NZ Fisher Issue 46

ISSUE 46

April 2015

Catching

your Dream Fish NZFisher goes hunting

www.nzfisher.co.nz

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Contents ABOUT / Short and sharp, NZ Fisher is a free e-magazine delivering thought provoking and enlightening articles, and industry news and information to forward-thinking fisher people.

EDITOR / Derrick Paull GROUP EDITOR / Colin Kennedy ART DIRECTOR / Jodi Olsson CONTENT ENQUIRIES / Phone Derrick on 021 629 327 or email derrickp@NZ Fisher.co.nz ADVERTISING ENQUIRIES / Phone Jennifer on 09 522 7257

5..

6..

Editorial Catching those Dream Fish

14.. When the Trout Dry Up, Look to the Hills 18.. Miri International Deep Sea Fishing Tournament Reels in Anglers from Across the Globe

or email jenniferl@espiremedia.com ADDRESS / NZ Fisher, C/- Espire Media, PO Box 137162, Parnell, Auckland 1151, NZ WEBSITE / www.NZFisher.co.nz This is a GREEN MAG, created and distributed without the use of paper so it's environmentally friendly. Please think before you print. Thank you!

20.. Rock fishing with my dad 24.. Reader Pics 26.. Competition Cover Image: Keisha Peraua with a beauty snapper - Care of her proud dad John

www.nzfisher.co.nz 3

Know what you’re doing Wide range of courses for all types of boating available nationwide

Specialty Courses

Core Courses

RYA Courses

Day Skipper

Coastal Skipper

Marine Medic

Powerboating

Boatmaster

Ocean Yachtmaster

Sea Survival

Motor Cruising

Maritime VHF Operator Certificate

Radar

Sea Kayak and Waka Ama

Sail Cruising

GPS Operator

Club Safety Boat Operator

PWC

Engine Maintenance

Bar Crossing

Phone 0800 40 80 90 or visit www.boatingeducation.org.nz

Editorial THANK YOU NZFISHER READERS for your positive and constructive feedback to my editorial rant in Issue 45. There’s a real groundswell of discontent with the way our fishery is managed, and more importantly a move by individuals to get behind groups who actively work to protect and enhance our rights to fish for fun and food.

I cannot deny there was a couple of negative responses – well considered but I suspect largely sent from my friends at Seafood NZ or New Zealand Rock Lobster Industry Council. I’ve had feedback from the Office of The Minister of Primary Industries that he had a read and all going well he’s reading the same from my contemporaries at other top publications.

So, what can we actually do to make a desire for change a real change for the best? One of the newer resistance groups, Fish Fight Aotearoa, are loosely basing their fight on Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall’s Fish Fight UK, to reduce or eliminate wasteful dumping of fish by commercial interests. From what I can see they’re looking to disrupt life and gain public interest as their first line of attack. I’ve asked for a bit more information, but they’re not yet able to respond. I’ll bring what I can when I learn more. They goals of Fish Fight Aotearoa are lofty but echo a lot of what the fishing public are asking for; Ban Trawling inside the 12 mile limit, implementation of rec-only reserves (in line with National Government 20011 election promises and policy), end wasteful discards and accidental death and more.

Along with Legasea, The Recfish Council and Our Fishing Future, Fish Fight are building awareness, educating and adding pressure to those who make the decisions that disrespect the fishery we love.

Once again, we’re at the end of a long, pretty good summer, and there’s plenty of happy memories of big fish fought, caught and lost both in-shore and off-shore. The weather has oscillated between sublime (New Year’s week) and ridiculous (Cyclone Pam’s swells). The fishing in Team NZFishers camp has been sporadic at best, but the results, fitted in when time, family and weather have allowed have been choice.

We’ve worked hard to find a diverse range of species and to look outside our normal Snapper and Kingfish haunts. I took this to the extreme recently when I loaded a rifle into the truck instead of the rods.

A conservationist at heart, adding goats to my species list. I consider it a national service when I remove a noxious pest from the ecosystem, so I apologise if my goat hunting trip is a bit off topic for NZFisher, but it was a hell of a trip!

We’re in planning for some pretty big winter moocher hunts – nothing like winter snapper hunts to get the blood pumping (and the odd whisky doesn’t help) so it’s time to put the goldies away and dust off the bloody bait rigs – it’s moocher time!

Derrick www.nzfisher.co.nz 5

SPORTSFISHING

Catching those

Dream Fish

By Martin Salter

A golden mahseer like this from a remote Himalayan river is Martin’s next target - but with the nearest tackle shop 500 miles away preparation is crucial

WE SHOULD WELCOME the news that

and how much I’ve had to learn about tactics,

the BBC Natural History Unit, the world’s

travel and tackle along the way. As it happens,

leading producer and broadcaster of nature

I’m right in the middle of another ‘fish frenzy’

programmes, is applying its considerable

in preparation for my first ever trip to the

expertise to bringing angling back to

Himalayas to try and catch both golden and

mainstream television with the forthcoming

chocolate mahseer.

series The Big Fish.

The dining room table is a mass of lures,

The Angling Trust is proud to be

braid and various items of luggage that

supporting and promoting this exciting

will hopefully withstand the rigours of

new programme. It will see anglers from

whitewater rafting and possibly the hardest

the UK pitting their wits and skills against

fighting freshwater fish on the planet. Back

some unfamiliar species in six exotic but

in the 1990s I caught some huge Mahseer

challenging locations around the world.

in Southern India. Although these mountain

Talking to the programme’s production team

river battlers of the North may be a little

about how the anglers will have to prepare

smaller, they inhabit such remote and hostile

themselves for fishing in far off waters got me

environments that this was one challenge I

thinking about my foreign fishing adventures

wasn’t going to let pass me by.

Orca in the anchor

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Rods for Travel The arrival of good quality, affordable, multipieced travel rods couldn’t come quickly enough for those of us fed up with lugging huge, extendable ‘Bazooka’ style rod cases through international airport terminals. Being able to pack your rods away in your luggage is not only convenient, it’s also one less thing for the airlines to lose, or send to the wrong continent. It also enables the traveling angler to disguise to would-be thieves the fact that My first River Cauvery monster came in 1996 in the company of the late and legendary fishing guide Bola

those bags may be worth pilfering.

For heavy duty work, I can personally recommend the Deep Blue range from Snowbee and the Trek travel rods from Fox.

Since standing down from the UK Parliament

These tough workhorses will land anything

in 2010 I’ve been lucky enough to have

from tarpon to giant marlin.

landed some cracking fish on my travels

For lighter work, and by that I mean using 30

including: marlin, kingfish, tuna, shark,

to 50lb braid and lures up to 50 grams, I’ve

barramundi and Silver Trevally in Australia;

become a huge fan of the Shimano Exage

Snapper, Kahawai and trout in New Zealand;

and the Sonik new SK4 ranges. The Exage

sailfish, amberjack and wahoo in Kenya;

was probably the first quality travel rod on

Giant Trevally and bonefish in the Seychelles;

the market and I’m packing their new 9ft

bass and pollack in Ireland; golden dorado in Argentina; salmon in Scotland and tarpon, barracuda and grouper in Cuba.

11inch model (rated at 20 to 50 grams) for the mahseer trip as a back up to the heavier Snowbee tarpon rod that can throw lures and spoons up to 100grams. Sonik are relatively

What follows is hopefully a handy guide to

new kids on the block but I took the SK4

making the most of a trip of a lifetime and

to the Scillies last summer and it was just

ensuring that you put yourself in with a

the job for firing out light soft plastics while

fighting chance of actually landing those fish

retaining enough power to bully some pretty

you’ve spent so long dreaming about.

powerful wrasse out of their rocky homes.

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My good friend Al McGlashan with a lovely Australian kingfish - these are some of the toughest fighters around

Reels that last The big learning curve for me came during my time in Australia when my previously ‘indestructible’ Shimano baitrunner literally exploded as I tried, unsuccessfully, to keep an angry kingfish out of the reef.

I’m afraid the clutches on our standard freshwater reels are rarely up to the job of using heavy braid on hard fighting sport fish. A great place to check out informed and unbiased reviews of various reels is the American striped bass forum Stripers Online. Don’t make the obvious spelling mistake when googling their site, or you could be in for a shock!

The Yanks take their tackle seriously, and it was this review that decided me to track

8 www.nzfisher.co.nz

down a nearly new Shimano Spheros 8000 on eBay at a bargain price.

Penn also have an excellent range of spinning reels and their Fierce 5000 is reasonably priced but with a drag that pulls an impressive 25lbs. Again, both models are in the bag for India and have been spooled up with 65 and 50lb braid in readiness for tackling muscular mahseer in a powerful and rocky river.

If your pockets are deep enough then it’s worth taking a peek at Daiwa’s Saltiga range with their mag sealed, carbon clutches that can slow down a London bus if required.

These are top quality bits of kit that have landed huge fish all over the world and will last half a lifetime.

Balls Pyramid - home to some tackle testing fish and where a valuable lesson was learned.

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Hooks that hold

One final tip that I learned the expensive

Coming from an environment where I rarely

way - chemically sharpened and super

caught anything with teeth it took me a

strong hooks like the Owner ST66 are

while to adjust to some of the creatures I

brilliant until you bounce them across the

was encountering Down Under. There was

rocks a couple of times. Then you discover

one fish, known as the Bluefish in America

that they are virtually impossible to

-the Aussies call them Tailor - which

sharpen so it’s worth also packing a brand

also went by the nickname of ‘chopper’.

that can be filed back into shape.

Whether using bread, prawn or fish baits in Sydney Harbour, the result was invariably the same.

Lines and Braid

A savage bite and a missing hook. They

You can take your pick from the mass

wouldn’t look at a bait on a wire trace so

of braids available, but you won’t go far

I resorted to using long shanked hooks in

wrong with bulk spools of PowerPro or

sizes 2 and 4 and the problem was all but

Berkley’s Whiplash for your heavier work.

solved. These days I always carry a few long

Check out Henry Gilbey’s blog for an

shanks with me on my travels as even some

in-depth analysis of what else is on the

of the baitfish intended for larger quarry

market and for his favourite eight strand

can have sets of tackle robbing teeth.

braids that will deliver extra yards on the

I like to release the vast majority of the fish

cast - but at a price.

I catch, and deep hooking has no place the

Unless I’m targeting beasties like

fishing I do. I learned to use circle hooks

barracuda, dorado, wahoo or sharks

for live baiting. Once I got over the urge

I prefer to use tough, clear mono or

to strike and simply tightened into the

fluorocarbon for my leaders. Again there

running fish, I don’t recall ever hooking anything (even sharks) anywhere other than in the corner of the mouth.

The hook is the last item of tackle that should be compromised and it’s worth spending the extra on brands like Owner, Gamakatsu and Eagle Claw to ensure that when that dream fish finally comes along you are not going to be reeling in a crushed or straightened piece of useless wire.

10 www.nzfisher.co.nz

are plenty of top quality brands to choose from but I’ve settled on Seaguar flouro for anything below 35lbs and Berkley Big Game for towrope.

Remember that mono is far more abrasion resistant than braid and a decent length of leader can reduce losses from rub-offs on rocks or even from contact with the sharper parts of the fishes bodies.

One that didn’t get away!

Hooks that hold

I catch, and deep hooking has no place the

Coming from an environment where I rarely

fishing I do. I learned to use circle hooks for

caught anything with teeth it took me a

live baiting. Once I got over the urge to strike

while to adjust to some of the creatures I was

and simply tightened into the running fish,

encountering Down Under. There was one

I don’t recall ever hooking anything (even

fish, known as the Bluefish in America -the

sharks) anywhere other than in the corner of

Aussies call them Tailor - which also went by

the mouth.

the nickname of ‘chopper’. Whether using

The hook is the last item of tackle that should

bread, prawn or fish baits in Sydney Harbour,

be compromised and it’s worth spending the

the result was invariably the same. A savage

extra on brands like Owner, Gamakatsu and

bite and a missing hook. They wouldn’t look

Eagle Claw to ensure that when that dream

at a bait on a wire trace so I resorted to using

fish finally comes along you are not going to

long shanked hooks in sizes 2 and 4 and

be reeling in a crushed or straightened piece

the problem was all but solved. These days

of useless wire.

I always carry a few long shanks with me on my travels as even some of the baitfish intended for larger quarry can have sets of tackle robbing teeth.

I like to release the vast majority of the fish

One final tip that I learned the expensive way - chemically sharpened and super strong hooks like the Owner ST66 are brilliant until you bounce them across the rocks a couple of times. Then you discover that they are v

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The GT Knot

Lefty’s Loop Knot

Just the name of this knot should inspire confidence for if there’s a fish in the ocean that pulls harder pound for pound than a Giant Trevally then I’ve yet to find it. It is an easy tie to a braided loop, it will never slip, and importantly, the mono tag ends up pointing up the line meaning that it can be cast through the rod rings without catching.

It is the perfect knot for those long, wind on, leaders necessary for bringing big fish safely to the boat. Check it out here.

I’m assuming everyone is reading this can tie a Grinner or Uni knot and these are perfectly good for use with swivels or eyed hooks.

The FG Knot The FG is now Henry Gilbey’s favourite and can be tied to a single strand of braided mainline. This one is fiddly to tie but has such a low profile it runs through the rod rings so smoothly you will barely hear it.

This is because there’s no loop in the mono as the knot relies instead on a cross weave of braided wraps digging into the leader in the manner of a Chinese Burn. I’ll leave to Henry to sing its praises and show you the instructional video.

The travel arrangement will require some thought!

12 www.nzfisher.co.nz

However, there are times when you want a reliable non-slip loop knot to allow the fly or lure more freedom of movement than a stiff mono or flouro leader will permit. Named after the famous American fly fisherman Lefty Kreh this is a knot well worth learning and one in which I have complete confidence. It also ties up easier than the Grinner in thicker diameter lines, so I often use it as an alternative.

More Knots There’s a heap more knots out there, and you can find a selection below but if you master these four you won’t go far wrong.

“I’m counting the days until that plane takes off on the next bucket list adventure, and I like to think I’ll be prepared for whatever challenges the river, and the fishing has to offer.“ Creature Comforts The Himalayan trip will involve rafting through some none too warm water and sleeping in tents on shingle beaches.

Keeping warm and enjoying a decent night’s sleep are priorities for me these days which is why I’ve handed over some more cash for a blow-up mattress and some neoprene long johns.

I’m told we may suffer from sand flies at dawn and dusk, so those light trousers that zip apart at the knee are going into the bag along with a couple long sleeved tropical Sportfishing shirts. Fashionable we will not look!

Staying Safe A bit of danger and excitement are a big part of these trips, but it makes no sense

to take unnecessary risks. The sea and the jungle can be dangerous places so go with people who know what they are doing, wear lifejackets where appropriate, respect the wildlife, particularly those that might want to eat you. Protect your head and skin from the sun and never travel without a first aid kit and a means of escape.

I’m counting the days until that plane takes off on the next bucket list adventure, and I like to think I’ll be prepared for whatever challenges the river, and the fishing has to offer. I hope the contestants in the BBC’s Big Fish programme become just as excited and that they get, not only to hook, but to land some fish of their dreams.

Note: we are planning to feature video footage from the Himalayan Mahseer trip in a forthcoming episode of Fishing Britain which can be found on YouTube. 

This piece originally appeared in Martin’s blog http://fightingforfishing.anglingtrust.net/ and is reproduced in an edited form with his kind permission

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FLYFISHING

When the Trout

Dry Up, Look to the Hills In search of late summer rises, low water levels had driven the fish out of the mountains, so we raised our eyes to the hills.

By Derrick Paull

I LOVE HUNTING PESTS. As a kid, I was introduced to using firearms to keep possum and rabbit numbers down on a family friend’s farm. There’s not much better than shooting a gun when the net result is one less pest to terrorise our native species. My angle is conservation, but there’s not much I don’t like about hunting pests, especially when I get to hike about in the foothills of our great mountain ranges in the company of a good friend.

Hamish leading the way up hill 14 www.nzfisher.co.nz

Back straps - a delicious side effect of pest hunting

My first Goat

I took the family to the Wairarapa for Easter

The Valley itself is sparsely populated and is

and despite efforts to get the local Browns

proposed to be flooded in order to provide

to sup a dry under the willows, we left the

an irrigation scheme for the Wairarapa

Ruamahunga empty-handed. My host and

farmers. As the heartfelt, basic hand-painted

guide Hamish was keen for some more

signs along the riverside mournfully state

action and hatched a plan to nab a hair or

‘8 Homes will be flooded’. Having been

goat in the Tararuas the next day.

there now, I cannot fathom the madness

Hamish has friends with pest problems all

required to justify the flooding of this

over the Wairarapa so with some smoked Kahawai in hand as a sweetener to get

valley in order to feed more cows whose defecation will lead to further poisoning of

some good access we headed up the

the Ruamahunga River downstream.

Mangataere Valley. This valley creeps up

When we parted with the smoked fish,

off the plains, and you’re quickly in the

we were directed to a valley where there

deep ‘V’ of a lowland valley that steepens

had been recent goat sightings. I’m not

rapidly into a full-blown mountain valley

afraid of a long walk, but the hills here look

in only a few kilometres.

Himalayan from ground zero.

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Scree makes for a fun retrieval

The nanny goat

However, every journey begins with a

As the guest, Hamish kindly gave me the

single step and my first step, in this case,

first shot and despite the high doses of

was straight into a bog. Luckily, that’s

both adrenaline and lactic acid a single

as bad as it got. We silently hiked up,

bullet took out the kid. I’d expected the

up and up but saw very little below the

nanny to run, but she stood her ground,

bush line for a long time. After heading

looking bewildered as to the noise as she

over a saddle at 450 metres, we spotted

couldn’t see the kid from her perch.

a flock of wild goats on the opposite side of a river valley to the south on another owner’s land and frustratingly off limits despite their pest status.

A second shot brought her down and left us with the task of traversing a steep valley and the scree slope to recover the animals. Both were felled quickly by

On our descent, on the opposite side of our

instant kill shots. Full credit to Hamish’s

valley Hamish notice some movement on

.223 and incredible scope that made me

a scree slope a few hundred metres away.

We ran as best we could to get to a clear spot to take a shot and remain in cover.

Hamish had spotted to goats, a nanny and a yearling kid traversing the scree slope and stopping intermittently to eat. They were heading for cover when we settled.

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look good.

I do hate pests that damage Aotearoa, but I’m not into waste so as best I could I took the hind quarters, backstraps and the unaffected forequarter.

We didn’t cross any more nasties on the way

out, but I did spot some Kokopu in the valley stream which was a pretty cool end to the morning walk.

Back at home I tested the eating qualities of the goat and found that a decent dose of smoke and some hours in the oven makes a very tasty dish. Goat is often relegated to curry but if prepared well and given time to tenderise in the oven, it’s a delicious meat – and very low in fat. Yum! ■

The e nd

resul t

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TROPICALFISHING

Miri International Deep Sea Fishing Tournament Reels in Anglers from Across the Globe THE 9TH MIRI CITY International Deep Sea

Miri is now noted among sport fishing

Fishing Tournament will be taking place at

enthusiasts and anglers internationally as one

Luconia Shoals, about 10 hours boat ride from

of the four places in Malaysia offering true

Miri shoreline, from 23 to 26 April.

world class fishing.

This annual event has been the a hot topic

The internationally recognised sport fishing

between anglers all over the world. The

event has attracted anglers from England,

fishing haven is not only home to hundreds

India, Netherlands, New Zealand, Australia,

of marine lives but also known to be one of

Germany, Brunei, Singapore, China and Hong

the biggest coral reefs area.

Kong, apart from local Malaysians.

Those who have participated in the

Following the popularity of the annual

tournament in previous years are already

event, the number of participants including

making preparations to come back and relive

participation of foreign anglers has been

the wonderful fishing experience once again.

increasing every year.

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What makes the tournament a one of a kind experience is its location, the world-class sport fishing destination - Luconia Shoals.

Luconia Shoals, sometimes known as the Luconia Reefs, are one of the largest and (thankfully) least known reef complexes in the South China Sea.

This year, a new category have been added to the tournament: the Fish Species Category, where anglers are encouraged to diversify and not focus on one species but to search out and catch many different species.

The shoals lie 100 kilometres (62 miles) off the Sarawak coast of Borneo, southwest of the southernmost members of the Spratly Islands.

The Fish Species Category will have six winners; one for each species, namely Ruby, Snapper, Amber Jack, Grouper, Tuna and Mangrove Jack. The person with the biggest catch of each type of fish will be declared the winner.

Extending over an area of several thousand square kilometres, both the north and south groups of the shoals are permanently submerged at a depth of five to 40 metres (16 to 131 feet) below sea level. There are extensive oil and natural gas resources under the seabed in this area, which is also home to various fish species including manta rays, wrasse and grouper.

NZFisher goes out at about the same time the tournament is being run, but if you’re heading to Malaysia get in touch with the team at Tourism Malaysia for more info.

We’re looking to send a team in 2016, so let us know if you’re interested in joining us or if you’d like to experience the tournament yourself. ■

Among others, the tournament also promotes the need for the preservation of coral reefs and marine lives among anglers.

Thanks to Tourism Malaysia for this provision of the images included.

www.nzfisher.co.nz 19

Rock

BENISLAND.CO.NZ

Fishing with my Dad Having my dad over for a visit is great.

Dad with the best fish of the day, estimated at 3lbs

IT IS HIS FIRST TIME on beniSland and one

important thing is to let them know that

thing I wanted to make sure of was that his

getting up early is mandatory.

first rock fishing mission on the Barrier would be a success. Partly because I want him to land and eat decent fish, but also because I would probably not hear the end of it if I took him fishing, and we ended up empty-handed.

My dad is very fit and able (for his age), but the old knees and tendons are not used to our rocky shores. Thus, unfortunately, he cannot experience fishing those remote

Fishing is an awesome sport and I’ve come to

ledges that I love to hike to. It would be just

notice that everyone is an expert and most

too much of a mission and beat the purpose.

people are not shy to make suggestions, theorise and make remarks based on, well, pure assumption and thin air.

Finding The Right Spot

When it comes to taking less experienced

Somewhere easy to get to that does not

people rock fishing, I’ve learned that the

involve climbing. It shouldn’t be more than

recipe for success is to NOT let them

half an hour of easy grade walking. Moreover,

participate in the decision-making part of

the spot should have plenty of foul close by

when and where to go fishing. Another

so that casting far is not necessary.

20 www.nzfisher.co.nz

1. CONDITIONS & TIDE Saturday, 28.03.2015, Great Barrier Island, calm sea, overcast, variable 5 knots of wind, early morning. Low tide at 0830.

We had the Burley deployed and the first baits in the water by about 7ish.

2. THE RIG A two hooked rig is not appropriate for less experienced anglers when fishing off the rocks in shallow, foul-laden waters. There are few reasons for this:

i. I ncreased chance of snagging on the ground and losing gear.

ii. Assisting with the snag and rerigging the line further reduces the amount of active fishing time.

iii. E very nibble and bite feels like a monster fish to a less-experienced angler, and therefore they start fiddling about and striking too often. My dad warned me that he would not be keen to snag in the foul. Moreover, he warned me that he would not like to go somewhere where there are little fish; he doesn’t like hooking into one small fish after another. Geez, speaking of pressure and the fun of fishing, aye? So I rigged his line with a 6/0 sized circle hook. A simple rig, about half a meter of 50 lbs trace, no weight and uni-knot-tied hook at the end. The only other thing I did was explain to dad how the circle hook works and that he shall not strike when he feels a bite.

“When it comes to taking less experienced people rock fishing, I’ve learned that the recipe for success is to NOT let them participate in the decision-making part of when and where to go fishing.”

3. THE HOOKUP After landing and releasing about a handful of undersized snapper, Dad got a feeling for how to cast and to operate rod and reel. This was quite evident when I, while rerigging my line, told dad that he was hooked up and his only gesture was to show me his hand, as in: “Yup, I know what I’m doing.”

He increased the drag and had a secure footing while playing his fish.

The waters here are very shallow, and the kelp is omnipresent, so I feared the worst as he was taking his time to land his fish. Eventually, he got snagged, and I went to assist him.

I had no clue what he was fighting, for all I knew it could have been another 15 cm snapper. I wrestled the line out of the weeds and felt a good thumb plus some weight so I immediately gave him the rod back and told him to land his fish. Dad reeled in a nice snapper, the fish of the day and I’m sure he was enthusiastic on the inside.

www.nzfisher.co.nz 21

BENISLAND.CO.NZ

He’s definitley more enthusiastic than he’s looking here!

22 www.nzfisher.co.nz

This photo was shot after we packed up and were about to leave. We got in at dawn....

What Else Happened Well, I managed to hook a trevally but lost it at my feet, and the same thing happened with a Kahawai. There were plenty of piper in the burley stream but I didn’t have my piper rod/reel on me. As we did not land any fish suitable for using as bait, and because the waters were simply full of extremely aggressive snapper, we went through a bag of pilchards and squid pretty quickly. We landed four keeper snapper.

The best thing I could have done today was to try to land a few piper with a sabiki rig

and send one out under a balloon, with the intention of landing a big snapper. I’m sure there was one around today…

Dad landed a couple more snapper, and we fished actively for about two hours. The circle hook rig worked fine, he lost the rig on his last cast and was, therefore, able to fish actively for the whole couple of hours.

Good fun, good fish for the table and I assume he might smile when he lands a fish twice that size. He didn’t seem impressed today, so yeah, let’s see what we can do on our second trip. ■

This article is reproduced with permission of Ben Assado. Check out Ben’s website www.benisland.co.nz for more fishing stories and a great read about island life

www.nzfisher.co.nz 23

READERPICS

Jesse Stubinitsky with a fat Hauraki Kahawai that gave him the run around on dads boat

Reader

Pics Brian Knight 21lb snapper on $79 reel!!

Afzal Rashid with a great work-up snapper from his mate Saffia Sabir’s Boat this autumn

24 www.nzfisher.co.nz

Ella, Luke & Ryan Dorward with Lukes fantastic JD caught on a recent family holiday

Caitlin Shore with her first ever snapper at 42 cm length she is still smiling about it, kind of cool

Marc & Lucien Touchette with their Easter kayak trip haul

Keisha Peraua with a beauty snapper - Care of her proud dad John

Teghan Errington. and friends with some solid Bluenose

www.nzfisher.co.nz 25

COMPETITIONS

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Share an awesome photo this month and be in to WIN a $150 Composite Developments Voucher!

Share an awesome photo of you with a

- click here to view.

fish to our Facebook page, or email it

This months winner is Caitlin Shore

to derrickp@fisher.co.nz by May 15 and

with the lure that snagged this solid you’ll be in to win an $150 voucher from West Coast Marlin. He has won a $150 Composite Developments to spend on Composite Developments voucher, happy anything you like from their 2015 catalogue spending Caitlin! �

26 www.nzfisher.co.nz

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