August 2017 - The Fishing Paper & Hunting News

THE FISHING PAPER - AUGUST 2017

1

www.thefishingpaper.co.nz

THE

FISHING PAPER

&

FREE

August 2017 Issue 143

HUNTING NEWS

AMAZING BAIT Amazing catch!

Jam

es H

ills w

ith a n

ice free r

kour ange Kai

a st

Story page 6!!Ss

Storyu pg 6

Story pg 6

 Cheeky cray  Ticers take salmon  African highlights

POWER, RELIABILITY, ECONOMY there is no better choice.

REPOWER YOUR BOAT BEFORE SUMMER 701 SH1 Koromiko, Blenheim 03 573 7736 72 Grove Road, Blenheim 03 578 0569

ENJOY THE THRILL OF NZʼS NO.1 SKI

ag

2

THE FISHING PAPER - AUGUST 2017

www.thefishingpaper.co.nz

MOBILE RADIOS With Sean Ryan sean@fluidelectronics.co.nz

The Communication Revolution Is here First thing I need to do is to clarify a mistake I made last month’s editorial.

The plan costs I quoted should have said GPS tracking is only an additional $2.25 plus GST per month. While 50 cents a month is not a big amount per vehicle, at least my mistake moves it in the right direction - down. This is especially good since companies are being charged $30 per month just to have each vehicle tracked with no other benefits!

It is exciting to talk to people and see their reaction to new products like our LTE radios. It is obvious that costs for both setting up and maintaining a communications network has been inhibitive for many small to medium sized businesses. Their response has been fantastic as it is just as crucial for them as it is for larger organisations.

Frequently I find I am now speaking to clients who open our meeting with an extensive wish list of features they want from a product. As I sit listening to them describe their needs, I am ticking off the features - they are in fact doing my job for me by describing the product I have brought to discuss with them. A number of companies are getting exactly what they want and at the same time saving themselves tens of thousands of dollars before they even start the process.

A question many people ask is why these radios are so reliable when the voice and internet can at times be so congested.

Broadband is on the 4G network and ‘voice for calling’ is on the 3G network, both of which have issues at peak times with overloading. However the LTE radios

operate on the Vodafone 2G data network so it does not compete with 3G and 4G network users. When the other networks are frustrating its users, 2G is in cruise mode.

Even when they get to 160,000 users they have massive ability to add a huge amount of capacity to the network.

I can write lots about these radios but the best way to find out exactly what they do is to call me for a demonstration. I can come to you with the ‘push to talk’ (PTT) fleet managers option on my mobile phone, the dispatch software working live on my laptop, and radios you can interact with on the spot. There are fresh GPS tracking data and call logs created in front of you. We have set things up so that businesses can have a two day realistic live trial, including a range of accessory options. This will let you see how effective these radios can be for your company communications and the efficiencies they can bring.

If these radios already tick all the boxes but you have not used this form of communications for your company in the past because it is a big financial commitment, then take advantage of an option to lease the various radios over three years for between $41 and $48 per month.

This price includes your monthly plan costs.

For bigger companies there is the option to introduce these radios into particular sectors of your business e.g., if you are carting logs across the island but still need to retain your bush radios, LTE easily fill the gap once dominated by Team Talk and Fleetlink and at substantial savings. It costs nothing to call me and find out more!

NATIONWIDE

RADIO COVERAGE

For 14.75 $

per month*

Not all whitebait nets are born equal On the face of it, whitebaiting seems a straightforward process but, in reality, there are many intricacies that determine success and impact on the overall catch rate in any given season. When the whitebait are running you need assurance that your nets are going to stand up to robust usage and, conversely, when the fishing is slow, you want to be sure the nets are fishing effectively and that you are catching what is there. Which brings us to the nub of the whitebait dilemma and that is, not all whitebait nets are born equal.

Netting Supplies have been manufacturing whitebait nets for New Zealand conditions for over 35 years and are the experts when it comes to the art of catching whitebait.

They understand that the net is the key link between the fisher and a feed of bait or the catch of the season, so years of experience, product knowledge, and expert workmanship go into each net. Purchasers of a Netting Supplies net can be reassured they have made the right investment; there is no better net on the market than these quality made premium New Zealand made whitebait nets.

As with every other conceivable consumable, Chinese made whitebait nets are flooding the market, with some retailers pushing these ahead of the more expensive New Zealand brand, but the savings are superficial. Pam Clyne from Netting Supplies says that cost alone should not be a key criteria when looking for a whitebait net, but quality and efficacy should be foremost in people’s mind.

Netting Supplies uses top quality materials in the nets and it does make a huge difference to both performance and wear. The use of premium English Ulstron

polypropylene for its superior strength and lighter weight means Netting Supplies nets don’t restrict current flow like some cheaper brands. The upshot is you can manoeuvre the net more easily, it requires less energy to use, and you can fish for longer without suffering fatigue. This inevitably results in more fish caught.

Pam says the real savings come with purchasing quality in the first place.

“A customer recently brought a net in for repairs; a rat had chewed a hole in the end. He’d owned the net for eight years and it was still going strong, which is more than he could say for his mate’s ‘cheaper’ Chinese knock off.”

Her customer relayed that the cheaper net lasted one season at a cost of $200, whereas his had so far cost the equivalent of less than $50 a season! Pam says it’s important to care for your net: all nets should be rinsed and dried before storing in a cool dark place. Some customers who have looked after their nets carefully have had them for 8-12 years.

View their full range of New Zealand made nets, accessories, materials and stockists at www.nettingsupplies.co.nz Get online and secure your NZ made net now!

www.nettingsupplies.co.nz

Set Nets

Deluxe Floating Screen

Akura Sock

+gst

Give us a call - Belong to the future

Waitoto Sock

Belt Bag

FREE

Bucket Bag

* T&C’s Apply

Marine Electronics Home Automation Land Mobile Radio

022 157 4241 Sales, Installations, Service, Support

email: info@fluidelectronics.co.nz

Scoop Nets

with every Netting Supplies sock net purchased - just mention this ad!

*Bucket not included

HURRY! This offer ends 31 August.

Suppliers of aluminium mesh and English Ulstron netting. For more info on sizes and models visit www.nettingsupplies.co.nz

NETTING SUPPLIES QUALITY NEW ZEALAND MADE WHITEBAIT NETS

www.nettingsupplies.co.nz Phone 027 668 7378

www.thefishingpaper.co.nz ISSUE 143 - THE FISHING PAPER 3

THE FISHING PAPER - AUGUST 2017 3www.thefishingpaper.co.nz

Diving in May for a cheeky cray

Bryn Williams

I

t was early May and a spell of cold southerlies earlier in the week had dusted the Seaward Kaikoura Range with a blanket of snow. Being a bluebird day, not a cloud in the sky, the surroundings were spectacular.

Strangely though, Roos and I were not drawn to the mountains, but the stunning coastline and what might lie beneath the surface of the ocean.

We were excited to get in the water because there is always something new to experience around Kaikoura: a new reef to discover, a new crayfish ledge, or a new field of butterfish. Each dive is uniquely different.

As I submerged, Roos followed and we turned and headed out to our dive spot. The water wasn’t as clear as we hoped; although the sea was calm, it hadn’t quite settled, so there was plenty of sand and sediment floating about. The currents around the rocks were strong and finding fish to shoot was tough going. The usual spots that harbour good numbers of fish were practically empty. A few smaller fish here and there but the bigger fish, I assumed, were just beyond the available visibility.

After half an hour of snooping around it was evident that the focus of the dive needed to switch from shooting fish to hunting for crayfish.

Even though the visibility was only a couple of metres, it was enough to dive down the sides of rocky structures, scouring for cracks and

ledges that crayfish love. Equalising my ears on the way down, I was stoked to see a decent overhang that sheltered a few crayfish. I settled into a decent position and easily grabbed a crayfish. A little too easy I thought, and sure enough upon turning the crayfish over it was a female in berry. Carrying all the eggs under their tail makes them slower and generally found in easier to reach places. Because of their

After a considerable effort and some searching - a legal lobster vulnerability and being in a crucial stage of their spawning cycle, there is a strict no take policy enforced by fisheries management.

Diving a couple more structures, I found more crayfish but suffered the same outcome. It was just that time of year. When the crayfish are in berry, there is really nothing

you can do. As divers, it’s in our best interest to leave them alone, as they are playing a vital role in the regeneration of future crayfish stocks. This dive was looking like it would end quite unsuccessfully, but I couldn’t resist one more attempt to find a legal crayfish.

Persistence paid off. I changed tactics and, at the next hole that held 5-6 crayfish, I grabbed the crayfish chilling at the back, thinking it may be a buck enjoying the companionship of multiple females in berry. After turning it over, I was stoked to see it wasn’t full of eggs. It was, however, a female and not a buck. After measuring the crayfish to be sure it was legal, it was put in the catch bag, destined for the the table!

I left Roos in charge of clipping its telson fin. In the Kaikoura region it is compulsory all recreationally caught crayfish have their telson fins clipped before coming ashore.

This measure helps MPI stop the black market sales of crayfish; if a restaurant crayfish has a clipped telson, it has obviously been bought on the black market and not through correct commercial procedures. It also suggests that if a recreational diver is caught with unclipped crayfish, they could be supplying the black market. It makes perfect sense and I believe the rule should be applied nationally.

Say good-bye to flat cell phones & laptops!

Charging your cell phone and laptop out on the boat or in the bush can be a nightmare.

But none of us goes anywhere without our phones so finding a way to charge them is vital.

Powertech Nelson has the perfect answer – a portable lightweight but powerful petrolpowered generator from one of the best brands on the market, Honda.

Well-known for superior durability and performance, Honda generators are ideal for both domestic and leisure use.

Quiet and clean, the EU20i delivers quality electricity. It also gives a true sine-wave stable output which makes it perfect for sensitive electronic devices like phones and computers.

It will even run battery chargers.

Campervan, motorhome and caravan owners love the EU20i because they can plug them into the unit to recharge their vehicle’s batteries. Plus, it’s small enough to fit into travel compartments on boats and choppers,

and in campervans.

The EU20i boasts up to 15 hours’ continuous operation, is whisper quiet and extremely fuel efficient thanks to the built-in eco throttle.

The unit has a GX100 recoil start engine, will let you know when the oil is running low and, says Powertech Nelson’s Simon Topp, is extremely easy to look after and maintain.

Buyers of this best-selling model report that it is very reliable, easy to start and extremely quiet. “Low maintenance and a delight to use,” are just some of the owners’ comments.

Usually the EU20i retails for just under $3000 but as a special offer only for readers of The Fishing Paper and Hunting News, you can take one home for just $2,195. Powertech will even throw in free freight (except if you live on Chatham or Stewart Islands, or on a rural delivery run).

Take advantage of this generous offer and call Powertech Nelson today on 03 541 0580 or visit www.powertechnelson.com.

Power wherever and whenever you need it...

EU20i GENERATOR FEATURES • 8 amp/12 volt DC max 2000/240V • Whisper quiet operation • Portable & lightweight • Up to 15 hours operation

FISHING PAPER READERS SPECIAL

$2,195 normally $2,999 GST incl

(while stocks last)

• Fuel efficient • Superior durability & performance

OVER

$800

Free freight but excludes Chatham & Stewart Islands & additional rural delivery fee applies

Ph 03 5410580 www.powertechnelson.co.nz

SAVE

RY RA STO

KAIKOU

Roos has an eye for dinner.

4

THE FISHING PAPER - AUGUST 2017

www.thefishingpaper.co.nz

STORY Luke with a mega 24lb snapper taken slow jigging the shallows.

Slow jigging winter shallows Luke Dell

Too much work and no fishing is not a good mix, so when I heard Jesse Crasborn was back ashore from his latest commercial trip I gave him a call.

“Mate, I need time out!” And he was good to go.

It was an odd one for Jesse because we headed to d’Urville Island over a weekend, whereas he normally prefers midweek jaunts. There was quite a flotilla over the snapper grounds and we chipped away over our usual spots, but it was definitely a sluggish start.

Then Jesse noticed the sea temperature was a degree warmer than normal, so it was time to think outside the square. We moved to shallower water and it was a game changer. Within half an hour we were on to fish big time; I have never experienced snapper fishing like it. All three of us on board were fishing a variety of slow jigs, with me on the Shimano Bottom Ships. I have two rigs set up to cover the conditions: a 4 - 8kg set rigged with 20lb braid and one rigged with 10lb. I always use fluorocarbon trace because of its abrasion resistance, with my preference for big snapper to be 30lb. It does pay to check your trace for any nicks or abrasion regularly, because you don’t want to risk a bust off when you hook into that monster of a lifetime. I would change

my trace five to 10 times a day. I always carry a variety of slow jigs ranging from 100g - 200g and use what best suits the tide and current. You don’t want them too heavy but you also can’t have them sluicing off at an angle and never getting to the bottom.

In this instance, none of the jigs hit the bottom and it had nothing to do with the weight. The snapper were going mental and smashing the jigs on the way down. It got to the point we’d let the jigs descend and just wait for the things to suddenly speed up, then you’d lock and load. It was frenetic, all three of us loading up at the one time, with big reds thumping and nodding and giving us a real workout on light tackle.

The beauty of fishing in quite shallow was we were able to release the majority of the fish with the knowledge they’d survive the terrors of barotrauma. And none of these fish were small, ranging in size from 12lb to 24lb.

After 40 minutes the fish were still going nuts but we noticed the flotilla bearing down on us, so it was time to relocate and target the kingies. It was a brilliant fishing fix that made a return to work slightly more bearable.

Working together for blue cod

At the beginning of July 2017, The Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) held the first expert workshop in Christchurch to begin developing the National Blue Cod Strategy www. mpi.govt.nz/bluecod. The National Blue Cod Strategy will provide a consistent management framework that will improve fisheries currently under pressure and protect fisheries that are performing well.

The people invited to take part in the expert workshops are highly experienced fishers or consultants in either the customary, commercial or recreational space. Their expertise is being used by MPI to help inform and develop the National Blue Cod Strategy. They are not considered sector representatives.

As a first stage of developing the National Blue Cod Strategy, the experts were tasked with: • Identifying the overall problem facing the blue cod fishery (Problem definition).

• Defining what we want to achieve (Aim).

• Defining what we need to do to get there (Objectives).

The expert group recognised that blue cod fisheries in some areas are under pressure and in some places, fishers are telling us numbers are low. The experts also identified that there are different rules in different places and no joined-up approach, so it can be hard to react quickly enough to deal with these pressures.

MPI wants to work together with all sectors, communities and tangata whenua to deliver abundant and sustainable blue cod fisheries for all. There are a few steps involved in how to achieve this goal, and we’ll need your help in getting there.

First, we need to gather the right information. Information is the bedrock of any fisheries management system. We need the right information and science, and we need to figure out the best way to get it. Next, we’ll need to set the right targets. Setting targets for fish stocks is about making sure we’re keeping stocks at sustainable levels that are right for the fishery and the people using it. We’ll also need to look at the current rules and make changes where appropriate to make sure they are effective, understood and consistent. Decision making is a key part of the process. We need a framework to drive good, consistent decision-making and to make sure decisions are made on time.

Finally, if this is going to work, we need everyone to come along and understand their responsibility to our blue cod fisheries. We will shortly be reaching out to fishers, tangata whenua, and the general public. This will involve public drop-in sessions, club meetings and an online survey to gather feedback on what the experts have developed so far, and to gather your thoughts about your local blue cod fishery.

To keep up to date and find out when to have your say, visit www.mpi.govt.nz/bluecod, follow one of our four MPI Fisheries regional Facebook pages, or email recfishingteam@mpi.govt to receive fishing related email updates in your area. We look forward to hearing from you soon and working together for shared sustainable fisheries.

Crimpy to compère Labour Weekend activities in Westport Charlie Bruning

Daryl Crimp (Crimpy) is returning to the birthplace of his cartoon caricature Wacka Murphy to rekindle his years as a teacher at Westport’s North School and times as MC for the early Whitebait Festivals held in Westport in the late 1980s.

On leaving Westport, Crimpy travelled the world and then reinvented himself as The Mad Chef, while owning and operating the Brown House Restaurant in Nelson. This crazy period, as New Zealand’s answer to Basil Fawlty, proved the launchpad for a freelance

Garry Howard, Charlie Bruning and Peter Campbell filleting Whitebait under the watchful eye of Daryl Crimp (Crimpy), Judge of the early whitebait festivals run in the late 1980s

career in writing, radio, television, and cartooning, during which Crimpy authored and illustrated over 20 books, including a series of very popular cookbooks. Not surprisingly, his recipe books feature iconic recipes on how to cook whitebait.

As editor and owner of The Fishing Paper & Hunting News, Crimpy continues to break new ground, with a new look smartphone friendly edition being launched recently. At the download of an app, The Fishing Paper & Hunting News can now been viewed on smart phones and tablets, which means New Zealand’s most popular outdoor publication can now be read anywhere, anytime, and right around the world in digital format.

“I am delighted and humbled to be asked to return to Westport during Labour Weekend, for the Westport North School 75th Reunion centred on the Whitebait Festival activities,” Crimpy says. “My days in the Buller were a formative part of my career and a time I treasure immensely.”

Chairperson of the Westport North School Reunion Committee Phyl Phipps said the dates for festivities are Friday the 20th to Sunday the 23rd October 2017, starting with registrations in the Westport North School library with an open invitation to join classes with present

day pupils and teachers. A social evening is planned at Club Buller for the Friday evening.

Saturday there is time for shopping, a class photo session and assembly, with school lunch pack provided and time to watch Buller play a game of rugby.

The Whitebait Festival starts with the wearable arts parade on Palmerston Street.

Our celebrity host for the reunion, Crimpy will compère the Whitebait Pattie Cook Off and Whitebait Filleting Competition.

Mrs Phipps said the Whitebait Festival works well with those wishing to return to Westport for a fun weekend with their families and it also gives locals a chance to showcase their town. We are so pleased to have Crimpy agree to return to the birthplace of his cartoon caricature Wacka Murphy for this special occasion.

After the Whitebait Festival, reunion goers will be placed in era groups and adjourn to various restaurants for their formal banquet.

Sunday is another full on day with the Westport North School Gala Celebrating 75 years of schooling in Westport and in the afternoon we have a Variety Concert at the NBS theatre show casing some of Buller’s talent. The weekend activities wind up with a Farewell Smorgasbord at Club Buller.

5

THE FISHING PAPER - AUGUST 2017

STORY

www.thefishingpaper.co.nz

The day produced Jordan's biggest cod.

The old man & the sea Murray Doig

Protected to some degree by the weather and the distance offshore, The Strawberry Patch is one of Canterbury’s iconic sea fishing destinations. When weather windows allow, it is easy to get one’s bag limit of school groper in a short time, and then it is time to go prospecting for other table fish.

My 13-year-old grandson Jordan Grose is a keen young fisher and never baulks at a chance to go fishing with me, so leaving Lyttelton aboard Tight Lines on a calm morning during April, we were both fired with enthusiasm and anticipation of what the day would bring.

Jordan was using his Shimano Tekota 800 running baited dropper rigs with lumo

Tarakihi - another first for Jordan.

tubes, while I have recently switched to jigging for the groper using a Shimano Talica 20.The Strawberry Patch predominantly fishes well for school groper and jigging lumo long jigs has proved incredibly effective, enticing a strike on almost every bite.

This trip was to prove a magic occasion, with the weather producing idyllic conditions that led Jordan to having a day to remember: he caught his first groper, his first tarakihi, and his biggest blue cod to date.

Such moments are magical and memory making in the process.

No doubt the young fella will be looking to ‘the old man and the sea’ for another adventure sometime soon.

6

THE FISHING PAPER - AUGUST 2017

www.thefishingpaper.co.nz

From the dark sanctuary below the cages Tyler McBeth

Rod in hand, camo backpack full of tackle, I caught myself staring at the vast expanse of the Ohau A Canal. The air was warm and muggy but a chilly cold breeze still intermittently danced across the surface of the deep turquoise hydro canals. The sounds of gulls squawking, shags diving, and the occasional car driving along

the road filled my ears. I set off, walking along the dry, golden grasses and large stones that lined the canals.

As I approached the steel structures built on top of the canal, I heard the violent splashing of trapped salmon being fed nutrient enriched pellets. The amount of pellets workers throw into these pens truly reflects on the size of the inhabitants that dwell beneath. Colossal trout that can weigh over 40lb wait anxiously for ‘left overs’ to fall through the net. I was

Putting together an effective float rig is a bit like baking a cake; you need the right ingredients just happy being there; a large trout or salmon would be a bonus. I picked up my pace, walked for a hundred metres before pausing and

watching as enormous trout breached the surface, one after another. These behemoth browns and rainbows had me eager to get a float rig on and start fishing.

Picking a suitable float to fish certain conditions can take time, depending on how many floats you have.

Rummaging through my float tube, a small dumpy orange tipped float caught my eye.

“There!” I said to myself and put aside a 7BB Float.

Putting together an effective float rig is a bit like baking a cake; you need the right ingredients, otherwise the end result can be underwhelming. The 7BB float was heavy, with enough shot capacity

Hunting Tin Signs - The Perfect Gift For the hunting fanatic in your life We have just received our latest shipment of signs and to kick it off we have a brand new range of hunting signs. The perfect gift for the outdoors enthusiast. There are heaps to pick from. You can also choose from cars to fishing, to vintage garage signs. There is a theme to suit any ‘Man Cave’, shed, bach or bar. The range is huge and there are heaps of themes.

Come on in and check them out.

From only $30, these signs make amazing gifts, but hurry, they are going fast.

Available from Ellis Street Auto, Ph 03 542 4035 104a Ellis Street, Brightwater, Nelson

Specialists in all types of marine repairs, sales and service

AIMEX LTD

to get the hook bait down to the desired depth quickly while still allowing the bait to flutter naturally in the current. Dinsmores super soft split shots allow weight to be easily attached on my mainline without damaging it. At the business end, I attached a hair-rigged artificial pellet on a size 6 wide gape carp hook. The benefit of using a hair rig is so that your hook is completely exposed, which provides the best hooking potential. I set the depth of my float rig to around 8 foot.

Once cast, the float trotted close to the blue rafts on the outside of the salmon farm. Within seconds, the bait was snatched and the float vanished. Like chemical memory, I lifted the rod, suspecting a giant

Sucker shrimps for mega monsters (front cover story) Charles Smith

ST O RY

This mega monster sucked in an Amazing Baits shrimp.

SERVICE GROUP

137 Vickerman St, Port Nelson 03 548 1439 nick@aimex.co.nz

trout. It began shaking its head and charged like a stampeding horse down the canal. After a rather hairy tussle, a 12lb well-conditioned hen rainbow was in my grasp. After our brief encounter, it was time to say goodbye. I slipped the rose-flanked beast from the net where it had been resting for a few minutes, only to be gifted with a face full of brown didymo and cold water as the slate grey shape sped off, heading back into the unknown.

Hours melted like minutes.

Several large rainbow fell victim to my artificial pellet hook bait but it wasn’t until a cast landed within a few inches of the rickety metal farm, that I knew I had a chance at hooking something special. Like a

After a cup of hot coffee and a Fairlie Bakery ultimate steak pie (best pies EVER!), we continued on to the Mackenzie canals in the early hours of the morning, arriving at our intended area before sunrise.

Very clear water conditions this season have required us to be adaptive, to best fish the conditions. Being setup and fishing as the light is just hitting the water is imperative.

This season Amazing Baits have brought out a selection of soft shrimps in various colours, These lures, I believe, provide a great alternative to fishing conventional shadshaped soft plastics and egg variants, with big fish being real suckers for them. Rigging them with a hook no larger than a #10 for down there, Amazing Baits Kumho single hooks are perfect for this, with razor sharp tips and and strong hook. For fresh water, I prefer to use

the Dropshot or Carolina rig keeping the lure on the bottom and moving with the current works the best.

It was only a few casts into the morning when Nik Christidis and I were onto some quality trout using the new shrimps, with Nik landing a a great hen rainbow at 20lb (main picture), well worth getting up early for.

Big fish are suckers for Amazing Baits shrimps.

7

THE FISHING PAPER - AUGUST 2017

heron watching a lost smelt drift into its strike zone, my eyes were glued to the orange tip of the float. In less than 10 seconds, the float twitched and disappeared. I flicked over the bail arm and pulled the line taut. As soon as my hook set, my rod tip bent and nodded violently as line screamed off my reel and the heavy-set fish sought refuge underneath the salmon cages.

Then everything went slack. I felt numb at the thought of losing another great fish.

Slowly, I retrieved my slack line, noticing that it was now kiting to the left. My heart beat rose and, eventually, I laid my eyes on the brute. Flailing on the surface, I marvelled

at the sight of the silver flanks of this brown trout, with a small head and a belly the size of a tench ready to spawn. It weighed over 10lb.

The fish was released after a few photos. Oil from its last meal spilled from its tiny hooked mouth and pulsing gills, leaving a rather interesting trail as it slowly made its way to the dark sanctuary below the cages. Having ended a memorable fight, I felt no need to continue fishing the canals, so I broke down my rod, picked up my bag and net, and started walking, pleased to have experienced the unique fishery of the canals.

Similar does not mean the same We at Edward Gibbon assure our clients and general public that we sell only 100% genuine industry standard-approved products.

Saving a few dollars on poor quality products at the outset could cost you in the long run.

Make sure you do it right the first time.

Edward Gibbon is a New Zealand owned nationwide company stocking quality and reputable plumbing and bathroom fittings.

We provide friendly, honest advice and even secret fishing spots.

Call one of our team today.

Visit our website to find an Edward Gibbon showroom near you.

www.plumbingplus.co.nz

www.thefishingpaper.co.nz

8

THE FISHING PAPER - AUGUST 2017

BIG BERTHA sends shivers

www.thefishingpaper.co.nz

STORY

Dylan Booth

It was one of those days fishing at the Mackenzie Country canals with my good friends I’ll never forget.

I was fishing for big trout on my ultra-light set up and was drifting Globug trout flies along the dam wall. Suddenly I had a big tug, I set the hook into something seriously big. Within seconds I had lost plenty of line so I had to think quickly. I ran up to the bar along the side of the wall and tried to turn this big fish but that didn’t work, it just kept running. I couldn’t do anything so I walked with it, the fish jumped clean out of the air like a flying fish!

I was gobsmacked how big this fish was!

The fight was truly a battle between two legends.

The fish didn’t want to give up and neither did I. I managed to turn the fish’s head out of the current and get it into the slack water. After a long fight it was finally landed. The fish weighed a whopping 28lbs, yet again another monster fish I’d caught.

We got a lot of photos and videos clips then let the big brute go home. Even now, while I write this story, I get shivers from how hard the fish pulled. It’s something all fishermen dream, to land something that big, a true fisherman’s tale.

Dylan with one serious fish.

It’s the connection that counts factory

direct

sales

on behalf of their owners

D

SOL 750HT as new

380S as new

580C well loved

D

SOL

495C as new

More stock arriving soon, including a 2016 Osprey 800 Walkround WRHT x 2.800m wide. Owner trading up.

Enquire now about our great deals on ALL MODELS at Osprey Factory Direct - 26 Echodale Place, STOKE

www.osprey.co.nz - ph: 03 548 7887

Lee Rayner who caught this excellent brown trout on Black Magic 4kg+ SSP Fibre Glide 4kg+ and Black Magic 8lb Fluorocarbon says, “SSP casts like a rocket and delivers so much feel.”

It’s often said you can have the best rod and reel, but it’s the things that actually connect you to the fish that are most critical, and sometimes they’re overlooked by anglers. Good lures and hooks are important of course but it’s your line and leader that take most of the stress and wear.

When it comes to freshwater fishing, Black Magic has had increased interest in their SSP™ Fibre Glide combined with their fluorocarbon tippet. Much of this has been based around the North Island rivers and lakes, and of course the very popular canal fishing in the central South Island.

SSP™ Fibre Glide For those who haven’t used SSP, it’s a single strand of PE line which is normally used in the manufacture of braided lines. Braid is made up of several woven strands of PE line.

The single strand gives you a fine but comparatively strong line. It’s much smoother too and what all anglers notice on their first cast is how much extra distance they get with relative ease, even with lighter lures. It has one metre markings which act as a great

bite indicator when required. Given it’s not a braided line, it can show signs of fraying after some use. Although this doesn’t significantly detract from the strength, most anglers trim the last couple of metres off when required.

SSP™ Fibre Glide is available in 4kg, 6kg and 8kg with all three options testing slightly above these specified breaking strains.

Fluorocarbon Tippet This is the ideal leader to use with Fibre Glide. It ticks all the boxes you’d expect when it comes to good quality fluorocarbon including excellent knot strength and abrasion resistance, and it has no reduction in breaking strain in water. Equally important is the fact that it has a refractive index that is very close to water making it nearly invisible to the fish you are targeting. It’s available in 4lb, 6lb, 8lb, 10lb and 12lb.

In essence, the combination of Black Magic’s SSP™ Fibre Glide and fluorocarbon tippet not only provide superior casting distance, but more critically they give the angler more confidence when that big fish strikes.

factory

direct OUTBOARD SALES AND SERVICE NEW AND SECOND HAND MOTORS SERVICING ALL MAKES AND MODELS

sales

on behalf of their owners

DEMO BOAT FOR SALE

D

SOL

Osprey 550c, 2016, Suzuki 115 four stroke, Garmin 95sv, GPS/ sounder combo with CHIRP transducer, only 25 hrs.

750HT as new

$55,495

www.theoutboardshop.co.nz Phone (03) 5487858 • Mobile (027) 7474566 26 Echodale Place, Stoke, Nelson

380S as new

580C well loved

D

SOL

495C as new

More stock arriving soon, including a 2016 Osprey 800 Walkround WRHT x 2.800m wide. Owner trading up.

Agent for

Enquire now about our great deals on ALL MODELS at Osprey Factory Direct - 26 Echodale Place, STOKE

www.osprey.co.nz - ph: 03 548 7887

9

THE FISHING PAPER - AUGUST 2017

www.thefishingpaper.co.nz

10 THE FISHING PAPER - AUGUST 2017

www.thefishingpaper.co.nz

Captain’s Log: Beam me up spotty

Welcome NZ Rock Lobster Industry Council

Since its inception 12-years-ago, The Fishing Paper & Hunting News has always been a portal through which all fishing and hunting disciplines can be discussed, promoted, and celebrated. While there is an obvious recreational bias, the commercial sector has always been welcome within our pages and, as editor, I have never ascribed to the ‘them and us’ camp of commercial bashers and cynics. Because of this, The Fishing Paper & Hunting News has earned certain credibility and I am proud of some of the feedback I have received from the commercial quarter, like, “Crimpy doesn’t bag us like other recreational media, but gives us a fair go.”

The reasons I have adopted this stance are many. First

and foremost, we need a commercial fishing industry always have and always will do. My 16-year-old daughter got her first job this year, on her own merits, working for Guyton’s Fishmongers.

I am so proud of her and thankful to the industry for the opportunity they have given her. I buy my oysters from Guyton’s, along with turbot and other delicacies I don’t catch myself. And I like fish ’n’ chips.

I do not believe there is any point bitching about the past and continually slagging off the commercial sector for the bad old pirate days, because that is so old news. And I don’t see any value in the combative politics of some recreational lobby groups because its tired, ineffective, and redundant methodology. The modern playing field has moved on

and progress is now driven through collaborative process and compromise.

I also believe in the shared fishery concept and don’t think for a moment we should have unfettered access to it; we make up just 13% of users! The commercial sector also contributes millions to research and management initiatives whereas us recreational fishers have no real idea of our impact and contribute diddly-squat to research.

But perhaps the biggest reason I keep an open mind is the industry is made up of real people like you and me.

Predominantly, they are trying to do the right thing and many of them contribute in ways we need hear of. Most of them are good bastards you’d enjoy having a beer with. So, with this in mind, I welcome Daryl

Sykes from the New Zealand Rock Lobster Industry Council (NZ RLIC) on board with a regular monthly column.

The NZ RLIC is an umbrella organisation for nine regional organisations known as CRAMACs, which operate in each of the rock lobster (CRA) management areas of New Zealand. CRAMAC membership comprises CRA quota owners, processors, exporters, and fishermen (quota share owner-operators and Annual Catch Entitlement (ACE) owners) in each region.

The NZ RLIC provides representation and advocacy on behalf of the lobster industry across a range of issues and in dealings with Government agencies and a range of interest groups.

The NZ RLIC retains a small number of skilled and experienced fisheries and

Daryl Sykes

business managers in house and contracts additional science and policy advice as required. The NZ RLIC is a foundation member of the Commercial Fisheries Forum which brings all fishing

industry sector groups – inshore finfish, deepwater, paua and rock lobster – into a collective and collaborative representation of fishing industry interests.

Black Gnat - God’s great wee fly

Frank Cartwright

The Southland town of Gore is central to many top trout streams, with most of them no more than a half hour drive away. After dithering about what stream I should fish, I decided to have a crack at the Mataura River, upstream and adjacent to the Hokonui HilIs. These steeply undulating hills once secreted an illicit whisky distillery, which operated about a century ago until busted by police, who simply followed a distillery pack horse back to its stable. Folklore has given the whisky a certain notoriety, which the late folk singer Phil Garland, exemplified in his ballad The Hokonui Hills The Mataura brown trout

fishery is splendid and world renowned to the extent the town of Gore unashamedly proclaims itself to be The Brown Trout Capital of the World. To reinforce this claim, the good people of Gore erected a monstrous

fibreglass statue of a leaping brown trout at the intersection of two highways to ensure everyone gets the message. Whether or not Gore is the world’s brown

The Constant Angle Knife Sharpening System

trout capital is a matter of conjecture, but the late, great, angler-cum-author Zane Grey did state several decades ago, the river was in his opinion, the finest brown trout fishery in the world.

A fine day in Southland is not an everyday occurrence but when Southland does turn it on, it is truly delightful and I was lucky enough to enjoy top weather for four fabulous days. From dawn to dusk it was full sun with scarcely a breath of wind.

I could not have ordered better weather and taking full advantage of it, I made my way to where a coal-seam reef runs bank-to-bank across the river. Quite curiously, the Mataura River has a number of lignite coal reefs at various locations along its length and they are well worthwhile sussing out to fish, as they provide excellent habitat for trout.

Based on past experience, I selected a Black Gnat #16 dry fly to fish the reef, popped up on a shortish cast, just beyond the ripple running down the true left

PRECISION SERIES The indexed rotating clamping system 3 angle adjustments 12˚, 20˚, 25˚.

Your knife is always in the same place.

SALT & FRESHWATER FISHING ELECTRONICS SAFETY CHANDLERY ROPE HARDWARE POOLS, SPAS & SAUNAS WATER PUMPS

A fine Mataura brown released. Photo Graeme Watson

bank. This spot has always paid dividends but if the fish are a bit picky, I add a nymph on a short dropper tied beneath the dry fly.

On the day in mention, the fish were proving to be extremely picky. My offerings were being consistently ignored, but after I added a Royal Wulff to the trace, I

hooked, played and landed a 1.5 kg jack trout - not on the Royal Wulff - but on the Black Gnat! Feeling quite triumphant I kept the trout for dinner that night.

Several casts later I was into another good trout, which was released after a brief dash downstream and this was the pattern for the

WHITEBAIT WHITEBAIT NETS FROM UNDER

100 $ 400 $

TO OVER

DIVING OUTDOOR

High grade stainless steel, hygienic, easy care.

Deluxe precision kit pictured

Talk to the manufacturer toll free

0800 175 720

See our website for the full range

www.scarysharp.co.nz

MOTORHOMES CLOTHING KAYAKS SET NETS HIRE

Check out our awesome Facebook specials.

38 Grove Road, Blenheim - 03 578 9960

jhendersons@xtra.co.nz facebook.com/HendersonsLtd

rest of the day. It was just a matter of popping up a cast just beyond the start of the ripple, letting the flies dead drift and lifting the rod the moment either fly hesitated. Invariably, it was fish-on again. It was both tremendous fun and great sport but eventually I took my leave of the river and returned to my vehicle to pack away my gear and return to my digs.

Over a celebratory dram of good scotch, I reflected on the day’s sport. I had hooked seven brown trout, landed five, and killed one. Not a bad effort in anyone’s book, yet it intrigued me why the Black Gnat dry fly had been repeatedly refused until a Royal Wulff was added to the recipe. I eventually came to the conclusion, curiosity must have got the better of the trout and, as I would probably never know the answer, I might as well help myself to another dram, toast the successes of the day and leave unanswered questions in the lap of the Gods.

11 THE FISHING PAPER - AUGUST 2017

www.thefishingpaper.co.nz

STICK YOUR OAR IN

CRIMPTOON

FREEMAN GROUP

HAVE YOUR SAY… Mail your letters to Stick Your Oar In The Fishing Paper, PO Box 9001 - Annesbrook, 7044, NELSON email: editor@thefishingpaper.co.nz

Nick’s fairytales Dear Ed, The recent propaganda surrounding our government’s recent legislative changes to the RMA Act is made up of mind boggling fairy tales. Nick Smith first blamed the 1080 blackmail attempt (NZ Herald, 27/2/2017) as their reason for the RMA change, then in a (Nelson Mail, 6/7/2017) letter Smith claimed the new regulations were implemented on the recommendation of the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment, the PCE. The 1080 blackmailer, who the government

described as an “Ecoterrorist”, actually worked within the government’s poison industry for a number of years. Instead of changing RMA regulations, all the government had to do was tighten security within their own poison industry! Easy, eh? To describe the PCE as ‘independent’ of Government is nonsensical, as the PCE is paid by the government. All government commissioners are held to account by those who pay them ... in this case, the government. During the GCSB debate, this was confirmed in a very positive way when a TV One News (July 12th, 2013) reporter approached our then PM John Key and told him the

Human Rights Commissioner had reservations about the proposed GCSB Bill. The PM’s reply was to promptly reminded the commissioner his office was funded by the government! That says it all.

The purpose of the new RMA Act is to remove as much democratic public argument as possible against reckless ‘blitzkrieg’ aerial spreading of toxins such as 1080 over large areas of New Zealand.

How many more fairy tales has Nick Smith got up his sleeve in order to confuse the people of NZ? Think about it folks ... especially around election time.

Ron Eddy Nelson

All bases covered in Hamilton Hamilton is is becoming more popular, with its local development and proximity to Auckland.

Where to stay and how to get best value without hassle is becoming a challenge.

I operate two motels with very different profiles. One phone call to me can secure what you need.

People working in the Hamilton area appreciate Sails because it has large comfortable rooms. They can use the in-room spa baths if they are exhausted after a hard day’s work and they can still enjoy a 9 channel selection of Sky sports, news, and movies. We are on-site so you can check in late if need be and meals are available from the restaurant next door.

At BJ’s Motel we have reconditioned the

rooms, while keeping the low prices so you can get a comfortable night’s rest on a tighter budget. There is lots of space and larger vehicles can park easily behind the building.

Hamilton is being seen more and more as a place to stay to access the surrounding area. If your interests of the hunting, fishing, shooting nature are in the wider Waikato region, Hamilton is a great place to use as a base or staging point. Also, being close to Auckland, Hamilton is a good stopping off point or access point so you can plan entry to Auckland or its airport but not get stuck with its high costs and congestion.

As a special for readers, mention our advertising in this publication and we will do our best to up-grade you.

H A M I LT O N A C C O M M O D AT I O N SAILS MOTOR INN 272 Ulster Street

• Large corporate rooms and medium priced units • Spa bath units • Late check in • 9 Sky channels • 3 or 1 bedroom units for family or team BJ’S MOTEL

OVER 45 YEARS OF ROOFING EXPERIENCE We use genuine NZ Steel products backed by a full warranty

8 convenient locations. visit www.roofing.co.nz for our full range & services

Presents

Paper motivates fish jacuzzi Norwegian cinematographer Kristoff Bjorgfield may have just advanced the art of movie special effects and he credits his discovery solely on The Fishing Paper & Hunting News. Kristoff is in Hawaii researching underwater thermal vents for a Discovery programme called, ‘Natural jacuzzis of the underwater world’. Bjorgfield was filming a deep fissure off Hawaii, from a pressurised mini-sub, and was captivated by the unusual fish life at such depths.

“Because they live in the dark, none of the fish have any colour so all the film I took came out black and white,” he told us from his film studio in Honolulu.

The fish looked unappealing and too bland to feature on HD television and it was while reading a copy of The Fishing Paper & Hunting News that stumbled onto the answer.

“I loved the garish colours Crimpy paints his fish in his cartoons and thought my fish would be perfect if they were the same colour.”

Kristoff created an ingenious system whereby he could literally apply makeup underwater.

He designed, patented, and built the prototype Bjorgfield Bomber, a gas propelled paintball torpedo that fires soft gel capsules containing iridescent paint. Utilising skills he acquired playing computer games as an adult, Kristoff

TRAVELS

stalks and paints each fish with individual colour schemes and then films them for his documentary.

Kristoff would like to point out that he uses nontoxic water-based paint and that, apart from severe bruising and a stinging sensation, no fish were hurt during the making of this article.

265 Te Rapa Road

• • • •

Whatever your choice or budget, for best rates ring Patrick 027 7382733 or 0800 25 23 25 or email us bookings@sails-motorinn.co.nz so we can deliver the best for you.

NG FISHI THE

R

PAPE

& HUNTING

Published by Coastal Media Ltd

NEWS

261 Paton Road, Hope PO Box 9001, Annesbrook, 7044, NELSON

Ph 03 544 7020

www.thefishingpaper.co.nz

Editor

Daryl Crimp 021 472 517 editor@thefishingpaper.co.nz Sub-Editor

Mike Brown Administration & Sales

Annette Bormolini 021 028 73393

At WorldTravellers Motueka we’re passionate about travel and are avid travellers ourselves. If there’s somewhere in the world you’d like to go, chances are one of our team has been there and can share their knowledge and personal experience with you - making the world of difference when it comes to booking your next holiday.

Budget and corporate Units $75 – $120 (luxury one bedroom unit) Large parking area Great value

WorldTravellers Motueka • www.worldtravellers.co.nz/motueka Call: 03 528 1550 - Visit 183, High Street, Motueka

annette@coastalmedia.co.nz

Contributors

Graphic Design

Daryl Crimp

Patrick Connor

production@coastalmedia.co.nz Deputy Editor

Ron Prestage rgprestage@xtra.co.nz Printer

Inkwise

Marty Bowers

Luke Dell

Kim Swan

Charlie Brunning

Lynnaire Johnston

Murray Doig

Tyler McBeth

Tyler McBeth

Larnce Wichman

Ron Eddy

Ben Booth

Daryl Sykes

Ant Corke

Bryn Williams

Karyn Johnson

Mark Roden

Aaron Shields

Bryan Fensom

Ian Hadland

Carol Watson

Geoff Rowling

Ron Prestage Sean Ryan Poppa Mike

The Fishing Paper & Hunting News is published by Coastal Media Ltd. All editorial copy and photographs are subject to copyright and may not be reproduced without prior written permission of the publisher. Opinions or comments expressed within this publication are not necessarily those of the staff, management or directors of Coastal Media Ltd. Unsolicited editorial, letters, photographs will only be returned if you include a stamped self addressed envelope.

12 THE FISHING PAPER - AUGUST 2017

www.thefishingpaper.co.nz

DNA first for fisheries

Members of the National Rock Lobster Management Group in 2016.

Research programmes backbone to lobster fisheries Daryl Sykes

Executive Officer & Research Programme Manager, NZ Rock Lobster Industry Council

N

ew Zealand’s rock lobster fishery is far more complex than fishermen just catching and selling lobster overseas. It is a multi-tiered industry where management and science work hand in hand to keep this fishery healthy and viable well into the future, the backbone of which is annual research programmes.

The objectives for each research programme are confirmed in an annual planning process involving the National Rock Lobster Management Group (NRLMG) and the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) Research Coordinating Committee. The NRLMG regularly updates a medium-term research plan, which currently gives priority to the integrity of CPUE data (catch per unit effort – a measure of stock abundance); commercial catch monitoring; tag recapture data; periodic stock assessment; ongoing development and refinement of management procedures, and stock assessment model development.

Logbooks effective data sampling tool Stock assessments rely on information about the size and characteristics of the catch. Data on the total catch weight and fishing effort of the rock lobster fisheries are derived from the mandatory catch, effort, landing returns (CELRs) provided by commercial fishermen.

However, information on the composition of the catch – for example the proportion by maturity and size class - must be obtained through more detailed stock monitoring.

Traditionally, scientific observers have been employed to conduct intensive catch sampling onboard commercial vessels. Due to logistical constraints, such

personnel usually sample a large proportion of the catch from a small proportion of fishing trips made by a small number of fishermen in each region.

Alternatively, fishermen can sample their own catch and record it in a logbook. Again, logistical constraints mean that each fisherman usually only samples a small proportion of their catch on each day. However, the advantage of logbooks is that every day fished produces a catch sample. If that small effort is expended over the entire fleet, the net result is that a significant proportion of the catch is sampled from a large number of fishing days over the course of the season.

This type of extensive sampling produces data that are representative of the fishery, particularly when there are large differences between the catch characteristics of different vessels.

Logbook programmes also enable coverage in more remote or highly weather dependant areas, which can be expensive to sample using scientific observers.

Because the data are more representative, and because they collect it themselves, fishermen have confidence in the data when it is used in stock assessments or for management planning purposes.

Logbooks are an efficient, credible and very cost-effective information gathering option for the lobster industry.

The people behind the science The rock lobster stock assessment contract is a collaboration between an international collective of specialist scientists. The core science team comprises Dr Darcy Webber, Vivian Haist, Paul Starr, Merrill Rudd and Charles Edwards.

John Olver at FishServe, manages the TagTracker website and has oversight of the logbook data base.

Observer catch sampling is done by Simon Anderson (Lat37 Ltd), fisheries technician

World leading lobster science Since 1996, the quality of rock lobster stock assessment science in New Zealand has been worldleading, consistently satisfying independent peer reviews, and the science team has continued to refine and improve assessment models and management procedures incorporating decision rules.

The scientists have proved to be excellent communicators; the commercial rights holders and other lobster fisheries stakeholders have been a willing audience and generally reliable and consistent contributors to the various research data bases.

The main objective of the annual research programme is to update the standardised CPUE analysis from all nine of the lobster Fishery Management Areas (FMAs) and report the operation of current management procedures.

Another key contracted objective is to estimate biomass and sustainable yields for selected rock lobster stocks. Stock assessments provide the basis for advice to the NRLMG and then to the Minister for Primary Industries on sustainable yields and possible management interventions to maintain harvesting of rock lobster stocks whilst ensuring sustainability.

Stock assessments incorporate new catch information (from stock monitoring and from CELRs), new growth data from tagging studies, length frequency data from the commercial fishery in several areas, and updated CPUE indices from all commercial fisheries.

The stock assessment science team also evaluates new management procedures for rock lobster fisheries.

Management procedures are extensively tested through simulation modelling, and specify in detail the data used, the mathematical comparison rules, and the harvest control rule used to calculate revised TACs and/or TACCs(Total Annual Catch and Total Annual Commercial Catch).

In 2017, seven TAC-setting procedures were operated and recommended for use by the Minister for Primary Industries. The CRA 3 and CRA 4 management procedures resulted in commercial catch reductions for the 2017/18 season and the CRA 7 procedure informed a TAC/TACC increase.

Industry funds supplementary research initiatives Don Nelson, and a small team at NIWA led

by David Fisher.

As an example of how extensive the research programmes are, the 2016/17 fishing year stock monitoring schedule was for 115 sample days across five CRA areas and entailed 43,000 lobsters measured from a total catch of over 55,000, taken from 11,390 pots. In addition, 5,100 rock lobsters were tagged and released and several hundred tag recaptures from previous releases were processed.

A puerulus collector.

In addition to the two rock lobster research programmes contracted by the Ministry for Primary Industries, there are several industry-funded research initiatives. CRAMACs established and funded puerulus monitoring projects to supplement the NIWA contract by providing a wider coverage of collectors across the CRA 2 and CRA 5 management areas.

CRAMAC 8 made a very significant investment in a post-harvest research

Puerulus - the juvenile lobster.

programme intended to improve quality and presentation of live lobsters to export markets. A very detailed study of stress caused by various capture and handling practices showed that greater value can be derived from lobsters that are properly handled and transported.

The NZ RLIC has refined and updated the TagTracker website to encourage higher commercial and non-commercial reporting of tagged lobster recaptures.

Larval rock lobsters useful indicators There is second contracted rock lobster research programme in which NIWA delivers puerulus (late stage larval rock lobsters) collection data from selected sites around the New Zealand coastline. Settlement strengths are a useful indicator of future trends in stock abundance but not necessarily reliable predictors.

Monthly levels of puerulus settlement have been followed for up to 28 years at many sites within the main rock lobster fishery areas.

This constitutes the longest time series of New Zealand fisheries data. Several rock lobster industry organisations (CRAMAC 2 and CRAMAC 5) have independently deployed supplementary collectors and deliver settlement data to NIWA for inclusion in annual project reports.

Perhaps the most unique and innovative research investment has been made by the NZ RLIC in a collaboration with Victoria University Wellington and Seafood Innovations Limited, an investment portal for the seafood industry. In a two-year period commencing late in 2014, the NZ RLIC commissioned a DNA profile of the red rock lobster, Jasus edwardsii, across all New Zealand fishing grounds.

This was the first species DNA profile completed in New Zealand and a first for a lobster species internationally.

The project outcomes re-confirmed a single species across all of New Zealand with genetically different traits influenced by environment and location. Coupled with previously published research linking larval distribution to oceanic and climate events, the DNA profile highlights some general spatial differences.

Research seen as investment Research is an investment for the rock lobster industry, not a cost. The information principles that apply to current and future industry or Ministerial management decisions are “rubbish in, rubbish out” and on their own and through the NZ RLIC, CRAMACs have consistently promoted accurate and reliable data recording and reporting – in CELRs, in logbooks and in tag recapture reports – and have pro-actively contributed to the proper analysis and use of credible data in all rock lobster fisheries planning and decision-making processes.

Next month

Technology in Detail ‘counting the beasts’.

13 THE FISHING PAPER - AUGUST 2017

www.thefishingpaper.co.nz

TACKLE life’s mountains head on

plus

www.thefishingpaper.co.nz

14

Stop pests from invading this spring Why? • Check for holes in your property. Seal gaps Let’s not go into the where cables and pipes diseases that rats can pass enter, and repair gaps in onto us and their unhygienic mortar courses presents left after an infestation. Nor on their • Fit galvanised mesh over impact around properties vents/airbricks and fit – they are the number one bristle strips to the base culprit for chewing holes of doors. Rodents can in walls, wiring, pipes, and enter through extremely electrical equipment. Rats. It small holes – about makes economic sense to 1.6cm control the blighters.

• Keep all foodstuffs Rather, let’s focus on their covered and off the disastrous impact on our floors where possible wildlife.

• Keep gardens The 2050 Predator Free uncluttered and all campaign has targeted three rubbish in robust bins species for eradication in with tightly fitting lids New Zealand – possums, • If rodents are known in stoats, and rats, and the the area, do not use bird reason is simple. This team is baths and do not add decimating our environment foodstuffs toTool compost Presence or Absence Monitoring – birds and fauna. Left heaps For Rats, Mice, Possums, Hedgehogs, uncontrolled, the picture • Keep vegetation to a is bleak for our children.

Stoats and Cats minimum and store pet Do nothing – it’s barren, foods indoors, and do something – we have • Repair holes in roofs a chance to leave a better and trim overhanging place. branches.

Prevention?

Who’s there?

Prevention is an obvious So we have done our best starting point. to prevent an infestation but

CHEW CARDS

let’s just check who is there.

Chew Cards are an inexpensive but extremely accurate way to find out who is in your back yard. They won’t tell you how many, but there will tell you who is there – think rats, mice, or possums.

Chew Cards are also a great educational tool for children.

Control!

We have a problem.

Decision time. Do we use rat traps or a rodent toxin. Both are effective – some people prefer the traps, others the convenience of toxins.

Traps – you will need a bait station and a trap(s) that goes into it. The bait station protects the trap from the weather and inquisitive children and pets. We suggest using our long life rat baits because they will stay effective for longer periods than commonly used baits, such as peanut butter.

Toxins – again, use a bait station. Toxins generally are carried in paste or solid forms – both are acceptable but remember, if using solid forms, make sure they can be fixed to the bait station to prevent the rodents caching the baits.

Final Thought The vision of 2050 Predator Free is admirable. Many, many, small contributions to controlling these pests will make a significant contribution to this goal.

9 419323 501834

eliminate the problem, RATS & MICE CONNOVATION $8.95

Chew cards are an innovati ve one-of-a-kind product used to 36B Sir William Ave, East Tamaki, Manukau, Auckland detect the presence of a range of small mammals including T: 027 273 4888 www.connovation.co.nz rats, mice, stoats, cats, possums and hedgehogs.

Unique bite or tooth mark impressions left behind on the Chew Card accurately indicate just what animal you are dealing with. ORDER ONLINE @ http://bit.ly/2vWO6w7

• Designed to hold either one or two IPC Rat Traps, solid or paste baits

Category-leading performance Select from either a 38-hp single-cylinder, liquid-cooled Rotax 450 four-stroke, or a 48-hp, eight-valve, liquid-cooled SOHC Rotax 570 V-Twin. The proven Rotax engines offer unmatched power and performance while remaining both reliable and efficient.

Eliminates scrub and camber changes The industry’s only independent rear suspension where the rear wheels pivot up and down in a vertical line, rather than a more cumbersome butterfly motion. It is also strategically designed to offer point-and-shoot handling, optimal traction, and the efficient transferring of power to the ground. With five preload settings on the shocks and 8.8 inches (22 cm) of suspension travel, the Outlander soaks up rough terrain to keep the rider comfortable and focused on the trail.

Better control The Can-Am Visco-Lok system is one of the most rider friendly designs on the market, as the progressively and automatically locking front differential system requires no buttons to push or levers to hold. Once 4x4 is selected, the system intelligently transfers power from the slipping front wheel to the opposing wheel with traction and is not hampered by a speed or rev limiters.

Manufactured & Distributed by:

IPC Rodent Cafe’ Bait Station

Get the all-terrain performance you’d expect from Can-Am; the Outlander 450-570 has the power, reliability, and handling at the most accessible price ever.

Better steering feel Includes dive-control geometry for better cornering and vehicle-braking dynamics. The 9-in (23 cm) suspension travel increases trail comfort and capabilities in rough terrain.

Take Action!

Cards pack of 20 CONSERVATION Chew

BY INNOVATION

Raise your expectations, not your price range Located in Washdyke, Timaru and covering surrounding areas from Twizel, Fairlie, Geraldine, to Ashburton, Timaru Can-Am is South Canterbury’s only local dealership that sells the number one Sea-Doo Personal Watercraft, Can-Am off-road All Terrain Vehicle, and Can-Am Side by Side Vehicle.

We also stock the Cam-Am Spyder on-road line up; the vehicles that has changed the way motorsports enthusiasts see their riding experience, combining performance, comfort, and convenience for your needs.

We also stock Ironman 4x4 accessories and are agents for Walker Mowers.

Our highly trained staff are fully trained technicians and equipped to meet your needs for in-workshop, on-farming services and repairs for all types of ATV’s — we also come direct to you!

We have convenient opening hours for vehicle servicing and you can now book online!

Come and view our extensive range of new bikes and jetskis, as well as a large range of quality approved used bikes and jetskis; we invite you to test drive today.

Our dealership team are pleased to offer the best in customer service, whether you’re visiting us at our Washdyke, Timaru dealership or choose to contact us by phone or email.

Carry the load Fully equipped to move a load, the Outlander has a standard rear hitch plate and a large 1,300-pound (590 kg) towing capacity, plus many more features. Call us about them today.

from

$17.50

• Dual entry • Wall bracket mounting • Full opening while bait station is in place ORDER ONLINE @ http://bit.ly/2vdqeXh

from

D-Blocks x 12

$14.95

Also available in 1kg, 2kg, 4kg and 10kg D-Block is made with the superior Connovation formulation.

Made with the active ingredient Diphacinone - specially G IN DE chosen for its minimal impact on the environment, PP WI I making it ideal for environmentally conscious users.

SH ION T ORDER ONLINE @ http://bit.ly/2o1s72L NA

CONNOVATION

UP TO $2000 REBATE ON SELECTED CAN-AM MODELS

conservation by innovation

CALL AND ORDER DIRECT 09 273 4333 WE DELIVER INNOVATIVE, TIMELY, HUMANE & EFFECTIVE SOLUTIONS Dedicated to the prevention and protection of our natural environment & resources

VISIT OUR WEBSITE FOR MORE PRODUCTS AND TO ORDER

www.connovation.co.nz

OFFER ENDS AUGUST 31ST MAKE TRACKS BEFORE THEY RUN OUT

UP TO $2,000 REBATE ON SELECTED CAN-AM MODELS 127B Hilton Highway, Timaru, 03 688 7517 or 021 533 141 www.timarucanam.co.nz

OFFER ENDS AUGUST 31ST

^3 year warranty covers MY13/14/15/16/17 Can-Am Outlander, and MY16/17 Can-Am Defender models only. 2 year warranty covers MY13/14/15/16/17 Can-Am Commander models only. BRP reserves the right to change the promotion at any time.

www.thefishingpaper.co.nz THE FISHING PAPER - AUGUST 2017 15

www.thefishingpaper.co.nz 15

plus

Kakapo composting toilet solid waste solution Chances are you are interested in a composting toilet for one of two reasons: a conventional waterborne system is inappropriate for your situation due to water constraints and/or drainage problems, or you have environmental concerns about the impacts of a conventional system and would like to be able to recycle nutrients in an environmentally friendly way.

All composting toilets require some attention from the user, such as the addition of suitable bulking or cover material during use and periodic emptying of the collection chamber.

The Kakapo composting toilet was designed by the owner of the Mussel Inn at Onekaka Golden Bay about 14 years ago, with a mind to make these tasks as simple as possible.

This system does not use any water, chemicals, or electricity, as many other composting toilets do, but relies only on the turning of a crank handle to aerate the waste and a fixed extraction flue that draws all

odour away. After using the toilet, a handful of shaving/sawdust is deposited into the drum.

The solid material then travels along the length of the drum, as it is periodically rotated, to the outlet chute and into a receiving container. The container is accessed via a door and is easily removed for emptying. This system also separates the liquids from the solids.

Together, all of these features produce a clean, easy to use, hygienic waste collector that eventually creates a fantastic gardening by product.

By installing a Kakapo composting toilet, you will save at least 30% of your water supply, greatly extend the life of your septic system, or reduce your loading on the municipal sewerage scheme by at least 40%.

Both the Mussel Inn and Jesters Cafe Mapua Tasman have three Kakapo toilets and are thrilled with the efficacy of the product.

WATERLESS COMPOSTING TOILETS •

REDUCE your water requirements by at least 30%

•

RETAIN valuable fertility on your property.

•

No plumbing, no power, no worries!

MADE IN NEW ZEALAND

www.kakapos.net

advfibre@ihug.co.nz

HamiltonJet breaks mould on design innovation HamiltonJet New Zealand has stepped away from the conventional with the design of its newest jet boat model, the 470 Sportsman Range. Launched at the 2017 Christchurch Boat, Motorhome & Caravan Show, the 470 takes a fresh look at every aspect of comfort, safety, and practicality for the jet boater and passengers, with the boat’s whole design, from bow to stern and keel to windscreen, a reflection of this focus.

The 470 offers a different profile from anything else seen on local rivers and lakes, thanks largely to its distinctive curved sheer line and sleek windscreen.

HamiltonJet NZ Manager John Connelly says these obvious differences are just a small part of the whole design philosophy behind the Sportsman Range, which has come about after listening closely to jet boater feedback for many years.

“We’ve taken into consideration all those things jet boaters have told us they like and dislike, and what they want from a boat to give them the best jet boating experience,” says Connelly.

“Then we looked at every part of our current hull and deck designs to see how they match to those ideals.”

HamiltonJet’s various recreational boat models have proven popular for many years, and it was important the new 470 didn’t lose any of the great qualities of these previous designs.

“We’ve taken all the good things about our jet boats and enhanced them further, while at the same time taking a clean sheet redesign approach to those aspects of our current designs that didn’t fit this new philosophy.”

The HamiltonJet 470 is an evolution of the HamiltonJet 151, taking the base 151 aluminium hull and increasing the strength of the delta keel and hull bottom, plus reconfigured the hull strakes to improve lift and cornering performance. Welding of the hull is completed by ABS certified welders using a jig for consistency of hull shape and integrity of weld-line. The result is a stronger boat that tracks smoothly and turns tightly and consistently in all conditions.

The 470's wider cockpit

and curved sheer line provides increased height in the cockpit, dash and windscreen, offering more space for all passengers as well as better protection from the elements behind the raked screen. The windscreen has a hinged central section, behind which is a solid step moulded into the dash, providing easy and safe foredeck access.

A handrail is positioned behind the top edge of the windscreen so hands are better protected from wind and weather.

The moulded fibreglass deck allows for the 470's fluid curves and the seamless integration of hatches and insets from bow, through the dash and cockpit to the transom. Along with large

fore and aft deck hatches, the 470 incorporates a dashboard glovebox on the passenger side, as well as a carbon-fibre insert for the engine gauges, allowing customised gauge layout and easier access for maintenance.

The 470 is available with

three standard engine configurations, each ideally suited to the HJ212 waterjet with turbo impeller. Also an additional option of customer supplied engine package. Hull, deck and seat upholstery are available in a range of colours.

Watch it on your phone HAMILTONJET 470 Scan here

www.thefishingpaper.co.nz

16

plus

DIY reel maintenance When returning from fishing, most fishers just hose down their rods and reels - this may be better than nothing, but remember to set the drag on full - in most cases - before hosing and not to have excessive water pressure, as salt and dirt can be forced into the internal mechanisms.

For better results, remove the reel from the rod and with the mixer tap on warm and the drag on, wash the line while revolving the spool - again avoiding excessive water pressure. Use a cloth, toothbrush and warm water to remove salt, scales, bait and whatever from the reel. Shake the reel and spin the handle to remove excess water from the spool, loosen the drag and place the reel in a shady and windy place, or hot water cupboard to dry.

If you can, run out more line than used during fishing through a damp cloth - a large nylon spool on an electric drill may help - this will allow salt and dirt to be removed from the line and your line will last longer and retain its strength better.

When the line is off the reel, give the spool edges a wipe with Tackle Guard. When rewinding, check your line for any damage.

When the reel is dry wipe it with Tackle Guard sprayed onto a cloth, rather than spraying the reel directly. Oil the handle spindle and check screws are tight. Undo the side plate screws on your new game reel and grease, this will ensure easy removal when needed. Corrosion can be severe between dissimilar metals.

Make sure the reel is fully serviced after prolonged use. If you are not competent doing this, then send it to your dealer - before it lets you down and causes costly repairs. Remember, warranties on reels do not cover negligent or incorrect use and/or care!

Don't store reels in plastic bags or air-tight containers. Store in a dust free, dry place in a cloth bag.

Don't allow contact between reels and any metal components of alloy boats. Electrolysis in

Capitalise on canopy collateral Daryl Crimp

One of the downsides to fishing in New Zealand is the ravages of the sun, both on body and boat. Harmful UV rays are damaging enough but worse at sea; reflection from the water surface and reflective surfaces of your boa exacerbate the problem. Add wind to the equation and the effects multiply again. While the use of sunblock and protective clothing helps mitigate some of the negative effects of exposure to direct sun, it is only part of the solution.

the salt-water environment can cause pitting and corrosion in a very short space of time.

Electrolysis is not limited to aluminum boats, but is worse.

Wash your rod and the guides with warm soapy water to remove old bait, scales and dirt.

Neoprene rod grips can be scrubbed with a nylon brush and warm soapy water to keep them hygienic and in good condition. When dry, give the guides a wipe with Tackle Guard. This also allows you to check for damaged guide rings, evident as fine hairline cracks and chipping in ceramic guides and as peeling or flaking of chrome plated guides.

Pump and wind the rod instead of winching when playing a fish. After a long fight with a fish it is good idea to run off plenty of line and rewind it - do this asap if you have put the line on tight during the fight - the stretched nylon can return to its original size and expand and burst most spools! This will not be a problem with braided or fused lines - but make sure these are tied onto the spool arbor tightly or the whole line load can spin on the spool under load!

Always have your reel fully serviced as soon as possible if the reel has been immersed.

Don’t let an accident ruin your life

Having a large enclosed hard top boat allows friends and family some respite from wind, weather, and sun, but not everybody can afford the luxury of such. Therefore, those in smaller runabouts and cuddy cabin boats tend to be at more risk, but this not need to be the case. Consider investing in a canopy or bimini cover for your boat and you will soon see the advantages.

Obviously the need for protection from the direct rays of the sun is a priority but there are spinoff benefits as well. UV not only damages your skin but greatly shortens the life of your boat’s upholstery, so a canopy goes a long way toward protecting your investment. The shelter also protects valuable electronics from exposure to the elements and makes plotters and sounders easier to read.

A canopy is also a cost effective way of prolonging a day’s fishing, with young children benefiting the most; they tire less easily when under cover, which means the family can spend more time on the water.

Not the least, a good canopy will add style to your boat and definitely increase its value.

It makes sense to maximise your fishing and boating enjoyment, while protecting and adding vale to your investment.

Be sun safe on the water One of the most important factors to a great experience on your fishing boat or small luxury yacht is fully guarding against the sun’s UV rays. With prime boating hours between 10.00am and 3.00pm, you are at risk for the highest amount of sun exposure. Even when it’s cloudy or foggy, 80% of harmful UV rays still reach your skin.

Avoiding overexposure will help you keep that pleasant glow while preventing burns, premature aging, eye damage, and worse: skin cancer.

As a boatie, you need to be equally cautious against reflected rays as you are of the direct rays from the sun. It is said that 10% of the sun’s radiation will reflect from your boat and another 10% is reflected by the water.

Put up a good defence against harmful UVA and UVB rays by following these tips: •

Sunscreen needs to be applied 15-30 minutes before sun exposure, and that contains chemicals which absorb the UV rays before they damage the skin, and be sure to reapply lotion with an

SPF 30 or higher every two hours, or after being in the water for an extended period of time.

•

Wear wide brimmed hats, tightlywoven, loose-fitting clothing, and polarized 100% UV protective sunglasses for extra coverage.

•

Get in the shade: If you are going to be out in the sun for the whole day, be sure to give your skin a shady breather.

A canopy can be made in a variety of styles, with or without windscreen and windows. Nelson Auto Trimmers are experienced in getting the right fit for your boat, and have a large range of colours they can use.

Enjoy life on the water, but take the time to protect yourself and family members from the risks of sun exposure. It is critical to properly care for children because 80% of skin damage caused by the sun occurs before the age of 18!

By following these few simple tips, you can be sun smart and burn free!

going fishing?

SCAFFOLDING

FENCING & PROPPING

SAFETY NETS

Scaffold Marlborough is a Blenheim based scaffolding company consisting of a dedicated team of skilled and qualified scaffolders.

Based in Blenheim, we not only service the Marlborough region, but the whole top of the South Island including the Marlborough Sounds.

No job too big or small. Contact our friendly team to discuss any of your height access, propping, site fencing or shrinkwrapping requirements.

Call Rob HellstrӦm 021 390 039 34 or 03 579 1372 rob@scaffoldmarlborough.co.nz Marlborough Scaffolding - New Renwick Rd, Blenheim

DON’T RISK YOUR LIFE - SAFETY FIRST

Don’t be a lobster

Boat canopies custom made and fitted Call us now for a FREE measure and quote

03 548 4223

5/121 St Vincent St, Nelson sales@nelsonautotrimmers.co.nz

www.thefishingpaper.co.nz

17

10 tips to better trailering 1. Wash thoroughly using a de-salting agent, paying special attention to the insides of structural channels after each use.

2. If you have a braked trailer, extra attention is needed to the components to avoid rusting and seizing up.

3. Check air pressure and keep wheel bearings regularly lubricated. Check your wheel bearings all the time, even if you have just replaced them.

4. Check wiring and electrical fittings. Make sure they are working before you head off for a WoF. 5. Check your tow hitch and the bolts holding it on. This part of your trailer has a huge amount of stress on it and can wear out quicker than you think.

6. Check boat rollers. If the weight is not distributed evenly, it can cause major hull damage. Also make sure the winch wire or strap has not frayed and give the safety chain a good once-over.

7. Have a good look at all the welds on the trailer, whether galvanised or alloy. Welds can crack on any trailer.

8. If you own a painted trailer and are a bit suspect of anything, give it a smack with a hammer; if metal dents easily you could have a major problem.

9. Recoating is not as pricey as you might think if the trailer is still sound.

10. If you are unsure of anything seek professional advice.

Professional tree services at a competitive price Atom Tree Specialists is a professional, friendly company offering the best in tree services and tree care in the Nelson/ Tasman regions. We manage trees and hedges and any tree issues in any situation, from private back gardens, lifestyle blocks, large rural properties, schools, golf courses to council works.

Nick Chambers is the owner/ operator of Atom Tree Specialists and has more than 20 years’ experience working in NZ, Australia, UK, Ireland & USA. Nick & his team provide high quality, safe, efficient service, specialising in confined area tree dismantling, tree felling, tree pruning, shaping, thinning, all hedge & shrub trimming, tree care, tree consultancy, tree planting and other

related tree services.

Mid – Winter Special! Get 10% off your bill by simply mentioning this offer when you call for a free quote or like us on Facebook.

It’s time to prune those fruit trees, reduce the height of that hedge and cut down that tree that blocks the setting sun! Let the team at Atom Tree Specialists do all the hard work for you so your weekends aren’t spent doing some risky tree work and breaking your neighbour’s fence! We can cut up the firewood for next year and leave you the woodchips for the garden.

You can find us on Facebook or on the web @ www.atomtreespecialists.co.nz or simply call Nick on 0800 28 66 87.

Terms & Conditions – offer only one per household/ property. Offer ends 30 September 2017

Professional tree services at a competitive price

TREE CARE TREE CONSULTANCY TREE FELLING TREE PLANTING FREE QUOTES

021 0236 5417 www.atomtreespecialists.co.nz

HAVELOCK SLIPWAY PROFESSIONAL BOAT REPAIRS AND MARINE MAINTENANCE

Vessel servicing & repairs • Marine engineering • 200 ton capacity

Contact us today! 14 Rose Street, Havelock Port Ph: 03 574 2476 • A/H Wayne 022 160 9108 • A/H Jim 0274 378 026

info@havelockslipway.co.nz - www.havelockslipway.co.nz

plus

What wastewater system?

When you’re in a maimai, out on a boat, or home from the hills, you don’t want to be thinking about your wastewater system. Advanced Enviro-septic (AES) is a hands-off wastewater treatment system that adapts to intermittent loadings and sudden peak usage without a fuss. There are no mechanical or electrical components to break down; when contacted a year or two down the track, owners are known to reply, “What wastewater system?” AES wastewater treatment systems are that easy to live with.

Says homeowner Craig Watson, from Kapiti: “We are absolutely thrilled with our AES system - probably one of the best purchases I’ve ever made. I'm advising my sister in the Wairarapa to go this way when she builds this summer. In fact I’ve insisted she go this way”.

You don’t need to hunt around and it won’t cost you big bucks: Installers purchase a locally-sourced septic tank and sand, and in around two days can easily install an AES system, for probably the lowest installed cost of any advanced treatment system. The Greenwood Park Holiday Camp in Nelson

has an AES system installed under the driveway to maximise space for camping and parking.

The treatment quality AES achieves passively, without power or maintenance, is considerably higher than the secondary treatment quality often required by councils.

Effluent from a passive AES system can also be collected and pumped through drippers if site conditions – or local council conditions - require this, or to enable re-use of the effluent for irrigation purposes.

With over 400,000 AES systems installed worldwide, and 300+ installations in NZ, AES is popular as owners can choose high performance AND lack of ongoing costs.

From Otatara to Tutukaka AES is installed at residential properties, DoC parks, campgrounds, marae, baches and cafés.

AES components have a 20 year warranty.

If you require a new installation for your building project or need to upgrade your existing treatment system, contact us for a free information pack or to discuss your project; info@et.nz; 0800 Waste H20 (0800 927 834); www.et.nz.

Kapiti installation before and after. (Photos: C Watson)

www.thefishingpaper.co.nz

18 plus

New level of comfort and safety in Fox Glacier.

INNOVATIVE fibreglass built for YOU • Camper trailers • Tradesman trailers • Helicopter huts • A range of outdoor furniture including bar leaners, couches and barbecue tables • Utility boxes • Fish filleting benches For more information call us on 07 849 7296 or email office@blackpearlfibreglass.co.nz 98 Crawford Street, Hamilton www.workplaytrailers.co.nz

A wholly owned company of

www.thefishingpaper.co.nz

19

The best-kept secret for staying safe in mountain storms

A

re you thinking you may have to give up your hunting career because age is catching up with you? Have you ever been stuck in a tent in the bush for days on end riding out bad weather? Or, as a track worker, are you flown out at the first sign of a storm because of health and safety regs?

Wouldn’t it be great if, when you choppered in, you could also take a fibreglass hut that in the event of a storm kept you warm and dry? A hut that ensured a comfortable night’s sleep, had cooking facilities and protected you in foul weather?

Until recently, this was the stuff of pipe dreams. Now, however, you can be safe from the elements anywhere a chopper can access with a Work & Play heli-hut.

Available in three sizes, heli-hut portable cabins are designed specifically to be flown into the backblocks, exactly where hunters, climbers or track workers need them.

The smallest, weighing in at just 160kg is light enough to be carried under a R44. The medium hut is 350kgs. Bigger choppers, like the Hughes 500 and B2 Squirrel, can carry the large 500kg hut, plus people and equipment, all in one load.

The designer and builder of the heli-huts is Rob McLean who owns Hamilton-based Work & Play NZ Ltd. Rob and his many customers haul their huts on the back of a trailer to the road access nearest their hunting destination and from there chopper the huts into the bush.

Once on the ground, the hut is light enough for two people to lift the corners to wedge it securely and the lifting points are used to tie it down snugly. Smaller huts can be dragged into position by just two people.

Each hut is built specifically to

the customer’s requirements which makes each one unique, although they are all built according to the same basic plan with beds, a table and kitchenette. Some customers like to have an additional front door that opens upwards to provide extra cover, a place to hang clothes to dry or to cook under.

Each hut is built specifically to the customer’s requirements which makes each one unique.

The huts lend themselves to awnings, considerably increasing the useable, protected space available, and Rob says many clients request additional canvas awnings which he is able to supply.

Each hut is well ventilated so, along with some common sense, cooking over the inside gas stove is perfectly safe.

As well, huts are insulated with 12mm closed cell insulation attached to the wall with marinelined front runner over the top to stop condensation. This keeps out noise and makes the hut warm and cosy even when on the tops in the Southern Alps.

Floors are covered with insulated, removable floor mats that can easily be taken out for cleaning.

One of the major features is the roof-mounted solar panel along with a battery and LED lighting. Huts also come with charging points for head torches, cameras, and cell phones.

Having a well lit-up hut after dark and the ability to recharge is a real bonus, Rob says.

Two challenges to overcome were to stop the hut spinning in flight and making the roof strong enough to withstand snow loading. After advice from highly respected pilot,

Sir Richard Hayes, Rob added a tail fin to counteract this and stiffened the roof with some boat-building technology. Rob's background is in boat building and his main company BlackPearl Fibreglass Ltd has turned out approximately 650 boats in 18 years.

One of the major features is the roofmounted solar panel along with a battery and LED lighting.

But you don’t need a chopper to make good use of a heli-hut. The small units fit on the back of a ute, while all sizes fit comfortably on your standard dump-run, flat-bed trailer so they can go to the beach, the lake or anywhere else you need accommodation – even the back yard. They make ideal shearers’ quarters on farms.

Two of Rob’s large huts are based at Fox Glacier. One was bought by a chopper owner who takes it into the bush for the April Roar and then brings it back to the West Coast for the whitebaiting season.

The other was built for a commercial possum hunter who also moves it to where he needs it when he’s whitebaiting or tahr culling.

Rob himself has driven one from his home in Hamilton to the South Island, using it as accommodation along the way, before having it choppered into the mountains.

At present, two large huts are

under construction, one of them for a goldminer in Central Otago, the other for a company that keeps the country’s tracks and walkways in good nick.

Prices range from $9,000 to $20,000 depending on size and specification, and delivery timeframes depend on the level of demand at the time of ordering.

Visit www.workandplay.co.nz to see more of Rob’s uniquely Kiwi fibreglass inventions that will change the way you enjoy the great outdoors.

www.thefishingpaper.co.nz

20 plus

THE

ULTIMATE

PORTABLE BOAT

Tackling Great Barrier in Takacat

est 2007

021 822 285 | www.takacat.com

A recent trip away to one of my favourite places Great Barrier Island turned it on with a calm winter’s day, crystal clear water, and amazing sea life. Low tide was early so, with an eight degree air temperature, my mate and I jumped into the new Takacat 340 Lite X and zipped out of the bay and around some rough and rugged headlands to a small cove. The water was crystal clear; like it only gets in the middle of winter.

(easiest boat in the world to get in and out off from the water) and then had my mate drop me off in some new grounds to search for a crayfish or two.

Sliding off the bow of the Takacat Lite X was easy and straight into a colorful wonderland of rock, kelp, and fish. Paua were abundant and a very good size, which is not often found up this way. I slid back in over the bow of the Takacat

A quick drift fishing with some large squid baits work well had half a dozen nice fish on board and it was time to head home. An awesome winter’s day on a great boat, in a very special place - Great Barrier Island.

This time it was to no avail but the fish life was great and wish I had the spear gun handy. On the way back around the headland, a large pod of dolphins was cruising the coast, which is always great to see and even more so from a small boat.

SRL your ticket to a maritime career!

Coastguard Boating Education is an approved training provider for the NZQA Certificate in Domestic Maritime Operations (CIDMO). This qualification is aimed at those who intend to go on to gain the Maritime New Zealand (MNZ) licence ‘Skipper Restricted Limits’ (SRL).

CIDMO is an 85 credit programme of study applicable to any person wishing to gain the necessary skills and knowledge to be the master of a vessel of up to 12 metres in length (24 metres with appropriate endorsements), carrying up to 19 passengers (more with endorsement) within New Zealand restricted limits.

Our CIDMO programme of learning consists of eight modules combined with successful completion of the MNZ Training Record Book (TRB). The TRB serves as a means of verifying sea time and documenting (with evidence) your involvement in a wide range of practical on-board tasks. Successful completion of the CIDMO qualification allows you to sit your

oral exam and then apply for your Skipper Restricted Limits Certificate of Competency.

We offer a modular approach; you are able to commence study when it suits you, this combined with convenient classroom study (where available) together with home study, allows you to complete the course at your own speed and at times that suit your lifestyle and other commitments.

Holders of an SRL certificate of competency may be sought by a wide range of employers in maritime industries. Following are some examples of students studying with us: Harbour Masters, and local councils, Maritime Police, Department of Conservation, NIWA, Search and Rescue, Coastguard, Jet Boat tours, Aqua culture, maritime tourism operations.

For more information please visit the ‘Commercial’ tab on our website or contact Jason Rowledge on 0800 40 80 90 www. boatingeducation.org.nz/commercial

Watch it on your phone SAFE BOATING PROGRAMME Scan here

www.thefishingpaper.co.nz

21

plus

C R U I S E F I O R D L A N D FREE NIGHTS with fish

•

hunt

•

dive

•

cruise

BOOK YOUR CHARTER NOW!

www.cruisefiordland.com

Phone: 021 088 14530

MYFORD ML7 Lathe Single phase 1/2hp 1425rpm motor 3 & 4 jaw Burnerd chucks 7” slotted faceplate Fixed & travelling steadys Set of change gears 4-1/2” catch plate Live & dead centres 2 x Jacobs drill chucks Quick-change & 4-side toolposts Knurling tool Lathe dogs Calipers Toolholder, tool steel Collets –1/2”, 3/8”, 5/16”, 1/4”, 1/8”, 1/16” - Cutting off tool holder -

1995

$

Cruise Fiordland Enjoy everything that Fiordland has to offer.

Experience Fiordland with these fantastic package deals

We offer the opportunity for individuals or groups to enjoy the experience of a lifetime together in the very special and unique places that are Fiordland and Stewart Island.

Experiences to be enjoyed while on board can include fishing/diving/ hunting/walks and exploring historic sights or just sitting back and relaxing on board the Cindy Hardy taking in the breathtaking scenery. We offer multi day private charters and scheduled scenic cruises throughout Fiordland and Stewart Island.

SPECIAL 1

Book a private charter before October 31st 2017 to be undertaken before January 31st 2018 and you get a night free.

SPECIAL 2

We also have 3 scheduled in mixed group cruises before January 31st 2018 that include a night free if they are booked on before October 31st 2017 If you’re wanting to enjoy all that Fiordland can offer get in touch with us today.

www.cruisefiordland.com

Watch it on your phone

COME ENJOY A TASTE OF WHAT FIORDLAND HAS TO OFFER

Scan here

45 Jellicoe Road, Panmure, Auckland

P: 09 570 8064 • www.toolbarn.co.nz

Looking for a machine that works as hard as you do? Can-Am Nelson have got you covered!

Here at Can-Am Nelson, we are proud to be the authorised Can-Am dealership for the Nelson, Golden Bay, and West Coast regions. We have an exclusive range of Can-Am’s, consisting of both new and used off road ATV’s and SSV’s: everything from our Outlander 450cc ATV, through to our 1000cc SSV off roaders.

Looking for an upgrade or to trade-in? No problem!

Wanting a demonstration before committing to a purchase?

No worries!

We currently have massive deals on some of our most popular models, including the new 2017 Defender HD5 which comes with a $1,500 rebate as well as a bonus winter accessories package for the month of August. Or pick up a 2017 Outlander 450 or 570 and receive a $1,000 rebate along with a three-year unlimited km warranty - giving you a lot more bang for your buck! (Some conditions apply – Give us a call for more details)

Our Can-Am sales and servicing have relocated to Richmond Service Lane at 36 McGlashen Ave, Richmond.

So come on down and view our fantastic range of ATV & SSV vehicles at our new site in Richmond – straight across the road from Westmeat!

For all questions, enquiries, or to book your free demonstration, come on down and visit us at our new location or give us a call on 0800 10 34 34.

Looking for a machine that works as hard as you do? - CanAm Nelson have got you covered!

OUTLANDER 570 PRO

DEFENDER HD5 DPS + ADDED VALUE BONUS WINTER ACCESSORIES PACKAGE

+ ADDED VALUE BONUS WINTER ACCESSORIES PACKAGE

GIVE PAUL AT CAN-AM NELSON A CALL FOR MORE DETAILS

GIVE PAUL AT CAN-AM NELSON A CALL FOR MORE DETAILS

SPEED LIMITING WORK KEY

LIMITS UNITS TOP SPEED TO 70KM/H

3

UNLIMITED KM

YEAR WARRANTY

3

UNLIMITED KM

YEAR WARRANTY

SPEED LIMITING WORK KEY LIMITS UNITS TOP SPEED TO 70KM/H

Offer only available at Can-Am Nelson for vehicles sold between 01/05/17 & 30/08/17. MY16 and MY17 Defender HD5 DPS including max models. MY15, MY16 & MY17 Outlander 570 Pro, 650, 850 and 1000. ^3 year warranty covers MY13/14/15/16 Can-Am Defender models only. Always ride responsibly and safely. Always wear protective gear & approved helmet.

ATV | SSV | PARTS & ACCESSORIES | SERVICING

On Farm SALES

& SERVICING

36 McGlashen Ave, Richmond | 0800 10 34 34 | www.canamnelson.co.nz

NNE E L SL OSN O

N

www.thefishingpaper.co.nz

22 plus

SCOTT www.scottwaterjet.com

Konrad Scott 03 615 8851 contact@scottwaterjet.com

Scott WaterJet is now offering DIY Jet Boat Kit

With the drift to smaller boats and the reduced cost of suitable welding equipment, the DIY jet boat is far more achievable than ever before.

“We’re genuinely excited to be able to open up our jet boats to a wider range of people. We get a helluva kick seeing and hearing about the fun and enjoyment our customers have with their boats. And it’s hugely rewarding for the whole team having them rave about their experiences.” Says Konrad.

He continues: “There has been mounting demand for Scott Jet Boat Kits. However, we first needed to be confident that we had the right package, and that all the necessary parts were readily available to complete builds.

We’re at that place right now.”

Scott WaterJet has the popular 3.5m ‘Puddle Hopper’ and 3.5m ‘Scud’ models immediately available. The range will extend quickly to include their 3.3m, 3.7m, and recently released 3.9m designs. Demand will determine if their kit goes above 3.9m!

These first kits are configured to take the popular 6.1” [155mm] two-stage Scott WaterJet and the Suzuki M series 1.5 to 1.8 litre 4-cylinder engine. The Scott Hull, Waterjet, and Suzuki Engine combo creates a tough little boat that is multifunctional with exceptional performance.

The Scott offering is unique in that you can now build a jet boat designed, developed, and used by two times Super Boat Jet Sprint Champion, Konrad Scott, at a fraction of the cost of

purchasing a custom Scott boat package.

The Jet Boat Kit dovetails well with Scott’s other options, ranging from Welded Hull\ WaterJet through to a fully custom Turnkey Jet Boat Package.

All the parts required to complete the build are available from Scott WaterJet. Therefore, you can draw on Scott WaterJet parts as much as you need or source it yourself, making it easy and flexible for you. A sample of some of the sub-kits and numerous parts available to support the build process are listed: • Engine Kit – Base Kit, Mount Kit, Drive Kit, ECU & Wiring Loom Kit, etc • Control Kit - Reverse Control Kit, Trim Control Kit, Steering Kit, Foot Throttle Kit, etc • Fit Out Kit – Fuels System Kit, Fuel Tank Kit, Seat Kit, Electrical Kit, etc • Trailer Kit – Alloy Chassis Kit, Axle and Wheel Kit, Lights and Electrical Kit RECEIVE YOUR JET BOAT KIT FOR FREE Scott WaterJet is offering a Special Introductory Offer for the first 20 Jet Boat Kit purchases. If you are one of these lucky people, you will go into a draw to win your Jet Boat Hull Flat Pack Kit for Free. (A $750 non-refundable deposit is required to be in the draw). The Jet Boat Kit introductory price for these first 20 Kits is $3,495 for the 3.5m Puddle Hopper Hull Flat Pack and $3,695 for the 3.5m Scud Hull Flat Pack.

Capture the world around you

• Graffiti cleanup • Paint layer removal • Marine coating removal • Rust and corrosion removal • Industrial coating and lining removal • General metal, stone and wood cleaning • Lead and asbestos abatement • Building and site maintenance • Monument and artifact restoration • Roadway marking removal • Architectural stripping and cleaning

NEW TECHNOLOGY SAVE TIME & MONEY ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY CALL US TODAY

FIND US ON FACE BOOK AND LOOK AT THE WORK WE CAN DO

66-68 VANGUARD STREET, NELSON - PH 03 5480179

www.nelsonequipmentcentre.co.nz

B L A S T- I T - C L E A N CHRIS 021 811 962 DARYL 021 899 474

23 THE FISHING PAPER - AUGUST 2017

That’s hunting Mark Roden

Spearos in the Top of the South have gone into hibernation – including me.

In past years, I’ve written about the need to keep warm when you’re out on a winter mission and it seems everyone has taken the easy option and just stayed home

— well, on dry land anyway.

There has been quite a lot of hunting going on; it is surprising how many of my customers at Spearfishing Nelson turn up in a Hilux with a dog box on the back.

That seems to be a pattern: deer and pigs in the winter

and fish in the summer (and deer and pigs). We live in a wonderful place. I’m not a land based hunter myself but I can see how they relate – reading Crimpy’s hunting stories I can see that it’s the stalking where the skill is, while pulling the trigger is just the last piece of the puzzle.

I’ve even had those moments when a big dopey moki has been parked in front of my spear gun and I’ve thought, this is a bit easy, then reminded myself… ‘hang on, it’s taken a lot of years to know where these fish are and I’m lying on the bottom 15 metres under the sea waiting until this fish swims past, so just shoot the fish.’

Once or twice in past years Gary and I would have had the bin full of fish by mid-morning and look at each other – “What do we do now?” Back then we’d spend the rest of the day exploring and trying new spots; we still do that but tend to spread the day a bit more – often passing up average size fish early in the day thinking we’ll see plenty may as well pace ourselves – and yes, occasionally coming home with very little, wondering why the hell didn’t I spear those fish we saw on the first dive? That’s hunting.

Andrew speared these telescope fish in Stephens Passage on a cold winter’s day.

Chasing the rainbows

Reads

No Wall Too High: One Man’s Extraordinary Escape from Mao’s Infamous Labour Camps

By Xu Hongci Translator Erling Hoh Penguin Random House Review Lynnaire Johnston RRP $40 My attempt to read ‘One of the greatest escape stories’ (according to the Mail on Sunday) was not exactly a success. I wish it had been otherwise.

It is, after all, an amazing story.

The author, Xu Hongci, was a medical student when he was incarcerated under Mao’s regime and forced to spend years of his youth in some of China’s most brutal labour camps. Three times he tried to escape. And three times he failed. But, determined, he eventually broke free, travelling the length of China, across the Gobi Desert, and into Mongolia.

A promising synopsis, but I struggled while not understanding why. After all, I read widely, often non-fiction

Malcolm Halstead

It is fair to say I’ve had a good year hunting and gathering. On the hunting side, a fallow doe, two red stags, one bull tahr, one pig, and numerous goats have succumbed to the mighty hunter. The spearfishing has been good with butterfish and moki being gathered in good numbers. We have even done well with the craypots at Kaikoura but something was missing. Then it dawned on me, here we were in mid-April and I hadn’t caught a trout this season! This was simply unacceptable. For the past 47 seasons I have caught trout and, if I had my way, this year would be no different.

I had to act quickly as I was running out of legal days to solve this problem. A quick internal google search of the still active brain had me recalling fond childhood memories of drifting around high country lakes, casting into the shallows for trout. So that is what I would do.

Come Saturday, I loaded the aluminium dinghy onto the Hilux and headed to the Canterbury High Country. I was met by thick fog at the lake, which just added a bit more mystery to the day.

Once on the water, I rowed to the far side of the lake and cast into the shallows, just like the old days. The main problem was no wind, so every few casts I had to row another 50 metres to get to a new spot. After a couple of hours of no luck, I gave up on the spinning rod and put the fly rig together. I slowly paddled around the shallows and looked for some browns. The ones I didn’t spook weren’t interested in the fly, which only added to the frustration.

Finally giving in, I packed away the fly gear and headed back. Midway I noticed a rainbow break the surface for a morning feed. Feeling I had nothing to lose, I again rigged up the spinning rod with a Rapala and cast around the dinghy, covering all points of the compass.

r e t n i W

www.thefishingpaper.co.nz

(my favourite author is Bill Bryson), and regularly enjoy books that cross cultures. It didn’t make sense that I couldn’t get into Wall.

Eventually, I came up with three possible theories.

Theory one, non-fiction has changed. In the 45 years since this was penned, non-fiction has moved on. Modern non-fiction is easier to read and digest, and is packaged to appeal to a wider number of people, rather than merely the intellectual élite.

Perhaps this makes reading earlier writing more difficult and with so much easily available choice, it’s simpler to move on to the next book in the bedside stack.

Theory two, innate cultural racism. I struggled with the Chinese names and couldn’t keep the characters straight.

To me, the names were just a jumble of letters, the combination of which didn’t convey any meaning that my brain could retain.

Theory three, the translation was literal rather than literary.

Translator Hoh had been intending to write a novel about

a prison breakout when he stumbled on the true story of Xu Hongci and decided instead to translate the 572-page autobiography. The original work was an exact account, a diary, and unlikely to be intended as an engrossing saga which would entertain as well as inform.

Whichever theory or combination is right – the truth is that I didn’t finish Wall. Which is not to say it isn’t a good book.

It just didn’t work for me. It may, however, work for you.

CAVES

By Marcus Thomas & Neil Silverwood Potton & Burton Review Lynnaire Johnston RRP $80 This is another hefty tome from a publishing house that specialises in whopping great books that pack a powerful punch.

Two ends of the rainbow.

Within a few casts I was rewarded with a solid hit and hook up, with the rainbow dancing across the surface in a series of awesome jumps. This was more like it. In no time I had a very solid rainbow at the side of the dinghy and safely into the landing net. The fish was one of the best conditioned trout I had seen for years and was duly despatched for a date with the barbecue.

I rowed another 100 metres and set out for a repeat performance. After only two casts I had the same result and, before long, rainbow number two was in the bin and the smile on my face was hard to beat. This was the daily limit, so it was game over for now.

The row back to base was effortless as I reflected on a morning that had me chase the rainbow to catch the rainbows!

Subtitled, ‘Exploring New Zealand’s Subterranean Wilderness’, Caves is nothing less than fascinating. Particularly as my only caving experience (near Waitomo) was memorable for all the wrong reasons. It was dark (who knew?), and wet, so how’s a girl supposed to cope!

Clearly there are many more adventurous, less claustrophobic souls than me who enjoy caving and I’m glad that’s true because this book is the result.

It is a magnificent work: fabulous photos, many of which cover a page and a half of this wide (400mm) format book; detailed maps of each of the 10 cave systems included; a glossary; an explanation of the country’s cave geology and even information about how caves are surveyed. Whew!

This is total immersion caving, past and present, told

through the exploration of each system.

When a book is as well written as this you get hooked in to the story, but it’s the accompanying photos that truly steal the show.

They portray cavers struggling through tiny gaps in rocks, underground waterfalls and streams, and the astonishingly diverse and beautiful lifeforms and crystals beneath our feet.

We spend an awful lot of time gazing up at the sky. We spend very little time contemplating what’s below us, let alone visiting it. Which, given its incredible beauty, is a pity.

But perhaps caving will be the next adventure tourism trend.

We certainly have enough of them to keep any number of

international visitors happy.

Caves would make a great gift.

You might be looked at a bit oddly by the recipient to begin with but, trust me, once they open it, they’ll be hooked. In fact, once you buy it you may decide to keep it for yourself.

And I, for one, would completely understand.

Short review Caves is the sort of book you spot in a shop and wish someone would buy for you, even if you’re not into caving.

By the time you explore the huge amount of information presented and all the glorious photos contained in this book, you’ll be hooked – even if you never head underground yourself.

Read all of our book reviews online at www.thefishingpaper.co.nz

24 THE FISHING PAPER - AUGUST 2017

STORY

www.thefishingpaper.co.nz

This absolute barrel of a kingi gave Brian a good battle.

HEAVY ticers tease

out salmon Ben Booth

Brian’s barrel a battler Brian Fensom

Having just sold Outta Hair and between boats, I worried at the prospect of a fish drought, but there is an advantage to belonging to a proactive club like Dawnbreakers. Sue and John Hawkins graciously invited Andrea and me to a weekend at the their bach in Okiwi and the inevitable jaunt to Stephen’s Passage unfolded.

Frost on the vehicles was the harbinger of a good day to come but the long chilly trip to the fishing grounds had us all eagerly anticipating sunrise. d’Urville Island affords fishers around the Top of the South a second bite at the cherry; the inshore fishery fires over summer, with a variety of fish from snapper, kingfish, kahawai, gurnard, and kingfish handy in shallow water, then winter kicks in with deepwater fishing hot.

As an added bonus, the two fisheries fish differently so you get to mix up techniques and tactics. The plan on this late July jaunt was

to target the kings first and then go for some table fish. I must admit to feeling a bit at a loss without the familiar electronics from Outta Hair, which goes to show how assimilated knowledge and marks become so valuable.

However, we knuckled down and hunted the kingfish on the electronics at hand and it wasn’t long before we had likely looking marks appearing where you’d expect them to be.

I was mechanical jigging and using a 250g pink Williamson Benthos slender jig. This area is renowned for big currents and scrappy fish, so you need to deal to these monsters or risk being busted off. In no time I was hooked up and straightaway I knew it was a wellconditioned specimen; you could feel the weight and raw power through the line as it put up a punishing battle. It was a wicked fight that left my arms a little worse for wear and the fish was an absolute barrel, measuring 105cm but weighing around 18kg.

The take was rather sudden, as my lure had only just hit the bottom, so I set the hook and the fight was on.

The fish quickly came towards me, thrashing its tail while trying to break free. After a few more minutes the fish came in close enough to be grabbed

by Tyler. The first salmon of the season is always the hardest to catch, so I was very excited to get that monkey off my back. As I walked back to the car with my salmon, I copped a bit of lighthearted abuse from people I knew. It was a good laugh.

I had just arrived home from an epic two week fishing mission, so I had planned to just chill out before work the next day. As I got home I was met by the landlord and we quickly got chatting about the salmon that had just come into the Waimak’ river. Quick as a flash, the salmon gear was thrown in the truck and I headed off to the mouth. The tide was a bit high when I arrived so I decided to sit in the truck and wait for it to drop a bit.

Ten minutes later I landed a salmon, the waiting was over. The next hour only yielded two salmon amongst 30 anglers, I was starting to think it was going to be a bit of a dud day. Soon a few more salmon were landed and things were starting to hot up.

Within the next two hours, 16 salmon

Ben 'enticed' this salmon from the deep.

were hooked: three of them by me, but only one came to the bank - that’s fishing. An observation I made was of all the salmon landed, except one, were taken on heavy ticers, while the anglers fishing with a 28g Zeddy were not catching anything. The reason for this was the fish were holding deep in the current and the 28g Zeddys were going straight over them.

This was only my second day out chasing salmon for the season. To get one without too much effort was rather pleasing. All in all, it was a successful day and a good way to end my holiday before heading back to the shop, happy and relieved.

A club with no boat ramp?

The Mapua Boat Club, Nelson, is striving to have a new boat ramp built on the Waterfront Park to replace the ramp they built at the Mapua Wharf, where access has now been restricted. In 1987 the club saved the wharf from being dismantled and now have had access restricted to between the hours of 7pm and 10am.

The TDC has removed access to the wharf, as it increases

revenues from the commercial activity and while the club has been working with both council and the community over the last two years on a solution for the seaside village, the TDC is not in favour of the club’s proposal.

Several options throughout Mapua were considered but it was clear that to have all tide access to the main channel, the Waterfront Park was by far the best option – and this

concept was endorsed unanimously at a community association meeting in November 2016.

Council has released a Mapua Waterfront Options report that is now open for consultation and the council suggests there are boat ramps in Motueka or Nelson that Mapua residents should use, which would be a 40-60km round trip before traveling in their boats for an hour to use the waters of and off Mapua.

Our region has not been served well by either council in the region when it comes to marine access, with 4% of NZ trailer boat ownership in Tasman/Nelson, a region that has about 2% of the population. Losing access in Mapua also fails to recognise that recreational fishing is worth $1.6b to the NZ economy, by comparison a 2015 MBIE survey states that the economic contribution of NZ Cycle trail contributed 37.4m in 2015.

The club is submitting a proposal to the TDC for the creation of a boat ramp at the Waterfront Park and while this isn’t a regional solution, it will play a part in our network of access points and the club urge all other boaties in the region to make a submission on line to support the Mapua Boat Ramp proposal at the waterfront Park on the TDC website http:// www.tasman.govt.nz/policy/public-consultation/mapuawaterfront-options/ The Mapua Boat Club can contacted by email mapuabcsecretary@gmail.com

25 HUNTING NEWS - AUGUST 2017

www.thefishingpaper.co.nz

Background

HUNTING NEWS

Kim Swan

Ours was not a match made in heaven, nor was it a traditional mother-son relationship. We told each other lies almost every day. His two most regular lies were, “I’m tired” and “I’m hungry.”

Mine were, “Wait here, I’ll just be a minute” and “You’ll be alright.”

When I’d heard I’m tired and I’m hungry often enough, I would quit hunting and take the whinging little sod home. Every time we got home he’d jump on his little trike and pedal with boundless energy.

“Cody, do you want a sandwich?”

“No Mum, I’m too busy on my bike.”

If it wasn’t illegal I would have strangled him. If he wasn’t a little boy and I his adult parent, I’m sure he would have strangled me too. My “Just be a minute,” was more likely to be 60 minutes than 60 seconds.

My “You’ll be alright,” often saw him alone and terrified in a world full of hairy, tusky, beasts and long lonely waits.

Sometimes, after a particularly tough day, he was even tired and hungry!

Cody, when he was old enough, learnt to evade and avoid. No pig hunting with mother unless all else failed.

And me, I was better off without him.

Twenty-odd years later and I’m ghosting behind a tall blonde bloke with a bow. We’re hunting the same swamp he played in while his mother went to work. He’d had a little dog and a knife, she’d had a cyanide tube or a rifle. These days he’s a

professional hunter and in his I know how it will be, hunting spare time he’s a bow hunter. is unpredictable, taking He’s one of NZBHS’s most however long it does. Pleasure successful big game hunters, enough to watch the stalk and I enjoy spending field-time unfold. The big trees eventually with him. screen the pair from my view Slowly, stealthily, we circle the but I hear an arrow strike, then hear the pig cough twice, its enormous swamp. The trees we lungs congested with blood. both protected from voracious possums and goats all those The following day I’m back years ago are alone. There’s a now towering rifle in my hand, Cody used to giants. They’ve no bow and come a long arrow for me. swan off when way and so have I’m not patient pigs were we. I follow enough to be this bloke, this concerned, but not a bow hunter. mature son of Not dedicated any more. mine, and note enough to how he thinks, develop the how he hunts, the signs he necessary shooting skills. The sees, the silent foot placement.

7mm-08 doesn’t require the I think the same way, hunt the same skill levels to pull off a same way, see the environment killing shot, it doesn’t require and animals in it just as he does. close quarters stalks if I don’t We communicate without a feel that way inclined. Its sound and have a bond beyond projectile will wing its way for the average. miles, far and fast and lethal.

Eventually there’s an unwary Ten kilometres of walking and sow and then a stalk. Cody stalking. Intense concentration doesn’t have to tell me, “Wait in mature forest on a calm quiet here, I’ll be just a minute.” day. Hours of energy sapping

brain and body exercise but I’m not tired and I’m not hungry.

Brown as her surroundings, a red deer hind sees my movement. She stands very still, just her eyes and ears moving. I see her too. The rifle slides into my hands almost of its own accord, the scope is to my eye and the crosshairs centred where I want them.

All this without conscious thought. I will have to take the shot standing uncomfortably and it’s a technical one as she’s relatively close but standing askew and on a steep downhill angle.

There is an irritating little niggle that prevents my finger from squeezing the trigger.

Well actually there are two and they’re quickly escalating from annoying and little to, “Hey, you, stop!”

I’m not 110 per cent confident, considering my stance and the shooting angles, of bullet striking target area.

And, despite not being able to see it because of the screen of mature radiata trees, I reckon

there is a house in my line of fire.

Then, clear and happy on this breathless day, I hear a peal of laughter. My firearm and adrenaline levels both drop.

The deer scarpers. A sickening feeling comes over me and sure enough, when I find a gap in the trees, I see there is a house across the river. There is a family outside, enjoying the sun. They are a half kilometre away but that is well within strike range of my ammunition.

If only I was an archer and had been bow-in-hand. Yeah, nah, I lie. Rifles are for me. And today has been an important shooting lesson - just because I can’t see something doesn’t mean it’s not there. What a shock to consider the possibility if I had missed the deer I could have killed someone. Despite years and years of hunting I must never be so familiar with my rifle and my surroundings that I forget one, or any, of the seven rules of firearms use.

a pack to last you a lifetime

All bases covered with the Gunworks Suppressor Range, 35mm, 41mm & 50mm diameter

k2Quality Canvas packs & bags For The Serious Outdoors

k-2 Hunter

95 ltr external frame

INSIST ON For all your reloading components and ammunition: primers, projectiles &

brass. We’ll ship NZ wide!

Shop

Robbie Tiffen – Master Riflesmith online Professional Gunsmithing since 1983 Phone (03) 342 1001 9am-5pm Monday to Friday gunsmith@gunworks.co.nz • www.gunworks.co.nz

K-2

k-2 Alpine hunter 85 ltr internal frame with removable day pack alpine packs & Hunter packs school packs & canvas bags made tough by kiwis for Kiwis

5 year warranty For your local stockist visit our website

Call Marie now on 0220 740 319 email k24u@xtra.co.nz trade enquires Welcome

www.k-2antarcticproducts.co.nz

26 HUNTING NEWS - AUGUST 2017

www.thefishingpaper.co.nz

Shoot to kill Carol Watson

I froze. A bead of sweat journeyed painstakingly from my temple. The fallow buck was staring straight at me. Adrenaline charged through my veins. We were still 30 metres from where we could make the shot.

It was late afternoon and we had been steadily closing the gap on a buck that had moved into a bedding area, on the edge of an open basin.

We were in the open, with nothing but the odd matagouri and tussock, that would struggle to conceal a hare, between us and the buck. The stalk involved crawling or ape walking for 20 - 30m at a time, before checking the coast was clear.

I communicated to the hunter I was guiding, with unpractised hand signals. Needless to say, we operated in complete confusion; as I stopped - he bumped into me, or I’d turn around to whisper to him and require my binoculars to locate him far behind me. The temperature was rising internally that is. You could have cut the air with a knife it was that thick and the pressure gauge continued to rise with every metre we carved off.

The light began to fade.

We had now been in plain sight of the buck for the thick end of an hour. I had a very good friend with me who was currently discovering the true essence of a stalk. At 55 years old, he hadn't done a lot of hunting for wild game - probably because he had spent most of his time offshore hunting a different species. Life had turned full circle and he was now the inexperienced one. I was desperate to get this buck because I knew how much it

would mean to him.

I wondered what my eager student was thinking as we made it to the predetermined shooting spot.

I turned to see a red faced, sweating, shaking mess. The anticipation had done a number on my mate, so I opted to show how stoic I was as I fumbled with the bipod.

“There he is… wait for a broad-side shot,” I instructed assertively, secretly hoping the buck would give us both a chance to calm the nerves.

I had barely closed my mouth when the buck turned side on.

“Like that,” I squeaked.

I was shoulder-to-shoulder with the shooter, binoculars glued to the buck. I don't know why because they were useless, given my heart kept pumping my chest off the ground with every beat. The shooter suddenly drew a deep breath and all went silent… time ground to a halt… my heart slowed… thump… thump… thump in my ears. The buck crumpled forward, dead before it hit the ground and before I had registered the shot. The sense of achievement painted on my mate’s face was something an astute businessman should bottle and sell. I hurriedly instructed the new hunter to reload, as the hind that stepped out from behind some scrub had the most striking coat I had ever seen. His reply: “No way, I’m done,” as he lay on his back sucking in the big ones. He later said his whole body was ‘pulsating’ with the rush. I couldn’t help but smile because he’d just tried the best drug in the world for the first time.

a substantial amount of energy, having the arrow spine weaken will cause it to flex differently coming off the bow. With a broadhead on the end of an arrow, this change will cause the arrow to hit outside of your usual group. Once again the quality (and cost) of the arrows determines if and when it occurs. Sometimes the spine of cheap shafts will vary within a batch of new arrows. It is a good idea to number your practice arrows so you can easily see if it is the same arrow that is the odd one out of the middle.

I like to have all of my hunting arrows in perfect condition and will pass any used ones into my practice arrow bin.

YOU CAN’T RUN FROM FATE ...

The Grim Reaper Razortip Broadhead is a mechanical you can use on steep angled shots, steep quartering shots and up hill/down hill shots and not worry about deflection. The three blades float independently on a rugged shock absorbing spring and open without any kick on the arrow.

NORTH CANTERBURY MARLBOROUGH TB CONTROL PROGRAMME OSPRI is hosting two information evenings where the public are invited to discuss our North Canterbury Marlborough bovine tuberculosis (TB) control programmes, as we work towards TB freedom in livestock and possums.

This is an opportunity to consult with OSPRI on our possum control and wildlife surveillance programmes across the region including our planned aerial 1080 possum control operations for Molesworth Station and surrounding areas.

HANMER SPRINGS

BLENHEIM

When:

When:

Wednesday, 9 August 2017, 2pm – 4pm Where: Five Stags, 2 Fraser Close, HANMER SPRINGS 7334 A presentation about the programme will start at 2.30pm followed by a question and answer session.

The Trocrazor tip - Razors in a Trocar Tip - that pulverize heavy bone and slice like a scalpel. No deflection on angled shots. No rubber bands or O-rings.

Change blades in seconds. Blades stay closed out of the fastest speed bows and crossbows!

The .035” thick 440 SS blades combined with new aircraft-grade aluminum ferrules make it the toughest, sharpest, best-penetrating Grim Reaper Broadhead ever. Screw one on today and “WATCH ‘EM DROP!”

$

Thursday, 10 August 2017, 5.30pm – 7.30pm Where: Brydan Conference Facility, 2 Rose Street, Springlands, BLENHEIM 7201

for a 3pk

A presentation about the programme will start at 6.00pm followed by a question and answer session.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION Please contact OSPRI’s Greymouth office on 03 769 9098 or email vectornsi@tbfree.org.nz

TBfree is an OSPRI programme

tbfree.co.nz

79.99

AUCKLAND - Unit 18, 35 Normanby Rd, Mt Eden - 09 636 6359

advancedarchery.co.nz

Aaron Shields

Shop ONLINE

Big bucks for best drug

One of the most noticeable differences between shooting a bow and shooting a rifle is usually you get your projectile (the arrow) back. It is a great plus being able to recycle 100% of your projectile instantly and being able to do so dozens of times at no cost makes your shooting quite economic.

Unfortunately nothing lasts forever and eventually you will wear out your arrows.

This can take some time and the wear and tear on then is not always apparent. Most bowhunters use carbon arrows and I often see these promoted as either ‘straight or broken’. This is true most of the time and the durability of an arrow depends on its treatment by the shooter and the quality of the shaft.

The weakness of carbon arrows is impact damage to their side walls. The thinner the wall, found in lightweight shafts, the less sideways impact they can handle. If an impact goes unnoticed then the shaft can break at this point. Sometimes the shaft will developed a raised ring around it. This is where the carbon has failed and the arrow has compacted on this spot. If the arrow is flexed at that point the shaft will break there. Because of this, arrow manufacturers recommend flexing your arrows each time before shooting them. This will ensure you will find a weak point but I do not know anyone who does this. It does pay to inspect all of them before you start shooting. If you’re practicing with broadheads, then check your arrows after shooting them, as it doesn’t take much for a broadhead to cut down the side of the shaft and severely weakening the arrow. Arrows can break when shot if they have been weakened. We recently had one in the shop break inflight when a crossbow was being test-fired.

Luckily no harm was done.

The unseen failure of carbon arrow is the one that offers no danger to the shooter but destroys their accuracy. It is the loss of arrow spine. Much like wooden arrows, carbon arrows are made up of fibres and after prolonged use or suffering a hard impact these fibres can break down. When this occurs, the arrow spine begins to weaken. As most hunting bows deliver

27 HUNTING NEWS - AUGUST 2017

www.thefishingpaper.co.nz

The BIG GUNS are heading to Auckland

It’s official, Asia Pacific’s largest show for shooting, hunting, and the outdoors is coming to New Zealand. Shot Expo Auckland will be held over the weekend of February 17th and 18th, 2018. Previous Shot Expo events overseas have seen in excess of 15,000 visitors through the turnstiles, with hunters and target shooters turning up en-masse to inspect the latest offerings from the world’s biggest names in guns, knives, archery and ammunition. There’ll also be a huge selection of ATVs, 4WD equipment to make it easier to get to the bush, along with outdoor gear to keep you comfortable along

the way.

Shot Expo Auckland is being held in association with the Sporting Shooters Association of New Zealand. Being conveniently located at the ASB Showgrounds, Greenlane West, Shot Expo will be within around a couple of hours drive for over a third of NZ’s sporting shooters and rural population.

All the leading players in hunting and shooting are fired up for a big weekend, with names like Swarovski Optik, Blaser, Zeiss, Sauer, Ridgeline, Hunters Element, COLFO, and Garmin already on board, plus many

more. There'll be a broad range of industry experts on hand to give advice, making Shot Expo the perfect venue to learn about all the best gear - all in the one location. Leading authorities on hunting and target shooting will be jetting in from overseas making Shot Expo Auckland a truly international event. There’ll also be innovations like the ‘Night Vision Tunnel’ for the first time in New Zealand, where you can try out the latest in night vision and thermal optics technologies. It will be a real eye opener.

Informative talks and presentations will help hunters hone their skills and get the most out of their sport. There'll also be special workshops focussed on conservation and responsible shooting, ensuring we can all enjoy our sport in safety. Yet Shot Expo isn't reserved for the recreational market. There’ll be some innovative solutions for farmers who want to stop their valuable pasture being ravaged by trespassers of the furry variety .

Visitors can put their skills to the test at the free indoor shooting range, taking aim with some of the latest air rifles and air pistols.

There’ll also be an archery range specially for children, along with a jumping castle, face painting, and a wide range of attractions to suit the whole family. Since you'll be bringing along the whole crew, naturally there’ll be parking onsite.

Shot Expo Auckland will feature more than just guns and hunting equipment. To help you get to remote hunting locations, there'll also be special displays of 4WD equipment including accessories, recovery gear, lighting, and

camping gear. You’ll be able to try on outdoor clothing and take advantage of exclusive show specials, allowing you to make a killing in more ways than one. You can also talk to some of the leading players in hunting tourism who can take hunters to places that are otherwise inaccessible. While the action is happening indoors, there’ll be gun dog trials outside, along with demonstrations of the latest ATVs. Since hunting can often be a somewhat reclusive sport, one of the most important roles Shot Expo provides is strengthening the broader shooting community. With visitors coming from around the North Island and further afield, Shot Expo offers the perfect opportunity to meet up with fellow hunters, meet new ones, and brag about your latest conquests.

Yet the really big news is, the best is yet to come. Shot Expo Auckland is constantly growing bigger, with more exhibitors coming on board daily. To keep up to date with what's coming, keep an eye on the facebook page: www.facebook.com/SHOTExpoNZ or visit the website, www.shotexpo.co.nz.

28 HUNTING NEWS - AUGUST 2017

www.thefishingpaper.co.nz

Many memorable African highlights Karyn Johnson

O

ur trip to Africa started with answering an ad for Crimpy’s African Safari, which was, in a sense, a whim. Daryl is a hunter but me - not. I’m happy to be a tag along and although not quite the Disney type, I have those tendencies. What appealed most, was we wanted the opportunity to do something different and ‘experience’ Africa, as opposed to just seeing it.

The organisation of the trip was quite seamless and there was a camaraderie established before we even left. We joined Crimpy’s African Safari on the bushveld and mind-blowing and surreal are the two words for this game reserve. The abundance of animals and the thrill of the walk and stalk were amazing.

Memories were made from the initial ‘birthday boy’ impala hunt success and the patience required on the wildebeest hunt, to hunting an warthog and getting a dream kudu in the most amazing circumstances. A particular highlight was trekking 16 odd kms for a gemsbok, with Daryl finally spotting it, stalking

in and delivering a successful clean shot.

The highlights, however, weren’t just in securing a successful trophy; there were so many, many memorable moments. For us, the initiation ceremony was special (Daryl had to eat a certain raw portion of his first kill and I thought he was quite ‘ballsy’ doing it!), as was trying to beat the PHs in the tracking and spotting of game. The adrenaline surge of stalking an animal in the wilds of Africa was something else and then the anticipation of waiting for the shot; Hennie enjoyed the massage Daryl gave him as he rested his rifle on the PH’s shoulder while waiting with trembling muscles for 20 minutes for a shot on the wildebeest. The other PH, Wayne, could hear the pounding of Daryl’s heart from five feet away when they were stalking the gemsbok. And listening to the PHs describe why an iconic animal represented Africa was touching: its striking beauty, proud features, strong nature, incredible determination, and amazing resilience epitomised the country, the land, and the

people. To see such great respect of the animal and a love for their country demonstrated with such heart-felt conviction, was truly unique.

Then the food and entertainment provided by Uncle Len: what a wonderful character, now a good friend, who is sharp witted and funny, and a great cook who reinvented Irish Coffees and must be, in some way, to blame for the 5 kgs I put on while on holiday!

We came into the hunting aspect of our African trip with an open mind, a rough budget, and a ‘wish list’ of what animals we hoped to hunt. This type of hunting and stalking in the bushveld is Daryl’s favourite way to hunt, it had it all - the quiet walk, the camouflage, both animal and hunter having a chance, a totally exhilarating experience. As a wife, in our five days on the veld, I saw a man whose dreams had come true. For him, it was simply, “the best trip ever,” and to share that with him was wonderful.

BREAK YOUR SHACKLES Extend your boundaries

Hunt AFRICA AWAKENING TO

AFRICA

Father and son/ daughter safari What a great way to create lifelong memories and strengthen that family bond. I have personally designed this seven day father and son/daughter plains game hunt on the mountain savannah grasslands of the Greater Drakensberg Mountain Range.

This area of old Transvaal is famous for its expansive landscapes and herds of wild antelope that stretch to the horizon. Hunt with your own personal PH and return to the lodge for some quality safari time.

Price POA

CLASSIC

CAPSTICK

10 days plains game bushveld/savannah grasslands…

I have personally designed this walk and stalk hunt to recapture the essence of Capstick’s Africa.

Over ten action-packed days, you will get to hunt and experience two very distinctive styles of African hunting, from the mountain savannah grasslands of the Greater Drakensberg Mountains to the flat dry bushveld of the Limpopo.

Price POA

HEMINGWAY

HUNT

This our premier package, a 10 day hosted plains game safari with Crimpy…

A premium package for the discerning hunter who wishes to capture the real essence of an African safari. Join me as we explore two very distinctive African landscapes, hunting plains game or buffalo, from the savannah grasslands to the red soils of the bushveld!

Packages to suit all types of hunting and budget FOOTPRINTS

AFRICA

ON

7 Days plains Game Hunt

Mix with the locals, experience the culture, and create indelible memories under an African sky.

This introductory package is the perfect way to test the waters and get a feel for hunting Africa. Either on your own, with a mate, or get a group together, and experience seven days plains game hunting on the mountain grassland savannah of the Greater Drakensberg Mountain Range.

Price POA

Price POA

Call Crimpy NOW 021 472 517 - editor@thefishingpaper.co.nz

29 HUNTING NEWS - AUGUST 2017

www.thefishingpaper.co.nz

Another unique experience awaited us in Wakkerstrom where we hunted the mountain grassland savannah, our hosts Louis and Linda Beukes. Their game operation, farming and buffalo breeding programmes involved multiple husband and wife teams and created a family atmosphere where the depth and breadth of the hospitality was immense.

“we have been inspired by the great people we met, have a deeper understanding of the issues facing conservation of both species and the environment. “ The 50,000 acre mountainous plains offered different hunting opportunities and different species. Still an abundance of animals but the challenge here was in who saw whom first.

The stalks were to get you within 200m. On a mountainside I watched Daryl and Wayne stalk a black wildebeest for 90 minutes, with blesbook, springbok, zebra, reedbuck, and the wildebeest herds all there. It was another exhilarating experience where patience was a virtue and the story of the hunt was much more than just the wildebeest trophy at the end.

I cannot go past a pure highlight being participating in the McNab competition, where the Sundowners Kiwi team participated in the 12hr challenge to get a buck, the fastest bird, and a fish. Teams are scored according to criteria; you can be disqualified for a variety of reasons of which one is not completing all disciplines. It is wrapped in tradition, with rules, and points, and a buffalo hunt as a prize. We had a surreal day with our PH Abrie and team Crimpy, Dave, and Daryl, experiencing extreme elation, the depths of despair, and every emotion in-between. When we completed the challenge as dark was falling, with Crimpy finally catching a whitebait-size trout, it is fair to say the intensity of the feelings cumulated in

Daryl with a classic old warthog.

a tear being shed. If for nothing else, competing in the McNab is something to experience, totally totally consuming, an absolutely amazing day for which, in the end, the result becomes secondary. I wouldn’t change a minute of that day or that experience.

Africa was to be the trip of a ‘once in a lifetime’ proportion.

However, we have been inspired by the great people we met, have a deeper understanding of the issues facing conservation of both species and the environment. We feel like we were totally spoiled in our experiences, it is therefore difficult to envision that we won’t go back. The people, the land, the species… a love affair has started and an ongoing relationship will ensue, I’m sure. Africa has changed us.

Karyn Johnson for Daryl Johnson (I’m far too wordy for him he said all I needed was three words... BEST TRIP EVER!)

Watch it on your phone

GEMSBOOK HUNT CRIMPY’S AFRICAN SAFARI

Scan here

Daryl, PH Wayne and Crimpy celebrate a long testing stalk.

Abrie, Crimpy, Daryl and David enjoy a shared success on safari.

BOOK REVIEW Hunting New Zealand PARTS UNKNOWN

By Peter Ryan Bateman RRP $40

Reviewed by Daryl Crimp

Seldom do you get the complete package, but Peter Ryan masterfully delivers it in Hunting New Zealand - Parts Unknown, a multi-layered tome that breaks the mould of contemporary hunting literature.

From the outset the book exudes style, with the jacket imagery hinting at what lies beneath but all the while illuminating through nuance - a delightful paradox that foreshadows Ryan’s writing. The artful photograph

of confident stag frozen in time on a chilly morning speaks to the core of what it is to be a hunter, while the monarch’s distant stare defies Ryan to do the same with words. The back jacket is pure Peter Ryan - ambience and mood. Combine the two images and you get a sense of what is about to unfold.

This is a substantive read in which Peter sets the foundations on the bedrock of our hunting history but not in a textbook manner, and herein lies the ability of a great storyteller and masterful wordsmith; Ryan breathes life into his writing and evokes a kind of comfort that makes you want to hunker down, pour a single malt, and read on. What then unfolds is an eclectic mix of subjects and stories, with Peter paying

homage to the land, the game, the pursuit, and the people who have influenced him in some way. It’s not a ‘whack ‘em and stack ‘em’ read but it has everything a good hunting book should have: roaring stags, alpine adventures, bird shooting, dogs, nostalgia, escapades from the venison recovery era, characters like ‘Crumpy’, huts, blizzards, gut-busters, guns and gear, and reminisces too.

Peter Ryan is also the complete package: accomplished hunter both of bird and game, fisher and consummate outdoorsman, active conservationist, husband and father, and son and heir to an undying legacy of life entwined with nature, and lover of wildlife and the marriage of simple pleasures like

wine and wildfoods and naked fires.

He is also a professional writer and author, therefore well-qualified to produce such a rich tapestry as this.

I said at the start it breaks the mould and in Peter’s own words it’s not another, “me, me, me book.

Instead its a salute to those experts I’ve had the privilege to know…”

Throughout the book he has cameoed stories from many notable hunters including: Craig Boddington, Ken Tustin, Davey Hughes, Howard Egan, and many more. But, while Ryan is likeably humble, it is his writing that is the true showcase here. He has the ability to snuggle into subject matter and find some tiny evocative piece of prose that shines a light on it better than most.

Like a mature red wine, Ryan’s

writing is aged with the soft notes of Ruark and a hint of Hemingway.

Perhaps Peter Ryan’s work is destined to become a classic of our time.

Masterfully constructed and a delight to read.

30 THE FISHING PAPER - AUGUST 2017

www.thefishingpaper.co.nz

In the April edition Larnce Wichman reported that MPI was introducing electronic catch reporting, which commercial supported although they were unsure what the full requirements would be. Well, the regulations have landed and a plethora of new rules have been added to the 8,000 plus already in place. But support for the new regime is lacklustre and Larnce asks whether it’s a case of…

Perhaps Cyril is right!

T

here is certainly more to this electronic catch reporting saga than meets the eye, so much so, commercial fishers are now angered over the high level of mistrust MPI has displayed across all sectors of the industry. This discontent is exacerbated by the fact that the overbearing set of regulations were created on the back of a very poor paper called the Simmons report, which was based on the large offshore trawlers of many years ago. Ironically, the report has now been

torn apart and labelled coffee table dribble, fill of inaccurate information and unsubstantiated ‘facts’, but, sadly, the damage has been done.

Within the new regulations there are new penalties for a number of infringements MPI deem punishable: each vessel is to be fitted with a Vessel Monitoring system (VMS), which is required to record and transmit the vessel’s position every ten minutes, regardless of whether it is at sea, on the slip, or stored in the shed. Should an operator be one-day late

reporting positions to MPI, a $400.00 fine may be incurred.

If the VMS breaks down and MPI is not informed, a fine of up to $100,000.00 may be imposed and the operator fined a further $1,000.00 per day for every day the system is malfunctioning. Furthermore, there is no leniency or room for discretion; if an operator is unaware of a malfunction or operating in areas where satellite transmissions can be problematic, such as Fiordland, fines will still be imposed.

Can skippers afford to be distracted when operating inshore?

Vessels operating close to shore may be put at risk by new regs.

A Southland fisherman, after reading the new regulations, put pen to paper and gave thought to what commercial have become.

A deeply mistrusted correspondent writes I’m writing to let you know what it is like to be one of the most reviled criminals in the history of New Zealand. Well, I must be because not only are there more than 8000 rules in place to try and keep me in check, one of New Zealand’s most extensive regulatory bodies, MPI, aims to keep me in line if I dare to try and break one of those rules.

I engender so much fear that people from one end of the country to the other, and around the world, are calling for my demise. Such fear do I arouse that the Government of New Zealand has decided I require 24/7 GPS tracking to within a couple of

metres, something unprecedented in the history of New Zealand. Even criminals on home detention are not so closely watched.

But that isn’t all. They also want 24/7 camera observation so that if I break one of the 8000-plus rules, I can immediately be stomped into oblivion.

There has never been a criminal in New Zealand’s history who has been so restricted by the authorities and, to add insult, I will have to pay for the pleasure - around $17,000 for the required gear, plus a fee rumoured to be around $3000 a year to cover government costs! Then, if caught, whether guilty by intent or accident, I stand to receive fines in the hundreds of thousands of dollars and possible jail time.

What have I done to deserve this I hear you ask? Why, I am a commercial fisherman.

Cyril Lawless Riverton

Increased workload to impact grassroots And we have yet to see the finer details on what data are required to be captured.

There are suggestions that all pots and their contents be recorded within every square nautical mile the fishers operate in, the Vessel Monitoring System be required to run 24/7 (even when on a trailer), and for fishers to report catch after every day harvesting (acceptable), and plenty more unknowns.

To consider the impact of this new regime, we must take into account that commercial fishers are already heavily engaged in collecting data for research, both mandatory and voluntarily, all of which attributes to current management programmes and strategies. In doing so, operators are presently working efficiently and, in many cases, to capacity. The level of extra work imposed

Lobstermen already contribute to data collection. by the new regime looks set to impact heavily on time, cost, and potentially, safety, and at what real benefit?

CRAMAC5 has conducted a rough time and motion study on the requirement of recording data from every pot in each fishing zone and the flow on effects are mind-boggling. The new data

logs alone contain at least 25 sections, some of which require multiple entries; and a new log is required for each ‘lift zone’. For an average crew, this would add a minimum of five extra hours per working day and that doesn’t factor in rough weather.

For a large percentage of the fishing year, two-man crews

operate close to the shore, in shallow exposed waters.

Data entry now requires that the skipper be ‘hands off the helm’ for considerable periods, which is likely to present navigation and safety issues and raises the question: has this new system been clearly thought through by qualified policy makers?

Is better management just a smokescreen?

What is upsetting, is MPI’s reasoning for the new regime, that it is entirely aimed at bringing about better management practices. In other words, what MPI is actually saying is that the lobster resource is currently being poorly managed.

I refute that and have confidence CRA 5 has been managed well, so the inference we can draw is, MPI harbours a serious mistrust of commercial fishers.

The reality is, commercial lobster

fishermen already have too much at stake to be acting illegally, and the ‘cowboy’ element is long gone from the industry. This will become startlingly apparent to MPI when camera monitoring comes onboard on the 1st October 2018, so what then of their ‘information for better management practices’ argument?

Given that the biggest information black hole doesn’t come from the commercial sector at all but from recreational and customary, will

the spotlight and a tonne of new regulations fall on the amateur sector?

MPI currently maintain the resource will be better managed as a result of this new commercial data, but how do they propose to take account of the unknown - the amateur catch?

Me thinks this is more about distrust and control than constructive management practise.

Perhaps Cyril is right!

SIKA NEWS

B

ruce McKenzie and I climbed to a vantage point behind the hut and sat for long hours glassing. A good strategy when fresh to a hunting block, is not to contaminate the area with scent but to sit and locate animals for later reference.

We were hunting early April and fully expecting the sika to be squawking and squealing and cavorting and canoodling, but the silence was deafening and animal sightings proved fleeting. While we did see a total of 20 animals, they were in ones and twos and hugging the tight scrub, only making appearances for a few minutes.

The highlight of that day came early in the morning, just after the sun drove the morning shadows from the bush edge. Over a kilometre away, in exactly the same spot we'd seen an eight-pointer on two previous hunts, a magnificent stag stepped into the

open, in a tight clearing amidst the manuka, with ivory tips glinting in the sunlight. It turned broadside, just long enough to train the spotting scope on it; it's coat was still burnished red and the pattering of white 'sunspots' were easily distinguishable, while the antlers rose high but without the broad sweep of a classic sika head. Still, it supported eight points and immediately became an object of my obsession, and then it was gone, melted into into the vegetation like butter on toast.

After several days of staking out the big sika stag to no avail, I decided a dramatic change of tactic was called for. We'd earlier stalked a few stags in the open and I passed up a small eight, but the elusive big boy had made no further appearances, so sitting in wait was not a happening thing. We'd even constructed a sniping platform from manuka poles for a long shot across the

SEPTEMBER 30 & OCTOBER 1, 2017 GREAT LAKE CENTRE, TAUPO

gully, but that was fast appearing redundant.

So on the last day of our hunt we threw caution to the wind and gambled on a bold stalk. From the hut, we climbed directly into the bush and methodically worked our way

crested the knoll and a sun-blast of light from the setting orb gave the bush edge a spectral aura. I glanced to my left and an image came into soft focus; shrubbery that vaguely resemble the shape of a stag. I shoulder my

up ridges and down through creeks until we were at the base of the spur that led to where we thought the big stag was camped. We'd bumped a few deer along the way but not managed to call any stags in to the many fresh scrape pads we'd encountered. Bruce was anxious we get meat to take home so, with the sun on rapid descent, I made a call: "Okay, let's go in hard and take the first animal that pops up, for the freezer - to hell with the stag."

The stalk unfolded with perfect synchronicity; we fanned out abreast as we

rifle and the dozing form of a sika resolved before me. He had no inkling I was there. In the last 50 metres, of the last stalk of a ten day hunt, in last light, I closed the bolt and ended my sojourn into the Kawekas with a cliche moment.

The irony was, it wasn't the magnificent eight pointer I'd become obsessed with but the smaller eight I'd passed up earlier to live another day. Still, it now adorns my study wall as a European mount, where I can look upon it respectfully and reflect upon what a tremendous hunt it gave me.

32 THE FISHING PAPER - AUGUST 2017

www.thefishingpaper.co.nz

Save the date for the

2017 SIKA SHOW

Thousands of hunters and their families will be heading to Taupo again late September for the 2017 Sika Show. Bigger again, with four large marquees and main building packed with quality exhibitors, this years’ show will present a huge range of hunting and outdoor related products and services.

The show will be held at the Great Lake Centre and Tongariro Domain, on September 30 and October 1, 2017. There will be more exhibitors, food vendors, activities, service providers, outdoor gear and interesting innovations than ever.

Doors open to the public at 9am on the Saturday and Sunday, and the show closes at 4pm each day.

This year, the taxidermy displays are promising to be even more spectacular, and there are other highlights to look out for as well such as artisan knife makers, all sorts of food and drinks tastings, natural history artist Sarah Ellis, as well as GlassArt NZ, who are generously supporting the Photographic Competition.

The Roaring Competition is also back this year, and the head entries are expected to be impressive. If you would like to enter a head, you can do it on the first day of the show, Saturday, September 30, 2017, before 3pm at the Sika Competition registration desk at Rotary House, 12 Story Place, Taupo.

Tickets to the show cost $30 per adult, which give you entry for both days.

Children under 16 can visit the show for free if they are accompanied by a paying adult. There are no online ticket sales this year so you can get yours on the day.

Sika Show supports CNISF The success of the Sika Show helps support the Central North Island Sika Foundation, and promote the Herd of Special Interest. The Central North Island Sika Foundation (CNISF) was formed during 2015/16 by a collaborative group of recreational hunters, behavioural and ecology scientists, and conservationists under the guidance of the NZ Game Animal Council.

The purpose of the Foundation is to advocate for the designation of a Herd of Special Interest under the Game Animal Council Act (2014), so as to manage the Sika deer resource that resides on public conservation land for the betterment of recreational hunting.

Find more about the Foundation, and how to support them or become a member, on their website sikafoundation.co.nz

It’s the dawn of a new generation To create a new generation of ammunition, the brightest minds were very selective in the development of Browning Ammunition. They established the very highest standards to create The Best There Is in ammunition. They identified only the most optimum calibres and bullet weights worthy of bearing the famous Buckmark logo. In addition, they focused on designs that were engineered for higher efficiencies with maximum effect and performance.

Browning and Winchester developed this full line of

ammunition products under the Browning brand, which will debut in New Zealand in October, 2017. The Browning Ammunition portfolio initially includes popular ammunition offerings in rifle, handgun, and rimfire, featuring advanced technologies for hunters and shooters.

“It is a tremendous opportunity to partner with Winchester, the world’s leading manufacturer of ammunition for shooters and hunters,” said Travis Hall, Browning president and CEO. Winchester is responsible for product development,

Supporting Reel Recovery This year, the Sika Show is supporting Reel Recovery New Zealand, a charity that facilitates fly fishing retreats for men with cancer.

Reel Recovery was founded in 2003 by a group of avid fly-fishers, inspired by their fishing buddy’s ongoing battle with brain cancer. Witnessing firsthand the beneficial impact fly-fishing provided their friend, they created Reel Recovery to provide the same opportunity for other men battling the disease. Combining expert fly-fishing instruction with directed ‘courageous conversations’, the organization provides men with all forms of cancer a unique opportunity to share their stories, learn a new skill, form lasting friendships, and gain renewed hope as they confront the challenges of cancer.

For more information, or to participate in a retreat, contact craig@reelrecovery. org.nz. Craig is also the person to talk to if you wish to become a supporter of Reel Recovery New Zealand, and make a donation.

manufacturing, marketing and sales. The alliance connects world leaders in ammunition manufacturing, as well as legendary brands.

BXR DEER

BXR Rapid Expansion Matrix Tip is designed specifically for use on smaller to medium size game. The proprietary matrix tip design allows for high downrange velocity and energy retention while also initiating rapid positive expansion. The jacket and tip combination yields precision accuracy, rapid energy transfer and generates massive knockdown power.

BXC BIG GAME

BXC Controlled Expansion Terminal Tip is designed specifically for use on big game. The Terminal Tip and bonded bullet design allows for deep penetration through thick, tough hide and bone. The anodized aluminum tip and heavy bullet weight are integral components to delivering precision accuracy, maximum downrange velocity and longrange, on-target performance.

BXV PREDATOR AND VARMINT

BXV Predator and Varmint Expansion is designed to rapidly transfer energy and dispatch predators and varmints quickly.

The polymer tip improves ballistic coefficient resulting in flatter trajectory and higher downrange velocity.

BPR PERFORMANCE RIMFIRE

BPR provides reliability and performance in .22 long rifle ammunition that you can expect from The Best There Is in rimfire ammunition.

BPT PERFORMANCE TARGET

BPT Performance Target is a premium FMJ product that can be used to hone and perfect your handgun skills, both in training and in all important competition. Confidence comes with BPT Performance Target ammunition.

Visit the Kilwell Stand #P at the SIKA Show – exclusive NZ distributors of Browning Ammunition.

33 THE FISHING PAPER - AUGUST 2017

www.thefishingpaper.co.nz

STRASSER covers all bases

For decades, STRASSER has manufactured essential parts for hunting and sporting guns for worldrenowned brands. Parts produced in our Austrian facility accompanied the Ariane European Space Agency rocket reliably and safely into orbit. But above all we are passionate hunters and know exactly what it takes out there in the field.

In 2005, our pioneering straight-pull bolt action rifle, STRASSER RS 05, a milestone in the history of hunting weapons, was based on this solid foundation. Treasured by hunters all over the globe, this model, with our patented hydraulic barrel clamping, was enhanced in 2014 through a systematic further developed LS barrel exchange system, STRASSER RS 14. The simplicity of our newly designed RS barrel exchange system allows the same highly accurate, repeatable, and reliable change of calibre that has been renowned since the RS05.

The new RS barrel exchange system fulfils the dreams of simple and innovative technology enthusiasts.

For hunters whose shooting activities

do not require a change of calibre, the STRASSER RS SOLO offers all the advantages of our straight-pull bolt action rifle at an extremely favourable price-performance ratio. The barrel of the RS SOLO comes with the calibre of your choice and fulfils its duties with consistently high performance and reliability.

The STRASSER.TAC 1 was specifically designed for sport shooting. This precision weapon comes equipped with all the required properties that a marksman needs when their success is measured by the sum of the points scored.

It’s safe and accurate design and ergonomic operating functions makes a STRASSER straight-pull bolt action rifle a reliable companion when hunting on home territory, as well as abroad.

Mathias and Caroline Strasser have hunted n New Zealand for red deer, tahr, and chamois with Jason Pace, who is the STRASSER importer based in Methven.

Their passion for hunting in New Zealand inspired the production of The Strasser Tahr.

Lyman’s New Bag Jack Lyman – an innovator in the field of shooting accessories– has introduced the Bag Jack. Lyman’s Bag Jack is designed to make it easy to adjust the elevation of your rifle and bring it into line with your target, while also allowing you to maintain a comfortable shooting position. Compact, stable, and infinitely adjustable, the Bag Jack is the perfect platform to set up your shooting rest at the range. Create the optimal shooting position under any shooting conditions.

The Bag Jack corrects the height with a simple turn of the adjustment knob.

The lift is made from sturdy aluminium and steel components and has a non-slip textured platform. The lift is 10” x 10” so it can accommodate the largest size rests, and collapses for unmatched portability.

• Ten inches of elevation adjustments from 2 3/4” to 12 3/4” • Accommodates the vast majority of range bags

• •

Creates an optimal shooting position Made of rigid steel and aluminium components • Easy to pack and transport Lyman’s new Bag Jack, as well as other Lyman Brand products are available nationally through firearms and sporting goods dealers.

Trade enquires only to: C R Pain Ltd. Albany, Auckland

Lyman’s New Cyclone™ Rotary Tumbler Lyman – an innovator in the field of case preparation and reloading – has introduced their new Cyclone™ Rotary Tumbler. This tumbler is designed to polish brass better than vibratory tumbler designs and restore even the most tarnished cases to a mirror-like shine inside and out.

This comprehensive kit contains the following features and accessories: • Unique Dual Sifting System individually separates cases and pins AT THE SAME TIME. (Sifter System included) • 5 pounds of stainless steel media pins and sample packet of cleaning solution included.

• Fast, efficient case cleaning; inside, outside and primer pockets

• Large capacity (1000 .223 cases) • Lined bowl for quiet operation • Belt drive operation for smooth, quiet tumbling Available through all good gunshops – nationwide.

Trade enquiries only – to C R Pain Ltd

Leading Outdoor Sports brands at show Back for another year, leading brands in hunting will be at the Sika Show, come and chat to staff from our local store about your hunting needs and take a look at the latest offers.

There will be plenty of ‘Sika Show Only’ deals to be had, so be sure to look for our brands and get all set for the next Roar.

We will also have our team of firearms and hunting specialists there at our main stand representing leading brands in

hunting; Sauer, Howa, Nikko Stirling, Lithgow, and Miroku to name a few.

Come and have a catch up, get your hands on that next rifle and try it on for size.

Once you have ticked off your firearms wish list, swing by our Ridgeline stand inside the large tent to grab bargains for the whole family to keep warm out there while hitting the bush.

See you there.

34 THE FISHING PAPER - AUGUST 2017

www.thefishingpaper.co.nz

Optically Speaking - with Ant Corke THE JOYS OF WINTER NIGHT HUNTING

W

inter is a great time to hunt, an early dusk presents excellent opportunities to get out after work without getting back home too late, and the general lack of food preoccupies animals with feeding. It is also a great time to hammer pests before their spring breeding increases numbers.

Shooting at night is usually from a stationary position, beginning before dusk until a couple of hours after dark, or whilst walking for a short

thermal imager for spotting and identifying targets, and a night vision riflescope for shooting, is a very potent combination. Hand-held night vision optics are also very useful, especially for security and for the budget conscious. The following is a breakdown of techniques for handheld optic:

• Night vision rifle sight or thermal rifle sight. The rifle is safely slung to the shoulder whilst walking and spotting with the hand-held optic. No visible light is used,

Head-mounted night vision goggle or monocular

Walk in extreme darkness with an infrared torch that casts a powerful beam of invisible light, that looks like a spotlight when viewed through the goggle. Animals and humans can be spotted without being seen, ideal for farm security. A goggle can also be used to navigate a boat and to drive a vehicle, when correctly set-up.

Once the animal is spotted the shot can be taken with any of the above techniques.

Another option is fitting a laser sight to your rifle and taking the shot from the waist, or the shoulder whilst looking at the target through the goggle.

This is effective for shooting possums, goats, pigs, and deer at close distances, and is both exciting and a cost effective approach to night hunting.

Rifle sight only

Using a hand-held spotter with rifle slung to shoulder. distance, and periodically stopping to scan for targets. The difficulty of the terrain determines what technique is best, as moving in darkness must be safe and stealthy. Shooting pests normally involves a moving approach to maximise ground covered, and is especially useful on farmland, vineyards, orchards, and on pathways.

Hand-held night vision and thermal imaging optics Though I am a great fan of thermal imaging optics, I also frequently use night vision systems, especially night vision rifle sights. A hand-held

which is ideal for taking multiple shots.

• Daylight rifle sight fitted with a night vision attachment. Same technique as for the riflescope, but uses a thermal or night vision device that is attached to your riflescope. This is a very effective and convenient solution.

• Spotlight or torch. Once the target is identified and approached within shooting range, the light is switched on with the rifle shouldered and ready to take the shot. Using a red beam gives the shooter more time, though white can also be effective.

Christine, Ant, Jayden, and Paul at the Sika Show 2016.

Using a night vision The Yukon Photon XT night vision riflescope is highly effective for shooting farm pests, as well as larger game. At only $899 it represents amazing value. or thermal rifle sight to spot, identify, and shoot is a viable option to upgrade your gear, visit www. for short hunts as long 2017 Sika Show yukonoptics.co.nz or drop into your as the terrain is suitable. I usually We’ll be at the Sika Show local Yukon Pulsar New Zealand walk a few paces, stop, and check again this year! The last few stockist. I recommend that you look my surroundings before moving on. years has been fantastic, through the equipment and fully I have employed this technique well understand its capabilities before with massive interest shown in orchards, vineyards, farmland, purchase. and forestry tracks. I generally in our products. Come and don’t recommend this way of look through the latest Other news hunting, but then I sometimes use Pulsar and Yukon night It is been another busy month, it myself to good effect! Walking vision, thermal imaging Jayden King took to the skies during in the dark and using the riflescope a helicopter goat hunt, putting the and daylight optics, and to scan for targets is a technique new Pulsar Helion XP thermal receive advice based upon only recommended for experienced monocular through its paces, whilst firearm users. An easier option is to experience from Christine, Alex Corke began culling red deer sit or lie in wait from a fixed position Paul, Jayden, and myself. on our property under the expert for animals.

We have several dealers at guidance of Paul King, who showed Whatever your budget, or style the show where goods can Alex correct butchering skills. More of hunting, if you are keen to get be purchased. We hope to about these items in future Optically into night hunting, or are looking Speaking columns. see you there!

35 THE FISHING PAPER - AUGUST 2017

www.thefishingpaper.co.nz

36 THE FISHING PAPER - AUGUST 2017

www.thefishingpaper.co.nz

Engaging and informing recreational fishers Marty Bowers - Senior Fisheries Analyst - MPI Recreational Fishing Team

The Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) provides a range of different channels for recreational fishers to have their say. The more opportunities you take to get involved, the more information we have to work with. Recreational fishers are an important and valued part of fisheries management, and we want to make sure you have every chance to get your views across. Here are a few of the things we’re doing to keep recreational fishers informed and in the loop.

Recreational fishing mailing list The recreational fishing mailing list is the best way to keep up to date and to receive information directly from MPI on fishing-related issues in your area. You can even customise the information you receive by choosing any of the 21 locations of interest to you. This means you won’t get bombarded with information about Bluff if you only fish around Kaitaia.

We’ll email you about upcoming and current consultations, meetings in your area and any rule changes. By getting an email sent straight to your inbox, you won’t miss out on all the latest news happening in the fisheries space.

You can join our mailing list by sending an email to recfishingteam@mpi.govt.nz or by signing up through our NZ Fishing

Rules app the next time you check the rules. Don’t forget to tell us what areas you’re interested in hearing about!

Boat shows/competitions We want to talk to people on the ground as much as possible.

That’s why you’ll see us more and more at trade shows and fishing competitions around the country.

The recreational fishing team has attended the following events over the past two years: Tauranga Marine Show, Hutchwilco New Zealand Boat Show, Auckland OnWater Boat Show, Wellington Boat Show, Beach and Boat Fishing Competition, 90 Mile Beach Snapper Bonanza Surfcasting Competition, Bluelight Fishing Competition, and Fieldays.

During these events we’ve had hundreds of conversations with recreational fishers about their experiences in their local areas and their ideas on how to improve fisheries for everyone. The reception has been positive and it’s fantastic to hear stories of all the great fish being caught around the country. Later this year we’ll be attending the Southland Boat Show and the Auckland On-Water Boat Show. We hope to see you there!

MPI Recreational Fishing Road Show Another way we’ll be able to talk to people on the ground is through a planned countrywide road show. Later in 2017 we intend

to begin a series of meet-ups across the country. We’ll be there to listen and to provide as much information as possible about the fisheries that interest you.

status information on selected stocks, and links to more in-depth information. Let us know what else you’d like to see by emailing us at recfishingteam@mpi.govt.nz

Facebook

National Blue Cod Strategy

MPI currently operates four regional recreational fisheries Facebook pages:

In the coming months, we are working on a new piece of work -- the National Blue Cod Strategy. We’re developing this strategy from the ground up -- tangata whenua, recreational, and commercial fishers will all be involved from the very beginning.

• Northland • Nelson/Marlborough/ Kaikōura • Canterbury/Westland • Otago/Southland These pages are run by compliance officers, the same people who are out there on the front lines making sure our fish stocks are being looked after.

These pages are a great resource for information about fishing rules, recent poacher busts and other interesting news happening in the fisheries space. You can also ask questions and leave your feedback on anything that’s posted.

We hope to have more areas of the country covered in the near future.

Fish species pages We’ve started adding new fish species pages that can be found under the fishing section of the MPI website. We currently have snapper, blue cod, kahawai, paua, and kingfish listed. These pages give basic biological information about each species, as well as recreational and commercial allowances, stock

Our goal is to develop a plan that allows us to take a consistent approach to how blue cod fisheries are managed to: • improve fisheries under pressure • maintain and enhance fisheries that are currently performing well.

Blue cod is highly valued by all fishers and tangata whenua, particularly in the South Island where it’s an iconic marine species that: • is popular among recreational fishers • is taonga to tangata whenua • supports a high-value commercial fishery.

Due to increased fishing activity and a changing environment, the timing is right for a comprehensive approach, to get in front of the issues to ensure these iconic fisheries can be enjoyed now and in the future.

The strategy will review all aspects of the blue cod fishery across the whole of New Zealand, but we'll start with the South Island to address specific, known issues in some of the country’s most popular blue cod fisheries.

MPI will be asking for your feedback and opinions about your local blue cod fishery. So, whether you're a recreational or commercial fisher or tangata whenua – we want to hear from you when public engagement starts in the second half of 2017.

For more information, visit mpi. govt.nz/bluecod

Stay informed We'll let you know about meetings and other ways you can be involved with the National Blue Cod Strategy as soon as they're confirmed.

As noted above, the best way to stay up to date with the latest information that affects recreational fishers is by subscribing to our recreational fishing mailing list. Send us an email at recfishingteam@mpi. govt.nz and be sure to note your locations of interest. You can also sign up via The NZ Fishing Rules app - simply download it from the App Store or Google Play and check the rules while you’re on the water or at the beach. It even works when you have no coverage!

Tight lines.

37 THE FISHING PAPER - AUGUST 2017

www.thefishingpaper.co.nz

Pan-seared turbot on a baby spinach log

COOKING with CRIMPY

COOKING YOUR FISH • 1-2 fillets cut into portions • Olive oil • Butter • Salt • 1 lemon • 1 tbsp finely diced red capsicum Sprinkle each fillet with sea salt.

Heat 2tbsp olive oil in a heavy-bottom saucepan over a moderate to high heat. Add about 25g butter and when foaming, panfry fillets for 1-2 minutes per side, depending on thickness. Remove to warmer.

Turbot, a large flatfish like a flounder, has a sweet delicate flesh, quick and easy to cook and with a melt in the mouth texture. If turbot is unavailable, substitute with flounder or sole.

When all fillets have been cooked, remove pan from heat and throw in capsicum, allowing the heat to cook it until just translucent.

Squeeze in lemon juice and grated zest (yellow skin) of half a lemon.

Arrange fillets on plates, spoon a little sauce over each and serve atop a portion of the spinach log.

WE’VE GOT THE RIGHT GEAR FOR YOU Quality Custom Made Trailers

• Trailers & Accessories • Advice • Repairs • Parts • Car Trailers • Quad Bike Trailers

WHITEBAIT NETS

From OLD to NEW We can get you sorted

Dunlea Products and Mudgway Trailers is a family owned and operated New Zealand business, based in Kaikoura.

Call in and see us, we are happy to help.

66 Beach Rd, Kaikoura, 0800 66 77 33 dunlea@dunlea.co.nz - www.mudgway.co.nz

Scoop Nets • Folding Set Nets • Sock Nets PLUS a great range of surfcasting gear 10 Boundary St, Greymouth Ph (03) 768 5720 danny@westeng.co.nz

Baby Spinach Log • Large bunch baby spinach • 1-2 cloves garlic peeled and finely diced • Sea salt • Cold water • 3 free range eggs • Chilli flakes or Piripiri seasoning • ¾ cup grated parmesan cheese • Capsicum • Blue cheese (optional) • Sunflower seeds (optional) • Salt & pepper Rinse the spinach under the tap and shake.

Place in a saucepan, add garlic and season with salt.

Heat over a high heat, turning until it wilts.

Place in cold (chilled or iced) to retain colour. Drain.

Beat eggs in a mixing bowl.

Add parmesan, a sprinkle of chilli flakes to taste and salt and pepper to season.

Fold spinach into mix until well blended.

Pour into a greased loaf tin and press firmly.

Dot the top with crumbed blue cheese, diced capsicum and sunflower seeds.

Bake in an oven preheated to 200ºC for 10 minutes.

Tip out onto chopping board and cut into portions – serve.

Helping you make time for the good things in life...

59 Saxton Rd, Stoke, Nelson • Ph 03 547 4777 Fax 03 547 6208 • www.stokegl.co.nz

OPEN 7 DAYS

Courtesy Trailers Available

38 THE FISHING PAPER - AUGUST 2017

www.thefishingpaper.co.nz

TIDES OF CHANGE

By Poppa Mike

ABANDON SHIP

By March 1945, World War Two showed clear signs of possible allied victory as the huge American super-fortress bombers, from their bases in the Philippines, began systematically bombing Japan cities: Tokyo, then Nagoya and Osaka. By May the bombers had destroyed most major cities and were starting on the smaller ones. Surely the Japanese Emperor would surrender shortly, everyone wondered?

Back in the States, the captain and crew of the heavy cruiser USS Indianapolis were suddenly called back from their six weeks shore leave.

A secret mission was about to get underway.

Within a few days all 1196 crew assembled and played guessing games as to the nature of their secret cargo and their secret destination. As it turned out, their destination was the small island of Tinian in the Philippines. With the mystery cargo unloaded, USS Indianapolis departed homeward bound, again unescorted.

Out in the Pacific Ocean, a Japanese submarine I-58 under Captain Hashimotu, one of only four Japanese submarines still operational, was searching for enemy shipping.

By sheer chance, when I-58 surfaced under cover of darkness, there in his sights were the lights of USS Indianapolis. Better still, she had no escort. Six torpedos were fired, causing a massive explosion in her fuel tanks. She sank within 12 minutes, with no time to put out a distress call. About 300 crew went down with the ship, with about 900 swimming or floating in the sea, amongst them Captain Charles McVay. Covered in fuel oil, hit by the burning sun, many suffering injuries, and with kapok life jackets getting sodden, they were attacked by sharks and other cannibal fish. Over the next few

days many more lives were lost and still no sign of any rescuers.

Then, by sheer chance, a crewman on a US military plane happened to notice an oil slick on the water. As they flew lower, they saw a mass of heads bobbing in the water, some in groups, others alone. By the time rescuers, in two flying boats and ships, reached them, only 316 survivors remained. This turned out to be the US navy’s greatest single disaster of all time.

What followed turned into a further disaster as the navy top brass decided to deflect the shortcomings of this mission away from themselves by ‘hanging someone so they don’t all hang together.’ They tried every tactic they could, including a court martial of Captain McVay, which was later pardoned by Congress, and bringing Captain Hashimotu over as a witness. As public pressure mounted, the Navy top brass was increasingly found wanting and were repeatedly embarrassed. They were further exposed by a high school student who read of the incident, then started his own investigations as a school research project. His findings further exposed the top brass, none more so than Ernest King, Chief of Naval Operations.

While the survivors were bobbing in the sea for four days they did not know until later an atomic bomb had been dropped on Hiroshima. The survivors were later to learn their secret cargo had been the uranium and other components for this bomb, and the other was soon to be dropped on Nagasaki.

The full story can be found in the book Abandon Ship by Richard Newcomb first published in 1956. ISBN 0-06-018471-X.

ACCOMMODATION GREYMOUTH

ACCOMMODATION SOUTHERN

Stay two or three consecutive nights and receive a 20% DISCOUNT on your 2nd and 3rd night (applies to Friday, Saturday & Sunday nights only during May, June, July & August 2017. Excludes Queens birthday WKND) Must mention at time of booking, not available to online bookings .

Lumsden Motel

Come and explore: • West Coast Wilderness Bike Trail • Trout Fishing

Your hosts Murray & Wendy Torrens.

14 Smith St, Greymouth | Freephone 0800 080 859 www.sundowner.co.nz

Located in Southland’s world class trout fishing waters.

7 Hero Street, Lumsden • Ph: 03 248 7418

www.lumsdenmotel.co.nz BAIT

ACCOMMODATION CHRISTCHURCH

BAIT SPECIALS SQUID PILCHARDS BERLEY Plus heaps more instore!

Available at We provide quiet, affordable accommodation, ideal for families, couples & individuals with 3 styles of units, studio, 1 bedroom, and a 2 bedroom family unit.

38 Grove Rd, Blenheim - 03 578 9960

www.hendersons.co.nz

CHARTERS FIORDLAND

CRUISE FIORDLAND

USS Indianapolis

fish

•

hunt

•

dive

•

cruise

BOOK YOUR PRIVATE CHARTER

FOR 2017 NOW! 457 Cashel Street, Christchurch Phone: 03 389 2768 stay@cashelcourtmotel.co.nz www.cashelcourtmotel.co.nz

Geoff Rowling - President Our Fishing Future

A bold political decision ten years ago in Western Australia may provide a roadmap for fisheries management reform in New Zealand. When the Western Australia fisheries minister backed the formation of statutory organisations to represent both recreational and commercial fishers, the risk of political backlash was high.

Although there was a bit of controversy at the time, all sectors in Western Australia are now supportive of the changes that were made.

As president of Our Fishing Future I participated in a fisher exchange in Perth where a series of presentations was made by the key Western Australian groups. The group from New Zealand, supported by the New Zealand Initiative, included participants from customary, commercial and recreational fishers along with a Ministry for Primary Industries representative.

“We heard about the battles that used to take place between the sectors and how now the more professionally structured groups achieve much better outcomes. This particularly benefits the fish, with both recreational and commercial fishers being viewed more favourably by the wider community for their much improved stewardship of the marine resources.

Commercial fishers have been funded to willingly retire some fishing licenses and some areas are now recreational only. “

With commercial fishers being represented

by West Australia Fishing Industry Council (WAFIC) and recreational by Recfishwest, a much more level playing field has been created.

Problems are discussed and solutions sought.

Whenever possible these are jointly presented to the Fisheries Minister, rather than forcing the minister to take sides.

These organisations receive funds to operate, with commercial via a levy system and recreational via licensing of some fishers. In New Zealand commercial and customary fishers are well organised and adequately resourced. If we aspire to having collaborative fisheries management similar to Western Australia, recreational fishers need similar capability.

“Recfishwest is a very capable organisation assisting with good information gathering to back allocation discussions along with being active in fisheries enhancement directly, including through the building of artificial reef structures. Recreational fishers are generally happy with their organisation as they enjoy the benefits of improved representation.

Two key decisions have been the catalyst for change. These were the original decision by the Minister to deal only with the recognised groups and payment to commercial operators when their fishing rights were diminished on agreeable terms.”

Our Fishing Future looks forward to recreational fishers playing a more active role in fisheries management decision making in New Zealand, with the support of an adequately funded representative body.

Ph 03 439 4759

Bold decision reaps benefits

ACCOMMODATION MOERAKI

Lots to see and do...

M.V Cindy Hardy Vessel Length 23.9m • 6 Rooms

www.cruisefiordland.com Moeraki Village Holiday Park, 114 Haven Street

Phone: 021 088 14530

www.moerakivillageholidaypark.co.nz

CHARTERS GOLDEN BAY ACCOMMODATION WELLINGTON

Come home to the Hawk’s Inn Motel 4 Star Qualmark rated Wellington accommodation Located in Upper Hutt

Pool & spa in a garden setting.

Ideal for business & families.

2 persons $135-$175; extra adult $30, child $20 704 Fergusson Drive, Elderslea, Upper Hutt

Ph 04 528 6130 • Res 0800 500 838 E: stay@hawksinnmotel.co.nz • www.hawksinnmotel.co.nz

YOUR AD HERE

HERE 6cm by 4cm

YOUR AD

$85

FISHING GUIDES

TROUT & SALMON FISHING with Neil Goldie

book

CHRISTCHURCH plus GST.

FISH

HARD!

NOW

M: 027 210 2438 E: ngoldie@mail.com

guidedfishingnewzealand.com

39 THE FISHING PAPER - AUGUST 2017

THE

DIRECTORY

FISHING TUITION

Catch Mackenzie’s Mega Trout Boothy's Fishing School Ltd The Mackenzie Country canals are home to the biggest trout in the world!

• Fish New Zealand’s hottest new freshwater fishery • Rainbows, browns, and salmon • Mega trout 10 - 30lb+ landed regularly • Expert tuition, learn the best techniques • Hot local knowledge • Top gear provided For a fishing thrill of a lifetime - call Ben now!

E: boothystuition@gmail.com P: 021 1161 950 Boothys Fishing School Ltd

www.thefishingpaper.co.nz

INSURANCE

PLUMBING

BOAT INSURANCE – better premiums and a comprehensive cover Ph 03 384 1694 • 0508 NAUTICAL

PLUMBING / DRAINLAYING GAS SUPPLIER & FITTING ROOFING

TYRES & RIMS

New &

Quality Used Tyres 4WD & rim specialists 8c Birmingham Drive, Middleton, Christchurch p: 03 343 0099 c: 027 22 63 805 tyres@jcmdirect.co.nz www.jcmdirect.co.nz

email: insurance@nautical.co.nz • www.nautical.co.nz

BAKEWELL BURNERS

BAKEWELL

BURNER CAMPER

11 Purkiss St, Springlands, Blenheim

PHONE 03 578 0060

www.morganplumbing.co.nz This camper will not let you down in the outdoors.

AUTOMOTIVE

ACCOMMODATION LEVIN

Travelodge

• Keeps you warm • Cooks your meals • Instant hot water for drinks & dishes • Clothes drying rack

SCENIC FLIGHTS PLUS!

Come fly with us...

Come and see the team when you’re in Levin.

47 Oxford St.

L E V IN

MOTOR OIL

2 STROKE OUTBOARD OIL HARDWARE

98 Main Rd South, Horowhenua, Levin

Ph: 06 368 7173

for fishing, hunting, commercial work and scenic flights in the beautiful

Milford Sound

4 litre & 1 litre

Check out our wide range of oils at

38 Grove Rd, Blenheim - 03 578 9960

Helicopters available AS 350, B2 & B3, and a 500E

www.hendersons.co.nz

YOUR AD HERE

HERE 6cm by 8cm

YOUR AD

$115

plus GST.

Call us on 03 544 7020 www.thefishingpaper.co.nz

NOT ONLY THE LEADING HARDWARE

supplier in Nelson.

WE DO

PAINT

PaintCo

BATHROOMS

Specialised staff - Years of experience in the marine and automotive paint industry - Pleasure and commercial needs - Marine paint - Antifoul products CALL US NOW OR VISIT OUR SHOWROOM TO VIEW OUR EXTENSIVE RANGE

HEATING, PAINT

E: paintco@xtra.co.nz • Ph: 0800 546 666

KITCHENS & EVEN FISHING GEAR.

MILFORD HELICOPTERS Contact us on 032498384 or milford.helicopters@xtra.co.nz

36A Vickerman Street, Nelson

WADERS

PLUMBING

52 Saxton Road, Stoke | Phone: 03 547 9111 Port Nelson | Phone: 547 9111 88 High St, Motueka | Phone: 03 528 8164

l

HELICOPTER HUNTS INTERNET

HUNT

backcountry

Marlborough

l Let us fix your plumbing problem so you have more time for fishing.

l

Handcrafting waders for 30 years using industry leading materials Custom fitted for comfort & safety Repair service at Rolleston

PLUM TAXIDERMY

Plum Taxidermy Specializing In Head Mounts Of New Zealand Game Animals.

web & graphic solutions designdistrict.co.nz phone 021 031 9714

CALL US ON 0800 4 CHOPPER OR 029 201 3269

e: info@tasmanhelicopters.co.nz

Based in Nelson with 26 years experience.

Professional service, 4 month turn around on your trophy and a competitive price.

Contact Warren Plum at plumstone@xtra.co.nz or phone (03) 547 9143 for a quote, chance to discuss options and see examples of work.

Call 0800 WADERS (0800 923377)

www.dryline.co.nz

40 THE FISHING PAPER - AUGUST 2017

www.thefishingpaper.co.nz

From Sinker to Smoker

By Ron Prestage

Surfcasting in South Africa Recent arrivals to Nelson from South Africa, Rory Coltman, wife Megan and children Oliver, Abigail and Callum, are looking forward to the fishing adventures the Top of the South has to offer.

Rory recounted some of his South African surfcasting experiences to me and it turns out some aspects are quite different from what is the norm in New Zealand.

FISHING EXPERIENCES. Rory’s fishing journey started in Rhodesia, now Zimbabwe, when his family would annually hire a houseboat for a fishing holiday with tiger fish being the predominant target species. In 1980 the family moved to South Africa and Rory had lakes on their farm for bass fishing. Gradually more coastal trips were undertaken along the 400km Wild Coast in the East London area. Fishing was great along the sandy beaches and rocky headlands that punctuated the coast.

TACKLE. Two main weapons form the bulk of Rory’s surfcasting arsenal. One is a 14 foot Assassin rod with a

very low reel seat and a choice of two tip sections, a heavy duty one and a light purpose one. This rod is currently fitted with a quality fixed spool reel spooled with braid. The other lighter unit is mainly used for dropshot fishing where softbaits are cast out and retrieved to tempt the fish.

TARGET SPECIES. The colder waters of South Africa were mainly fished by Rory with edible catches that included kob, mussel crackers, rock cod and bream. For sport, large sharks and rays were targeted on heavy duty equipment.

Shark species included ragged tooth, bronze whalers and hammer heads.

RULES AND REGULATIONS. Licences are required for surf fishing and bait collecting and there are very strict rules re-size and limit bags. Driving on the beaches is now banned and several marine reserves have been established.

Rory

struggles with a really big kob of 55kgs plus caught on the Southern Cape Coast.

CLUBS AND COMPETITIONS. Fishing is big business in South Africa and many clubs flourish and lucrative competitions are held.

Rory is looking forward to spring and summer surfcasting in New Zealand and is keen to try the recently discovered fly fishing for kingfish fishery in Golden Bay.

45 minutes on the dropshot rod, up to five kilograms.

Slide fishing for big sharks is a successful technique. Firstly a rig with sinker only is cast out. The terminal section is of steel wire. A sliding rig also of steel wire is sent down to the stopper near the sinker.

Wire on wire prevents burn off when the battle is on.

SUCCESSES. Rory’s best day surfcasting was at the holiday spot of Kenton-on-Sea. He decided to try a channel recently formed in the surf and was rewarded with 15 kob in

Darren Kurz with a large black ray.

Rory with his two South African surfcasting sets, heavy duty in his left hand and dropshot in his right.

$750 TRADE-IN. NO QUESTIONS.

Trade in your clapped out old farmbike and we’ll give you a minimum of $750 towards a new Japanese built Suzuki TF125 Mudbug.

So wheel in to your Suzuki dealer now.

TF125K5

$3,995 inc gst

LESS $750 MINIMUM TRADE-IN

We pay you $750 minimum trade on a new Mudbug when you bring in your complete farm or road motorcycle either going or not going. Offer not available in conjunction with any other promotion. Offer valid until 31 October 2017 or while stocks last.

Markham St, Amberley Ph 03 314 0132

North Canterbury’s Suzuki Dealer

Wacka Murphy

By Daryl Crimp