30 THE FISHING PAPER - DECEMBER 2015
www.thefishingpaper.co.nz
From Sinker to Smoker
Fou studies the simplicity of a pulley rig prior to his West Coast trip.
By Ron Prestage
Fou’s going west! My friend, Fou Lim, rang to say he was planning a surfcasting trip to the West Coast and wanted my advice on what gear to take and where to fish. My favourite West Coast surfcasting spot is Mokihinui, the scene of the annual Mokihinui Fishing Competition, so this was the area I steered him to. Mokihinui is a good location for fishing and as a base for day trips to other areas such as Karamea in the north and Punakaiki to the south. Fou likes to keep things simple, so the design of my pulley rig appealed to him. Pulley rigs are easy to cast and will catch a variety of desirable species including snapper, spotted smooth hound and kahawai, with a lot depending on the baits used. Snapper will take good quality squid, rig will take crabs and prawns, and kahawai love cut baits of fresh yellow-eyed mullet.
Further advice to Fou included the need for a lengthy surf rod, ideally fourteen feet long to keep the line above the first few rows of breakers, a solid steel rod stand that can be hammered into the stony beaches, and the use of 5-6 ounce breakaway sinkers. I gave Fou a pulley rig to take with him and copy, along with a detailed diagram showing strengths of monofilament and hook size to use. To toss out the heavy sinkers, he will need a shock leader of roughly three rod lengths, with its strength based on ten pounds per ounce of sinker used. Those piffling little dimpled sand anchors are hopeless on the West Coast! The main line needs to be at least 20lb and the spool full to improve the cast and accommodate a big fighting fish if Fou is able to hook one. In the Mokihinui area there is good fishing along the Gentle Annie Beach, north of the
river, and also on the accessible beaches between Granity and Mokihinui. Be warned though. There is nothing gentle about Gentle
Annie Beach. It is a steeply shelving beach with a vicious undertow! TAKE CARE THERE. Fou is also a trout fisherman so I suggested he got advice from the Seddonville Hotel about where to fish. Seddonville is a few kilomtres up the road that turns right off the main highway near the Mokihinui River Bridge going north. As Fou will be camping in his SUV, I suggested he stay at the Mokihinui Camping Ground or the Seddonville Motor Camp to be handy to the fishing. Other necessities I advised Fou to take on his West Coast trip included insect repellent, sunscreen, wet weather gear and a small bait casting set with flasher rigs. This is handy for getting fresh surfcasting bait in the form of yelloweyed mullet that frequent the lower reaches of the Mokihinui River. Lace the flasher rigs with fresh mussel from the mussel rocks at Nikau, a few kilometres south of Mokihinui. The last two hours of the incoming tide is usually the most productive fishing time, especially when this coincides with dawn or dusk. Hopefully Fou’s trip will be the same time as the fishing competition and he can pick up some of the prizes on offer.
10 Day Competition - 26 December 2015 to 4 January 2016
TOTAL PRIZE VALUE $3000 Entry Fees: Open $20 • Junior $2
Tickets @ Knudsen Sports & Toyworld and the Seddonville Hotel
Competition Area: Old Man Rock to Granity School Major Sponsors
knudsen sports &
SEDDONVILLE HOTEL & MOTEL UNITS
Toyworld DAILY PRIZES: HEAVIEST DAILY FISH WEIGHED IN EACH DAY - $50 CASH Sponsored by Big John, Club Buller , Black & White Hotel, IT@work, Ron Bennett, Anne & Rod Parkin, Neville Gear Builders HEAVIEST DAILY SNAPPER WEIGHED IN EACH DAY $50 CASH Sponsored by The Fishing Paper & Hunting News Accommodation Mokihinui Camping Ground Seddonville Hotel Charming Creek Tavern Seddonville Motor Camp Jack Zielenski displays two snapper at the weigh-in, including last year’s 4.66kg prize winner.
SEDDONVILLE HOTEL & MOTEL UNITS Park-over property for campervans Motel units
Meals & Takeaways Open 7 days Dairy, Open 7 days
Proud supporters of the
Mokihinui Fishing Competition 1 Queen St, Seddonville, Ph 03 782 1828 info@seddonvillehotel.co.nz
Ph: (03) 782-1832 Ph: (03) 782-1828 Ph: (03) 782-8035 Ph: (03) 782-1314
OPEN Heaviest Fish .............................................$300 Runner-up Heaviest Fish.............................$100 Heaviest Snapper.......................................$300 Runner Up Heaviest Snapper .....................$100 Lucky Fish................................$250 Rod & Reel Longest Fish....................................... $100 Reel ....................................................................$50 Heaviest Trout............................................$100 Runner-up Heaviest Trout..............................$50 Heaviest Kahawai.......................................$100 Ladies Heaviest Fish...................................$100 PLUS Junior, Ladies and Electric Kontiki sections!
HUGE RANGE
OF FISHING & HUNTING GEAR FOR EVERYONE! • Rod and reel sets in store • Heaps of combo specials • Kids, surf, boat + more
SOMETHING FOR EVERYONE’S BUDGET
knudsen sports & Toyworld
170A Palmerston St, westport - Ph 03 789 6293