Issue 89 Feb 2013 by The Fishing Paper

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February 2013 Issue 89

WIN one of 3 double passes to the Wildfoods Festival in Hokitika pg 12

NEWS

Anna Answers Back story page 4

Monster Snapper Myth Debunked pg 11

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Using Your Sounder to Find Fish By Ali Kennard

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When looking for fish using a fish finder the majority of people will head out to their regular spots and then slow down and use the fish finder to pinpoint exactly where the fish are. This is absolutely the right thing to do if you have a mark and are going to fish that. But what do you do if you don’t have a waypoint to go to and are just heading out into the unknown. How do you use your finder then? There are two good ways you can do this. Firstly, you can travel along at a pretty good rate, say 15 knots, and look for schools of fish on your sounder. Because you are travelling along at speed they will not show on your screen for very long, so really you are looking for what can be best described as a cigar shaped blob. Once you have seen this put a waypoint on your GPS as quickly as you can and then turn round and try and get back on the spot, but go over it a lot slower. If you find the fish again, what you will see now will be good echo return that is the same colour and height as previously seen but a lot longer. This is not because the school of fish has changed shape but is because you are now going slower and the fish will have stayed in your transducer beam a lot longer. This is a good example of why the length of an echo is not important, the important information is the colour and height. The second way you can use your sounder to look for fish is to look for changes in the seabed. Generally out in Tasman Bay it is mostly sand so your bottom echo will show as a thin line on your sounder. What you want to do is look for this to change as that will indicate that you are over an oyster/mussel bed or a rocky area where the fish are likely to congregate. As you go over these areas you will see the bottom

line get thicker, I have attached a photo to show you how this will look. You will want to be going fairly slow as you do over this to notice the change as it could just be a very small area. Once you see the change anchor up, put out your berley and wait. In regards to the above, there is now a great feature that has been developed by Furuno that is currently available on their new sounders (provided you have the right transducer) called bottom discrimination, which will now tell you whether the bottom falls into one of four categories – sand, gravel, mud or rocks – which takes out all the guesswork of this and makes life a lot easier when looking for the change in the seafloor. If you want to see this in action please pop by the showroom and I will be happy to go through it with you.

Tropical Delight We were geared up for a big day, and weren’t disappointed. We departed early in the morning from our stay at Hideaway Island, to the marina in Port Villa, Vanuatu. We met skipper Fred Temminck and the crew of Reel Capture, Paul and Shane then headed for the Fish Aggregation Devices (FADS) about an hour off shore. FADs are manmade objects anchored at sea and are designed to attract fish. The FADs we were heading to had been moved around by a big storm the day before so took a bit of locating. We trolled marlin and tuna lures all the way out, and as soon as we located them we hooked up to a mahimahi, followed by a small yellowfin tuna. It was a good start, and after those fish had been landed, three more

By Jake Williamson

small yellowfin and a skipjack followed. One of the deckhands decided to use a small local bait fish, called a scad, as a dead bait on the down rigger, and it wouldn’t have been any longer than five minutes until it was hammered by a big sail fish, and a 20-minute fight followed. The big fish was bleeding when it got to the boat so we decided to keep it. We trolled our lures around once more, to turn up another bright yellow mahimahi, more small tuna, and a big 30kg wahoo. The temperature throughout the day was a very pleasant 28 degrees, with little cloud and a two-foot swell that eased throughout the day. It was a long eight-hour day, and we enjoyed every second of it.

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The Basics of Trolling Kingies By Daryl Crimp

It’s like a gold rush. When word hits of kingies appearing in close, boats fly, lures get flung and the fun begins. Well, it can be fun but it can also be hours of monotonous trolling. The appearance of these green torpedoes also sparks much debate over technique and type, pattern and colour of lures to use. Everybody tends to have their favourite, but the reality is there is no silver bullet – no one lure that will bring all your Christmases at once. Everything can change on the day and trolling is as much about experimenting as it is about sticking to a well-honed routine. Some rules of thumb do apply, but should not be taken as absolute gospel: • A good basic trolling pattern is to run four lures staggered back behind the boat • Run one lure close in, alongside the prop wash • I run a big popper right out the back – 50m to 70m behind. Big splash and rattle turns fish and draws them to your lures • Run at least one deep diver bibbed lure and one surface or sub-surface swimmer

• A blunt-faced lure that leaves a wake of bubbles is good too • Bright lures for bright days and dull ones for overcast days • Troll speed 5 – 7 knots or 6 – 10 miles per hour • Troll a zig-zag or weaving pattern and vary speed if not attracting fish • Tilt the prop high so it makes a foamy wash – attracts fish • Experiment with different lure patterns • If you are catching ‘couta, speed up • Have the clicker set on the drag so you can hear a strike When a kingfish hooks up, slow the boat but keep moving gently forward until the other lines are cleared, then stop and play the fish. If you have some experience, you can get away with keeping the boat in motion and clearing one side, leaving the offside lures out while you play the kingfish. Avoid using a gaff if you are to release kingfish, either netting small ones or lifting them by the tail. At all times stay vigilant of the treble hooks, have sturdy pliers to remove them from the fish and carry a good first aid kit.

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Dinner on One Breath

schools of wrasse following me from behind which I guess meant they were hoping for some tasty morsel. To keep them happy I broke off a couple of mussels and smashed them open, which resulted in a feeding frenzy. What was really interesting was that more and more fish turned up to the action including butters and moki. I made a mental note to try this next time. Jack and Logan both achieved their limit, with Jack also scoring a good moki. Once back on board, we headed for a bay where Jack had seen some crayfish in on a previous dive. Within five minutes of him hitting the water, he was back with a nice cray and a big smile

to match. This is his third cray so he’s proving very handy at getting the family a feed. Back at the camp we pooled our catch and had a great dinner for friends and family while reliving the day’s adventure.

Since the introduction of the set net ban the spear fishing has improved and is becoming very popular. I thoroughly recommend it as great way to get a feed with no bycatch and minimal effort.

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By Malcolm Halstead

My son Jack is now right into free diving and joined me for my annual summer excursion off Akaroa Harbour. On 22 December we were all set up at our caravan in Duvauchelles and surveying weather forecasts as plans were made. Due to light winds and slight seas, we decided to go out to the heads with a couple of mates. Jack, Logan and I would be diving while Rodger was the skipper for the day. This was quite appropriate, as we were on his 609 Stabi! Out at the heads we were very pleased to see virtually no swell and visibility of about three

metres, which is good for this area of coastline because it is usually badly affected by local rivers. Jack and Logan were first over the side and reported good numbers of fish, so I quickly donned my gear and followed. Logan was first to score with a large butterfish on a Hawaiian sling, while Jack and I both had spear guns. As I swam over a large boulder I caught sight of two large butterfish that hesitated long enough for a shot. My aim was true and I had my first one for the day. I slid him down the line on my gun and reloaded. The rest of the dive in this area did not produce much else mainly to due to the butters

Jack’s third ever cray.

being too small to shoot. This is a real benefit to spear fishing, as only prime fish are despatched. I relocated to another reef and while moving slowly around the inshore side, I came across a crevasse which held seven butters in great condition. Two quick shots and I had fulfilled my self imposed limit of three for the day. I spent the rest of the dive gathering a few paua, which always go down well on the barbecue. I also took some time to observe other fish and try to suss out how they go about their business while not being disturbed. It was during this time that I noticed small

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Chairman’s Catch!

reaker Dawnb Club g Fishin Story

By Steve Bennett

Troy Dando, 1st again!

Albert’s Back Bruising for Battle By Daryl Crimp

They have been a long time coming this year, but, as

on the sounder and any flotsam floating in the water. Albies will

predicted, the spell of hot fine weather at the end of January

come up with the sun and rise up through the water column as the water warms up. When you hook up, start working the area, because the albies may well be onto a good food source.

was enough to tease the tuna into Tasman Bay. Troy Dando and Gavin Williams were two early birds to taste success, pulling in three nuggety fish around the 7kg mark. Troy and Gavin were trolling tuna lures out in Tasman Bay and were specifically targeting albacore. Troy said there was plenty of food in the bay for the fish, but the fish are still deep. For those yet to experience the thrill of tackling tuna, now is the time to get out and try a spot of trolling. Albacore tuna are also a popular catch off the West Coast down to Jackson Bay, and off the East Coast down around Kaikoura. Look for dark blue water, current lines, birds working, baitfish

Trolling speeds of 6 – 8 knots are generally the go and while trolling tuna is the most common approach, don’t discount other methods. If you hook up and are playing a fish, drop down a slender jig, slow jig or softbaits and tease them up through the water column. It should be possible to lure deeper fish to the surface using this technique. Once an albie is hooked, play it sensitively, as they do have soft mouths. Albacore tuna are also excellent eating, but don’t overcook them; medium rare is best. Enjoy your ‘chicken of the sea’ and send in your story and pic when you are successful.

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On 9 January 2013, three trustees of the Dunedin Community Salmon Trust accepted an invitation from Lyall Nash to join him on his boat, Western Star, for a salmon fish. Brett Bensemann, Roger Bartlett and myself met at the Otago Yacht Club jetty, and Lyall picked us up from there. We left the jetty at about 8.15am and trolled three lures at a variety of depths, turning towards the Harbour Basin. Within five minutes Brett’s reel went off as we got the first strike. The salmon took an aerial route as Brett kept the pressure on, leaping out of the water behind the boat. Unfortunately the salmon spat the hook and gained its freedom. A quick set of the lines again and we trolled back through the same area, but to no avail this time. On the third pass through the run, Brett’s reel again went off. This time Brett got the upper hand and a nice 8.825kg salmon was netted at the boat. A quick reset of the lines and a pass through the same run, resulted in Brett’s line going off again. I am sure the residents of the greater Dunedin area heard the giant “woo hoo” as a second salmon came to the net, weighing in at a respectable 6.125kg. That was Brett for the morning, with a limit bag in the bin. Brett did however contribute by providing advice and tips to the rest of us. Despite the advice, nothing further came to the net and we called it quits to go to work. A great time in Salmon City – Dunedin !

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Beating Setline Snappers

Kahawai Make My Day

By Shek On Yee

This is a tale for all those setliners who are sick of losing hooks and fish! After much frustration, I have solved the problem and no longer suffer any losses from snapper chomping through my traces. I’m a retired market gardener and go fishing a lot. In the past I would set a line then return two hours later to find I’d lost up to six hooks every time. I suspected large snapper were chewing clean through the nylon on my traces, as they took the bait. I sought advice from my local tackle shop who suggested stronger line and bigger hooks with longer shafts, but that still didn’t work either. The big snapper continued to bite my gear off! So I got cunning and came up with a more heavyweight solution. The next trip out I put a couple of my new ‘special’ traces on the setline and bingo, I got two nice snapper on my new traces. That was it, I changed all 25 hooks on the line and came home with 10 snapper, a sand shark and a greyboy and still had every hook in place. Further proof was a few weeks later I caught a sand shark on the line. The fish looked pregnant so while it was still on the hook, I slit its belly and found a whole 34-centimetre brim inside the shark. The brim was obviously secure on the setline when the sand shark decided to make a meal of it. The trace handled the small snapper and the shark without a problem. So what is my secret weapon? Steel. As you can see in the picture I’ve attached a 10-centimetre length of steel between the hook and the nylon on the trace. I didn’t want to go to the expense of using steel on the whole trace so decided to only use it in the ‘bite zone’ where, in the past, the big fish have chewed right through the nylon. The results are now speaking for themselves.

By Richard Davidson - Hamills Timaru Canterbury’s January weather was excellent for going to the beach and fishing. I took the boat across the Opihi lagoon a bit later than planned, due to a birthday bash the night before, and missed out on the incoming tide. I heard there had been 15 salmon caught earlier in the morning, so I settled into a day’s fishing, looking for that elusive salmon in the gut of the mouth. There were many families dotted along the beach, lured there by the beautiful weather. Everyone was having so much fun, because there were kahawai for Africa. It was just a matter of throwing in the lure and you were assured of hooking a good 10lb kahawai. The nicest part about the whole scene was the number of children fishing. There is nothing more rewarding than seeing father and children fishing together and a young fisher catching their first fish. There were

grins from ear to ear. You could see huge black areas of kahawai 100 metres from shore; the birds were having a ball. The kahawai kept coming and coming in shoals and they were caught in numbers. I don’t know why, but South Islanders don’t appreciate kahawai the same as in the North Island; most would rather throw them back than admit to taking one home. On that day most of the kahawai were released. It was nice to see fathers teaching their children about catch and release, and that fishing is a sport to enjoy. It’s not all about putting food on the table. On the other hand there were the South Africans who couldn’t believe what they were seeing. They couldn’t keep up with filleting because they were catching kahawai with every cast. In the end, they too were throwing the fish back into the sea. My family and I cooked

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sausages on the beach for a late lunch and then we all enjoyed the family fun day. Once I had hooked a kahawai, I would hand the rod over to my daughter to reel it in. There were a few times that lines were caught up, but dads would step in and help the inexperienced and in the end there was just laughter and fun. Most of the families left late in the afternoon, but as it was still a glorious Canterbury

night I stayed on to catch the incoming tide, hoping for that elusive salmon. Another batch of people arrived to fish for the kahawai. Obviously the word had got out. I reckon I cast my line over hundred times during the day. You could see the salmon in the gut but I had no luck at all. It’s funny how the kahawai made the day such a rewarding one.

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Green Gladiator Gives Personal Best By Brian Fensom

Phil Lesley loves fishing and he’s been a mate for so long, I decided to finally let him in on one of my secret spots. I do a lot of overnighters in the Marlborough Sounds chasing big snapper and the Christmas break proved a good opportunity to break Phil into some new territory, but I wasn’t quite prepared for what was about to unfold. We arrived in plenty of time to anchor before dark and get a good berley trail going. Stray lines were set and the long vigil commenced. This type of fishing can produce hours of boredom, but this all dissipates when a big snapper puts a scream in the reel. However, on this occasion the night dragged, with only a couple of pannies coming to the bait. As the sun came up, I figured on a change of plans and cruised a few mussel farms, hoping to get the attention of a kingi. These

structures are a popular haunt for packs of kingies, as they proved shelter, food and make good back-scratchers! The downside is, kingies aren’t stupid and once hooked, love to take you to the cleaners, so a bit of skill and a lot of luck is required to land them. I prefer to target the cluster of buoys at either end of a line, so we were cruising around the perimeter of a farm and casting back towards it. I was having no luck, so gave Phil a crack with the stick bait. He cast on the inside of a line between two anchor warps and was immediately rewarded with a follow. Five kingfish torpedoed the erratically moving hard lure but didn’t strike. Phil cast again to the same spot and – bang – a shower of water and a solid hook up. The trick was now to land the thing and that’s where teamwork is required. I

didn’t want Phil to apply too much pressure just yet, as the kingi would light up and head straight for the ropes. Instead, I had him hold the pressure on while I quietly teased the boat away from the farm and out to clear water. Once I’d determined we were far enough away that the farm no longer posed a threat, I gave him the thumbs up to give it death. The kingfish responded and an impressive contest of wills ensued, with Phil getting it close three times. The fish gave no quarter and responded aggressively, exploding away from the boat with renewed vigour. After a tiring fifteen-minute stoush, Phil jubilantly landed the green gladiator with help from my gaff shot and went home with a PB – 33lb of well-earned kingfish.

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Jaws From Kayak

Kayaking with Chris West Kayaking in Surf

By Jeff Holden

SURF + KAYAK = APPREHENSION or EXHILARATION.

reaker Dawnb Club g in h Fis Story

Sunday was looking good for a trip to French Pass; forecast - southwest 7 knots, gusting to 15 knots and changing to 15 knots with gusts of 20 knots in the evening. For the kayak this meant a tail wind going out and head wind coming back, no problem. I headed straight out from French Pass Village, about 4km, to a depth of 60m, or 196 feet old speak, and I dropped two lines down: one with two hooks and two whole pillies, the other with half a sanmar and squid. I’d caught my limit of two cod within five minutes and moved further out to try and get away from the cod … three times. I hooked onto something of substance and thought hapuku or kingi, but the fight was wrong. I got it up to about 100ft and lost it; chewed through my 50lb mono trace with a fluoro sleeve, so it must have been a shark. I changed rigs and switched to an 80lb wire trace. After six or seven more drops, I hooked another large something. This time it took off towards my anchor rope. Bugger, I could feel it connect with the rope and a sudden pull on the bow. I couldn’t gain any line with the rod and the kayak was rocking from the struggling fish. Suddenly the boat motion changed and I knew my anchor was gone - I was drifting. The wind had quartered onto the sea, creating

sloppy conditions. I grabbed the anchor rope and hauled the fish up - there wasn’t much fight but plenty of weight - until I could see the anchor rope twisted around him. He was a six-foot shark, brown with spots and a tail like a thresher but shorter, a seven gill - not a species I’d caught before. He was wrapped like a mummy and going nowhere. I tried to unhook him, but he turned on me with open mouth. Man he had some teeth and I wasn’t going near them. I couldn’t just cut the anchor rope as he would die. New plan: it was only 4km to shore, so I gave it a go. The waves were now up to about a metre and not comfortable. I was expending four times the energy to travel a quarter of the distance, but on the good side, my traveling companion was acting like a keel and holding the kayak steady in the rough seas. An hour later I was still a long way from shore, so I drank water and ate a banana – yep, I take them whenever I go fishing and have proven the old fable wrong many times; I have even used the skin as bait and caught snapper on it. Another hour-and-a-half later I was close to French Pass, but east of where I needed to be. I found a spot that didn’t look too rough and headed in, but my friend came to life again. Once ashore, the first job was to free Willieby starting at the back and working forward. I took his photo just to prove For all your STOCKISTS OF we met. I then pointed him • Fishing/Hunting Gear & Licences out to sea and held him in • Full Workshop Facilities the current for five minutes & Fuel Supplies till he started moving, and CLOTHING • One Stop Shop OPEN 7 DAYS then let him go. It felt great to • WEST COAST WHITEBAIT FOR SALE! watch him swim off - made 34 Ellis Street, Brightwater, Nelson the hard work worth it. Ph 03 542 3756 - Fax 03 542 3786

Knowing how to approach surf can make paddling through the break a completely different experience. Preparation Before heading through the surf, ensure that everything on your deck is secure. Stow items in a hatch or strap them down securely. If you have been using a paddle leash while fishing, remove the leash before heading through the surf. A paddle leash can pose a serious hazard if the cord were to wrap around part of your body. If your kayak has a rudder then flip it up onto the deck before entering the surf. Analyse the surf; is it consistent or coming in sets? Are there any rips or currents? Are some parts of the beach more sheltered from the swell than others? Ideally time your paddle to coincide with smaller waves. Learn about features of the beach and how they affect your passage through the waves, as well as how they affect your safety. If you are part of a group, discuss your approach, so that you do not have all paddlers in

the surf at once. The strongest paddler should go first. Then the rest of the group should head out one at a time and meet up once clear of the break. Check that everyone is accounted for before heading off. In the surf When paddling out, keep your kayak straight onto the waves and generate speed before going through a wave. Aim to get one strong stroke just before the wave hits and one as you come out the other side. Paddle easy for a couple of strokes to recover, and then begin to gain speed again, ready for the next wave. Paddling back into the beach involves a different technique. Aim to head in during a lull, when the waves are smaller. Paddle straight in, perpendicular to the waves. As you head in, you will probably catch a wave and get a surf. Try and keep the kayak aiming straight by using stern rudder strokes. As the wave begins to break, it will force your kayak to turn side onto the wave. Do not fight it; instead edge your kayak slightly toward the wave (the edge of

the kayak closest to the beach needs to be slightly higher than the other side). As the wave dissipates, you should be able to turn your kayak towards the beach again. Once at the beach, get off/ out of your kayak and pull it clear of the water. Safety If you know that you will encounter larger surf, then consider wearing a kayak helmet. Collisions with other kayaks or the beach floor can hurt! There is a chance that you may capsize during a surf landing. If you are properly prepared, then it’s not a big deal. In the surf zone you can push/ swim your kayak toward the beach, and each wave will assist you in getting there. If you are further out, you may be able to get back onto / into your kayak quickly and resume paddling. Even small waves contain a lot of energy. Be careful once you reach the shallow water of the beach. Stand on the sea side of your kayak, so that when waves come in and push your kayak, you will be out of the way. Avoid having multiple kayaks trying for the same wave. Take turns coming in so that people do not accidently surf their kayak into another paddler. Learning new techniques is best done under the guidance of a kayak instructor, who can ensure that you are learning the stroke correctly and avoiding learning bad habits.

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Captain’s Log: Beam me up spotty Rats Attack Boulder Bank I bet the same old tired New Years’ resolutions were trotted out around the country: I’m going to give up smoking, drinking, eating, putting on weight, swearing, fighting, arguing – etcetera! It was quite refreshing to hear my 12-yearold daughter announce her New Years’ resolution prior to Christmas, “Dad, I want to catch a kingfish over the holidays!” Anna had taken a bit of a break to fishing for a while but was now showing a renewed interest. I think little brother Daniel

cleaning up a lot of prizes at the DawnBreakers’ Fishing Club rekindled some of the desire, but whatever the reason, I was delighted. Encouraging children to enjoy life and expand their horizons through healthy pursuits is a goal of many parents, and I was not going to let this opportunity slip by. With reports from Troy Dando that an infestation of ‘rats’ had attacked the Boulder Bank in Nelson, we headed out for a troll. Brian Fensom was skipper and it was aboard Outta Hair that Anna’s dream came true. As we approached The Glen and a group of spearfishers, the rod towing a garish orange, bibbed lure bent over and sent the reel screaming. Once I was happy

the hook was set, I handed the rod to Anna and sat back to enjoy the fight vicariously through her. She played it superbly, allowing the kingfish to run when it wanted and pumping the moment it run out of steam. She kept the rod tip high and line tight the whole time, and very soon had the kingfish alongside the boat. Not taking any chances on her first fish, I made sure with a gaff shot and Anna ticked another box. Well-done sweetheart. Isn’t it interesting that kids universally get a thrill from catching fish. It’s a shame more don’t get to sample the experience.

Fact or Fiction: Is This an 18kg Snapper? Ed’s note: We received this story from The Fishing Paper reader Blair Taylor and going to press discovered another New Zealand fishing publication suggesting it is bigger than the world record snapper, weighing 18kg! What do you think? This Christmas the family decided the invitation to live it up on the West Coast was a hard one to beat, so we packed our stockings and headed to Greymouth. The festive itinerary included an excursion to the beach to witness a Seahorse Kontiki in action and when it comes to fishing, I’m at the front of the queue, so was eager to see what the Coast had to dish up. It’s not the area that first springs to mind when you think of big snapper, but life is full of surprises. Russell Fairhall, Greymouth’s local Seahorse agent, took his unit down to the beach on the back of his quad bike and set about baiting the hooks with a mix of squid and frozen prawns. He then set it to soak about a kilometre offshore for forty-five minutes or so. When we retrieved it, I was surprised to see ten medium-size monkfish and a nice rig come in. We were certainly ensured a good feed. The Christmas bonus waited right to end to make an appearance, the flashes in the wave attracting our attention. Thinking that it was a big shark rolling in the waves, I raced down the beach and as I drew closer, realised that it was a good snapper. After the obligatory photo shoot, the fish were filleted and enjoyed later that night, encrusted in a delightful golden batter. While the snapper looks a behemoth lying next to my four-year-old daughter, Libby, it was in fact a very healthy eighteen-pounder! Libby was lying down a bank, which gave the illusion the fish was much bigger.

CATCH

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A Sour Start to The Day By Mark Wills

Sometimes when I hunt, just being there is what it’s all about and if you get a bit of meat, it’s just a bonus. The place where Rolly and myself were hunting on this trip is one of those places. As we arrived at the hut the shadows from the sun sinking down were starting to creep across the grass flat. After a quick stash of the gear, we were off on the quads to see if we could get a bit of an idea where the pigs were living, to try and make hunting a bit easier in the morning. We didn’t have a lot of light left but managed to glass a mob of pigs about two kilometres away in a gully to the south of us. They were too far to try and get that night, so it was back to the hut for a feed. I was on Gordon Ramsay duties, so after a couple of beers we sat down to venison steak, hash browns, caramelized onions, garlic mushrooms and grilled tomatoes, washed down with a Rapaura series Pinot Noir. After all that I didn’t want to get out of my chair! I was awakened at 4.40am by the clatter, clatter of the alarm on the shelf next to my

bunk. After a bit of a scratch and a shake of the head, I was up and put the billy on so that we could have a coffee to wash the muesli and tin peaches down. We left the hut just after five, knowing that it would take about thirty minutes to get round to where the pigs were thank god for quad bikes. When we got to the last corner, we opted to leave the bikes and walk, in the hope of surprising the pigs. The wind was in our favour as we crept forward with eyes very alert and when we peered over the ridge there they were about 150 yards in front of us, on a ferny face and totally unaware that we were there. We picked out one each and laid down to get a good bead on them. It was then three, two, boom and two fat ‘sours’ collapsed and rolled about three metres

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before coming to a stop against a bit of matagouri, yeehah. We had to sidle around a small gully and across a face to reach the pigs. Both Rolly and myself were rapt; these two ‘sours’ were shiny and fat as. Once we had the pigs strapped to the bikes it was time to have a bit of fun and decrease the goat population. As the early morning turned into late morning we had sent twenty nine goats off to the big meadow in the sky and we were also fortunate enough to bag

a good feed of rabbit back steaks each. Once back at the hut we skinned the pigs and hung them in the shade, with a meat bag on to protect against flyblow. Rolly was “Jamie Oliver” and we had crumbed scallops on jasmine rice with sweet chilli sauce, washed down with a Stoneleigh chard and it wasn’t too bad either, with sleep coming very easy afterwards. It just goes to show that sometimes a ‘sour’ day is not always a bad day. Happy hunting.

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Solo Hunting A State of Mind By Paul Clark of New Zealand Ammunition

During World War 1 some of the most effective troops sent to the front lines were young Kiwis. Why? Interestingly, because they

were brought up in a rural environment and had the skills and mental aptitude to cope with the stresses and isolation of trench warfare.

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This unique combination of having back country skills and mental stamina produced good soldiers, but it also transcended the war and became part of the Kiwi psyche for many decades. Through our proud traditions of deerstalking and culling, coupled with a largely rural lifestyle, many Kiwis were brought up in tune with the loneliness and isolation of the back country and acquired the necessary skills and mental discipline to cope with and function effectively in it. This translated to a lot of solo hunting – sure, men would head into the mountains in pairs or small groups of three or four, but the most effective hunting was often carried out by individuals on the hill. This required a specific makeup of the hunter. He had to:be able to compete with and conquer the isolation - be comfortable in his own company - possess the necessary strength, stamina and physical skills to survive and operate for long periods in such a harsh and unforgiving environment - be able to step outside his comfort zone and tap into

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an inner strength - have the focus and stamina to achieve results - be in the right ‘head space’ to cope Today we are on the horns of a dilemma: hunting the back country has become more accessible, but not everyone who now hunts there has the skills or is necessarily ‘mentally fit’ to cope with it. Helicopters have opened up vast tracts of land that once took a supreme effort and a good deal of skill just to get there, but easy access doesn’t mean all of those who go there are 1) competent or 2) comfortable in the environment. It also seems solo hunting has become an acquired taste. Part of this can be put down to cultural changes. We are becoming more urbanized so many hunters are coming to the sport without the rural background and skills that earlier generations took for granted. We are also more

Kiwis are being brought up in a group culture and there is less emphasis on encouraging the rugged individualism that has long been part of our heritage. gregarious than ever, so we are taught to feel comfortable amongst many. Kiwis are being brought up in a group culture and there is less emphasis on encouraging the rugged individualism that has long been part of our heritage. There is nothing wrong with this, except that it doesn’t make for the most effective hunting. You wouldn’t take the whole rugby team into the bush after a deer and hope to score.

The hunting of today also faces another quandary, that of being torn between two worlds: our strong hunting traditions were built on the back of solo hunting, and yet in the modern hunting world it is not PC to hunt alone. The reality is if you are fit and have the mental aptitude, the risks of hunting solo are no greater than if you hunt in groups. The consequences might well be different, but if you have suitable skills, you are less likely to put yourself at risk.

Being comfortable with the outdoors has another very necessary function, and that is allowing you the confidence to extend yourself, which in itself is an important part of hunting. So while the best way to get fit for climbing hills may be to practice climbing your local hills, physical stamina and endurance does not necessarily translate to mental fitness.

NEW ZEALAND HUNTING NEWS 15

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One Mound, One Bum & Stags Aplenty By Dave Cartwright

I’d headed upriver and planned to fly camp, but right on dark the ink of night was splattered by a throaty roar from downriver. Then another and pretty soon four red stags were issuing challenges and really going to town. Two were clearly still on the river flat and two appeared to be further up the hill. I decided to ‘hunt the moon’, because it was full and offered good light, but I soon realised I was stalking into a rising moon and that was like looking at the sun. Behind me the matagouri-choked river flats were lit like day, but I couldn’t see a damn thing in front. Nor could I camp the night and stalk in on them in the morning, because I’d have the breeze at my back, so I cut wide into the riverbed and trudged down-valley to get below the testy males. Half-an-hour before dawn offered enough light to see by, I was steadily making tracks back upstream to a spot I knew held a good stag. I hadn’t gone far when a deep roar stopped me dead. It came from only 100m away, so there was no option but to hunker down and wait for light. By then the stag had become quite vocal, which is always useful when you are stalking in at such close quarters. I narrowed the gap, snuck in and as things were beginning to get light, recognised the white throat of a sentinel hind looking at me through the matagouri. How many times does that happen! I could just make out the stag and tried to assess his rack with the binos, but he was head on and hard to judge. He was definitely a big boy, but I decided he was not the one I was after. The hind had become nervous and was now implementing an exit strategy, moving further out towards the river. ‘Mr Lusty’ had no Idea what was going on, but knew he had to follow his hind. As he turned, I caught a glimpse of the length of his tines and the game plan changed. The hunt was on. I was lucky enough to have

a good hunting mentor and I remember him saying, years ago, “Dave, you’ll never shoot a stag over 300 DS until you are forty!” I asked him why and he replied, “Because you don’t have the patience – you need to learn to spend time on your bum watching!” I proved him wrong, but only by three-years and a lot of history culminated in that success story. In fact, over twenty-years amassing local knowledge has made me a very ‘lucky’ hunter in recent years. What has worked for me is this: I have learned an awful lot with binoculars on my head and by not pulling the trigger. Oh, I’ve shot a fair number of stags over the years and we used to shoot just about every one we saw, but once I’d accumulated a shed-full of antlers I didn’t want to mount, I realised I was better off leaving them on the hoof to grow bigger. This basic change in philosophy also had a very practical impact; I started learning a hell of a lot more about the deer and the areas in which I was hunting. These days, my hunting mate Butch and I would be lucky to squeeze the trigger on one-ina-hundred animals. We ‘fire in anger’ at a potential trophy once in four-five years and spend an awful amount of time on our bums. We are prepared to let animals go. Awhile back, Butch let one walk and when he described it to me, I said, “Oooh, I dunno Butch, I reckon you should have shot that!” He held his hand palm downward and waggled it, “Yes, but it was borderline!” I almost shot a magnificent 12-pointer this past Roar but relented. I thought, “You are not holding any hinds, so despite your size, you must be a young fella. Imagine what you are going to look like in another couple of years.” Besides, I knew there was a bigger old-man-stag out there – somewhere. Setting such high standards makes for some tough hunting, but it’s hugely rewarding. I’ve

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hunted the same area for the past five-years and I’ll hunt it again next year. I’ll go to the same spot and I’ll sit on the same mound and I’ll sit all day-every day watching the Roar progress – and learning the patterns. I’ve learned that there are far more deer in the area than you might think. I know exactly where the hinds are going to be by the end of March, where the stags will be and what animal movements take place. The patterns are the same every year, so the old adage that local knowledge pays dividends comes with some currency. The Roar doesn’t just take place – it evolves. One year I watch a six-pointer holding some hinds. The next day it was alone on a shingle scree and an eight-pointer had taken charge of the harem. A couple of days later - a bigger animal had ousted the ‘eight’ and by the end of the week, he was looking forlorn and occupying a solitary slot on the shingle scree. A big old boy had shunted him and the ‘real’ roar had kicked in. Back to the present: the stag made off lustfully after the hind and I raced purposefully behind. I challenged him with a roar and he put his brakes on and vented back at me. Then he was off again. This tit-for-tat continued for a bit and then suddenly I rounded a corner to be confronted by the haughty creature eye-balling me. I tried for a prone shot but couldn’t see over the dry grass. He looked bemused. I stood up and took an off-hand shot with the .270, at which the stag crumpled and went into the death throes. I later measured the distance to be a barrelstraining 67m! The stag was a nice twelve, but didn’t quite have the symmetry I was after. He went 298 DS and is a lovely head, but had I seen him in the open on the hill – I don’t think I would’ve pulled the trigger.

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It Was a Hot Summer Night … Would you offer your throat to the wolf with the red roses? “See you tomorrow afternoon,” I said as I kissed my beloved goodbye. It was midday and I was heading into the hills to hunt and camp. I had plans for an evening deer stalk, a morning pig hunt, a little work and maybe even a nana nap before he showed up! It’s fair to say that he was not expecting to see me at 11:30pm that same night. Understandable that he woke with a start from a pleasant dream. Understandable too that when he saw the silhouette of his wife in the bedroom doorway he was a little surprised. “Kim?” he wondered out loud as his dreamy mind told him Kim had been killed in the backblocks and this was her ghost coming to say goodbye. Me, I’d arrived at my far-distant camp and set it up ready for a late return. I’d fetched water, put the billy on the gas ring, laid out my sleeping bag and a change of clothes. Then, in the late afternoon, I’d added a torch to my hunting paraphernalia and gone bush. I hadn’t walked ten minutes when a fallow stag gave me a wave from a distant ridge and so began an epic feat of endurance. Being mid summer, dark rocks radiated heat from below and the sun’s rays blazed from above, as I toiled uphill. Shifty breezes cooled trickles of sweat - sometimes on my furrowed brow, sometimes on my nape. I detest shifty breezes; they bring about a deerstalker’s demise. The fallow stag, good sport, was kind enough to let me get all the way up the ridge before he waved a hurried farewell. Whilst eyeballing his quick-smart-depart

By Kim Swan

hoof-prints as they skidded off into the wild blue yonder, my attention was drawn to a brown dot in a tiny clearing. Many hours later that brown dot was mine. Now, on a near vertical slope I’d hooked his foreleg over a matagouri, gutted and decapitated him. He was a red stag, with ten velvet points and, summer-fed to obesity, he was quite large. Pulling that stag down the initial steep slope required some strenuous yet sensible navigation. Many a time I rolled over him or he rolled over me. Many a time I fell over, onto or amidst matagouri - it has long sharp spines. When steep decline eased to middling we came to a halt. It was here that the stag was de-limbed. When the middling decline eased to dead flat, our forward progress virtually ceased; time for a rest and to assess the best route ahead. Is there a best route when the going is flat, creek bed or gradual uphill? Is there a best route when the stag is large and the person towing him is making between zero and ten centimetres per determined pull? The mighty stag was given leave of his nether regions and boy bits, his big wet liver and lungs - every little bit helped! Retrieving him was now a matter of mind games - setting small goals and achieving them. Lifting and levering where possible, swapping hands, pulling facing backwards - pulling facing forwards. The sun was long gone and dusk well advanced, yet I felt the day’s lingering heat. I left a salt-laden, Hansel and Gretel drip trail. In the dark I did the last few heaves to the topside of the track. I was bent over like a

wizened great grandmother, my hands hot and swollen and my arms 30cm longer than they’d been when I left home, but I’d done it. The next thing to get done was to fetch my truck, get Stagasaurus loaded and get the heck out of there. Big warm game animals that are well insulated with body fat need tender loving care (and to be hung). The only place I could do these loving things was at home, with a helper. So, at 10pm on a hot summer’s night I wrestled a 125kg stag onto the back of my Hilux, turned the radio up loud and drove the long, long journey back to Rai. An hour and a half later I stood framed in our bedroom doorway in my mudencrusted boots. I was ravenous and dehydrated. I had dried blood and greasy stag fat smeared up to my armpits. My clothes and hair were still damp with sweat and my new matagouri implants were throbbing here and there. “Kim?” gasped the hump in the midst of the bed, thinking me a ghost of my former self. Then he smelt me. Then he felt me. And then I said, “Honey I’m home, what’s for dinner? I’m starving!” And also sort of muttered as a quiet aside, “Oh, and can I have a hand for a minute please?” I don’t know why, but the hump in the middle of the bed sort of flattened out and groaned before yawning, “Yeah mate”. I hardly heard him because I was heading for the fridge before putting on a cuppa. Hmmmm, I fancied some Meatloaf! You took the words right out of my mouth …

BOOK REVIEW Student Hunter By James Morris

Published The Halcyon Press Reviewed By Daryl Crimp

This nicely produced and packaged book is a timely arrival in the genre of New Zealand Hunting Books. As the subtitle explains, herein are the hunting tales of a university student and it is significant, in part, because a good many Kiwi hunters launched their hunting ‘careers’ while tertiary students. Student days certainly formed a major stepping stone into more rugged and ambitious hunting surrounds than previously experienced, and, for many, marked the transition to independence in the hunting arena. It is symbolic of cutting the apron strings and leaving home to a world of adulthood.

James Morris writes with an engaging clarity and maintains a good pace throughout the book. At 132 pages it is light on substance but this is a reflection of the scope of the author’s experiences to date. Balancing this is the fresh, new perspective this title brings to the hunting library. The stories are full of exuberance, are entertaining and not massaged - they mirror a certain youthful honesty. For those of us old enough to have lived through student days, it is a nostalgic read to some degree, but refreshing and enlightening as well. A light read supported by clean layout and some good colour pics. I didn’t like the skewed presentation of some of the photos and felt others could have been given more prominence. However, a good book for the library and I would love to see more from James.

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Playing Dog Football in Deer Country By Peter Harker

The weather on the West Coast of New Zealand is unforgiving; sunshine is unreliable and rainfall is a certainty. January 2013 Dean, Whissee the dog and myself are determined to find deer and under a sky promising everything grim, we head for the Grey Valley. Grass over knee-high covers the river flats and barriers of flood swept trees damn the side creeks. This is evidence of last week’s adverse weather. The Hut has long grass right to the doorway and a family of resident of weka pokes their heads out from under the porch. Whissee ignores them. Black rats make a dash for the wood heap and this is a repeat of our visits prior to Christmas. On the way up the valley Dean spots about eight deer, one being a stag with a nice head of velvet. These deer are truly ‘red’ and in no way blend with the trees they are hiding in. We call out to advise them it was unhealthy not to run ... and keep on running! Dean decides to stalk a nearby creek and I opt for a few hours up the main valley. Checking the trusty epirb and camera, then Whissee and I are underway. We hadn’t gone too far when we are bombed by two jet black birds that were almost crow looking, but more sleek and with a call similar to a falcon. Never seen anything (except magpies) like them before. Deer sign is as rare as rocking horse poo and discouraged, I ford the river having decided to have a peek at several overgrown slips. Crossing the semi-flooded river proves a task and I decided to boulder hop the first half and wade the rest. Leaping onto a large boulder, I was set to leap to another when, without warning, the boulder simply rolled over in the current and took me with it. I was twisted around to be looking upstream and my leg was crushed between the boulder behind. BUGGER! It looked a bit purplish and was bleeding. Whissee had little show of swimming in the swirling current to the far bank, so I held him like a footie ball and threw him as far as I could towards the slower moving riverside - worked like a charm. And he swam the last bit of current to the riverbank and scrambled up onto the terrace. A few doggy shakes and he was ready to move on. The front of my leg is bleeding so I took off my bush singlet and tied it around my leg. Now I needed to start moving. Water was above my waist but no big deal. The camera etcetera were dry in my waterproof

day bag and with the last of the afternoon dribbling away, I stalked down the valley, with my only reward a couple of hares and some very recent pig rooting.

We stayed in the hut a few short days and Dean got onto about eight deer in one venture and the last night we counted a further 10 deer; all hinds and fawns. So it was an interesting start to 2013 and as we drove back to Christchurch, plans were made for a venture into some new hunting areas in just a few days time.

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The David & Goliath of Binoculars

By Daryl Crimp

On my recent tahr hunt in the Southern Alps, I had the opportunity of testing and comparing two Swarovski binoculars: the CL 10X30 Companion and the EL 10X32. Essentially, the CL 10X30 Companion is Swarovski’s entry level binocular, while the EL 10X32 is their new compact sporty model. I’m no expert in the technical aspects of optics, but I figured a week in the hills would give me a good idea on how these two compare in a practical sense. Both are little honeys, but the EL is nearly twice the price of its smaller companion. Is there twice the difference? The EL 10X32 is the Av Gas and the CL 10X30 is 91 Octane – in layman’s terms. Essentially the EL has the very latest Swarovski technology packed into a tiny space and is made from precision CNC machined magnesium, whereas the CL is a polymer housing; both have rubber armour coating. The CL’s selling point is that it represents exceptional value for money. The key difference that I could see, is that the EL features HD fluoride glass with Swarovski field flattening technology, which gives the ultimate image edge sharpness, whereas the CL still utilizes highgrade Swarovski lenses, but they are not high definition. The CL is slightly lighter (515g) and smaller than the EL (580g) but the latter is ergonomically better designed. Both feature a compact, wellbalanced design with thumb indents for steady, balanced viewing comfort and multi-position eyecups, but the EL has the better wide field of view – 120m at 1000m. The light transmission on the EL 10x32 is 90% and on the CL 10x30 it is 91%, which is a result of Swarovski’s patented lens coating systems: SWAROBRIGHT, SWARODUR and SWAROTOP (Check out website for detailed explanations). Both boast high colour fidelity across the spectrum and certainly give crisp clear images. In terms of my use, I was initially taken with the tinier CL 10x30 because it is a nifty little unit and effortless to swag around. The image quality and colour to the edges was wonderful and they were very comfortable to use. One niggly fault on both is the rubber objective lens caps; they have a habit of falling off when you are

lifting them in and out of your jersey or jacket and therefore, easy to lose. A better attachment system is required.

I did find myself favouring the EL 10x32 over the course of the week, but the difference between the two to my untrained eye was not dramatic. The EL certainly had a better field of view and appeared to give a slightly better image in low light conditions, but really, both are great to use. The EL 10x32 binoculars certainly came into their own in the Southern Alps where you are spending prolonged periods on your bum glassing for animals; after long periods on the hill, there was no appreciable fatigue or eyestrain – as you would expect from such quality. They are beautiful to use: nicely balanced, light, and fit snugly in the hand. The focus wheel is convenient and very precise. I particularly liked the ‘pull-out’ function to reveal the diaopter adjustment – very classy and practical.

In summary: I honestly can’t see from a layman’s perspective that there is twice the value in the EL 10x32, but if it came down to choosing a binocular for serious use in alpine or safari conditions, it would be my choice. It really is a classy little unit with a lot of grunt for its size. However, for general hunting and if budget is a major factor, then the CL 10x32 represents extremely good value for money. Let’s put it this way, if you got a pair for your birthday, you’d think all your Christmases had come at once. Both are high quality optics so either way, you are buying for years to come – not something that should need replacing.

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Gamefish Kaikoura Part 2 – The Mako In the last issue of The Fishing Paper I took you through the first few hours of what turned out to be a fantastic days game fishing off Kaikoura. After trolling for a while we secured a 7.4kg albacore tuna on 6kg line. It was then we decided to head out and berley up some sharks. At the 150-metre mark, we shut down the engine and prepared for some serious game fishing. The first job was to get a good berley trail going. This consisted frozen tubes of minced fish put over the side in a burley container. In our case this was a 10-litre bucket with holes in it, attached to a rear bollard by a short rope. The frozen berley then dispersed at a constant rate as the tube defrosted in the water and with the trail looking good, I got into some bottom fishing, resulting in some blue

By Malcolm Halstead

cod and perch. After twenty minutes we had our first visitor, a mako shark of average size. It was now time to estimate its size, then decide what line weight to use to give him a fair chance, as well as providing it a suitable challenge for the angler. The general rule is 10 to 1. So if you think the shark weighs 60kg, then 6kg line would be an appropriate. We reckoned the one in the berley trail was about 40kg, so we decided that 4kg line was the way to go. We also decided since we had a junior angler on board, my 14-year-old son Jack, that he should be the lucky one to have first go. Jack got a quick lesson on tackling a big fish on light gear before the bait was presented to the shark. The big fish duly obliged. Jack applied some pressure and the fight was

on. Because of the light line, we had to start the boat and follow our quarry, while Jack kept working the rod and reel in unison. With plenty of advice, Jack kept the struggle up and after an hour we finally got a look at the shark, it was holding its ground about twenty metres under the boat. Jack then worked him to the surface where I was able to trace him, allowing the flying gaff to be sunk in. We applied a tail rope and tied the shark off to the side of the boat. The battle was over and we had won. There were handshakes all round and for the rest of the day the smile never left Jack’s face. As we hadn’t travelled too far, we set the berley trail going again wondering just what else this amazing day could throw at us. We didn’t have to wait long. Yet another mako, looking to be around the 60kg mark turned up and Shannon was elected to have a go on 6kg gear. The mako duly hooked up and the fight was on. Shannon did a great job and just like Jack’s, we secured Shannon’s fish in about an hour. It was now 3.00pm, so deciding we had all had a great day, we headed for home to weigh our catches. Jack’s fish went 44.85kg and Shannon’s 69.70kg. Both were very good efforts for these first time anglers. Before the greenies get all up in arms, I must point out that we only catch about three sharks a year, with all flesh recovered and eaten, making sure all fins are destroyed so they don’t end up in some high priced soup. We also tag and release about thirty sharks a year to help in research of this important part of the ocean’s food chain. So while we don’t have the luxury of many different types of game fish in our waters, we do have some species that are well worth a look. Kaikoura is an excellent fishery, get out there and have a go.

KAIKOURA

Granddad, I’m Off … GRANDDAD! By Sam Allan It was a warm day at the Rangitata river mouth, but it seemed no one was catching anything, just a few salmon rising here and there. I finally arrived at about 8:30 am and threw my hook out into the water and started to wind it back. I was down there for at least one hour and I was just about to go back to the bach because I really needed breakfast. I said to my Granddad, “Okay, I will have three more casts and then I’m off”. So I cast again and something absolutely smashed my hook. I didn’t really know what to do at first; I was in shock pretty much. I struck this fish as hard as I could and then it went crazy towards the sea. I ran as fast as I could along the stones to where it jumped again. That’s when I knew it was a salmon. It carried on like that for at least 10 minutes until I got the best of it. I got it up on the shore with some help from a few of Dad’s mates and smashed it on the head. I took it home and weighed it in at the weigh station, hoping it will be big enough to win the junior salmon trophy. It weighed in at 6kg (13 lb), taking out the salmon trophy.

Kaikoura Boat Club 2013

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20 THE FISHING PAPER

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The Pink Page Toddler Trolls Tazzie By Rosemary ‘Mamma’ Moore

The opening of the High Country fishing season is marked by a special event for Cantabrians – The Lake Coleridge Fishing Competition hosted by North Canterbury Fish & Game and sponsored by, Hamills of Christchurch, Composite Developments and The Fishing Paper & NZ Hunting News. This year we made the sojourn from Ashburton and enjoyed a spot of trolling on the lake, despite inclement weather. Our young fouryear-old grandson, Connor Duffell, hooked and landed this beautiful 1.2kg rainbow trout on a good old Tazzie Devil and was delighted with the attention it brought him.

Sarah Courts Her King By Glen George My daughter Sarah and I arrived at the Nelson marina at 5.00am for a fish along the Boulder Bank. She consequently pulled in her first kingfish 2km offshore in 20 metres of water. She was fizzing and had to do the high five. Next time we had the boat in the water at 4.00am - the snapper were on the bite as soon as we dropped our lines but it went quiet a couple of hours later. And we will take the salmon burley and pilchards with us again, as the snapper weren’t touching the squid bait at all.

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SUMMER SAFETY GUIDE

MAYDAY THIS COULD JUST SAVE YOUR LIFE

“

Let’s do our part to keep New Zealand a safe place to venture

“

TURBO CHARGE YOUR VHF

Membership of the Nelson Marine Radio Association gives you use of channels 28 and 60 - instantly converting any VHF into a mighty communication tool that reaches into virtually every corner of Tasman and Golden Bays, plus well up and down the West Coast, out into Cook Strait and into Pelorus Sound. With membership you get:

• Enormous peace of mind - for you and the family • Convenient, easy contact with other members’ boats everywhere - to chat, compare notes, pass on messages. • Three daily bulletins of weather (5 sea areas), tides, navigation and safety notices • Friendly operators who - within reason - will pass messages to and from onshore contacts • Log-in service for trip and position reports.

Nelson Marine Radio Association - owned and operated by boaties, for boaties - JOIN TODAY! Private members $58; commercial $74 p.a Join your fellow boaties in maintaining this vital facility - Ph 03 528 7629 now.

SUMMER SAFETY GUIDE

Wherefore Art Thou, McMurdo? By Peter Harker To PLB or not to PLB … that is the question? One only needs to watch the current TV programme Mountain Rescue to see the value of this small, uncomplicated bit of wizardry. It’s a Hotline to Help. I sit here and recall the distant past and people who have not escaped death, because rescue was days away and/or weather and flooded rivers prevented ground rescue teams reaching an injured or ill person or persons. Example: Two tahr hunters in the early 1970s arrive at the Scone Hut, Perth River near Whataroa. They take three days to tramp in from the road end. One cooks a meal while the other chops wood and in doing so the head flies off the axe and is buried in his leg. It’s late afternoon. He survives but we are talking many, many hours before he can be rescued. Now, with a remarkable pocket size PLB, help is on tap and helicopter activity clinches the drama. It’s not tunnel vision that applauds the use of PLBs and their remarkable life saving dramas ... it’s the obvious saving of

lives, the absolute relief to family members who, in the past, were kept in the dark - so to speak - while search parties had to hazard a guess where a party of trampers,, hunters, bush walkers, hikers, pilots etcetera could or may be. If you don’t have an PLB then you actually pass the worry to your family and the frustration to search parties, not to mention thousands in costs. We all say it won’t happen to me - bullshit. There’s a great advert on TV now: Three clowns going on a boat fishing trip. All but one wear a life jacket - the other refuses point blank. In our case it’s the same responsibility your rifle, your GPS and your PLB - they are your best mates. If you’ve got ten minutes, check out the McMurdo Fastfind PLB. You’re hurt and you’re alone - switch it on. Your position is transmitted to the Rescue Co-ordinating Centre within minutes and the search area (which is you) is narrowed down to a few square metres. Good eh!

THIS COULD JUST SAVE YOUR LIFE

An Ugly Reality Check By Roy Anthony With the number of recent fishing related drownings, I felt compelled to tell this story of what started as an idyllic family day at the beach, but ended with me almost losing a son. I’ve kept it close to my chest for years, simply because it was so raw, but I think it’s time us Kiwis had a reality check as to how easy it is to drown and how permanent the outcome is. Not only that, but the repercussions are far more devastating for those left behind, than they are for the victim. Westport’s North Beach is a popular fishing spot and renowned for its ‘holes’, which move with the changing sea conditions. Surfcasters make a point of seeking these out at low water and fish them through the incoming tide for kahawai, snapper, rig and greyboys. It is a very pleasant way to spend a calm day. It entered our head one such calm day that there might be a more productive way to fish the holes at low tide – with a drag net. We’d done all right dragging the holes in the Okari estuary, so figured the same technique would work here. So on a late afternoon tide, just as the sun was drawing long shadows on the beach, a mate joined my nine-year-old son and me for a fish. Coast beaches are deserted at the best of times and we had North Beach to ourselves as we lay the net out and attached the poles. I elected to go on the deep end, being the eldest, and my mate stayed in the shallows at the shore end. My boy was kicking around having a ball as youngsters do. Well, I got out on the far side of the hole and was suddenly surprised how hard it was to drag the net. The tide had started to push and unbeknown to me, a rip was sucking through the hole and this was

making the net very heavy. In hindsight, I should have aborted the attempt, but being a bit of a staunch Kiwi bloke, wasn’t going to let a bit of weight defeat me. I was half way round the hole when the bank gave way and I was sucked into the hole. It was a heap deeper than we’d imagined and I couldn’t get my footing. At this point, the net collapsed its mesh and acted like a parachute in the rip, dragging me with it. My mate saw my distress and hollered for my son to come and hold his end, while he came to my rescue. It was a noble thought but it nearly had disastrous consequences and they still haunt me to this day. Before my mate had got half way to me, my son was gone. He simply didn’t have the weight to hold the net and the rip plucked him from the beach and into the hole. Fear caused him to grip the pole tighter and I thought he was a goner. Fortunately, my mate recognised the dilemma and went to his rescue. The boy now had the net wrapped around one wrist and was well under water and not coming up. Through a superhuman display of strength, my mate managed to drag the net into the shallows and get my son free. He was near gone but survived once drained of a lot of water. I managed to get ashore but we lost the net. I think the thing that staggered me the most was, when your life turns to custard, it does so very quickly. If you think it’ll never happen to you- think again – it could. Always – ALWAYS wear a lifejacket. Your kid’s life could depend upon it.

Wearing Lifejackets Critical to Safety on Water “One of the best things people taking their families fishing can do, is make sure everyone in the boat is wearing a well-fitting lifejacket,” Recreational Boating Officer Evan Walker says. “Most drownings in boating accidents involve craft under six metres long. We want to get the message out to skippers that making sure you and your family are wearing a lifejacket, is the best thing you can do for your family.” Wearing a lifejacket in craft under six metres in Canterbury waters is now required under new bylaws. “We’ve introduced the rule because it’s so

important to the safety of people on the water,” Evan says.

He says it’s also consistent with Maritime New Zealand’s proposed national rule.

People who spend time in, on and around the water should take time to familiarise themselves with the bylaws, which are available from Environment Canterbury and can be downloaded from: http://www. ecan.govt.nz/navbylaw - alternatively, you can request a hard copy of the documents from Customer Services on 03 353 9007 or toll-free on 0800 324 636.

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MAYDAY

WHAT VALUE DO YOU PUT ON LIFE? 3

Victim of The Treble

Know Before You Go:

Ouch! One of the occupational hazards of fishing is a hook impaled in the anatomy, as Brian Fensom found out recently. Normally fastidious around treble hooks, Brian discovered that lack of sleep due to an ‘overnighter’ and a slip of the hand is all it takes to become a victim of the treble.

New Zealand is a wonderful adventure playground with so many outdoor opportunities for you to enjoy. From fishing, kayaking, sailing to rafting … the possibilities are endless.

2. SKIPPER RESPONSIBILITY The skipper is responsible for the safety of everyone on board and for the safe operation of the boat. Stay within the limits of your vessel or your experience.

All boating activities are regulated by Maritime New Zealand and the regional council for each area, so whether you have a kayak, personal water craft, waka, sail or power boat, you must know the rules, have the right equipment, and be a responsible skipper.

3. COMMUNICATIONS Take two separate waterproof ways of communicating in case you get into difficulties. We can’t help you if we don’t know you’re in trouble.

By Daryl Crimp

Brian was landing a mate’s kingfish and had gaffed it successfully, but a sud-

d e e y . u s r

den flick from the fish when he was lowering it into the boat saw one of the treble hooks snag on his finger. They were unable to cut the hook, so crushed the barb and pulled it back out. If someone as experienced as Brian can get caught out, it could happen to you. Carry heavy duty cutters, pliers and good first aid kit on the boat. Better still – replace treble hooks on lures with singles.

Get Familiar with New Zealand’s Boating Safety Code

4. MARINE WEATHER New Zealand’s weather can be highly unpredictable. Check the local marine weather forecast before you go and expect both weather and sea state changes.

To help you stay safe while you enjoy our beautiful country, ‘Know before you go’ - read and follow New Zealand’s Boating Safety Code. The five simple rules are easy to remember and will give you the confidence to explore and enjoy, no matter what you choose to do.

! Accidents Haptypperonduct you want Do you have a safe your ad in for the k o o B ? te o m ro p to ay. next issue of Mayd

020

Call us on 03 544 7

It is really important that we are prepared and that we respect the environment we are in. It can also be a good idea to attend some organised training such as a Coastguard Day Skipper’s course before setting out. Before you go boating on our seas, lakes and rivers, get familiar with New Zealand’s Boating Safety Code. Five simple rules will help you to stay safe, no matter what kind of boat you use:

5. AVOID ALCOHOL Safe boating and alcohol do not mix. Things can change quickly on the water. You need to stay alert and aware.

Visit www.adventuresmart.org.nz. It has more information about safe boating education, you can read the Boating Safety Code, and if you intend to explore the outdoors or get into the water you can also read and follow the outdoor and water safety codes. www.adventuresmart.org.nz has all sorts of tips and advice to help you prepare for your boating, water or outdoor experiences.

1. LIFE JACKETS Take them – Wear them. Boats, especially ones under 6m in length, can sink very quickly. Wearing a life jacket increases your survival time in the water.

www.adventuresmart.org.nz

The Boating Safety

CODE Before you go boating on our seas, lakes and rivers, get familiar with New Zealand’s Boating Safety Code, no matter what kind of boat you use.

Life jackets

Take them – Wear them. Boats, especially ones under 6m in length, can sink very quickly. Wearing a life jacket increases your survival time in the water. 2

Skipper responsibility

to help you stay safe

Marine weather New Zealand’s weather can be highly unpredictable. Check the local marine weather forecast before you go and expect both weather and sea state changes.

The skipper is responsible for the safety of everyone on board and for the safe operation of the boat. Stay within the limits of your vessel and your experience. 3

simple rules

Avoid alcohol Safe boating and alcohol do not mix. Things can change quickly on the water. You need to stay alert and aware. Also available

Communications Take two separate waterproof ways of communicating so we can help you if you get into difﬁculties.

The Water Safety

CODE

The Outdoor Safety

CODE

Get Ready, Get Outdoors

www.adventuresmart.org.nz

SUMMER SAFETY GUIDE

Know Before You Go: Get Familiar with New Zealand’s Outdoor Safety Code New Zealand is a wonderful adventure playground with so many outdoor opportunities to enjoy. From camping and tramping, canyoning and caving, to mountain biking, hunting and more - the possibilities are endless.

and hut conditions. Beware of rivers – if in doubt STAY OUT. 4. KNOW YOUR LIMITS Challenge yourself within your physical limits and experience. Take a bushcraft or survival course.

To help you stay safe while you discover more of our beautiful country, make sure you ‘know before you go’ - read and follow New Zealand’s outdoor safety code.

5. TAKE SUFFICIENT SUPPLIES Make sure you have enough food, clothing, equipment and emergency rations for the worst-case scenario. Take an appropriate means of communication such as a Mountain Radio or Personal Locator Beacon (PLB) and know how to use them.

The five simple rules are easy to remember and will give you the confidence to explore and enjoy, no matter what you choose to do. 1. PLAN YOUR TRIP Seek local knowledge and plan the route you will take and the amount of time you can reasonably expect it to take. Department of Conservation (DoC) Visitor Centres and i-SITEs are a good source of local information. 2. TELL SOMEONE Tell someone your plans and complete written Outdoors Intentions using the tools available at www.adventuresmart. org.nz At the very least, tell a friend or family member where you are going and date and time they should raise the alarm if you haven’t returned.

SAFETY FIRST

Learning to Love Your Diesel Engine - What TO DO and What NOT TO DO By Nick Law Do get familiar with how your engine sounds and feels and if you have questions, ask an industry professional. Learn about your engine systems, water and fuel flows and work with your mechanic to understand how the basics work. You should be able to remove and reinstall a seawater pump and possibly injectors.

Do change your oil and filter annually, or every 100 hours. (Check your manual & always log it) and change your oil when the engine is hot.

Do use a good quality oil, preferably multi-grade 15W40 high detergent. Check your operator’s manual.

You can use the simple forms on the www.adventuresmart.org.nz website to tell someone you trust, your ‘Outdoors Intentions’ information before setting off on your trip. You can print out a form and give it to a family member or even complete the details online and email it to a friend. This information can then be passed onto the emergency services, if the unexpected happens and you haven’t returned by the designated day and time.

Do check the gearbox oil at the same

For more information about how to enjoy New Zealand’s great outdoors safely or to complete your outdoors intentions visit www.adventuresmart.org.nz

Do change your primary and second-

time. Change gearbox oil every two years including filter, clean strainer.

Do change your seawater impeller every two years and carry spare impellers and seals and preferably a spare pump on board.

Do check your zincs in cooling system if fitted.

Do clean your heat exchangers and reseal every two years. ary fuel filter together annually. At least change your primary filter before a major voyage.

Do drain off some fuel from the bot-

3. BE AWARE OF THE WEATHER New Zealand’s weather can be highly unpredictable. Check the forecast and expect weather changes. Check track

tom of the tank if you have access via a plug or breather prior to any major voyage. Suction out a cupful into a clear container to check for water, sludge or ‘bug’.

Do check your engine oil and water

www.adventuresmart.org.nz

The Outdoor Safety

Do look at your engine / gearbox and

CODE

shaft line if running for long periods.

Do check that your alarm system is working, stop the motor and leave the key on until you hear the low oil pressure alarm. Test OK.

Plan your trip Seek local knowledge and plan the route you will take and the amount of time you can reasonably expect it to take.

Tell someone Tell someone your plans and leave a date for when to raise the alarm if you haven’t returned.

Be aware of the weather New Zealand’s weather can be highly unpredictable. Check the forecast and expect weather changes.

Do carry spare oils; enough for two full changes is usually sufficient.

Do check your flywheel drive plate

(damper) between the engine and gearbox every four years. If the vessel spends a lot of time at low loads and low rpm’s, the drive plate gets affected and wears the drive splines. This is especially true of older transmissions and engines.

Do recheck your engine/gear and

shaft alignment when you withdraw your propeller shaft for bearing changes. Engine mounts do settle and deteriorate with oils etcetera, and can damage the shaft and gearbox bearings plus induce noise and vibration if not well aligned.

Do run your engine at a good load

(50 - 80 %), diesels prefer to be run hard (when warm). If your prop is overpitched and you cannot achieve full engine rpm, back the throttle off if you see black smoke out the exhaust (over fuelling).

Don’t excessively idle your engine or run at low loads for extended periods. Think about a twin alternator setup to reduce run time at anchor.

Don’t use cheap low-grade oils. Don’t ignore your maintenance schedule.

Don’t be scared to ask for advice and support.

Do check and lubricate your Morse control cables annually. Check at the engine and gearbox where it receives the bulk of vibration and heat, but also check at the control head. Lubricate well and check the cable travel to ensure you are fully engaging your clutch!

B f Before you go iinto the h outdoors d get familiar with New Zealand’s Outdoor Safety Code.

level and give a visual engine inspection before a run. Look for obvious signs, belt dust, water / oil in bilge.

engines but it can be difficult, slow and expensive getting parts in remote places.

Do carry a good supply of spare

simple rules to help you stay safe

parts, well stored, and a service manual for the engine and gearbox. Often it is easy getting labour to repair

SERVICE GROUP

Know your limits Challenge yourself within your physical limits and experience.

Take sufﬁcient supplies Make sure you have enough food, equipment, clothing and emergency rations for the worst-case scenario. Take an appropriate means of communication.

Specialists in all types of marine repairs, sales and service

Also available The Water Safety

CODE

The Boating Safety

CODE

Get Ready, Get Outdoors

www.adventuresmart.org.nz

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42 Vickerman St, Port Nelson 03 548 1439 sales@aimex.co.nz

MAYDAY

Harbour Views

By Dave Duncan

Chaos & Pattern

Congratulations Cable Bay fisher-folk. It is always pleasurable to hear feedback from seafarers about the behaviour of the recreational ones. Just today I heard of many small craft departing / arriving Cable Bay and every person in all the craft had a lifejacket on. Well done. Weather is a mixture of chaos and pattern. It’s a Bob McDavitt expression and he says it with feeling when he forecasts differing weather around New Zealand. How well do you really know the weather pattern and the forecast for your area? It seems some not as well as they thought, as rescue services around the region have been busy this last month. Just recently we sailed from Wellington to Nelson to be becalmed and drift round one point of the Cook Strait, and to be in 40 knots of wind and three-metre seas at another. Considering my crew had been seasick for the umpteenth time, I thought it might be worthwhile sharing a tale or two of berley. What is seasickness? – It’s

death warming up - for some it is an experience never to be forgotten. What do you do about it? - Absolutely nothing, as you are not physically capable of it. Who should pay? – The miserable skipper that took you out there in the first place. When does it go away? – Within 0.05 of a second of touching land- isn’t that a wonderful thing. Seriously skippers, seasickness drains the fluid from the body, exhausts the already frightened mind, and makes for exceedingly unpleasant odours in the near vicinity. If you have someone seasick on board, ensure they have a lifejacket on.

I had one crew who tried deliberately to climb over the side once. Warmth and dry is of paramount importance, so try to mitigate the weather pattern by altering course and consider getting them home as soon as possible. If you get seasick here are some remedies to explore; if one thing doesn’t work, try another, if nothing works, stay at home. An ear patch (Scopoderm), a wrist pressure point band, ginger (I often take a packet of ginger nut biscuits), seasick tablets, staring at the horizon - staring at the skipper. Be careful of the chaos and pattern – if in doubt- don’t go out

WHAT VALUE DO YOU PUT ON LIFE? 5

SUMMER SAFETY GUIDE

SAFETY FIRST

Navigation Safety Bylaw 2012 Council has now adopted the Navigation Safety Bylaw 2012 and it came into effect on 1 December 2012. It has replaced the previous Navigation Safety and Recreational Marina Bylaws. If you are a sensible skipper who makes considered decisions, knows the laws (both nationally and locally) and generally behaves on the water it will be business as usual under the new bylaw. However there are some new things to be aware of: • Certain areas of the harbour are set aside for specified predominant recreational purposes (priority activities) as indicated by the maps in the Bylaw. These zones do not give sole right of use but when those priority activities are taking place other harbour users should act appropriately, e.g. avoid the area. • A Moving Prohibited Zone and Total Exclusion Zone has been introduced around any vessel of 3000 GRT or more (the bigger size fishing vessels and up). This means big ships have exclusive rights to the Cut and smaller vessels should not enter the Cut when big ships are there. • A Harbour Transit Lane has been established allowing vessels to legally exceed 5 knots when transiting the port provided they stay on the red beacon side of the channel and do not approach within 50 metres of any other vessel within the transit lane or port.

• There is an exclusion zone of 50m around any of the wharves or vessels tied to the wharves. • The person in charge of a recreational vessel that is less than six metres in length must ensure everyone of board wears a properly secured lifejacket unless:- the person in charge gives express permission for lifejackets not to be worn - the person in charge of the vessel considers that conditions are such that there is no signiﬁcant risk to the safety of any person through not wearing a life jacket. (This puts the burden of safety and accountability squarely on the skippers shoulders so be sensible and ensure everyone wears a lifejacket).

• Licences are required from council to operate a commercial vessel. • The marina is included in this Bylaw. • Penalties and infringements are contained within the Bylaw. The Navigation Safety Bylaw is available on the Nelson City Council website, nelsoncitycouncil.co.nz If you have any queries relating to the Bylaw please do not hesitate to email the Harbour Master at harbourmaster@portnelson.co.nz

THE FISHING PAPER 21

www.thefishingpaper.co.nz

PRODUCT PREVIEW Pulsar Forward DFA75 Night Vision Attachment The new Pulsar Forward DFA75 is a digital night vision attachment that easily fits on to the front of a normal daylight riflescope, enabling the user to shoot in low light conditions, including total darkness. Sharing many of the same components as the formidable Pulsar N750 Digisight, the Forward DFA75 is light, robust, and competes head-on with expensive Gen2+ and Gen3 devices. Features include a video-out socket for recording your shot, wireless remote controller, organic LED screen, and an in-built 915nm laser infrared illuminator. Designed for scopes from 42-56mm, it has a nominal detection range of 400 metres, making it your first choice flexible night vision solution for hunting and pest control. Nelson based Archetype Precision Systems Limited are the largest distributor of night vision products in New Zealand and the South Pacific, and are exclusive distributors of all Yukon and Pulsar products. For more information visit www.yukonoptics.co.nz for technical and dealer information.

Okuma Andros for Your Arsenal Winner of the Best Reel at EFTEX 2010 Show Okuma has launched a new weapon to its arsenal by producing the Andros 511 reel. This reel is stacked with sensational features, such as two-speed gearing system - 6:4:1 high /3:8:1 low - offering you the ultimate fishing versatility, from cranking high speed jigging, to bottom dwellers such as groper. The Helical cut gearing system equates to improved gear smoothness and is considerably quieter. The angled teeth teeth found in the Helical cut gears engage more gradually than straight cut or spur gear teeth. The Silent Anti Reverse System allows for a extremely quiet and friction free retrieve, compared to most competitor reels. The bearings are EZO ball bearings prepared by Sapporo Precision inc Japan. Okuma uses ABEC 5 grade bearings for precision performance under all conditions. The drive shaft bearings feature rubber seals to prevent water penetration and are fully packed with grease for longevity. This reel is sure a show stopper and it is well worth you calling into your favourite sports store to have a look at this weapon.

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We have landed our Circle hooks! Chemically Sharpened, NS Black,1/0 to 8/0. These are the most popular shape available, the 7385, similar style to leading circle hook brands. We have been looking for the right hook for several years now and our new agents have scored a beauty! We are so happy, these new Ken’ichi Circles will replace the Senshi Mutsus on our rig range. (Ken’ichi is Japanese and means Strong) This hook assures a point of difference in our NZ Made rigs among the multitudes of cheap Chinese copies out there. Ken’ichi Circles are also available in small retail packs and bulk 50’s. Available from Hotshotz Tackle, Ph 03 4313570, Fax 03 4313590, email hotshotztackle@paradse. net.nz or view online at www.fishhotshotz.co.nz - For New Zealand’s LARGEST NZ MADE Fishing Rig Range!

The Secret is in the Sauce We are so confident Secret Sauce will catch you more fish, we offer a money back guarantee. Secret Sauce is a super sticky gel made from 100% bait fish, enhanced with powerful amino acids and other secret bite motivators, as well as a UV reflective compound to light up your bait. Secret Sauce can be used on all types of lures, including soft baits, slow baits, Inchiku Jigs, jigs, trolling lures, hard lures etcetera. You can also use it to supercharge your bait for straylining, ledger rigs, longline baits etcetera. Give it a go, Secret Sauce really does work - it can be the difference between catching and going home empty handed. Check out the Ocean Angler website for stockists. www.oceanangler.co.nz. Contact us now to become a stockist, 09 580 7969 – paul@oceanangler.co.nz

Changes to recreational set netting on the top of the East Coast of the South Island As of 3 January 2013 recreational fishing using set nets will be allowed in a defined area at the top of the East Coast of the South Island, subject to the following conditions: 1. Recreational set net fishing is restricted to between 3 January and 30 April 2013. 2. Fishers must stay with their nets at all times once the net is set. 3. Fishers must not set nets more than 200 metres from the high-water mark.

While the restricted time period is from 3 January to 30 April 2013, from 2014 the restricted period will be 1 January to 30 April. For more information and a map of the defined area please visit the Ministry for Primary Industries website:

http://www.fish.govt. nz/en-nz/Recreational/ Fishery+Management+Areas/ Challenger/ Closed+and+Restricted+Areas. htm

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22 THE FISHING PAPER

www.thefishingpaper.co.nz

Brunner, Therapy for Disease By James MacDonald

James MacDonald with a nice Lake Brunner brownie.

Seafood New Zealand Chief Executive Announced The chair of Seafood New Zealand, Eric Barratt, today announced that Tim Pankhurst has been appointed chief executive of Seafood New Zealand effective from April 2013. Mr Pankhurst is currently the general manager of the Communications and Media Industry Training Organisation (CMITO) and Print NZ, as well as having an advisory editorial role with the Newspaper Publishers’ Association (NPA). He was previously chief executive of NPA and is a

Chief Executive Tim Pankhurst

former daily newspaper editor of The Dominion Post, The Evening Post, Waikato Times and The Press. Mr Barratt said that Seafood New Zealand was delighted to appoint Mr Pankhurst after a robust recruitment process. “Tim brings significant advocacy experience to this leadership role representing one of New Zealand’s major primary industries,” says Mr Barratt. “We look forward to having Tim on board to build on the industry’s position as a leading exporter of sustainable, high quality, New Zealand seafood.” Mr Barratt said that as global demand for protein continues to grow the seafood industry is focused on generating growth in a sustained and managed way, gaining more value from existing fisheries through innovation and improved practices. Mr Pankhurst said seafood – paua, rock lobster, shellfish, farmed species like salmon and wild inshore and deepwater species - was a vital sector of the

country’s primary production with even greater potential. “New Zealand’s standard of living depends on what we sell to the world. Our seas are rich and we are world leaders in quota management, developing and maintaining sustainable fisheries. That reputation is hard won and it needs to be preserved and enhanced. Seafood is a growth industry and a good news story and it will be a challenge and a privilege to help project that,” says Mr Pankhurst. As New Zealand’s fifth largest export earner, the seafood industry contributes over $1.56 billion dollars in export earnings to the economy and employs around 26,000 people. Seafood New Zealand is the national body representing industry at a national and international level, adding value by promoting New Zealand seafood and its sustainable harvest, building public awareness of the health and nutritional benefits of seafood, as well as delivering science and policy support.

The first Nelson Trout Fishing Club trip of the season was to Lake Brunner, just north of Greymouth. We stayed in the Lake Brunner Country Motel a kilometre north of Moana and is highly recommended. Fishing options, in addition to the lake, included the Arnold River, where an excellent mayfly hatch on the first evening provided much entertainment, to a couple of the anglers using a Caddis Sedge dry fly. Club President, Ray Day, caught a beautiful golden-coloured five-pound trout in the Arnold that won him the “Fish of the Trip” prize. Another option was Lake Poerua about 6 km south of Lake Brunner. Many other streams in the area hold large browns. Lake Brunner on day two proved to be the highlight of the trip; some of us got up at 4:30 am to be on the water before sun-up and then waited for two-to-three hours until any action commenced (all that lost sleep)! As soon as reasonable light was on the water, the pace quickened. Two techniques produced excellent results: [a] stripping Hare and Coppers or Damsels across beds of weed, [b] casting Woolly Buggers into the vicinity of tree roots within the dead willows that surround part of the lake and then stripping them back to the boat like mad. This would often result in a bow-wave coursing out from the tree roots to attack the Bugger exciting stuff. Everyone on the lake that day reported excellent results, with many fish to 5lbs brought to the boats, with the average 2.5 - 3lbs. One of the senior members of the club

– who has fished NZ for decades - indicated later that he had never seen a better day on the lake and perhaps on any lake in New Zealand. It certainly was exceptional and we wracked our brains over the next few days (as the third day was good, but not exceptional) over what made that second day so special. Presumably a combination of temperature, pressure, lack of wind, etc., all promoting enhanced insect activity, which triggers the trout to go from comatose to ravenous. I don’t know, but it is a lot of fun trying to find out. Murchison fishing guide Peter Carty once wrote, “Fishing is a disease. It’s not usually fatal and there’s no known cure for it, but the therapy is wonderful.” President Ray was also awarded the “Dick of the Trip” award for managing to part company with his inflatable dinghy, while trying to retrieve his fly from a footbridge over the Arnold. His excursion into the Arnold was applauded by several bystanders on the bridge. Ray was awarded a tube of FlyAgra Fly Floatant, whose box states, “If your fly stays up for more than four hours, please see your local fly shop”. On our last evening, we had dinner in the Moana Pub. The trip prizes were awarded and we tucked in to the Roast Beef Special: delicious, generous portions and excellent value!

The Club will run additional trips during the season to, e.g. Reefton, Murchison, etc. If you are interested in learning more about the club, please see www.thenelsontroutfishingclub. com.

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THE FISHING PAPER 23

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Stick Your Oar In Oh Cod What a Mess! Ian Bright’s article in the December edition of The Fishing Paper “Blue Cod Season in the Marlborough Sounds” offers some timely advice on the blue cod regulations and handling tips to help fish survival. Ian goes on to remind us of the rules. One of the rules he quotes, “Your blue cod must remain in a whole or gutted state (not gilled).” I’m not aware of any rule change or where in the regulations it says that cod have to be “not gilled”. To keep fish (cod) in good condition it has always been accepted good practice to gut and bleed them as well as removing the gills before placing them on ice. I hope fisheries officers have not been briefed to interpret the regulations so that it will now be an offence if the cod gills have been removed.

Recreational fishers are already having to endure a raft of unwelcome and confusing blue cod regulations without the Nelson Field Operations Manager putting his own (may be unintended) ‘spin’ on the regulations. Fisheries inspectors having difficulty to accurately measure a gutted blue cod with its throat cut and gills removed would receive better support from the public by exercising some common sense and a little discretion rather than quibbling over fractions of a millimetre. Wouldn’t it be great if future MPI fishing articles acknowledged and gave credit to the recreational sector for their contribution and sacrifice that has seen greater numbers of large blue cod. Unfortunately the benefits, achieved by the recreation sector, has been eroded by MPI Fisheries allowing the commercial cod harvest to increase considerably since the recreational only blue

Have Your Say… Mail your letters to Stick Your Oar In The Fishing Paper, PO Box 9001, Annesbrook, 7044, NELSON. Email: editor@thefishingpaper.co.nz The Fishing Paper encourages readers contributions and points of view. We ask that all contributions come supplied with contact details. All letters must be emailed, type written or printed legibly, signed and not more than 300 words. The Fishing Paper states that opinions put forward are not necessarily those of the publisher. We reserve the right to publish in part or refuse to publish on legal grounds if the content of the letters are in any way legally contentious.

cod regulations and fishing closures were introduced. As expected, every blue cod over 35cm returned to the water by a recreational fisher is available for the commercial cod potters. Since the Marlborough Sounds Recreational closure and ban on blue cod fishing the MPI recorded commercial harvest for

Fishing Therapy By Mark Hubbard

The day was windy, the rivers were high and discoloured so I shot out on the mountain bike to get some air into my lungs. The Kaiteriteri mountain bike park is a fantastic spot, with many riding options from beginner trails to extreme down hill tracks. Riding on one of the easier tracks I clipped a pine tree, twisted the front wheel, and was thrown off, but in the process drove the bar into my groin. The pain was intense, but after ten minutes I managed to stand, check the bike and carry on. The next day I had trouble just getting out of bed, sore tight muscles with some rather disturbing bruising beginning to show. Maybe some fishing therapy would help. I thought wading through cold water sounded like a good idea. I arrived at the Motueka River to find it still a little discoloured, so shot up a tributary to try my luck. The water level was high, but clear. I crossed the stream extremely cautiously, trying not to put any undue stress on my injury. I started fishing a fast flowing run with lots of pocket water where a nice 3lb brownie rolled over my dry. I set the hook and had a great fight. The determined fish ran down the fast flowing water to trying to elude my net. The fish was very fat and although I don’t like to take fish, the family had requested trout for tea so I put it in the pack to take home.

Crimptoon the commercial recording area, which includes the Sounds, has increased dramatically, (understood to be a 43% increase). It’s time any stock saving rules were shared amongst all fishing sectors, not just the recreation sector. I for one will not risk spoiling the keeping quality of my precious two blue cod by being instructed to leave the gills in place. Laurie Stevenson - Secretary Marlborough Recreational Fishers Association. Picton

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TIDES OF CHANGE By Poppa Mike

Mysterious Disappearances at Sea

I moved on and slower water allowed me some good sight fishing opportunities. I studied the water, treading carefully as I advanced up the pool, then a fish showed itself just tucked in behind a large boulder. Up went my fly. As it drifted nearer, the fish moved across and up to take, but my strike didn’t hold and it slunk away into the depths. As I neared the top of the pool, I saw what looked like the largest fish I’ve ever seen in this particular waterway. Moving slightly from side to side, its silhouette was obvious on the large white bedrock feeding platform. I put up a nervous, but accurate cast and the fish rose from the bottom to take my fly ever so slowly. The hook held firm and an epic 15-minute battle was on. It was hard work trying to turn the fish toward my net, with it dashing back out towards the middle of the stream every time I got it close. “I just want a photo,” I thought to myself and with that it was finally netted. A great 6lb jack fish, beautiful! The self-timer was set and as the camera took the shot, I was reminded of my injury, check out the look on my face! As I watched him swim away I thought, “That was some great fishing therapy!”

Often an empty dinghy is found bobbing along out at sea, blown from the beach or off the deck of a boat in a storm. However, discovering a small boat well offshore, going around in circles with its motor still going, is a more serious matter. Such a find occurred in February 2011 sparking a major search 6kms off Kirra Beach, Australia. Six hours later the sole occupant managed to swim ashore, a distance of 7.5kms, scrambled over the rocky shore and made it to a nearby house for help. A rogue wave had knocked him overboard. Then there was the empty yacht moored in the lagoon of a beautiful Pacific atoll. The dinghy was still aboard, but where were the married couple and their miniature poodle? The bodies of all three were found a few days later on another island, having been swept away by a strong outgoing current. The bodies had been badly scratched by the dog, trying to claw itself up out of the water. In April 2007 the 40’ catamaran Kaz 11 was spotted by a coastal patrol aircraft drifting aimlessly off Australia’s Great Barrier Reef, with sails flapping. When officials managed to get aboard three days later, they found the engine

still running, the radio and laptop going, food on the table, the dinghy, three lifejackets and the emergency locator beacon still on board. So what had happened to the three crew? Despite extensive sea searches and lots of theories, the three men were never found. Possibly one, a non-swimmer, had slipped overboard, another had jumped in to assist him while the third started up the engine to turn the boat around and pick them up. Did he slip in the water while trying to pull them aboard? One of the world’s most famous disappearance mysteries at sea is that of the Mary Celeste in 1872, in the middle of the Atlantic. On board were Captain Briggs, his wife Sarah, their young daughter and a crew of seven. When another vessel pulled alongside they found everything in good order, the weather calm, and half eaten meals on the table. Missing however was the ship’s papers, navigation books, sextant, chronometer and the lifeboat. As in the case of Kaz 11, many theories were put forward but nothing conclusive. It seems most likely that the order to abandon ship may have been given as the volatile industrial alcohol cargo may have been about to explode. The lifeboat waiting a safe distance away then having lost contact during the night or in a squall, before sinking with all ten lives lost. Not so well known is the disappearance of the twenty-five crew and passengers from the island trader Joyita, while on a routine trading trip from Samoa to the Tokelau Islands. She never arrived, but five weeks later she was spotted drifting near Fiji. When boarded, most of the cargo, the ship’s papers, a large sum of money, the three liferafts and all the lifejackets was missing. The boat was found to be leaking but its cork lined construction deemed the boat unsinkable, a well-known fact amongst the locals and those who sailed in her. Once again theories ran rife, one being that of piracy by a fleet of Japanese fishing boats working in the area.

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24 THE FISHING PAPER

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From Sinker to Smoker By Ron Prestage

Thin Collects Fat Prize Packets

West Coast fisherman Craig Thin’s skill and persistence was well rewarded at the Mokihinui Fishing Competition, where he took out the three major prizes, a rare feat. His 6.85kg snapper caught on day one, along with three smaller ones, took out the daily snapper prize and also turned out to be the

Other winners of The Fishing Paper daily prize for the heaviest snapper were: Kristin Schulte on day two, Bruce Stringer on day three and Ariel Coleman on day four. Bruce Stringer caught his bag limit of ten snapper on day three, a feat seldom achieved on the West Coast. He also took out the prize for the heaviest kahawai with a 2.69kg specimen.

heaviest snapper of the tenday competition. A 16.60kg ray caught on day four also netted him a daily prize for the heaviest fish and was the heaviest fish weighed in for the whole competition. On day six, Craig turned his hand to trout fishing and his 2.7kg trout took top honours and completed the hat trick for him.

To the Weekend

In all, 36 snapper were weighed in on the first four days before the wet weather hit the Coast. At the peak of the deluge, bridges were washed out and roads closed by slips and flooding. Despite this, a record number of entrants took part in the competition and 167 fish were weighed in.

Come see our fortnightly specials

Presents Biggin Bags a Good Read It seems there is no corner of the globe The Fishing Paper & New Zealand Hunting News doesn’t get to. It is seen here providing a chilling read to Ivor Biggin from Great Britain, while on a trophy-hunting trip in the Southern Alps last year. Ivor Biggin is the only living descendant of the famous British soldier who was a very successful spy in the second Boer War. Private William Biggin used his short stature to great advantage, infiltrating enemy lines under cover of darkness and masquerading as a child so he went unnoticed. His daring antics made him a fan of the officer’s class, especially General Gerald Bartholomew-Smythe (Barty), who had a lot of clout in Upper Class England. Barty unofficially adopted the young William as personal mascot and was often the centre of attention at London Society parties when he regaled daring stories of his private Biggin.

Surfcaster Craig Thin with the prize winning biggest snapper of the competition.

The Mokihinui Fishing Club lead by executives, Brian Morgan, Brian Murphy and Tony Murphy provided the usual sumptuous barbecue at the prize giving and Ron and Helen Bennet gave sterling service as weigh masters.

Top junior fisher was Braden Main with a 2.26kg kahawai, one of 72 weighed in. The ladies prize went to Stacey McSherry with another kahawai of 2.14kg. George Coleman claimed the longest fish prize with a conger eel of 1.37m. In the electric kontiki section the heaviest fish caught

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was a 3.61kg elephant fish by Stan Campbell and the heaviest snapper was a 6.22kg snapper weighed in by the Bugue Syndicate. Regular competitor, Allan Gough, claimed two daily heaviest fish prizes with rig of over 4kg and John and Eileen Lee won three daily prizes with trout taken from the swollen rivers on days when surfcasting was not possible.

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Biggin was promoted to rank of Major toward the end of the war, but great grandson Ivor Biggin said it’s not all beer and skittles having a Major Biggin in the family. “People in the know are always expecting me to rise to the occasion and it’s just not my style,” Ivor told The Fishing Paper. Ironically, Ivor is the spitting image of his great grandfather and can behave

quite childishly after a few whiskies. Being the only male Biggin left, Ivor inherited the family fortune and doesn’t need to work like normal people. He spends his life traveling the world in search of exotic trophies. He spends his spare time writing his autobiography, The Life and Times of a Biggin. It’s a short story.

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26 THE FISHING PAPER

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Scallops Tip of the Month: Setting up a setline

The scallop season in the Challenger area (Nelson/Marlborough) closes at midnight on 14 February and reopens on 15 July. Different areas of the country have different regulations pertaining to scallops and you should check with your local Ministry office if you are intending to fish in other fisheries areas. Fishery Officers are still inspecting fishers who have accumulated several days scallop catch and are transporting their scallops by sea in a shucked state. The regulations are quite clear: unless the scallops are for consumption on the vessel, all scallops seaward of the high water mark must be in a measurable state i.e. still in the shell. There also seems confusion among divers about when scallops or other shellfish and fish are deemed to be taken. Shellfish (including rock lobster) and finfish are taken when they cannot freely return to the water e.g. placed into your catch bag or similar. While gathering, you may not be in possession of more than your daily limit and it is not permissible to take excess with a view to later counting and measuring at a time or place convenient to you. Neither can you harvest excess with a view to later high-grading your catch and keeping the largest. The same applies to a dredging operation, you must sort your catch immediately it comes on board. It is not permissible to motor to a place more convenient to you to count and measure. If, upon checking your catch, you find that you have inadvertently taken fish under the legal size limit or fish in excess of your allowable daily limit, the excess must be immediately returned to the sea.

A compact setline twenty five trace holder can be made from the common 30 litre plastic cube storage box. 1) Firstly mark out the placement of the slits along the upper edge used to hold the trace nylon. Refer to diagram. 2) Cut these slits firstly with a hacksaw and then increase the depth of the cut with a sharp serrated edged knife ending up with V shaped cuts, 5mm deep. 3) Next drill 4 mm holes directly below the slits and in the lower ledge that is moulded on each side of the cube box. These holes accommodate the hooks prior to them being baited. 4) A length of 1.5 mm stainless steel wire is placed across the slitless side of the box. Make a hook in this wire before pushing it through the holes. The hook holds the wire in place when it is clamped onto the upper moulded ledge. Bend a hook in the other end once the wire has been stretched into place. 5) Now put the traces in position by hooking the hooks into the holes in the outer bottom edge and jamming the nylon into a slit before clipping the shark clip onto the stainless wire. Refer to photographs. Make the traces using 15kg - 40kg nylon, 800 mm in length, longline hooks and knots and shark clips tied on with uniknots. Remember present laws allow one person, one setline of no more than twenty five hooks. No more than two set lines per boat can be used.

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From Nelson: Picton is -47 minutes on the high tides and -1 hour 19 minutes on the low tide Elaine Bay -35 minutes Stephens Island -30 minutes Collingwood -25 minutes Croisilles Harbour -18 minutes on the high tides and -02 minutes on the low tides From Akaroa: Kaikoura +1 hour 08 minutes on the high tides and +1 hour on the low tides Lyttelton +43 minutes on the high tides and +42 minutes on the low tides Moeraki -1 hour 08 minutes on the high tides and -35 minutes on the low tides

FISHING WITH CRIMPY NELSON • 1341 AM MARLBOROUGH • 92.1FM WEST COAST • 98.7FM SATURDAY MORNINGS | 7 - 7.30 To find out what’s hot and what’s not and whose rod has a in it. Join Crimpy and Reagan for fishing mayhem, madness and much more!

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February 2013 FEBRUARY

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Westport FEBRUARY 2013

1 Fri 2 Sat 3 Sun 4 Mon 1 5 Fri Tue 2 6 Sat Wed 3 Thu Sun 7 4 8 Mon Fri 5 9 Tue Sat 6 10 Wed Sun 7 Thu 11 Mon 8 Fri 12 Tue 9 13 Sat Wed 10 Thu Sun 14 11 15 Mon Fri 12 16 Tue Sat 13 17 Wed Sun 14 Mon Thu 18 15 19 Fri Tue 16 20 Sat Wed 17 21 Sun Thu 18 Fri Mon 22 19 23 Tue Sat 20 24 Wed Sun 21 Mon Thu 25 22 Tue Fri 26 23 27 Sat Wed 24 28 Sun Thu 25 Mon 26 Tue 27 Wed 28 Thu

02:41 03:25 04:16 05:18 02:41 00:15 03:25 01:29 04:16 02:40 05:18 03:42 00:15 04:38 01:29 05:28 02:40 00:10 03:42 00:54 04:38 01:35 05:28 02:15 00:10 02:55 00:54 03:36 01:35 04:21 02:15 05:15 02:55 00:02 03:36 01:09 04:21 02:14 05:15 03:11 00:02 03:59 01:09 04:40 02:14 05:18 03:11 05:55 03:59 00:26 04:40 01:03 05:18 05:55 00:26 01:03

3.0 2.9 2.8 2.7 3.0 0.8 2.9 0.8 2.8 0.7 2.7 0.5 0.8 0.3 0.8 0.2 0.7 3.3 0.5 3.3 0.3 3.3 0.2 3.2 3.3 3.0 3.3 2.8 3.3 2.6 3.2 2.5 3.0 1.1 2.8 1.1 2.6 1.1 2.5 1.0 1.1 0.8 1.1 0.6 1.1 0.5 1.0 0.4 0.8 3.2 0.6 3.2 0.5 0.4 3.2 3.2

the top of the East Coast of the South Island, subject to the following conditions: Recreational set net fishing is restricted to between 3 January and 30 April 2013 (beginning on 1 January and ending on the close of 30 April in relation to any other year) Fishers must stay with their nets at all times once the net is set and fishers must not set nets more than 200 metres from shore. For more information on the areas in which nets may now be set at the Top of the South Island, contact your local Ministry for Primary Industries office or check the Challenger Amateur Fishing Regulations at mpi.govt.nz. In addition to those specific restrictions, the general set net rules apply: Set nets must not exceed 60 metres in length No net may be set within 60 metres of another net Each end of the set net must have a surface float that is clearly, legibly and permanently marked with the fishers initials and surname. No net may be used in a way that causes fish to be stranded by the falling tide. If you intend to allow others to take their daily limit of fish or rock lobster from your net or rock lobster pot, those persons must be actively involved in fishing the net or the pot and they must also have their name and initials on the surface floats. In the case of a rock lobster pot, they must have also their name and initials affixed to the pot. To report illegal fishing call 0800 4 POACHER 0800 476 224

Recreational Set Netting on the Top of the East Coast of the South Island. As of 3 January 2013, recreational fishing using set nets is allowed in a defined area at

3 Bond Street, INVERCARGILL

From Westport: Greymouth +05 minutes Hokitika +10 minutes Karamea +35 minutes Whanganui Inlet -1 hour 05 minutes

By Ian Bright Field Operations Manager Nelson Phone 0800 4 Poacher

08:48 09:34 10:30 11:37 08:48 06:33 09:34 07:49 10:30 08:59 11:37 10:00 06:33 10:54 07:49 11:43 08:59 06:14 10:00 06:57 10:54 07:38 11:43 08:19 06:14 09:00 06:57 09:44 07:38 10:33 08:19 11:32 09:00 06:20 09:44 07:29 10:33 08:33 11:32 09:26 06:20 10:12 07:29 10:52 08:33 11:29 09:26 12:05 10:12 06:31 10:52 07:08 11:29 12:05 06:31 07:08

0.5 0.6 0.7 0.8 0.5 2.7 0.6 2.8 0.7 2.9 0.8 3.1 2.7 3.2 2.8 3.4 2.9 0.1 3.1 0.1 3.2 0.2 3.4 0.3 0.1 0.5 0.1 0.7 0.2 0.9 0.3 1.0 0.5 2.4 0.7 2.4 0.9 2.5 1.0 2.6 2.4 2.8 2.4 2.9 2.5 3.1 2.6 3.2 2.8 0.3 2.9 0.3 3.1 3.2 0.3 0.3

15:01 15:50 16:48 17:58 15:01 12:53 15:50 14:07 16:48 15:14 17:58 16:13 12:53 17:05 14:07 17:54 15:14 12:28 16:13 13:10 17:05 13:52 17:54 14:32 12:28 15:13 13:10 15:57 13:52 16:47 14:32 17:46 15:13 12:40 15:57 13:46 16:47 14:46 17:46 15:36 12:40 16:20 13:46 17:00 14:46 17:38 15:36 18:15 16:20 12:42 17:00 13:19 17:38 18:15 12:42 13:19

Westport

3.0 2.9 2.8 2.8 3.0 0.8 2.9 0.7 2.8 0.5 2.8 0.4 0.8 0.2 0.7 0.1 0.5 3.4 0.4 3.4 0.2 3.3 0.1 3.1 3.4 3.0 3.4 2.8 3.3 2.6 3.1 2.4 3.0 1.1 2.8 1.1 2.6 1.0 2.4 0.8 1.1 0.7 1.1 0.5 1.0 0.4 0.8 0.3 0.7 3.3 0.5 3.3 0.4 0.3 3.3 3.3

21:17 0.5 22:07 0.6 23:06 0.7

21:17 19:14 22:07 20:26 23:06 21:32 22:31 19:14 23:23 20:26 21:32 18:39 22:31 19:22 23:23 20:04 20:45 18:39 21:26 19:22 22:11 20:04 23:01 20:45 21:26 18:52 22:11 19:58 23:01 20:57 21:48 18:52 22:32 19:58 23:12 20:57 23:50 21:48 22:32 18:53 23:12 19:31 23:50

0.5 2.7 0.6 2.8 0.7 3.0 3.1 2.7 3.2 2.8 3.0 0.1 3.1 0.1 3.2 0.2 0.4 0.1 0.6 0.1 0.8 0.2 1.0 0.4 0.6 2.4 0.8 2.4 1.0 2.5 2.6 2.4 2.8 2.4 3.0 2.5 3.1 2.6 2.8 0.2 3.0 0.2 3.1

18:53 0.2 19:31 0.2

Nelson 01:45 02:24 03:08 03:59 01:45 05:04 02:24 00:00 03:08 01:23 03:59 02:37 05:04 03:38 00:00 04:28 01:23 05:13 02:37 05:54 03:38 00:35 04:28 01:13 05:13 01:50 05:54 02:27 00:35 03:05 01:13 03:48 01:50 04:44 02:27 06:01 03:05 00:39 03:48 01:59 04:44 02:57 06:01 03:42 00:39 04:19 01:59 04:53 02:57 05:27 03:42 00:09 04:19 04:53 05:27 00:09

4.0 3.9 3.8 3.6 4.0 3.5 3.9 1.2 3.8 1.2 3.6 1.0 3.5 0.7 1.2 0.5 1.2 0.3 1.0 0.3 0.7 4.2 0.5 4.2 0.3 4.0 0.3 3.8 4.2 3.6 4.2 3.4 4.0 3.1 3.8 3.0 3.6 1.6 3.4 1.5 3.1 1.3 3.0 1.1 1.6 0.8 1.5 0.6 1.3 0.5 1.1 4.2 0.8 0.6 0.5 4.2

07:33 08:14 09:00 10:00 07:33 11:19 08:14 06:26 09:00 07:50 10:00 08:59 11:19 09:54 06:26 10:42 07:50 11:24 08:59 12:04 09:54 06:31 10:42 07:07 11:24 07:42 12:04 08:18 06:31 08:59 07:07 09:52 07:42 11:05 08:18 12:30 08:59 07:30 09:52 08:38 11:05 09:25 12:30 10:04 07:30 10:39 08:38 11:13 09:25 11:48 10:04 06:01 10:39 11:13 11:48 06:01

0.6 0.8 0.9 1.2 0.6 1.3 0.8 3.4 0.9 3.5 1.2 3.8 1.3 4.1 3.4 4.3 3.5 4.4 3.8 4.5 4.1 0.3 4.3 0.5 4.4 0.7 4.5 0.9 0.3 1.2 0.5 1.4 0.7 1.6 0.9 1.6 1.2 3.1 1.4 3.3 1.6 3.5 1.6 3.8 3.1 4.0 3.3 4.2 3.5 4.3 3.8 0.4 4.0 4.2 4.3 0.4

13:59 14:42 15:33 16:34 13:59 17:47 14:42 12:49 15:33 14:05 16:34 15:06 17:47 15:58 12:49 16:45 14:05 17:28 15:06 18:09 15:58 12:43 16:45 13:21 17:28 13:59 18:09 14:38 12:43 15:21 13:21 16:12 13:59 17:12 14:38 18:22 15:21 13:40 16:12 14:34 17:12 15:18 18:22 15:57 13:40 16:33 14:34 17:09 15:18 17:46 15:57 12:23 16:33 17:09 17:46 12:23

Nelson

4.0 3.8 3.7 3.5 4.0 3.4 3.8 1.3 3.7 1.1 3.5 0.8 3.4 0.6 1.3 0.5 1.1 0.4 0.8 0.4 0.6 4.4 0.5 4.2 0.4 4.0 0.4 3.7 4.4 3.5 4.2 3.3 4.0 3.1 3.7 3.0 3.5 1.5 3.3 1.3 3.1 1.1 3.0 0.9 1.5 0.7 1.3 0.5 1.1 0.4 0.9 4.3 0.7 0.5 0.4 4.3

20:05 20:50 21:41 22:44 20:05 20:50 19:06 21:41 20:21 22:44 21:27 22:23 19:06 23:11 20:21 23:55 21:27 22:23 18:47 23:11 19:23 23:55 19:59 20:37 18:47 21:18 19:23 22:08 19:59 23:14 20:37 21:18 19:35 22:08 20:39 23:14 21:31 22:15 19:35 22:55 20:39 23:33 21:31 22:15 18:23 22:55 23:33

0.7 0.8 1.0 1.1 0.7 0.8 3.4 1.0 3.5 1.1 3.8 4.0 3.4 4.1 3.5 4.2 3.8 4.0 0.5 4.1 0.6 4.2 0.8 1.0 0.5 1.2 0.6 1.4 0.8 1.6 1.0 1.2 3.1 1.4 3.3 1.6 3.5 3.7 3.1 3.9 3.3 4.1 3.5 3.7 0.4 3.9 4.1

18:23 0.4

NELSON • 1341 AM MARLBOROUGH • 92.1FM Havelock WEST COAST • 98.7FM 1 Fri 01:31 3.0 07:00 0.6 13:45 3.0 19:32 2 Sat 3 Sun 4 Mon 1 5 Fri Tue 2 6 Sat Wed 3 Thu Sun 7 4 8 Mon Fri 5 9 Tue Sat 6 10 Wed Sun 7 Thu 11 Mon 8 Fri 12 Tue 9 13 Sat Wed 10 Thu Sun 14 11 15 Mon Fri 12 16 Tue Sat 13 17 Wed Sun 14 Mon Thu 18 15 19 Fri Tue 16 20 Sat Wed 17 21 Sun Thu 18 Fri Mon 22 19 23 Tue Sat 20 24 Wed Sun 21 Mon Thu 25 22 Tue Fri 26 23 27 Sat Wed 24 28 Sun Thu 25 Mon 26 Tue 27 Wed 28 Thu

02:10 02:54 03:45 01:31 04:50 02:10 06:12 02:54 00:50 03:45 02:04 04:50 03:05 06:12 03:55 00:50 04:40 02:04 05:21 03:05 00:21 03:55 00:59 04:40 01:36 05:21 02:13 00:21 02:51 00:59 03:34 01:36 04:30 02:13 05:47 02:51 00:06 03:34 01:26 04:30 02:24 05:47 03:09 00:06 03:46 01:26 04:20 02:24 04:54 03:09 05:28 03:46 04:20 04:54 05:28

2.9 2.8 2.7 3.0 2.6 2.9 2.5 2.8 1.0 2.7 0.9 2.6 0.7 2.5 0.6 1.0 0.4 0.9 0.4 0.7 3.1 0.6 3.1 0.4 3.0 0.4 2.8 3.1 2.7 3.1 2.5 3.0 2.3 2.8 2.3 2.7 1.3 2.5 1.2 2.3 1.1 2.3 1.0 1.3 0.8 1.2 0.6 1.1 0.6 1.0 0.5 0.8 0.6 0.6 0.5

07:41 08:27 09:27 07:00 10:46 07:41 12:16 08:27 07:36 09:27 08:45 10:46 09:40 12:16 10:28 07:36 11:10 08:45 11:50 09:40 05:58 10:28 06:34 11:10 07:09 11:50 07:45 05:58 08:26 06:34 09:19 07:09 10:32 07:45 11:57 08:26 07:16 09:19 08:24 10:32 09:11 11:57 09:50 07:16 10:25 08:24 10:59 09:11 11:34 09:50 12:09 10:25 10:59 11:34 12:09

0.8 0.8 1.0 0.6 1.1 0.8 1.1 0.8 2.6 1.0 2.8 1.1 3.0 1.1 3.2 2.6 3.2 2.8 3.3 3.0 0.4 3.2 0.6 3.2 0.7 3.3 0.8 0.4 1.0 0.6 1.2 0.7 1.3 0.8 1.3 1.0 2.3 1.2 2.5 1.3 2.6 1.3 2.8 2.3 3.0 2.5 3.1 2.6 3.2 2.8 3.2 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.2

14:28 15:19 16:20 13:45 17:33 14:28 18:52 15:19 13:32 16:20 14:33 17:33 15:25 18:52 16:12 13:32 16:55 14:33 17:36 15:25 12:29 16:12 13:07 16:55 13:45 17:36 14:24 12:29 15:07 13:07 15:58 13:45 16:58 14:24 18:08 15:07 13:07 15:58 14:01 16:58 14:45 18:08 15:24 13:07 16:00 14:01 16:36 14:45 17:13 15:24 17:50 16:00 16:36 17:13 17:50

Havelock

2.8 2.8 2.6 3.0 2.5 2.8 2.5 2.8 1.0 2.6 0.8 2.5 0.6 2.5 0.6 1.0 0.5 0.8 0.5 0.6 3.2 0.6 3.1 0.5 3.0 0.5 2.8 3.2 2.6 3.1 2.5 3.0 2.3 2.8 2.3 2.6 1.2 2.5 1.1 2.3 1.0 2.3 0.8 1.2 0.7 1.1 0.6 1.0 0.5 0.8 0.5 0.7 0.6 0.5 0.5

Waimakariri Mouth

Akaroa

Rakaia Mouth

Waimakariri Mouth

Akaroa

Rakaia Mouth

20:17 21:08 22:11 19:32 23:27 20:17 21:08 20:07 22:11 21:13 23:27 22:09 22:57 20:07 23:41 21:13 22:09 18:14 22:57 18:50 23:41 19:26 20:04 18:14 20:45 18:50 21:35 19:26 22:41 20:04 20:45 19:21 21:35 20:25 22:41 21:17 22:01 19:21 22:41 20:25 23:19 21:17 23:55 22:01 22:41 23:19 23:55

0.7 0.8 0.9 1.0 0.7 1.0 0.8 0.9 2.6 1.0 2.8 1.0 3.0 3.0 2.6 3.1 2.8 3.0 0.6 3.0 0.6 3.1 0.8 0.9 0.6 1.0 0.6 1.2 0.8 1.3 0.9 1.0 2.3 1.2 2.5 1.3 2.6 2.8 2.3 2.9 2.5 3.0 2.6 3.1 2.8 2.9 3.0 3.1

1 Fri 03:06 0.5 09:19 2.3 15:32 0.5 21:46 2.2 1 Fri 02:14 0.7 08:26 2.3 14:40 0.7 20:53 2.2 1 Fri 02:10 0.5 08:23 2.3 14:36 0.5 20:50 2.2 2 Sat 03:55 0.5 10:09 2.3 16:22 0.5 22:36 2.3 2 Sat 03:03 0.7 09:16 2.3 15:30 0.7 21:43 2.3 2 Sat 02:59 0.5 09:13 2.3 15:26 0.5 21:40 2.3 3 Sun 04:47 0.5 11:00 2.2 17:13 0.5 23:28 2.3 3 Sun 03:55 0.7 10:07 2.2 16:21 0.7 22:35 2.3 3 Sun 03:51 0.5 10:04 2.2 16:17 0.5 22:32 2.3 4 Mon 05:43 0.5 11:54 2.3 18:07 0.5 4 Mon 04:51 0.7 11:01 2.3 17:15 0.7 23:30 2.3 4 Mon 04:47 0.5 10:58 2.3 17:11 0.5 23:27 2.3 1 03:06 0.5 09:19 2.3 15:32 0.5 21:46 2.2 1 02:14 0.7 08:26 2.3 14:40 0.7 20:53 2.2 1 Fri Fri 5 Tue 00:23 2.3 06:41 0.5 12:49 2.3 19:03 0.4 5 Tue 05:49 0.7 11:56 2.3 18:11 0.6 5 Fri 05:45 0.5 0.5 08:23 11:53 2.3 2.3 14:36 18:07 0.5 0.4 20:50 2.2 Tue 02:10 2 Wed 2 Wed 2 Wed 03:55 2.4 0.5 07:40 10:09 0.5 2.3 13:46 16:22 2.3 0.5 20:00 22:36 0.4 2.3 03:03 2.4 0.7 06:48 09:16 0.7 2.3 12:53 15:30 2.3 0.7 19:08 21:43 0.6 2.3 02:59 2.4 0.5 06:44 09:13 0.5 2.3 12:50 15:26 2.3 0.5 19:04 21:40 0.4 2.3 Sat 01:21 Sat 00:28 Sat 00:25 6 6 6 3 3 3 04:47 0.5 11:00 2.2 17:13 0.5 23:28 2.3 03:55 0.7 10:07 2.2 16:21 0.7 22:35 2.3 03:51 0.5 10:04 2.2 16:17 Sun Sun Sun 7 Thu 02:21 2.4 08:38 0.4 14:44 2.3 20:58 0.3 7 Thu 01:28 2.4 07:46 0.6 13:51 2.3 20:06 0.6 7 Thu 01:25 2.4 07:42 0.4 13:48 0.5 2.3 22:32 20:02 2.3 0.3 4 4 4 05:43 0.5 11:54 2.3 18:07 0.5 04:51 0.7 11:01 2.3 17:15 0.7 23:30 2.3 04:47 0.5 10:58 2.3 17:11 0.5 23:27 Mon Mon Mon 8 Fri 03:20 2.5 09:36 0.3 15:42 2.4 21:57 0.3 8 Fri 02:27 2.5 08:44 0.6 14:49 2.4 21:05 0.6 8 Fri 02:24 2.5 08:40 0.3 14:46 2.4 21:01 2.3 0.3 5 Sat 5 Sat 5 Sat 00:23 2.5 2.3 10:33 06:41 0.3 0.5 16:39 12:49 2.4 2.3 22:55 19:03 0.2 0.4 05:49 2.5 0.7 09:41 11:56 0.6 2.3 15:46 18:11 2.4 0.6 22:03 0.5 05:45 2.5 0.5 09:37 11:53 0.3 2.3 15:43 18:07 2.4 0.4 21:59 0.2 Tue 04:17 Tue 03:24 Tue 03:21 9 9 9 6 Sun 6 Sun 6 Sun 01:21 2.6 2.4 11:28 07:40 0.3 0.5 17:35 13:46 2.5 2.3 23:51 20:00 0.2 0.4 00:28 2.6 2.4 10:36 06:48 0.6 0.7 16:42 12:53 2.5 2.3 22:59 19:08 0.5 0.6 00:25 2.6 2.4 10:32 06:44 0.3 0.5 16:39 12:50 2.5 2.3 22:55 19:04 0.2 0.4 Wed 05:12 Wed 04:19 Wed 04:16 10 10 10 7 Thu 7 Thu 7 Thu 11 11 11 06:06 2.4 2.6 08:38 12:21 0.4 0.3 14:44 18:29 2.3 2.5 20:58 0.3 05:13 2.4 2.6 07:46 11:29 0.6 0.6 13:51 17:36 2.3 2.5 20:06 23:52 0.6 0.5 05:10 2.4 2.6 07:42 11:25 0.4 0.3 13:48 17:33 2.3 2.5 20:02 23:48 0.3 0.2 Mon 02:21 Mon 01:28 Mon 01:25 8 8 8 03:20 2.5 09:36 0.3 15:42 2.4 21:57 0.3 02:27 2.5 08:44 0.6 14:49 2.4 21:05 0.6 02:24 2.5 08:40 0.3 14:46 2.4 21:01 0.3 Fri Fri Fri 12 Tue 00:44 0.2 06:58 2.5 13:13 0.3 19:23 2.4 12 Tue 06:05 2.5 12:21 0.6 18:30 2.4 12 Tue 06:02 2.5 12:17 0.3 18:27 2.4 9 Wed 9 Wed 9 Wed 04:17 0.3 2.5 07:50 10:33 2.5 0.3 14:03 16:39 0.3 2.4 20:16 22:55 2.4 0.2 03:24 0.6 2.5 06:57 09:41 2.5 0.6 13:11 15:46 0.6 2.4 19:23 22:03 2.4 0.5 03:21 0.3 2.5 06:54 09:37 2.5 0.3 13:07 15:43 0.3 2.4 19:20 21:59 2.4 0.2 Sat 01:36 Sat 00:44 Sat 00:40 13 13 13 10 Thu 10 Thu 10 Thu 05:12 0.3 2.6 08:41 11:28 2.4 0.3 14:53 17:35 0.4 2.5 21:07 23:51 2.3 0.2 04:19 0.6 2.6 07:48 10:36 2.4 0.6 14:01 16:42 0.6 2.5 20:14 22:59 2.3 0.5 04:16 0.3 2.6 07:45 10:32 2.4 0.3 13:57 16:39 0.4 2.5 20:11 22:55 2.3 0.2 Sun 02:26 Sun 01:34 Sun 01:30 14 14 14 11 11 11 06:06 2.6 12:21 0.3 18:29 2.5 05:13 2.6 11:29 0.6 17:36 2.5 23:52 0.5 05:10 2.6 11:25 0.3 17:33 2.5 23:48 Mon Mon Mon 15 Fri 03:16 0.4 09:32 2.3 15:43 0.5 21:58 2.3 15 Fri 02:24 0.6 08:39 2.3 14:51 0.7 21:05 2.3 15 Fri 02:20 0.4 08:36 2.3 14:47 0.5 21:02 0.2 2.3 12 12 12 00:44 0.2 06:58 2.5 13:13 0.3 19:23 2.4 06:05 2.5 12:21 0.6 18:30 2.4 06:02 2.5 12:17 0.3 18:27 2.4 Tue Tue Tue 16 Sat 04:06 0.5 10:22 2.2 16:33 0.5 22:47 2.2 16 Sat 03:14 0.7 09:29 2.2 15:41 0.7 21:54 2.2 16 Sat 03:10 0.5 09:26 2.2 15:37 0.5 21:51 2.2 13 Sun 13 Sun 13 Sun 01:36 0.6 0.3 11:12 07:50 2.1 2.5 17:23 14:03 0.6 0.3 23:36 20:16 2.2 2.4 00:44 0.8 0.6 10:19 06:57 2.1 2.5 16:31 13:11 0.8 0.6 22:43 19:23 2.2 2.4 00:40 0.6 0.3 10:16 06:54 2.1 2.5 16:27 13:07 0.6 0.3 22:40 19:20 2.2 2.4 Wed 04:57 Wed 04:05 Wed 04:01 17 17 17 14 Mon 14 Mon 14 Mon 02:26 0.7 0.3 12:02 08:41 2.1 2.4 18:12 14:53 0.6 0.4 21:07 2.3 01:34 0.9 0.6 11:09 07:48 2.1 2.4 17:20 14:01 0.8 0.6 23:32 20:14 2.1 2.3 01:30 0.7 0.3 11:06 07:45 2.1 2.4 17:16 13:57 0.6 0.4 23:29 20:11 2.1 2.3 Thu 05:50 Thu 04:58 Thu 04:54 18 18 18 15 15 15 03:16 0.4 09:32 2.3 15:43 0.5 21:58 2.3 02:24 0.6 08:39 2.3 14:51 0.7 21:05 2.3 02:20 0.4 08:36 2.3 14:47 0.5 21:02 2.3 Fri Fri Fri 19 Tue 00:25 2.1 06:43 0.7 12:52 2.1 19:02 0.7 19 Tue 05:51 0.9 11:59 2.1 18:10 0.9 19 Tue 05:47 0.7 11:56 2.1 18:06 0.7 16 Wed 16 Wed 16 Wed 04:06 2.1 0.5 07:34 10:22 0.7 2.2 13:41 16:33 2.0 0.5 19:50 22:47 0.7 2.2 03:14 2.1 0.7 06:42 09:29 0.9 2.2 12:48 15:41 2.0 0.7 18:58 21:54 0.9 2.2 03:10 2.1 0.5 06:38 09:26 0.7 2.2 12:45 15:37 2.0 0.5 18:54 21:51 0.7 2.2 Sat 01:16 Sat 00:23 Sat 00:20 20 20 20 17 Thu 17 Thu 17 Thu 04:57 2.1 0.6 08:23 11:12 0.7 2.1 14:29 17:23 2.0 0.6 20:38 23:36 0.7 2.2 04:05 2.1 0.8 07:31 10:19 0.9 2.1 13:36 16:31 2.0 0.8 19:46 22:43 0.9 2.2 04:01 2.1 0.6 07:27 10:16 0.7 2.1 13:33 16:27 2.0 0.6 19:42 22:40 0.7 2.2 Sun 02:06 Sun 01:13 Sun 01:10 21 21 21 18 18 18 05:50 0.7 12:02 2.1 18:12 0.6 04:58 0.9 11:09 2.1 17:20 0.8 23:32 2.1 04:54 0.7 11:06 2.1 17:16 0.6 23:29 Mon Mon Mon 22 Fri 02:54 2.1 09:09 0.7 15:15 2.1 21:24 0.6 22 Fri 02:01 2.1 08:17 0.9 14:22 2.1 20:32 0.8 22 Fri 01:58 2.1 08:13 0.7 14:19 2.1 20:28 2.1 0.6 19 19 19 00:25 2.1 06:43 0.7 12:52 2.1 19:02 0.7 05:51 0.9 11:59 2.1 18:10 0.9 05:47 0.7 11:56 2.1 18:06 0.7 Tue Tue Tue 23 Sat 03:39 2.2 09:53 0.6 15:58 2.1 22:10 0.6 23 Sat 02:46 2.2 09:01 0.8 15:05 2.1 21:18 0.8 23 Sat 02:43 2.2 08:57 0.6 15:02 2.1 21:14 0.6 20 Sun 20 Sun 20 Sun 01:16 2.2 2.1 10:36 07:34 0.6 0.7 16:41 13:41 2.1 2.0 22:54 19:50 0.6 0.7 00:23 2.2 2.1 09:44 06:42 0.8 0.9 15:48 12:48 2.1 2.0 22:02 18:58 0.8 0.9 00:20 2.2 2.1 09:40 06:38 0.6 0.7 15:45 12:45 2.1 2.0 21:58 18:54 0.6 0.7 Wed 04:22 Wed 03:29 Wed 03:26 24 24 24 21 Mon 21 Mon 21 Mon 02:06 2.2 2.1 11:18 08:23 0.6 0.7 17:24 14:29 2.2 2.0 23:39 20:38 0.5 0.7 01:13 2.2 2.1 10:26 07:31 0.8 0.9 16:31 13:36 2.2 2.0 22:47 19:46 0.7 0.9 01:10 2.2 2.1 10:22 07:27 0.6 0.7 16:28 13:33 2.2 2.0 22:43 19:42 0.5 0.7 Thu 05:04 Thu 04:11 Thu 04:08 25 25 25 22 22 22 02:54 2.1 09:09 0.7 15:15 2.1 21:24 0.6 02:01 2.1 08:17 0.9 14:22 2.1 20:32 0.8 01:58 2.1 08:13 0.7 14:19 2.1 20:28 Fri Fri Fri 26 Tue 05:46 2.3 12:01 0.5 18:08 2.2 26 Tue 04:53 2.3 11:09 0.7 17:15 2.2 23:31 0.7 26 Tue 04:50 2.3 11:05 0.5 17:12 2.2 23:27 0.6 0.5 23 23 23 03:39 2.2 09:53 0.6 15:58 2.1 22:10 0.6 02:46 2.2 09:01 0.8 15:05 2.1 21:18 0.8 02:43 2.2 08:57 0.6 15:02 2.1 21:14 0.6 Sat Sat Sat 27 Wed 00:23 0.5 06:29 2.3 12:45 0.5 18:54 2.3 27 Wed 05:36 2.3 11:53 0.7 18:01 2.3 27 Wed 05:33 2.3 11:49 0.5 17:58 2.3 24 Thu 24 Thu 24 Thu 04:22 0.4 2.2 07:15 10:36 2.3 0.6 13:31 16:41 0.5 2.1 19:42 22:54 2.3 0.6 03:29 0.6 2.2 06:22 09:44 2.3 0.8 12:39 15:48 0.7 2.1 18:49 22:02 2.3 0.8 03:26 0.4 2.2 06:19 09:40 2.3 0.6 12:35 15:45 0.5 2.1 18:46 21:58 2.3 0.6 Sun 01:09 Sun 00:17 Sun 00:13 28 28 28 25 Mon 05:04 2.2 11:18 0.6 17:24 2.2 23:39 0.5 25 Mon 04:11 2.2 10:26 0.8 16:31 2.2 22:47 0.7 25 Mon 04:08 2.2 10:22 0.6 16:28 2.2 22:43 0.5 26 Tue 26 Tue Note: 26 Tue 05:46 2.3 12:01 0.5 18:08 2.2 04:53 Tides 2.3 11:09 0.7 17:15 order. 2.2 23:31 0.7 daily depth 04:50 2.3 Higher 11:05 daily 0.5 17:12 23:27 0.5 Tidal data supplied by OceanFun Publishing Ltd www.ofu.co.nz in chronological Lower = low tides. depth 2.2 = high tides.

THE FISHING PAPER 27

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Kingfish Rising

Deeks Burgles a Beaut!

By Joe Moreton

5.30am at the Nelson boat ramp there’s already a dozen boats out ahead of us. It’s a still, overcast morning and we’re feeling lucky as we head out through the Cut in our 4m Osprey, the 20hp Honda humming quietly on the transom. We set two Rapalas, staggered behind the boat and commence trolling at a brisk clip. The sea is quiet and glassy smooth, only the occasional bird cruising aimlessly overhead. All the other boats have headed out to 25m in the Tasman Bay targeting snapper, but today we are hunting kingfish, the hard-fighting sportfish that arrives with the warm water and abundant baitfish. The previous weekend I lost a kingfish in the rocks and weed, so this time we’re out to balance the ledger. Moments later a reel goes off, a high-pitched screaming that gets the adrenaline pumping. I’m the helmsman so my son Josh gets to do the reel honours. He dispatches the kingie in a business-like manner, after a tough but clean battle. I learn to tilt the motor up clear of the water when hooking a kingfish – they always try to wrap you around the propeller in a last-ditch attempt at freedom. Josh celebrates his capture with a banana, nonchalantly flipping the skin into the bait bin. Another myth discredited. The blue Rapala goes back over the side after a quick check of leader and double hooks confirms they’re undamaged. We follow current lines and investigate flocks of paddling shearwaters, when suddenly the blue Rapala is hit again. Nylon peels off the old Okuma reel, its drag washers struggling to contain the first furious headlong rush. Josh sets to work pumping and winding, manoeuvring the beautiful silver fish up to the boat, but each time it glimpses the hull it’s off again, diving for the bottom, the rod bucking, shuddering and flexing alarmingly. Above the leader the mainline is fraying and I’m praying the line doesn’t part. Several times I get my gloved hand on the leader and each time I have to release as the big fish fights his way back out of reach. I attempt to gaff the fish at the boat, but he’s too strong to hold and pulls the gaff out of my hands, leaving me holding the plastic handle and watching the trail of bubbles as the gaff descended into the deep. Josh works the fish back and I manage to slip a tail rope on. With one last mighty flex of his pectoral muscles he whacks me in the face, leaving me bloodied and bruised but I don’t care! It seems fitting that such a battle should end with casualties on both sides. We gawp at our fish, full of respect for his mana – a powerful presence of strength and beauty. The hunters return with kai moana and life is good. Josh Moreton takes reel honours while Dad is stuck at the helm - AGAIN!

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By Shaun Kelsen It was New Years day, but not too early due to a good night the eve before. My mate Deeks and I set off up the Waitaki River in search of a trout for lunch and to thrash a couple of salmon holes. We tried several promising lies but had no luck - even the trout weren’t

biting. However, it pays to persevere because you never know what’s around the corner. The pair of us pulled up alongside a nice wee spot and within 10 minutes had landed two browns and three rainbows, which altered the mood of the day somewhat! Deeks went and fished the

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tail end of the hole where he hooked and lost two salmon, so we headed back to camp. That afternoon, he snuck back to the same hole and turned up with this nice salmon. It went 17lb and really stretched the smile to its limits.

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Contributors Daryl Crimp Ali Kennard Ivan Wilson Poppa Mike Ron Prestage Dave Duncan Kim Swan Chris West Jim Jobe Malcolm Halstead Steve Terry Paul Clark Brad McMillan Greg Gilbert Dave Dixon Peter Harker Jake Williamson Shek On Yee Steve Bennett Richard Davidson Simon Jones Corey Viz Brian Fensom Jeff Holden Blair Taylor Mark Wills Dave Cartwright Sam Allan Glen George Rosemary Moore Ian Bright Nick Low Roy Anthony Laurie Stevenson Joe Moreton Shaun Kelsen Alyssa Thomas Rys Barrier Jim McNabb Mark Hubbard The Fishing Paper & NZ Hunting News is published by Coastal Media Ltd. All editorial copy and photographs are subject to copyright and may not be reproduced without prior written permission of the publisher. Opinions or comments expressed within this publication are not necessarily those of the staff, management or directors of Coastal Media Ltd. Unsolicited editorial, letters, photographs will only be returned if you include a stamped self addressed envelope. The Fishing Paper & New Zealand Hunting News encorporates the Top of the South Edition and The Canterbury Edition.

28 THE FISHING PAPER

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Willow Grubs & Slivers of Silver By Rhys Barrier Anglers report that the Motueka River has been fishing consistently well this summer, with good numbers of very well-conditioned fish in the 3-3.5 pound size range. Most of the fish in the mid-section of the Motueka have been tucked under willows, so fishing the willow ‘bays’ with small dry flies or nymphs has been very lucrative. Thank goodness we have managed to get Tasman District Council to halt its extensive crack willow removal programme within our rivers! An influx of sea-run trout has been providing some reasonable fishing in the Aorere River in Golden Bay, but numbers further upstream are still recovering from flooding. A similar situation exists in the Rai/Pelorus system, with some good evening and night spin fishing action on big brownies in the bottom end of the Pelorus, but things are a bit quieter upstream so far this season. Rivers in the Murchison area have been running high and dirty as the excellent grass growing season continues down there, so much of the fishing action has been confined to the lakes over Dec/Jan. Boaties fishing Lake Rotoroa were all reported to be catching trout in early January through drifting the lee shore lake edge and casting rapala type lures into the shore zone around small creek mouths

(note the 100 m no fishing zone around larger river mouths/ lake outlet). The Wairau River Nelson/West Coast as always has been producing good fishing from December onwards as estuarine feeders move slowly back upstream, with good numbers being landed between the Renwick and Wash bridges. This would also be a very good year to target salmon in the Wairau, given our spawning counts three years ago and judging by what is being caught further south. The smaller size of these ‘northern’ salmon means they can often be landed on normal trout spinning gear, enabling licensed anglers to fish for two species at once. Fishing the tail end of a moderate fresh where several braids flow into a deep hole at first or last light will improve your chances. Expect to lose some lures as you generally need to be ‘bouncing the bottom’ to induce a salmon strike (don’t forget the Wairau is open to salmon fishing below the Wash Bridge only). Next fish-out pond event Parents are reminded that the next scheduled fish-out day for children at the Appleby ponds is to be held on Sunday February 10th. Ring Fish & Game to pre-register on 03 5446382.

A nice Wairau salmon caught two seasons ago.

Jacob’s Fabled Kingfish By Jim McNabb

Here’s a little fable, not Aesop’s but Jacob’s. Young Jacob was a mad-keen young fisher who dreamed of catching a denizen of the deep. One day, when the waters of Nelson’s Boulder Bank were clear and sparkling, Jacob went fishing for kingfish with his dad, Travis Rowberry, and his grandfather, David Rowberry. The wise old men knew a few tricks and armed themselves to the teeth with fancy Rapalas and similar expensive lures. “You’ll not catch much with those,” they scoffed, looking at the assortment of small tatty lures Mum had bought for twodollars at a garage sale. “Maybe I’ll catch a kahawai,” Young Jacob cried. But then his rod bucked and

bent in the most spectacular fashion. His reel screamed and sand a song like wind in the rafters. He fought valiantly, for the fish was no kahawai and didn’t like the thought of being caught. Lo and behold, young Jacob

landed his first kingfish, on a tatty little lure that was no match for the upper class models. Jacob certainly got a thrill out of catching the 18.5lb scrapper and he got a giggle out of upstaging the two old men. You can’t put a price on moments like these.

THE FISHING PAPER 29

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& 4 serves of john dory Fillet with skin on 1 red capsicum thinly sliced 1 large bowl fresh watercress 2 tbsp roasted pine nuts 12 oyster mushrooms (optional)

Cut dory fillets into strips and season the top of each with a sprinkle of chilli kelp. Melt a knob of butter in a larg e pan with equal amount of oil. When hot pan-fry the fish on both sides until lightly cooked . Always fry the presentation side (top) first until golden. Set aside in warming draw.

Dory Ro yale

2 tbsp Paciﬁc Harvest karengo (seaweed) fronds

Quickly fry mushrooms on both sides until golden and set aside.

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Melt a knob of butter in a large saucepan and gently swe at the capsicum strips until tender. Add waterc ress and cook with lid on until just wilted – 1 to 2 minutes.

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Arrange watercress and capsicu m as a base in the centre of eac h plate. Stack ﬁllets on top, squ eeze over lime juice and garnish wit h mushrooms. Sprinkle pine nuts and karengo over each dish and serve.

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Coarse Fishing By Dave Dixon

Coarse Fishing in the Sea With fine warm weather over the Christmas holiday period and plenty of fish in Tasman Bay, I’ve recently taken the opportunity to try out some coarse fishing techniques from the shore. I’ve specifically targeted small fish as I wanted to be busy rather than just sit back and wait for a single big fish, so have been using fine lines (2kg) and small hooks (size 14) baited with sweet corn, a single squid tentacle or even maggots. Fish are attracted using groundbait (berley), which I make up using breadcrumbs and fish oil.

This is moulded into balls and either thrown or catapulted out to the fishing area. Clearly a slack tide is the best time for this so it doesn’t get washed away but I’ve also had success fishing a “swimfeeder” at all stages of the tide. The feeder is a small plastic tube or wire cage, about the size of an old 35mm film canister, weighted with a strip of lead and attached to the line by a link swivel as you would for an ordinary sinker. This can be fished running-style with the line passing through the swivel, or as a paternoster with the hook attached to a fixed

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trace a couple of foot above the feeder. This method allows a small pile of groundbait to be deposited right next to your hook bait and is very effective. In fact, the first indications you usually get on the rod tip are the fish attacking the feeder to get at its contents! To avoid the need for long casts and to minimise tidal drag on the line, choose a possie that gives you a reasonable depth of water at close range: 4 to 8ft is ideal, and high tide along QEII Drive will give you this, along with a comfortable rock to sit on. The fish usually arrive within minutes and there is a regular supply of herrings, kahawai and small snapper to provide entertainment, if not a feed. To my mind this is the best way to introduce kids to fishing and once they’re into it they can later progress to the waiting game and dawn starts that the bigger fish often require! On a recent session I rattled in six fish in 30 minutes while a nearby fisho sat gazing at a motionless rod tip, his bored kids throwing sticks into the tide.

Word from the Wharf straight from the fish’s mouth

The Art of Elephant Fishing By Greg Gilbert Elephant fish, highly prized by many Canterbury anglers are hard to get at times. Certain areas have seen many fish landed this season, while others have not. That’s elephant fishing. I decided to head to one of my more favoured locations this season, in the hope of some more school sharks. It proved to be a slow day, with me only landing one fish after several hours hard slog, but I managed to snag a crab on the hook so used that as bait. It came up trumps … or should that be - came up trunks? The next cab off the rank was a beautiful ele’, which surprised me but made me very happy at the same time.

Elephant fish are weird but amazing looking

fish. They are actually a member of the shark family and, like rig and schoolies, are beautiful eating. Elephant fish can be caught on almost

any bait if they are around and hungry enough, but my preferred baits are crab and tuatua. A

lot of people swear by squid but I sure know

I wouldn’t go out intending on catching one with squid. Early morning and late afternoon

into night seem to be most productive, as with all fishing, but I have caught many in the wee hours of the morning between 2 – 3.00 am.

Little Beginnings

Big Fish By Barry Bartlett Luke Spence, aged three, recently arrived in Nelson. On an expedition to Port Nelson,

By Jim Jobe Welcome to summer young fishers, we hope you are making the most of the long fine evenings to go out and catch lots of fish. The wharves have been busy with all the holiday makers enjoying their summer break. There seems to have been plenty of activity around during January, despite the wind and rain we had earlier in the month, and it’s not taking long to pull up a yellow-eyed mullet, spotties or sprats. Even the odd brim has been seen caught from the wharves at the moment, so get out and hook into them! Jimmys Bait Company was again proud to be associated with the Sports Charitable Trust Take a Kid Fishing Day on 26 January at the Appleby Ponds, in Nelson. Over 100 children participated and many of them Rosie’s Pick: Ella Jay is landed a fish. The morning’s session was very seen here with her sprat successful, with high catch rates achieved. caught off the Picton As the day got hotter and the sun brighter Wharf. Ella loves fish and the guides had to pull out all the tricks to scallops and is a great fishing get the sluggish fish to strike. There were companion to her Poppy. Well spinners, flies, nymphs and even grandma’s done Ella, your $50 Wharf Pack knickers. Jimmys Bait Bullets proved very is on its way to you. effective, especially in combination with a nymph. See some of the photos on Jimmys Don’t forget to send us your photos and stories Bait Companies Facebook page. to info@jimmysbait.co.nz for the $50 monthly We are looking at organising a Nelson prize draw of Jimmys Bait Bullets. Wharf Kids Fishing Event in March, and all ING participants will be given some Bait Bullets SEE OUR WEBSITE FOR THE GROW E ON to trial and every child will be in with a PH S OR LIST OF STOCKIST chance to win some great prizes. The details YOU ARE IF AN M LE TACK are still being finalised ND and we will have a date IN THE SOUTH ISLA for you soon - watch our 03 578 0401 website for information. Tip of the Month – Bring an www.jimmysbait.co.nz or abundance of PATIENCE with you, register your interest now at info@jimmysbait.co.nz sometimes catching fish takes time….

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and with the help of his father Ivan, our nephew Luke caught this kahawai. He turned the rod handle and Dad held the rod. It was his first ever fish. A BIG FISH for a first timer.

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SURF’s UP

By Steve Terry

North Canterbury The story this month really has been the NW rain and flooding it bought with it, leaving the larger rivers high and dirty, and therefore unfishable. This has not meant anglers have stopped landing salmon though – the Rakaia River has reported good numbers of fish taken at the river mouth, especially in the surf. A big flood will push the salmon back out of the rivers, where they will clear the silt from the gills and begin their run over again. These fish are called ‘wash backs’ and can generally be identified by the scraping on their undercarriage. Those of you keen to have a crack in the surf for a salmon need to be aware of a couple of things. Firstly, you need the conditions to be calm enough for you to cast, so keep an eye on the surf report; an off shore breeze and a onemetre swell would be ideal. Then spend some time perfecting your cast before you head out into the surf. Take your surf pole down to the local rugby field and see what distance you can cast. Those who specialise in surf casting for salmon can cast out to 130-140 metres, with newcomers averaging 50-60 metres. Retrieve your line quickly and keep your gear high in the water - except for very dirty water. Remember dirty fresh water sits on top of the salt water, so a clear patch of water can appear from nowhere or you may be able to allow your gear to drop below the dirty layer. It is also important to point out to those intending on targeting salmon in the salt water … you still need a licence! A common misconception is that because you are taking fish from the sea, you are not required to be licenced. Fish & Game regulations state that

anyone targeting sports fish with 500 metres of the shore must be licenced. Good luck, and if you don’t land a salmon, a kahawai can be just as much fun and depending on who you talk to, just as tasty.

Simon the Salmon Burglar By Simon Jones

School Holiday Fun Fish & Game has released another 200 salmon into the Groynes Fishing Lakes, to provide the kids with a late holiday opportunity to bag a fish. Please remember this facility is for juniors only, as we have had a number of adults fishing these lakes illegally. Ranging Activities Rangers have been actively patrolling the High Country lakes recently and will continue to do so in coming weeks. As we move into the peak of the salmon season be warned that we have added a number of new rangers to our existing compliance team, so please remember to carry your licence with you at all times (a walk back to the vehicle to retrieve your licence when the fishing action is hot, does not help anyone!) ... let alone a prosecution for flouting the regulations and fishing without a licence. On the Move Over the last couple of weeks, North Canterbury Fish & Game has completed the removal of all their equipment and archives from the Horatio St buildings, which were severely damaged in the February 2010 earthquakes. We are still looking for a new home and are grateful for the ongoing support of DoC in North Canterbury, who have provided us some office space for Debbie, our friendly office administrator.

It was the week before Christmas, when all through the house Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse So we headed to where we figured there might be some action – the Orari river mouth. It was a midday high tide so we arrived about midmorning and started fishing the surf. Dad was using his lure rod and 6500 reel, fishing a lead weight, trace and homemade fly. We tie all our own because it works out cheaper than having to buy ticers at eight bucks a pop. Just as it was coming up to high tide, a fish struck and

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Dad was in. He was keen to get the salmon on the shingle, but gave it plenty of line so it would wear itself out on the other side of the waves. When he judged it was spent, he hauled it in. Gilled and gutted it went 18.5lb. I’ve yet

to get on the board with a salmon and Dad has caught

plenty, so I figured I’d jump

in and claim bragging rights with this one. It certainly got

me a lot of likes on Facebook!

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32 THE FISHING PAPER

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King Found and Crowned By Ivan Wilson

It was a day out of the box: river clean, bar flat, sun shining and a rising tide for the running of the Greymouth Fishing Club’s King Kahawai Competition.

Fishing Papanui y Club Stor Photo credit: Murray Davis

Moeraki Moki Magic

Earlybird tickets had been selling well indicating high interest in the annual community event that the club puts on for the region’s families. Some two hundred people took part, with a lot of junior anglers participating, and more than 70 % had

because, using his secret lure and trolling at a certain speed, we hooked up very quickly and I was back in the club rooms inside 20 minutes – there ‘re not many places you can get a quality sporting fish right in the centre of town, virtually underneath the town clock! One of the fish I boated and released spat out a mass of krill, and with the single hook it was quick and easy to get these creatures back into the water.

Graham Dyer was the lucky angler to win the $400 prize for the fish closest to the average of all kahawai caught in the senior competition and Brae McGowan won the junior competition.

The late entries rolled in until the cut-off at 11.30am and by then people were already bringing fish in to weigh. As a conservation measure, competitors only have to enter one fish to win, as we are looking for the specimen nearest to the average weight of all fish taken in each category. This means people don’t have to keep catching fish after fish to try and get a bigger one. Soon the weighin team were going full-on and people were gathering under the shady gazebos put up around the back lawn, with raffles, drinks and the BBQ doing good business.

of the senior spot prize of a fishing kayak.

Junior anglers also did well in other prize categories with Jack Winter winning the earlybird prize and Bregan Waihi winning the junior spot prize of a kayak.

Greymouth’s Chris Blanchfield was the winner

By Ray Hill

A contingent of Papanui Fishing Club members; Murray Davis, Ray Hill, Trevor Robb, Ross Armstrong, Mike Chappell, Grant Kingsland and Don Turner travelled down to Moeraki and again stayed at the Hampden Court Motels, which is in walking distance of the Hampden Tavern. Most went across to the pub for a couple of refreshments. One thing I’ll say about the pub, jugs were only $9 each, compared to our $10 club prices, so the more you

drank the more you saved!The weather had been southerly and starting to settle, so was looking good for the weekend and Saturday dawned to a partly cloudy sky, hardly any breeze and a settling sea. Skipper of Clan Cameron, Dave Poole, plucked us from the jetty at 7.30am and headed straight out to deeper water, as there was a wee bit of a lift. We got our lines in the water but the bite was slow, with only the odd fish being caught. We kept on trying and eventually we caught some blue cod, but only a few and

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the odd sea perch, gurnard, red cod and a couple of parrot fish taking the bait. Dave baked a feed of sausages in the oven for a bite at lunch, while the fishing was on at times and off at others, but we still headed home with two full crates of blue cod and some sea perch. We all headed back, bagged the fish and enjoyed a ‘debrief’ at the Hampden Tavern. The sea was even flatter by Sunday, so we headed north into a brilliant day and shallower water. We were getting the odd bite and occasional fish so Dave decided to lay a moki net. We headed off for a couple of hours and struck a couple of more productive spots, catching good size blue and red cod. Dave cooked up another feed of sausages before pulling the net up to find it was loaded with moki and a couple of butterfish. Trevor Robb had the heaviest fish for the weekend, a carpet shark and Murray Davis the heaviest blue cod. We all ended up coming home with 5kg of blue cod fillets, a bag of moki fillets and a bag of moki sides each.

5 Flasher $

Rigs for

• Heaps of Snapper Rod & Reel Combos • Snapper & Flounder Set Nets • Longlines and Kontikis • Jigs, Sinkers, Poppers & Braid • Crab & Cray Pots • Kids Butterﬂy Nets, Opera Houses & Heaps of Kids Rod & Reel Sets

good luck and tight lines … there were fish all over the place and in excellent order – big fat and shiny. People fished along the river bank, off the ledge at the harbour entrance and in a fleet of 16 boats traversing the waterway and out onto a benign Tasman Sea. I got a chance to head out briefly with one of the stalwarts of the club - Skipper Vaughan sez, “Yuh wanna come out for ten minutes and I’ll get yuh six fish!” He wasn’t far off the mark

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At 3pm our Mayor arrived to do the prize giving, as he has done every year, and it was time to announce the winners.

Section prizes included fishing gear winners were: Junior girls – Danielle Stoop Junior boys - Peter Tawhare Senior women – Tania Stoop Senior men – Bryan Jamieson

Greymouth Fishing Club President, Gordon Macilquham, said it was great to see so many family groups participating and the fact that so many were also successful in catching a fish made it even more pleasing.

So once again, in a ceremony also graced with the presence of a big bunch of attendant Hector’s dolphins, the King Kahawai has again been found and crowned.

THE FISHING PAPER 33

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FMA7 Recreational Fishing Forum Meeting Notes Newly appointed forum members, Geoff Rowling, Peter Watson and Craig Bason recently attended the first meeting in the twoyear membership cycle, along with reappointed members, Greg Goodall, John Waugh, Martyn Barlow Robert King-Turner and Ron Prestage, all serving their second term on the forum. The MPI National Coordinator is now Derek Slooten and the MPI FMA7 Coordinator is Rose Grindley, who is based in the Dunedin office. A range of issues were discussed at the meeting including: • MPI updates on the status of actions and service including the recent east coast of South Island set netting regulations. • Aquaculture update from MPI’s Mat Bartholomew on the NZ King Salmon application. • Annual review reports on key fisheries including paua, scallops, cockles, blue cod, flatfish, snapper and crayfish. Forum members decided to support the Blue Cod Management Group’s advisory to the Minister wanting the next survey brought forward to 2013, simplification of the controversial possession / transiting regulation, and expressing concern about the increasing commercial catch from Statistical Area 017. Forum member topics included customary fishing compliance and at the next meeting this issue will be a major topic with an

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Meeting Attendees – (L to R) Derek Slooten, Martin Barlow (kneeling), Greg Bason, Alicia McKinnon, Peter Watson, Rose Grindley, Robert King-Turner (obscured), Geoff Rowling, Ron Prestage (kneeling), Greg Goodall & John Waugh.

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MPI Compliance Officer present. Recreational fishers please be aware that your representatives can be contacted to take your concerns to the forum meetings, the next one of which will be in March 2013.

Grumpy Fishers Survey Online By Alyssa Thomas There has been a lot of publicity about the blue cod ban and subsequent introduction of the new regulations. Despite the protestations of the fishers, the Ministry has so far refused to make any changes. To me this doesn’t seem the right way to do things. If you want to Alyssa Thomas successfully conserve something alyssa.thomas@vuw.ac.nz you need to both involve and listen to the people involved. It is this that has attracted me to the blue cod ‘debate’ when I was researching topics for my PhD. I felt there was an opportunity for my research to make a real difference. It was this desire to make a difference that made me quit working in hospitality and start a PhD. During my eight years in New Zealand, I have come to recognise the qualities that makes the Marlborough Sounds so special to many Kiwis. It seems that the new blue cod regulations are taking away from this. The local economy has been hurt and fishers’ enjoyment is being tempered by the frustration of having to throw back so many large fish—many of which will not survive. While many fishers seem happy with the new daily limit, they do not see any sense in the slot rule. To them it seems to be doing more harm than good. I wanted to give fishers the opportunity share these concerns in a formal manner. The resulting survey allows fishers to give detailed feedback on both the daily limit and slot rule. The results of the survey will be presented to the Ministry to provide them with the ‘human’ perspective. It is my hope that the results will at least be seriously considered when the Ministry does review the regulations next year. Given what I am hearing from the fishers, it is definitely worth a try.

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34 THE FISHING PAPER