ISSUE 26 August 2013
Winter Moochers from Cape to Cape Snapper on dry-fly?
Congratulations to our Hooked Up prize winner for Issue #26! www.nzfisher.co.nz 1
2 www.nzfisher.co.nz
editorial
CONTENTS Pg 18 OUR LEGASEA 6
Fishing for the future
LANDBASEDFISHING 8
Bucket List Time in the Far
North May 2013
FISHYHISTORY 14 Old School Fishing in
16
the Bay of Plenty LOCALFISHING 16
Fish your feet first
SPORTFISHING
8
18
2013 Bounty Hunter
20
Reader Pics
24
Competition
KAYAKFISHING 26
Elite Kayak Fishing
28
Hooked Up
Pg 14
www.nzfisher.co.nz 3
The Beginning of the Future The day you caught your first fish. The first time you climbed into a boat. These moments make up the beginning of the future. Today, Honda’s forward thinking comes together to bring you a reliable, fuel efficient range of outboards.
From 2.3hp to 250hp.
TheBegin ing
Contact your local Honda Marine Dealer today Freephone 0800 478 765 www.hondamarine.co.nz
4 www.nzfisher.co.nz
Scan me for a free cap!
editorial
//From the
EDITOR WINTER IS NOT A fishing friendly
There’s a wealth of numbers available
ABOUT /
time of year – cold hands, wet feet
to support and destroy both side’s
Short and sharp, NZ Fisher is a
and too many layers to be that
cases for why it is not their sector
free e-magazine delivering thought
comfortable on the water – but as a
who are restricting the growth of the
provoking and enlightening articles,
number of the articles this month will
North and Eastern snapper fishery.
testify, the fishing has been as hot as
Again, until the IPP is released, its
the weather cold.
all conjecture – what is fact however
The landbased guys are still doing extremely well, but persistence has been the key. There’s no point giving up after an hour or moving on every
is that we fishers want a healthy, sustainable fishery and the only way to achieve that is to leave some more fish in the water!
and industry news and information to forward-thinking fisher people. EDITOR / Derrick Paull ART DIRECTOR / Jodi Olsson CONTENT ENQUIRIES / Phone Derrick on 021 629 327 or email derrickp@NZ Fisher.co.nz
few minutes – the fish that are around
NZFisher is holding the Roctoberfish
ADVERTISING ENQUIRIES /
are slow on the take and bite times are
landbased tournament again this
Phone Richard on 09 522 7257
brief. If your line isn’t in the water, you
year at Whatuwhiwhi in the far north.
or email richardl@espiremedia.com
won’t be catching fish though!
Tickets are on sale now, and the
ADDRESS / NZ Fisher,
best way to stay informed is to log
C/- Espire Media, PO Box 137162,
on to the Roctoberfish Facebook
Parnell, Auckland 1151, NZ
page – like us if you want to join us
WEBSITE / www.NZFisher.co.nz
The Ministry of Primary Industries have released the IPP (Initial Position Paper) on the Snapper 1 fishery – it can be found here. There’s been huge public interest in what the ministry is proposing and a fair chunk or vitriol in the comments, primarily directed at the ministries apparent unwillingness to make changes to the commercial fisher’s allowances as
and the info will be posted soon. As it’s a ‘length’ based comp, you can photograph and release your fish and still be in to win. You can keep you fish too, but it’s nice to have the choice! Till next month, enjoy the mag, get cold
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!
hands, wet feet and catch some fish!
reported in the NZ Herald and other
Tight lines,
sources last month.
Derrick
www.nzfisher.co.nz 5
OURLegasea
Fishing for the Future By Legasea
OVER 1 MILLION KIWIS enjoy
excess commercial exploitation. The
Recreational fishers are already
fishing every year. We love it, we get
people managing our fisheries are the
conserving fish, but in isolation of
out there and do it, and we want to
Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI)
specific change in the commercial
protect this for our kids.
and Minister Nathan Guy.
sector, the goal of rebuilding the
These days however our Government
Recreational anglers need to be more
has been choosing economic gains
united than ever, following the Ministry’s
Success means there will be more and
over social and environmental
announcement that a review of catches
bigger fish in the sea. Our success
responsibility. Economy without
in the snapper 1 management area
relies on your support.
conscience we call it. We need to
(North Cape to East Cape) is essential
When you make a small monthly
rebalance the state of play here, and
to rebuild stock levels.
contribution of $5 or more (that’s
with your support we can.
The risk to recreational fishers is
one coffee or bag of bait) you will
that the Ministry proposes bag limit
be adding your voice to the shout
reductions and size-limit increases
that is being required to defend your
(or a combination of both), while
rights. If your business is interested in
failing to address the major issue of
a sponsorship partnership we have a
commercial fishing waste. Hundreds of
range of options available too.
thousands of undersized snapper are
Please visit www.legasea.co.nz/
killed and dumped every year through
contribute/index.php to make
destructive trawling and this simply
your contribution.
LegaSea – Fish for the People LegaSea provides an opportunity for you and I to unite in action, to stand up for and protect our rights to better fisheries management. We aim to leave a legacy of abundance for future generations of Kiwis.
needs to stop!
snapper 1 fishery will not be achieved.
Stand by for action, when the Ministry
A more abundant fishery and vastly
release their proposal for changes to
improved management practices by
snapper, in July, we will need you to
The time has come to save our
the Ministry for Primary Industries is at
act. Check in to our face book site
Snapper from a dismal future of
the heart of what we seek.
www.facebook.com/LegaSea
Snapper on the Line
6 www.nzfisher.co.nz
www.adventuresmart.org.nz
LANDBASEDfishing
KNOW BEFORE YOU GO The Boating Safety
CODE Before you go boating on our seas, lakes and rivers, get familiar with New Zealand’s Boating Safety Code, no matter what kind of boat you use.
1
Life jackets
5 4
Take them – Wear them.
3
Skipper responsibility
to help you stay safe:
Marine weather New Zealand’s weather can be highly unpredictable. Check the local marine weather forecast before you go and expect both weather and sea state changes.
Boats, especially ones under 6m in length, can sink very quickly. Wearing a life jacket increases your survival time in the water.
2
simple rules
5
Avoid alcohol
The skipper is responsible for the safety of everyone on board and for the safe operation of the boat. Stay within the limits of your vessel and your experience.
Safe boating and alcohol do not mix. Things can change quickly on the water. You need to stay alert and aware.
Communications
The Water Safety
Take two separate waterproof ways of communicating so we can help you if you get into difficulties.
Also available:
CODE
The Outdoor Safety
CODE
For more information about safe boating education and how to prepare for your boating activity, visit www.adventuresmart.org.nz And then it was gone...
www.nzfisher.co.nz 7
LANDBASEDfishing
Bucket List Time in the Far North
By Brenton Cumberpatch
May 2013 North Cape – in a Dinghy? By Forsyth Thompson
LANDBASEDfishing
WE ALL HAVE A few things on our
years but didn’t think I’d realistically
fishing bucket lists; some are unlikely
ever get to do.
dreams, and some are ones we’re actively pursuing, but they’re all things that give us a buzz just talking about. The last big one I ticked off was a couple of years ago, catching a landbased GT up in Raro (check out Issue 16 here).
We’d planned to fish the club’s (NZLBG) annual comp the week prior, but an avalanche of work meant that I just couldn’t get away so we reluctantly agreed to park the trip and wait for the next weather window.
Currently I’m after a 30lb snapper
Fortunately it came just 5 days later,
and a 30kg king off the rocks, and
so the last Thursday in May saw
without wishing to ruin the ending; this
Andrew, Will and myself cruising up
wasn’t going to be the trip where it
to Waitiki landing with the trusty Baby
happened. Taking the little Baby Stabi
Stabi in tow, and 3x120l bins of bait,
to Cape Cape Maria Van Diemen has
berley and ice. And a forecast that
been something I’ve wanted to do for
was so good it surely couldn’t be true.
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LANDBASEDfishing
Getting off to an early start on Thursday, we were down at Paua just after dawn (ok, perhaps more than just after) and launched into the channel. As we got to the bar we could see just how flat she was, even at low water there was absolutely nothing to worry about, and north we headed. Last time Andrew and I had fished the North Cape area the weather turned so bad we thought we might have to overnight there. This simply could not have been more different: no swell to speak of and 5-10 knots of gentle breeze, the Stabi running us to North Cape in no time and then round to a spot around the Surville Cliffs area that we’d looked at in the past but never fished. We’d agreed not to keep any fish on Day one – as it turned out we could have filled the boat! Whilst we never got into any monsters, we got snapper to 5kg and plenty in the 2kg range as well as 4 legal kings. The highlight of the day was Andrew’s efforts on stickbaits: the tinny bugger got not just his first, but 2 Kings at 12 and 14kg pretty much on second cast both times! The first one when the anti-reverse on his reel broke was particularly comic. Will landed his first LBG king on bait too and in a day of
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LANDBASEDfishing
minor firsts, we caught 6 granddaddy hapuka off the same spot which meant we had to break the “keep no fish
We all have a few things on our fishing bucket lists; some are unlikely dreams, and some are ones we’re actively pursuing, but they’re all things that give us a buzz just talking about.
today” rule. They’re so tasty you just can’t miss out! Day two was the one I’d really been looking forward to for a year. Last time we fished on North Cape it was the best day’s LBG fishing I’ve seen, so when the first 2 baits of the day produced fish in the 5+kg range, we had thoughts of the same. Sadly though, it just never really turned it on for us. We finished up with a number of good eating fish in the 3kg+ bracket which would be a good day’s work most places, but here, with memories of our last trip still fresh, it just didn’t quite hit the spot. I had my shot at what might well have been a new PB though – a snapper which, even with thumbs locked down on the spool, I couldn’t keep out of the reef. After 10 mins of being unable to get it through but with it clearly still attached, we got in the boat and tried to get a different line angle on it. I could still feel it thumping away and pulling line but just couldn’t get it out, even circling the spot in the boat and eventually it put its teeth through the 60lb fluro – heartbreak.
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LANDBASEDfishing
What I did come to re-learn ...was that the adventure and the trip are just as important as the trophy fish. So whilst none of the 3 of us cracked a major PB this trip, there’s no question at all that it will go down in my mind as one of the ones I’ll always remember.
The journey home was an epic one: Great Exhibition Bay absolutely dead flat to the horizon in every direction and massive schools of trevs and maomao busting the surface around us. There was virtually no swell at all, and hardly a breath of wind: none of us have ever seen that area so flat and calm and we just couldn’t stop wondering if it would last. Saturday morning and the weather hadn’t changed much, it was still perfect and the swell some of the guys
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LANDBASEDfishing
The journey home was an epic one: Great Exhibition Bay absolutely dead flat to the horizon in every direction and massive schools of Trevs and Maomao busting the surface around us. There was virtually no swell at all, and hardly a breath of wind: none of us have ever seen that area so flat and calm and we just couldn’t stop wondering if it would last.
at the campsite had seen on the west
After 15 minutes we were happy that
running around the whole area. Big
coast was supposed to be dying down.
this was our chance and carefully
currents, big fish right?!
So we headed up to Taputupotu for a
rounded the cape. There were plenty
beach launch and to have a look at the
of tourists up there and I’m sure they
on the East Cape trip in Issue 24
water around Reinga to see if we could
were pretty surprised to see a boat
was that the adventure and the trip
go around the cape and get to Cape
as small as ours run round Reinga and
are just as important as the trophy
Maria Van Diemen.
head down to Cape Maria Van Diemen.
fish. So whilst none of the 3 of us
The launch was easy, there was no
We had a good look around the
cracked a major PB this trip, there’s
swell at all to speak of and the wind
island and saw a couple of boats
no question at all that it will go
was still only a few knots as we got
hooked into solid-looking kings,
to Reinga and we sat off it having a
hundreds of kahawai everywhere over
good look at the swell and currents.
the sand and some insane currents
What I did come to re-learn (just like
down in my mind as one of the ones I’ll always remember.
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FishyHISTORY
Old School Fishing in the Bay of Plenty By Sam Ellison
WE ALL KNOW OF tall fishy tales
there has been a lot of time to hone
bigger than yours” moment as the
about how good the fishing used to
fishing methods. By the time Captain
local iwi fell over laughing at Cook’s
be, but these stories often need to
Cook arrived Māori had got pretty
small net. Move forward a hundred
be taken with a grain of salt. Here is
good at catching fish, Cook himself
years or so and Māori still sometimes
one of New Zealand’s grandest and
commented that the technology that
used big nets to catch fish. This is
oldest fishing stories. With a number
Māori possessed was superior in many
the story of the great net used by
of witnesses and a chapter in a book
ways to that used in Europe. In fact
Te Pokiha at Maketu in the Bay of
devoted to it, this story also has a lot
when Cook got hungry and pulled
Plenty on New Year’s Day one886 as
out a net called a “King’s seine” to
documented by Captain Gilbert Mair.
Over the millennia since Maui and his
tow behind the Endeavour it was New
Apparently Te Pokiha wanted to go
brothers pulled up the North Island
Zealand’s first documented “mine is
out with a bang and thought the best
of credibility.
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FishyHISTORY
way to do this was to commission a
of the onlookers, the old man shouted
making it triple thickness.
net to be made that would outdo a
“Haukotai mai!” (“Surround it!”)”
At high tide the net was fastened to
famous and historic net that one of his
stout posts driven
rellies had made. So during the winter
into the sand and
of 1885 hundreds of Māori living in Maketu were engaged in weaving this big net. Te Pokiha sent for two tons of smooth oval stones to be gathered from Motiti Island. These were woven into pouches of flax and bound to the lower rope of the net. Much of the rest of the net was made from tightly plaited cabbage tree fibre. On Boxing Day the net was taken in sections to a flat area and set up. This involved tapu and great ritual, and when the net was assembled it measured 95 chains long (almost 2 km). In fact the net was so big that there wasn’t a waka big enough to accommodate it. This was solved by placing two waka side by side about 12 feet apart and nailing planks between them onto which the huge net was piled. On New Year’s Day the weather
“The canoe dashed in front, six men rapidly paying out the net. Steering north, then west, finally they brought the canoe to shore, with a considerable portion of the net unexpended…”. About a thousand spectators had gathered and attempted to pull the net in, but unsurprisingly found it too heavy. “Te Whanarere having descended from his lofty look-out, now took charge, and, divesting himself of his clothing, rubbed his body with red ochre… mixed with fish oil, and plunged into the sea.
was good and a crew of thirty seven
when the tide had receded the catch was carried above the high tide line. Thirty seven places were marked out on the beach, each receiving a thousand fish to be given to various sections of the tribe. This still left all the big sharks, sting ray and mackerel for those who cared to take them. The fish caught consisted of mostly kahawai, snapper, trevally, gurnard, moki, tarakihi, parore, kingfish and smaller sharks. Three large anchors were also caught in the net as
paddled the double waka over
part of the catch.
the bar. At this point a grand old
When night fell the
fisherman named Tohe te Whanarere
The water seemed a seething mass of
climbed a 96 foot telegraph wire
crowd was still taking the catch away.
denizens of the deep; quite a number
tower to direct the fishing operations.
Over the next few days the fish were
of large sharks, countless sting-ray
“The whole sea as far as the eye
cleaned, salted, smoked and dried. “For
and other fish were plainly visible. In
weeks afterwards a resident of Maketu
could reach was covered with reddish
answer to our warning he shouted
could be recognised by his ancient and
brown patches, each an acre or more
back, “Ko-Tangaroa-puka-nohi nui
fish-like smell.”
in extent, and denoting a solid shoal of
e kimi putanga ana” (“Neptune, the
fish from surface to near the bottom”.
many-eyed, is seeking an outlet”),
The crew had been warned to wait
meaning the fish were too concerned at
for the signal before encircling any
their novel position to molest anyone.”
old school, so patiently they waited
He ordered the crew to lift the nets
as shoal after shoal went by heading
ground rope to lessen the load. This
to the mouth of the Motu River. “At
was repeated twice, but still the top
Mair, G. 1923. Reminiscences and
last an insignificant little brown patch
rope broke under the strain. The spare
Māori stories. Brett Publishers,
approached, when much to the disgust
ends of the net were doubled back
Auckland. 120p.
Now I really dislike filleting fish in the dark after a long days fishing, but that is a clean-up effort to match the size of the catch. The real kicker for me though is that the net was only used the once!
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localFISHING
Find the weed and you will find the snapper. Summer fishing was all about the shallow regions of the estuaries and harbors. Known as fishing the “flats”, we target the shallow tidal mangrove environment for snapper and cruising kingfish. As the water temperature follows the air temperature and the oceanic currents bring the colder water, my focus shifts to the rocky margins of the northern coastline. Weed lines exist where the water is washed by tide and swell to provide nutrients and rocky terrain to give the kelp a foothold. There are several types of kelp and weed, but any weedline creates Alan Radcliffe and Scott Macindoe - keeping reason for the snapper to hang the Chesters comp on target for 23 years
Fish Your Feet First
Find the weed and you will find the snapper Story and images by Matt von Sturmer
16 www.nzfisher.co.nz
out in confidence, ambushing prey and mooching around picking off crustaceans and shellfish. Snapper are versatile predators and while being very shy, are also inquisitive and aggressive, so if they don’t have reason to be suspicious they represent an exciting target for the saltwater fly fisher. The weedline is best fly fished from the shore, we have done well drifting along the shallows in a quiet boat, but hiding among the rocks presents
localFISHING an opportunity of witnessing natural
At the other end of the purists
snapper behavior that will change
spectrum is what is being called pure
your ideas about this otherwise elusive
fly and this is probably the most
and cautious fish.
satisfying way to enjoy the fly-fishing
There are several ways to fish the weedline on fly , my least favorite way is to park a burley up and stand on the edge in full view of anything that becomes drunk enough to swim to your feet. This will work however, the bigger fish will often hang back and display a degree of caution, otherwise becoming so tuned in to the burley that they will not recognize a fly. The upside is that all the small fish activity is deserving of a quick visit by from any passing kingfish
approach. Pure fly is actually just “flyfishing”, and involves packing light with a stripping basket strapped to your hip and scrambling around the coast placing a few casts into likely looking snapper holes. It often takes time to find the fish and it requires
think the splash of a morsel of pilchard is recognised by dormant snapper as an announcement of bird activity above or a recent baitfish attack. Whatever it triggers if you remain hidden you can observe snapper behaviour that will have you shaking in your “saltwater capable hiking boots” The technique requires stealth ,and
the approach is most successful when
this means a combination of very slow
you keep mobile, if a fish is hooked
movements and using the rocks for
place another couple of cast’s in the
cover, a good spot is one that allows
area and then move on.
you to be above ,back and hidden but
The third method is featured in a
a fast presentation could result in a
video clip that is a typical day, without
hookup from a green-back hoodlum.
any spectacular fish and a large
Snapper is to not overfish the water.
up that anything floating gets a look. I
some coast with a range of features as
and if you want to do a lot of waiting
One common element to fly fishing for
is a moment where they are so fired
snapper can be seen in the opening segment that I managed to spook
still allowing a cast to be made. Often I will spend 10 minutes in a spot and invest just several morsels and then move on then to the next. Returning to the first spot up-to an hour later I present another tiny morsel and often
by presenting a dry fly, when it was
have a large snapper charge in ready to
obviously not in the mood. Of course
party, reading the snapper’s behaviour
later in the day after my battery died
to either present a fly or another morsel,
I had several smaller snapper taking
it is obvious when a fish is bold enough
from the surface.
to try your dry fly. However slightest
Concentration is required to suspend
Tiny morsels of pilchard broken up in
suspicion and your chance is lost.
the fly long enough to be sighted by
your fingers and thrown into the water
It takes discipline to walk away from
a snapper but not get caught up in the
at a rate of about one a pilchard an
the first sighted fish but that decision
ever present weed and rocks. Each cast
hour has become my go-to fly fishing
often results in better hook ups and
should allow for several strips of the fly
approach over the winter months. I am
even bigger fish later. To many morsels
line and pauses to let the fly drift down
not sure what to call this approach as it
and that fish will retire to the safety of
into strike zone. Take your time before
is definitely not “burley” providing just
deeper water as there is no reason to
the next cast as the snapper are not
enough stimulus to switch otherwise
be in the open when it’s just as easy to
fish to move through an area, after a
sleepy snapper into fired up predator
hang back, the trick is to keep them
few minutes it will be like fishing new
mode. Recently I have been playing
keen. If you think saltwater fly is a
water again. Don’t be surprised to get
with catching snapper on dry fly, which
summer activity you just need to find
hit close to the surface, and it is not
becomes a reality when you are hiding
the weedline, and stay out of sight
uncommon for snapper to take flies
behind a rock with snapper lit up trying
that are sitting “dry”.
to hunt down the next tiny event, there
Countless blind casts will not catch me more fish; what is common to the various ways we successfully fish the weedline is to do few casts and use slow retrieves with long pauses.
www.nzfisher.co.nz 17
Hong Kong Fish
sportFISHING
2013 Bounty Hunter And a PB to boot!
By Russell C Jones (Hong Kong)
GIDDAY, I’M RUSSELL. I’ve
This year the Bounty Hunter
oh no, it’s far too much fun to not
participated in the Bounty Hunter
Competition was an absolute blast!!
give it a crack.
Competition since it first began. I
Yep – the gale from the South and
have been living in Hong Kong, China
the Southwest. Coming from 30 to 33
for the last 9 years and always look
degrees daily in Hong Kong to minus
forward to some great New Zealand
2 degrees in New Zealand was a
fishing time. I thought I’d begin by
whole new experience in itself. Not to
showing you what we catch here in
mention the wind of about 60 knots!
Hong Kong.
Since the Bounty Hunter began, Shane Cameron and I have always headed up to the Coromandel about a week early to “suss things out”, a pre-fish, if you like. Every year without fail, we have done extremely well during this time - especially where kingies are concerned.
sing! t even fish we’re cha In Hong King, it’s no 18 www.nzfisher.co.nz
This year we had a bit of an added special. Tourists on dirt roads. Before I start, if you’re a Brit, maybe you shouldn’t read any further. There is NO loop road around the top of the Coromandel. Please know that left has ALWAYS been left. They came around the corner while we were towing the boat and left us no room whatsoever. Shane took evasive action and manoeuvred us as far as he dared to our left. He edged forward to let the tourists inch by (who by the way had an extra 1 1/2 metres on their left).
For the last two years we’ve
The result was pretty bad. The boat
had a “placed” fish before the
trailer tyre dropped over the edge
comp has even started!! You’d
of the cliff. So much for giving
think we’d learn our lesson. But
tourists a break!
sportFISHING thought that with the severe weather warning, we’d be limited in what we could achieve and do. Boy, were we pleasantly wrong! Shane managed to lasso the antennae of a crayfish, and that was enough for him to get wet and cold by jumping overboard to land us a scrumptious dinner. Alas, it was that little bit too deep. He did Balance on the ‘mandel.
come back with a bag full of kina for Just a pannie
our evening meal though. Yummy! \
The race was on. Secure the trailer
We had a couple of good sized
and find a tractor to pull us out of
trevally swimming around as live bait
Salmon burly sometimes brings in
certain catastrophe. The locals were
all that day. We decided to drop them
some strange animals. The anchor rope
great! Three hours of contemplation
off by Lion Rock to see what they
was grabbed and the boat lurched
and holdups either way, because
would bring. Little did we know that
forward leaving us a bit confused and
of course we’d blocked the whole
within 5 minutes I’d have a good sized
quite concerned. When se saw what
bloody road, we had help coming in
kingie (ED: His personal best in fact –
it was - pod of orca whales – we took
from all areas of the peninsula.
great fish, Russell!).
the opportunity to snap a few pics and enjoy another side of what New
I acquired a tractor to rescue Shane’s
Zealand has to offer! They were just
boat and wagon from an absentee
having fun and miraculously, they left
resident whose neighbour assured
our live baits alone. They left us with a
me that if there was a time to use
glowing memory, one that will be with
the tractor without permission, it
us forever.
was surely now. Unfortunately, I did not realise it at the time, but most mechanical vehicles in the area do not necessarily have functioning brakes. However, we were grateful that I could drive it. I made it to the top of the hill and the brakes came on. The smell of burning brakes and smoke left me with now two dilemmas. Eventually the brakes cooled down and we made it to the crash site.
Russell and his great – pre-comp kingi
Salmon Burley bought the Orca to the boat but wheres the fish!!!
Soon we had diggers, pulleys and chains, 4 wheel drives and a whole lot of muscle all heading our way. With the help of the trusty ‘no or little brake’ tractor, we managed to pull it out just before full night fell. What a close call! We did notice that the said tourists did not say goodbye. However, we made a new lot of friends.
Joined by Johnno Hill, the Bounty Hunter began. There were small kingies all around. We thought Shane may have been onto a goodie, but alas the goodie turned out to be a tope. We could have painted the tail green and tried for a prize! The wind blew, so we headed for the cliffs.
Now to get on to the important part
We landed more than a few smallish
that you’ve been waiting for - the
snapper (and a few up to 7kg) and a
fishing. And it was amazing! We
few too many undesirables to boot .
Every year brings a new experience and new memories. Thanks to all that crossed our path. The locals of Kennedy Bay and Port Charles are to be thanked for their selfless efforts and compassion in our time of need. Thanks to Milan and the crew for yet another fantastic competition. We look forward to being involved again next time and the next time.
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READERpics
Reader Pics Doug Wilson getting his thrills from a 52kg Mako while hunting Snapper off Glinks Gully
Seth Linnel’s beautiful Eagle ray landed on just 4kg line while surfcasting Awesome king for Andrew Grigg from Whangaroa on board Reel Life with Capt’n Phil
20 www.nzfisher.co.nz
Jeffery Zeelie & a winter Kahawai from the yak
READERpics
Minoru Ichikawa with a 6kg snapper (his 2nd) he caught at Mahia. Image; James Benge
Hossain and a hefty king caught on board Sanity with Captain Tobes
Justin Weck and a solid looking Northland Marlin
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READERpics
Hiro Yoshino with his first Snapper of 3kg caught at Mahia
Image: James Benge
Ethan Benge with his NZ Record 14.4kg Spotted Smooth Hound From Mahia Beach
Seth Linnel holding a 6kg snapper that fell to a slab of ‘old Trout!’
22 www.nzfisher.co.nz
Sabbir Safia and his PB King (50lb) at the Aldy pins with Tobes on Sanity
READERpics
This month’s winner of the ReelWear tee is Sabbir Safia, he wins a Reel Adventures, ReelWear Tee. Keep sending in your pics for the great OKUMA and Reel Wear prizes up for grabs every month.
Haaka Carter with a stonking kingfish (sent in by Leanne Carter)
www.nzfisher.co.nz 23
COMPETITION
Win a Trip on Board Diversity with Tackle-It and NZFisher! JUST POST A PIC of you with a fish to our Facebook page and you’re in the draw to win day trip aboard Diversity care of Damo and the team at TackleIt. Not only that but every month we’ll give away an Okuma T-shirt between now and December 2013. Every image you enter has a chance to win each month and also the big prize. The more and sooner you enter, the better your chances so get fishing and posting those images to Facebook!
24 www.nzfisher.co.nz
VIDEO
Fishing Video of the Month
With the Orton Events finished for 2013 and such a good write-up in this issue from our new Kayak writer, Shane Kelly I thought it would be cool to share this video shot by the ‘Northland Prowlers’ as they travelled NZ over the last 12 months. And here’s Shane Kelly’s own video essay from the Bridge to Cape comp – the final Orton Events – Thanks Shane
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kayakFISHING
Elite Kayak Fishing Orton Events 2013 – Bridge to Cape By Shane Kelly
Big Drive, Big Fish, Great Fun
starting, Bam and I ventured out in a
of snorers (myself included!). After
26 hours. Time spent fishing? I wish!
largish post-storm swell to try find our
a quick breakfast and me waking
Sadlyope 26 hours is the time we
spot-x and give softbait and Inchiku
the other sleeping beauties with the
spent driving over a three day period
fishing a go. Its something we don’t
smoke alarm it was time to hit the
to compete in the final round of
do much of in Wellington.
water. The swell was considerably
the Orton Events NZ kayak fishing
Our in-experience in what is a very
series “The Bridge to Cape” Add the
successful style of fishing for a lot of
time we did spend fishing you could
anglers soon became apparent and
pretty much say we spent the entire
we decided to hotfoot it to Top Catch
weekend sitting down!
Whangarei for copious amounts of
The Bridge to Cape event has by far
bait and berley but not before we did
the largest boundary in the series,
we had a bit of fun in a surf session.
stretching a whopping 420k’s covering
It was very cold and I’m far from an
both east and west coasts. Although
expert but it is something I highly
with registration, weigh in and prize
recommend everyone does as it’s a
giving based in Whangarei, most
great way to learn how not to lose all
contestants stayed within an hour or two. Bam Blaikie (fellow hurricane
smaller than the day before but it was very dark out until we saw Bryce Stevenson’s kayak (snow white) lighting up the skyline. The first hour or so was relatively quiet with baby snapper stealing bait after bait; that was until my bait runner went off. As my line was buzzing away so was Bam’s! Yah that’s what we came here
your gear should a surf entry or exit be required.
supporter and team mate) and I were lucky to be staying with a great bunch of kayak anglers just 45 mins from town. On arrival and prior to the comp
26 www.nzfisher.co.nz
Day One Waking at 4am wasn’t too difficult considering I was stuck in a room full
Snow White
kayakFISHING
And the winner is? As I suspected Stephen Tapp did beat me for the individual title amassing a series best 35 points for the round and along with his team mate, Lyndon Cox, they blitzed the teams section. for! Unfortunately in this instance
going to cut it especially after seeing
Well done guys. I did manage second
the woo hoos were short lived when
Stephen Tapp’s phenomenal effort of
place and of that I’m very happy!
a bronze whaler broke the surface
pretty much all the target species on
my groans were then dwarfed by
day one…so my focus had to change.
Bams holler of holly crap! I think his was bigger…I was being smoked
I needed another big fish that wasn’t
Results for 2012/2013 series
Snapper, the morning started pretty
First individual: Stephen Tapp
much the same as day one but
Second Individual: Shane Kelly
without the smoke alarm and the
Third Individual: Lyndon Cox
winterless north had put on a blinder
First Team: Viking Raiders (Stephen
- no wind, clear sky and calm water.
Tapp and Lyndon Cox)
Unfortunately it was not to be my
Second Team: Ocean Kayak (Peter
day. I’d hooked up to plenty of fish
and Aileen Michael)
wasn’t long before landed a nice big
but for neither love or money could
Third Team: Team Shimano (David
snapper. Some very impressive fish
I land one.
Brown and Robert Wright)
were laid on the scales on day one
Time after time I was being taken
with mine coming in at a new personal
to ground in the shallow water and
best of 19 1/2lbs.
busted off. At one point a shark had
throughout the entire morning mostly by sharks but some I was sure were target species - too powerful for my gear in 8 metres of water. Bam decided to head out to deeper and I elected to stay and persevere which proved to be the right course as it
even decided to take my jitterbug
See you in the next series? Are you keen on joining the series? The 2014 series will kick off in the East Cape in Feb 2014 register via the
Day Two
from just 2 meters of water the shock
I’d gone into this final round with a
braking my rod in half and although
slim 2 point lead in the series and
a little frustrated, I was having great
I’ll be there chasing both the
although I was happy with my first
fun! Never have I had so many big fish
individual and teams titles along with
days attempt one big snapper wasn’t
hooked up in shallow water.
that elusive 20 pound Snapper!
Orton Events website.
www.nzfisher.co.nz 27
HOOKED UP!
CO
HOOKEDUP!
U
Every issue, all NZ Fisher subscribers* go in the draw to get hooked up with some fantastic prizes courtesy of generous NZ Fisher supporters. To find out if you’ve won simply check this section in each issue to see if your name has been drawn and then email us before the deadline to claim your prize. Sweet as!!!
LD
IT
B
E
YO
U
?
Congratulations to our Hooked Up prize winner for Issue #26!
Matthew Brinsdon is the winner You’ve won this month’s awesome Hooked Up prize pack including: •
Your choice of mens or womens ReelWear T courtesy of Reel Adventures
•
A $50 voucher to spend online or instore from GoFish.co.nz
•
A super tough 3-tray tackle box from Flambeau (contents not included)
•
Plus two 500ml bottles of Tackle-It Odour Eliminator from PureAir to keep those fishy smells at bay!
To claim your prize you simply need to email jenniferl@espiremedia.com before 5pm Friday 16 August 2013. Easy!
*To be eligible to win stuff in the Hooked Up section you need to be a confirmed email subscriber to NZ Fisher e-Magazine and be a resident of New Zealand at the time of the draw. A big thanks to our Hooked Up sponsors! Please support them!
28 www.nzfisher.co.nz
NEXTmonth regionalREVIEWS
In next months issue: - - -
Depth sounder or fish finder? NZFisher compete in the World OffShore Game fishing Champs Champagne fishing!
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