NZ Fisher Issue 72

ISSUE 72

October 2017

The

‘Other’ Species Issue

www.nzfisher.co.nz

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“Honda provides me with reliability, fantastic fuel savings, quietness on set, low emissions and incredible harmonics which pull the fish. We’re now saving around 40% on fuel from one of my previous boats running like for like horsepower engines” Nicky Sinden ADOS Addicted to Fishing

“The choice of Honda engines was simple. Our experience with Honda reliability and support has been outstanding. The power is incredible, because the engines are hardly working, the economy is amazingly good.”

Captain Phil Barchet Blue Water Adventures

“With a heavier hull on the new boat and a large array of pumps and electronics the big powerful 3.6 litre V6 with a 90amp alternator was the logical choice” Tony Orton Offshore Adventures

CLICK HERE TO FIND OUT MORE

CONTACT YOUR LOCAL HONDA DEALER TODAY

www.hondamarine.co.nz/find-a-dealer

CONTENTS 10.

6.

DESTINATION DONEGAL

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 / Colin Kennedy

THE ‘OTHER’ FISH

ART DIRECTOR / Jodi Olsson

24.

16.

CHASING GOLD

CONTENT ENQUIRIES /

CHARTERED WATERS

Phone Derrick on 021 629 327 or email derrickp@NZ Fisher.co.nz ADVERTISING ENQUIRIES / Phone Derrick on 021 629 327 or email derrickp@NZ Fisher.co.nz ADDRESS / NZ Fisher, PO Box 47794, Ponsonby 11144 WEBSITE / www.NZFisher.co.nz

30.

32.

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!

LEGASEA UPDATE Cover Image:

HARD WORK FOR SOME OUTSTANDING RESULTS ON THE VIKING

36.

READER PICS

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baby boss SMASH THE SNAPS

Slow pitch jigging has taken Japan by storm, we have tested and enhanced these Japanese lures, making them irresistible to most fish species.

Irresistible to snapper and most fish species • Made from Zinc for increased hangtime and toughness.

• This state of the art jig can be used as a slow pitch lure as well as several other techniques.

• The edges of the lure create its unique swimming and vibrating action that triggers an attack response in most fish species.

• Bright holographic colours on one side with natural fish design on the other draws attention to the lure from a distance.

• Pre-rigged with 1/0 stainless steel jigging hook and heavy duty PE assist cord.

• Available in 20 gram.

RI G

G

E

COLOURS: Ballistic Blue, White Warrior, Orange Assassin & Shady Lady.

4 www.nzfisher.co.nz

www.catchfishing.co.nz

D

W

ITH

1/0 JIGGING H OO K

EDITORIAL

T

his issue is dedicated to the ‘other’

a good tussle with a snapper on fly or

species. The also-rans, the by-catch,

light gear, or better still, being railed by

the ‘take-it-in-case-we-don’t-get-

an angry king – but there’s so much more

any-snapper’ species, the hard fighters

to our magnificent marine and inland

that go back because they’re ugly, the

fisheries that can open the mind (and

funny sounding, the ‘only on a spear’, the

the wallet!), offer new challenges and

lazy-but-tasty ones, the sharks, the rays

increase the variety of fishing options

and the ones that just look too good to

available. There’s nothing like a new

eat. We’re paying homage to the others –

obsession to keep the interest high!

and we’re doing it in style.

However, if you catch an unknown

Orson Waldock is pretty sharp on a ‘yak.

species, don’t keep it if you’re not sure

With a few ‘fish of a lifetime’ stories

about the size limit or its edibility. There

already under his belt, he’s not someone

are better things to do than getting

you’d expect to be fawning over mackerel

caught by MPI at the ramp and, more

on sabiki flies, but a recent family trip

importantly, not eating something that

to Ireland saw him wrangling a few days

can harm you!

out on a local commercial/artisan fishing

If unsure about fish species, try this app:

boat, where he learned the surprising joys Apple or Android and make sure you offered by this occidental fishery.

make the right decisions.

Our cover girl this month is Ashley

Finally, a big thank you to all those who

Harris. Ashley is a keen and very capable

sent in images for the readers pix section

Auckland fisher, whose dad Kyley has set

this month – from warehou to boarfish –

her on the right track, honing skills on

providing a snapshot of our wildly diverse

tough-to-catch ‘other’ species such as

and incredible species.

parore, squid and the rather uncommon

Tight lines!

banded wrasse. I’m personally a big fan of the other species. Not that I don’t enjoy

Derrick www.nzfisher.co.nz 5

ASHLEY’SparoreSURPRISE

The ‘Other’ Fish

The one that didn’t get away

BY Ashley (and Kyley) Harris

6 www.nzfisher.co.nz

M

y dad and I decided to go out

HOW DAD AND I CATCH PARORE

and do a parore session. After

We like to fish for parore from jetties

about half an hour I finally

located in the cleaner ocean water.

hooked up the monster lurking in the

Estuary parore can be a little muddy and

shallows of Okahu Bay Wharf. I was so

not taste as good.

excited I could barely contain myself.

It was circling hard in the water from left to right.

RIG Our rig is a simple system incorporating

I had nearly gotten it up halfway, and

a single-hooked ledger rig set, so the bait

my Dad had the net, ready to scoop,

sits just above the bottom.

but it did one last powerful pull under the wharf, and suddenly I felt no more tension. My hook had snapped off. That’s when I knew it had been one of the biggest, as only a few had been able to do this. I was so disappointed.

BAIT Our bait of choice is fresh mussels, with a small amount of crushed mussel berley to attract them in. Parore do love green weed, but they go crazy for fresh mussels.

About 90 minutes later I was on my

However, lots of small spotties will ravage

last bait, and Dad said, “Okay, wind up

the latter bait, too.

– it’s time to go.”

I slowly started to wind up, and bang, the

TIMING

last one of the day – not as powerful, but

We find the best time is around slack

very heavy; it easily went into the net

tides when the water isn’t moving too

after a quick fight. I started unhooking it

hard (so the rushing tide won’t sweep

and saw two hooks inside its lip. I was so

the berley away), on an overcast day, as

happy and excited – it’s the only one I’ve

parore are wary. Find a spot with a lot of

ever lost and been able to get back again!

edible weed or mussel beds nearby.

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ASHLEY’SparoreSURPRISE

8 www.nzfisher.co.nz

HOOK SIZE I’ve found hook size and type are quite important. Too small can hook them, but they are very good at getting off in a fight.

Too big, and they tend to eat the bait off without getting hooked.

We use strong Owner Flyliners, size 1 or 2, with good effect, or small jigging hooks with a wide gape. Don’t be shy to put half or even a whole mussel onto the hook if targeting the big ones.

THE STRIKE Parore can often remove the bait without you feeling a thing. Consequently, I like to have a very sensitive rod tip, and a 1oz sinker positioned just off the bottom, so the tip is under tension. Any change in pressure could be a sprat or a parore; just lift the rod a fraction, and if any more weight comes on, strike more firmly to set the hook. Now battle it hard before it wraps the line around a pole!

LANDING THEM Parore fight hard, with tight turns and barrel rolls that see them easily unhooked if the tension isn’t kept on.

Often they fall off the smaller hooks when being lifted by hand. We use a special five to six-metre telescopic rock fishing net to land our parore. 

www.nzfisher.co.nz 9

FISHINGonTOUR

Destination Donegal

Donegal County is in Ireland’s northwest and is studded with an endless series of pristine beaches, inlets, offshore islands and rocky coastline

BY Orson Waldock

Steaming out of Lough Swilly and past the iconic Fanad Head Lighthouse

10 www.nzfisher.co.nz

Donegal’s coast is truly stunning: white-sand beaches and plenty of fishy-looking foul

D

onegal County, in Ireland’s northwest, is studded with an endless series of pristine

beaches, inlets, off-shore islands and rocky coastline. It’s a stunning coast on a good day, but an extremely harsh environment for the bulk of the year, when this isolated coast is battered by a fevered Atlantic Ocean. It has been lightly touched by humans, with isolated houses and small villages hunkered down in the landscape. It is a world-class wilderness.

The June Rose is a traditional timber inshore coastal boat; certainly not fast, but steady and big seas.

It’s a place I know well, making the long

Martin and his two mates run a small,

haul back to Donegal every few years

traditional inshore fishing boat, June

to touch base with the in-laws and

Rose, out of Portsalon, and regularly

reconnect with the rest of my wife’s

set lobster pots and do some bottom

family. While it’s pretty easy for the trip

fishing purely on a recreational basis. Like

to turn into a procession of cups of tea

fishermen the world over, putting tea on

and the odd session at the pub, this time

the table for three large extended families

around I was keen to land a few new

was important, but even more critical was

species out of the North Atlantic’s depths.

the opportunity to catch up with mates

Local knowledge always seems to trump

and spend some time on the water.

enthusiasm and good intent, so I put

The first trip out on the June Rose was

the word out amongst the relatives that

a brief one, motoring out of Portsalon

I was keen to connect with locals who

on a Wednesday evening to retrieve

could point me in the right direction. In

and reset the pots. This was a fantastic

a country renowned for its hospitality,

opportunity to see some of the

I was soon rewarded with an uncle who

coast from the water, but time didn’t

had a third share in a lobster potting

permit any of us to get our lines wet. I

boat and needed a deckhand for the

returned with a few crab claws but still

day. Result.

waiting to chase some Atlantic fish.

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FISHINGonTOUR

The fish were coming on board pretty quick, including pollock, coal fish and, my favourite, herring

It was with relief that Martin called the following weekend to say the weather looked good for a trip to go wide and chase some fish. The only issue was they were a man down and needed

The dog seems to rule the roost on the June Rose

someone with a decent back to run the lobster pot winch.

ends of the many lobsters, crabs and odd

The closest I had been to a commercial

conger eel that needed to be extracted

fishing vessel had been on the couch

from the pots.

watching Deadliest Catch, so was a little

With a decent haul on board, we steamed

nervous about the chances of coming

further up the coast to target fish on

home missing a finger or two. But the

deepwater reefs, where upwelling currents

guys soon had me up to speed, hooking

saw vast schools of fish congregate. We

the float line, feeding the winch, calling

were fishing heavy gear attached to

the pot as it came alongside, then hauling

ledger rigs with three or four hooks armed

it onto the sorting table. I let the more

with simple black or white feathers that

experienced crew deal with the pointy

attracted a multitude of species.

12 www.nzfisher.co.nz

Eoghain cooking up a feed of crab claws over coals

Fresh herring over coals with a herb and olive oil dressing

Fresh crab claws with cajun spices came up a treat over coals

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FISHINGonTOUR

Target species!

We checked out a couple of spots, with the drops not producing any fish, before finding a reef holding fish. But once we had found the spot, the fishing was electric. It was a real struggle to get your

Coal fish coming over the side in their twos and threes

gear to the bottom, as the feathery lures

Fishing is one of those pastimes that

were being hit continually by pollock,

sits alongside travel so well. Both are

coal fish, herring and the odd ballin

at their best when combined with an

wrasse. Typically bringing in fish in twos

adventurous spirit, a love of the outdoors,

and threes, we had a catch of table fish

and the opportunity to connect with like-

and baits for the pots in no time.

minded people. ď‚&#x;

Long evening and even better sunsets on Mulroy Bay

14 www.nzfisher.co.nz

Making quick work of the pots. A good lift of the pots can produce not just lobster but pollock and congers, too www.nzfisher.co.nz 15

BOATFISHING

Chasing Gold

The learning curves to land your ultimate goal

16 www.nzfisher.co.nz

BY Nigel Morgan

C

hasing gold – how does it happen?

How do all the fellas in these magazines know so much? Catch

so many fish? They must all work at tackle shops and spin yarns all day, get all the good gear…Yeah, that must be it. It can be disconcerting when you first realise you’ve got the bug, trying to process all the fisho tabloid info, doing the maths on how many high priced reels you need to get the job done, and how

The early fishing missions used to be

you need a different weight rod for every

pretty sporadic; tides were a factor, but

separate soft-bait size. Not quite. But

‘just not at slack tide’ might have been

seriously, how do I get to where they are?

the motto. Now the tides have turned

First of all, you have to want to be

drastically since those days. Hilarious

a better fisho; if you are happy just

puns aside, the main factor involves the

dropping flasher rigs time after time,

preparation time involved and research

using the cheapest squid bait you can

going into every trip. Possibly spurred

find to get a grey, drab day of zero

on by the lack of time in my daily

surprises, that’s great. I’d rather be there

schedule and the need to use that as

than weeding the garden.

productively as possible.

However, the fact that you’ve invested

iPads and cellphones become filled

in a magazine says you’re probably a bit

with wind and sea temp charts, regular

more interested than that, so why not

checking of tidal coefficients and possibly

step it up? Now, I don’t claim to be an

the odd moon phase become a daily

amazing fisherman by any stretch, but

ritual. Nav apps and Google Earth are

I have a decent claim to be the most

scrutinised in symphony to find those

improved. So, maybe one day I’ll be half

pins, ledges, and slivers of scaly-water

decent. My theory on better results is

column. Along with that comes the

simple and to elaborate I’ll go back in

learning of new knots, hook sharpening,

time a few years.

reel care...the list goes on, and on.

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18 www.nzfisher.co.nz

The lawns look good, however, and it’s only on the return trip from Bunnings that I would get a glimpse of the salty The internet is a great tool for almost

mistress with not a white cap on her.

all the above, especially when learning

This is easily fixed by combining sources

things like knots or rigging methods.

of reliable data. There are a few good

It can make tying a PR knot look easier

websites out there like metvuw, which

than making marmite on toast. In fact,

will let you make up your mind from the

rather than being scrutinised for laying

excellent data provided. This can often

off my excess marg back into the tub,

be fine-tuned with a quick glimpse at

it’s the trimmed tag-ends in the lounge

windfinder or the likes.

that do the damage.

That still doesn’t consistently find you

While on the topic of Internet versus

the fish and definitely takes time. When I

fishing, it’s particularly apparent that

first became absorbed with fishing, rather

not all wind-forecast websites are

than just plain old interested, the catch

generated equal; unfortunately, some

rate was pretty low, with probably one in

appear to be severely hindered when

around five days on the rocks seeing me

it comes to accurate forecasting. I’ve

bringing home the target species - that’s

learnt this the hard way by making

not to say there wasn’t a lot of kahawai

plans to do things a lot less interesting

by-catch. Now it’s heavily the other way

than wetting a line, only to find I have

around, with a target catch rate of around

done myself a grave injustice.

5:3 days – to be conservative.

www.nzfisher.co.nz 19

time they were the Rolls Royce of lures – you were pretty lucky if you had one in your old beige plastic tackle box. I was reintroduced one night on the couch while living in Blenheim, scrolling through YouTube, looking for likely leads in the kingfish hunt (yea, I know, but someone’s gotta watch all those videos right?).

There were a couple of guys in a hardtop trolling lures along the boulder bank out of Nelson with a title along the bottom ‘X-rap Magnum A large proportion of fish-finding

30’. Their hook-up rate seemed to be

knowledge can be attributed to my secret

speaking for itself. Decent. And that

weapon: inshore, shallow water trolling.

was only an hour and a quarter from

Wait, what? Yeah, that’s right, it’s a thing.

my couch! Needless to say, like a man

I used to think of it as the slackest form

possessed I was off to the local tackle

of fishing out (big game fishing aside,

store to acquire one.

of course). You’d see some guys rolling past in an old kauri forest towing slugs of hexagonal wobbling steel, or if they were flash, Rapalas or Smiths jigs.

Quite markedly, my kingfish fortunes changed from that day due to that $20 to $30 lure. However, as it panned out, it wasn’t so much the lure itself as the

That famous and somewhat overlooked

time spent on the water and, more

lure: the Rapala. I first used Rapalas

importantly, learning to use the sounder

when fishing for trout as a kid; at the

effectively, that paid dividends.

20 www.nzfisher.co.nz

“

There are a lot of rat kings in the inner sounds, and it takes persistence to find the brutes.

Persistence and fuel.

As time wore on, it was very apparent just how close to the shore you should run to increase the hook-up rate. Very close.

I remember one fight at the Noises, in particular, with some sort of astonished scramble occurring as I cleaned the gear, game-fishing style, fought the ballistic green-yellow torpedo, all the while being pushed further into shore by wind and tide, and somehow managing to keep the alloy hull from contacting the bricks.

We took that lure for the ride of its life,

Bibbed lures also allow you to cover

wriggling away behind many a vessel,

plenty of the water column without

from three-metre death-trap dinghies

the use of downriggers in relatively

named Stugarts to six-metre hardtops.

shallow conditions. As stated, kingfish

Initially, we were pulling mostly rat

love a good bibbed lure and often

kingies, left, right and centre.

fall victim. The main problem lies

This, I can confirm, there are a lot of

in finding a lure that won’t keep

rat kings in the inner sounds, and it

getting ambushed by kahawai, or if

takes persistence to find the brutes.

fortunate enough to be down in the

Persistence and fuel. But persistence

Marlborough Sounds, the ‘snakes’.

and patience are something I have (have

Often this comes down to size, with the

you ever been trout fishing?). After a

larger models putting the unwanted

while, the legal specimen were also

bycatch off – but never completely.

taking a liking to the wriggling plastic,

There’s a lot that can be learned from

and I started to get a bit of an idea where

a fine-tuned sounder, seeing what

these creatures like to reside. Possibly

creatures will rise from the hidden

more of an exception than the rule,

baitfish schools and lone eyebrows

but very often the lures were struck in

appearing on the screen, too, whether it’s

shallow water between three and 60

two metres off of a gut-filled coastline or

metres; it was also rather surprising how

twenty-two kilometres offshore around

many of the strikes occurred two to five

open ocean reefs and islands. Kingfish are

metres from the boat’s stern.

where you find them.

www.nzfisher.co.nz 21

I must say, though, that although this

lures for kingfish – it’s like a bloody

style of fishing is an art form in itself

drug I tell ya, especially because it’s the

and provides an immensely valuable

best method, right?

prospecting method, it never provides

Recently we managed some success in

me with the same fulfillment provided

the Beach and Boat 2017 with a relatively

by taking a kingfish on topwater or jig.

small king, finishing 2nd overall. That has

It does, however, work really well and

given the lads and I something to work

that’s enough for many fishermen. Rather

on for the next couple of tournaments: a

surprisingly, I still have my prospecting

better result – and an idea to document

Rapala – a Blue Mackerel X-Rap Magnum

the process over the coming summer.

30. Maybe I’ll hang it on the shed wall.

Look out YouTube!

For three years now, I’ve been a one-

Finally, my number one piece of

eyed Cantab living in Auckland, and all

advice for catching kingfish? Just a

that hard slog in the Sounds has been

repetition of what many anglers much

filed and is referenced two or three

more knowledgeable than me have

times a week if the weather plays ball.

already said: leave the snapper stick at

My main game has become topwater

home. Just leave it! 

22 www.nzfisher.co.nz

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www.nzfisher.co.nz 23

CHARTERFISHING

Chartered Waters

BY Naomi Peterson

24 www.nzfisher.co.nz

Fishing on a charter will often mean fishing from a bigger boat than your own, which gives the possibility of going places you wouldn’t typically fish, and/or an opportunity to fish a new or different area. It can also be a ‘reccie’, a chance to learn about the area.

T

If wanting to tick off that ‘bucket list’

entertained the idea of paying someone

or whatever else has been on your

to take me fishing. If you own a boat,

mind. If traveling overseas to target

why would you want to pay someone

specific fish, a charter will probably

when you are more than capable of

be your only option. Or, if wanting to

heading out fishing in your boat?

nail that 20 pounder, an experienced

My first three experiences on a fishing

charter skipper who knows where the

charter were because I was fortunate

fish are, and how to catch them, can

to have won the fishing trips. Since

help you achieve that dream. Charter

then, I have paid for six more charters

operators are out there day in and

on different boats. Why? Because I’ve

day out and are often in contact with

come to understand that a fishing

other charter operators. That shared

charter can offer a whole different

knowledge, combined with knowing

fishing experience than just going

where the fish are, understanding

out in your own boat to your same

their behaviours and how to target and

locations can.

catch them, is invaluable.

his year I’ve fished on a couple

fish, a charter can provide you with the

of fishing charters. However, a

chance to do so, too, whether it be the

few years ago I would never have

20lb snapper, a wahoo, yellowfin tuna

www.nzfisher.co.nz 25

CHARTERFISHING

Hooked up!

love to take people fishing. They have An experienced charter operator can teach you certain techniques to target particular species you may have no experience in and want to do on your own boat or provide the chance to try out some specialist/high-end

experience in the particular fishing field and are a wealth of local fishing knowledge who are willing to share if you ask. They will work to ensure your day is enjoyable and try as hard as possible to meet your expectations

fishing gear on board and get advice

(within reason of course!).

on it before splashing out and buying

However, that said, there have been

something similar for your own use.

some charters I have been on where I

It’s also a chance to learn basic boat-

or other anglers haven’t caught a fish.

handling skills, or how to use your

On one of my first charter experiences,

electronics properly. Experienced skippers

I thought “if I was paying for this, I

know how to read their sounders and

don’t think I would be particularly

know what sign to look for.

happy.” Why? Because I only caught

In my experience, the charter boats

sharks. Which in their own right were

I’ve been on are crewed by experts –

a damn good battle on the end of the

dedicated professionals who genuinely

rod, but not what I wanted to catch.

26 www.nzfisher.co.nz

Kingfish

PB kingfish for Denise Bowler with Thomas Maxwell from Epic Adventures

The other anglers were pulling up kingies, bass, and hapuku, and there was me with shark after shark. As it turned out, there were more than enough fish to be shared amongst the group of friends I was with, so I was content with that. I would just have to wait until another day to catch that big hapuku (which, by the way, I still am

PB kingfish for Naomi Peterson with Thomas Maxwell from Epic Adventures

waiting for). [Ed: Noted Naomi – we’ll head deep this year!]

Which makes me wonder: do people ever feel ripped off if they don’t catch anything when on a paying charter? As fishermen, we know that sometimes no matter how hard you try, you can’t even buy a bite. So we understand that’s the nature of fishing. Sometimes you catch a fish, sometimes you don’t.

PB snapper for Naomi Peterson on board Wave Dancer Charters

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FISHINGforFOOD

Ranfurly Bank hapuka

Ranfurly Bank kingfish

Rarotonga yellow fin tuna

28 www.nzfisher.co.nz

In my experience, the day’s catch from

weather, making sure your crew is all

the charter is always shared among all

okay and so on.

the anglers anyway, so you will usually

At the end of the day, you say thanks

end up with some fish to take home. And

very much and walk off with your share

sometimes it’s just about having a great

of the bounty – which, if you’re lucky,

day together with a group of mates, with

has even been filleted for you. There’s

catching fish just a bonus. Aside from

no tidying up the boat and washing it

catching fish, what I’ve also come to like

and the gear down either.

about fishing charters is how hassle-free it is! You just walk on and walk off afterward.

However, if you do decide to try one of the different fishing experiences

There’s no prepping the boat for the

offered by charter operators, do

trip, finding a crew (or having to take

your homework first. Ask around for

out crew who think that just because

recommendations and check them out

you’ve got a boat, you should take

online. If you go with an expert in the

them fishing), filling it up and checking

fishing field with a good reputation,

everything is good to go, deciding

you’re likely to have a thoroughly

where to fish, double checking the

worthwhile experience. 

www.nzfisher.co.nz 29

FISHERIESUPDATE

Legasea Update CRA 2 Campaign Report www.legasea.co.nz

B

etween July 11th and September

the quality and availability of crayfish

3rd, 2017 LegaSea ran a

between Pakiri and East Cape on the

campaign – the ‘Crayfish Crisis’. It

northeast coast of the North Island.

highlighted the collapse of the Crayfish

A three minute video ‘The Tragedy of the

2 (CRA 2) stock and the need for a Royal

Quota Management System’

Commission of Inquiry into the Quota

was published and people were

Management System. This campaign was

encouraged to contact their local MP and

developed following the March 2017

Minister for Primary Industries, Nathan

survey that saw more than 800 CRA 2

Guy, to express their thoughts about

fishers and divers respond. The survey

the ongoing mismanagement of New

revealed an overall dissatisfaction about

Zealand’s fisheries.

30 www.nzfisher.co.nz

The campaign drew mixed and largely predictable reactions: 1. The minister provided assurances that he was aware of the concerns and a scientific survey would be completed later this year.

2. Commercial interests strongly objected to the claims about depletion and/or poor pot lift rates.

3. Non-commercial interests agreed

Respondents to the survey and accompanying campaign provided detailed comments from experienced fishers on how the CRA 2 fishery has changed over time. Their feedback on how the fishery could be managed in the future is a valuable resource that will be used in upcoming discussions.

LegaSea is pleased with the outcomes of the ‘Crayfish Crisis’ campaign and our

that either a seasonal or full closure

ability to reach so many people through

was required to rebuild crayfish

the combined efforts of the New Zealand

abundance and marine diversity.

Sport Fishing Council, LegaSea, the New Zealand Underwater Association, and

More than 780 people emailed their

other partners. We are grateful to all

concerns to MPI Minister Nathan Guy

involved. If you are keen to participate in

and their local MP, advising them that

future surveys and polls, please subscribe

their response to the CRA 2 issue would

to the LegaSea email database at www.

influence how they would vote in the

legasea.co.nz/subscribe/

general election on September 23rd.

Kia kaha. 

Call 0800 LEGASEA (534 273)

Subscribe at www.legasea.co.nz

Email us info@legasea.co.nz

Read more at www.facebook.com/legasea

www.nzfisher.co.nz 31

KAYAKFISHING

Hard Work for Some Outstanding Results on the Viking

BY Lee Kennedy

32 www.nzfisher.co.nz

H

ey, peeps. Well, it’s been a pretty exciting few weeks for me fishing wise; I’ve managed to get out

every single weekend, following two months with no fishing (let’s just say I’m making the most of it!)

So, a few of the lads and I made the most of the crappy weather yesterday and thought we’d try our luck out from Leigh. I’ve been fishing the area over

have to reset your drift multiple times to

the past couple of weeks and found

get onto the spot – there are some really

the fishing very challenging, with the

good fish to be caught!

fish having to be earned. There hasn’t

This was certainly the case this time too,

been a hell of a lot happening in the

with Drew and I fishing this area for quite

area’s shallows, which usually happens

a few hours before it finally produced fish.

around this time of year.

However, Drew lost an absolute stonker

You’ll get the odd moocher hanging

of a fish after a solid 15-minute fight,

around in the shallows, but it’s very hit

thanks to a barracouta damaging his jig’s

and miss. I have a couple of areas that

Kevlar assist rig earlier on!

produce some pretty good fish this time

Quite a few of those scummy bastards

of year (these fish don’t come easy,

are out in the deeper water at the

though), from depths of around 45 to

moment. One other bonus blessing my

55 metres. It’s a bit of a paddle out to

hooks over the past years is blue cod!

this area, and the fish are usually very

These fish are divine eating and seem to

few and far between, especially this time

be in decent numbers out off Leigh; the

of year. In saying that though, if you

one in the photo is just shy of 1.5kg.

take the time to find the fish, use your

Biggest blue cod I have ever caught, and

electronics, grid search, set yourself up

funnily enough, I have a guaranteed

on the right drift direction – even if you

spot for them. Very cool!

www.nzfisher.co.nz 33

TRAVELFISHING

Drew and I worked the 50-metre mark

they snapper? Sure enough, first cast,

most of the day, with our biggest fish

1/2 oz jig head with a Gulp Crazy Legs in

landed on white Beta Bugs (lumo skirt).

‘New Penny,’ and we’re into solid fish!

Then, on returning, we had a crack on

We did the same drift a few times with

some schooling kahawai... Oh my god!

some really good results, but you had to

Thousands of them – but could we

be right on the spot to get them!

catch one? Na, no way. Not through lack of trying, with Drew and I chasing them hard as they busted up, time and time again, to no avail. We only wanted one!

We then tried a spot that I had a few marks on, not too far from the reef in about 25 metres of water. And boy, did we find some real solid dark-red arches over this area. The question was – were

34 www.nzfisher.co.nz

My advice: Take the time, use your electronics, hunt them out, set up a good drift, find out what’s working, and you’ll get them! Just remember, when setting up your drift, even just a few metres could be the difference between you catching fish or catching nothing️.

Give it a go.

Cheers and happy fishing! 

www.nzfisher.co.nz 35

READERPICS

Blair Herbert

Brad Marshall

Connor Tinning

Bryce Helms

Arripis trutta going aerial.

Credit: Orson Waldock

Massive (Bait or dinner?) Squid

36 www.nzfisher.co.nz

Eoghain Waldock

Darren John

Graham Holmes

Gary Royle

Graham Boyd

www.nzfisher.co.nz 37

James Corric

READERPICS

Jeremy Wayne Viall

Jacob Mayers

Joe McLeod

Kyley Harris

McLeod.jpg 38 Joe www.nzfisher.co.nz

Paul Conaghan

Orson Waldock

Ross ‘From the TV’ McNaughton

Jordan Murley

www.nzfisher.co.nz 39

READERPICS Rangi Vallance

Ryan Beeching

40 www.nzfisher.co.nz

The Waldock Lads

Shane Beeching

Saul Harman

Thomas Nehemia

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