NZ Fisher Issue 28

f sher ISSUE 28 October 2013

Your Guide to Fishing - The Seasons

Spring Fishing Is Unleashed Congratulations to our Hooked Up prize winner for Issue #28! www.nzfisher.co.nz 1

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2 www.nzfisher.co.nz

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18/6/2013 8:58:44 AM

editorial

//From the

EDITOR HAPPY, HAPPY SPRING everybody!

my opinion that the snapper fishery

ABOUT /

Wow, what a difference a few

should be treated like a national

Short and sharp, NZ Fisher is a

degrees makes.

treasure, a Taonga of the nation; its

free e-magazine delivering thought

worth is far greater than the export

provoking and enlightening articles,

dollars our political leaders are willing

and industry news and information

The fishing has definitely taken a turn for the better with captures of solid fish from the inner East Coast Bays

to hock it off for.

to forward-thinking fisher people.

, Gulf Islands and monsters from the

On the ‘value’ front, I’ve been aiding

Bay of Plenty and Hawkes Bay. By

EDITOR / Derrick Paull

an Auckland University student,

the time we get to print there’ll be a

ART DIRECTOR / Jodi Olsson

Ahmad Shendi, in getting his survey

decision on the future of the Snapper

CONTENT ENQUIRIES /

on recreational fishing habits in the

1 Fishery and barring a miracle or

Phone Derrick on 021 629 327

Hauraki Gulf responded to by as many

or email derrickp@NZ Fisher.co.nz

disaster we should be happily catching

local fishos as I can. If you have a few

ADVERTISING ENQUIRIES /

snapper for the Christmas table in

spare minutes, please click here and

Phone Richard on 09 522 7257

a few months. It’s a real pity the

help generate some sound answers.

or email richardl@espiremedia.com

Politics and dollars aside, this is

ADDRESS / NZ Fisher,

ministry hasn’t done a bit better job of finding a solution to the issue.

Credit where it’s due, Sam Mossman presented a very interesting and informative (read eye-opening) article on the history of Snapper in NZ in

without doubt the season to catch a fat, tasty snapper in the north or a puka out wide – both would go down

Note: Our apologies that the promised

track down a copy.

‘How to’ Kingfish articles have not

of the fishery we see today and look back to the times when the fishing was unconstrained and the real damage was done. Sadly, now, as we did

Parnell, Auckland 1151, NZ WEBSITE / www.NZFisher.co.nz

a treat on the plate!

Fishing News. If you haven’t seen it,

Sam managed to look past the state

C/- Espire Media, PO Box 137162,

materialised due to a continuing trend of poor weather when we’ve attempted to get out. We’ll be getting

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!

them sorted soon & hope to bring them to you next month.

then, we’re seeing ‘our’ fish sold off

Tight lines,

for a price far below their worth. It is

Derrick

www.nzfisher.co.nz 5

LOCALfishing

Converted By Seduction

By Tom Lusk

6 www.nzfisher.co.nz

LOCALfishing

UNTIL RECENTLY, I FISHED for

and an angry pannie absolutely

surface, and the excited spotties and

snapper from the rocks using the

smashed his fly. Fish on! After he’d

hiwihiwi stampeding around all sound

same, very effective method that

caught and released this lovely fat

the dinner gong.

most readers would probably use. A

kelpie, Matto moved on and let me

promising ledge would be found, a

tussle with its mates.

big lump of frozen berley would go

At some of my spots, there would be four or five snapper fighting each

I’d read about this technique in

other for the shreds. In this situation,

articles by Craig Worthington, but

it’s very difficult to present your

had always imagined it would take a

fly to the biggest fish - one of the

I’d been doing this for many years,

huge amount of patience. Sometimes

tricky and exciting aspects of the

and caught a lot of great fish: the

it does - but these times are rare.

method, but also very frustrating. If

method works. Every so often

Often we will get the first fish up

you do catch a small fish, however,

however, the snapper would come

and feeding within five minutes. Last

the bigger ones will usually be back

right up to our feet. Usually silly little

Saturday it wasn’t quite like this as it

and happily feeding quite soon

pannies, but sometimes, a monster. I

was almost two hours before I raised

afterwards, provided you haven’t

once sight fished, caught and released

my first snapper. This is very unusual,

been rushing around at the water’s

in, and I’d cast un-weighted pillies or similar baits out into the berley trail.

an estimated 20lber that came steaming up out of nowhere and nearly gave me a heart attack.

Then, this autumn, regular saltwater fly contributor Matt Von Sturmer put me on to a whole new way of fishing. I’d already transitioned from bait to salt water fly and was catching plenty of

edge waving your arms

Seeding involves shredding a pillie and flicking it into your spot while crouching down low so that they can’t see you. The oil from the pillies, the silver pieces falling through the water, the splash as the shreds hit the surface, and the excited spotties and hiwihiwi stampeding around all sound the dinner gong.

good fish in the berley trail alongside my bait fishing mates. On this particular day, however, Matto drew me away

pool, he had two fish well into the

As the tide receded, better and better spots became exposed. At one of these, I threw in a couple of kina to boost the action and within ten minutes I had a lovely 50cm snap rushing around with the pannies.

in, which might have kept them dozy.

it, gulped it down, and I struck. He

were suddenly everywhere. My

he was flicking them! In a nearby rock

while you focus on one.

for two seconds before he charged

unpromising-looking (to me) gutter.

the surface; snaffling shreds of pillie

you can rest three spots

but there was a nasty southerly cutting

Once they came on however, they

zipping around about a metre from

having several spots is that

The white marabou fly sunk

from the berley to a shallow and an

Here, he had a group of five pannies

around. The benefit of

approach is to “seed” four or five likely looking spots on arrival, and usually by the time the last spot is

powered off for the Barrier in a 30m run, then the hook pulled just as the backing knot was streaking through the guides, leaving me with the long wind back in.

seeded, the first one will have some

Fortunately I’d caught some nice

interested customers.

40cm fish, and my mate Mikey had

40cms that he’d already caught from

Seeding involves shredding a pillie

the same spot. It was unbelievable. In

and flicking it into your spot while

about 2-3 metres of water, snapper

crouching down low so that they

were charging about, all lit up and

can’t see you. The oil from the pillies,

completely fearless! Matto crept a

the silver pieces falling through the

little closer, made a cast of 3 metres,

water, the splash as the shreds hit the

got his share using unweighted softies and the same seeding method, so we had a good haul to take back to the families. Another great day when the wind was knifing in from the south and keeping a lot of us at home.

www.nzfisher.co.nz 7

seasonalFISHING

A New Fishing Year Dawns: Your guide to fishing the seasons

By Sam Ellison

AFTER BRACING THROUGH what can often be a barren winter, spring represents “New Years” for fishing. So when I see kowhai trees in flower and new lambs in the paddocks, I know the fishing will be on the improve.

That isn’t to say that big fish can’t be caught in winter (check out last month’s issue of NZ Fisher), but in general you just have to work much harder for them.

8 www.nzfisher.co.nz

work, family and friends get in the way.

With that in mind, it’s probably a good idea to know what to expect throughout the year. It’s also probably fair to say that your approach to how and where you are fishing should change with the seasons.

Below are a series of “rules of thumb” of how to approach the year (focussed on the Hauraki Gulf and snapper). There are always

As such, now is a good time to plan

exceptions to the rule, but for the

your fishing year and lock in fishing trips

entry level fisher, this guide should

before pesky commitments such as

help to maximise your experience.

seasonalFISHING

EARLY SPRING: September and October Although spring will have sprung on land, the water takes a bit of warming up, so the appetite of the fish is still low during this period. School snapper will begin moving into embayments such as the Hauraki Gulf and this can result in some very good fishing. The best way to take advantage of these school snapper, if they are around, is not to head out to the same spot that you always go to. Instead, use what resources you have at hand.

The general rule is that you aren’t

baits, a foul bottom and deep water

going out to fish particular spots or

(preferably over 150 m).

looking for structure on the seabed, you are trying to fish where the fish are. I call this the “search and fish” method. This type of fishing also works well with lure fishing (soft baits and the various forms of jigs that are around these days), but controlling your drift so that your bait stays near the seabed is paramount.

Other approaches for snapper include anchoring up, burleying and

The spring months can also be good for kingfish, specifically they can be found chasing bait on the surface in deeper water or in areas near deep water. October would be a good month to get your stick bait rod out for example, but that isn’t much help to our Hauraki Gulf based fisher sitting in his dinghy with a Jarvis Walker rod.

stray lining baits over a rocky bottom (often in shallow water). This method

LATE SPRING: November and December

This means covering a bit of distance

will work with varying degrees of

looking at your sounder in search of

success at all times of the year.

“eyebrows” near the bottom and

Furthermore, if you are around the

keeping an eye peeled for working

back of Great Barrier Island or in the

birds. In general if you can get out to

Far North, you will probably pull big

30-50m you should be able to find

snapper using this method during any

fish, but success can be had closer to

season. But, as a general rule for the

the coast if you are lucky.

Gulf, there are better times of year to

you can find the spawning fish you’ll

When you find fish don’t anchor

try this approach (see autumn).

have great success, if you can’t, you

immediately. Drop a flasher rig

For other species, these months can

weighted with a 3-4oz sinker baited with

have a good reward. Hapuku tend

This time of year lends itself to the

small cubes of pilchard or squid. If the

to move into shallower water over

search and fish method described

fish are there you should get a response

the entire spring period, so this is

above. By now the snapper should be

within a few minutes. If you don’t have

the preferred time of year to target

closer to the coast, so this is a good

any luck consider starting the search

them. If you have a big enough

time for the dinghy owning Jarvis

again, or if your drift is too fast and your

boat to target hapuku you probably

Walker bearing fisher to head out.

bait isn’t staying near the bottom, this

don’t need me to tell you what to

Just remember to keep your eyes

might be a good time to anchor.

do. In general it involves large cut

peeled for signs.

Yes, that’s right by the fishing calendar December is spring. Furthermore, these months can be some of the most rewarding. At this time of year snapper group to spawn. As such, if

could go home empty handed.

www.nzfisher.co.nz 9

seasonalFISHING

and she won’t mind you legging it for

lure after a couple of casts and are

a week when the fishing is really firing

usually quite small. Live baiting is very

later in the year.

effective if you can catch the baits.

fishing year and thank goodness for

You could always chase kingfish

Put the time in to fill up a bucket of

that. This may sound strange, but

as they should be hanging around

live baits before you head out; it can

have you ever noticed just how slack

certain inshore spots at this time of

pay dividends. While suspending the

the fishing can be at this time? It’s the

year. Look for reefs that rise out of

live bait under a balloon is probably

ultimate inconvenience that when half

deep water, areas of high current and

the most well-known method, it is

the country is camped at the beach

man-made structures such as marker

really only appropriate if you are

with fishing on the mind, the fish

buoys. If you see bait working on the

fishing in shallow water or from the

themselves won’t cooperate.

surface, or schools of bait on your

anchor (and that can often mean that

sounder, these can also be good

you aren’t in the fishiest of spots).

signs. There is a multitude of ways

So if you are serious about catching

of catching kingfish from jigging to

kingfish, devote the trip to it. First

surface lures and live baits.

find your kingfish or likely sign and

SUMMER: January and Early February Summer is the shortest season in the

You’d have to ask the fish for an explanation as to why, maybe they aren’t that interested in food after all that spawning, maybe there are just too many people on the water? Unless

If you are fishing in the shallow inner

you have the ability to get out wide

Gulf, jigging isn’t the most effective way

chasing gamefish, I’d almost go as far

of targeting kingfish. Casting poppers

to say that you could leave the rods at

or stick baits at channel marker buoys

home. Sell the idea to your missus as

can be productive, but the kingfish

your desire for quality time together

generally become accustomed to the

10 www.nzfisher.co.nz

then drop a livie down to where the fish are. If they are on the surface that could mean you need to use a balloon or no sinker. If the sign is in mid water, then drifting (no need to anchor) the livie down with a 4 oz sinker above the swivel is usually the best approach.

seasonalFISHING

fish ds, nice Cold han

AUTUMN: Late February to June

do it. The fish flood through

fished in close at this time of year

channels at this time, so

(i.e. “wash fishing”). Cast right in

anchoring up in deeper

close to a rocky outcrop and jig the

water with a reasonable

lure back just fast enough to keep it

current (between islands or at the

off the bottom. The softies also work

entrance to a harbour) will work well.

well in the channels at this time of

For fishing from the pick, consider

year too.

replacing your flasher rig with a

Kingfish should be available for most

After the shortest season comes

running rig (i.e. a hook on an arms

the longest and my favourite. Water

length of leader, tied to a swivel,

of this period (maybe not May and

temperature is at its peak, as is fish

with the sinker above the swivel).

June for the inner Gulf). Apply the

appetite. Combine that with the fact

Using as light a sinker as possible to

that the school snapper are still in

get the bait down in the current can

close to the coast and there are likely

really help bring the fish on the bite.

to be kingies in the mix, and you have

Periodically feeding line out to keep

the time of year when fish are most

the bait near the bottom helps keep

accessible to our near shore angler.

your sinker weight down. With the

So if you are only going to go fishing

fish moving into channels, this is also

once or twice during the year, do it

the best time of year to catch snapper

Not much to be said here. Yes, good

over these months. It’s no coincidence

within harbours and estuaries.

fishing can be had at this time, even

that nearly all fishing competitions are

Another snapper option is stray lining

held at this time (NZ Fisher just had to

baits over a rocky bottom. If you can

be different). That includes gamefish,

get to a more remote rocky outcrop,

but they are not that easy to catch on

then this is going to be the most likely

a Jarvis Walker spooled with sunburnt

method of getting that larger snapper.

10kg mono.

As such, large baits are a good way of

Lots of burly and persistence is

excluding the pickers.

the key. Expect to be cold and not

time of year is that there is a range

Don’t forget to burly and don’t

catch a large number of fish (but

of different approaches that can

be afraid to fish extremely shallow

potentially a good one). You are

prove fruitful. The search and fish

water in search of that moocher (<5

probably better off planning your

method is a good first option, but

m can be productive). This is also the

fishing trips for the rest of the year.

if you prefer to anchor up at your

best time of the year for rock fishing.

Again, use the “quality time” excuse

favourite spot, this is the time to

Soft baits will also do extremely well

and bank the brownie points.

One of the best things about this

techniques described in summer and expect some bigger specimens, especially if you can get to deeper water reefs (>80 m),

WINTER: July and August

in the shallow waters of the inner Gulf. In fact, if you can’t get right out wide to deep water, your best approach at this time of year is to stray line baits in shallow (<10 m).

www.nzfisher.co.nz 11

competitionfishing

Fishing the Australian Angling Association Nationals Kiwi anglers take high honours

By Anne Dawber on behalf of the NZACA

AUSTRALIAN ANGLERS ASSOCIATION, commonly known as AAA held their bi-annual Nationals on the Sunshine Coast, Tuesday 16th August to 22nd August 2013, based at Golden Beach Caloundra.

These Nationals are exceptionally well run with Off Shore Championship, Rock and Beach Championship, Estuary Championship and a Casting Championship for anglers to compete in.

This saw the opening ceremony followed by a welcome night of drinks and nibbles for competitors to mix & mingle and garner a little knowledge from the locals. The opening ceremony was quite emotional; our Aussie friends are extremely patriotic.

Registration and Captains meeting take place the first day. Betty Edwards representing NZ.

And Jessie Vuletich and Ann Dawber

little later at 7.30a.m. Lines up each

between them raised the NZACA

day ranged from 11a.m. to noon

flag in their turn along with all the

which was a very early finish for most

other State flags. Each state makes a

kiwis – we wanted to fish all day!

“good to be here” speech as their flag is raised, of which Graeme Dawber spoke representing NZ.

Weigh in was very quick and everyone is there to see the day’s catches - you wait for approximate 30mins then the

First the Australian flag is raised to

The third day of fishing began, the

results are given out and there is a

the National Anthem followed by

registrations were always very early,

presentation of daily sponsored prizes.

the NZ flag raised by Betty Edwards.

3.30am most days, and casting was a

One notable thing is that sponsors are

12 www.nzfisher.co.nz

competitionfishing

presentations with the supreme awards after dessert.

Like New Zealand they have many trophies to present; each trophy comes in a numbered bag or box and the recipient must take the bag or box and sign for it. There are magnificent prizes to go with the trophy but as with the daily prizes, the emphasis The Kiwi team really made their mark on the ‘offshore days’ with this great haul of HUGE Queensland snapper.

is on that trophy, the prizes are secondary and again no one knows what they are getting.

The sponsors are all there that night and they present the prizes they sponsored. It’s quite an awesome array and the prizes range from fishing gear to baskets of toiletries, groceries to BBQ’s, and all manner of

not recognised until the actual day,

tiny fish. It’s all about bag weights for

equipment. Various clubs throughout

no winner has any idea what they are

estuary fishing; they’re not individual

the country are asked to sponsor

going to get. The emphasis is always

fish weights, except for best of

something as a prize (mostly used

on being the champion and gaining

species awards.

as the daily prizes) as well as others,

that elusive trophy. The excitement and cheering are awesome.

Rock & Shore was hard going

which is a great idea.

finding the right spots, as the

There’s so much excitement as you

Graeme, Jessie and Betty were

Queenslanders do not give away

get to the climax is of the champion

fortunate enough to have a great

their secrets! We struggled here

male and female fishers. Queensland

boat and skipper who made sure

but fished hard all the same.

and New South Wales gained most

that they did well; Graeme and Jessie went out three times, Betty twice. They got really shook up

Casting is always very interesting as it is so different to NZ. They use level

trophies. It is a wonderful moment when NZ gets their trophy which is a beautiful carved wake in a glass case

on one trip, but of course enjoyed

line reels (overhead) and don’t use

telling the story; they got to see

leaders. Both our ladies got on the

plenty of dolphins and whales.

board and did well for NZ.

When it came to the estuary fishing,

On the last day everyone gets very

Air New Zealand many years ago. Of

our team weren’t quite so successful.

excited wondering which State won

course we don’t get to bring that one

Graeme had a fish weighing 0.28kg

and whom the champion fishers

home, but Jessie received a lovely

and strangely that is acceptable, but

are. This night is so much fun, there

native wood miniature trophy in the

Betty beat him by 0.03kg but you can

was music. and at the dinner they

shape of Australia plus a cloth badge

catch as many of those as you like as

presented a few trophies. Then

to be sewn onto a garment stating

the winner is the biggest bag of these

we had two courses and more

that she was one of the champions.

and Jessie was thrilled to find her name engraved upon it.

This trophy had been donated by

www.nzfisher.co.nz 13

competitionfishing

Jessie Vuletich with the Kiwi Trophy

Incidentally, all trophies are already engraved when you receive them which is a marvellous feat considering there’s not a lot of time.

I would recommend NZ fishing

RESULTS:

In the teams event, our results were:-

NZ did our NZACA proud with the

•

Jessie Vuletich (Auckland Lady

•

shore Vet Ladies competition,

The camaraderie is amazing, and

•

heaviest cod caught

at the final meeting prior to the •

Betty Edwards (Rotorua Fishing &

2nd place in vet ladies casting competition (Betty & Jessie)

Anglers Cub) – Champion off-

friends to attend the AAA Nationals.

presentation night, each fishing

teams comp (Jessie & Betty)

following awards: •

2nd place in vet ladies off-shore

3rd place in vet ladies estuary competition (Betty & Jessie)

•

3rd place in vet men’s off-shore

group has a representative to state

Casting Club) – Heaviest snapper

what they enjoyed.

caught, 3rd place vet ladies

It was amazing that first came

estuary comp’, 3rd place vet

It’s a great experience and well

the camaraderie, the catching

ladies casting competition.

recommended, very competitive. Of

Graeme Dawber (Rotorua Fishing

course there are the odd niggles, but

& Casting Club) - 3rd place vet

they are so quickly settled, usually to

up with people you only see every second year and the fishing side came second.

•

men’s off-shore comp’, 5th place vet men’s estuary competition

14 www.nzfisher.co.nz

teams event (Graeme)

everyone’s satisfaction. .

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freshwaterFISHING

Monster Fish Hooks Young Angler for Life

By Wellington Fish & Game

FELLOW ANGLERS AND onlookers couldn’t believe their eyes when ten year-old Tom Weeks landed a whopping

(7.7kg) - mark!”

Mr Cotsilinis says the 7.7kg trout

trout to be caught at the centre with a further five open days scheduled.

caught by Tom (from Miramar,

“These open days are a fantastic service

Wellington) is the largest fish caught

the club runs for kids – club members

in the 14 years the club has been

invest a lot of their own time and

running the open days at the centre.

effort for the enjoyment of the wider

“Oce all the club members present

community, and I know many kids have

realised that Tom had a big fish on,

an awesome time when they visit.”

there was much excitement, and then

The Capital Trout Centre at Happy

of course a variety of estimates once

Valley is funded by Wellington Fish &

it had been landed. In any angler’s

Game, Wellington City Council, local

terms, this is a giant fish.”

businesses and organisations and is

Club spokesman Strato Cotsilinis says

Tom’s twin brother Ben also landed a

supported by DOC Turangi.

the trout released in the pond are

trout, with his around 0.5kg, a point

To manage the large number of

generally significantly smaller, around

of difference for the twin boys. Tom’s

children keen to have a crack

the 0.5kg mark.

father Gary Weeks says “It was a

at catching a fish, a booking

fantastic start to Father’s Day” and

system has been set up with

7.7kg (17pound) rainbow at Wellington’s Capital Trout Centre on Sunday.

The monster rainbow was part of a consignment of 1000 trout recently delivered to the Happy Valley pond.

They were from Fish & Game’s Ngongataha hatchery near Rotorua, sent down for the children’s open days held by the Wellington Flyfishers Club each year.

“I think the guys from Fish & Game slipped a surprise in this year to add to the kids’ excitement. It certainly achieved that – most adult anglers

to see both his sons hook fish, he thanked the angling club volunteers for their help.

places reserved through Steve’s Fishing Shop (Wellington), Hamills (Thorndon) or Hunting and

would class Tom’s trout as a fish of a

Wellington Fish & Game manager

Fishing (Lower Hutt). More from

lifetime - going over the 17 pound

Phil Teal says there are still plenty of

Fish & Game Wellington here.

16 www.nzfisher.co.nz

www.nzfisher.co.nz 17

sportFISHING

Fishing through the Eyes of the Occidental Politician

Blog linked with permission of Martin Salter,

former member of Parliament for Reading, England.

IN 2011 MARTIN SALTER, long

something NZ & our

suffering UK coarse fisherman

own extreme fisher,

(Seriously, it does seem a bit like

Matt Watson, would

suffering from here...) has a new

seem to be quite fond

position on the Angling Trust, the UK’s

of lately. I think Vladimir

Rec Fishing peak body.

Putin missed the point

Martin’s role is saltwater centric nowadays, and he’s got a blog

in his attempt though!

Ed.

running, touching on a number of worldwide angling issues. This blog

Click HERE to see

below (from August 2013) looks into

the blog

the phenomenon of ‘Extreme fishing’,

18 www.nzfisher.co.nz

OBITUARY

El Ganzo del Oro IT IS A SAD DAY when an obituary must be written and so much sadder again when it flows three months after the death of the friend in question.

Pete Goosev aka Pete the Yank aka El Ganso del Oro (The Golden Goose) aka Pete the Goose was a relatively new friend to me but one who burned an indelible mark on my fishing

drinks in Mt Eden to discuss fishing,

saltwater fly fishing – a new angle on

memory and what it is that defines

tackle and the state of the world (more

our sport, which I’ll both struggle with

whom a friend is these days.

recently the demise of fisher’s interests

and enjoy in times to come. When I

by the political powers of the day).

finally land my world record fish on

Pete passed away in Hawaii on the

a Fly, it is to the Goose man that I’ll

19th of June this year. I’m still a bit

Pete was an unashamed tackle whore

shocked, and deeply sad to have

with a tackle collection on constant

lost a great friend and really top

rotation; as he found new bling he’d

There are many more words I’d like to

bloke. Pete & I fished together first

move on the old gear, often un-used.

share, but really I just hope my Yankee

in 2009 at the NZACA National

There are many Kiwi fishos out there

mate Pete has found a nice spot out

Champs in Coromandel. We were

who have no idea how cool the guy

there overlooking the sea with a rod in

both members of the Hibiscus Kayak

they bought their gear off really was

his hand and a glint in his eye.

Fishing Club (until Pete’s shoulder

– to many he was an easy going dude

gave out in 2011).

who just wanted to give his gear away.

I managed a few more trips after, but

What Pete was also responsible for,

Americas Cup - god only knows whom

mostly we caught up for lunches and

was fostering my growing love of

he’s cheering for though!

dedicate it.

I have no doubt Pete will be off fishing somewhere with an eye on the

www.nzfisher.co.nz 19

READERpics

Reader Pics A fat Hutt River Trout landed by keen fly fisher Paul Rountree landed during a quick conference break!.

Craig Mullen with 21kg Bass mayor Island on board blue ocean charters

WINNER

Luke Stoutâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s first ever John Dory - not a bad effort for an after work quicky!

20 www.nzfisher.co.nz

READERpics

Hamish & Isla with a beautiful Brown trout. Isla cast for it, hooked it, retrieved but woudn’t hold it!

Sea Ox’s est. 120kg Three Kings Marlin released after a spirited battle

Graeme ‘Sea Ox’ Cox & Aaron McDonald with a handful of HUGE Three Kings Bass n Puka

John Buckley & a 20kg+ king he landed, bung shoulder & all!

www.nzfisher.co.nz 21

COMPETITION

Win a Trip on Board Diversity with Tackle-It & NZFisher!

JUST POST A PIC of you with a fish to our Facebook page and youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re in the draw to win day trip aboard Diversity care of Damo and the team at Tackle-It. Every image you enter has a chance to win the big prize. The more and sooner you enter, the better your chances so get fishing and posting those images to Facebook!

WINNER: LUKE STOUT for his fat and tasty John Dory from the kayak

22 www.nzfisher.co.nz

VIDEO

Fishing Video of the Month What is under the water?

NIWA HAVE BEEN filming the sea floor around NZ looking for what lies beneath. These videos cover depths from under 100m to well over 1000m!

•

Three Kings underwater shots

•

White Island III

•

White Island II

•

White Island I

And if you’ve made it this far, you’ve obviously got a passion for angling.

This one is a bit on the fruity side by today’s standards, but cannot be ignored for its very direct message – look after your catch, especially if you’ll be releasing it.

There’s more here too.

www.nzfisher.co.nz 23

marineSAFETY

Marine Safety Education Knowing your Maydays from your Albatrosses The marine radio operator course from Coastguard Boating Education

By Derrick Paull

I WAS BOUGHT UP a land based

did my learning come accompanied

for a week away when disaster hit –

fisher but migrated to boats in the

by a certificate or ‘how to’ manual.

we’d blown a flux capacitor or similar

mid nineties under the wing of some experienced if not ill-educated

One trip however, I was on a mate’s

and needed assistance. My mate’s old man got on the radio & got us

boaters. I learned a fair bit but never

dad’s boat, a 30 something foot

a tow sorted; to the barrier I might

form reputable sources and never

cruiser on our way to Great Barrier

add - not back to the mainland!

24 www.nzfisher.co.nz

marineSAFETY

His use of the radio was so polished,

in a 5 meter boat on occasions, so it

VHF course. I was quickly issued a

knowledge of the phonetic alphabet

does seem sensible!)

log-in and sent on my way home to

seamless and poetic. I’d never been

I headed down to the Coastguard

learn, research and test myself before

exposed to VHF and fell in love with it

Marine Education centre at

being allowed to undertake the final

then & there.

Westhaven Marine (Next to the

assessments for each of three core

Despite having owned many boats

Richmond Yacht Club) and spoke

units – the passing of which sees a

and registering many call signs with

to the team there about getting my

certificate issued for Marine VHF

the Coastguard I’d never actually

VHF skills up to speed.

Operator Qualification. I learned far

learned to use the VHF. It’s only now,

I was really impressed with the state

after 20 years of boating that I figured

of marine education – these guys

I should get myself sorted (we are

are ahead of their time with online

travelling up to 30 miles from shore

learning and assessments for the

more than I expected, and the whole course took just two nights (at home, on my PC). At under $70 I highly recommend this course to all levels of boaters – the info in the course could be the difference between a fun day on the water and a tragedy.

For booking information, please head to the Coastguard Boating Education Courses page, here.

www.nzfisher.co.nz 25

HOWto

Cook Pork like No Other

By Derrick Paull

GREAT FOR PARTIES as you can

each piece and place on the Smoker

layer it off as you need it if people are

Rack. Cold smoke the pork pieces for

coming late or you get hungry later

2 hours using hickory wood in your

on after a few drinks. This is also is an

Bradley Smoker.

inexpensive way to feed a crowd. I have even done lamb and chicken yiro parties for my kidâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s birthdays.

Then place them on top of each other with the sword supplied with the spit.

No need for oil as there is enough fat

Ask the butcher for a pork fillet, skin

on the pork and there is also no need

off. With skin on it will take an extra

to leave to marinate as you can cook

30 minutes to cook as you want to

straight away. Tighten one prong on

render the skin fat and crisp it up.

the shaft then slide the pork onto it.

I prefer skin off and you can fit up to 6kg per shaft. If you are doing less than 6kg per shaft you can cut

Make sure the fillets are compacted down the best you can then put one prong at the other end.

fillets in half to make them a smaller

Cook on high heat all the way. Start

diameter and stretch it out on the

to layer off thin layers with a knife as

shaft to save half the cooking time.

pictured. Then cook the next layer,

You can also use chicken thigh fillet

then repeat until it has all gone.

which has a smaller diameter.

Preparation time 15 minutes.

Season the tray with either Classico

Cooking time up to 3 hours for

or Portuguese seasoning, then season

7kg plus.

26 www.nzfisher.co.nz

www.adventuresmart.org.nz

KNOW BEFORE YOU GO The Boating Safety

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

1

Life jackets

5 4

Take them – Wear them.

3

Skipper responsibility

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

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

2

simple rules

to help you stay safe:

5

Avoid alcohol

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

Safe boating and alcohol do not mix.

Things can change quickly on the water. You need to stay alert and aware.

Communications

The Water Safety

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

Also available:

CODE

The Outdoor Safety

CODE

For more information about safe boating education and how to prepare for your boating activity, visit www.adventuresmart.org.nz

www.nzfisher.co.nz 27

gearREVIEWS

Garmin GMI10 Reviewed by Derrick Paull

From NZ Fisher: With the Honda BF60 outboard all

offers a streamlined approach to

scenario where fuel consumption

marine instrumentation.”

was out by more than 5% was when trolling and the motor was running

sorted aboard the NZ Fisher boat we

Most modern outboards are fitted

started looking at the fuel economy

with NMEA2000 connectivity, but I

and performance of the outboard

can only vouch for the unit’s seamless

compared to the recommended stats

integration when paired with the

from Honda and other users.

Honda (or two Honda’s it turns out

port on a tank that had shown to be

– Honda NZ also use the GMI10 to

emptied approximately 4 miles earlier.

manage dual outboard set-ups on

To be fair though, this only added to

many commercial vessels they supply).

the units appeal as I’d rather have

Because of the NMEA2000 system

more gas than I thought in the tank

you can also interconnect the GPS,

than less.

VHF and other electronics to provide

We have one bug-bear, and it’s a

After some investigation, we learned

inputs as well as verifications for the

small one. The GMI10 requires manual

that the GMI10 multipurpose gauge

GMI10 unit.

inputting of fuel levels when the

form Garmin could provide the data

What I really appreciate is the breadth

tank is refilled. While not a biggie,

we were looking for (speed, fuel use

of information available and the

having no fuel sender unit means it is

to date, current fuel consumption,

simple interface that allows easy,

possible to leave port on a full tank &

hours and distance to empty) at a

intuitive scrolling between screens.

only realise half way through the day

reasonable price.

If you can use a smart-phone you’re

you’ve forgotten to reset (yes, we did

According to the Garmin site, the

already over qualified to operate and

do this) and then fuel computation

GMI10 “improves upon the traditional

navigate the GMI10.

becomes a matter of shaking the tank!

method of marine instrumentation,

We have tested fuel usage accuracy

Despite this minor gripe we’d buy one

in which standard marine instruments

extensively and have found that it is

again and recommend the GMI10 for

have their own dedicated display. By

accurate to within 5% over a 8 hour

those wanting a compact, easy to use

displaying data from multiple remote

trolling day and under 5% on shorter,

engine & fuel management unit for

sensors on one screen, the GMI10

moderately intensive trips. The only

small to medium boats.

While we could easily enough have the data downloaded via an NMEA port on the outboard we were looking to have a real time feed and visual available to the helm.

28 www.nzfisher.co.nz

continuously for over 10 hours. On this occasion, the GMI10 over-calculated fuel consumption and we arrived at

HOOKED UP!

CO

HOOKEDUP!

U

Every issue, all NZ Fisher subscribers* go in the draw to get hooked up with some fantastic prizes courtesy of generous NZ Fisher supporters.

To find out if you’ve won simply check this section in each issue to see if your name has been drawn and then email us before the deadline to claim your prize. Sweet as!!!

LD

IT

B

E

YO

U

?

Congratulations to our Hooked Up prize winner for Issue #28!

Mike Cole is the winner You’ve won this month’s awesome Hooked Up prize pack including: •

Your choice of mens or womens ReelWear T courtesy of Reel Adventures

•

A $50 voucher to spend online or instore from GoFish.co.nz

•

A super tough 3-tray tackle box from Flambeau (contents not included)

•

Plus two 500ml bottles of Tackle-It Odour Eliminator from PureAir to keep those fishy smells at bay!

To claim your prize you simply need to email jenniferl@espiremedia.com before 5pm Friday 11th October, 2013. Easy!

*To be eligible to win stuff in the Hooked Up section you need to be a confirmed email subscriber to NZ Fisher e-Magazine and be a resident of New Zealand at the time of the draw. A big thanks to our Hooked Up sponsors! Please support them!

www.nzfisher.co.nz 29

NEXTmonth regionalREVIEWS

In next months issue: - -

The Strip Strike Flyfishing Club is formed Kingfish – How, where & when

Have you subscribed to NZ Fisher? It’s free!

Simply visit www.nzfisher.co.nz to get a copy of NZ Fisher delivered straight to your inbox every month!

www.nzfisher.co.nz 30