ISSUE 41
October 2014
Art of Fish The
Thievery
Chasing Sails Simply
Wrasse-tastic www.nzfisher.co.nz 1
Live and breathe boating?
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Contents 6.. Chasing Sails 16.. Review: NZFisher Frewza F16 Review
ABOUT / Short and sharp, NZ Fisher is a free e-magazine delivering thought provoking and enlightening articles, and industry news and information to forwardthinking fisher people.
EDITOR / Derrick Paull GROUP EDITOR / Jennifer Liew
20.. Art of Fish Thievery
ART DIRECTOR / Jodi Olsson CONTENT ENQUIRIES /
24.. Legasea October Update
Phone Derrick on 021 629 327 or email derrickp@NZ Fisher.co.nz ADVERTISING ENQUIRIES /
26.. Simply Wrasse-tastic
Phone Jennifer on 09 522 7257 or email jenniferl@espiremedia.com ADDRESS / NZ Fisher,
32.. Reader Pics
C/- Espire Media, PO Box 137162, Parnell, Auckland 1151, NZ WEBSITE / www.NZFisher.co.nz
30.. Review: Boa Straps 34.. New Product
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!
35.. What is the State of our Gulf? 38.. Competitions
Cover image: Kate Martin with a PB of 7.4kgs landed on Karikari Peninsular in ROctober
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Editorial AHHH, MALAYSIA. A month back in Aotearoa and I am definitely missing the warm, calm seas of Kuala Rompin. No complaining − New Zealand’s pretty awesome − but a few degrees warmer wouldn’t be a bad thing! In saying that, spring has sprung in a big way. Wild wind, patchy rain and stunning warm afternoons (when the rain, wind and hail have buggered off). Spring has made herself felt alright. Every year we look to spring for the fishing to warm up and this spring’s been better than most (if you excuse the wind). When we’ve been out the results have been great; throughout the country there have been some serious fish landed. The Blackdog Cat team nailed a 27lb snap in the north and Chris Morris − surfcasting and photographic legend − landed a 20’
odd pounder. The Hauraki Gulf has been providing plenty of feeds for many families and the odd trophy too. There have even been some in-shore kings showing up with decent schools at Flat Rock and the back of Waiheke while Channel Island is still proving very productive. We’ve included the State of the Gulf update from Auckland Council. It’s an important time for the local environment, and I encourage kiwis throughout the country to have a read, check out the website and make sure you’re informed. There’s no doubt the Hauraki Gulf is important, but the legislation behind it and the changes being considered have wide ranging consequences for us all. Tight lines NZFishers,
Derrick
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SPORTFISHING
Chasing Sails Malaysia holds one of the world’s finest Sailfish populations and NZFisher editor Derrick Paull headed there this September to tick another species off the bucket list VERY FEW PEOPLE know just how good the Malaysian Sailfish fishery is (or can be) and even fewer get the opportunity to experience it. I first learned of the fishery in the mid-noughties, probably via the fishing website fishing.net, and was immediately consumed with the idea of landing a sailfish. As time passed I built a list of methods I’d
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like to try on sails, before I’d even wet my toe in the waters they swim in. Photos of fish with sails lounging across their laps aboard Malaysian longboats kept filling my inbox, driving me mental as I sat in my stodgy Auckland office. An opportunity in 2006 arose and I began planning a stag do to Rompin to fly in and nab a few sails before
flying out. At that time, despite not getting the buy-in from mates, I began studying the fish and their fishery in more depth. As life does, it moved on. The dream of chasing Rompin sails drifted away until last year when Leanne Dixon (Reel Adventures) and her good mate Tobes headed up to Rompin at the invitation of Team Xzoga, to represent them in the 2013 Royal Pahang International Billfish Challenge (RPIBFC). As you will have read in our October 2013 issue, Tobes & Leanne won the tournament with 25 sailfish between them and team mate Denis Lee (Xzoga). This trip and the subsequent article seriously rekindled my desire to knock sailfish off the bucket list. With Leanne’s help I was invited to compete in the 2014 RPIBFC as a guest of Tourism Malaysia. The invitation was back in February and I have been out of my skin with excitement for months before heading up. I made the decision to bring the family along and make a holiday of it; as long as a sailfish was caught, all would happy! Having not chased sails before I consulted Leanne & Tobes on the best tackle and decided it would be ‘necessary’ to invest in some new tackle, including an Xzoga TakaPi 7523 As for the reel, I was very lucky to happen across the all new (not yet released in New Zealand) Okuma Azores 65, a new design and significant advancement in Okuma’s path to tackle greatness. Spooled with 50lb line and freshly serviced after slaying a 45kg GT in Fiji, it was ready to go. The Azores is to be released in New Zealand in February & we’ll look a little more closely at it in the January issue of NZFisher.
Terminal tackle was a bit more of a quandary and Greg at Go Fish sorted me out with tournament legal straight shank 5/0 & 6/0 Owners that are allowed for IGFA comps. The Xzoga guys had sorted me some fluorocarbon leader and that was all that was required to get going. We headed up to Kuala Lumpur on the Tuesday (fishing was Saturday/Sunday) and we were assigned a tour guide by the name of Michael Song. We realised pretty quickly we’d struck gold; Michael is one of the most on-to-it and connected guys I’ve met. We were to be hosted at the Royal Chulan Hotel, in the heart of Kuala Lumpur, looking out the remarkable Petronas Towers. The Royal Chulan is rated five star and won the prestigious Trip Advisor ‘Travellers Choice’ award in 2013. As a typical kiwi traveller, the service, style, elegance and beauty of the Royal Chulan was overwhelming. If there is a star category, I believe this hotel will be awarded such. You cannot use the name ‘Royal’ in Malaysia unless sanctioned by the king, so you would expect the Royal Chulan to exude royalty, and it does. On the ground in a new city getting your bearings can be a bit daunting, but between Michael and the outstanding customer service of the Royal Chulan staff, we quickly got out trip underway. Malaysia is a truly metropolitan city; histories and cultures bought together through war, migration and colonisation is visible on every street. Prior to travelling, our brief research had advised of dramatic architecture, diverse food and a depth of culture seldom found in a modern city, and they were right. We ate like kings, discovering
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SPORTFISHING
Champ!
Little River Fish
Malaysian, Chinese and Indian flavours everywhere, sometimes in the same dish! We were treated to a one day whirlwind tour of Kuala Lumpur, seeing sights such as the Malaysian King’s Palace (there’s a whole article to write just on the Sultanate system in Malaysia!), the Petronas Towers, China Town, the night markets, Little India and any number of great eateries. By day two we were acclimatised to the weather and more so the time shift and spent most of the day on a scenic road trip across the Malay Peninsular to Kuala Rompin. I cannot express the excitement I had approaching the sea and seeing firsthand the South China sea. Just south of Rompin lay a number of islands, the largest of them being Palau Tioman – a sport fishing hotspot and thrill just to see from the shore. Our destination and host of the RPIBFC is the Lanjuit Resort, a coastal resort on the northern side of the Rompin River. We had a spare day between KL and the tournament starting. Our Malaysian tourism hosts had a rather unusual but fun day
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planned − prawn fishing on the Rompin River. This form of fishing can be done in New Zealand too, but the Huka Falls Prawn farm is a world away not only in location but methodology. The Rompin prawns were hungry, bordering on voracious. They attacked the bait with such vigour you would assume you had hooked a half decent fish. My four year old son Oscar was the star of the show, hooking and landing both prawns and various fish species. We’re not blessed with a wide range of river fish in New Zealand so seeing the sheer variety and density of fish life in this remote Malaysian river was a great addition to the trip. Prawn fishing in the river is a reasonably new tourism venture here and is well worth it. We had a ball catching prawns and river fish, but enjoyed the sheer beauty of the location as well. The Rompin River is bordered by a regional reserve on its northern boundary and we were joined by local monkeys a number of times throughout the day. The Malaysian wildlife
were not shy and kept surprising us with their proximity and diversity; monitor lizards ambling by or swimming across the river, Macaque monkeys cheekily stealing any food or tid-bits tourists left out of reach and the lazy Tapir sunning themselves in forest openings The river bank was alive! (Thankfully they don’t have crocodiles!). Prawn & Fish Spread The Prawn spread
Our day was completed with a meal of the prawns and fish our group had caught, all prepared on the riverbank by the prawn fishing operator and his family. This was no ordinary spread but a feast of fish, forest harvested greens and prawns in a strikingly hot curry. This meal was enjoyed with some of Malaysia’s top anglers, who had also been treated to a day on the river, but some had taken the opportunity to chase bigger quarry returning with long toms, a fish that resembled an Australian mulloway and other river greeblies. This was my first opportunity to meet some of these fisho’s and I immediately learned about their passion for both fishing and the conservation of their fisheries. Sailfish are a no-take species in Malaysia, but as with any fishery (especially those with close neighbour and limited coastal autonomy) there are many who believe every fish caught has value and they have the right to kill them all. I had always assumed the fishery was well protected and there was a general respect for the law. It’s my understanding that sailfish do not make good eating and therefore the decision to make them a sport fish only (and not commercially harvested) was well received. It seems however that there is increasing pressure on the Malay government to make the taking of sailfish legal and worse still, opening the fishery to commercial interests.
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SPORTFISHING
protect one of Malaysia’s greatest assets. Sadly, like our Yellowfin Tuna fishery, the fate of the fishery lies outside Malaysian waters. There are many images online of sailfish on a line, leaping and tailing across the ocean, but none can create emotions like these do…. There is still a lot that science doesn’t know about this species. The little we know is Sailfish slaughter that the sailfish is highly migratory, grows between 1.2m and 1.5m in its first year of life and feeds on pelagic fish and squid. Yes, they’re fast growing, but they’re being killed in big numbers.
Sailfish slaughter
My research since returning to New Zealand shows that sailfish numbers are already down and the illegal take by both Malay and foreign vessels is on the increase. The recently started ‘Save our Sailfish (S.O.S.) group are lobbying the government to stay strong against opening the fishery but also to stand up to international pressure, both legal and illegal. I’ve spent a few hours in the company of passionate fisho’s before, but these guys are something else. They absolutely respect the fishery and are willing to do anything to
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So, although that was a bit of a downer, I was cheered to hear that boats headed out for a reccy had some solid results and there were still fish there! I was warned by Leanne that registration at Lanjuit was a bit of a circus but I could not have imagined the madness that occurs. I say madness, but it’s a controlled, exciting night full of accents, colourful clothes, big personalities and lots of freebies. That’s all fine, but add aboa hundred flash amateur happy photographers, and the process feels like you’re a celebrity at a movie launch. And it’s exhausting − perfect for the night before the big game! Malaysian fishing boats are a bit different to what we’re used to, but they’re perfect for
Leanne & Tobes at Registration
the Malaysian conditions – lots of sun, lazy swells and quick, sharp chop when the wind comes up. The shot-gun start on day one is a sight to be remembered, 45 boats going hell for leather in search of bait and sails as the sun rises over the South China Sea. Almost worth the trip alone. Almost. Once on our way proper, the first stop was live bait. I had been paired with a couple of Japanese professional anglers with an equal desire to nail a sailfish; but in their case they were focusing on lures only. I’d been briefed by professional guide, Pokmuds, on the way local sails feed, their habits and the best ways to find fish. So, despite my boat mate’s keenness to head straight out, I was sure live bait was the best course of action. The bait we were chasing was almost the same as local yellowtail or mack’s − just a little deeper in the body. They’re equally as picky on their feeding too – every second spent is a second you’re not fishing for the target, but it’s a necessary evil on the dark art of live baiting. With six kind of bait on board, my Japanese friends made their
Getting ready to go get ‘em
impatience known and we headed out, fate in the hands of the gods. We headed out very wide at first and after an hour or so and a few chats to other boats, our skipper made the call to head back in. Our first spot cost one live bait. At the next spot, the bait was hit and dropped, killing it very quickly. So far we hadn’t seen any sails, but that was about to change. As the tide turned at around lunch, the sea flattened to a mirror and some bird action started around the rickety anchovie’s boats that share the same water the sails occupy. They no doubt chase the same food source. The birds were at first following a school of small tuna, but soon I began to see dark fins breaking the surface and gliding gently across the dying waves. Sails! I had heard they tailed (and sailed?) a lot around baitfish, but I was not prepared for the numbers, I would have seen 20 that afternoon. My live bait continued to swim un-accosted the rest of the day, but while they were swimming I flicked a couple of stick-baits at the sails I saw – more in
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SPORTFISHING
hope than with conviction that they’d be hit. The Japanese guys were using large, very sexy looking poppers and stick-baits but I decided to downsize to a 80mm / 40gram Duel I’d bought from Go-fish for harbour kings in Auckland. I immediately got a hit, a very small sail (I’d guess under a meter in length) took a liking to it, following it, tapping it with its bill and sending my heart through my chest and into orbit. The sail went down, I thought leaving the stick-bait in favour of fresher fare, but came back with a vengeance, smashing the stick-bait and thrashing on the surface. As any first time sail fisher (with knowledge of how kings hit stick-bait), I struck and the fish turned, screamed off, sending the reel into ecstasy. This came to a very sudden end as the hook fell out. I felt like a helium balloon sans helium − so high and so low all in a few seconds. That was pretty much it for day one. Despite the hook-up I was feeling pretty stink about the returns. On reaching shore I learned we were far from alone, a number of boats had zilched and all but one had sub-par days. I began to wonder just how many sails those illegal netters had been taking in reality. Day two began early, desperation was building and my Japanese friends decided, (based on day ones returns) to use baitfish too, increasing the odds. We managed a handful of macks but they were again tough to find and tougher to get hooks in. Still, it’s generally possible to sabiki up a few live bait almost anywhere as the boat drifts with a sailfish line or two out
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Aerial Beauty
the stern. Granted, over some stretches, we couldn’t buy bait. During a red-hot bite an initially meagre live-bait population dwindled quickly. What we learned, via some broken English with our skipper, is that sails also like ‘pinkies’, a fish much like a baby pigfish, only less scaly. Thankfully these were not in short supply and we managed to get a couple to keep our lines out. Again at around midday things hotted up and we began to see sails, some near, some far and many on the lines of our competitors near-by. We had a dry spell then, while I was holding the rod up on the bow, I saw my balloon pop off and begin drifting away. Time to become nervous? YES! The line began peeling off the Azores and my heartrate went through the roof. Pokmuds had said wait 30 to 60 seconds before applying pressure, or as soon as the fish breaks the surface and jumps, and jump it did! It’s incredible, despite watching dozens of sailfish videos I was not prepared for the speed and beauty of the aerial display they put on when hooked. I’d taken Tobes’ advice and set my drag at 3kg and let the fish run hard and jump high,
The taste of success
Thank you Tang aroa, your reac h is
winding hard each time to ensure the slack was out and it had no chance of kicking free. The fish ran me around the boat, running hard and jumping harder in search of freedom, slowing as it came closer to the boat. Being ‘catch and release’ we were fishing circle hooks to minimise damage, but I felt fairly confident about the hook security after a few minutes, so it was just a matter of wearing it down. The fish came nicely to the boat; I was granted the opportunity to hoist it up for a few shots before the real pleasure of reviving it and seeing it swim gracefully away. Success was sweet. Not long after the capture the weather took a turn and wind driven waves quickly made fishing too tough and we headed for shore through a pretty rugged squall that turned the heat of the afternoon to a washing machine. We headed in and heard a varied range of reports from second day skunking’s to over 10 fish from a few boats that headed wide or south. We would have to wait till the prize-giving to know who had won, but despite the obvious fact I would not
far!
be in the prizes, I was stoked to have landed my first sail. The prize giving at Lanjuit was a huge affair with not only anglers and their families, but a range of local and central government officials. The Lanjuit kitchen excelled and provided a feast for all, including mouth watering curries, local fish and seafood as well as lamb and chicken barbequed to perfection. I was rooting for Leanne & Tobes in their Xzoga team mates (in lieu of any results from my own team), and was saddened that they also fell outside the prizes by one fish, finishing in 8th place with 15 fish landed. They still had a great time and partied hard with the other teams.
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SPORTFISHING Leanne & Denis of Team Xzoga partying up a storm
This is despite a complaint about interference by another team where a number of competition rules were broken. I had myself seen a clear breach of rules by another team but had been unable to bring the incident to the attention of my own marshal due to language difficulties and talking to other competitors it would appear that the rules, although known, are not really taken too seriously by all competitors. I’m saddened that these breaches may have cost some team’s places, prizes and team pride. Eloise, Oscar and I made our way back to KL and on to Melaka to enjoy some more
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history and Malaysian culture from one of the oldest cities in Malaysia. It’s a rich history dating back to the 11th century and more changes of regime than we’ve had dry Labour Weekends. The result − a relaxing sightseeing adventure through 18th century British colonial Malaysia overlapping Portuguese, Dutch and Chinese culture − to close out a bucket list trip of a lifetime. Thank you to Tourism Malaysia, Michael Song, Xzoga Malaysia and the organisers of the Royal Pahang International Billfish Challenge for an amazing trip and a full complement of lifelong sailfish memories.●
Know what you’re doing Wide range of courses for all types of boating available nationwide
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Phone 0800 40 80 90 or visit www.boatingeducation.org.nz www.nzfisher.co.nz 15
PRODUCTREIVIEW
NZFisher
Frewza F16Review
On the water THERE’S A FEW TIMES in life, when you look back at a decision you’ve made on a hunch, you can smile when you realise how great it was. That’s how I feel now looking back at the decision buy the NZFisher Frewza in 2012. Frewza’s were not exactly the best known brand in the world, but nor was Hyundai a decade ago, but now they’re number one and with the way Frewza’s are heading I wouldn’t be surprised if they don’t push the big boys for the top spots pretty soon.
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We had just come out of a pretty poor experience with the previous boat and were pretty gun shy on buying a relatively unknown. The big difference here was experience. Brendan Frew, owner, designer and boat builder at Frews Marine spent 6 years at Stabicraft helping their team to the top rung of the ladder. Brendan brings a fresh approach to the boat building business, focussing on built quality, a good looking design and best of all, real value for money. Frews don’t skimp on materials, using 4mm marine grade
aluminium on the hulls and 3mm elsewhere.
sits flat as a pancake. I cannot fathom this,
The design works well on many fronts, in the case of our boat, a side console as opposed to the traditional centre console, the additional room on the port side of the deck is incredible. Despite its modest length, our 5 meter F16 has more foot space and easier internal manoeuvrability than a boat two feet longer. The placement of the console on the starboard side (and slightly further aft than a traditional boat) does create a slight lean when travelling at low speeds, but as soon as you’re on the plane it
but it works a treat. What I love about the F16 is the space, but it’s beyond just having space. It’s space in the right places and access to the important elements on a fishing trip. Brendan has introduced a simple but innovative storage in the hull above the pontoons around the whole hull. We discovered that the standard Systema boxed fit this perfectly and allowed all terminal tackle, phones, keys and tools to be kept on hand and dry in any conditions.
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PRODUCTREIVIEW
A great console & helm layout
So much room !
Which brings me to the best bit. This boat is dry. Unbelievably dry. We have pushed the Frewza through some serious seas, sometimes perhaps even a little too rough. In these conditions we expect to get very wet, this is an open boat of course, but it’s strange how little water actually gets in. I believe this is from the shape of the pontoons at the bow and the hull bow lines. In a chop the spray gets spread sideways – as it does on most boats, but even with a cross wind the spray stays down and away from the crew. In Auckland we generally don’t generally get big swells, but we get a lot of chop and that’s why I’m such a fan. As a fishing boat the F16 offers a lot of options. We’re pretty keen on both soft-
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baiting and stick-baiting so the forward platform is prime real estate for us too. We can comfortably fish 3 heavy guys on the port side and not feel like we’re getting tippy at all. Even when we’re leaning over to hoist out kings, there’s no nerves. So, if to sounds like I’m Frewza sales guy, that’s going a bit far, but after two years of excellent service the F16 is on the market and looking for a fresh new home. Hopefully by the time this is out, it’ll be sold. So what next? Another Frewza of course! Keep an eye out for the new boat, it’ll bigger & better and hopefully just as fishy! For a better look at the Frewza, check out this clip on YouTube.
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Art of Fish
FLYFISHING
The
Thievery WORDS BY Neil Wagener
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Fish thieves come in all shapes & sizes!
FISHING IS THE ULTIMATE contest of man vs. beast, right? Wrong. You might think you are trying to outwit that wiley old snapper, but in reality the fish aren’t that smart. If there is a big fish there, and he is hungry, you should at least hook him. The real battle is actually on the boat. That’s right, you are competing with your mates for that fish, and that is where the art of fish thievery comes into play.
The lighter your main line and leader, the more natural the action and the faster the sink rate of your bait. Knowing what weight line your mate fishes and slightly undercutting him can give you a significant advantage when that trophy fish has the option of choosing between your bait drifting naturally in the current vs your mates bait sitting awkwardly on the end of a stiff wire like line.
Take the photo on the next page of a chunky 11.34 kg (that’s 25 lb on the nose) snapper that my mate Darren Parsons recently pulled out from underneath the other anglers on the boat. That’s the second snapper around 25 lb that Darren has thieved in the last few months with the same old tricks: a live and lightly weighted yellow tail fished with a lot of patience.
Spread your odds: Keep an eye on how your mate is fishing. What weight sinker or jig head is he using? What type of bait or what colour lure is he using? Where is he casting? Keep trying different stuff until you find the winning formula.
Darren truly is a fish thief, but you too can achieve lofty heights of popularity amongst your mates by following a few simple rules. Here are some tips to help you go home with a bigger fish than your mates.
That could be using a lighter weight, so your bait has a more natural drift, or maybe casting in an unusual direction (up a craggy gutter for example). It might not be much, but often the slightest bit of variation can mean that you find that fish that has been hiding before your mate does.
Lighter is better: The first tip really hits home the principle that the fish has the option of your bait, or your mates. Lighter line isn’t just about being less visible, it’s also about action.
Maximise your time in the bite zone: You and your mate might both be on the boat for the same amount of time, but it’s possible that the cumulative amount of time each of you had well-presented
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FLYFISHING shots of their rve good quality se de t n’ do s ve Fish Thie
fish!
baits in the bite zone was very different. Minimising tangles and re-rigging is an obvious way to keep your bait in the water, but not always easy to do. Once your bait is in the water though, this is where experience comes into play. The fish you are after will generally only be in one part of the water column, so understanding how the boats drift or the water current is affecting the sink rate of your bait is crucial. Use every piece of feedback you get. For example, if you get a snag or just feel your baits dragging on the bottom that lets you know you are getting down where the snapper will be. Adjusting the amount of weight on your line so that your bait gets to the bottom, but still looks natural is probably one of
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the most important aspects of fishing. A handy tip for soft baiting is to get a good gauge on the direction of your drift and then to ensure that your casts are as long as possible and in exactly that direction. This ensures your bait is on the bottom for as long as possible for each cast. Another tip that only comes with experience is knowing when your bait has fallen off. By lifting your rod you should be able to feel the change in resistance when your bait or soft bait has come free. These might seem like small chunks of time, but when combined over a day’s fishing these aspects could potentially mean the difference between a big fish or not. Give a fish a little time: Big fish are like a high maintenance girlfriend. They need their time to get ready before doing
Sometimes, it just burns too much to acknowlege the stolen ones
anything; in this case to eat your bait. As a result you need to give them time, and you can buy it in a couple of different ways. Slow your bait’s movement down. This goes for cut bait (just let them soak for longer, but be sure you still have bait on the hook) and soft bait (slow down your retrieve). The other way to buy some time is to use bigger bait.
Smaller fish will find big bait difficult to consume, helping our moocher get closer to your hook. When in doubt go live or get fresh: If there is a single way to increase your odds of catching a bigger fish it is to use fresh bait that you have just caught, preferably fished live. Check out this video for a demo on how to rig a live yellow tail. The results speak for themselves. â—?
FISHERIESMANAGEMENT
LegaSea
Update October 2014 Advocacy gets solid support By Trish Rea, LegaSea team www.legasea.co.nz
TEAM LEGASEA RECEIVED positive
fisheries issues and the need to rebuild
feedback during the recent Annual
abundance in our near shore waters. Also
General Meeting of the New Zealand Sport
encouraging was the affirmation of three
Fishing Council held in Gisborne. Council
policies to restore marine ecosystems and
delegates appreciated the effort being
local fisheries around the northeast coast,
made to increase public awareness of
Gisborne and Hawkes Bay.
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A healthier ecosystem means more fish in our coastal waters and brighter prospects for future generations to enjoy a meaningful fishing experience. As LegaSea is the public face of the Council these policies are a valuable aid to our advocates, describing our aspirations for the future management of the marine environment. LegaSea encourages others seeking abundance, diversity and productivity gains in our marine system to adopt these policies. The policies ratified at the AGM were: •
Area 1 policy
•
Crayfish 3 policy
•
Gurnard 2 policy.
Historical management has focused on single stock such as snapper or kahawai. Little consideration has been given to dependent species, the ecosystem in which those fish live, and our environmental impacts. Existing legislation and international best practice demands consideration of these factors.
Area 1 policy Our policy explains the need to rebuild productivity and diversity by considering the entire ecosystem, including people that have an impact in Fisheries Management Area 1 (FMA1), between North Cape and the eastern Bay of Plenty. We must manage our marine environment to ensure we provide future generations the opportunities and resources we so gratefully inherited. http://nzsportfishing.org.nz/index.cfm/ PageID/412/ViewPage/FMA-1-Policy
Trish Rae, Legasea ●
Call 0800 LEGASEA (534 273) Email us info@legasea.co.nz Subscribe at www.legasea.co.nz Read more at www.facebook.com/legasea
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NEWSPECIES
Wrasse Heaven - one of many uninhabited islands in the Scillies
Simply
Wrasse-tastic
WORDS BY Martin Salter
One of the things I love most about fishing is covering something new. Like why the hell I didn’t go to the beautiful Isles of Scilly 30 years ago and why has it taken me this long to experience the fun of catching chunky wrasse on soft plastics? I’ve just returned from the UK’s largest collection of offshore islands, situated some 28 miles from the south west tip of Cornwall and home to probably the best wrasse fishing to be found in Britain. These gorgeous fish come in a stunning array of colours, they fight hard and dirty and live in places that you’d want to visit even if you weren’t fishing. I was so impressed with the place and the fishing that I’ve booked to go back next year and I will be researching other wrasse spots along the south coast in the meantime!
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Just add braid an d a suitable rod and reel an d this little lot will catch plenty of wrasse in the right spots
Being brought up as coarse angler in the rivers, lakes and gravel pits of the Thames Valley I’m relatively new to chasing fish in the sea, and to the weird, wonderful and totally addictive world of lure fishing. I guess it really kicked off for me in my time out in Australia where I had to learn a host of new techniques to catch hard fighting predators from the reefs and rocky headlands around Sydney.
I’m now perfectly confident to drag a weedless shad through seemingly impenetrable forests of weed and kelp or to bounce a Texas rigged soft plastic worm over limpet covered rocks that would swallow conventional tackle in the blink of an eye. Five years ago I wouldn’t have had a clue how to fish such spots yet this summer some of my best wrasse and bass have come from what I once considered to be tempting but unfishable habitat.
Like this... Using braid, jig heads, cone weights, soft plastics, Texas and Carolina rigs, vibrating blades, poppers and stick baits took some getting used to but it was a fascinating learning curve which totally changed my attitude to fishing back in the UK. I now own a motley collection of lure rods and reels covering everything from drop shotting for perch in my local canal, to powerful outfits capable of taming tarpon, golden dorado and mahseer from exotic locations in far flung countries. I’ve learnt those all-important knots necessary for attaching braid to nylon and for allowing the lure or plug to retain life and movement on the retrieve despite being attached to stiff and heavy duty fluorocarbon leaders.
Lure fishing is the new rock and roll in the world of angling. It is growing in popularity when other arms of our sport are in decline. It’s not just youngsters that like the cool gear that’s on offer and highly mobile approach. It’s also the fact it is possible to grab a quick session on the bank without the hassle of getting hold of smelly bait and carting a barrow load of gear around. The UK tackle trade has been keen to meet the new demand and I’ve been impressed by the range gear that is now available through specialists lure fishing suppliers such as Art of Fishing or Lure Heaven. I spent some time at this year’s Game Fair with Ian McCormack of Sonik, a company who are relatively new entrants to this market. We were discussing the tremendous improvements in the range and quality of travel rods available and how the travelling angler has never had it so good. Before I knew it I was buying a new Sonik SK4XTR 9’ 15-40gram travel lure rod to team up with a new Shimano Aernos 4000FA spinning reel that Henry Gilbey told me I just had to have. Just to be on the safe side I also took over to the Scillies a lighter Major Craft Skyroad 10-30gram outfit another Gilbey ‘must have’ item!
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NEWSPECIES My first three pounder
Skyroad was a positive joy to use as it is light and responsive, casts like a dream and allows the angler to impact real action into the lures. Whilst it is a great bass rod and was fine on the smaller wrasse up to a couple of pounds, there was just too much give in it to keep some of the larger specimens out of the rocks and kelp during those crucial first five seconds of the fight. After a couple of days I upgraded to the heavier Sonik and a 20lb leader and the losses were dramatically reduced. Wrasse are certainly not tackle shy, but they can be picky about which lures and which retrieving techniques will persuade them to hang on. Worm patterns are by far the most effective and I certainly had a better
28 www.nzfisher.co.nz
hook up ratio by using as light a cone weight on the line as possible. I suspect that this is because most of the hookable takes, as opposed to the inconclusive plucks, tend to come as the lure is falling back into the rocks following a lift and twitch retrieve. The lighter the weight on the nose of the rig gives the wrasse just a little longer to home in on the target. My most successful patterns were the four inch Hawg Wild Lure worms in pumpkinseed and watermelon colours, the Spro Komodo worms and an American largemouth bass lure from Poor Boy’s Baits called an Erie Darter. However, there are countless other patterns that will catch wrasse and plenty of room for
They like those plastic worms!
experimentation. I would also add that having a colour change available will keep the wrasse coming longer after a few have been caught and released from the same spot. The only other advice I can offer is to avoid turbulent water and big swells as wrasse, understandably, are not keen on feeding whilst being smashed against the boulders. Forget about dawn and dusk, this is a family friendly species that bites well in the middle of the day and in bright sunshine. And concentrate on the couple of hours either side of high tide over rocks with plenty of weed, limpets and other tempting morsels rather than smooth and lifeless ground which might be kinder on your tackle but which will be less attractive to the fish.
Martin’s, the smallest of the five inhabited islands, at Churchtown Farm in a handily placed and well-appointed self-catering apartment in the middle of the island. It was a short walk to Higher Town quay where we had arranged for the guys from Bennetts Boats to leave our dingy for the week. Check them out at http://www.bennettboatyard. com/boat-hire-scilly.html I had no intention of fishing from the boat, but with scores of other islands and islets that are not served by the otherwise excellent Scilly Island Ferries I felt that having our own transport would give me the rare opportunity to explore some virtually unfished rock marks. As it happens I caught just as many fish from a cove less than ten minutes stroll from our apartment as I did from some of the
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NEWSPECIES
Wrassetastic or what ?
more isolated spots. That said, I would recommend having the flexibility of your own transport as it greatly increases the fishing options available and you don’t have to worry about packing up as the wrasse come on the bite in order to catch the last scheduled ferry back to your accommodation. The fishing was at times a struggle, but only because it took me a while to cotton on to picking the right spots with the right habitat and that were sufficiently sheltered from excessive waves or swell. Once it all clicked into place I enjoyed some truly great sport the highlight of which was a 12 fish catch in a couple of hours before breakfast. I had plenty of smaller wrasse up to around two pounds and a handful of larger fish to just shy of four pounds. However, there are much bigger brutes out there as these pictures from local expert Del Thompson clearly demonstrate. Check out Del’s blog, Scilly Lure Addicts, for a flavour of some of the reel screaming action that the Scillies can deliver. My next trip to the sunny Scillies might be a year away but I can guarantee that my next guarantee that my next wrasse trip will be a damn sight sooner. A quick look on Google Earth and few phone calls to some helpful friends should set me on the road to some more ‘wrassetastic’ action a little closer to home. ●
This article forms part of Martin Salter’s Angling Trust Fighting for Fishing blog and is reproduced in an edited form here in NZFisher with his kind permission.
30 www.nzfisher.co.nz
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Barry ‘Whelsh Baz’ Williams 1st NZ Brown trout today. Result!
READERPICS
A 5.5KG snap - caught by Kate Martin in Norhtland
Winner!
Fave Reader
Pics
Danny Wilson brought home a couple of mates after a morning out kayak fishing!
Callum Geekie with a stunning 7.8kg snapper landed from the rocks in Northland
32 www.nzfisher.co.nz
Chad with another beautiful surfcast caught snapper
One of Chad Prenitce’s frinds with a great beach caught snapper.
Wet feet, damp clothes and tired eyes as a fantastic nights fishing come to a close with the last cast on sun rise.
T
Goal (x4) achieved on Sat 3 May 2014, first marlin, first for boat, solo, and caught on own lure - Geoff Marmont (Sorry we’re late Geoff!) Luke Stout’s son Sebastian with his first ever squid at Owhanake Bay
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PRODUCTREIVIEW
NewKayak Strap SystemsWins on AllFronts
Boa Straps utilise simple, rugged, recycled materials for securing tricky loads NZFISHER RECENTLY HAD the opportunity to put a new and extremely versatile product to the test. Boa Straps have evolved out of the need for a tie down system that can be adapted to nearly any application. The key to their versatility lies in the stretch provided by lengths of recycled tire inner tube rubber, and in the cleverly designed metal rings that allow you to quickly adjust the number of rubber lengths you may need. Each of these metal rings has a small gap that allows the rubber lengths to be removed or added. These gaps are concealed by a rubber o-ring when you aren’t making adjustments. A great bonus for marine applications such as fishing, is the use of rubber coated Aluminium (which won’t rust like the hooks on most ratchet tie downs) for the metal rings and the attachment hooks. While the potential uses of Boa Straps
34 www.nzfisher.co.nz
for fishers and boaties is virtually endless, we trialled a set for the purpose of securing a four metre fishing kayak to the roof of a car. After some initial adjustments two straps were set up to a length where they provided a decent amount of tension when secured across the kayak. To me this is the real benefit; these straps are now customised for that application. So when I next take my kayak out for a spin there is no need for any adjustments, no metal ratchet that has seized or could scratch my car and no long tag end of strap that needs to be tied up. I have probably halved the time it takes to put my kayak on the roof, but I can still use the straps for another application if required. Boa Straps can be found online and you can check out the NZFisher review on YouTube. Boa straps were reviewed by NZFisher. No payment was made for this review. ●
NEWPRODUCTS
Hutchwilcoattheforefront ofmarinesafety NEW ZEALAND’S LEADING manufacturer and distributor of quality marine safety equipment, recreational and performance water sports products Hutchwilco Limited has released their latest inflatable life jacket, the Hutchwilco Pro Spec 170N.The Hutchwilco Pro Spec 170N inflatable lifejacket is a great low profile item that has twice the buoyancy of a conventional jacket, but without the size and bulk of a traditional unit. The 170N comes in either a manual inflation version, in which a mechanism activates at the pull of the cord and releases a C02 canister inflating the jacket. Alternatively there is an automatically inflating version of the Pro Spec, which will inflate when immersed in water. With twice the buoyancy of a conventional foam lifejacket, and in the case of the automatic version, once inflated the 170 Pro Spec will rapidly turn and unconscious wearer onto their back.
An oral inflation tube is also fitted and after use the jacket is manually deflated via the oral tube and can be rearmed again for future use. An outer cover with soft neoprene around the neck provides more comfort for the wearer and a mesh back gives an improved fit. The Hutchwilco Pro Spec 170N range comes with a black cover when not inflated, and becomes rescue yellow when inflated. A built in crotch strap is also available if required for offshore sailing. For your nearest retailer visit www.hutchwilco.co.nz â—?
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FISHINGENVIRONMENT
What is the State of our Gulf? What’s really happening out there?
THE STATE OF THE Hauraki Gulf/ Tikapa Moana and its implications will be explored in a seminar at Auckland Museum on Monday, October 20. The event brings together scientists, thinkers and leaders to
Forum’s recent ‘State of our Gulf’ report. Ngati Manuhiri’s Mook Hohneck is kaitiaki of Hauturu/ Little Barrier Island, one of the country’s most important wildlife
explore the changing nature of the Gulf and
sanctuaries. Recent treaty settlements
the responses needed to keep it healthy and
recognise the role of tangata whenua in
productive, and follows the Hauraki Gulf
management of the Gulf’s islands.
36 www.nzfisher.co.nz
Architect Nat Cheshire sees the Auckland’s future turning seaward, while journalist and economic commentator Rod Oram considers the city on its 200th Anniversary Day in 2040. But all is not plain sailing on the Gulf. Dr Shane Kelly explains the finding of the new State of our Gulf report, while Massey University’s Dr Mike Joy tracks trends in our rivers and NIWA’s Dr Sean Handley the impacts of trawling on the seabed. Awareness and appreciation of the Gulf’s resources is growing. Chef and restaurateur Al Brown finds every fish fantastic, while film maker Steve Hathaway is creating acclaimed children’s television. Nick Main
is leading the Sea Change – Tai Timu Tai Pari Stakeholder Working Group in the preparation of a marine spatial plan. Hauraki Gulf Forum Chair John Tregidga says everyone has a part to play in protecting and enhancing the Gulf and a new culture of care is emerging among users. The seminar will hear about the restoration of Okahu Bay by Ngati Whatua o Orakei, efforts to reduce seabird capture by long line skipper Adam Clow, the Revive our Gulf project to restore mussel beds, and from three emerging youth leaders.●
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COMPETITIONS
Competitions! Share an Awesome Photo and Be in to Win! (NZ ents lopm e v e D
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COMPETITIONS
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TERMS AND CONDITIONS Winner/s must email jenniferl@espiremedia.com within 14 days of publication to claim their prize. Competitions are only open to NZ residents residing within NZ. One entry per person for each competition. Prize pack product/s may vary from pictures. Prize/s not exchangeable or redeemable for cash. Winner/s will be selected at random and no discussion will be entered into after the draw. Winner/s will be announced in NZ Fisher e-publication. If winner/s fail to make contact within the claim period, Espire Media may redraw the prize. Secondary winner/s will be announced on the NZ Fisher Facebook page. Prizes must be collected by the winner unless courier delivery is specifically offered by the sponsor as part of the competition. Your contact details will not be given to any third party, except for the purposes of delivering a prize.
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