NZ Fisher Issue 17

ISSUE 17 July 2012

Whangarei Juniors take out BOI Kingfish International

- The fishing Mecca of Feilding explored www.nzfisher.co.nz 1

CONTENTS Pg 4 SPORTFISHING

12

4

The NZACA National

Championships 2012

8

The Bay of Islands International

Yellowtail Tournament

BOATFISHING 11

From Heavy Metal to Tinfoil

GAMEFISHING 12

The Three Kings, Finally

15

Reader Pics

16

The NZ Fishing Competition

17

Fishing Video of the Month

8

BOATFISHING

2 www.nzfisher.co.nz

19

The NZFisher Boat unveiled

20

Recipe

22

Regional Reviews

Pg 17

editorial

//From the

EDITOR of Snapper in areas SNA1 (North Cape

Keep warm, spring’s just around the

to East Cape) and SNA2 (New Plymouth

corner and with it comes the very best

to North Cape) are not as effective as

fishing of the year!

DAMN IT IS COLD! My memory gets

it should be. Early results claim that

worse every year and maybe we’ve

the stocks are at between only 6-8%

had a few mild winters these last few

on the West Coast and under 15% (of

Tight lines,

years; but damn it’s cold!

virgin bio-mass) [LINK: http://dictionary.

Derrick

I took a trip out on the Kaipara

babylon.com/virgin_biomass/] on the

Harbour for a quick gurnard hunt

East Coast. These are just numbers but they are worrying. While we may feel

ABOUT /

the fisheries are in good shape and

Short and sharp, NZ Fisher is a

console boats – there is no-where to

they are better than ‘before’, there are

free e-magazine delivering thought

hide from the biting, icy cold wind!

reasons why we need to pay heed to

provoking and enlightening articles,

Thankfully the sun emerged from the

the science. There is a real possibility

and industry news and information

fog and warmed us up as the fish

that bag limits may be cut or minimum

to forward-thinking fisher people.

came on the bite to further warm us.

lengths increased. While these are not

on a very cold morning. We learned some things very quickly about centre

Winter is a great time of year for fishing the inshore waters of the North Island.

Its a time of year when I revert back to traditional fishing (i.e. bait & burley).

After 5 years of not buying bait I was finally cornered by Forsyth & opened my wallet to buy a boat load for a Little Barrier Mission. I’m so used to using soft baits to catch everything, including Kahawai I forgot the joy of frozen bait.

I soon remembered....frozen hands, smelly clothes and big screaming runs!

necessarily bad things, we must be mindful that one of the reasons this fishery was researched was because the commercial industry were thinking there might be an increase in their quota’s if the fishery had further rebuilt. If we take a cut now – who gets the benefit in the future? There are always consequences to these actions and we would be wise to keep an eye on the upcoming changes. We’ll keep up in the loop.

I have donated to LegaSea recently and encourage others to do the same.

We spent a few days out at Little Barrier

They’re the ‘action’ department of the

and revisited some spots we haven’t

NZ Sport Fishing Council and they’re

been to for about 15 years. They still

growing a strong base to build an

produced the goods, but not quite the

ongoing defence to provide abundance

monsters of the 90s. What was really

of fish for our future generations.

surprising was the lack of action on soft baits in the shallows. Bait worked a treat, but not the expected soft bait hits – needs more research I think!

Don’t forget the NZRFC AGM &

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 Richard on 09 522 7257 or email richardl@espiremedia.com ADDRESS / NZ Fisher, C/- Espire Media, PO Box 137162, Parnell, Auckland 1151, NZ WEBSITE / www.NZ Fisher.co.nz

This is a GREEN MAG, created and distributed without the use of paper so it's environmentally friendly.

Please think before you print. Thank you!

Conference this year either. It’s being held at the Buckland’s Beach Yacht Club, Halfmoon Bay on the 28th July. There

Some research results that have reached

will be discussion on the Future Search

us recently show that the stock rebuild

initiative and the RFC’s Strategic plan.

Cover Image: Wayne Downer with 41kg Kingfish

www.nzfisher.co.nz 3

sportFISHING Overall Team Champions, Feilding Surfcasting Club

The NZACA National Championships 2012 Feilding, by the sea

By Derrick Paul SINCE 2009 I’VE fished the NZACA

on top against the Manuatu and

caster, this discipline is more novelty

Nationals with passion. 2009 and 2010

Wellington Coast anglers in their own

than sport for me but it’s a great

were based at Coromandel, a very

back yard. That’s when I looked to call

spectacle to watch the top casters do

fishy and local spot for us Auckland

in local expertise to help the cause.

their stuff. The best casters in New

fishos. 2011 was the year we hosted

Reece Claxton, Kapiti Islands answer

Zealand sling their lead weights out past 200 meters. Makes my best effort

the Nationals at Orewa, opening up

to Carl Muir has been slaying the

the boundaries and ensuring there

Wellington coasts’ kingfish for six

were plenty of fish available for

years, ever since he moved away from

everyone. But this year they were

his native Auckland. His exploits are

being held in Feilding. Yes, Feilding,

well known to locals and those who

the hotbed of Red Cod and school

have come across Reece on Facebook

sharks – or so we thought! Feilding is

or the fishing website, he’s passionate

a town best known for sheep shearing

and very skilled. Some might even say

The best distance this year was set by

and fast cars at the world renowned

he’s a bit of a magnet, so I made it my

Neil Angus of Wellington Surfcasting

Manfeild Park raceway. Fishing is not

goal to twist Reece’s arm into taking

Club with a phenomenal distance of

readily associated with Feilding.

me out and more importantly getting

200.3 meters!

I committed to Feilding Nationals

weather god Tawhirimatea on side!

of 135meters look pretty average really. I want to say a big thanks to Dick Lash of Fielding club for lending me his casting rod and reel two years in a row now. I just don’t think my softbait rod was going to do it!

With the AGM out of the way it was

last year and as the time drew closer

I arrived late to Fielding on the

time to make a plan for two days

I found myself very short on ideas

evening (or rather early morning of)

full on fishing. Sadly my prayers to

or really even a hope of coming out

the distance casting. Not being a bit

Tawhirimatea had not proved entirely

4 www.nzfisher.co.nz

sportFISHING

Kingfish third placed The authors

North Sh ore

Clubs’ Ta reta Cur Ladies S ruthers hore sec with the tion first place tro phy

effective and the forecasts were

with lighter and lighter gear. Reece’s

Reece’s boat is a 4.5m centre console

looking pretty shoddy. Reece is pretty

newest toy is a 75gram Synit acid

inflatable with plenty of room, but

keen & despite the poor forecast

wrapped jig rod he’s paired with an

you’ve got to be smart about how you

he reckoned we’d get out in the

Accurate 400XN filled with 50lb line.

fight fish due to the low gunwales. The

afternoon so I had a sleep-in to look

I had a chance to drop a few jigs with

drag on the little accurate was wound

forward to while the rest of the field

this light set and managed a small

up hard & there was very little room

struck out early to get the best out of

king to bend through it. It’s beautiful

for letting the fish run. Reece carefully

the south’s dawn bite.

combo, but I’m astounded that Reece

dragged us out to some deeper water

The wind was peaking at 20 knots but

managed 15kg fish, let alone a 28kg

& the fight was slugged out over a

there was a chance Reece’s spots at

model earlier this year.

clear bottom.

Kapiti might be sheltered from the

The fishing was a bit tough to start

After a few minutes the king

southerly gusts. We headed out from

& Reece took me further out to his

showed itself from under the boat. It

Waikanae Beach in relative calm &

big fish spot. Due to the terrain &

looked mid-teens to me but Reece

headed across the southern stretch

generally larger fish Reece upgraded

immediately called it for a 20kg fish.

of the South Taranaki Bight across to

me to the Synit 350gm combo loaded

That is what we were there for! The

with 50lb. He scanned the pins for a

fish was bought aboard & we could

Kapiti Island.

Reece has hooked and landed

few minutes before giving the thumbs

hundreds of kingfish at Kapiti

up to drop the jig “There’s two good

including some 30kg++ models. He’s

fish there” was the call. Right on cue I

honed his skills and begun working

hooked up to my first west coast King.

admire its size. On reflection, Reece’s call for 20kg was a good one – that was one fat fish.

Due to the late start we only had three

www.nzfisher.co.nz 5

sportFISHING

place s pin for first ns reciving hi Eddie Hawki

Niel Angus, National Casting Champion with his trohies

hours on the water so we kept this fish

common species followed by kahawai

NZACA Nationals Events. The various

and thankfully too as it turned out to

and cod. There was even a Hapuka

fixtures and events were executed

be the only one of size we landed.

thrown in for good measure.

with the depth of planning evident in

After helping Reece with the clean up

I had been hopeful of placing with

at his place I was back off up to Palmy

my one and only fish, but by the end

to store the fish on ice.

of the weigh in I realised I wouldn’t

run but very entertaining.

be getting a podium spot at all! The

We were privileged to be the first to

locals had show us the way – with

see the promotional video produced

Eddie Hawkins of the Wellington

by The Gisborne Surfcasters club for

Casting & Angling Club being be far

the 2013 NZACA National Champs

the most successful on 489points. To

(13-16th March 2013). There is no

put this in perspective, I came in third

doubt that Gisborne will pick up

with only 139 points!

where Feilding left off and produce

The Nationals results have been

the best Nationals yet. NZFisher will

posted the NZACA website so please

be there & we look forward to seeing

take a minute to go there & see the

many of you there then too!

Fridays weather was worse than Thursday so there was no opportunity to fish at all so the day was spent with the family waiting for the weigh-in Friday arvo.

At the weigh in I was genuinely astounded by the sheer number of fish weighed. I’d heard the land-based fishing had been hard, but the boaties did themselves proud. There was a wide range of species & sizes. My

outcome of the weeks fishing.

their smooth running. The prize giving and final meal were not only smoothly

Thanks again to the Feilding

ignorant northerners thinking was that

The Feilding Surfcasting team

Surfcasting club and your volunteers.

there would be Blue Cod & Kahawai

approached the running of

I truly enjoyed the time with you –

with the odd snapper thrown in but

the Nationals with a level of

even if my fishing experience only

snapper and terakihi were the most

professionalism not recently seen at

lasted 3 hours!

6 www.nzfisher.co.nz

?

What if there were no fish

sportFISHING

Many Kiwis think we have a God given right to fish, but the reality is different!

Our fishing resource should belong equally to ALL New Zealanders but, sadly, recreational fishers have been left scrambling for the scraps.

This has to change – recreational fishers need to unite – we need to have a say - we need a legitimate stake in the fishery and we need to chart a better fishing future - for us and our kids.

The time is NOW! Future Search is an inspirational process that will achieve these aspirations and you can be part of this positive movement.

Future Search is bringing together, in Nelson during February 2013, 70 Kiwis from diverse factions of the fishing community to move forward and make a difference. Do you want to be one of those 70?

If you have a vision for a better fishing future and would like to put up your hand to be part of developing some solutions email the Future Search Project Manager, Miranda O’Connell. miranda@folkus.co.nz or phone 021 345 056 by the 20th August 2012.

Charting a New Path for OUR Fishing Future www.nzfisher.co.nz 7

Photo credit: Wildcat Charters Golden Bay.

sportFISHING Zac waiting for a bite

The Bay of Islands International Yellowtail Tournament Juniors turn the Tournament on its head

By Craig Smith, Shannon Kitchen, Ollie Wakeman, Bevan Johnson and Zac Dixon. Excerpts taken from the NZSFC’s ‘Current Lines’ June 2012 issue.

IT’S NOT HARD to understand why

the Juniors section but the main draw

Ollie Wakeman claimed runner up in

Craig Smith has fished five years with

against vastly more experienced and

the Junior Male Angler Most Points

the Whangarei Deep Sea Angling

resourced teams.

section with a total of 2,851 points.

Club juniors in the Bay of Islands International Yellowtail tournament.

There is little in the world of fishing that beats seeing a young angler hook their greatest fish, get taken to the limit then after nearly giving up manage against the odds to boat what may be a fish of a lifetime. Once in a while that can be replicated a number

The BOI yellowtail tournament is fished annually (not surprisingly) in the Bay of Islands. The competition is fished for on a points system where line weight

Bevan Johnson not only won the Heaviest Yellowtail caught by a Junior Angler section with his whopping 23.4 kg yellowtail on 8 kg line (a pending NZ record no less) but also received

is relative to fish weight. The biggest

the Tio Bay Lodge Trophy for the Most

fish may not necessarily a winning fish,

Meritorious Catch by a Junior Angler.

but the lighter the line, the better the rewards. Conversely – if you fish line

Bevan then went on to win the Junior Male Angler Most Points section with

of times in a day or over a couple of

too light, it makes it impossible to stop

days. And even less often it might

even an average kingfish!

happen in a fishing tournament.

The WDSAC Junior team comprised

section with a massive points tally of

This very rare, incredibly rewarding

of anglers; Zac Dixon, Bevan Johnson,

9,288 with “GPS” skipper Hayden

set of circumstances came together

Shannon Kitchen and Oliver (Ollie)

Wright receiving the trophy for

like magic at this year’s Bay of Islands

Wakeman. Great fishing for Shannon

“Skipper Junior Team Most Points”.

International Yellowtail tournament

Kitchen and Zac Dixon saw them in 7th

To cap it all off Hayden Wright

for the Whangarei Deep Sea Angling

and 9th place respectively in the overall

took home the prize for the Overall

Club juniors as they not only took out

Junior Angler most points section.

Winning Skipper and then Zac, Bevan,

8 www.nzfisher.co.nz

a total of 3,099 points!! The WDSAC team were clear winners of the junior

sportFISHING

is was also a very on 6 kilo line. Th r, Zac Dixon, 16.5 c is a gifted angle m points, and Za his first for e important for tea siv es pr im gifted, very very steady and e on 8 kg line. another good on year, he caught

…

Shannon and Ollie stepped up to take

start fishing, start fishing”.

the Medinova Trophy for the Winning

MY Favourite day with WDSAC

We chuck our livies in and find the bait

Overall Team Most Points (a huge

junior team:

schools; Hayden yells bait at 20-30

1,117 points ahead of the next team!!).

“When I go to sleep, I wake up in the

metres!! 9 out of 10 we get a bite,

We are told that this is the first time in

morning to Craig telling us to get out

that is when my heart starts racing

twenty years that the Overall Trophy

of bed. Knowing me I don’t normally

and the adrenalin kicks in!! We wait a

has been won by a junior team - Well

like to get up early but once I sit up

few seconds for it to swallow the bait,

done to the 2012 WDSAC Junior Team.

and look around, my head kicks in

strike it and then the FIGHT is on!!!!!!

to realise we are going Kingi fishing

Hayden does the most important job of

I jump out bed get dressed, bag

leading the fish out to sea so it doesn’t

packed, Go to the breakfast table

bust us off, the FIGHT continues….

and Pauline and Adrienne serve up a

Once up to the boat we gaff it on

great breakfast to keep us going for

board then we all YAHOO (to say the

the day. Once we have finished we

least)!!! And then back to our spot to

leave for the boat with Pauline and

do it all over again until we hear the

Adrianne wishing us good luck.

dreaded words “stop fishing, stop

We hop on board, head to the start

fishing, stop fishing. Then it is back

line where we wait for the signal and

to Russell for weigh in and photo

Please have a read of the junior’s

all roar off at once.

opportunities all very, very happy!

reports below; they really embrace the

At our bait spot we stock up before

Four days of this = four days of

passion for the sport and enjoyment

moving to our Kingi spot and wait

fantastic fun! Thanks to everyone.”

of fishing we relish at NZFisher.

for the sweet sound of “start fishing,

Ollie Wakeman

Special congratulations are due to Skipper Hayden Wright, First Mate Russ Briars, Chief Deckie Craig Smith, Deckie and ‘Brenda Saul, assistant Camp Leader Adrienne Foote and Camp Mother Pauline Yearbury. It’s only with the help, time and deduction of volunteers like these guys that a team can succeed.

www.nzfisher.co.nz 9

sportFISHING

Bevan Johnson, his second year with the WDSAC Junior Team, group photo with his National Record claim 23.4 kg on 8 kilo line

Ollie with his 17.7 kg on 6 Kilo line

WDSAC Junior Team photo from day two.

Craig re-tying a line, waiting for the bite Ollie Wakeman, 17.7 kilos on 6 kilo line on day two, very important fish because we got a lot of points for this one

“Our week started on June 9th when These words are from Shannon, the

we travelled to the Bay of islands

only girl on the WDSAC Junior team.

for the 43rd International Yellowtail

Shannon weighed two 15kg & one

Tournament. My best memory was

16.5kg king, all on 8kg line.

being able to fish in an International tournament and win the junior

10 www.nzfisher.co.nz

“My overall experience of the

section while also taking out the

International Yellowtail tournament

whole tournament.

was absolutely unbelievable. I had

This experience taught me how to

the time of my life. I learnt so much

be a team member and especially

in the short 4 days we were on the

how to catch large fish on light

water. I’m so grateful for all the help

tackle. One amazing thing was

us juniors had getting up to Russell

to watch Bevan play his 23.4kg

and while we were fishing. This was

yellowtail, and then finding out it

my first time fishing for yellowtails

was a New Zealand record fish. My

and I have a new found love for

experience of catching a 16.5 kg

these fish. They are everything that

Yellowtail on 6kg was awesome.

makes fishing enjoyable for me,

Thanks to our amazing skipper

mostly the fight they’re just like a

(Hayden Wright) deckies Ross Briars

mini marlin. I wish I started fishing

& Brenda Saul. Not forgetting

earlier but unfortunately was my first

our super coach Craig Smith.

and last year as a junior fishing this

If it was not for his experience

tournament, but I will definitely be

and knowledge we would not be

coming back next year to kick some

successfully fishing this tournament.

more butt.” Thanks,

Thanks a million Craig!”

Shannon Kitchen

Zac Dixon

boatFISHING

From Heavy Metal to Tinfoil AS MUCH AS I love catching kingfish, they truly are a pain in the butt.

Getting amongst good sized kingfish requires extensive finance to get out to the deep water pins where they hold. Even then, the only thing you can be sure of is a decent petrol bill on your return home. Alternatively, you can always go back to the sure thing of snapper fishing; there is much less risk of getting skunked

large school of fish popped up,

boat it; a decent fish, no gaff, 30 lb

and less money needs to be spent to

mouthing at the surface. Likely to be

leader and fragile hooks make for a

get amongst good sized fish. While

trevally or kahawai I put on a tiny 15

prolonged dance around the back of

I shouldn’t take them for granted,

gm hex wobbler. Kahawai will take

the boat. I couldn’t believe that the

however, snapper fishing does get a

these and the trebles on the back

tiny hooks had held or that this kingi

bit “been there done that” at times.

work well at foul hooking trevally. One

had thought that such a miniscule lure

cast confirmed that it was indeed a

would be worth the effort. Weighing

school of trevally. The second cast

in at just over 15 kg it was just the

confirmed that something larger

ticket, and more than a handful on 10

was also amongst the school. As

lb braid.

With these thoughts in mind, and a real hunger to get in a tussle with a good kingi, my buddy Steve and I gambled on a day trip out to the Hen and Chicks in the northern Hauraki Gulf. Things were not looking great initially when we couldn’t even catch a livie. They didn’t improve much either when we couldn’t even get a hit after a few hours of sore arms from mechanical jigging. We’d seen a stretch of good sign in the channel between some islands on the way over so we headed back to check it out. On our return the sign had gone and jigging in 15 m didn’t seem that productive. About then I reluctantly started to think about that trusty old back up the snapper. Fortunately, a

line whizzed from my soft bait reel I wondered whether an extremely large trevally could put up this much fight. Steven chased down hard on the fish, which had moved out of the shallows and settled down in about 25 m of water. From there it was just a long wait until the tiny treble hooks straightened or the fish actually began to tire. I couldn’t put any pressure on him due to the light line, so it really was a waiting game. After about 20 minutes we first sighted a decent kingfish. It was another 10 minutes before we managed to actually

We went back to the trevally school and this time the sight of fish exploding from the school made sense with the knowledge that there might be more kingfish around. I got busted off and Steven hooked up straight away. Steven’s fish eventually dropped the hook well over half an hour into the fight. All in all we got what we were after, even if it was through unconventional methods.

Goes to show that you don’t need top end gear to land decent fish and most importantly, you can’t catch fish by complaining about petrol prices.

www.nzfisher.co.nz 11

gameFISHING

The Three Kings, Finally

By Wayne Downer

WAYNE (AKA ‘OF2FISH’ on www.

work for 10 years) it became apparent

So on Wednesday morning the boys

Fishing.net.nz) is a hardy fisher with

that the weather was going to spoil

assembled at my place; we loaded

a history of big inshore fish – this trip

the trip. 60 knots and 8 meter seas

up the trailer, with all the gear, food,

was his best shot at a Marlin, let’s see

will do that I suppose... With bitter

80 kilos of whole frozen bait fish and

how he got on!).

disappointment we postponed the

tackle that we would need for a 3

trip till May, about then I knew that

week trip.

Many months ago we planned a trip to the 3 kings on Rick Pollock’s “Pursuit, [Link: http://www.fishing.net.

the chance of a marlin was slipping thru my fingers...

The drive to Mangonui was quick, a stop or 2 on the way for refreshments

nz/fishing-charters-and-guides/pursuit-

So at the beginning of May we

and before we knew it we were

fishing-charters/] The date was to be

readied ourselves for 5 days of fishing

standing on the wharf...Well standing

mid -February and the plan was to

the kings, with dreams of huge fish,

on the wharf in 40 knots of wind,

catch me a marlin (sounds easy!),out

sore arms and aching backs was soon

freezing cold rain, with a bunch of

of the 6 blokes I was the only marlin

turning to frustration once again as

tourists thinking we must be going on

virgin and the boys were keen on me

the forecast turned from 5 to 10 knots

a crab fishing in the Bering sea.

catching one.

to 55 to 60 knots again.

As the day approached, (and we were

Damned again; we had no choice but

and the boat loaded to the gunnels

in the middle of our busiest season at

to shorten the trip a couple of days.

with fishing crap. The next stop was

12 www.nzfisher.co.nz

So on with the thermals and rain coats

gameFISHING

dinner at the fish shop, a beer to wash

evident I needed to get up and

bass was winning, then Mike got the

down 3 doses of Paihia bombs [Link:

get some fresh air. After standing

reel looking somewhat full again, then

http://www.tuugo.co.nz/Companies/

for 6 hours out the back of pursuit

the bass went on a long run with the line

paihia-pharmacy/0210003062281]

focussing on the ever fading Cape

crackling off the reel and found a hole to

(Sea sickness tablets) and we were on

Rienga we had made it to the bottom

hide in cutting off the line. Bugger.

our way to North Cape.

of the King Bank.

The trip was uneventful, the off shore

Zane the deckie had rigged all our

fillets to fill the freezer. Around 4

winds kicked up a fair bit of chop but

gear, tied enough traces, PR knots,

pm we headed into the Three Kings

otherwise it was semi comfortable.

bimini twists and leaders on to see us

Islands for dinner and a sleep. The sea

We hit the bunks at nth cape around

thru the entire day. Deckies should

had eased to 4 meters from 6+ and

10pm...

never ever be underestimated.

the wind was just under 20knts. This

Sleep was at a premium in a sloppy

The plan was to fish the first day for bass and second for kingies.

did nothing for me though, the uneasy

anchorage and 6 restless guys dreading the next part of the trip which was to be a 7 hour steam in some very rough seas.

All the boys were all looking a bit under the weather. I reckon they were feeling and thinking about the same

After what felt like 30 minutes sleep

as me “what the hell are we doing out

the engines fired up, the anchor

here?!?!” Mountains of water were

was weighed and we were off. Strait

coming from the Sth West, the wind

line from North Cape to the King

had ‘dropped’ to 25 to 30 but most

Bank .The first hour was mint; we

importantly.. the fish were biting!

even stayed in bed waiting to hit the rougher seas off the top of the nth island. It wasn’t long before the good ship Pursuit was rolling and pitching in a large South West swell with 40 knots of wind hammering us beam-on.

The fishing went from good to amazing, anything at all sent to the bottom was swooped on by a bass or puka from 30 to 45kgs...every time.

The fish were holding in 80 metres of

We were soon topped up with enough

feeling of nausea soon came flooding back..damn, I was over this **** .

We hit the anchorage in 3 hours.

North West Bay was very average, so we went around the corner to another anchorage but it was worse. We settled in back at NW Bay, dinner was cooked and quickly eaten by a hungry bunch. Desert was scoffed, a shower taken and bed followed.

That night was very average, a sloppy anchorage does nothing for me at all.

With about 2 hours sleep in 2 days I was shot when the motor started at 5 am.

water, they fought like kingies, nearly

We moved 50 mtrs to the live bait

Its not very often I feel sea-sick; I’ve

all the way to the boat. As it so often

spot,6 weary anglers were soon

been in some horrendous seas and

happens, a larger model turns up to

smiling as large kohies and trevally

never really felt sick.

test out the knots and drags - today’s

entertained us for 2 hours..

Today was very, very different. I was feeling very average and it was

victim was Mike who got smashed.

For 20 minutes it was looking like the

Tank filled with bait we headed out a bit further to throw some stick baits...

www.nzfisher.co.nz 13

gameFISHING

my stick bait was a live kohi on 37kg

in neutral ,thumb on spool, waiting,

braid. Something about a fish like this

waiting.... waiting...come on eat it !!!

dead baits but the biggest were on livies.

Braid started to leave the reel very

Then the call was made - “last drop

fast, lever to strike, wait for the line to

“ - words you never want to hear, but

We steamed back to the king bank

go tight, strike Hard and...Boom ‘Fish

quietly you might be relieved.

with the wind, swell and current all

on’! Rod hard on rail drag to sunset

helping get us there in 1 hour 30..

thumb on spool, thumb burning ,braid

that soon had the queasiness gone and the adrenaline pumping...

he boys were split, 3 livies and 3 on jigs... the 1st drop was just outstanding,

still peeling... **** this looks bad. A few nervous minutes later Rick saw the

Our trip was drawing to an end. We packed up, Rick turned the boat south and we headed for tom bowling bay...

drag and said to ease it back to strike,

7 hours later we weighed anchor in

as soon as I moved it the fish took

the dead calm water of Tom Bowling

off again. Rick said “leave the drag

Bay, the warriors were getting a

- that’s a big fish you don’t want to

hiding on the radio, dinner was

pull the hook” It is a hard thing to do

cooked and consumed. Desert was

when you’re still losing line, but Rick’s

hammered to the point of licking the

The live baits were working way better

the man. And35 minutes later I had a

bowls and it was off to bed with sore

than the jigs, with only 30 livies we

new PB - 41 kgs; A new PB for me and

arms and backs.

dug out some frozen skippies and

a best for the boat so far this year!

Saturday morning dawned to dead flat

swapped the jigs for dead baits..Dead

The fish was tagged and released, but

seas, we anchored off nth cape and

baits worked as well as live koheru

unfortunately it didn’t make it coming

floated the last of the skippies down a

So with the amount of fish coming

back to the surface.

berley trail for some monster snapper..

onboard over 30kgs and amidst all

We had no choice but to put him

What followed was icing on the

the fun it was going to be a magic

in the ice box. The afternoon was a

cake...Snapper to just under 20lbs,

day for me..

blur ,the fish were still coming over

kingies to just over 20 kgs and sharks,

the side for a new shinny tag at an

couta, Trevally, eels and an unlucky

astonishing rate. The jigs really started

mollymawk! It’s a pretty decent way to

to fire late in the day. The current had

finish off a wicked trip!

looking down the rail to see rods bending over the rail with braid pouring from the reels is just superb..

The fish were all over 25kgs with the best going 35kgs..wow

Waiting at the livie tank while Zane set the marlin bait out under a balloon, I was getting antsy as the boys were all hooked up ...Zane dug deep and popped out a massive koheru, too big for your hook he said..”No way” I said,

eased and it was the 300 gram jigs doing the damage...Olly had a run of fish that was spectacular to watch,

At 10 am we headed for the wharf.

Zane cooked our last feed; the boys settled in for the 5 hour steam home

just hook it up I’m missing out...

His benthos jig never hit the bottom.

and Zane set about cleaning the boat.

Over the edge with 14 ounces of lead,

The jig caught fish were the smallest, we got more fish on

A big thanks To Rick and Zane for a memorable trip.

down 100 meters , 3 winds up, reel

14 www.nzfisher.co.nz

Terry Williams

READERpics

Terry Williams-King getting kicked by a monster Three Kings King

THIS MONTH’S WINNER Alan & Mike MacKinven Alan MacKinven & his brother Mike with a couple of nice winter snaps formt he back paddock

Andrew Evans Andrew Evans with a 7.66kg from the 2012 Bounty Hunter - 6th place at the end of day one...

Johnathan Hill Johnathan Hill with his best from the 2012 Bounty Hunter

Gregor Kregar

Gregor Kregar with a solid Little Barrier Snap taken on smelly old bait!

Click here to email your photos and go in the draw for an NZFisher goodies Prize Pack

Ted Audain & Neil Brown

Shane Cameron

Shane Cameron (not the Boxer!) and his teams best from the 2012 Bounty Hunter

Ted Audain & Neil Brown from the North Shore Surfcasting Club with a couple of winter moochers taken from Doubtless Bay 2012 www.nzfisher.co.nz 15

competition

The NZ Fishing Competition – by the Fishing Website More than just a fishing Contest -

gurnard, tarakihi, john dory, blue cod,

available from selected retailers – check

it’s time to measure up!

blue moki, hapuku/bass and trout.

www.fishingcomp.co.nz for details.

The NZ Fishing Competition is a

“There is a strong environmental

“While there will be a significant

totally new concept that allows

aspect to the competition, and if the

drawn prize for each of the eligible

anglers from anywhere in New

angler wishes to release a trophy fish

species, the main aim of the

Zealand to enter their catches on-line

it can be quickly photographed on the

competition is to recognise some

and compare them with others from

measure and returned to the water”

great fishing achievements right

around the country.

says the organiser, Grant Blair.

throughout the year while having

With this unique contest, fish to

The type of fishing activity (such

be entered are photographed

as boat, beach, rocks, kayaks and

lying on a purpose-made official

jetskis) as well as the technique used

The main prizes include 2 Bradley

measure with a digital camera, The

is recorded at the time of uploading

six-rack smokers to be drawn from the

photos are uploaded to The NZ

to Fishingcomp.co.nz, and these

top 30% of entries for the snapper

Fishing Competition website (www.

are destined to become separate

and kingfish sections and a range of

fishingcomp.co.nz) and fish length,

leaderboards over time. Freshwater

Fin-Nor rod and reel combo sets for

rather than weight, is the criteria for

fishing for trout will have leaderboards

both drawn and longest fish in each of

“who has the biggest.”

for fly or lures.

the other species categories.

A series of leader boards displays the

Entry to The NZ Fishing Competition

Fishing is often about some good-

names of the most successful anglers,

costs $29.95 + $4.95 freight (if bought

hearted, friendly rivalry between

with the very best catches making it into a permanent ‘Fishing Hall of Fame’.

on-line) which includes the price of the official measure. If you’re fishing with a

The contest includes the following

mate who already has a measure, then

species caught using a rod and reel;

a registration only option is available for

snapper, kingfish, kahawai, trevally,

just $19.95. Measures will also be made

16 www.nzfisher.co.nz

some friendly competition with your fishing buddies”, adds Blair

mates and the NZ Fishing Competition captures that aspect of what many New Zealanders enjoy about fishing. The inaugural year finishes 31st March 2013.

More at www.fishingcomp.co.nz

Fishing Video of the Month

VIDEO

IT’S DEFINITELY WINTER and that means we’re into some hard-core fishing – including night fishing for Squid. Check out this video of Taiki Natsume demonstrating and explaining the best Squiding (Egi) techniques with quality squid lures.

This is a very in-depth look at the techniques, designs, sizes and tackle that will work best. This video is a little less intense and is made here in NZ – many of you will recognise the ‘experts’ in this one!

And here’s something much more lightweight to get that cold blood boiling! This video is too awesome for words. If there was ever a good reason to have a Lottery win, this is it! It’s a bit jumpy, but there’s plenty of reasons to forgive them very quickly! The trevs from 3.11 onwards are out of this world.

www.nzfisher.co.nz 17

BOATfishing

The NZFisher Boat unveiled Story by Derrick Paull

Every magazine needs a boat

Auckland, the East coast of Northland

and we decided it was about time

and Coromandel using soft-baits,

NZFisher out grew our Kayaks and

jigging, cut baits and occasionally

joined the ranks of ‘real’ magazines

we get out game-fishing. This led

and found a boat to best suit us and

us to chose a walk-around or centre

our readers.

console design and for added safety a

First of all, we don’t charge for NZFisher so there was always going to be a tight budget. We started looking around $15,000 but soon realised that the extremes we were going to subject our boat to wouldn’t be well served by the conventional, open hull and tiller steer options $15k buys. We decided to make a line in the sand at $25,000 and began the search for the best boat for the money.

18 www.nzfisher.co.nz

pontoon style hull. The centre console adds a lot of fishing flexibility but reduces onboard storage – something that can be a two edged sword.

After asking around, following discussion threads in online forums and checking a few hulls out personally we narrowed the search down to three brands. Sportcraft Boats in Morrinsville have recently released their new hull the ‘APB’ (Aluminium Pontoon Boat – original

Our prerequisites were fairly generous

huh!) under their Scorpion brand,

and the scope in the under five meter

that ticked the most boxes and just

category getting wider by the week.

squeaked inside the budget.

As we’re fishing predominantly in

Due to the aggressive hull designs

BOATfishing

most 4.5 – 5.0meter boats are being

The APB comes standard with a 30hp

We chose to forego any seating (a

designed with they’re being fitted

Mercury ELPTO outboard and again

swivel skippers seat comes standard)

with 50hp or bigger outboards. The

we went with an upgrade to the 40hp

to provide more fishing and ice-box

Scorpion APB, (designed by Spencer

version with Hydraulic trim and tilt - a

space. The 90litre ‘long’ Icey-tek

Black former offshore racer and vastly

must have in our eyes.

sits neatly in front of the outboard

experienced boat designer) comes with a much shallower hull ‘vee’ at under 10 degrees. This shallow dead-rise is countered front end by an aggressive, scything bow that cuts through the chop and rises the hull gently and consistently above the worse we’ve put her through. I admit I was sceptical that such a shallow rise would handle the conditions but during the Leigh Family fishing comp in March we pushed the boat into and across heavy seas in

Sportcraft manufacture their own trailers under the ‘Sport????’ brand.

providing a bench seat and bait board when required.

They’re strong, capable and well

There is no such thing as a perfect

made but we have sadly struck a

boat and we wouldn’t try and pass

few issues with the axle and hub

this off as one, but the 480APB ticks

componentry. We trust Sportcraft are

so many of the most important boxes

taking care of this issue. The boat is

it’s getting close. Off the shelf the

extremely easy to launch and retrieve

480APB borders on cheap but the

due to both the trailer design / layout

upgraded outboard, hull and fore-

and a well chosen which. At under

deck improve its solidity, power and

600kgs the hull is not difficult to tow

practicality immeasurably.

or handle singlehandedly.

30knots of Easterly to get to some

For electronics I had no hesitation

(unproductive!) spots on the outside

in fitting the latest Lowrance HDS-

of Kawau Island. I’m not going to

5 Fishfinder/GPS combo. While I

suggest this boat be exposed to the

would have loved to have upgraded

rigours of the West Coast, but I find it

the standard 600W transducer to

As Tested:

$22,000.00

hard to believe there’s much the East

the extraordinary AIRMAR 1kW

Length:

480cm

Coast fisher will encounter that this

model, sensibilities led us to shelve

boat won’t handle with aplomb.

that idea....for now! The HDS-5 has

Power:

Max. 40hp

been out for a few years and is still

Trailer:

Sportline Single

the leader in consumer 5inch GPS

axle

combos. I would have loved to find

Tow weight:

<450kg

Beam:

1760mm

Bottoms:

4mm

Sides:

2.5mm

Transom:

4mm

Deadrise:

10°

We did arrange a few modifications to the standard package including the upgrade from ply to tread-plate floor, the design and fitting of a transom mounted live-bait tank and the extension of the foredeck anchor well cover/deck to allow stable and sizable casting platform up forward. These modifications add a lot to the fish

great advancements in GPS/combos but the HDS-5 still leads the field.

I tried to kill my previous unit on my kayak for 3 years but despite numerous drownings, knocks and drained batteries it still goes strong.

ability and practicality of the APB and

The rear ‘cockpit’ of the APB is

we’d recommend all of them.

spacious, even for a centre console.

Scorpion 480APB

www.nzfisher.co.nz 19

BOATfishing

Tasty Treats with Derek the Chef PAELLA IS A TYPICAL Spanish dish and is traditionally cooked in a “paellera” - a round flat pan with two handles - which is then put on the table. It is normally made using shellfish but can also be made with chicken. In many Spanish villages, especially in coastal areas, they use a giant paellera to cook paella on festival days which is big enough to feed everybody.

A paella is very flexible so if you don’t

Ingredients: 1 brown onion, finely chopped 1 cup green peas 1 red capsicum 1 can chopped tomato 200g prawns (if using cooked prawns substitute fish stock for the water)

have the exact ingredients or if you

300g cockles in shell

find some of them hard to get hold

24 mussels (5 or 7 left in shell for presentation)

of, substitute them for something similar. Getting fresh shellfish can be a problem, but you can always use frozen fish and use fish or chicken stock instead of water to increase the flavour.

There are literally hundreds of ways to cook a paella and every cook

1 Spanish chorizo sliced thinly 500g rice (traditionally short grain rice is used but I prefer to use medium grain) 2 cloves of garlic, coarsely chopped a pinch of saffron strands (if you can’t get saffron, use yellow food colouring instead and add it once you have added the liquid)

has their own favourite recipe.

a sprig of parsley, finely chopped

Here’s mine (it will serve 6 people

olive oil

depending on how hungry you are), and is loosely based on a Filipino recipe style that my wife enjoys.

20 www.nzfisher.co.nz

1-2 litre chicken / fish stock 1x cup white wine

RECIPE

Method

about five minutes or until onion is soft.

Mussels: Wash the mussels, removing

Add the chopped tomato and fry on a

the beards. Throw away any that

low heat for another ten minutes. Pour

donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t shut on contact with water.

in the white wine and reduce right

Sprinkle with parsley and serve with a

Steam open reserving 5 or so for

down until very little liquid is left.

crusty bread and Anchorage Rose or

presentation.

Mean while bring the stock to the

Cockles: Wash in water and then put

boil and add in saffron threads, return

in a bowl with some salt so that the

to a low simmer season with salt.

grit comes out. Throw away any that are open.

Prawns: Whether you peel them or not is up to you. If you decide to peel them, save the shells and boil in water for about ten minutes. Save the liquid and add later instead of water.

Garlic: In a pestle and mortar, grind the garlic, saffron (if using), parsley and a pinch of salt.

Hereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s how: Heat some olive oil in a

Add the rice and stir well to make sure that it is thoroughly coated then slowly pour in a little at a time the stock.

Arrange the mussels in the shells on top then place into a warm oven for 20 -30 minutes to rest and allow to settle.

Pinot Noir.

Chefs tip:- I will sometimes use squid and place diagonal cuts through it for effect. Add at the same time as the cockles and mussel

Turn the heat right down and cook

meat. Another good option is Monk

very slowly. Stirring occasionally.

fish, hapuka or any thick fleshed fish

Add the pre cooked prawns, mussel meat, chorizo sausage and cockles

fillets, tua tua may also be added as would pipi instead of cockles.

along with the peas and give it a stir.

Checking that it has enough stock and add more as required.

For more recipes check out Derek

large frying pan. Add the onion, garlic

Once the rice is cooked, and al dente

the chef On Line @

& red capsicum and fry gently for

it is ready to eat.

www.derekthechef.co.nz

www.nzfisher.co.nz 21

regionalREVIEWS

Bay of Plenty - Offshore Source: Rick Pollock – www.Pursuit.co.nz Weather still dominates

(Te Kaha to Opotiki) is better

angler’s movements, often

than west. To counter the lack of

hampering effort and consistency

snapper has been a welcome influx

areas to be accessed. While the

of terakihi.

westerly’s whistled during the early

260 metre possies.

A pleasing cross section with everything on the small side.

Bass, bluenose, puka and gemfish

Limit, or near limit, fishing for the

seldom exceeded 10 kilos but all

silversides has come into vogue in

great eating to be sure. Kingis

many areas between the Rurima

biting fairly well too with most

Rocks and the reef system off

in predictable winter condition.

Matata. 25-35 metres has been

Despite being lean, they still want

quite a productive depth with

to punish their would be captors.

some very respectable blue cod

Jigging spectacularly unproductive

With most boat crews mainly, if

and the odd just legal snapper

with livies doing the business.

not only, interested in the inshore

as by catch. Reportedly snapper

The predominantly 12-17 kilo fish

arena this suited the majority.

more plentiful further out and even

provided enough action to put

While this near-shore area

some landed in 60-70 metres over

adrenalin levels on notice. Water

experienced light winds or was

the next 2-3 months. Along sandy

nice colour and hovering just over

even glassy, further offshore the

beaches the carrots have been

15 degrees C. A couple broadbill

cold southerlies persisted to make

cooperative as have been the

hooked but unfortunately lost.

things uncomfortable and difficult.

plump kahawai.

and mid week period meaning no one was out amongst it, later on the winds lightened up and swung around to the south meaning inshore areas became reachable if not downright pleasant.

Looking from the shore northward, no one would be wiser that things weren’t the same at White Island as they were inshore – and they were far from it. Deception prevails!

No recent reports, should be

Steady as she goes with

something to report next time.

reasonable fishing right across the board. Nothing electric, just steady and enough to keep interest levels

Inshore

keen. Without doubt, the best

As per expected, seems like the

and most consistent is the shallow

vast majority of snapper have

water reef fishing around White

departed the inshore scene.

Island. Nice terakihi, at times in

Obviously there will still be a few

double header proportion, led

inhabiting the shallows and there

the way. Well supported by near

will be a few lunkers among them

maximum sized pink mao mao,

but the large population base

healthy porae and smallish trevally.

has departed in favour of deeper

Out deeper is a mixed bag with

environs. If the crimson ones are

tough times in the deep (300m

in shallow water it seems east

plus) but reasonable in the 220-

22 www.nzfisher.co.nz

Ranfurly Bank

Offshore

Summary As you will deduce through the above writing, it’s still well worth being out there. Sure, you’ll need to time your outings with the highs as they come across the country but this shouldn’t be too much of a chore. Rug up, avoid black ice, plenty of hot drinks, thermal underwear, gloves, thaw the bait the day before – it’s simple! See you out there!

regionalREVIEWS

Bay of Plenty - Inshore Source: Rick Pollock – www.Pursuit.co.nz

WITH THE BAD weather of May and

that it is effective for catching a variety

As for colours, I can’t go past my

June now behind us and it’s time to

of species.

favourite, Lime Tiger, but Pink Shine

think about fishing again. Yes the water may be a little colder, the days a little shorter, and those early starts a bit less appealing but the fish are still out there in good numbers. Personally, I find this time of year to be just as good as summer. Fishing the change of light is far easier and there’s a huge reduction in other anglers who would otherwise be trying to steal your favourite pozzie.

is rapidly taking over as the no.1

Terakihi To target terakihi you first need to find a reef. There are a variety of publications that list GPS way points

producer. Lately I have found that both 4” grubs and 5” jerk shads are working equally well.

for this purpose so it shouldn’t be

LegaSea

too hard to build up a good selection

As a final word, I just want to quickly

of possible candidates. Use a ledger

mention LegaSea. Hopefully you will

rig with 2/0 octopus hooks a 6oz

have seen or heard about LegaSea

sinker. Almost any bait will work, but

over the last few months but if you

they have been known to be picky

haven’t you might remember its predecessor Option 4 or the Kahawai

selection. A firm favourite amongst

Legal Challenge. Check out www.

around 14°C, cold water species like

serious anglers is tuatuas. Be warned

legasea.co.nz for more details and

gurnard and terakihi have now moved

however as tuatuas don’t stay on the

to contribute. There is an extremely

in close and are a great alternative

hook for long, so a spool of cotton is

hard working team behind this brand,

to snapper. Gurnard can be caught

a mandatory accessory – a few wraps

all working on your behalf, and we

almost anywhere there’s sand while

around the hook keeps them in place.

require your support to ensure the

terakihi are a bit more difficult and are

To get these tasty little shellfish you’ll

future of our fisheries.

typically found holding over the reefs

have to go for a swim in the surf,

a bit further out.

so while there is still 1 week left of

Gurnard As gurnard are an opportunistic feeder, the standard method to target them is using a ledger rig

w

so it always pays to have a good

With the water temperature hovering

schools holidays, I suggest you take

Winter’s a great time to get out there and get amongst it.

the kids to the beach at low tide and

Paddle Hard,

let them go nuts...you will get both

Tim

bait and ‘man points’ for doing this!!

and medium sized, smelly baits like

Snapper

a cube of pilchard or bonito. If you

My update wouldn’t be complete

want to be serious, you can’t really

without mentioning snapper. At this

go past a Black Magic ‘Gurnard

time of year snapper are in a lazy

Grabber’, finished off with a 4oz

mode because they are fat! There are

teardrop sinker. Softbaits are rapidly

plenty of them around but they just

becoming another favourite method

take a bit of encouragement to hook

to target the old carrot. All you have

up. Soft-baiting is still my favourite

to do is employ the old heave and

method to target them but you

leave technique; use any old softie,

will have to change your technique

flick it out the back and then let Mr.

slightly as they aren’t as enthusiastic

Rod Holder do all the work. This is

about smashing baits. Use very small

a technique that is gaining quite a

jerks during your retrieve and even

following and you will quickly discover

let it drag behind you for awhile.

Tim Taylor, avid kayaker and fisherman, will be bringing us a regular Tauranga fishing update. Having paddled right round New Zealand in recent times, Tim’s well qualified to be in places you might not expect to see a ‘yakker... if you see him out there, give him a wave!

www.nzfisher.co.nz 23

regionalREVIEWS

The Hauraki Report Source: Espresso – www.catch.org.nz

King of Bling

ears, and they’re biggies! When they’re surface feeding like this it’s as if they are giving you the cold shoulder – only sometimes there’re snapper underneath but not often and rarely have I caught a kingfish when they’re doing this.

be eaten, it’s gets very tense.

It is these times that bring the goosebumps, with sudden tornadoes of gannets funnelling down from the sky in an endless bombing run, thumping the water into a froth of white water

In the water the other day were millions

alongside the gasping dolphins as they

of little pink crablike creatures floating

round up and feed on the pilchards,

around, perhaps this is what they were

whales can crash the party and engulf

getting stuck into.

great volumes of fish rising with their

Toothy grin, bad breath ‘n all, they’re

Aren’t we so lucky to have to ‘put up’

head well clear of the water often with

back!Not many yet but inwards to our

with so many Kahawai at the moment.

the pilchards spewing out the sides of

recreational fishing areas they swarm,

They’re feeding up big time on the

their mouths. An impressive sight in our

scything their way through terminal

pilchard schools in the gulf so there’s a

own watery backyard. Long may it last.

tackle like a sharp knife through a

lot of fast and furious smash and grab

fillet. Obviously ‘couda are into facial

feeding sessions on otherwise slow

piercings with all the hooks, jigs and

snapper fishing days.

sparkly things they get into while providing us a look of disbelief at the

Micro Workups

inevitable slack line.

So the workups have been extremely

Writhing and squirming on hook-up,

fast and furious this month, small flurries

quite similar to a snapper take initially,

with only a few dolphins and a handful

but their swimming motion gives a tell

of gannets in attendance, fast starting

tale momentary slackness to the line

and even faster stopping being the

rather than a straight thump thump...not

norm lately.

my cup of tea. And they smell funny.

The small baitfish balls like these

King Kahawai

pilchards I had literally all around me the other day (couldn’t resist getting right in amongst it) are getting hammered by the whales, gannets, dolphins, kahawai,

they strike, they’re gone in 60 seconds literally providing action packed fishing days but with very short bite times.

kingfish, ‘couda and humans, here’s

With the workups so fast and small not

what it looks like from a dolphins point

many remnants sink down the depths

of view.

below for snapper to feed on, so there

With lots of small bait schools all spread Acres and acres of kahawai are in the

about, there is a lot of seemingly

gulf, a fantastic sight sound and feel

snapper-free areas in the gulf, and also

when they strip the braid off the line

a lot of times when all the predators are

in their explosive runs, making that

on a knifes edge, hunting, positioning

whipping sound on braid is music to my

for a brief hell for leather race to eat or

24 www.nzfisher.co.nz

If you’re not right with them when

are a few skinny snapper in attendance, but this makes them all the keener to bite when they do i.e. very aggressive takes when the feeding switch is finally flicked on.

regionalREVIEWS

Coromandel Source: Carl Muir –

Metal jigs like the Jitterbug and soft

has cloaked us but the fine ones that

plastics like the Catch Pilchards or

fire are worth every screaming reel

Anchovies on a heavy sinker are the

moment!

go-to right now, keeping the lure hard

Cheers,

Hey All!

on the bottom, lift/wind about 5metres

Espresso.

Well, we are in the middle of

And from Damo from the Charter

NZ’s winter right now. That

Connection (Diversity) has these words

means chucking on the thermals,

Like this 50+cm fish who liked the look

of advice on the Hauraki at present

the beanie and some warm

of the Catch Sparkling Anchovy on the

too – Cheers Damo!

clothes and getting out amongst

and drop, lift/wind and drop, motion is critical to success.

www.EpicAdventures.co.nz

3oz Jolly Roger dragging along the sea

it because the fishing this time

floor behind the boat – a typical way

of year is superb! The kingfish,

to pick up one or two good fish while

hapuku and snapper are all there

‘resting’ between workups, the boats

for the catching, and are usually

motion does a great job of fluttering

big brutes this time of year - as

jigs too.

you will see from some of the

Find the pilchards if you can and stay in that area – keeping eyes open for any surface action and be there fast.

The rewards are instant exciting hookups and some big line peeling runs from hungry 60-70cm snapper like

pics in this newsletter! April was real fun especially as we prospected for some Bluenose to add to the kingi carnage, May was especially choice on the kingis but June was a revelation with an awesome run of kingfish

this one displayed on the NZ Fishing

and some monster Puka. It would

Competition measurer, more about

have to be right up there in terms

this here.

of months to book for a week trip

Slow jig style out in the depths and bait

next year.

‘n burley time for the stationary hunters

We’re putting out a big thanks

in close seems to be working well.

to all those who have been out

No matter what soft bait you prefer a

since the last edition and helped

special website only offer is now on so

us have some fun times on the

you can experience the Catch Harpoon

water. It has been a real blast and

hooks – the ones with the cork-screw

thanks for being a part of it!

w

to hold your SB on without wrecking it – less soft baits used per day has got

Click here to see the full report

to be good, To find out more about

online.

how to get a Catch Snapper DVD plus

All the best

2 packets of 8 Harpoon Hooks and

from the Epic crew!

FREE delivery at a SUPER-SPECIAL

Carl, Tony, Tobes, Belinda, Lee

price, click here.

and Owen

Fewer fine fishing days now winter

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NEXTmonth

IN NEXT MONTH’S NZ FISHER • Top of the South – A dream trip to the French Pass • Finally – Building your own Jig rod • Getting grubby with bloody baits – the very best cut baits for Snapper

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