NZ Fisher Issue 37

ISSUE 37

June 2014

GURNARD:

What Winter Fishing is all about!

Legasea Update: Getting the Best Back Out of Our Fisheries

Review: The Lowrance Elite 4 HDI Combo www.nzfisher.co.nz 1

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Contents 6.. There’s a fish for all seasons 12.. Fly-fish Snapper on the flats 14.. Kayak Fishing Trip report from Whangarei with Stephen Tapp

ABOUT / Short and sharp, NZ Fisher is a free e-magazine delivering thought provoking and enlightening articles, and industry news and information to forwardthinking fisher people.

EDITOR / Derrick Paull GROUP EDITOR / Nick Harley ART DIRECTOR / Jodi Olsson CONTENT ENQUIRIES / Phone Derrick on 021 629 327

20.. The Lowrance Elite4 HDI Combo

or email derrickp@NZ Fisher.co.nz ADVERTISING ENQUIRIES / Phone Richard on 09 522 7257 or email richardl@espiremedia.com

22.. L egasea Update June 2014

ADDRESS / NZ Fisher, C/- Espire Media, PO Box 137162, Parnell, Auckland 1151, NZ WEBSITE / www.NZFisher.co.nz

24.. Survey seeks worldwide views on habitat work 28.. Reader Pics

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!

30.. Video of the Month 31.. Competitons

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Editorial I’M LOVING THE COLD, clear weather we’re having – mostly because it’s not only cool but very clear and so still. Such great fishing weather and one hell of a nice winter. It’s almost spring some days, and the daffodils are already pushing their way up in search of the sun.

Luckily there’s an upside for fishers too; gurnard and snapper are co–existing happily in most of our fisheries. Normally the gurnard come in and the snapper head out: a genteel exchange of premises over the winter months. Those lucky enough to be fishing the Manukau and Kaipara harbours at present are getting nice bags of both.

Whether or not this is due to the weather, who knows? But I’ll take it!

We’ve been asking readers via email and Facebook what they’d like to see more of in NZFisher. The most common response so far has been more ‘how to’ and ‘tips’ articles.

We hope you’ll be pleased with the gurnard and kayak articles this month; definitely a direction we’ll be looking to head in future.

What we have also been asked for is a bit more on fresh-water (both trout and coarse) fishing in New Zealand.

We’re not flush with fresh water experts, so the call is out. Who’s keen to be our fresh water contributor? There’s so much to learn and so many keen readers. Please email me on derrickp@nzfisher.co.nz if you are a keen or budding writer with some knowledge or passion for the fresh stuff.

The last – and very loud – request has been for a little less Auckland and Upper North focus, and with due cause I’d have to agree.

We want your fishing tales and photos and we’ve got great prizes to bribe you with. Just send them to derrickp@nzfisher.co.nz and you’re in the draw. We’ll publish all of your images and really want to spread the word about all the great fishing in the whole of New Zealand Tight lines NZFishers,

Derrick

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LOCALFISHING

There’s

afor Fish all

Seasons

Carrots; winters bounty Words by Derrick Paull, disciple of Smudge and apprentice Gurnardaire

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delicate flavoured fish are top of many peoples eating list.

USUALLY WHEN WE look forward to a winter day’s fishing, we think of smelly burley, big baits and bobbing around the shallow reefs of the remote coast. But there’s more to winter fishing than big snapper.

In New Zealand we’re blessed with a number of delicious table fish, often overlooked due to their low fighting ability.

I haven’t fished every coast of Aotearoa, but everywhere I have where there’s a sandy bottom, there’s gurnard to be had.

These beautiful, slightly strange and

Rather than a target, gurnard are more often a pleasant by-catch; but when you begin to target them they can be very fun and satisfying on a cold, foggy winter’s day.

In Auckland there’s three main gurnard fisheries; the Manukau, Kaipara and northern Hauraki Gulf. Nationwide, the places you find gurnard seem to be fairly consistent. Where there’s sand, there are paddle-crabs, and where there’s paddle crabs, there’s Gurnard. This doesn’t mean you’ll need paddlers as bait, but if you have a stash of them, each about an inch across, you’ll be the greatest gurnard fisher in history – they cannot resist them!

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LOCALFISHING 8 www.nzfisher.co.nz

I haven’t fished every coast of Aotearoa, but everywhere I have where there’s a sandy bottom, there’s gurnard to be had. These beautiful, slightly strange and delicate flavoured fish are top of many peoples eating list.

More easily sourced baits that will also elicit a bite are skipjack tuna (bonito), pilchard, soft-baits, and my personal favourite, yellow tail mackerel fillets.

What-ever bait you do have, make sure it’s presented in a way a gurnard can’t resist. The best success I’ve had has been with 4/0 recurve hooks either rigged as flashers or simply as a dropper, with a sinker approximately a metre below the lowest hook.

I prefer the hook a little higher, as it seems to induce a higher hook-up rate when the gurnard need to swim up off the bottom to grab the bait. In a higher current area, generally a harbour, you’ll need big weight to keep the baits down, but I try and use the lightest weight possible to increase sensitivity and decrease resistance from the fish.

Smaller cubes of bait also mean you can use lighter weights, as the baits create less drag.

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LOCALFISHING When fishing in harbours, I don’t suggest using burley; it tends to attract too many kahawai and a fair few sharks on the west coast. When I’m over sand on the open coast, however, burley is key.

There’s a great little spot (pretty well known) off the sand-dunes at Mangawhai.

Here, half a bag of burley in 20 meters of water will bring about 60 gurnard to the boat, and you can simply drop baited hooks or a small soft-bait until the boat is full. However, if there’s no burley, there’s little chance of anything more

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than a ‘cuta or two. On the other hand, if you like tussling with six-foot bronzies one after another, drop that same burley bag on the Kaipara Harbour, and I guarantee you get home and won’t need to fillet a thing!

Once you’ve got a couple, you’ll realise they’re a different proposition to fillet than most of our normal target species.

Thankfully our old mate Smudge has prepared these Oscar-worthy instructional videos to help the task of filleting your bin of carrots – check them out here. ●

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SALTWATERFLYFISHING

Fly-fish

Snapper on the Flats Words by Matthew ‘Matto’ von Sturmer

I LOVE TO FISH in the calm before storms (and during and after). The wind and tide suggested Point Chevalier flats could be a nice place to spend the evening. I was able to walk out on the incoming tide and strand myself until it receded – about 8pm. I was armed with a few favourite flies, a Sage bass rod, and of course my most favourite 6wt.

With a very small tidal range, the incoming tide did not have the usual push that comes from moving larger volumes, and the brown stain of sediment did not clear as I had hoped it would.

I am sure I spooked a snapper on the walk out; its back just breaking the water as I walked over the shells. It was a timely reminder of how easily spooked saltwater

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fish can be. As far as predators go we must be pretty damn scary.

No touches on the fly for two hours, numerous fly changes and location shifts.

I ended up rotating through the selection of flies I had taken in expectation that the difference in a full intermediate on the bass rod and the intermediate sink tip on the 6wt were providing subtle differences in the depth of water.

I was fishing as the tidal flow slowed towards full. If I believe there are fish there, then it is a matter of working out what the particular elements will be to get a result.

Having confidence in a range of flies is critical, but after a few casts with different retrieves, that confidence soon disappears

and I find myself back in the fly box looking over my past ‘magic’ flies. I am beginning to see some.

Doing this sort of fishing solo means I am less likely to give up, and eventually I had a small snapper come to the beach after a cast into an unlikely spot. A couple of casts later and I accepted it was a random fish – but confirmation that there may be others.

I was now faced with an outgoing tide.

Previously, that would be a signal to accept defeat; however the shell banks are changing a lot lately. I kept doing a circuit of the area, changing flies, retrieves and casts as the tide started flowing out. Another fish hit a shrimpy fly, and at 29cm put a slight bend into the bass rod.

The rod is called a ‘large mouth’ and is suited for about a 9wt line. At just under eight feet long it is not a fly rod you would consider as being suited to NZ conditions. I suspect I will be using it a lot!

It casts surprising well, has a very fast, aggressive taper and feels like a fish-

fighting weapon similar to a high quality spin rod. It will be ideal from the rocks and from a boat, where the shorter length is an advantage, yet still casts with ease! Eight feet – why not? Don’t be put off by the name ‘bass’ – they are designed to muscle fish out of structure, and punch big flies around snags. They should be called ‘snapper’, or ‘hoodlum’ rods.

The sun was now setting, and I decided from the next fish I caught that I was fishing the right fly. A very slow, jerky retrieve was enticing the rather docile snapper into biting. At least I now had confidence in what I was doing and that there would be a few fish exiting the shallow water.

I decided not to over-fish the water from where I caught my last fish, and at the other end of the shell bank my fly was smashed as soon as it hit the water, and some string was actually removed under drag from the mighty 6wt. The next four casts were a repeat of the same in what turned out to be the best session I have had on the flats this season. ●

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KAYAKFISHING The information in Stephen’s Lowrance Elite 7 HDI sounder is an essential part of planning for a successful trip.

Kayak Fishing report from

Whangarei with Stephen Tapp Tips to catch more fish more often Words and images byJason Milne aka ‘Paddle Guy

WHENEVER I GET a chance to join Stephen Tapp for a fish in Northland I am always excited at what the day might bring. Adventure is a guarantee, as is the opportunity to get among some reliable fishing under his guidance. This trip for both of us was a chance to take a day off work and collect a feed of snapper for family and friends. As always, Stephen found fish, and more importantly found the fish that were feeding. Late autumn is not always productive at the time of day we were on his GPS marks, but Stephen always has a plan B, C and D.

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Over the years I have taken knowledge from every trip up north with Stephen and applied it to both my routine and my kayak fishing trips. The result is that when I am looking to gather a feed of fish for the table, by applying all I have learnt I generally come home with fish.

Through this trip report I will outline some of those important lessons that make all the difference between catching fish and not. The gear carried on this huntergatherer trip is the same gear I carry on the majority of my kayak fishing trips.

Fishfinder

Next to planning, this is one of the more important tools to successful kayak fishing, and really needs a complete blog dedicated to its importance. However, I will keep this one brief and outline how I observe Stephen using his sounder to ‘hunt’ the fish.

Identify the target and watch them take your bait as it is deployed. This shot from Jason’s Lowrance Elite 5 HDI.

Planning

Whether you’re just popping out for a quick fish; targeting a trophy fish, or fishing a competition, you need to first have a plan. Just heading out and hoping for the best without doing some research will generally give you the same chance as luck.

This planning will also be important in the selecting of what techniques you will be using and what tackle you take with you. Take the time to plan. As much as it’s great just being on the water, I am more satisfied when I can take home a feed for my family after spending that time on the water.

This trip, Stephen had more than a dozen GPS marks on his Lowrance Elite 7HDI to choose from, ranging from close inshore reefs to deeper reefs 5km offshore (my Elite 5HDI now has a few new marks too).

Between GPS marks he is always watching the sounder to see if there is a target worth dropping a bait on. In the past I have seen him land big fish this way.

Spot a big arch, drop a bait on it, hook up!

Yes, it’s really that easy when you have good electronics and understand them.

This session, the sign between GPS marks was generally not worth stopping on, and the fishing at the first few of his GPS marks was average. This is where you have to be prepared to move on if the area is not working. Just because the fish are there does not guarantee they will be interested.

It was not till we headed out wide to another GPS mark later in the session that we found a reliable sign and landed a fish on every bait, quickly reaching our quota of seven snapper each. Check out a range of Fishfinders here.

The desired result.

Knowing the weather forecast, tide movements and light, we knew exactly where to start looking for fish, and that well-presented baits offered the best chance. The result was that once we tried a spot that had a fish sign but where no fish were feeding, we moved to another until we found fish that were, rather than wasting time in an area the “might” produce a fish on the rod.

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KAYAKFISHING

Anchor system

The Profish tackle pod system really has been a breakthrough in cockpit organisation for kayak anglers all around the world.

Anchor-running-rig, with Sea anchor to slow and control your drift when presenting baits to a sign you have spotted on the sounder.

Whilst Stephen did not use his sea anchor on this trip I used it to slow my drift when deploying baits on a target. I also like to use this system to control my kayak’s position when drift fishing.

The right kayak

Both Stephen and I fished from our Profish Reload kayaks in this session.

These kayaks are set up in such a way that everything is in its place, making fishing sessions comfortable and convenient. Most importantly, we know the kayak has the ability to take us far offshore to find the fish, and get us home again. Knowing your ability and that of the kayak should the conditions change are important aspects to a successful day’s fishing.

The right kayak also comes down to having one that is packed with practical options; like adequate fish storage, accessible and large tackle storage, and a cockpit that makes it easy to work from when playing and landing fish. The Profish range of kayaks tick all the boxes in this regard and have options to spare.

Ample storage for your catch. Stephen’s pickings from this session will be shared among grateful friends and family.

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Running Rig for a kayak anchor

Comfort and safety

Whilst not directly related to catching fish, these next few tips will ensure you are comfortable, relaxed, and safe on the water in every trip. One could argue that the more comfortable you are the better your judgment will be when targeting fish, and therefore you will catch when others are not.

Fish storage

To me this is high on the priority list. Keep the fish cold and your experience at the table will be second to none. This session I was using the Chill pod and had a bag of salt ice in it. Stephen had the insulated cover. Even though my ice had melted by the time we got back, the salt water was still very cold, which meant my fish were well preserved and tasted fantastic the next night. Even after a full seven hours on the water, the water in the Chill Pod remains, cold, so the fish remains fresh. I can tell you this really makes a difference to the eating experience. Both Stephen and I get countless comments from family and friends who can’t believe how much fresher the fish tastes.

Tackle storage at its very best.

The innovative tackle pod.

A good supply of food and water is very important to staying alert and fuelled on your trips [and] you can never be too safe when it comes to communication.

Tackle storage

Communication and other safety

When the fish are on the bite, or you need to change tactics quickly, having a tackle storage system like the Tackle pods becomes worth its weight in gold.

Everything you need is within easy reach.

Both Stephen and I carried a range of options in our Tackle pods, because sometimes you need to change techniques to suit the occasion. If you can do it quickly, with the least down- time, you better your chances. In this session flasher rigs with whole pilchards worked a treat, so there were few changes needed.

Both Stephen and I carry hand-held VHFs. I also have my mobile in a dry-bag in my PFD, and Stephen has a 25wt radio in the kayak. You can never be too safe when it comes to communication. We also both carry a spare two piece paddle. This is of no inconvenience to carry, and should one of us break a paddle when 5km offshore, we will be very thankful not to have to tow one another home. Leashes are essential.

I think we have all experienced the pain of losing some gear overboard (usually more expensive gear) which could have been avoided by using an affordable leash.

Feed the machine

A good supply of food and water is very important to staying alert and fuelled on your trips. The Reload has ample storage options, giving the ability to separate food and water from your tackle and bait. I always take more food and water than I would normally consume in a day because I burn up a lot of energy when paddling.

Don’t leave home without one!

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SALTWATERFLYFISHING Save a struggle on the long walk

The prep is so very important.

Kayak trolley

like when prepared the night before. I am

A must-have when rigging your kayak up

definitely not a particularly tidy person, but

beside the car. Simply load it on the trolley,

with the load-and-go pod system of the

rig up the kayak, then pull the kayak to the

Profish kayaks, my set up time is so much

launch spot. The C-Tug fits in the front hatch

quicker and more organised – I can pretty

of the Profish Reload, which saves a walk

much rig up the night before. This kind of

back up to the car.

Finally here is a pic of what my rig looks

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pre-packing also limits the risk of forgetting something. It’s such a convenient system. ●

Know what you’re doing Wide range of courses for all types of boating available nationwide

Specialty Courses

Core Courses

RYA Courses

Day Skipper

Coastal Skipper

Marine Medic

Powerboating

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GPS Operator

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Phone 0800 40 80 90 or visit www.boatingeducation.org.nz www.nzfisher.co.nz 19

NEWPRODUCTS

The

Lowrance

Elite4 HDI Combo More than just a fish finder

IN THIS KAYAK FISHING trip I have fitted the Lowrance Elite 4 HDI to my Profish Tackle Pod and plan to use it to find a feed of snapper for the weekend. Rough plan: head out from Army Bay trolling a hard body bibbed lure over the shallows. Then target the shallows for big snapper living in the weed, using a combination of stray-line baits, and casting soft plastics.

Check the action here.

Along this coastline there is a lot of foul ground, which holds plenty of fish, and also means the chances of fouling your lure are high if you get your depths wrong. I have the Navionics chart card in the Elite 4. This is important to have when trolling bibbed hard body lures as you can keep the lure in the depths that it is designed for. My trolling speed varies depending on the conditions.

On this occasion I was doing no more than six to six and a half km/hr consistently.

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Doing the damage

Hard bodys teasing the autumn snapper from the reefs

Using the technique of trolling along the edge of the reef, and keeping an eye on the Elite 4 for any lift in the weed, I landed a snapper and a kahawai using the Mad Mullet from Lively Lures, trolled over six to eight metre depths.

I have been using the Elite 5 for a while now, and though the 4 has a smaller screen I could read it just fine – even with the screen split into three different views at times (charts, sonar, structure scan).

The zoom and scroll on the charts even seemed to present the new chart-data quicker than my 5.

The North-easterly wind made it difficult to target the shallow water, as I was being blown over the top of my bait or lure quicker than it could be effectively presented. With only my sea anchor to stop me, I quickly gave up on this and headed out to deeper water. I used the charts to track towards Wellington Rock while trolling the lure over the reef; this time landing another kahawai.

Great result from tough conditions

The Elite 4 picked up a lot of good sign on the back of the reef and then eventually I found some big bait balls. I paddled over the bait balls looking for bigger returns on the sounder.

Once located, I deployed the sea anchor off the bow and got a fresh cut of kahawai down on top of the sign using a 1/4oz ball sinker and 4/0 recurve target hooks.

Every bait resulted in a fish; some worth keeping, others released.

I spent the next hour or so doing the same thing. Paddle over the bait balls, which seemed to be keeping me in mostly the same area (behind Wellington Rock), locate good sign under or around them, then drop a bait. Closer to dark the fish started biting harder and the result were some bigger fish, which went in the bin.

My first real session using the Elite 4. I am happy all round with its performance – a great unit for its size and price. I look forward to using it more over the winter and putting more of its functions to use. �

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FISHERIESMANAGEMENT

LegaSea

Update June 2014 Targeting bigger fish and more of them

By Trish Rea, LegaSea team www.legasea.co.nz

RECENT MINISTERIAL DECISIONS LegaSea is promoting a rebuild of our inshore fisheries, to a minimum target level of 40% of their virgin biomass, or unfished stock size. This is B40.

any dramatic events; like a rough summer

B40 means more fish get to grow to a decent size. B40 also means our fisheries will be more robust and able to cope with

Abundance and diversity is achievable if we

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season that results in poor survival of fry, and lower recruitment of juveniles into the adult fishery.

set B40 as minimum management target for our fisheries.

Putting words into action

This year’s Hutchwilco New Zealand Boat Show was one of the best in terms of engaging with people like you who fish and care for the life and oceans that surround Aotearoa.

Over the past year LegaSea has been promoting a B40 policy for snapper. This policy aligns with government standards.

It was heartening to receive so much positive feedback, your honest appraisal, and suggestions for future action.

We had fun putting people into the draw to win a LegaSea prize pack valued at over $500. There were over 700 entries, If a B40 policy were given effect, the and Paul Sables of East Tamaki was the snapper fishery between North Cape and lucky winner. He scored himself an Icey East Cape would be double what it is now. Tek chilly bin, a LegaSea-Hutchwilco Imagine that! lifejacket; tee shirt, hat and a range of other goodies. Thanks to everyone who For other, less robust species we participated in the draw. might need to aim higher. As well as being achievable, the target we choose needs to be affordable, well supported, and publicised.

Our politicians will only stand for good fisheries policies if there is sufficient support; so get going, visit your local MP, send them an email and ask them for their party’s fisheries policy. If they are not advocating for B40, then ask them, “Why not?”.

Our national interest depends on healthy fisheries and a clean marine environment. Our children’s fishing future relies on us to act now.

Thanks also to the 18 volunteers we had on the stand. It was good to spend time together and learn why they support LegaSea. Each had a different story, but the common theme was their enthusiasm to protect and enhance our marine environment.●

Call 0800 LEGASEA (534 273)

Email us info@legasea.co.nz Subscribe at www.legasea.co.nz Read more at www.facebook.com/legasea

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FISHING&THE ENVIRONMENT

Happy band of volunteers – habitat heroes working in the Thames catchment

Survey Seeks

Worldwide Views on

Habitat Work HAMMERING IN THE STAKES to secure the woody-debris flow deflectors. What would make you get in the water to improve habitat for fish and fishing?

Back in the day when men were men and political slogans still used verbs, the soonto-be two-term American president, Bill Clinton, put the words, “It’s the Economy, Stupid.” on large banners in all his campaign offices across the USA.

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This was not so much a message to the American people, but a reminder to his election workers and advisors of the importance of remaining focused on the key issue which would bring them success.

A few years later when I was asked to write the Keep Australia Fishing report for their boating and fishing tackle industry, I shamelessly stole the Clinton words in order to emphasise the importance

Hammering in the stakes to secure the woody debris flow deflectors

of protecting and improving habitat for recreational fisheries.

One of the key recommendations in my report sought to encourage angler involvement in habitat restoration: “Most anglers recognise and support genuine environmental action to reverse habitat destruction, protect threatened species and change unsustainable fisheries and land use practices. We need to have recreational fishers fully engaged in promoting policies and programmes that benefit the aquatic environment on which our sport depends.”

It’s funny how, on occasions, simply penning a few well-chosen words can lead to good things happening and lasting friendships. I can’t quite remember the

sequence of events, but at some point during the compiling of Keep Australia Fishing I was contacted by Craig Copeland, a Conservation Manager working for the New South Wales state government. We had lunch with Jim Harnwell in Sydney, and so began my involvement with the Fishers for Habitat project.

This was an excellent example of angling groups engaging positively with habitat restoration and fisheries protection. It is a licence-funded programme, and had been operating successfully in NSW for a number of years. Here, recreational fishers were rolling up their sleeves and helping to replace damaged and degraded habitats; removing barriers to fish migration, and replanting the river edges

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FISHING&THE ENVIRONMENT

to protect against erosion. Whilst this was pretty ground-breaking stuff in Australia, similar initiatives had been underway in the USA and Europe for some time.

Nonetheless, Fishers for Habitat has attracted international recognition and praise from leading US angler and conservationist Tom Sadler. Following his visit in 2009 he said: “It is incumbent upon people involved in hunting and fishing to be good stewards of the land. It is in fact the true measure of what makes a good sportsman. Not just going out for a fish, but making the fishing better for future generations.

To be good stewards takes a lot of effort.

It means giving time, money and energy to help restore the habitat that is vitally important. It means giving up something today so future generations can enjoy it, even if those who come later and enjoy the benefits of your sacrifice will never know it is you who deserves the thanks.”

Tom’s words still resonate as strongly today, and directly led me to making common cause with Trout Unlimited and some of the other US based conservation groups of which he has been a part on important issues such as fracking.

Australian Conservation manager on his recent visit to the UK where he was impressed by habitat improvement projects including this fish pass on Berkshire’s River Loddon Last year it was my pleasure to help host Craig on the UK part of his Churchill Scholarship tour to discover best practice, and to find out what motivates anglers in the USA, Ireland and Britain to get involved with habitat restoration. As well as learning

26 www.nzfisher.co.nz

about the work of the Angling Trust; and our partners, Fish Legal, in taking action against those who degrade habitat and pollute fisheries, Craig was able to visit the beautiful River Wye catchment in Wales and learn about some of their ground-breaking work, which has seen salmon returning to the headwaters in ever increasing numbers.

He had some particularly kind things to say about the efforts of our own Wild Trout Trust (WTT). Although they are not as large an organisation as their American cousins, they have done some superb work in getting volunteers into rivers, on projects to reverse poor farming practices and improve instream habitat for fish and other wildlife.

Here’s what he said of his UK visit: “Probably the most interesting and useful thing that I saw was the role that recreational fishing based organisations and the Government agencies played to support recreational fishers that become energetic on the habitat front. The WTT and various Rivers Trusts are in place across the UK on behalf of fish, delivering outcomes on the ground to improve fisheries. By their presence and organisation they allow recreational fishers to become engaged on complex habitat issues that might if looked at by an individual seem insurmountable.”

For myself, having watched my own local river Kennet decline beyond recognition, I remain determined to try and engage my fellow fishers in fighting back. The Angling Trust has been working with WTT on a new “Rivers and Wetlands Community Days” programme, to lever additional funding into habitat improvement work that gets angling and wildlife groups out in the countryside.

These groups install woody debris and flow deflectors, and help to create productive

Australian Conservation manager on his recent visit to the UK

spawning sites and fish passages to aid recruitment and migration.

what best motivates anglers to get involved with habitat issues.

A brief talk with the volunteers at the River Kennet Fry Refuge.

The problems facing fish and fishing are no respecter of international boundaries. We can only applaud the efforts of people like Sadler and Copeland who urge us on to put something back into the habitat upon which our fishy world depends. Please take five minutes of your time to complete the survey at https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/ FishersandHabitat. You can even enter a prize draw on completion of the survey to win some free clothing form the Angling Trust online shop.

I’m encouraged that across the planet, recreational fishing groups are starting to learn from each other, as we bang the drum ever louder for fish habitat. Craig Copeland, of course, wants us to go further.

He is working on setting up an International Fish Habitat Network to connect people and organisations carrying out fish habitat work, and hopefully make the task a little easier, by sharing knowledge and best practice.

Craig has recently launched an international survey with partner organisations in the UK, USA, Ireland and Australia to try and find out

Note: This article first appeared in the international publications Classic Angling and Fishing World

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READERPICS

ďƒ„Winner!

After a one hour fight in three metres of water Jo landed (and released) this estimated 150kg Bronzie from the Coromandel.

Reader Pics

28 www.nzfisher.co.nz

Daryl Locke with a couple of nice eaters landed at Mohaka - Love the Okuma Hoody mate!.jpg

g

Jo & her new PB Mayor Island king - sounds like the fight of a lifetime

READERPICS

Elizabeth Virgo from the Doubtless Bay Fishing Club Annual comp against North Shore Surfcasing Club, weighed 21.20kg and caught from her 440fyran, alone, livebait mackerel.

Naomi Willis with her new PB Snapper taken off Long Bay, on the Coromandel - at 12.6lbs, thats a great fish!

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FISHINGVIDEO’S

of the Video

Month

of you d me enthralled. Many ha it t bu , tch wa ng lo a This is f the s of the great fishing of eo vid o’s nd Da oy Tr en will have se e of re he is fishing for som he t bu t, as co ds un So Marlborough rticular the water sports fish, in pa sh fre st te ea gr ’s rld wo the here Arapaima. Check it out

30 www.nzfisher.co.nz

Here’s a bit of info on the Gillhams fishing resort, Thailand

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This months winner is Jo for his tagged and released Bronzie.

Jo has won a $50 voucher to shop online at Go Fish.

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TERMS AND CONDITIONS Winner/s must email leanner@espiremedia.com within 14 days of publication to claim their prize. Competitions are only open to NZ residents residing within NZ. One entry per person for each competition. Prize pack product/s may vary from pictures. Prize/s not exchangeable or redeemable for cash. Winner/s will be selected at random and no discussion will be entered into after the draw. Winner/s will be announced in NZ Fisher e-publication. If winner/s fail to make contact within the claim period, Espire Media may redraw the prize. Secondary winner/s will be announced on the NZ Fisher Facebook page. Prizes must be collected by the winner unless courier delivery is specifically offered by the sponsor as part of the competition. Your contact details will not be given to any third party, except for the purposes of delivering a prize.

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In the Midwinter Escape issue next month: • Cabo Roosters • Hawaiian Blues • Aitutaki Bones

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