nz fisher issue 3
DESCRIPTION
ENJOY FISHING? SUBSCRIBE TO NZ FISHER E-MAGAZINE! If you love fishing you'll love NZ Fisher e-Magazine, the fresh new digital mag for Kiwi fishing enthusiasts... and it's free! Packed full of tips, ideas and stories to see you through to your next fishing outing, you'll land a shiny new issue direct in your email inbox every four weeks!TRANSCRIPT
www.nzfisher.co.nz 1
ISSUE 3 November 2010
// Big boy snapper old Skool styles
Scallop’s perfected – The Fish Stock //
Kayaking for Kingfish - Far far north//
www.nzfisher.co.nz
2 www.nzfisher.co.nz
THE RUM THAT INVENTED RUM
www.mountgayrum.com Enjoy the adventure, drink responsibly
www.nzfisher.co.nz 3
Pg 18
14
2214
6 Old School Snapper Tactics
Out with the old, in with the new!
11 Fishing Video of the Month
Gurnard capers with Espresso
12 Name the Species
14 The Scientist & the Fish
Where do the snapper go - Part II
18 As Far North as the Eye Can See
Kayakfishing
22 Scallops, Summer’s Richest Gift
24 Where Good Tackle Proves Itself
The Inchiku Rock-G
26 The Clubhouse
North Shore Surfcasting Club
28 Regional Reviews
30 Fisheries Management News ReportPg 24
4 www.nzfisher.co.nz
Find your local
dealer at:
* Applies to non-commercial use only. Conditional on annual service by authorised Honda Marine dealers.
‡Honda test boat did 73km on a 25 litre tote tank at 40km/hr cruising speed.
www.hondamarine.co.nz0800 4 STROKE (0800 478 765)
Take your mates fishing for less than $4 each‡!
ECONOMY
HM
AR
_08
3
2.3 5 8 10 15 20 25 30 40 50 60 75 90 115 135 150 175 200 225
The all new Honda fuel-injected
115hp delivers class-leading
performance with unparalleled fuel
efficiency and reliability.
• Most powerful 115hp outboard on the market – actually produces 121hp
• ECOmo lean burn control gives truly amazing fuel economy
• BLAST (Boosted Low Speed Torque) for phenomenal acceleration
• Extremely low vibration and noise levels with twin balancer shaft
• NMEA 2000 compliant so all engine and fuel data can be displayed on GPS screen
ALL NEW
HONDA 115HPLook for it at your
local dealer
www.nzfisher.co.nz 5
This is a GREEN MAG, created and distrib-uted without the use of paper so it's envi-ronmentally friendly. Please think before
you print. Thank you!
Happy Fishing!
Derrick
hings are hot in just about ev-
ery fishery. Spring is here with
a passion and you could be mis-
taken for thinking its summer already.
Auckland, Bay of Plenty & the upper
northwetsfisheriesareproducing
someofthebestsnapperfishingin
memory (well, who really remembers
what it was like before the trawlers
started pillaging?) Mayor, White & the
Alderman’s have proved that world class
YellowtailKingfishfisheriesarestillpart
of the mix with the charter operators
puttingpeopleonto30KGplusfishon
almost daily basis.
Issue three pays tribute to the good
oldfashionedfishingstyleweall(well,
most of us) grew up with – bait & burley.
KurtBennettolooksatthefinerdetails
of luring giant Snapper form the rough
while Darren Parson takes to the high
seas off the North of the north in search
ofKayakKingfish–again,baitisthekey.
Christmas is nearly upon us and there’s
aneedforstockingfillersformthe
family – we have a look at the Inchiku
Rock-G – perhaps the perfect stocking
filler?Orjustanothertrickinthetackle
boxforthefisherwhohaseverything!
And since it is the season for giving
we’ve added another competition for our
readers – see page 12 for the all new –
‘Name the species’ competition. Summer
is also scallop season, so when you’re out
there, jump in with a mask and have a
look around. Chef Chris has produced a
recipe to remember in The Fish Stock –
just odn’t over cook them please!!
Intheworldoffishingtherearefew
things more satisfying than seeing your
friends land their personal bests or at
leastnice,bigfish.Whilehehasboated
abetterfish(mentionedintheFarNorth
Article) the cover shot of Darren Parsons
with his best King on a jig is a doosey –
nice mate! The King was landed out with
Carl Muir from Epic Adventures – hat
tip to Carl for the pic.
EDITOR
ABOUT /
Short and sharp, NZ Fisher is
a free e-magazine delivering
thought provoking and en-
lightening articles, and indus-
try news and information to
forward-thinking fisher people.
EDITOR / Derrick Paull
ART DIRECTOR / Jodi Olsson
GROUP EDITOR / Trudi Caffell
CONTENT ENQUIRIES /
Phone Derrick on 021 629 327
or email
derrickp@NZ Fisher.co.nz
ADVERTISING ENQUIRIES /
Phone Alastair on 021 866 036
or email
ADDRESS / NZ Fisher,
C/- Espire Media, PO Box 137162,
Parnell,Auckland 1151, NZ
WEBSITE / www.NZ Fisher.co.nz
6 www.nzfisher.co.nz
boatFISHING feature
” Burley &
big baits do
the business.
”
www.nzfisher.co.nz 7
ith the new technology
and methods such as soft
plastic fishing the days of
stray lining the big baits with massive
burley trails are fading away. Most
people you speak to on Monday at
work about there fishing weekend or
wherever it may be always seem to
catch their fish on soft plastics. Howev-
er the “old school” method produces
BIG snapper and in certain places is
BETTER and much more effective than
soft plastic fishing, in fact it is still my
personal favourite.
Location and ConditionsThe location is paramount when
targeting big snapper and the shallows
is the place to find them. Anything
from three to fifteen meters of water
is perfect. I look for anything from a
costal point to a costal gut, through
to a sunken rock just off the shore.
Whatever it may be it needs to look
rocky and rugged.
The perfect conditions for big snapper
fishing are after a big onshore storm or
blow has passed through. This generally
leaves behind a nice swell pounding
// Out with the new in with the old By Kurt Bennetto
Old School Snapper Tactics
the shore stirring everything up from
sand to kina which creates a haven for
big snapper. All of my best snapper
fishing has occurred when there is a
nice swell running.
Another big bonus for fishing in surgy
conditions is that your bait stays much
more active and doesn’t get snagged
near as often because it continuously
moving up and down in tandem with the
surge. This also assists and gives you an
advantage with keeping that 20 pounder
up off the bottom when you’re hooked
up. When you compare that to fishing
a dead calm day without any water
movement your bait easily sinks and gets
snagged which is extremely frustrating
and can get rather pricey.
Position the boat so that when you
cast your bait it lands halfway between
your boat and the rocks this is a good
method of getting your position right
which is normally not to far off the mark.
Obviously it’s not the same for every
spot but I use this method as the general
rule of thumb. Another important thing
to get right is your position aligned with
the current, here is nothing worse than
the burley going up past the anchor
closely followed by your line!
Bait and BurleyThe burley trail is the deal breaker, it is
so important to be stocked with burley
as you head out for your big snapper
hunt. The burley trail does take a while
to work, sometime up to a couple of
hours. But as all serious fishermen
know patients are required to achieve
the results. I find homemade burley is
the best, loaded with skip jack tuna
and kina which create a massive oil
slick on the surface. Plus making your
own burley is a good way to clean that
bait freezer out.
Bait presentation is also very important
when targeting snapper. I cringe when
www.nzfisher.co.nz 9
10 www.nzfisher.co.nz
I see someone cut a pilchard onto
quarters and put a cube on each hook,
it just looks so unnatural and wrong.
A lot of people don’t realise but a just
legal sized snapper will hoover back the
average whole pilchard no trouble at all.
I normally start off with whole pilchards
and as the burley trail starts working
and fish start getting bigger this is the
time to go for the big fresh bait such as
a whole butterflied mackerel or even a
full length kahawai fillet split down the
middle. Quite often when snapper fishing
with a big burley trail running you will
have kahawai, mackerel and even trivially
appear, take advantage of this and get
some fresh bait, you cant beat it and it
will pay off. I personally like to catch a few
mackerel in the harbour before we even
head out. Remember it is important with
cuts baits to have them presented well
which consists of long thin strips rather
than a square cut which is near impossible
for a snapper to suck back.
Now, when lobbing that big bait down
the burley trail it may take a while
before you get a taker for your big bait
but when you do its normally a good
snapper. When this happens be sure to
let this fish swallow the bait, because the
bait is bigger than normal give it longer
in free spool before you slam the drag
up and strike.
Put the plastic away for a weekend, get
out there and get back to the old skool
this method is still the best for catching
those big moochers in the shallows.
Remember location, Burley and big
baits. Good luck!
A lot of people don’t realise but a just legal sized snapper will hoover back the average whole pilchard no trouble at all.
www.nzfisher.co.nz 11
“If it works for the NZ Army, it’ll work for you!”
As used by the NZ Defence Force!
Ask for the Active Duty sun and bug skin defence range at selected pharmacies and retailers throughout New Zealand or order online at www.skinshield.co.nz
Want to catch Gurnard? Heres how!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qX3T3YuV1M8
Gurnard capers with Espresso
12 www.nzfisher.co.nz
competition
ere’s a new competition for NZ Fisher Subscribers. We want to
test your fish knowledge with a series of fishy pictures. If you
think you know what species this is, just email Capt. Snappy at
[email protected] with your guess.
All entries will go into the draw plus the first correct answer will win an
Active Duty Gift pack.
Name the species
Bar and Restaurant
Check out our fantastic menu at www.swashbucklers.co.nz
Open 7 Days!
23 Westhaven Drive
Westhaven Marina
Auckland NZ
Serving New Zealand’s Best Seafood For Over 13 years!
If you love seafood you’ll love Swashbucklers
Bar and Restaurant!
Located at Westhaven Marina on the edge of the
shores of the magnificent ‘City of Sails’, pop in
for lunch or dinner seven days a week or enjoy a
cold ale in our Boatshed Bar.
Phone 09 307 5979 for bookings or just come on down. Open ‘til late!
Proud to support the launch of NZ Fisher e-Magazine!
www.nzfisher.co.nz 13
Congratulations to our Hooked Up prize winners for Issue #3!
If you’re one of the lucky NZ Fisher subscribers listed below, simply fire an email to our editor
[email protected] before 5pm Friday 17 December 2010 to claim your prize!
Every issue, all NZ Fisher subscribers* go in the draw to get hooked up with some fantastic prizes
courtesy of generous NZ Fisher supporters. To find out if you’ve won simply check this section in each
issue to see if your name has been drawn and then get in touch with our Editor before the deadline to
claim your prize. Sweet as!!! *Sorry—only NZ residents eligible for prize draw.
Gaylene Kelly of Rotorua
You’ve won an Active Duty sun and bug skin defence pack from Skinshield NZ including sunscreen, repellent, lip balm and Permethrin clothing treatment kit!
For more on the Active Duty skin defence range see www.skinshield.co.nz
Max McRae of Franklin
You’ve won a fantastic goodie bag courtesy of the team at down at The Bait Station and including a selection of jigs, poppers and slow jigs - don’t blame us if the fishing’s no good!
Check out some of the merchandise at www.baitstation.co.nz
Mark Watson of Blenheim
You have won a 700ml bottle of premium Mt Gay Eclipse Rum courtesy of Hancocks Wines & Spirits. Produced on the same plantation in Barbados for over 300 years, it’s a top drop!
For a list of fantastic Mt Gay Rum cocktail recipes visit www.hancocks.co.nz
The small print… Yes it seems like they won’t let you do without it, even when you’re giving stuff away. Anyway, please note that to be able to
win stuff in the Hooked Up section you need to have been a confirmed email subscriber to NZ Fisher e-Magazine as at a date no less than two
working days prior to issue date (‘cos that’s when our prize winners are drawn) and be a resident of New Zealand at the time of the draw. To
be eligible to claim any prizes including, but not limited to, alcoholic beverages, travel, motor vehicle/boat usage, tattoos, sharp things or any
other prize that might require you to be over than 18 years old, you must have been over 18 years of age at the time of the draw! Cheers.
14 www.nzfisher.co.nz
What the tags revealedThe location at which tagged snapper
were recaptured was highly dependent
on where they were originally tagged.
The snapper least likely to move were
those tagged in shallow rocky reef areas
(in this case around the coast of Leigh
and Kawau Island).
The median distance between
release and recapture for these
fish was only 690 metres, with very
few fish moving greater distances.
Fish tagged in the inner Hauraki
Gulf were slightly more mobile. The
median distance between release and
recapture for these fish was 2.2 km
with some making longer-distance
movements. The most mobile of the
fish we tagged were from the mid
Hauraki Gulf. The median distance
between release and recapture for
these fish was 18.9 km. Many of these
fish moved long distances, often into
the Bay of Plenty. The longest distance
The Scientist & the Fish
scienceFEATURE
//Where do our Snapper go – Part IIBy Darren Parsons, Fisheries Scientist, NIWA
Areas where the tagged fish were released. Credit: NIWA
www.nzfisher.co.nz 15
Areas where the tagged fish were released. Credit: NIWA Short Distance Movements” and “Long Distance Movements Credit: NIWA
Mel (NIWA) and fish Credit: NIWA
16 www.nzfisher.co.nz
movement we observed was from a
fish that was recaptured just north of
Gisborne, a total movement in excess
of 450 km!
These results confirm what fishers
suspected, that both resident
‘kelpies’ and more mobile ‘school
fish’ are present within the same
snapper stock. Although we were
only able to tag snapper from a
limited area within the Hauraki
Gulf, it seems that snapper from
deeper water are more mobile and
those from shallower waters more
residential. The resident snapper
were also made up of both large and
small fish; big fish did not seem to
travel any more or less distance than
small ones. Snapper in the rocky reef
areas near Leigh and Kawau were
predominantly resident, as were the
snapper tagged in shallow muddy
areas near Auckland. This suggests
that even when the fishing in inshore
waters is poor, there are still likely
to be resident fish in the area. So
some snapper probably will not leave
their usual haunts, even over spring
when large numbers of other snapper
aggregate to spawn.
How fishing may affect different snapper populationsThe tagged snapper recaptured in this
study not only helped us understand
fish movements, but also the level of
extraction by fishing experienced in
the different areas in which tagging
occurred. Snapper from the rocky
reef areas near Leigh and Kawau
experienced the highest extraction
rates (~5% annually) whereas snapper
from the inner and mid Hauraki Gulf
areas had annual extraction rates of
around 4.3% and 3.3% respectively.
This result was somewhat surprising
as the level of fishing effort in the
inner Hauraki Gulf is much higher than
at Leigh and Kawau. The most likely
explanation is that the population size
of snapper on the rocky reefs near
Leigh and Kawau is small (meaning
less fishing effort can extract a greater
proportion of the population). If
correct this implies that populations of
resident snapper are more vulnerable
to overexploitation.
These results therefore suggest that
localised areas containing resident
snapper could become depleted
regardless of what the overall
snapper stock is doing. This is likely
an important issue for recreational
fishers, who largely fish in areas where
resident snapper are prevalent. I
Fishermen have known for many years that snapper are capable of undertaking long- distance movements or being resident to small areas.
www.nzfisher.co.nz 17
suspect it comes down to a situation
of having your cake and eating it.
Healthy populations of resident
snapper ensure easy access to good
fishing experiences, but each localised
population will only be able to sustain
a certain amount of extraction.
Post script note:NIWA is continuing to analyse
other information arising from this
tagging programme which will be
communicated to the public in the
future. If you do catch a tagged
snapper we are still interested in
hearing from you, please call 09-
375 2050. Finally, we would like to
thank all the fishers who returned
information on tagged snapper to us.
Without your cooperation this project
would not have been possible.
Mel (NIWA) and fish
18 www.nzfisher.co.nz
As Far North As The Eye Can See
ish are where you find them,
but where might that be? I
guess you can look at it from
two perspectives. If dozens of boats
are all anchored up in the same spot
it might be because there are a lot of
fish there. Alternatively, there might be
virtually untouched fish populations in
areas where there are no boats? For
a while now, I have wanted to try the
second idea out and head to a really
remote area targeting big snapper and
kingfish. So with a tent, 30 packs of
soft baits and a kayak on the roof, to
the top of the North Island I went.
The Far North really is blessed with
loads of beautiful places and great
fishing too. As you head north of
Kaitaia you can feel the remoteness
creep in around you, and I was hoping
this would also spell big fish. My tactic
was to catch kahawai live baits, bridle
rig them and slow troll them behind
the kayak along remote stretches of
//Amanandhisfish Words and Pics by Daren Parsons,
kayakFEATURE
www.nzfisher.co.nz 19
As Far North As The Eye Can See
northland coast. As I paddled along I
would also flick soft baits at any gnarly
looking rocks that might hold monster
snapper. This trip had been a long time
in the planning. Furthermore, a month
of easterly winds and an unexpected
transaction on a house delayed my
departure. The wait was worth it, the
weather was perfect and the water oh
so clear.
On my first days fishing the sun was just
coming over the horizon as I paddled
down a creek next to the camp site
where I was staying. I pulled my kayak
over a sand dune and set off into the
surf. I didn’t need to go far before
finding a reef that looked promising
and it was with great anticipation that
I made my first cast. “Whack”, my bait
was hit before sinking to the bottom, but
the fish was not big. Two hours later my
enthusiasm was waning. I had covered all
of a few hundred metres, caught a bunch
of snapper, but couldn’t entice anything
of decent size. Moving away from the
coast into slightly deeper water resulted
in a few fish of slightly better size,
but as I drifted out even further they
stopped biting. I put my rod down and
rearranged my position as something
gave the line a tug. I hooked the fish,
which initially didn’t pull hard, but as I
came into more direct contact the fish it
screamed off
This is why I was soft baiting with 20 lb
braid and a rod rated to 60 lb. I cranked
the drag and lent into him, but he kept
going and going. Feeling uneasy about
applying more pressure and risking
pulling the hook, there wasn’t much else
I could do. The fish eventually reefed
me, despite the bottom being pretty flat.
I could still feel the fish, and for the next
10 minutes I floated above trying to free
it.
The water was shallow (about 10
ft deep) and I toyed with the idea
of swimming down to free the line.
Eventually the line did snap however
and I cursed not taking the plunge. That
could have been the difference between
a successful or failed trip.
When I got back to shore I decided
to take advantage of the calm weather
and head to a more exposed spot
about as far north as you can go. I also
expected this to be even more remote,
but there were a lot of people in the
camp site and I soon discovered that
most of them were fishing.
Seems I was not the first person to
think the far north might be a likely spot
for a kingfish. Despite the numerous
” Midge
ts
Everywhe
re”
20 www.nzfisher.co.nz
land based fisho’s, I was about the only
person fishing from some form of boat.
So as I paddled out the next morning it
was with some anxiety.
Aside from the open ocean, swirling
current lines and lack of other boats to
come to my aid if needed, I couldn’t
stop thinking that this was probably the
last place in the world you should really
be attaching yourself to a 2 kg kahawai
in a vessel with virtually no freeboard.
Stories of people hooking gigantic
sharks at this spot were firm in my mind
and as I passed around peninsulas where
the current would drag me out to sea I
felt slightly uneasy. What I did have in my
favour was a waterproof VHF and a call
schedule with the kind folk at Far North
Radio. Not that they could really help me
if I became connected to a shark. Earlier
in the summer this had happened on a
couple of occasions, but thankfully the
sharks (mako and hammerhead) were
both under 6 ft.
Catching a live-bait was not difficult.
What was more difficult was catching
one small enough so that I had more of a
chance of hooking a reasonable kingfish,
as opposed to something that would
tow me to Australia. Eventually a nice
1.5kg kahawai was bridle rigged and
sent behind the boat. I managed
to paddle and fish about 12 miles
of coast that day. There were plenty of
snapper up in the wash, but my biggest
was only about 3.5 kg.
I towed the kahawai behind me the
whole day, and aside from a couple of
very small kingfish jumping next to it,
there was no interest. After a long day
at the paddle I was most pleased to
set foot ashore. Mostly because I could
barely move my legs after 12 hours
sitting in the same position, but also
because that uneasy feeling disappeared
as I neared the beach.
The next morning I was
determined the day would
end differently, one way or another.
Unfortunately, it all seemed to play out the
same way. I caught my live bait, I caught a
bunch of ok snapper, my butt hurts again,
and still no kingfish. At least I was feeling
slightly more comfortable with being on
an exposed and barren stretch of coast
without a person in sight. Towards the end
of the day I had basically given up hope. I
”Onward to Surville Cliff”
<Photo>’Daz’s Far North
– North Cape and Beyond.
Caption: “s!” Credit: Darren
Parsons
A fine fish any day – but not the target today
www.nzfisher.co.nz 21
had one more peninsula to round before
turning for camp, and I found myself
thinking, “If its going to happen it would
be better here than off that exposed and
current ridden peninsula”
……Cue screaming ratchet……..
“Slowly increase drag…..Holy heck,
I’m hooked up, and by the wake
coming off my kayak and the speed I
am heading out to sea its probably a
kingfish….Increase drag….Holy heck
×2, I am going even faster. I didn’t think
that was possible.”
About 1 mile from the coast (which
was also about 1 mile north of New
Zealand) I decided an emergency sea
anchor deployment was required. Of
course it was tangled and took another
couple of minutes to get into the water.
By now I was nearing 2 miles north
of New Zealand in the middle of a
gigantic current line. Fortunately the
sea was calm, but for a nano second I
did contemplate cutting the line. The
drogue slowed my progress and I was
able to push the drag up to strike, about
8 kg of drag being applied through 60
lb line. To be honest, the fish behaved
perfectly throughout the fight. Apart from
turning towards me initially, it had run in
a straight line for the entire fight. That
meant I was able to keep the line just off
my bow which put all the force over the
length of my kayak and kept me nice and
stable. A fish that size darting from side
to side would be a different
story, hence my reluctance
to apply full drag earlier in
the fight. Once I got over
the fish there were a few
blistering vertical runs, but
nothing like the initial 1
mile tow.
Eventually I could
see electric gold and
green beneath me
and while the speed of the
fish had given me confidence it wasn’t
a shark this was also a relief. The fish
then floated to the surface and didn’t
move a fin. This allowed me to take
some self pics (not easy) and lift on the
fish to feel its weight.
The pictures don’t do it justice as
the fish is more than a metre behind
my head, but I estimate its weight at
being in excess of 22 kg. As I had no
ice and planned to stay in the north
for another few days I had no other
option but to release it.
The rest of the trip pales in
comparison really, despite the white
sand dunes, crystal clear waters,
good snapper and 4.5 kg trevally that
were all present at my next camp site.
Overall I spent about 15 full days
towing kahawai behind my kayak
this summer for one fish. I imagine
I paddled over dozens of trophy
snapper in search of that one fish but
it was definitely worth it. Now I just
need to figure out a way of increasing
the catching and decreasing the
paddling, otherwise I’ll be doing the
miles again next summer.
”The battle comes to an end”
The mighty kingfish beaten – but so was the angler
Self takes are
so much fun!
22 www.nzfisher.co.nz
Scallops, Summer’s Richest Gift
ello and welcome to the sec-
ond installment of the Fish
Stock. I hope you managed
to impress a few folks with the Kingfish
and Prosciutto Wraps from the first
issue. If you haven’t tried them yet they
will make the perfect entrée to this
month’s recipe.
What can possibly be better then
kicking back on a sunny summer’s
afternoon with a cold beer, after
gathering what would have to be one
of the most sought after and succulent
delicacies our coastline has to offer?
Zygochlamys delicatula, Scallops or
Tipa in Maori.
theFISHstock
Serves 4 as a main
Ingredients20 fresh scallops
300g soba noodles
2 tsp grated ginger
½ cup of good Sauvignon Blanc
or Pinot Gris
1 fresh red chili finely chopped
Rind of one lemon finely chopped
Juice of one lemon
3 cloves garlic finely chopped
200g rocket
Olive oil
Salt and Pepper
Fresh is best (and raw they’re delicious too!)
MethodThis is a great quick dish to whip up.
It pays to have all of the ingredients
cut, prepared and ready to go before
cranking up the pan; things need to cook
in unison to stay hot and fresh.
First of all, bring a pot of water to the
boil and cook the noodles for about 5-6
minutes before removing and rinsing in
cold water. While these are cooking; in a
fry pan add some olive oil and lightly fry
the garlic and chili, remove from the pan
and set aside (keep the pan on the heat).
Mix together the ginger with the wine.
Stir the fried chili, garlic, lemon juice
and rind through the noodles with a
pinch of salt and pepper and a good
glug of olive oil. Cover and set aside.
Pour a bit more oil to the hot pan, add the
scallops and fry for a minute on each side.
Keep the heat up and bit by bit pour the
wine and ginger mix over the scallops. Let it
reduce and deglaze all the goodness off the
pan onto your scallops for another minute.
Plate up the noodles with a share of the
scallops, a side of rocket and serve with
a fresh glass of Pinot Gris.
Tight lines and empty plates!
www.nzfisher.co.nz 23
Because one kayak won’t suit everyone
PROWLERULTRA 4.7Some fishing kayaks may excel in one or two areas, the Prowler Ultra 4.7 excels across the board, with an inpressive range of features making it the benchmark when it comes to design and performance.
Kayak Fishing Range
www.oceankayak.co.nzFor more information and tofind your local dealer visit:
Designed in NZ, made in NZ& exported around the world
Scrambler 11 Prowler Elite 4.1 Prowler Elite 4.5 Prowler Ultra 4.7 Torque
“This boat is the benchmarkin kayak fishing design”Rob Fort - Coromandel Kayaks
K AYA K F I S H I N G R A N G E
Imag
e co
urte
sy o
f Rob
For
t – C
orom
ande
l Kay
ak A
dven
ture
s
BIG FISH SMALL REELSThe new Accurate BX/BX2 Range
The Boss Extreme BX & BX2 range of Accurate reels are now in stock at all serious tackle
stores nationwide. Made from 6061T6 aircraft aluminium these reels are in a league
of there own, a must for all serious fisherman.
Availiable in wide or narrow spool.•Patented Twin Drag System
pushing out 15kg of drag.•Seven Class 5 ABEC stainless steel
bearings.•Greased AccuDrag system•Titanium friction washers.•Stainless steel gears•Boss reel bag•One year free service•Life time manufactures warranty.
Freephone: 0508 545 545Tel: 07 575 5130Fax: 07 575 5914
Email: [email protected] Totara St
PO Box 4138, Mt MaunganuiCheck out our new website www.decoro.co.nz Become a member now!
For more info check out the Accurate website www.accuratefishing.com
Fresh is best (and raw they’re delicious too!)
24 www.nzfisher.co.nz
theWORKface
By Grant ‘Espresso’ Bittle
// The Inchiku Rock-G
ou know, there’s nothing like
shiny sparkling new and fasci-
nating looking fishing tackle
to try right? After-all doing the same
ol’ same ol’, can get a little staid and
it is possible to gradually diminish the
all-important aspect of discovery, chal-
lenge and the delight of finding a new
successful technique to hunt fish with.
When you’re out on the water and
perhaps looking at a bit of coastline
and thinking “that looks fishy”…here’s
something that might just tick all the
right boxes.
Having more than just one or two
methods delivering a knockout punch to
fish on the boat is essential in my books,
not every day is the same, and if it was,
fishing could become rather dull now and
then. Now looking at this new little jig
(new to me anyway) perked my intrigue
straight away – after all it has some very
good looking time honoured components
like the little luminous bead, a well known
attractant for many fish, especially New
Zealand Snapper. The colourful skirts – well
their flutter in water works wonders on fish
from Mackerel through to Marlin and pretty
much everything in between. In addition
the Rock-G has a holographic style shiny
scale-like weighted body, eyes, razor sharp
hook…things that do the fish catching trick,
so what about all of this in combo?
Other aspects that captured my
attention about this particular jig when
I first gazed upon it was the offset…
everything. Offset shaped weighted
body, offset hook attachment, all about it
seemed out of alignment and angled, out
of balance almost. But that offset nature
is exactly why this jig imparts its own
unique and tempting action in the water.
So even before tying it on the end
of my lightweight soft plastic rod and
reel setup out drifting around in the
big salty puddle I was excited about
the possibilities being conjured up in
my mind. I started to develop a plan, a
cunning plan, time to be lured in Mr. and
Mrs. Snapper!
With only limited knowledge about
how this could work, I set out on a day
when fishing was average at best, you
know the ones, moon not right, not a
lot of current - a good test in fact. The
moment I plopped this little jig in the
water and gave it a twitch, I just knew
this would work. The angled darting,
panicked, fleeting motion of the jig is
excellent. It moves just like a fleeing,
perhaps injured little baitfish – the very
prey that so many fish are after. In the
wash, down the face of deep drop offs,
darting in and out of weedy areas and
out over expanses of sand…a ‘oh hell
I’m in the wrong place’ kind of motion
is exactly what this Rock-G jig screams.
The neat sideways and seemingly
random drastic escaping swim action is
certainly enough to entice both feeding
and predatory strikes from Snapper and
other fish species no doubt.
A great accompaniment to the soft bait
and jigging arsenal of tackle prevalent
in mine and many other keen fishers
tackle bags. With retrieval action similar
to both styles its ideal to use on your
lighter setups with braided line, and
Where good tackle proves itself
www.nzfisher.co.nz 25
stealthy lighter leader (the bite and
hookup is well back from the line so
little chance of bite-offs). What a great
option to have on the boat, carrying a
few different weighted Rock-Gs, always
at hand, clean and simple, no smell or
mess, goo or gunk, and no deterioration,
instantly ready and most importantly,
they catch fish!
Perfect to have in the tackle box to
increase the options and a truly fun way
to come home with the goods, especially
if you like jigging. Over the recent years
of fishing I have tried a lot of different
approaches to catching fish, enjoying
each and every one for their own process
to hunt down and capture my targeted
prey. Through interest and necessity I
now have increased the options available
and approaches used to catch fish. After
all to be successful each time, avoiding
the disappointment of a skunking (no
fish) you need more than one approach,
the more options the better.
While still occasionally venturing
out with bait and burley my personal
preference has turned towards the more
clinical approach. Clinical in terms of
reducing the clean up time, smell and
mess aboard my trailer boat, simplicity
if you like increasing both success rates
and reducing the ‘work’ associated with
fishing. My boat these days is being
transformed into a clinical fish hunting
machine. Fast, smell free, clean and
successful fish hunts are the order of
the day, much appreciated by kids (zero
bait smell helps reduce sea sickness),
and those that don’t like the smell of
bait or soft bait liquids in their fingers
after fishing – and these little jigs tick
lots of boxes.
With successful catching being the
number 1 priority, I’ve found that using
rod/reel, and line weights at least
roughly designed for what I’m doing
adds not only to the ability to detect
and secure hookups, but to the pleasure
in achieving a successful days fishing.
Various styles of jigs have been around
a long, long time and will continue
to be as they are an effective way of
hooking fish. Why they work is simple
– fish are more often than not attracted
to bite something with correct visual
stimulation/attraction. Even when using
a whole real Pilchard for instance, if it’s
just lying there on the sea floor, it will
eventually get eaten, but if you give it
some motion showing signs of (failing)
life, it’ll get hit far more often, and more
often than not by the bigger fish, not just
tiny pickers. That why jigs work, action,
flutter, attraction = a call to action!
Remember fish don’t have thumbs, the
only true way to check if something is
edible is to bite at it, the more attractive
the action, the more attention, the more
bites and hookups. The Rock G has a
very attractive action in the water not
only to fishers, but to the fish.
“Even stealthy old John
Dory love the Rock-G”
Credit: Derrick Paull
“Snapper find the Inchiku irresistable.”
Credit: Grant Bittle
26 www.nzfisher.co.nz
theCLUBHOUSE
North Shore Surfcasting Club
www.nzfisher.co.nz 27
or over forty years the North
Shore Surfcasting Club has
been leading the way with
monster Snapper, Kingfish, Kahawai
and Trevally. Records for all three spe-
cies have at one time or another been
held by NSSC members, the Kahawai
record still stands, as do the Kingfish
and Snapper from the rocks.
The North Shore Surfcasting Club was
founded in 1968. Over the years it has
grown from a ‘small handful’ of die-hard
fishermen to its present day status - a
highly popular, family-oriented club
that boasts more NZ Fishing Records
(both Junior and Senior) than any other
land-base club in the country. We’ve
also taken won the NZACA Nationals
on many occasions in Senior Mens and
Women’s as well as juniors!
Currently there are 10 Life-members in
the club including former NZ angling and
casting past presidents Frank King and
Ted Audain.
The Club’s beginnings were strongly in
the hands of founding member and North
Shore Fishing legend Stu Hunt . The
early club members found that our type
of Rock and landbased fishing was well
suited to the use of Alvey fishing reels.
A large number of the clubs greatest
catches have been recorded on Alvey
reels, their simple, robust design has
been credited with many fine catches
over the years. These fine catches include
Trevor Savory’s TWO 30lb plus snappers!
Stu was an exceptional fisherman and a
great mate of many of the clubs past and
present members. The club was formed
by a group of die hard fisho’s with the
intention of getting out and catching
the best fish they could with their Mates.
Other founding members Sue and Ray
‘Cat-weasel’ MacIntyre and Ron Cross (all
now based in Tairua) regularly commute
to Auckland to remain involved with the
club. The last such trip was for the 2006
prize giving at the clubrooms in Milford.
Ray’s humorous story telling skills are
renowned and Ron’s exceptional memory
of the clubs history is priceless.
The club’s record at both Nationals
and local interclub competition is envied
by most of the National Body. The club
has produced Open, mens, Junior and
team wins at the NZAand CA’s national
champs in 5 of the last ten competitions
and missed overall wins in 2004 and 2006
by miniscule margins, often beating the
boaties outright. The club fishes against
other Auckland and Northland clubs each
year for the Davy Jones Challenge and
Stu Hunt Memorial challenge. These are
currently held by Rodney Fishing Club
after they won it back from NSSC in 2006.
NSSC and Doubtless Bay fish an annual
competition in Maunganui (Doubtless
Bay) over the Queens Birthday weekend
each year. This fish is usually the most
popular competition of the year with
up to 90 members from both clubs
competing for excellent prizes.
// Over Forty Years catching the best The NSSC Committee
28 www.nzfisher.co.nz
regionalREVIEWS
t has been a pretty special week at
the Aldermen Islands out of Tairua
this week, good crews on Epic with dif-
ferent day trips every day getting to some
quality fishing action.
Fish of the week on Epic was this monster
33kg kingfish - a solid fish going 1.35m - to
Andrew Foreman from Waiheke Island who
came out on a Boulder Guiding trip with
us to check out some of his rods and reels.
The kingfish took the biggest livie we had in
the tank, it has been fair to say the kingfish
have been proprtional to the size of the
livebaits you’ve stuck down this week.
The snapper have well and truly played
ball this week as well with Ian Du Plessis
pictured here with a nice snapper taken
on a livebait. Tobez has had a couple
of monster days on Sanity this week,
livebaiting the Aldermen Islands.
There has been a patch of XOS
mackeral in the Bay which has made for
a healthy livebait tank and you know
what they say - big bait - big fish, that
rang true and they accounted for some
very nice 20-30kg kingfish. The following
day saw a couple of big kings again to
Gazza pictured opposite with a 30 kegger
caught on the Jigstart spiral wrap.
All the snapper are out deep at present
and a long line of big snapper caught on
livebaits and softbaits this week was the
result, like this nice 9kg fish to Peter.
The conditions have been just superb over
the last week and the fishing out of Tairua
and Whitianga has just been awesome.
The water temp has also spung up a good
2 degrees to be pushing 18 degrees so it
isn’t long before the marlin and tuna turn up.
For more choice pics from the week on
Epic check the full report
www.epicadventures.co.nz
BOP
ell the fishing has been
nothing short of amazing
out of Tauranga over the
past month, the run of juvenile squid
have arrived and with that the kingfish
have become almost suicidal when
presented with a quality stick bait.
Jigs have been accounting for a large
number of fish and the biggest in recent
trips tipped the scales at the magical 50
pound mark. But the bigger fish on jigs
have been hard to come by as the little
kingies have been charging in before
they even get a chance.
Top water has been where it’s at and the
whole Bay of Plenty has been on fire from
Waihau Bay to Cuvier Island but for us it
has been out of Tauranga that has stood
out. Some days the bite will last all day with
fish busting up on the surface everywhere,
other days it has been more difficult but
you still get a bite at some stage.
Derrick & the team from NZ Fisher
headed out in Early October and were
treated to an unbelievable day on the
surface gear, while they didn’t hit any
monsters the fish were constant all
day. In all they nailed over 100 fish that
averaged 12-15kg. Aaron McDonald
topped the day with a 23kg fish taken on
top water gear.
We had Malcolm and Chris from Sydney
out recently on a trip organised by Ocean
Blue Fishing Adventures and the fish
turned up big time. Day one saw some
good fish landed up to around 20kg but
it was day two that stood out with the fish
biting their heads off all day. We never
counted the fish but we all guessed that
the final tally would have been over 100
and all of these fish were caught on top
water lures. I dropped one jig and it got
nailed straight away by a barracuda so
needless to say the jig rod spent the rest
of the day hidden away.
We have had some really memorable
trips out lately with some great fishing,
I would like to thank everybody who
has come out with us recently I have
thoroughly enjoyed your company.
www.extremesportfishing.co.nz
Coromandel Source: Carl Muir/Epic Adventures
www.nzfisher.co.nz 29
Outer GulfSource: Grant Bittle ‘Espresso’
he middle Hauraki Gulf, eastern
Tiri, southern Whangaparaoa
peninsula, the Firth of Thames,
southern Kawau through to Orewa have
all been invaded by baitfish, and big bait
schools remain out wider. O.K. so we
aren’t out there targeting tiny baitfish
for dinner on even tinier sabikis – but
where there’s baitfish, the bigger preda-
tors lurk, and there are some big ones
in amongst the schooling fish. Many
Snapper in the 15lb+ mark (and a few
20lbers) are being caught close by the
bait-schools, nice legal sized Kingfish
too, and keep an eye out for the odd
toothy Mako showing off their nice shiny
suits. Over just the past couple of weeks
the baitfish have been hounded relent-
lessly right into the shallows of places
like Army Bay, Karepiro Bay and along
the North Shore Bays for instance.
The aerial bombardment has been
readily visible from land without
binoculars so searching for workups has
been as easy as looking seaward from
the beach. In fact 10m depth all round
the place has been the place to be after
work most weekday evenings, within fast
and easy reach - pannie Snapper city.
The water temperature struggles
upwards, but with it the Snapper and
Kingfish have been swarming in on their
prey, the baitfish. Worthwhile workups
have been out in the middle, out wide
and in close, with the right sort of
workup and the right attitude prolific
pickings are an almost certainty. I say the
right workups, because there’re workups
and there are workups…but that’s an
entire study in itself (basics are covered
in the Catch Snapper DVD).
Most forms of terminal tackle have
been working well, but those that
emulate a wounded Pilchard have been
the best. While swimming literally in a
bait-ball the other day the underwater
roundup is a majestic thing to see – and
it’s going on out there on a daily basis,
usually more than once a day too. The
condition of the Snapper, Kingfish,
Gurnard, Dory is simply superb with
early spawning season vitality. When
it’s on, it’s on, when it’s not – well it’s
probably on somewhere else! Move to
find the fish as they can swim around a
lot or change your tactics if there are
fish under your boat but not biting e.g.
using a slow retrieve of a soft plastic
for instance has been filling the bins for
many even when the bite has gone off,
subtle enticing motion is the key.
When you’re out in deeper water –
here’s some helpful tips on increasing
your success with Snapper, 3 minutes
is all you need www.youtube.com/
watch?v=vXsILZIH-3A
There are number of huge Whales
in the Gulf at the moment, in fact a
rare Blue Whale was graciously giving
a display along with a Brydes mother
and her calf just north of Flat Rock one
afternoon recently, what a wonderful
sight to unfold before me, just me and a
few Whales having a swim, breathtaking.
So from the biggest to the smallest
of species out there it’s all on – hey
speaking of smaller fish here’s a bit of
fun, catch some Gurnard – here’s how
with the softly softly approach www.
youtube.com/watch?v=qX3T3YuV1M8
West Coast/Taranaki
Things are definitely hot on the West
coast with most anglers heading out to
the 40-60m marks & nailing prime fish.
There have been many reports coming
back form the Raglan locals that it’s
easier to catch a 15-20 pound fish than a
pannie! NZFisher contributor Ian Biddick
was lured down to Raglan by the lure
of his first 20lb + snapper (the boat had
landed three the day before) and came
a way happy, but not that happy with a
new PB of nearly 8kgs. Rule of thumb,
deep ids good & smelly bait is the only
way to go!
Things around the Naki are also on the
improve with numerous 25+ snapper
being weighed and solid reports of
bag limits within the hour. The northern
reaches (Mokau & White Cliffs) seem to
be the best bet while the weather allows
and the southern haunts have been ‘ok’
without records being broken. Game fish
are only a couple of months away – get
that tackle serviced & make sure your
Gamefish club memberships’ up to date!
30 www.nzfisher.co.nz
Morefishinthewateroption4 is a diverse group of people from
around Aotearoa who rallied in mid-
2000 in response to the government’s
Soundings policy, which sought to confine
every New Zealander’s right to fish.
In addition to limiting access, the
bureaucrats also proposed that
fishermen be licensed, irrespective if you
were fishing for food or pleasure.
PrinciplesLed by Paul Barnes, option4’s Project
leader, a team of dedicated people
travelled thousands of kilometers talking
at fishing clubs and public meetings.
Overwhelming support was given for
option4’s principles:
A priority right over commercial 1.
fishers for free access to a
reasonable daily bag limit to be
written into legislation.
The ability to exclude commercial 2.
methods that deplete recreationally
important areas.
The ability to devise plans to 3.
ensure future generations enjoy
the same or better quality of rights
while preventing fish conserved for
recreational use being given to the
commercial sector.
No licensing of recreational fishers.4.
By the submission deadline a record
60,000 Kiwis had rejected Sounding’s
options one, two and three. Clearly
New Zealanders valued their traditional
right to fish in the sea. A website www.
option4.co.nz was established to
provide hard-to-source information and
a contact point for people who wanted
to stay abreast of important access,
management and policy issues.
Public awarenessoption4 was also an integral part of
the four-year Kahawai Legal Challenge,
which concluded with the Supreme
Court decision in May 2009. The
outcome was mostly positive for non-
commercial interests. However, recent
management decisions have poorly
reflected the Court’s rulings.
Over the past five years option4
has evolved into providing service to
representative organisations seeking to
achieve “more fish in the water/kia maha
atu nga ika ki roto i te wai”. The Hokianga
Accord and the New Zealand Sport Fishing
Council have received much service.
The Hokianga Accord encompasses
the non-commercial fishing interests of
the mid north iwi of Ngapuhi and Ngati
Whatua, hapu and whanau, option4, the
NZ Sport Fishing Council and a number
of environmental organisations.
After fourteen overnight hui with
many people contributing a good
understanding of each other’s aspirations
and mutual concerns has developed.
Today a team of experienced writers,
policy analysts, fisheries management
specialists and legal advisors respond
to a variety of proposals and seek to
offer regular updates and insight on the
complex topics of fisheries management
and the allocation of public resources
For more information please don’t hesitate
to call or email either Trish Rea (09 8186205,
[email protected] ) or Scott Macindoe
(021 622463, [email protected] ).
FisheriesMANAGEMENTnewsREPORT
Option 4 - the ‘other’ team
If you wish to know more please visit www.nzsportfishing.co.nz.
Marquesa
Ask instore for details. www.fin-norfishing.com
™
Biscayne
AHAB
Free casio watch with every Fin-Nor rod & reel combo
valued at
$15000
www.nzfisher.co.nz 31
Have you subscribed to NZ Fisher? It’s free!Simply visit www.nzfisher.co.nz to get a copy of NZ Fisher
delivered straight to your inbox every fourth Wednesday!
// In the next issue of NZ Fisher…
Big Snapper ‘old skool styles’•
We test the Power Jig Rock G Inchiku 15 •
gram
The conclusion to “where do the Snapper go?" •