NZ Fisher Issue 48

ISSUE 48

June 2015

Fish of a Lifetime www.nzfisher.co.nz

www.nzfisher.co.nz 1

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

4.. Editorial

ART DIRECTOR / Jodi Olsson CONTENT ENQUIRIES /

6..

Wanderlust Back Home

Phone Derrick on 021 629 327 or email derrickp@NZ Fisher.co.nz ADVERTISING ENQUIRIES /

14.. Restoring Abundance by Reducing Waste

Phone Jennifer on 09 522 7257 or email jenniferl@espiremedia.com ADDRESS / NZ Fisher,

16.. Another Fish of a Lifetime

C/- Espire Media, PO Box 137162, Parnell, Auckland 1151, NZ WEBSITE / www.NZFisher.co.nz

20.. Hard Struggle on the Barrier Haggle 24.. Reader Pics

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!

28.. Video of the Month 29.. Competitions Cover Image: Rod & Reel’s Chris O’Neil with a MASSIVE Three Kings Bass on jig

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Editorial THERE HAVE BEEN A plethora of good fishing stories coming in during the early weeks of June. I’ve heard plenty of grumblings about the patchy snapper fishing in the Hauraki Gulf, but the weekend after Queens Birthday saw a real turn around in fortunes with excellent numbers of good sized fish coming in.

That’s a relief, but I wonder – as many others do – where have they been? It’s not like you can hide 60million snapper (NIWA’s estimate of Hauraki Gulf snapper numbers).

For weeks (or months) there’s been massive bait schools surrounded in jack-mackerel and kahawai and marauding packs of

the difficulty in landing the resident trevs,

kingfish throughout the gulf, but very few

not made any easier when fished for on

snapper accompanying them. For a while

fly rods. Nick’s put some words together

we’ve been wondering whether there was

and we’ll get a look at this potential world

a genuine decline in fish numbers – again,

record fish soon.

time will tell.

Nick’s fish is not necessarily his fish of a

The charter fleet have finished up at the

lifetime, but for many a trevally that size

Three Kings and returned with some pretty

would be the result of a lot of hard ‘work’,

remarkable stories. The one I’ve come

learning about and targeting big fish. In this

across is a potential world record trevally on

issue we look at a number of remarkable

fly by Auckland angler Nick Whitby. Anyone

catches that have become ‘fish of a lifetime’

who’s fished the Three Kings will appreciate

for the anglers.

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Jamie Cook, a Briton whom I had the pleasure of hosting in Auckland on a very wild October day last year, returned to the UK and re-engaged with his local carp pond – we have Jamie’s remarkable tale in this issue. Along with and Jamie’s stories, I’ve also written about my new personal best snapper, but reflect on what these trophy fish mean to us as anglers. More and more I find myself fishing for the table, but there’s nothing like a new PB to re-ignite the flame that fires the trophy hunter’s desire.

On the 10th of June Maori TV ran a piece supplied to them by the recreational fishing protest group Fish Fight Aotearoa (FFA). The FFA spokesperson, Mr. Rhys Smith visited an Auckland Chinese restaurant and ordered a live crayfish for their meal. Rhy’s dinner mates filmed the meal and shared the results with Maori TV (and this was subsequently re-played on 7-Sharp). It’s an interesting proposition; should it be OK to eat an animal while it’s still alive?

Well, the law is very clear – you must kill the animal humanely prior to consumption. Also, I personally feel a bit

squeamish at the idea of a crayfish being served up ‘alive’ – but I have been known to eat fresh oysters and scallops very fresh and probably technically alive – so what does that say about me?

I’m led to believe there’s a history in Japan of ‘Ikizukuri’ (prepared alive), which is the preparation of sashimi made from live seafood. ‘Ying Yang’ fish, or deadand-alive fish, originated in Taiwan, and consists of a whole live fish which has had some of its flesh deep-fried in such a way that the fish seems to remain alive after the frying process.

Yes, it is a cruel end to a beautiful fish, but is it worse than the caged lives that chickens and pigs live in both New Zealand and the rest of the world? OK, it’s a long bow to draw and I actually don’t want to condone the practice, but I feel I’ll be asked to defend my use of live-bait one day as I’m torturing fish and feeding them, live, to their death. I hope I’m wrong because live-bait is singularly the best technique when hunting really big fish!

Tight lines,

Derrick www.nzfisher.co.nz 5

SPORTSFISHING

Aitutaki - Not a bad spot to be when not catching fish.

Wanderlust

Back Home Fish(es) of a lifetime By Jamie Cook

IN OCTOBER 2014 MY wife Verity and I were Never was that more clear to me than wading on the stunning flats of Aitutaki lucky enough to embark upon the trip of a in the Cook Islands attempting to lifetime, leaving our jobs and home in the sneak up on boisterous trevally and the South West of England and embarking on three months of what can only be described occasional unsuspecting grey ghost, tailing tantalisingly out of reach of all but my most as the most wonderful holiday imaginable. perfect cast. I had the fantastic fortune of I was born a passionate angler and joining now firm friends in both Sydney and that passion has grown and developed Auckland for days out on the water. throughout my lifetime. Anglers, As an Englishman I was armed with board wherever on Earth they call home or shorts, flip flops (Jandals I believe you choose to wet a line, are blessed with an call them) and a deep supply of factor intimate relationship with nature and 30. However after experiencing a blizzard their environment. in Sydney (in October) and a day out of Orca in the anchor 6 www.nzfisher.co.nz

Sunset on the pond

Auckland where every item of clothing I had bought with me was tested to its limit, I couldn’t prevent my mind drifting back to a very special reed lined pool tucked away from the world at the end of a farm track in England, and it is there I want to take you now.

My round the World angling sabbatical taught me that fishermen of all creeds, colours and backgrounds find the European and more specifically the Englishman’s desire to target, feed, catch, photograph and release fish as bizarre as my nonangling friends. What’s more they find the fact that we chose to camp out through the night under an umbrella with rods baited and placed on alarms not only targeting carp but targeting carp which have been named – quite preposterous.

I must admit that growing up I shared their scepticism and whilst trotting a float (a subject for another time) down a beautiful chalk stream I couldn’t quite understand how those men ‘camping’ next to gravel pits or lakes were related in their obsession to me. I hope this short recollection will go some way not to explaining my love of this type of angling but to sharing the enjoyment I derive from immersing myself in this unlikely pursuit – carp fishing.

The lake in question is to be found far from the maddening crowd. It has always been run as a private fishery. The owner is a strict and fanatical conservationist selecting a syndicate of around 20 extremely lucky members who invest their time, money and energy into maintaining the fishery.

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SPORTSFISHING

Of course they also indulge in their own

hunch I knew where they were heading. It

personal journeys to catch some of the

is quite normal for the carp to spend much

fantastic fish, which saunter between

of their time in one area of a lake, only to

the lush weed beds that punctuate the

move large distances as darkness falls in

numerous bays and channels of this 14

order to feed elsewhere.

acre wetland.

They will also have defined feeding periods,

I received my ‘golden ticket’ in April 2014

perhaps only feeding for an hour or two per

and, as I returned to England from my

day. As a result there is a game of chess to

sabbatical, was met by the news that

play, ensuring that you are one step ahead

this lake was to open to the wider public

of the fish and not left with your baits in an

with our slightly peculiar ‘family’ being

area of the lake devoid of fish at the time

disbanded on 1st May.

they are feeding.

For me it felt like the adventure was over

At the south eastern end of the lake is a

almost before it had started. Working a

deep bay containing a large island. It’s an

nine to five job and having a wife I look

area I had never fished in before but I had

forward to coming home to, means that

always thrown a handful or two of bait

like most of us anglers my passion for

onto a couple of areas where the lakes silty

angling is held in balance by the other

bottom had been stripped back to reveal

aspects of my life. With this in mind I

smooth clay, a sure-fire sign that the carp

arrived at the lake, around 90 minutes’

had found something to their liking.

drive from my home at 6PM on April 30th giving me two hours of daylight.

Carp are filter feeders and will clean off areas of the bottom where they discover

First job as always was to negotiate the mile something to their liking, as they strip the long farm track. I drove on better roads up lake floor for tasty morsels in amongst the the side of volcanos in Nicaragua, and in

detritus. Within a lake it is entirely possible

a standard saloon car it’s always a white

for 99% of the bottom never to be fed upon

knuckle ride especially when the driver can

by the carp, and finding these selectively

smell the lake ahead of him and doesn’t

created ‘dining tables’ is the key to catching

want to drive slowly...

Thanks in this instance should be given to company cars! Once safely parked, a quick change out of the work suit, grab a bag of bait from the boot and crack open a can of cider to accompany me on a fish finding expedition.

your intended quarry.

The area I had seen the fish previously looked promising, and as it led to this interesting bay, I decided to set my traps there. I hoped that this quiet bay was their ultimate destination. My rods were ready to go with sinkers (we call them leads) and

On a previous visit two weeks earlier, I had

I simply had to attach a bait comprising of

seen a couple of fish in a quiet channel of

eggs, ground fish meal, a few other bits and

the lake just before nightfall and I had a

pieces and a touch of semolina for good luck.

8 www.nzfisher.co.nz

Sunrise on ‘that’ day.

The concoction is boiled to give it a tough

members manage between six and 10 fish

outer skin to prevent small fish from

across an entire year so when I awoke to

devouring it. This ‘boillie’ is attached to the

answer a call of nature at first light and four

shank of the size six hook via a small loop

carp had graced the inside of my landing

whipped down from the eye, leaving the

net through the night I was elated. The

hook completely bare and free to penetrate

camp stove was summoned to deliver the

the carp’s bottom lip if it were to pick up

traditional English panacea and no success

the bait, which can slide freely up and

would be complete without a cup of tea.

down the loop – all very technical.

I had to leave for work an hour later so

With three rods, all placed on possible carp dinner tables, and surrounded by around 60 identical baits to the one attached to my hook – introduced in an attempt to induce the fish to feed. I set the bite alarms to sound if a line was taken and retired a safe distance to set up camp.

when a line poured of the spool of my middle rod and the alarm squealed, my tea was jettisoned into a nearby bush as I rushed to save the rod from taking a morning swim. This fish was like nothing I had experienced during the night – when all of the fish had been under 14lb (6.5 kilos) – stripping around 50 yards of line

While this will sound absurd to every Kiwi

from me on its first run before grinding to a

reading, on this particular lake most of the

halt in a large weed-bed.

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SPORTSFISHING Wrestling the first trophy from the weeds

Australian Salmon (aka Kahawai) in Sydney Harbour

No manner of heaving or hauling would shift the fish so there was nothing for it but to slacken the drag and attempt to better Michael Johnson’s 400m World record in recovering the lakes boat from the other side of the lake. Once I had launched the small plastic craft, I used the single paddle to propel myself at an arduous pace back to base camp where I collected my rod and landing net, and set off in pursuit of my adversary.

10 www.nzfisher.co.nz

“Never in 30 years of fishing had I hooked three fish at once.

Now that I had, I wished I hadn’t so that I could instead concentrate all of my attention on the fish currently dragging around the lake. “

In itself, a fish of a lifetime.

Finally above the fish, I was back in contact and it tore off again with me in tow. At this point my right hand rod signalled that another fish had made a mistake and was now attempting to put as much distance between it, and the dinner table it had just been eating from, as possible.

I wished I hadn’t so that I could instead concentrate all of my attention on the fish currently dragging around the lake.

After a further 30 minutes of battling, I bundled the huge carp along with a similar weight of weed into my waiting net and paddled back to dry land. It was quickly evident that this was one of the biggest carp I had ever had the fortune to meet, so I unhooked her and placed her in a large retaining sack in the deep margin.

As I was being dragged around the lake there was nothing I could do but hold on and think what a ridiculous situation I found myself in. That thought was however interrupted by my final remaining rod being To my surprise the other two fish were picked up by a third fish. still attached to their respective rods, both having buried themselves in the weed.

The ridiculous situation had become ludicrous, never in 30 years of fishing had I Twenty-five minutes later I was late for work, soaked to the skin and my arm was hooked three fish at once. Now that I had,

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Tr ! ish yf oh

SPORTSFISHING

Th e3 0lb er

aching but I had three very large carp

learn, has clearly never had the opportunity

waiting to have their weights recorded and

to watch large carp feed and repeatedly

their photos taken.

reject angler’s rigs.

Whatever species you fish for, there is that

Species which are taken for the table make

magic size that takes it from the exceptional one mistake in their lives and never have to the extraordinary and elevates that a chance to learn from it, these fish are capture to a fish of the year, or even fish of

different and as we return to the question

a lifetime status. When the weight of the

of why us English would want to spend

first fish was recorded at 43lb 05oz, I had

our time trying to catch a fish perceived

achieved the latter.

as vermin in many other countries? Ask

But when the second fish weighed in at

yourself whether you have been lucky

42lb 15oz, I realised that on my last night

enough to outwit a creature with as many

on the lake the stars were clearly aligned

years on this planet as you have, then to

and I had caught two of its largest three

watch it return to its natural environment

residents. The third fish on any other

unharmed and ready to make another

day would have left me grinning like a

fisherman’s dreams come true – just as

Cheshire Cat (as an Englishman I use this

soon as it has stopped sulking at having

phrase despite the fact I have never been

made a mistake, that is.

to Cheshire) and, at 31lb, was a notable

Fishing is all about new experiences. Jigging

capture in its own right.

from a boat or flicking soft plastics was

Unlike big fish in most other locations

completely alien to me but I couldn’t have

around the world, these fish had been

enjoyed it more. Perhaps next time you

caught a number of times before and had

come across a neglected little pool, you

learnt from the experience. Anyone who

will rig up a rod and catch a few fish ‘coarse

tells you that fish have no memory or don’t

style’. If so, I hope you enjoy yourself. 

12 www.nzfisher.co.nz

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 www.nzfisher.co.nz 13

FISHERIESMANAGEMENT

Restoring Abundance

by Reducing Waste Snapper is the species most often targeted by recreational anglers in New Zealand. Update by Trish Rae, Legasea

IN 2012 NATIONWIDE amateur harvest

decrease the number of small fish caught,

of snapper was estimated to be 4811

to avoid gut hooking and ensure a high

tonnes. This is more than the combined

survival rate for released fish.

harvest of nine other popular species.

We can make changes so that the

Clearly snapper is a resilient species, but

fishery rebuilds to an abundant level

stock levels are below where they should

in our lifetime.

be and fishing pressure is too high.

If fishing for snapper, recreational fishers

LegaSea is encouraging recreational

can employ the LegaSea Fish Handling

fishers to learn new techniques to

Guide (under development).

14 www.nzfisher.co.nz

It incorporates some best practice techniques, including the following: • Avoid catching small fish • Move away from areas holding large numbers of small fish • Use soft baits or jigs that tend to target larger fish, with a high proportion lip hooked • When bait fishing use big baits on large hooks, 7/0 or 8/0s • Use hooks with a wire appendage designed to reduce the capture and gut hooking of small fish • Use circle hooks • Fish actively, by keeping in touch with your bait or jig to avoid gut hooking

• Learn about, and use, new tools that quickly return fish to a comfortable depth and help avoid predators. Useful tools are release weights and weighted fish grips • Quickly kill and chill in ice or slurry any fish being kept for eating • Use the www.FreeFishHeads.co.nz service to share unwanted heads and frames.

More detailed info at http://www.legasea. co.nz/faqs-management.php Share your own fish handling tips on LegaSea’s Facebook page.

Marlborough Sounds blue cod update A review is underway to decide the rules applying to recreational fishing of blue cod in the Marlborough Sounds and top of

• If planning to release fish, keep angling time to a minimum

the South Island. The Ministry for Primary

• Release fish in the water to reduce air time and stress on the fish

June. Please take the time to have a say

• If a fish must be removed from the water prior to release, use a rubber net and place the fish on a wet, cool surface.

Rubber nets will hold the fish with minimal damage to their eyes and skin

Industries submission deadline is 30th on this most prized fishery. http://www. legasea.co.nz/bluecod.php

Stand up Become a LegaSea Legend by making a regular $10 per month contribution. ■

Call 0800 LEGASEA (534 273)

Subscribe at www.legasea.co.nz

Email us info@legasea.co.nz

Read more at www.facebook.com/legasea

www.nzfisher.co.nz 15

Another Fish of

a Lifetime

I often find myself turning green with envy when I peruse Facebook and the fishing forums, seeing others loaded up with their trophy fish – massive smiles and tired arms cradling their fish of a lifetime. By Derrick Paull FOR MANY YEARS I targeted snapper from

crack this seemingly impossible feat. In

the shore, then the boat – always looking

1996 I walked for a couple of hours into

for a bigger model to pip my personal best.

Whangamumu in Northland. It’s a long walk

I remember the first 10lber, a handsome

and one I wasn’t really prepared for.

schoolie pulled from the weeds off the rocks at Matapaua Bay, Coromandel. I’d lugged in 30kgs of bait & burley for myself and a friend – I was 15 and very suggestable! The snapper took the first bait to hit the water that day, a still frozen piper on a single 7/0 gammy

I had heard mythical stories from club president Ted Audain about the 30lb+ snapper he’d seen, and lost, that dwarfed the humble 20’s they’d landed like pannies from the swarms of snapper at their feet and in

tied straight to the mainline. I thought it

the burley trail.

was the biggest snapper I’d ever land and

Ted spoke of the treacherous ‘razor back’, a

nearly fainted – first bait! That PB didn’t last

narrow ridge between two steep hills that

long as I kept learning, walking further and

was the only passage to reach the headlands

spending more time on the water.

of glory and the Whangamumu harbour. In

A couple of years later I still hadn’t cracked

my imagination I conjured up a scene not

the magical 20lb mark but pushed hard

unlike the Lord of the Rings where Gandalf

every time, egged on by my own desire to

shouts ‘Thou shall not pass’ to the balrog.

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I was a bit scared, a lot excited and not

merrily heading to a deeper ledge ‘out-there’.

entirely sure Ted was giving me sound

The mornings fishing was far less exciting

advice. Needless to say at 4am the next day I found myself in the company of others

than the walk until at 11am my un-weighted half blue mack got picked up and run

traipsing along the coast to Whangamumu.

strongly. I called it for a sting-ray; what else

The day was spectacular, sunny, calm and no

would be stupid enough to collect a bait

swell – perfect for sight-seeing and pretty

in the middle of this stunning, sunny day?

average for rock-fishing in the shallows.

After a brief struggle and some huffing on

We reached the razorback and it was

my behalf to get its head out of the weeds,

everything Ted had told me. A narrow, windy

the biggest snapper I’d ever hooked, popped

bridge merely inches wide precariously

up at the ledge awaiting a swift gaff shot.

stretching 100m above the rocks and sea

I was in awe – called it for ‘16lb’ and kept

– not to be trifled with and surely the final

fishing (admittedly in the midst of quite

resting place of many careless fishers (or

a buzz – even 16 was a new PB!). My next

so my over caffeinated brain was telling

bait, a quickly rigged pillie got hit almost

me!). We struck out across the bridge and

immediately and I laid into this fish, giving it

surprisingly to me 10 seconds later were

no credit at all – ‘Just a pannie’.

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My first 20, from the rocks.

And what a pannie! Bigger again than the previous fish. Gnarled, dark and kelpie this fish had 20lb written all over it. I knew I had a long, dehydrating walk ahead of me.

(Many thanks, Paul). My rescuer offered to share my load, but the caveat was I’d forfeited that fish – so gratefully I declined and struggled on.

I lasted another hour before deciding to head back. What had been a 2 hour walk in became a 4 ½ hour nightmare to get out, including a fall on the cusp of the ‘Razorback’ that saw me slide 30m amongst the manuka and being left upside down, trapped by my heavy pack on the lip of the drop off.

Eventually I get the fish back to camp and was blown away by discovering the larger of the two weighed in at 9.5kg and the smaller 9kg flat (both considered 20lbs’ back then).

Not one but two in a day – from the rocks!

I had to wait for a fellow fisher to come along, some half hour later to ‘rescue’ me.

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That story kept my fishing cred high for a few years, but I still searched for bigger. At the time the 9.5kg model was my ‘fish of a lifetime’, but I kept hunting – that’s what you do!

Whangamumu Bay

Over the next 18 odd years I’ve added near a dozen 20lb+ fish to the tally (many released, BTW) and often said if I ever cracked 25lb, I’d mount one as a trophy. 20lb is a club, 25lb is a trophy and 30, well that’s a legend.

a 30!) ‘old man snapper’.

Over the last few years I’ve been lucky enough to hone the techniques we believe most strongly in for catching trophy snapper and in the last year I’ve witnessed my good friend Dazza land two 25lb+ on live-baits.

As we laid it gently on the deck I muttered (I thought to myself only, but it was actually aloud!), “that might just be my 30”. Such a magnificent fish. Deep red but not moocher brown. Strong, proud forehead and shoulders without the ugly bump of a reef dweller.

Magnificent! And my new PB. At 12kg it was a bit shy of 30lb, but I am stoked all the same.

Every-time we fish likely spots I dream of getting ‘that’ fish; a monster, a moocher, a horse or bear. Whatever you call it, you know the model I mean. The one that will make you dance a jig and smile wide or giggle uncontrollably in front of your mates.

For some people that might be a 25kg (50lb) kingfish, for others a 10lb trout but for me, a die-hard snapper hunter, a 25lb+ (preferably

So when I wound in a very heavy, very feisty snapper in May this year, its broad, high flank looked big in the water and disproportionately massive in the net.

This was, this is, my fish of a lifetime. I will live happily knowing this fish has graced my decks and while still striving for bigger, I’ll never turn that ugly shade of green again when I see a fellow angler with their ‘fish of a lifetime’ in their arms. ■

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BENISLAND.CO.NZ

Hard Struggle on the Barrier Haggle On Saturday I had the pleasure to meet up with John Lennan on the southern side of Great Barrier Island, where he was competing for the Black Jug Fishing Haggle.

THIS BIANNUAL COMPETITION, or as the locals say ‘comp’, attracts local and mainland fishing enthusiasts and is usually hosted at Tipi and Bobs Waterfront Lodge in Tryphena.

There are four main fishing comps on the island per year and, independent of individual general opinions about such competitions, they do attract mainlanders to the island, which affects our micro-economy positively, creates casual employment opportunities, promotes the island and allows for a comfortable get-together – and of course the chance to win the big prize, which shouldn’t be sneezed at either.

About 130 fisho’s competed in this Black Jug competition. All entry fees of NZ$70 per head go towards the grand prize. Biggest snapper takes all. There are spot prizes but no other cash prizes. Fishing times were from midday Friday, with the final weigh in at 5PM on Saturday.

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Please allow me one remark. Yes, big snapper get killed that would not have been caught or would have been released if it wasn’t for the competition, but the damage to the fisheries is done by those who ‘buy’ fish, not by individuals who fish recreationally!

John Lennan is a great guy. He is probably the best known and one of the most reputed land-based fishermen on the island. He is entertaining and always has interesting and humorous stories to tell. There is a map of the island hanging from the wall in his home, where different coloured pins indicate the size and location of big snapper he has caught since moving to the Great Barrier Island back in 1986.

Without going into detail, John, it is about time you digitalised your map. There is hardly space left for pins! In addition, John is a kind and modest (fisher)man with huge insight and empirical knowledge about land-based fishing.

I met up with John on midday Friday, about an hour before the high tide mark on a difficult to fish, rocky beach on the southern part of the island. His strategy for the competition was to have a big, juicy bait out at all times; meaning that he’d sleep by his rod on the beach, fishing through the night and early morning. One must appreciate the amount of planning that went into the competition. The reel was spooled with fresh, quality line, dozens of traces were pre-rigged with brand new hooks; bait fish were netted and frozen down, lots of gear, from lighting to cooking facilities was carried down to the spot, and the list goes on.

This is extreme, land-based-sport fishing.

Imagine fishing throughout the night, hardly getting any sleep on a rocky beach, at all times being prepared for that big hook-up, which could fill your pockets with almost NZ$10,000. Sounds exciting, doesn’t it?

However, it is quite exhausting and not the most comfortable thing one can do.

John is an old-school surfcaster. He uses a two-piece surfcasting rod, an Alvey reel, 15kg main line, no sinker and about a metre of 50kg trace rigged with 10/0 and 8/0 hooks.

Big and oily yellow-eyed mullet (netted a few days before the comp) are used as bait. Check out the flawless bait-presentation.

He cuts the tail off, rendering the bait more aerodynamic and yielding a longer cast. I will definitely adopt cutting the tail off, this will also allow for easier bait retrieval, especially when you are skipping dead baits to raise kingfish. He also cuts open the gut cavity and scores the fish on the sides, to allow the juices to flow out more easily to attract big fish. The baits create their own burley trail.

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BENISLAND.CO.NZ

John fighting a big snapper from an elevated position.

A solid and powerful cast

Further, John impressively casts the bait as far as he can (60 to 80 metres) and leaves it out there until the rod tip bends over. “Put a good sized, oily bait on and leave it out there. If you start playing with it all the time, you just increase the likelihood of getting snagged.

Leave it there, small fish can’t take a fresh bait off easily, and keep an eye on the rod. If it doesn’t bend hard, your bait is still out there and attracting fish. So leave it!”

This is a crucial tip when you are fishing landbased spots that boast large kelp-beds and rocky, underwater terrain. When retrieving, do it fast and keep the rod tip high and if

22 www.nzfisher.co.nz

you really have to check your bait every five minutes; then just fish two rods, leaving the big bait out there untouched until it goes WHAAAAM. After about an hour, John lands a 33cm sized snapper. “Nice, this is dinner for you Ben.” I happily accepted the snapper and enjoyed it later that night by the fireplace thinking of John, and of how he is waiting for that big snapper, enduring the not so comfortable and rainy conditions on the rocks.

WHAAAAM, at about 3PM, his rod bends over hard. John rushes over, but there is no hook-

18+ lbs snapper off the rocks.

up, so he retrieves the line. The bait has been stripped off by something strong enough to do so in one go.

done! This was a good time for me to leave.

It suddenly occurs to me, my timing is not good at all. The best chances for John to land a big fish are at night and early morning.

Actually, I am so sure to get a picture of him with a big snapper that I intend to cancel my plans for Saturday and to show up again.

I wish him good luck.

Since John prepares a new bait, I decide, however, to stay for another half an hour.

After all, John Lennan doesn’t have the reputation he has if he couldn’t land a good fish under pressure.

WHAAAAM, it is just after 4PM when the rod tip bends over again. This time there is a hook-up and John skilfully turns the head of the fish as soon as possible and fights it hard from an elevated position. His mate Steve has the net ready. Three to four minutes after hook-up, John lands the first big fish of the day.

John is more than just enthusiastic: “There are bigger fish out there Ben. I have a feeling.”

Unfortunately, John didn’t land the prizewinning fish and after more than 24 hours of extreme and exhausting fishing (I also believe it was quite wet, it rained a lot overnight), I didn’t see him at the final weigh-in.

I know that John isn’t the only skilled local who prepares well for the Black Jug and that most competitors deserve to win, but he is one of the few land-based anglers. Yes, he has first prize titles under his belt, but he also missed out on big cash prizes being unable to physically make it to the final weigh-in time.

He is a grandiose sportsman and I wish him only the best for future competitions.

Hopefully he can again out-fish the professionals and other anglers on large and comfortable boats, with high-tech fish finding

“Did you see that, he didn’t want to come in at all? He went for a couple of runs and tried to bust me off in the weeds.”

and attracting devices.

Yeah John, I saw it mate, great effort and well

the biggest weighing in at 11.78 kg (26lb). ■

When I left Tipi and Bobs, the scoreboard boasted about two dozen 20lb snapper, with

This article is reproduced with permission of Ben Assado. Ben lives permanently in the hills of Tryphena, in a rugged and stunning bush block, and pursues his dream of living in harmony and sustainably from the land.

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

Daniel Heaney and his 21.5 lb snapper from the kayak of a shallow reef off Whangamata

3lb Rainbow trout caught on spinning gear by Connor in the Waioeka gorge in February David Shin with the biggest snapper we’ve ever published, 16kg and cought on a slow jig in the Hauraki Gulf - WOW!

24 www.nzfisher.co.nz

Reader

Pics

Orson Waldock, 78cm snapper, Tutukaka Coast (Kahawai Alley)

Winner! Ollie Reeves with his new PB, a fine Ngongotaha Rainbow.

Steve Futter with a 34kg king aboard Pursuit at the Three Kings.

Winner!ďƒƒ Brent Foote – onboard highlander with a 15.25kg kingie Early June from Coromandel Harbour in 4m water on 8kg line - epic effort!

www.nzfisher.co.nz 25

READERPICS Alex Reeves and a great 9.05kg Taranaki landbased snap.

Derek Barton with a nice Ma’i ma’i 15.3 kg caught recently in Rarotonga.

26 www.nzfisher.co.nz

Lucien Touchette with a landbased Kahawai caught with his Dad Mark in Coromandel.

Eoghain Waldock, 55cm snapper, caught on kayak in 4m at Orere Point.

It isn’t just about catching them! Waldock and McIntosh kids, Ruffins Bay, Coromandel.

Quentin Peterson with a recent Ranfurly Banks capture (Hapuku).

www.nzfisher.co.nz 27

VIDEOOFTHEMONTH

Trout

Trout

Everywhere

Let’s be honest, if you want a good fishing video, as a fly fisher to take care of it.

slows, you should consider the It’s winter for sure, and as the sea fishing central North Island has been firing sensational fresh water fishing on offer. The don’t forget the 20lb+ rainbows recently, as can be seen in these videos, but d hydro-canals. they’ve been dragging from the South Islan First up, Billy of Th e Fly Fisherman Facebook page is producing the go ods right here. This sh ould get you nice and amped for the co ming weekend. Ta upo is firing and with th is rain coming th rough, hopefully Rotoru a should start to fire as well. Check this w icked Vid and get over and give him a ‘LIK E’ to get your mid week fix of Fly Fish ing.

28 www.nzfisher.co.nz

ently c e r l & ee taha o d&R g o n R go e from the N – lov k o t c i Chris n w a fl s for ed do m a e r re. head aia St ut he i o a t i m eck Hine s! Ch t l u s e the r

ow But if you want to kn s what real fishing look out – like; check these cats Queenstown rocks! ■

COMPETITIONS

Competition!

Share an Awesome

Photo and Be in to Win! ) nts (NZ elopme ite Dev s o p m Co Ltd s (NZ) lopment ite Deve Compos

Share an awesome photo this month and be in to WIN a $150 Composite Developments Voucher! s lopment ite Deve Compos (NZ) Ltd

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Share an awesome photo of you with a fish to our Facebook page, or email it to derrickp@fisher.co.nz by July 15 and you’ll be in to win an $150 voucher from Composite Developments to spend on anything you like from their 2015 catalogue - click here to view.

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This months winner Ollie Reeves for his PB Ngongotaha Rainbow with his dad Alex in early June). Ollie has won a $150 Composite Developments voucher, happy spending Ollie! â—?

www.nzfisher.co.nz 29

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