Hooked Up 19

HOOKED ISSUE 19 2019

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nzsportfishing.co.nz

New Zealand Sport Fishing Council is one of the longest serving incorporated organisations representing recreational anglers.

The NZSFC was formed around the IGFA fishing rules and ethics so that a consistent standard could be set when comparing catches. The NZSFC offers additional records classes for New Zealand records beyond what IGFA offer for juniors and small-fry anglers. We have refined some of the IGFA rules to make them more suitable for our contests.

Our New Zealand based IGFA representatives keep a close liaison between IGFA and (NZSFC) and have regular input into issues that could affect New Zealand anglers. We have promoted valuable marine research that is internationally respected. This includes the game fish tagging programs for marlin, sharks, tuna and kingfish which now has a history of 17 years of information.

The Council created and continues to support the NZ Marine Research Foundation (NZMRF) for the primary purpose of conducting research on fish species benefiting our membership that could not, or will not be financed by government agencies.

Information from research carried out by the NZMRF has been very valuable when justifying our position in species management. All they have to do is remind themselves, that the majority of what the NZSFC does is for the benefit of individual members rather than equal benefits for each club.

More fish in the sea, better access, water quality, individual legal protection, record recognition, research, advocacy, fishing data collection and dissemination are all individual benefits of belonging to the NZSFC.

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CONTENTS 4 5 6 8 10 12 18 22 24

President's Report EDITOR

From the Office Nationals 2019

Helen Pastor CONTENT ENQUIRIES Helen Pastor 027 485 3600

LegaSea Update Fisheries Management Team

secretary@nzsportfishing.org.nz ADVERTISING ENQUIRIES Dean Andrew 021 862 579

Lure Lore Questions with Grant Dixon

sales@nzfishingnews.co.nz www.nzsportfishing.co.nz

Tautuku Fishing Club Profile Fish Care

COVER SHOT Ian Biddick 4kg line weight snapper

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PRESIDENT’S REPORT Welcome to March, probably April by the time you read this. It’s been a very tough month considering the events in Christchurch and words still can’t describe the grief and the fact this happened in our country. Condolences to all concerned and having to deal with the aftermath of such a terrible event.

The 2019 nationals are but a distant memory for the 1623 anglers who partook. Some pretty good fishing was experienced by a few and congratulations to all those who won Awards and Trophies. We had a few fun and games with the software that collates all the catches and calculates the points this year which resulted in some points being incorrectly calculated and the system freezing up on numerous occasions delaying publication of daily and final results. The system is 20 years old and long overdue for an upgrade, we’ve started work on that already and expect the new system to be in place for next year.

We’ve been making some progress with helping the Minstrel find a replacement. It hasn’t been an easy task with a few swings and misses, it’s not a role you can easily advertise for, but it looks like we now have a plan coming together which I hope to be able to announce in the not too distant future.

The next cab off the rank is Sport NZ engagement, Submissions for the 2020 funding round need to be made by the middle of this year so we have a lot of work to do between now and then to ensure we are successful.

One thing is for sure, we have a lot to do and it’s proving an uphill slog to get things moving and keep resourced with a volunteer Board and one paid employee. I’ll be talking to the Board in April about some ideas that we need to consider, to make sure that our projects and our strategy are properly resourced to make sure we are delivering on our Promises. I’ve put the relationship officer role on hold while we figure this out.

So far, we have had no bites to our attempts at finding a Communications Board member. So we will keep looking.

The dates for Conference 2019 have been set for September 20th and 21st 2019, and is hosted by the Wellington Surfcasting and Angling Club at the Mana Cruising Club In Wellington. You should see information packs coming out very shortly and I encourage you to book Accommodation as soon as possible.

The Auckland Fishing Club has decided that the time has come and are sadly winding up. The club has generously offered their assets and trophies to a number of our clubs. They have decided to distribute their trophies along with a a donation between Clevedon Gamefish Club, Hauraki Gulf Fishing Club, Warkworth Gamefishing Club and Whakatakataka Bay Sport Fishing Club The Club has asked the Council to receive their remaining funds and distribute them as requested, with a $10,000 donation to go to NZ Marine Research and a $5,000 towards last years’ AGM. Sadly, we are losing a valued club from our Council, and we thank them and appreciate all the support and assistance we have received from them over the years.

That’s it from me this month Short and sweet.

Bob Gutsell PRESIDENT

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FROM THE OFFICE Since our last edition it has been a busy time with the Nationals and all the things involved in running a successful tournament. As you will appreciate, it was a busy time with lots of anglers entering and results coming in.

I am now working through the certificates and trophies. If you/or your club are a holder of a trophy, could you please organise to have it sent to the club that is this years’ winner. Some of the clubs have sent their trophies to me and those ones I will send onto the winning club.

Trophies may be in need repair. If this is the case, could you please contact me and I will organise to have them fixed and sent to the appropriate club.

Once all your certificates and plaques are printed, I will send them out to your clubs. Hopefully this will be in plenty of time for your prizegivings.

Please remember that there is the Hart trophy for the best live fish photo for the end of the year prizegiving, so have a look through all your photos and send in your best ones. You never know yours may well be the one.

On that note, as I source articles for Hooked Up magazine, our yearbook and Bluewater magazine I’m finding I’m more and more in need of great/interesting/exciting fishing photos.

Unfortunately, a number of the photos I have been sent are not able to be used, as they are not high enough quality. If you are taking photos, please try to save them as the highest quality. Then we will be able to use the photo in our publications. There is nothing worse than not being able to use a great photo due to the poor file size/quality of the shot. I’m sure lots of your have wonderful photos and I’d hate to miss out on being able to publish them.

Check that when you are submitting images, you have sent them at the original file size – not a smaller version for emailing.

As Bob has mentioned in his report, we are losing the Auckland Fishing Club. This club has been a member since 1961 and it is with sadness that we say goodbye to the Auckland Fishing Club team. I am sure they will stay interested and keep up with the progress of the NZSFC and its member clubs.

Finally, a big thank you to Paul and all the recorders for the Nationals who worked hard over the week.

It was a busy time and thank you for your support and tolerance.

Helen Pastor

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Another successful Nationals Tournament is now behind us. This year was challenging as the weather from the outset was not great with many teams not setting out on the first couple of days, waiting for a few days before wetting a line. As the week progressed, anglers braved the weather. In Northland, the teams were hit with large seas at the beginning of the week and some of the crews spent their time fishing closer in. On the west coast of the country, by the end of the week the weather turned, and fishing slowed down. Cape Egmont Fishing Club had to close their ramp on the last day for safety reasons.

In spite of this, the number of entries in the competition increased from the past two years with a total of 1623 anglers braving the weather for the week. About 140 more anglers than last year. It was good to see an increase in numbers despite not having a sponsor this year.

Statistics for the week are as follows:BLUE AND BLACK MARLIN

20

BROADBILL

3

STRIPED MARLIN

33

SHARK

3

TUNA

7

YELLOWTAIL

16

ALBACORE

153

SKIPJACK & SPENDER TUNA

139

KAHAWAI

209

SNAPPER

187

TREVALLY

46

SHORTBILL SPEARFISH

6

MAHIMAHI

18

TOTAL

840

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Lucas McIver

Ian Biddick - 4kg line weight snapper

Total Tagged Fish for the competition by Species BLUE AND BLACK MARLIN

21

BROADBILL

2

STRIPED MARLIN

160

SHORTBILL SPEARFISH

9

SHARK

57

YELLOWTAIL

84

TUNA

0

TOTAL

333

TOTAL LENGTH TO WEIGHT RELEASED YELLOWTAIL = 12

Adam Clancey - Champion Yellowtail Angler

The length to Weight released yellowtail section was a new one this year and it was interesting to see how well it worked. Some of the weighmasters found this a bit confusing and this will be looked into by the Fishing Committee to see if this can be improved.

As the idea of recording released fish is becoming more acceptable, I believe this part of the competition will increase. If the released fish count is included in the tagged and released count, then the total of released fish was 345 fish for the week.

We had some great catches. It was interesting to see the hook ups on light tackle.

From Tauranga, Don Simich caught a 110.3kg striped marlin on 8 kg line. In Waihau Bay Jimmy Moore, who is a junior, caught a 198.6kg Blue Marlin. He also won the Junior Champion for Blue/Black Marlin.

In Wellington, Steve Reid caught a 13.48kg yellowtail on a 4kg line and Gary Whitaker caught a 3.46kg snapper on a 1kg line.

Brian Copestake from Warkworth Club caught a 166 kg striped marlin and Josh Holmes, from Muriwai, caught 2 broadbill on the same day 172kg and 164.20kg respectively.

We had some big shark catches with Jim Toblin from Te Kaha Fishing Club catching a 115.6kg Marko on 10kg line and Dave Kahlenberg from Houhora caught a 78.6 Marko on 1 kg line.

Then there were the Juniors who seems to have got it all sorted.

Young Cole Dallimore from Hawkes Bay caught 19 fish and tagged 1 throughout the competition.

Seems there was no stopping him. He got first second and third in the Skipjack Junior Champion and 2nd and 3rd in the Kahawai junior Champion and from New Plymouth, Emily Steele and Ryan Steele cleaned up with Emily winning 1st, 2nd and 3rd in the Albacore Junior Champion and Ryan first in Kahawai and Snapper Junior Champion.

It is great to see our junior anglers doing so well in this competition and with the enthusiasm of all our anglers bodes well for our sport in the future.

The administration for the tournament gave me some tense moments. Problems with the additions to the programme causing some very stressful moments. After reviewing the system requirements, we are looking at an updated programme for next year which will allow us to have been reporting and streamline the entering process, making the system more versatile. This is one of the areas which can cause delays and I am very keen to get this underway.

Once again, a big thank you for all the help I received during the Nationals and the support from our club recorders. I hope you all enjoyed your week and are keen to come back and do it again next year.

GIVE SMARTLY OR GIVE UP You don’t have to be a rocket scientist to appreciate the management of our coastal fisheries is dictated by some pretty ‘spaced out’ decisions.

The Minister’s decision to put a hold on onboard cameras and propose a “land all catch” policy without addressing the damaging trawling and purse seining techniques is a step backwards.

Just imagine if commercial efforts were to continue without cameras AND they could legitimately catch any size fish, of any species. The impact on kingfish populations alone would be catastrophic when entire schools of juvenile kingfish can be netted under a land all catch system with no size limits. With an insatiable global appetite for our fish you can’t say they won’t find a market for 50cm kingfish.

The health of our coastal fisheries is at stake, we are in trouble.

As fishers we notice the little things. There aren’t as many birds, the bait fish have gone. Each season we hope it will be better than the last. When it’s not, we escape from reality by saying “well that’s fishing”.

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It’s time to stop staring at the stars. Things aren’t going to improve unless we do something. The New Zealand Sport Fishing Council and LegaSea are focused on lobbying for better fisheries management and are building the ‘ship and crew’ to get us there, but you’re going to have to help us fuel it. We can’t do it alone.

Now, thanks to MOA Brewing and Whitehaven it’s as easy as buying a round of beers or a glass or two of wine for your mates. Enjoy a LegaSea Lager or Koparepare wine and you will help fund LegaSea. Drink a beer, taste a great wine. It’s a refreshing alternative that will allow us to do so much more.

Club Executives, give your members the chance to choose a Moa LegaSea Lager or a Whitehaven Koparepare wine by stocking it behind the bar.

Club Members, ask for LegaSea Lager and Koparepare by name in your local club or bottle store.

Then, we can all sit around the table with our mates in confidence, knowing that by making simple changes we’re all playing our part in a brighter future.

It’s a pretty smart way to give. It’s definitely better than giving in to poor fisheries management and giving up on changing it.

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Submission summary - Fisheries Change Programme Fisheries Management team March 2019 In February Fisheries New Zealand issued its Fisheries Change proposals to remove size limits for commercial catch – instead undersize fish would be recorded, landed and sold. It would also mean more small fish for sale here and overseas. Is that what New Zealanders really want?

FNZ claim this land-all policy will incentivise commercial fishers to provide more information on what is caught and encourage them to avoid small fish. There are few details on how a ban on dumping of catch would be enforced or how damage to the seabed or the effects on depleted fish stocks will be reduced.

There was limited time to respond, around 30 working days. However, in that time we produced: 1. A Preliminary View discussing initial concerns and potential issues to discuss in the submission. Distributed to NZSFC affiliates, delegates. 25 February.

2. L egaSea summary. A two-page summary of the Preliminary View, suitable for public consumption. 25 February.

3. A comprehensive submission covering a raft of issues and reiterating our objection to an uninformed land-all catch policy where it could significant increase the mortality associated with commercial fishing. 17 March.

4. Submission summary. A one-page overview of the issues discussed in the submission and what may happen next. 22 March.

Included in the submission are 15 recommendations addressing concerns that the proposals are devoid of details about reporting, landings, monitoring and enforcement or whether commercial quotas will increase.

It seems inevitable that quota owners will insist on Total Allowable Commercial Catches (TACC) increases, granting them greater benefits while largely ignoring the needs of small-scale, independent commercial fishers, and increasing the risk to fish stocks, the environment, and public fishing access.

We must reduce fishing mortality not encourage it. Removing regulations and applying management rules will not rebuild our depleted fisheries. World’s best practice of managing fish stocks at higher levels will restore abundance and resilience.

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Solutions to rebuilding fisheries Incentives are not a solution. Cameras onboard fishing vessels are part of the solution. Fundamental is a Royal Commission of Inquiry to examine both the Quota Management System and the principles of managing our fisheries resources for the benefit of all New Zealanders.

Comprehensive camera monitoring of commercial catch and an increase in resources for fisheries compliance are required if we are serious about rebuilding our inshore fish stocks and improving at-sea behaviour.

The way to reduce waste from catching and releasing undersize fish is to not catch them in the first place. Removing bottom trawl effort from inshore waters would largely negate the debate and quell growing public concern about how to reduce juvenile mortality.

What next?

If significant changes are to proceed new regulations and legislation will be developed later in the year.

The New Zealand Sport Fishing Council will proactively monitor and participate in future developments of this process. It is important to ensure the serious failures in the current fisheries management system are addressed so fish abundance and marine diversity can be restored.

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LURES 102 LOGIC how to purchase a new lure

The Logical Song by Supertramp sums this process up nicely; When I was young, it seemed that life was so wonderful A miracle, oh it was beautiful, magical And all the fish in the seas, well they’d be swimming so happily Oh joyfully, playfully watching me But then they send me away to teach me how to be sensible Logical, oh responsible, practical And they showed me a world where I could be so dependable Oh clinical, oh intellectual, cynical There are times when all the world’s asleep The questions run too deep (how deep I should fish) For such a simple man

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So, you want to, need to, crave to buy a new lure that will sit on top of your lure bag for all to see - your prized new possession.

Wow, what lure do I buy? Bargain bin, old stock, or from a shop in your travels, or a local one? The first lure I bought was from Wilkinson Sports Whangarei. Garth Marsden and family ran the shop, he was a great fisherman and a good story teller to boot, with many photos on the walls of fish from his boats. Another came foff the shelf at Leigh Distributors, one of the fabled Mrs Palmer family of lures.

Where will I run it? Long or short, maybe shotgun? What brand? More decisions!

New, such as Red Gill, Tado, G Force, JB Lures, Black Magic, Stealth, Trophy, Joe Yee (if you can find one), Seatal, Zucker, Pakula, Marlin Magic, Bonze? Then, what model?

RG 4, chugger, plunger, swimmer, kona head, knuckle head, pusher, slant, bullet, jet head, doorknob?

Now, what colour? Koheru, Yellow tail, Barbie Doll, Mean Joe Green, Ghost, Gay Bob, translucent, ultra violet, lumo Buying a new lure? Troll thru Facebook; (way too much time on my hands) or (not enough time to do proper research!) Hawaiian, Australian (yes, they do make some nice lures, lets hope they’re not run underarm!) Local Kiwi made ones out of the Bay of Islands, Te Kaha, Tauranga, Whakatane, Tutukaka, Auckland.

Or replace a lost one? My Pakula Bagwan coloured Sniper, that I got my first blue on, won the Tutukaka Hotel comp with a bigger blue, sadly did not manage a third blue and disappeared. Another Pakula, my Chatterbox Fire Scad that I got my black on and several good yellowfin tuna, was re-skirted because of a mako, caught some more then parted company on a big unidentified strike. A green and white Tropic Lightning Supertube lost when a horse of a striped marlin dived under the boat whilst being leadered and broke the trace. A second Tropic Lightning Supertube went the same way same day - that’s just fishing, I guess.

Do I double up on my favourites?

I get all my lures out and see what I am missing, colour or possible positional change (rotation policy here, do we run our best lure without a reserve? - didn’t know fishing and rugby were so closely related.) Do we match the hatch or go with a bright rainbow mix of colours?

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Obituaries, or perhaps lures I have known; Pakula; Chatterbox, Fire Scad, Lumo Sprocket, Yamas Sprocket, Bagwan Sniper.

Tropic Lightning; super tube green/white, super tube blue/white, Raglan Express purple/blue. Black Bart; Grander Candy blue/white, Marlin Candy evil. Mrs Palmer, Mrs Palmer with orange underskirt.

Zuker; 5.5 blue/black, Hooker; West Coast Mullet, Big Rudy Ghost, Big Swimmer Ghost. Joe Yee; Evil Apollo, Medium plunger blue/green. Kilwell Pacific; fruit salad Eyecatcher, Baitfish purple blue, Baitfish with orange in it. Plus, many more secret weapons that I cannot divulge! These all suffered honourable demises to billfish. If I was to include the many, many lures donated to mako’s or the ones we lost on multiple strikes and pack-attacks, there would not be enough space for anything else. Add to the roll of honour lost lures not clipped on, those that fell on active duty to ‘coutta chasing the shiny swivels; and boats crossing too close behind us taking the long rigger or shotty.

Finally, there are those I have lent out and have never been returned, and as such can’t remember who or what world record potential colours and brands.

When in Raglan last month, helping out the Waikato Sportfishing Club with their One Base, I saw some new lures (brands) I hadn’t seen before. One in particular, was a tube with a slant face with a nice-looking shirt coloration. Cobra lures found them on the www. Some nice lures, smaller than most I own, and a good choice of colours, one of these would fit nicely in my selection.

Whilst on duty in a competition at Marsden Cove I was introduced to DTF Lures, Auckland based and made. Now these looked as good as the ‘Blues team of old’ winners. Find out more about them here; www.dtflures.co.nz . The one pictured just screamed jack mac and should be a winner at Houhora and North Cape waters.

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Somehow the good luck of Saint Patrick was looking down on me and look what I found - a web note showcasing old and new Hawaiian lures, I was in heaven, scrolling through these pages. It is worth a good couple of hours, first to see what lures are available, and the prices were good. I’d say they will be getting some of my cash soon.

Big Game Lures Hawaii - Rare, Vintage, New & Used Lures www.BigGameLuresHawaii.com Do you own a Marlin Magic Lai Skin Ruckus! Limited Edition! XL, Original, or perhaps a Baby and Tiny Marlin Magic Ruckus. These feature real fish skin and signed and numbered by Gary Eoff. Gary only made a very limited amount of each size and you won’t find these anywhere else!

Marlin Magic Ruckus, the proven tournament winner having brought home more tournament money than any other lure. Shop the largest collection of rare, vintage, new and used lures.

LURE COLLECTING – ITS ADDICTIVE! – PAUL BATTEN So, you have gone out and bought a new lure, what only one, that did show great self-control, me I would have bought three or more, one new, one replacement, and one reserve lure that covers 2 or 3 different positions, see more on rugby!

So, you have gone out and bought a new lure, what only one, that did show great self-control, me I would have bought three or more, one new, one replacement, and one reserve lure that covers 2 or 3 different positions, see more on rugby!

If you are lucky enough and your birthday and Christmas presents are surprise surprize a new lure or two then run them, they have already proved you are lucky, if you win one in a tournament, then rig it straight away and run it the next day, you must keep the karma gods happy. (isn’t this right Bob)

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Above all else you are out fishing, running your mix of old and new lures, see some sign, mark bait on your sounder and wham you’re on. The result could be like this one, 1st place heaviest at the recent Metalcraft Marsden Cove Marlin Classic, Neville Draffin with his 120.4kg caught on the last day of fishing with a mad dash back to the weighstation which they got there with some time to spare. The end results should look like this, thanks Glen for the invite to help smoke Annette’s marlin.

Next instalment, do you run different lures when travelling, exploring new waters or hunting in your home patch in a tournament?

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QUESTIONS WITH...

Grant Dixon Tautuku’s Brett Bensemann caught up with NZ Fishing News managing editor Grant Dixon at the recent NZSFC’s AGM in Auckland. That October edition was Grant’s 300th, completing 25 years at the magazine’s helm. Brett put a few questions to him…

Snapper is one of grant’s favourite species – especially when targeted on soft-baits or lures.

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Biggest changes in 25 years?

Technology, both around the way we produce the magazine and the way we fish.

When I first started in journalism, lead-eating Linotype machines set the copy. I then moved to cutting and pasting up galleys of type using hot wax – both long, laborious processes that I am pleased to say moved to a far more efficient electronic system – to the point today I can (and do!) work anywhere in the world and still get job done.

On the fishing side of it, probably the biggest change has been with line and lures. Braid has revolutionised the way many people fish, especially associated with lighter, stronger reels.

For me this tackle, and soft-baits and the Japanese style of lure fishing, has put the sport back into catching fish, particularly around table fish such as snapper.

Marine electronics have come a long way – I started out fishing with my dad and our 19-footer had a Marlin sounder with a paper chart, which for Probably the editor’s proudest angling moment – a 132kg trailerboat based rec fishers 50 years bigeye tuna caught at the Three Kings aboard Arenui. ago was ground breaking stuff. More recently GPS had taken a lot of the guesswork out of finding fish and structure, but having said that, people are still hitting rocks – ask the skipper of the Rena – the ship that hit the Astrolabe reef in the Bay of Plenty several years ago.

Trailerboats and better, bigger and more reliable engines, along with the electronics, have given many people greater access to marlin and offshore species in particular. Look what happened when the word went out two seasons ago when the bluefin tuna arrived off Waihau Bay. Via social media, the info was shared instantly, resulting in 180 plus trailerboats a day launching at the Waihau Bay ramp alone at the peak of the ‘tuna rush’.

Social media is another big influencer in many people’s lives and while as a magazine we can’t compete with the immediacy of the likes of Facebook and Instagram, we will get the ‘story behind the story’ which has all the details and is normally much more accurate than the original posts. And you don’t get the ‘keyboard warriors’ in a magazine – or at least they have the put their names to the letters!

Social media has turned a number of people into ‘media super stars in their own minds’. Having a few likes has them thinking they deserve the same considerations the more established and genuine rec fishing personalities such as Matt Watson, Graeme Sinclair, the Fishing and Adventure boys and Tony Orton (to name a few) receive. Those guys and their colleagues have earned their stripes over many years, where as many of the Facebook fiends haven’t and lack any real street cred.

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What stands out in your mind? Any particular events?

I have caught some great fish over the years and been a part of some successful tournament teams. The Maverix Rods 6kg events, run by Rex and Lynette Smith, stand out as some of the most enjoyable tournaments I have been part of. It was a great concept – everyone fishing the same 6kg line – which attracted some of the best snapper and kingfish anglers around.

I have always pictured myself with the Furuno Snapper World Cup in my grasp, but it has never happened – fifth was the closest I have ever come to getting my name on that trophy. This year the winning fish was caught aboard Fishing News by Steve Williams – a step closer!

I fished this year’s Nationals for the first time in 25 years, working around production. I love the fact you can compete nationally on your own or someone else’s home patch.

Had a couple of interesting incidents involving fire. One was 30 miles out of Port Vila in Vanuatu when the 35ft Blackwatch Shogun caught fire. We took to the life raft and watched her burn to the waterline. Two lessons - fire moves incredibly fast; and always have your lifejackets stored where they can be reached easily. In our case they were in the forepeak and we couldn’t get past the flames in the starboard engine bay to access them. Fortunately, we had the life raft.

The second time came in Fiji when we arrived late one night at our resort at Denerau and ordered room service.

Before it could be cooked, the kitchen caught fire, resulting in much of the resort burning to the ground. The fire engine had to be transported across the lagoon by barge which was a whole story in itself.

I have never had a huge amount of luck when it comes to catching big billfish, but tuna seem to follow me around – there are worse things that can happen to an offshore angler I guess! Caught a 132kg big eye on 24 at the Three Kings a few years back and had an amazing trip to Mexico where I was the sole angler on an 82ft Viking sportfisher for nine days.

Caught yellowfin to 50kg on topwater gear and an 82kg yellowfin on 15kg stand-up. The most memorable trip of my angling lifetime – thanks to my hosts and good friends Tony and Bea Orton.

Perks of the job?

Biggest perk is the opportunities I have had to fish around the globe – have been to most of the Pacific destinations at least once – including Tonga and Samoa 20 times plus each as well as a number of more exotic ones – Mexico several times, Costa Rica, Malaysia, Japan, China, Florida and most recently Guatemala.

Getting to fish overseas is one of the perks of the job. Grant and good friend Tony Orton with a couple of nice mahimahi caught in Guatemala.

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bove all of that, there are the people. Those A who I have fished with, others in the industry and above all else, my colleagues. We have had an amazing array of contributors over the years – the best in the business – and at HQ there has been Sam Mossman and up until just recently Mark Kitteridge. Daughter Miah joined us earlier this year and she brings a new perspective and enthusiasm to the operation.

QUESTIONS WITH GRANT DIXON

Partnering with Grant Blair, we purchased the magazine from Fairfax nearly three years ago and combined it with his website www.fishing.net.nz to create NZ Fishing Media Ltd. Having the biggest print and digital entities in recreational fishing sees us in a strong position going forward.

Print is not dead and at our last independent audit a couple of months ago we had 222,000 pairs of eyes reading the magazine each month.

Any downsides?

Having to go out on the water in less than desirable conditions due to deadlines. There are days when we have done charter tips and boat tests when you would ordinarily have stayed home.

Sitting in the office at my computer in magazine production when the weather forecast is ‘five knot variables’ when I would much rather have had a sounder screen before me, out on the briny somewhere. People tend only to see the glamour side of the job, but it is not all fishing trips and rum!

Do you still get to go fishing as much as you used to? Favourite haunts / tackle?

I have given up diving over the last four years due to an ear problem and I really miss that. I might not do as much fishing as I used to, but what I do do is probably better quality.

As a family we have a large caravan on an annual site at Camp Waipu Cove at the southern end of Bream Bay (Whangarei) and we s pend as much time together as we can up there. Fishing is still good, as is the diving.

Miah and I have just recently put together a FC535 Centre Console trailerboat which we launch off the beach. I love fishing with Miah and see her getting the same enjoyment out of being on and under the water as I have.

Soft-baiting is one of my favourite ways to target snapper. These days my favourite bit of kit is a seven foot Offshore custom-built rod with a Shimano Twin Power 4000 reel. I have caught some great snapper on it and a kingfish of 21 kgs.

You still can’t beat a good bait and berley strayline session for snapper – showing my North Island prejudices here. A Penn International 975 LD reel spooled with 6kg mono on a Maverix custom built 6-8kg rod is my go-to bit of kit. Best bait is jack mackerel – either as a livie of a butterflied dead bait.

Haven’t done a great deal of fly fishing but have caught many hundreds of trout spin fishing on the Waikato river – in particular Lakes Arapuni and Waipapa. Was introduced to Lake Taupo fishing as a toddler and spend thousands of hours harling, jigging and trolling its waters, as well as the lakes around Rotorua – Tarawera in particular.

The outdoors has always featured in my lifestyle. Duckshooting and chasing upland game have been a passion, especially growing up in the Waikato where it was on my backdoor step – literally.

Did a little bit of pig hunting as a teenager, but never carried through with that. My parents were a big influence in my life as they were keen boaties, anglers and sports people, something they passed on to my brother and I.

It is not all about big boats heading over the horizon.

Grant in his and daughter Miah’s well-appointed FC 535 Centre Console.

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PROFILE

TAUTUKU FISHING CLUB Dunedin & Haast Inc

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TAUTUKU FISHING CLUB DUNEDIN & HAAST

Tautuku Fishing Club Dunedin and Haast is one of our clubs with its roots firmly embedded in New Zealand’s early history. The club has large clubrooms, a function area and also owns the land surrounding it and the road. Here is some of the history of these classic clubrooms...

The substantial two-storey stone homestead, built by the same builders as Lanarch Castle, and the adjoining stone farm buildings were built for the Smaill family (probably Charles or his son Alexander) in the late 1870s or early 1880s at what is now known as Smaill’s Beach, near Tomahawk on the rugged south coast of Otago Peninsula. The story goes that the cost of the build was paid in whiskey and no money ever changed hands for the project.

The Smaill family owned land at Tomahawk, as the area was known by the European settlers in the area in the 1860s. The family had lived in a fern-tree house in the vicinity of the stone house in the 1860s. The homestead is thought to have been built in the late 1870s or early 1880s. Once built, an extensive garden was developed surrounding it, including some Macrocarpa trees that still stand.

Local historians suggest that the name ‘Tomahawk’ is probably a corruption of Tomahaka (tom - a burial place, haka - dance). Maori used to travel overland along the coast, gathering shellfish from the rocks and eels in the lagoons.

The Smaills were the centre of the small farming community in the area, known for their community involvement and their progressive farming practices. The house and outbuildings recall the nature and history of community development on the Otago Peninsula, as well as the farming practices and architecture associated with the late nineteenth century developments.

Alexander Smaill took over and extended his father Charles’s farm. He was a prominent and active member of the Tomahawk community, a member of the Tomahawk Road Board, the Agricultural and Pastoral Society and the Dairymen’s Association. He founded a paint factory to use the haematite found in the hills surrounding his property and was a significant supplier of milk to Dunedin.

Alexander Smaill’s energy and ingenuity extended to his farm operations. He was an early enthusiast for electricity - apparently being an early user of light in his house, and in his milking shed used hydropower, generated by a dam above his house. An addition to the north elevation of the outbuildings housed the power plant. The power was used to drive a flying fox system which carried the manure from the shed up the hill behind the buildings and allowed it to be distributed over the farmland above.

In 1916 a title was issued in the name of Alexander Smaill, although it is clear that the land was owned by the Smaill family at an earlier date. Alexander Smaill died in 1926 and the land was transmitted to his widow Catherine Smaill and others. Catherine Smaill died in 1931. The property remained in the Smaill family until 1952.

After some changes in ownership in the 1950s, the property was bought by farmer Fergus Mathieson in 1971. Mathieson, a patron of the Tautuku Fishing Club, sold the homestead to the Club in 1972 and continues to use the outbuildings which are now owned by his son.

The Tautuku Fishing Club uses the homestead as their clubrooms, and as a function venue.

The building has a character and ambience that would be hard to replicate and the club is privileged to be the custodian of such a rich piece of New Zealand history.

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FISH CARE

the school of best practice

IF YOU SEE PLASTIC OR OTHER RUBBISH IN THE WATER (LIKE THIS DISCARDED BERLEY BAG) PICK IT UP AND HELP BE PART OF THE SOLUTION

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FISH CARE

A plastic ocean looming?

One of the more startling statistics in recent years was the assertion that by 2050 there will be more plastic in our oceans than fish.

This has certainly caught the attention of the media because people have always thought that there were infinite numbers of fish in our vast oceans. So, when the amount of plastic starts to rival that unimaginable number of fish, we start to realise how big the plastic problem has become. You may have heard of the huge patch of rubbish floating in the North Pacific, covering a large area and weighing an estimated 80,000 metric tonnes. The scary part is that it is getting bigger.

Everyone will agree that lots of plastic floating around is ‘not good‘ for the environment, however it looks like there are more concerns than just wildlife getting caught and suffering.

The danger starts to become more local and personal when it becomes part of the food chain and the fish we eat are ingesting plastic and pose a risk to humans. Plastics can be carriers of other toxins like heavy metals and persistent organic pollutants. Once ingested, these chemicals may be released and cause toxicity.

Plastic very slowly breaks down and does so into smaller and smaller pieces. This makes it easier for sea life to ingest, with even small filter feeders at risk of absorbing plastic into their systems. More studies are underway to learn exactly how serious the risks are. It would certainly be very sad to go fishing one day and find the fish too dangerous to eat because of the accumulation of plastics and toxins.

While the biggest problem is plastic on land being washed off our streets and down our drains into the ocean, plastic can still find its way easily into the big briny by being blown off our boat or if we are using plastic while we fish, it can be lost and become part of the ever growing problem. Any piece of plastic can’t be allowed to find its way into the ocean – berley bags, used softbaits, monofilament short or long. That helps stop the problem getting worse.

What makes it better is everyone collecting rubbish when they see it. When you are out on the water or walking down the street, taking time to remove plastic rubbish from the environment means it’s not able to contribute to the continuing problem of a plastic ocean.

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happy fishing & goodluck with the season