NZ Fisher Issue 80

ISSUE 80

June 2018

www.nzfisher.co.nz

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CONTENTS 6.

10.

FAMILY GRASS CARP ADVENTURE

14.

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

SUNSHINE TUNA: 101

GROUP EDITOR / Colin Kennedy ART DIRECTOR / Jodi Olsson CONTENT ENQUIRIES / Phone Derrick on 021 629 327

16.

LEGASEA UPDATE

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

R FIRST BOA G N FOR A YOU BUCK

18.

LET’S GET THIS DONE FOLKS!

NZ LURE MASTERS 2018

20.

READER PICS

47794, Ponsonby 11144 WEBSITE / www.NZFisher.co.nz This is a GREEN MAG, created and distributed without the use of paper so it's environmentally friendly.

Please think before you print. Thank you!

Cover Photo: Mark Pandelidis found it too windy in Wellington for the last week but took the little one out to catch his first Grass Carp at a local pond

24. www.nzfisher.co.nz 3

EDITORIAL

I

’m so pleased to see in the news this

“We have found that it is inevitable

week that the future of the Okura

that increased human activity in

Residential Development has hit a

the vicinity of the Estuary arising

(final?) road bump with the Environment

from urbanisation of the Okura

court denying them the right to build

Holdings Ltd (OHL) land will have

1000 homes on a 180ha development

significant adverse effects on bird

adjacent to the Okura Long Bay Marine

life in the estuary,” the court said.

Reserve. Todd Property’s Okura Holdings

The court said it had considered

had previously sought permission from

Auckland Council’s Unitary Plan

Auckland Council for a 1000 house

objectives and policies relevant to

development on the land but was barred.

marine and birdlife. “We were not

The company then took the issue to the Environment Court.

confident that the OHL proposal would protect marine ecology from adverse effects as required

The Environment Court, in its

by the objectives and policies and

decision, said the Okura Estuary

have identified the need to take

was an important habitat for

a precautionary approach in that

avifauna in the Auckland and the

regard.” It’s a small win for our

wider coastal environment.

Hauraki Gulf marine environment

4 www.nzfisher.co.nz

and we congratulate the Environment

If you’re not already following Tony

Court on their finding. You can

on his ‘Journey of a Fisherman’

find the full story here.

Facebook page, it’s an inspirational

On the water, I was pleased to be at

one to follow. Tony, normally based

the first ‘Lure Masters’ competition last month to both fish, win (a spot prize, but I’m not complaining!) and witness a very stoked chap and his group of mates with whom he shared the winning of the Honda-powered

out of Mangawhai, north of Auckland, takes tours of keen kiwi fishers, along with his partner Bea and son, Sami, to the world’s greatest fishing locations - generally tropical - in search of world-class sportfishing.

Stabicraft main prize. It’s not every

Right now Tony and the team are in

day you see a $50k boat package won.

Guatemala, avoiding the volcanoes,

The event was great and I’m looking

and getting donkey deep in sailfish

forward to competing again next

and mahimahi to name a few. If

year - Wayne and Daniel assure me

you aren’t jealous yet and reaching

it’ll be bigger, better and even more

for your credit-card you will be

valuable to win next time - well done

after watching a few of Tony’s live

on a great event, guys. You can read

feeds on his page - check it out!

Neil’s full write-up later in this issue.

For us mere mortals, gulf work-ups

Winter hit us pretty hard in the last

are just beginning, so there’s a light

few weeks, but while some of us are

at the end of the tunnel, I swear!

suffering loudly, others are heading to the warmer climes to chase sportfish and see some pretty tropical sights.

Tight lines fishos!

Derrick www.nzfisher.co.nz 5

// FAMILY FISHING

Family Grass Carp Adventure The Urban fisher’s answer to Wellington’s bane

BY Mark Pandelidis

6 www.nzfisher.co.nz

W

ellington was living up to

Aaron and his daughter Ainsley,

its windy reputation so we

who were both experts in catching

left the boat at home and

freshwater species including today’s

me and my little boy Theo headed to a local pond to try our hand at something a little different.

target fish, the grass carp.

Our first job was to bring the fish around. Instead of using the usual

Our local is Whitby Lake, a serene

fish berley, we fired out clumps of

setting and a lake long utilised for the

damp breadcrumbs with a slingshot.

enjoyment of families with a passion for

We then baited up a very small hook

fishing. It is a great little spot to take

with a piece of corn, something

the kids fishing, safe sheltered and a

I have never seen used bait, and

playground if the little ones got bored.

cast that out towards where the

Waiting for us was my friend

breadcrumbs had been landing.

www.nzfisher.co.nz 7

// FAMILY FISHING

8 www.nzfisher.co.nz

Now for the waiting game - but before

After a couple of quick photos, as grass

we had a chance to finish counting the

carp are a little fragile, the fish was back

ducks, the rod doubled over and Theo

in the landing net where Theo helped

was hooked up. With some impressive

Aaron to release it back home. Grass

teamwork, Ainsley holding the rod and

carp are used to control weed growth

Theo winding the reel, the two of them

and unlike Koi carp are not a pest or

worked like one to bring a really nice

required to be destroyed when caught.

fish to the edge where Aaron was able

We managed one more fish within the

to net it and bring it on shore.

hour or so that we were there and I

I’d never seen a grass carp myself

went home with one very happy and

and was quite impressed with the

excited little boy having caught his

size and the fact these fish are in

biggest fish to date and something even

such an accessible place. Being a

his dad has never caught before. 

freshwater species, you do need a licence which costs $20 for a day license, or is free for kids on the Fish and Game website.

Mark is a keen Wellington fisher who spends his time chasing sport fish around New Zealand’s Coast. You can follow Mark on his Facebook page ‘Obsession Fishing’

www.nzfisher.co.nz 9

// SPORT FISHING

Sunshine Tuna: 101 It ain’t easy, but it ain’t tough!

10 www.nzfisher.co.nz

Camo-style Viking kayak, a tuna specialty

Daniele with his brace of Tuna

Nice ‘fin!

Jason’s fish for the day - what a screamer!

E

xpat Kiwi Jason ‘Paddle Guy’

place and your there to share it with an

Milne heads up the Viking Kayaks

awesome crew - these guys all meet for

Australia arm of Viking HQ, based

the first time today and now the bond is

on the Sunshine Coast but doesn’t let

strong after some reel screaming fun in

work get in the way of a good fishing

glorious Sunshine Coast conditions.

opportunity. Last week Jason took

Thanks Ken for the heads up on the fish,

out a bunch of newby fishers to chase

big shout out to Daniele not only landing

Northern Bluefin Tuna with spectacular

his first BFT but 2! And both on a $50

results - in Jason’s’ words:

rod and reel combo that is now pretty

“It’s so good when the plan falls into

wrecked after that action!”

www.nzfisher.co.nz 11

// SPORT FISHING

Watch on YouTube 

There a few Kiwi fishers fizzing at the bung seeing this action, but there’s still a few who think Aussie’s (Especially Queenslanders) only fish for brim and barra’s - how wrong can they be!

If you want to know how fast these fish are check out Jason’s video here of the strike and first run 

12 www.nzfisher.co.nz

“

There a few Kiwi fishers fizzing at the bung seeing this action...

www.nzfisher.co.nz 13

// SPEAR FISHING

First Boar for a Young Buck

BY Xavier Allen

14 www.nzfisher.co.nz

A

s a keen young spearo, shooting

I crept up slowly to get a good shot in.

a boarfish always felt well out

I didn’t know how spooky they were or

of my grasp. I always thought

how they might react to seeing a diver

you’d have to be pro, have a five-minute

swimming alongside them. Having

breath hold and be able to reach 30

only taken a 750mm gun, I had to

metres easily to shoot a boarfish.

slowly get as close as possible to make

I remember thinking I had shot and

the most of the shot. As I pulled the

missed a boarfish when I was young;

trigger, I was a mixture of nerves and

it turned out to be a pigfish and I saw

excitement. Adrenaline was rushing

Darren Shields’ boarfish and all the other

through me as well as fear that the

experienced spearos with theirs, but never

shot was going to be bad.

saw a beginner with one. But you never

The shaft went straight through the

know! One day we were out on a scallop

head, almost stone shot it. I shot up to

dive and had our bag limit sorted when

the surface beside my Dad and excitedly

it was time to head back to the boat. I

screamed ‘boarfish’. We put it straight

decided I would stalk the weed line on the

into the float boat with the shaft still

way back, so I swam over to where the

in it. Unbelievably, as I swam back to

sand met the kelp at about ten metres.

the boat still struggling to believe what

I was checking in the seaweed for any

had just happened, I saw another two

butterfish or maybe a small snapper

boarfish in about six metres. I tried to

when suddenly I saw a brown and white

get my dad or cousin to shoot them but

blur swim past in the distance. I surfaced

sadly, they were gone by then.

and my thoughts were racing. Was that a

It just goes to show that with all

boarfish? Surely not, it’s too shallow!

hunting based activities it’s all about

I dove down again and as I descended

being in the right place at the right

all I could think about was shooting a

time, and the right place doesn’t have

boarfish. I got to the bottom and looked

to be 30 metres beneath the surface.

up, sure enough a nice big boarfish was

I’m only a beginner and look what

waiting in the weed line, completely

I managed to pull off. Don’t think

still. My mouth dropped, I couldn’t

that you’re not good enough because

believe what I was seeing.

sometimes you get lucky! 

www.nzfisher.co.nz 15

// FISHERIES MANAGEMENT

Legasea Update

www.legasea.co.nz

I

n just one week, 48 separate

the Director-General Martyn Dunne or

items of news have appeared

Minister Stuart Nash takes action?

in the media pointing to

MPI, now called Fisheries New

leaked reports identifying mass

Zealand, has done its best to hide

fish dumpings, years of non-

a fleet of reports exposing similar

compliance, blatant under-reporting behaviours aboard trawlers working of thousands of tonnes of New in New Zealand waters. Some of the Zealand fish and MPI senior officials

reports are years old. After much

turning a blind eye.

pressure, the Manager of Compliance

Now we learn some commercial

Investigations, Garry Orr, is trotted out

skippers are refusing to take aboard

in the media to defend FNZ’s inaction.

official observers, despite the legal

His explanation was, in short, that

requirement to do so. How much more they were internal reports not meant can we and our fisheries take before

16 www.nzfisher.co.nz

for (prying) public eyes.

Internally FNZ staff must be gutted. It’s

the fishing opportunities for future

not easy tracking what happens at sea

generations the deliberate stonewalling

on non-complying vessels and building a

by FNZ to stall the release of more reports

case to report on the illegalities. Then to

is galling. We know these reports exist,

have their hard work stymied by those

so there is no point in FNZ holding out

in senior positions must, in colloquial

on us because eventually, as our mothers

terms, rip their nightie.

taught us, the truth will come out.

A few years ago the public could easily be

In the meantime, FNZ keeps coming

fooled into thinking the illegal behaviour

back to us as recreational fishers,

was happening aboard foreign-owned

expecting us to accept tighter controls

vessels. With new legislation that

in an effort to rebuild stocks that have

alibi has gone. These are New Zealand

been overfished for years by commercial

permitted operators from some of the

fishers. It is time for FNZ to come clean

country’s biggest fishing companies

and do more to show us that they work

harvesting our common marine resource

in the public interest. FNZ also need

in a quest to maximise profits.

to prove to us that they have indeed

What’s more, this ongoing and deliberate

addressed the problems of chronic

wastage makes a mockery of the slick

wastage and illegal behaviour.

adverts that we see every week in the

There are ingrained, fundamental

media espousing the sustainable practices

problems with the Quota Management

of the commercial fishing industry. No

System and fisheries management that

amount of spin can mask the wanton

are clearly beyond the scope of FNZ to

wastage that has occurred, and every

address. We just need to look overseas

week as the sunlight shines on more

to see there are solutions that could

reports, fewer people will be fooled.

deliver abundance for all, we just need

As recreational fishers and

to have the guts to look beyond our

environmentalists concerned for

current horizon. 

LegaSea is a public outreach initiative of the New Zealand Sport Fishing Council. The Council has an experienced fisheries management, science, policy and legal team. On behalf of the Council LegaSea raises funds and provides public-friendly information about a variety of processes that are important to restoring abundance in our fisheries for future generations.

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 17

// THE BIG CLEANUP

Let’s Get This Done Folks!

T

here’s not a soul alive who hasn’t

What’s encouraging is the recent

seen trash lining the shore of our

groundswell from future-minded

beautiful islands. It doesn’t matter

individuals who’ve taken the bold step of

where you head, you’ll almost invariably

making beach clean-ups an everyday thing

come across trash, either domestic or

and getting their communities involved.

foreign, washed up on the shore. Sadly,

Every day on Facebook, Instagram and

as we ‘progress’ as a society it seems

even mainstream media I’m seeing posts,

there is more and more flowing into the

photos and articles of these great Kiwis

ocean - plenty from Aotearoa too, don’t

doing their bit to help reduce the impact

think we’re immune!

we humans have on our environment.

18 www.nzfisher.co.nz

In Auckland, there are two guys who

On the Coromandel Coast, Rob Fort is

I’m going to label as heroes, who are

one of the crusaders who’s been busy

leading the public charge to clean up

doing his bit for the environment and

the mess of our fellow citizens: Daniel

clearing away a lot of rope and other

Anderton and Thomas Nehemia. These

chaff - byproducts of local marine

two blokes have gone above and

businesses - as he does his bit to keep

beyond to target their local areas, the

the shoreline clear of trash.

beaches they love to fish and some

In an age when nigh on everything is

spots that are less frequented but are

disposable and half the population seem

still in need of our love in the crusade

to want to just be rid of their trash,

against the growing trash issue.

irrelevant of the impact, these guys are

Between them, Daniel and Thomas

making real change. A real highlight

have organised groups on given days

is the enthusiasm shown by the kids

to come together and collectively

that are included - see the pics - they

clean up an area, but each in their own

genuinely want to make a change for the

ways and independently have also just

better - it’s just such a shame this kind

gotten stuck in and got the job done.

of community spirit is even required. 

www.nzfisher.co.nz 19

// LURE MASTERS

NZ Lure Masters 2018

NZ’s first lure only, length measure fishing competition

N

Z Fisher and our Editor, Derrick, have been huge fans of lengthbased competitions that have

run before, but the format and lureonly plan for the 2018 Lure Masters comp really got us interested.

In 2018 there’s a growing desire from some people not to see ‘death piles’ of fish after a big day out - particularly the mass kill-shots at the business end of competitions where there’s a well placed perception that these fish are caught not for sustenance, but for the glory and financial reward.

20 www.nzfisher.co.nz

One of the best in rubbish conditions

It doesn’t get much better than this!

www.nzfisher.co.nz 21

// LURE MASTERS

The Ian Hunt Memorial Trophy, hard fought for

With only two possible winners left, the nerves were tight!

22 www.nzfisher.co.nz

An incredible prize, at $48k - who wouldn’t want to win!?!?

But, we (generally) love pitting our

and while we got a generous feed, we

skills against the best and the rest to

weren’t in the mix for prizes, all of

prove our prowess as mercenary fishers,

which were quality fishing and boating

the ones destined to land the ‘big one’.

tackle courtesy of the competition’s

Beyond just a measure and (if you

main sponsors.

want) release format, the competition

Not all prizes in this comp were for

also forces anglers to work hard to get

caught fish, with the biggest prize,

more than just the ‘big one’, by making

a Stabicraft/Honda package (worth

the premier snapper and kahawai

$48,000) being drawn as a gate prize.

prizes a total length of three of your

While this isn’t unusual, the way in

fish in that category - it’s a fair bit

which the boat was drawn, was.

harder than fluking that on a single

Organisers invited ten randomly

monster and taking all the silverware.

selected punters to the stage to

On the water we had a bit of a tough

compete in a ‘last man standing’ style

time dealing with 40 knot sou’westers

prize draw. Such a cool way and so high

and fish with their mouths firmly shut,

stress (and we were just watching!). 

www.nzfisher.co.nz 23

24 www.nzfisher.co.nz

// READER PICS

Ben’s 25kg Wellington harbour kingfish is an outstanding fish in any area, but a real trophy for this part of New Zealand. Ben describe’s himself as ‘extremely keen’ and by the looks of this fish he’s on the right track to achieving his spearo dreams

A hard fought and long time chased 90mile Trev for North Shore Surfcasting Club member, Kevin Oglesby

Brooke Lee with her first snapper out with beau, Leighton

Apparently this is Bryce Helms with a Pacific Yellowfin Tina, but we’re just not sure who this masked man really is. Nice YFT though!

www.nzfisher.co.nz 25

// READER PICS

George Watson 8kg on 6kg line in the Gulf, not a bad effort at all young man!

Great snapper and nice pic from Brandon Roxburgh

26 www.nzfisher.co.nz

Graham Boyd and a pair of prime Waiheke eaters

Hell of a snap for Micheal Conley on the Kontiki

Jake Clark - BBQ RibMaster and South Island Snapper Slayer

Lee ‘FrewzaYak’ Kennedy trading jaw dropping snapper for tasty tablefish

Jaques Lombard looks pretty damned focused on this Hauraki Gulf king on light gear!

www.nzfisher.co.nz 27

// READER PICS

Lisa Noble in Vanuatu ready to release a Vanuatu Blue

Mark Loper with a chunky jig caught Blue Cod

Miles Rushmer - a hard man to please, trout like these and not even a smile!

28 www.nzfisher.co.nz

Mark Thompson fishing aboard ‘SatFly’ with saltwater fly guide Matt Von Sturmer landed this huge (for fly) snapper from the shallows off Waiheke Island this Autumn

Micheal Conley just about ready to serve up breakfast on Himatangi beach

Matthew Sexton with a wicked haul of Snapper & two Gurnard!

Best of all, he forgot his sinkers so used a pocket knife!

www.nzfisher.co.nz 29

// READER PICS

Rob Henson stoked as with his new PB 17.5kg king from the yak! Great fish Rob!

Peter Otis Yiannoutsos enjoying a flat day chasing puka off the welly coast

Sam Julian with very long arms or two VERY nice kings!

30 www.nzfisher.co.nz

Shane Carter ready to dispatch a lit-up Hawkes Bay king

Shay Ward stoked as with a prime condition Coro kelpie!

Mark Loper showing off a decent Wellington Coast Puka

Nicky and Ritchie with a massive ‘tag-teamed’ Ranfurly Bank kingi

www.nzfisher.co.nz 31

// READER PICS

Stunning pic of a hard jig-caught king by Chris Foster off Mayor

Steven van Schoor with the fish of the day on a gurnard mission!

Zak Mockett - doing his best to play down the size of this huge trev

32 www.nzfisher.co.nz

Beautiful conditioned Salmon for Jason Pullan 12lb+ (11 3/4 gutted) on the fly gear

F

Chris Thomas and 22lbs of Kapiti strayline snapper! Great fish Chris!

Delish Johnny by Jeremy Saunders in the Gulf

Drew Wilkins looking underwhelmed with his PB 24lb Leigh snapper! Hella fish Drew!

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