen which. At under
deck improve its solidity, power and
600kgs the hull is not difficult to tow
practicality immeasurably.
or handle singlehandedly.
30knots of Easterly to get to some
For electronics I had no hesitation
(unproductive!) spots on the outside
in fitting the latest Lowrance HDS-
of Kawau Island. I’m not going to
5 Fishfinder/GPS combo. While I
suggest this boat be exposed to the
would have loved to have upgraded
rigours of the West Coast, but I find it
the standard 600W transducer to
As Tested:
$22,000.00
hard to believe there’s much the East
the extraordinary AIRMAR 1kW
Length:
480cm
Coast fisher will encounter that this
model, sensibilities led us to shelve
boat won’t handle with aplomb.
that idea....for now! The HDS-5 has
Power:
Max. 40hp
been out for a few years and is still
Trailer:
Sportline Single
the leader in consumer 5inch GPS
axle
combos. I would have loved to find
Tow weight:
<450kg
Beam:
1760mm
Bottoms:
4mm
Sides:
2.5mm
Transom:
4mm
Deadrise:
10°
We did arrange a few modifications to the standard package including the upgrade from ply to tread-plate floor, the design and fitting of a transom mounted live-bait tank and the extension of the foredeck anchor well cover/deck to allow stable and sizable casting platform up forward. These modifications add a lot to the fish
great advancements in GPS/combos but the HDS-5 still leads the field. I tried to kill my previous unit on my kayak for 3 years but despite numerous drownings, knocks and drained batteries it still goes strong.
ability and practicality of the APB and
The rear ‘cockpit’ of the APB is
we’d recommend all of them.
spacious, even for a centre console.
Scorpion 480APB
www.nzfisher.co.nz 19
BOATfishing
Tasty Treats with Derek the Chef PAELLA IS A TYPICAL Spanish dish and is traditionally cooked in a “paellera” - a round flat pan with two handles - which is then put on the table. It is normally made using shellfish but can also be made with chicken. In many Spanish villages, especially in coastal areas, they use a giant paellera to cook paella on festival days which is big enough to feed everybody. A paella is very flexible so if you don’t
Ingredients: 1 brown onion, finely chopped 1 cup green peas 1 red capsicum 1 can chopped tomato 200g prawns (if using cooked prawns substitute fish stock for the water)
have the exact ingredients or if you
300g cockles in shell
find some of them hard to get hold
24 mussels (5 or 7 left in shell for presentation)
of, substitute them for something similar. Getting fresh shellfish can be a problem, but you can always use frozen fish and use fish or chicken stock instead of water to increase the flavour. There are literally hundreds of ways to cook a paella and every cook
1 Spanish chorizo sliced thinly 500g rice (traditionally short grain rice is used but I prefer to use medium grain) 2 cloves of garlic, coarsely chopped a pinch of saffron strands (if you can’t get saffron, use yellow food colouring instead and add it once you have added the liquid)
has their own favourite recipe.
a sprig of parsley, finely chopped
Here’s mine (it will serve 6 people
olive oil
depending on how hungry you are), and is loosely based on a Filipino recipe style that my wife enjoys.
20 www.nzfisher.co.nz
1-2 litre chicken / fish stock 1x cup white wine
RECIPE
Method
about five minutes or until onion is soft.
Mussels: Wash the mussels, removing
Add the chopped tomato and fry on a
the beards. Throw away any that
low heat for another ten minutes. Pour
donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t shut on contact with water.
in the white wine and reduce right
Sprinkle with parsley and serve with a
Steam open reserving 5 or so for
down until very little liquid is left.
crusty bread and Anchorage Rose or
presentation.
Mean while bring the stock to the
Cockles: Wash in water and then put
boil and add in saffron threads, return
in a bowl with some salt so that the
to a low simmer season with salt.
grit comes out. Throw away any that are open. Prawns: Whether you peel them or not is up to you. If you decide to peel them, save the shells and boil in water for about ten minutes. Save the liquid and add later instead of water. Garlic: In a pestle and mortar, grind the garlic, saffron (if using), parsley and a pinch of salt. Hereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s how: Heat some olive oil in a
Add the rice and stir well to make sure that it is thoroughly coated then slowly pour in a little at a time the stock.
Arrange the mussels in the shells on top then place into a warm oven for 20 -30 minutes to rest and allow to settle.
Pinot Noir.
Chefs tip:- I will sometimes use squid and place diagonal cuts through it for effect. Add at the same time as the cockles and mussel
Turn the heat right down and cook
meat. Another good option is Monk
very slowly. Stirring occasionally.
fish, hapuka or any thick fleshed fish
Add the pre cooked prawns, mussel meat, chorizo sausage and cockles
fillets, tua tua may also be added as would pipi instead of cockles.
along with the peas and give it a stir. Checking that it has enough stock and add more as required.
For more recipes check out Derek
large frying pan. Add the onion, garlic
Once the rice is cooked, and al dente
the chef On Line @
& red capsicum and fry gently for
it is ready to eat.
www.derekthechef.co.nz
www.nzfisher.co.nz 21
regionalREVIEWS
Bay of Plenty - Offshore Source: Rick Pollock – www.Pursuit.co.nz Weather still dominates
(Te Kaha to Opotiki) is better
angler’s movements, often
than west. To counter the lack of
hampering effort and consistency
snapper has been a welcome influx
areas to be accessed. While the
of terakihi.
westerly’s whistled during the early
260 metre possies. A pleasing cross section with everything on the small side. Bass, bluenose, puka and gemfish
Limit, or near limit, fishing for the
seldom exceeded 10 kilos but all
silversides has come into vogue in
great eating to be sure. Kingis
many areas between the Rurima
biting fairly well too with most
Rocks and the reef system off
in predictable winter condition.
Matata. 25-35 metres has been
Despite being lean, they still want
quite a productive depth with
to punish their would be captors.
some very respectable blue cod
Jigging spectacularly unproductive
With most boat crews mainly, if
and the odd just legal snapper
with livies doing the business.
not only, interested in the inshore
as by catch. Reportedly snapper
The predominantly 12-17 kilo fish
arena this suited the majority.
more plentiful further out and even
provided enough action to put
While this near-shore area
some landed in 60-70 metres over
adrenalin levels on notice. Water
experienced light winds or was
the next 2-3 months. Along sandy
nice colour and hovering just over
even glassy, further offshore the
beaches the carrots have been
15 degrees C. A couple broadbill
cold southerlies persisted to make
cooperative as have been the
hooked but unfortunately lost.
things uncomfortable and difficult.
plump kahawai.
and mid week period meaning no one was out amongst it, later on the winds lightened up and swung around to the south meaning inshore areas became reachable if not downright pleasant.
Looking from the shore northward, no one would be wiser that things weren’t the same at White Island as they were inshore – and they were far from it. Deception prevails!
No recent reports, should be
Steady as she goes with
something to report next time.
reasonable fishing right across the board. Nothing electric, just steady and enough to keep interest levels
Inshore
keen. Without doubt, the best
As per expected, seems like the
and most consistent is the shallow
vast majority of snapper have
water reef fishing around White
departed the inshore scene.
Island. Nice terakihi, at times in
Obviously there will still be a few
double header proportion, led
inhabiting the shallows and there
the way. Well supported by near
will be a few lunkers among them
maximum sized pink mao mao,
but the large population base
healthy porae and smallish trevally.
has departed in favour of deeper
Out deeper is a mixed bag with
environs. If the crimson ones are
tough times in the deep (300m
in shallow water it seems east
plus) but reasonable in the 220-
22 www.nzfisher.co.nz
Ranfurly Bank
Offshore
Summary As you will deduce through the above writing, it’s still well worth being out there. Sure, you’ll need to time your outings with the highs as they come across the country but this shouldn’t be too much of a chore. Rug up, avoid black ice, plenty of hot drinks, thermal underwear, gloves, thaw the bait the day before – it’s simple! See you out there!
regionalREVIEWS
Bay of Plenty - Inshore Source: Rick Pollock – www.Pursuit.co.nz
WITH THE BAD weather of May and
that it is effective for catching a variety
As for colours, I can’t go past my
June now behind us and it’s time to
of species.
favourite, Lime Tiger, but Pink Shine
think about fishing again. Yes the water may be a little colder, the days a little shorter, and those early starts a bit less appealing but the fish are still out there in good numbers. Personally, I find this time of year to be just as good as summer. Fishing the change of light is far easier and there’s a huge reduction in other anglers who would otherwise be trying to steal your favourite pozzie.
is rapidly taking over as the no.1
Terakihi To target terakihi you first need to find a reef. There are a variety of publications that list GPS way points
producer. Lately I have found that both 4” grubs and 5” jerk shads are working equally well.
for this purpose so it shouldn’t be
LegaSea
too hard to build up a good selection
As a final word, I just want to quickly
of possible candidates. Use a ledger
mention LegaSea. Hopefully you will
rig with 2/0 octopus hooks a 6oz
have seen or heard about LegaSea
sinker. Almost any bait will work, but
over the last few months but if you
they have been known to be picky
haven’t you might remember its predecessor Option 4 or the Kahawai
selection. A firm favourite amongst
Legal Challenge. Check out www.
around 14°C, cold water species like
serious anglers is tuatuas. Be warned
legasea.co.nz for more details and
gurnard and terakihi have now moved
however as tuatuas don’t stay on the
to contribute. There is an extremely
in close and are a great alternative
hook for long, so a spool of cotton is
hard working team behind this brand,
to snapper. Gurnard can be caught
a mandatory accessory – a few wraps
all working on your behalf, and we
almost anywhere there’s sand while
around the hook keeps them in place.
require your support to ensure the
terakihi are a bit more difficult and are
To get these tasty little shellfish you’ll
future of our fisheries.
typically found holding over the reefs
have to go for a swim in the surf,
a bit further out.
so while there is still 1 week left of
Gurnard As gurnard are an opportunistic feeder, the standard method to target them is using a ledger rig
w
so it always pays to have a good
With the water temperature hovering
schools holidays, I suggest you take
Winter’s a great time to get out there and get amongst it.
the kids to the beach at low tide and
Paddle Hard,
let them go nuts...you will get both
Tim
bait and ‘man points’ for doing this!!
and medium sized, smelly baits like
Snapper
a cube of pilchard or bonito. If you
My update wouldn’t be complete
want to be serious, you can’t really
without mentioning snapper. At this
go past a Black Magic ‘Gurnard
time of year snapper are in a lazy
Grabber’, finished off with a 4oz
mode because they are fat! There are
teardrop sinker. Softbaits are rapidly
plenty of them around but they just
becoming another favourite method
take a bit of encouragement to hook
to target the old carrot. All you have
up. Soft-baiting is still my favourite
to do is employ the old heave and
method to target them but you
leave technique; use any old softie,
will have to change your technique
flick it out the back and then let Mr.
slightly as they aren’t as enthusiastic
Rod Holder do all the work. This is
about smashing baits. Use very small
a technique that is gaining quite a
jerks during your retrieve and even
following and you will quickly discover
let it drag behind you for awhile.
Tim Taylor, avid kayaker and fisherman, will be bringing us a regular Tauranga fishing update. Having paddled right round New Zealand in recent times, Tim’s well qualified to be in places you might not expect to see a ‘yakker... if you see him out there, give him a wave!
www.nzfisher.co.nz 23
regionalREVIEWS
The Hauraki Report Source: Espresso – www.catch.org.nz
King of Bling
ears, and they’re biggies! When they’re surface feeding like this it’s as if they are giving you the cold shoulder – only sometimes there’re snapper underneath but not often and rarely have I caught a kingfish when they’re doing this.
be eaten, it’s gets very tense. It is these times that bring the goosebumps, with sudden tornadoes of gannets funnelling down from the sky in an endless bombing run, thumping the water into a froth of white water
In the water the other day were millions
alongside the gasping dolphins as they
of little pink crablike creatures floating
round up and feed on the pilchards,
around, perhaps this is what they were
whales can crash the party and engulf
getting stuck into.
great volumes of fish rising with their
Toothy grin, bad breath ‘n all, they’re
Aren’t we so lucky to have to ‘put up’
head well clear of the water often with
back!Not many yet but inwards to our
with so many Kahawai at the moment.
the pilchards spewing out the sides of
recreational fishing areas they swarm,
They’re feeding up big time on the
their mouths. An impressive sight in our
scything their way through terminal
pilchard schools in the gulf so there’s a
own watery backyard. Long may it last.
tackle like a sharp knife through a
lot of fast and furious smash and grab
fillet. Obviously ‘couda are into facial
feeding sessions on otherwise slow
piercings with all the hooks, jigs and
snapper fishing days.
sparkly things they get into while providing us a look of disbelief at the
Micro Workups
inevitable slack line.
So the workups have been extremely
Writhing and squirming on hook-up,
fast and furious this month, small flurries
quite similar to a snapper take initially,
with only a few dolphins and a handful
but their swimming motion gives a tell
of gannets in attendance, fast starting
tale momentary slackness to the line
and even faster stopping being the
rather than a straight thump thump...not
norm lately.
my cup of tea. And they smell funny.
The small baitfish balls like these
King Kahawai
pilchards I had literally all around me the other day (couldn’t resist getting right in amongst it) are getting hammered by the whales, gannets, dolphins, kahawai,
they strike, they’re gone in 60 seconds literally providing action packed fishing days but with very short bite times.
kingfish, ‘couda and humans, here’s
With the workups so fast and small not
what it looks like from a dolphins point
many remnants sink down the depths
of view.
below for snapper to feed on, so there
With lots of small bait schools all spread Acres and acres of kahawai are in the
about, there is a lot of seemingly
gulf, a fantastic sight sound and feel
snapper-free areas in the gulf, and also
when they strip the braid off the line
a lot of times when all the predators are
in their explosive runs, making that
on a knifes edge, hunting, positioning
whipping sound on braid is music to my
for a brief hell for leather race to eat or
24 www.nzfisher.co.nz
If you’re not right with them when
are a few skinny snapper in attendance, but this makes them all the keener to bite when they do i.e. very aggressive takes when the feeding switch is finally flicked on.
regionalREVIEWS
Coromandel Source: Carl Muir –
Metal jigs like the Jitterbug and soft
has cloaked us but the fine ones that
plastics like the Catch Pilchards or
fire are worth every screaming reel
Anchovies on a heavy sinker are the
moment!
go-to right now, keeping the lure hard
Cheers,
Hey All!
on the bottom, lift/wind about 5metres
Espresso.
Well, we are in the middle of
And from Damo from the Charter
NZ’s winter right now. That
Connection (Diversity) has these words
means chucking on the thermals,
Like this 50+cm fish who liked the look
of advice on the Hauraki at present
the beanie and some warm
of the Catch Sparkling Anchovy on the
too – Cheers Damo!
clothes and getting out amongst
and drop, lift/wind and drop, motion is critical to success.
www.EpicAdventures.co.nz
3oz Jolly Roger dragging along the sea
it because the fishing this time
floor behind the boat – a typical way
of year is superb! The kingfish,
to pick up one or two good fish while
hapuku and snapper are all there
‘resting’ between workups, the boats
for the catching, and are usually
motion does a great job of fluttering
big brutes this time of year - as
jigs too.
you will see from some of the
Find the pilchards if you can and stay in that area – keeping eyes open for any surface action and be there fast. The rewards are instant exciting hookups and some big line peeling runs from hungry 60-70cm snapper like
pics in this newsletter! April was real fun especially as we prospected for some Bluenose to add to the kingi carnage, May was especially choice on the kingis but June was a revelation with an awesome run of kingfish
this one displayed on the NZ Fishing
and some monster Puka. It would
Competition measurer, more about
have to be right up there in terms
this here.
of months to book for a week trip
Slow jig style out in the depths and bait
next year.
‘n burley time for the stationary hunters
We’re putting out a big thanks
in close seems to be working well.
to all those who have been out
No matter what soft bait you prefer a
since the last edition and helped
special website only offer is now on so
us have some fun times on the
you can experience the Catch Harpoon
water. It has been a real blast and
hooks – the ones with the cork-screw
thanks for being a part of it!
w
to hold your SB on without wrecking it – less soft baits used per day has got
Click here to see the full report
to be good, To find out more about
online.
how to get a Catch Snapper DVD plus
All the best
2 packets of 8 Harpoon Hooks and
from the Epic crew!
FREE delivery at a SUPER-SPECIAL
Carl, Tony, Tobes, Belinda, Lee
price, click here.
and Owen
Fewer fine fishing days now winter
www.nzfisher.co.nz 25
NEXTmonth
IN NEXT MONTH’S NZ FISHER • Top of the South – A dream trip to the French Pass • Finally – Building your own Jig rod • Getting grubby with bloody baits – the very best cut baits for Snapper
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