December 2025 - 243 The Fishing Paper and Hunting News
There’s a feral cat walking towards me, padding along the track, its intentions akin to mine. The wind slices between us, whipping my scent away –I’d pu ed my Ambush Smoke skywards earlier, illuminating it with my head torch, and it told a story of upwards lift and leftright drift.
I’m attired like a burglar, clothing matt-black and silentsoft, and the cat has no idea I exist. It pads right up to me before sensing danger. It stops, arches its spine, hair on end, then beats a hasty retreat.
A sweep with the thermal binoculars reassures me that the deer I spied earlier is still upwind in the paddock. Despite there being a significant distance between us I’m confident that it’s a young fallow buck. Its behaviour and body language give it away.
Unlike a regular burglar, I’m wearing gumboots. They’re almost as stealthy as sandshoes, but a damn sight more waterproof in the long, dewy grass. And instead of a crowbar I’m wielding a far lovelier length of metal - carbon stocked, scope on top and a spotlight clamped on tight – the Tikka .223 is my weapon of choice on night-time missions.
Despite my stealth, and the care I’ve taken to close the distance between us, the deer appears to be wary. It hugs the bush-boundary, gazing into the darkness, ears cocked and tail flickering. When I’m within easy shooting range I sit down to stabilise, the bum of my silent-soft pants soaking up moisture like a new-age diaper. Locked and loaded, I flick the light on. The nervous little deer startles and bolts – full revs and no looking back. Well, bugger, that was not what I was anticipating. Far from it. The Christmas BBQ steaks just absconded, and a purely vegan menu is not our customary fare! Back on my feet I find the buck in the thermal, just like the proverbial ‘white lightning’ he is streaking o
Dear Santa
Kim Swan
at warp speed, bolting back towards my parked ute.
I toodle onwards, half-heartedly if I must be honest. It’s unlikely that more steak-on-the-hoof will present itself and the top end is almost nigh.
All I see is the same cat. Like me it has taken a roundabout route to hunt the flats. Like me it has not had any success. It pokes along the fence line, searching for mice in the dead grass there. The wind has changed angles and this time it smells me and slinks o , looking over its shoulder time and again.
The walk of shame then, plonking along, all care and caution literally gone with the wind. Oh, I stop regularly and scan all about with the thermal binoculars, eyeballs hammered by bright pink and orange light one moment, pitch black darkness the next. But all I see is some unspecified little creature glowing white back towards my truck.
Further and yet further – plonk, plonk, plonk – gumboots slapping the back of my calves. Rifle slung. Mind wandering. Not sulking though, because look where I am – comfortable within nature’s cacophony of night noises.
Breathing deeply the purest of mountain air and the stars - the clear night sky a’glitter with a million sparkles and twinkles and clusters.
The unspecified little creature has not moved one jot. Is it even a little creature? Or is the thermal betraying me, drawing my eyes towards a hot rock?
Plonk – plonk – plonk. The wind
The Fishing Paper & Hunting News
now striking square against my back. The ute so close. The track appearing as two illuminated wheel ruts just a stone’s throw away. Still the little creature does not move, it must be a hot rock, but I swear it wasn’t there earlier. The thermal proves its worth one more time. A careful study of the ‘hot spot’ reveals two ears. They look remarkably like deer ears. Curiosity is killing this cat – I point the scope at the unidentified object and flick the light on – there are two obscured reflections which look remarkably like deer eyes. But the eyes are at ground level, and the ears only fractionally higher. God knows how easy it would be to make a mistake – ‘identify your target beyond all doubt’ – trigger finger disengaged till brain is cool, calm and collected. I double check with the thermal. And back up with the light. The unspecified little creature blinks. My brain puts together the pieces. The young deer streaking down the paddock. The dark night. Tight stockproof fences like a chute -
bush boundary one side and track fence on the other - narrowing to a wedge with my ute parked at the far end. The long grass. The paddock riven with humps and hollows. What my thermal can pick up is the top of the fallow deer’s head. Its body is laying flat and still in a convenient boulder-strewn hollow. The young buck is literally hiding between a rock and a hard place. Without the thermal I would have walked past him and never known I had done so.
So, standing shot, tiny target –the rifle slightly o balance with the heavy spotlight clinging like a barnacle to the side of the scope. The shooter, she’s slightly a ected by adrenalin and anticipation – the imaginary scent of marinaded fallow back steak, chargrilled to perfection, strong in her nostrils.
So, the rifle barrel becomes a wandering willy, the proverbial cock in a sock, swaying left and right, up and down. The scope, unfortunately still on 9x, exacerbates the situation. But, as if in defeat, the deer raises his head and crosshairs drop onto his eyeline.
‘Dear Santa, listen up, none of this would have happened if I was using a thermal scope. No. I would have secured our Christmas steaks an hour ago and with less stress for Bambi and me. I’ve seen the perfect scope advertised in The Fishing Paper and Hunting News, and yes, I promise I have been a very good girl.’
‘Well, maybe not very good. But I promise I’ll behave next year. Onya Santa, cheers’.
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The morning started with us pulling out of the driveway at 5 am with a quick stop at the petrol station and of course McDonalds (only way to get a 8 year old out of bed at that time)
We arrived at the boat ramp to find the largest queue I had seen. We didn't hit the water till after 7am which was the longest I've ever had to wait!! Everyone had the same idea to get out on Nelson Bay. We had the burley in and the lines down by 8am, not a boat to be seen in our area, I'm wondering if the intel my old workmate Erwin had gave me is correct,
We caught a couple of spikey dogs before Eva caught the first snapper, it was around 45cm and in great shape, another couple of sharks and then Eva's pink shimano kidstix she got for xmas bent over; she was yelling for help as I sat back laughing. Next minute her line was wrapped around mine, once that was untangled I began encouraging Eva to keep going as the line peeled out. I realised this could be a great fish, ten minutes flew by and the line was then wrapped around the burley pot. Somehow we
Starting Young - Eve (8)
Rhys McCarthy
managed to untangle the line yet again.
Once the fish was in sight I grabbed the net as instructed by Eva (repeated about ten times lol). I went to net the fish and the net snapped in half; the snapper was huge! I reached down and picked it up from the gills; the fish was exhausted, as was Eva. We couldn't believe our eyes. The snapper wouldn't fit into our 70L chilly bin, so I "folded it" in half.
What a great day and forever moment for my daughter Eve and i to have together.
Many thanks to my brother / Eva's uncle for letting us borrow his boat.
What a special day for me to spend with my oldest daughter.
So who’s been thinking of giving a bow a go?
There’s no age limit, our granddaughters started at about 3 years old. And there’s plenty of mature archer’s shooting or competing in their 70’s, 80’s and 90’s.
It’s such a family friendly activity/sport and so quiet.
If you are contemplating archery, it’s really important to get the right advice and guidance before you buy any style of bow.
The best place for this is at an archery shop. Having a bow properly set to your physical size and strength will be the di erence between enjoyment and frustration. Your muscles will most likely not be used to the stress’s of pulling a bow. Start with a setup that’s easy to pull and use it regularly to become bow fit.
Another benefit of using a bow, is you don’t need a firearms licence to own, operate or carry a bow. Teenagers can hunt on their own with a bow.
I usually have my fishing bow in the back of my vehicle, just in case an opportunity arises.
Speaking of opportunities, last Saturday morning started at 5am
Who's a Starter?
out of bed, a bit of breakfast and then a co ee outside enjoying the still morning air, when my phone rang at 6.20am.
A retired farming mate was ringing from the back of his son’s farm to say there were quite a few koi carp in the flooded paddock over the stop bank by the Waihou river. 30 minutes later I was standing in clear cold water up to my waist. I could see a few small groups of fish spawning on the surface. Picking on the closest group I waded towards them.
A little rattle in the water when they were about 25m away and they started moving in my direction. Decision, which is the biggest?
Chasing Ghosts
Picking up from where I shot my chamois, we headed down to blu to cross the infamous Foveaux straight to Christmas village on Stewart Island in the search of the elusive grey ghosts. 12 of us eagerly loaded up the boat and hoped for a smooth sailing but it wasn’t long before we were o on our next adventure.
After settling into what was going to be home for the next week, Ben and I called dibs on where we wanted to hunt and took o to scope out the area. It wasn’t long before I found a neat area of young native absolutely rubbed to shreds and we decided that this would be a good area to sit out the next couple of days however, with light fading it would have to wait until tomorrow.
Morning presented us with the most beautiful sunrise and while I was the only one awake to see it, it really did feel like a great omen for the trip.
Two by two our hunting group dispersed to go hunt our respective areas, with a couple of radios scattered among us to keep each other updated. It wasn’t long before our mate Dyl (the last to leave the hut) announced he’d just shot a buck! A ripper too and only 500m from the Hut! So, it was back to camp to check out Dyl’s prize.
The rest of the day was relatively deer free however, the fishing was great, and we were treated to a delicious tea of blue cod and paua.
A couple of days later while watching our new spot x, Ben whispers to me “Libby get ready, there’s one coming” straight away my heart starts hammering in my chest and all I can hear is my heart thumping in my ears while a nice buck walks into my line of sight. Frozen. With Ben whispering in my ear “draw now, Libby draw now, Libby now!” I could not even bring myself to pull my bow back, heck I could barely even hear Ben over the bang bang banging in my ears. Eventually, Ben whispered “do
Kelby Stewart
Hard to tell. The ripples and waves distort their shape. It’s usually the female at the front, they spot me and veer away. In one fluid motion, I raise and draw the bow aiming just below the lead fish. I release my arrow and watch it hit the water. An eruption of fish going in all directions. That millisecond of wondering if it’s a hit or a miss, is torment. The string whizzes out of the bottle on my reel and the game is on to pull the fish in as quickly as possible and dispatch it.
I wade over to the bank and drop the fish to my mate and his grandson. They are scaling and filleting the fish I shoot so they could use them for snapper bait in a local school’s fishing competition.
I repeated this six more times over the hour and the carp had realized they were in danger if they stayed near the surface. They go deep and hide in the grass. It will take an hour or two for the carp to settle back into spawning on the surface again, so I head to another farm that has the same stop bank and flood prone paddocks.
The grass and willow weed was quite long on this property and it looked like there wasn’t much water. But I could hear splashing and lots of it. I dropped down from the top
Libby Cooper
you just want me to shoot it?" I managed a quick nod and within a second an arrow flew through the air executing the perfect heart shot. Celebrating in a way mirroring that of when I shot my chamois, we were over the moon! Ben had experienced a couple of unlucky trips prior to this one so this white tail deer was even more special! a couple of photos later and we were ready to carry him out for head skinning; we were both going to be getting trophies this trip!
We hunted hard for the remainder of the trip but true to their nickname we only saw the one grey ghost however my time on Stuart Island has become one of my favourite trips to date. We weren’t as lucky with our return trip to Blu as we had been on the way over and we were all di ering shades of green as we hit the mainland but none of us can wait to chase the grey ghosts again sometime soon!
of the stop bank into the paddock and was soon up to the middle of my thighs in the water amongst the weeds. There were fish everywhere. This was exciting!! The carp had
less visibility with the tall weeds obstructing their view of me. I was shooting fish as close as 1m away, most were about 2-3m away and some I shot at about 10m.
16 koi carp bow fished in an hour and a half. Now they started to hide in the bottom of the weeds. I stood on one and another slammed into the back of my knee with such force it nearly had me floundering in the water.
Time to head home, smiles for miles.
The Fishing Paper & Hunting News is proud to support this new monthly column from the Marlborough BowHunters and hopes that you will enjoy following the journey of this group of bowhunting enthusiasts
Respect and Acceptance and Lack thereof
Retired Fisherman Norm Hawler
Readers have probably sussed out by now that I come from a commercial fishing background, quite an extensive one too. However I was relegated to a spectator of most things commercial when I retired and these days my fishing is for the pan, and only on nice days. Which by the way have been few and far between down here on the Bay over the past few months. It has been uncommonly cold and rough. The latest batch of weather is equinoxial gales that have raged for days and back up above the coast have caused much wreckage and unfortunate loss of life.
So here I sit getting increasingly restless about being stuck inside and picking up anything I can find which I can either read and quickly discard or read and contemplate. Books, magazines, internet are all a source of information and frustration and this past month I have really started thinking about what seems
to be a relentless campaign to cancel out the inshore fishing industry. It has come as a surprise to me that so many di erent organisations are rallying against commercial fishing.
In my day I only had to deal with the Marine Department and then they morphed to the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries. There have been a few departmental iterations since and it appears we now have a Ministry for Fisheries that calls itself Fisheries New Zealand. Unlike the old Marine Department they are definitely not the only game in town when it comes to fisheries matters. And it’s a debatable point as to whether or not they really are “for fisheries”. It seems to me that they are definitely not “for fishing” in spite of the principles and purposes of the Fisheries Act.
Rather than getting all deep and meaningful about the legislative stu I will just note here that I see DOC having an impact each time a marine reserve is declared – boof, out goes all fishing. And then
there are the local Iwi and hapu who successfully apply for mataitai for the purposes of customary food gathering – boof, out goes all commercial fishing. Or tangata whenua successfully apply for what are called Section 186 temporary closures – some of which are currently of greater than ten years duration, and boof, out goes most commercial fishing. The Ministry for Fisheries is complicit in all those losses of fishing opportunities.
And now there are the Regional Councils, so far only three in the North Island, which have decided to exercise their biodiversity protection standards – and boof, out goes all bottom contact fishing methods. Or boof, fishing is prohibited across extensive areas of the Northland east coast. Then we have the bird and dolphin protection outfits funded by international money creating a fuss that politicians can’t ignore and boof, out goes setnet fishing. Those buggers even took o to the United States and demonised New Zealand seafood exports in their e ort to shut down
Wild food recipes with Marcus
Smoked Fish Kedgeree
Ingredients
2 finely chopped onions
3 or 4 cold soft boiled eggs
1 bunch of asparagus
1 cup of peas
1 tbsp Turmeric
1 tbsp curry powder
2 cups chicken stock
4 cups brown rice
250g smoked fish
2 tsp Original Smoke & Spice seasoning
1/2 cup chopped parsley
1 cup popper tomatoes
Olive oil
Method
Fry onions and spices until brown,add chicken stock and bring to boil with the brown rice then fold in the remainder of ingredients and turn o heat.
Plate up adding quartered eggs and a good drenching of lemon juice.
west coast North Island commercial fishing.
I am stonkered if I can work out why there seems to be such a widespread dislike of inshore commercial fishermen in New Zealand. There are few of them; they produce a quality product, a very healthy product, and in the main, an extremely sustainable product. But the critics persist with a persistent dirge that trawling is bad and completely destructive. That is not a logical statement – it just can’t be that bad when I and many others before and since trawled the same stretches coastline for forty years or more and landed fresh fish to very demanding domestic and export markets. If trawling was bad why did we keep catching those fish on those fishing grounds season after season, after season?
Buggered if I know what’s wrong with people who want to kill o an honourable profession. Perhaps like me they need to get outside, take a deep breath and get in touch with the real world.
Brunner Stunner Coastlines
Twas the night before Christmas - no hang on, it was the DAY before Christmas. Christmas Eve at our place has traditionally been a flurry of frenetic activity, as everything is prepped for the big day and I often liked to get out of it and just go fishing. Bah! Humbug!
Seems William, for that was his name, intended to go the same way as me, so he sportingly suggested we join forces and take turn about when we spotted a trout. I thought that was a capital idea, so we set o and William showed himself to be a seasoned nymph man - when he saw a fish he’d crouch and put a fly out in front of it, then watch
it come on for the take. Being still a bit of a tyro I decided to follow suit, so having William as a mentor paid o as the day went on. We quietly moved slowly around the lake’s edge, each taking a turn when a trout was sighted, and being long before my later approach of releasing fish, we both took what we landed. However a warm day
Ivan Wilson
brought the problem of how to keep them from spoiling and William said we should bury them in the damp gravels, marking the spot with a stick for the return journey back along the beach. We kept count of how many we’d caught and in that way we made sure we picked up each one. I might have caught 4, while he took maybe 5 and while
This self centred attitude, likely stems from many years in commercial radio when clients who had not bothered to advertise all year, suddenly hit the panic button and bought a few spots and they wanted them produced and on air right now! Grew to hate this time of year and I reckon I’m not the only one. With a change of career, no o spring at home and sadly no Grandma, who liked the full hot roast turkey, with all the trimmings in the Summer heat, we’ve simplified things down to whitebait and bubbles in the morning, then salads and cold ham etc for Christmas lunch. It’s a bit easier all round, but one year I was very keen to escape to the peace of Lake Brunner and being before I owned a boat, a pleasant stroll and stalk around the margins, on a beautiful West Coast Summers day was in prospect. Oddly there didn’t seem to be much in the way of pleasure boats out either, so that was a bonus - love the peace and solitude Brunner can a ord on a quiet day. I’d just crossed the swing bridge and begun to make my way along the shoreline when I spotted him. Another angler was ahead of me, so I watched him for a minute or two, then approached for a chat.
the number of fish caught seemed important to me back then, it is no longer the case. Nowadays even when failing to get a take or any sort of interest, I’ll still have a great day out - it’s not always about getting a fish, as just being out there is so good for the mind and well-being. Plus you get to have lunch in some stunning spots. William and I fished our way to perhaps somewhere near Irishman’s Creek or even further towards Bain Bay - time and memory doesn’t lend precision to this bit of information, then sat down for a bit of lunch and to be visited by the odd weka looking for scraps. Another wild creature that tottered down the beach towards us was a chamois, so we shrank into the bush to watch it go by, but why it was down by the lake we’ll never know.
The second part of the day was a walk and stalk back to the swing bridge, picking up our fish as we progressed, then William and I shook hands, agreed it had been a great day, said goodbye and went our separate ways.
All these years later and having made so many trips too Brunner and other Cast lakes, I have never encountered William again.
Chasing Silver! The Sea-Run Trout Run
There’s something special about the first crisp mornings of late August. The rivers are still cold, the air sharp, and the whitebait are beginning their annual migration. Right on cue, the sea-run trout follow.
Sleek, silver, and full of fight.
In the Wairarapa, this time of the year marks one of the most exciting windows for me as an angler, chasing these ocean-fed brown trout. Sea-run trout push up from the ocean shadowing schools of whitebait and smelt, stacking up around river mouths and estuaries before making their way upstream. By September, the runs are in full swing and by October to December, the fish are in top-drawer condition.
I love this style of fishing because
Johnny Tightlines
it’s raw and honest. You’re matching the hatch small silver lures, smelt patterns, or even a little soft bait drifted through the current. The hits are sudden and savage, often right in the flow.
One moment, nothing. The next, your rod buckles and you’re into a chrome missile fresh from the sea. The fish themselves are something to behold. Fresh sea-runners shimmer like polished steel, with bright orange flesh that’s unbeatable on the table. Whether grilled, pan-fried, or smoked hot or cold ,it’s as good as it gets.
These beautiful trout are proof that patience and timing pay o . Tightlines!
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This last competition is also the largest of the year, which should be no real surprise as it's our premier event.
While the competing numbers were down a bit, we still had some very strong results and the di erences in some cases was very close. We had 11 from Australia and 7 from New Caledonia, which got us up to just over the 180 competitors. The range o cers and range sta went up and shot the Tue/Wed and unlucky for them it was wet those two days. This is what we call the pre-match.
The main match kicked o the Thursday and finished on Saturday. A good friend, who is also my main competition for the senior division, (old farts over 50) was on fire and shooting fast. First day I think I was ahead, but day two didn’t go so well for me and he got ahead of me. Lucky for me, while we only had 4 stages left, there were good points to be gained or lost for that matter. This was good for me but not so good for Moe as I managed to sneak ahead for the win. This was a nice come back as he had taken it out last year and left me in second place.
At these competitions we have a few di erent divisions, which is basically di erent styles of pistols. I have been shooting in Open
IPSC Nationals 2025
class for a long time. The variety of divisions gives you the chance to pick which one suits you, be it how you shoot or your budget.
Shooting, like a lot of sports and hobbies, has had a large cost increase. Ammo and/or travel has all gone up and things are tight for a lot of people so sacrifices are often made to attend competitions.
The Hamilton Pistol Club, did a great job and designed some very challenging stages which tested us well. Last year were more speed and closer targets, this year the targets were further out so more accuracy was required, not that time wasn’t still very important as always. Even the smallest mistake
• The first is suitable for 22 Hornet through to 243 including, 222, 223, 22-250, 243.
• The second suppressor is suitable for 6.5 through to 30-06 including 6.5 prc, 270, 7mm-08, 284, 280, 308, 7.62 x 39 etc (not including 300 PRC or belted magnums).
• 9” in length (230mm), sits 4” forward & 5” back over the barrel (this is a “fixed” length and cannot be changed or added to)
PNZ if a member. I expect every licence holder to do their part, there is no more time to sit back and think it’s not important, it is numbers that matter. ACT has done a lot of work, but National and NZ First are still a road block to be convinced to do the right thing. So, keep an eye out and do your part.
was expensive meaning the lead changed back and forth. Adam took out open with Bevan a very close second at just .09 % behind. This was Bevan's best score and match I have seen, and next year is going to be very interesting, especially with Ryan coming in so close behind in 3rd place, I can guarantee that both are going to come back hard and fast next year.
Just a reminder that the new bill for the firearms ACT is out, and we all need to read it, and do a submission. If you aren’t sure how to do one, I will have some tips next month or you should look up COLFO or
Celebrating 20 years of protecting Fiordland Fiordland Marine Guardians 20th anniversary
The Fiordland Marine Guardians, who play an essential role in the management of one of New Zealand’s most iconic marine areas, celebrated their 20th anniversary at an event last month.
“The Fiordland Marine Guardians play a crucial role in the protection and stewardship of the Fiordland Marine area, which is one of New Zealand’s most striking and popular environments,” says Emma Taylor, Director of Fisheries Management, Fisheries New Zealand.
“The group has been instrumental in the e orts to rebuild taonga fish stocks including blue cod and hāpuku, through advocating for measures such as reduced limits and spatial management and promoting responsible fishing in the fiords.”
The Fiordland Marine Guardians were made a statutory advisory group under the Fiordland (Te Moana o Atawhenua) Marine Management Act in 2005. Their role is to provide advice to Fisheries New Zealand, Biosecurity New Zealand, the Ministry for the Environment, the Department of Conservation, and Environment Southland about the management of Fiordland’s fisheries and marine environment.
“The Guardians are here to advocate for the place. We focus on what is in the best interests of Fiordland - its fisheries, its iconic ecosystems, and the elements that make the place so special,” says Dr Rebecca McLeod, Chair of the Fiordland Marine Guardians.
“Fiordland’s community led the way in designing this bespoke management solution. Twenty years on, we consider that the way the Guardians work to bring
the community and management agencies together still leads the way in terms of place-based management around the country.
“The Guardian’s focus on fisheries management is broader than fishing rules. We are working with the community, scientists, operators and the agencies to develop better ways of communicating our vision, monitoring stocks and reporting fishing e ort. Fiordland’s fisheries are vulnerable and sensitive to fishing pressure. Our goal is that
future generations will be able to experience fishing for a feed as we have been privileged to.”
In addition to their fisheries related work, the Guardians are also instrumental in managing marine pests such as the invasive seaweed Undaria pinnatifida, promoting the clean vessel pass system, and developing plans to prevent, monitor, and respond to biosecurity issues in the Fiordland area.
“The strength and success of the Guardians comes from their
diversity. They bring together knowledge and perspectives from tangata whenua, commercial and recreational fishers, tourism operators, conservationists, and marine scientists, who share the goal of preserving the marine environment of Fiordland for generations to come,” says Emma Taylor.
“We at Fisheries New Zealand thank the Fiordland Marine Guardians, past and present, for their e orts and collaborative spirit that have made a real di erence over the past twenty years. We look forward to continuing to work together for the benefit of the Fiordland Marine Area well into the future.”
The Fiordland Marine Guardians were recently recognised at the New Zealand Seafood Sustainability and Innovation Awards 2025, which saw them win the Ocean Guardian Award for the group’s contributions to the protection of marine species and the mitigation of environmental impacts in the Fiordland area.
Left to right: Stewart Bull (Fiordland Marine Guardians), Ali Ballantine (FMG), Chair Dr Rebecca McLeod (FMG), Minister Simmonds, Minister Hoggard, Pete Young (FMG), John Cushen (FMG), John Lucas (DOC), Dean Whaanga (Te Ao Marama Inc), Richard Kinsey (DOC), Murray Willans (FMG).
Pete Young and Dr Rebecca McLeod, Fiordland Marine Guardians, receive Ocean Guardian award from Philipp Neubauer, Director, Dragonfly Data Science (right), who sponsored the award.
Whilst I had kayaked during my Outdoor Education courses and fished from both land and boats, I had never mixed the two—until now! The annual Dawnbreakers Fishing Club Kayak Fishing Competition was about to change that game for me. Yolande Je ares, or as everyone calls her, ‘That Kayak Chick,’ generously o ered to take me out in her spare kayak and teach me the ropes. With amazing prizes on the line courtesy of Burnsco, Repco, Smokai, Stoked to Smoke, Feel Free Kayaks, and Kaveman Tackle, my excitement was through the roof! Best of all, there was a fantastic kayak from Stealth Kayaks, delivered by Mainfreight, as a spot prize for any competitor who caught a legal fish listed in the competition.
I arrived at Yolande’s the evening before the competition, buzzing with anticipation. The conditions looked promising overnight, but there was a chance things could take a turn later in the day. With peak bite time around 12:30 am we decided to skip sleep and head out to Cable Bay just after midnight alongside another competitor. Safety was our top priority, so we packed two communication devices each and the essential kayak lights.
Once we hit the water, it was a slow start, but an eager squid came by, checking out my kayak! There were also schools of piper fish on the surface, it seemed you could pluck them out with your bare hands! As dawn broke, the rising sun was a welcome boost for me, especially when I spotted a fleet of other kayaks joined by fellow competitors eager to dive into the
Kayak Fishing Debut Jasper Brannen
action. 45 kayaks in the competition didn’t sound like a lot to me, but when you see just half of them launch and head out towards you it’s spectacular - it was like a flotilla of kayaks heading out to battle.
my very first fish caught from a kayak, and it was a stunning 65cm beauty!
Next on my agenda was to catch a kahawai, which was essential for my trifecta entry—where I needed
Then, suddenly, it was game on! I hooked something big, and it was pulling me all around in the kayak—what a thrill! It was definitely a wild ride, especially since I was used to fishing from a stationary boat. Thankfully, this helped tire out the fish a bit, and soon enough, I was ecstatic to see that it was a massive snapper! In my excitement to land it, I accidentally dropped my ga overboard, followed closely by a rod! Fortunately, my rod was tethered, so I retrieved it, but alas, the ga was lost at sea. It hit me then that I had left my knife back on shore after cutting paracord to secure my rod!
Luckily, after quite the battle, the tired snapper was easy to handle, and a quick tap on the head sealed the deal. I was absolutely thrilled—
a snapper, a kahawai, and another eligible fish from the species list. I started trolling lures, mechanical jigging, slow pitch jigging, casting metals, and nothing, eventually in a shallow bay with a 60 gram kabura, I land an undersize cod, whilst not ideal, a fish is a fish even if you have to release it. I then drop back down and hook something and thought for a moment I was snagged on the bottom. Then, I felt the unmistakable tug of another fish! This one put up a bigger fight than the previous cod, and I almost lost it three times! But at long last, I managed to haul it aboard—an enormous Blue Cod, which surprisingly bit me on the finger with its sharp teeth! The good news? I didn’t lose anything overboard this time! This cod came in at a whopping 45cm, which is
quite the catch for Tasman Bay. Sadly, it wasn’t a prize-winning species, but it would definitely count for the Dawnbreakers annual competition.
At the competition weigh-in, about half of the participants had landed a fish! Most of those catches included some impressive snapper, with an average length of 59.5 cm—proof that big snapper can definitely be caught from kayaks! The species highlight of the event was a magnificent 76.5 cm snapper caught by Corey Parsons. It was almost outdone by his wife Razel’s colossal catch, but alas the tax man snatched away half of it - the remaining head to the rear rib measured 40cm and some joked she could have still entered it for the average snapper length!
I can’t express how much I loved my first experience with kayak fishing! It’s a totally di erent thrill compared to other fishing methods. The ability to navigate closer to rocks that you just can’t reach by boat is a game changer. Being up so close to the water, you really get to witness all the fascinating activity going on around and beneath you. Plus, the challenge of reeling in and landing a fish is exhilarating and adds so much fun to the experience! If you ever get the chance to try kayak fishing, I wholeheartedly recommend it—you won’t regret it!
*It was an absolute pleasure to have Jasper join me on the water and I am thrilled he really enjoyed it. At 65cm, his snapper was a kayakers ultimate snapper test, fish that size are at their peak strength and endurance. Congratulations Jasper on such an achievement- I have no doubt that you will achieve great things kayak fishing in the future. * The Kayak Fishing Chick
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Festive fun on land and water plus top Pulsar care tips Ants
Yet another year has passed, Christmas, New Year and the summer holidays are here again. Soon, the cicadas will hum followed by the onset of autumn.
Whether you hang up your hunting gear until cooler weather, or hunt or go boating over summer, now is a good chance to ensure that your Pulsar optics are in tip-top working condition. This is as important regardless of if your Pulsar is a few years old or 10 years old or more.
Here is a list of easy maintenance tasks to keep your Pulsar thermal or night vision optic in optimal condition.
• Batteries
Rechargeable batteries must be always charged. If your battery is run flat, make sure it is recharged as soon as practically possible. Storing discharged Lithium-Ion batteries uncharged can lead to problems because the integral protection circuitry thinks that the battery is damaged. All Pulsar batteries are made in Europe and fitted with protection circuitry for safety. If your battery won’t charge, turn on and o your charger until there is enough charge to initiate a full recharge. Be persistent, it may take a while. Better still, store your batteries with around 70% charge for prolonged periods.
• Cleaning lenses
If your lenses become dirty with fingerprints, blood, dust, salt or other more dubious whatever’s, they need cleaning to optimise image quality. Remove loose dirt and grit with a blower brush or soft lens wipe with VERY LIGHT motion towards the outside of the lens. Once you are satisfied that no abrasive material is on the lens, use a lens cloth to carefully clean the lens. Breathing on the lens and cleaning from the centre
to the edge is a technique that I’ve used for many years on a variety of di erent lenses.
• Storage When packing your device away for a while, always removed batteries and store in a dry environment. Remember that the waterproof IPX7 rating
sports of all types including fishing, but did you know that the summer holiday period is New Zealand Coastguard’s busiest period for rescue emergencies? Always be careful and prepared and remember to lookout for others who may be in distress. We always carry a set of
Conservation on a goat cull over the Kahurangi and Takaka Hill areas. The trips were both exciting and challenging. Look out for future stories and videos that I am currently producing about the Pulsar thermals used and other gear that make these trips so successful.
Be in to win a set of European made Yukon Solaris 10x50 binoculars. See Optically Speaking in this issue for more information.
only applies to devices when the battery fitted. Clean the body of the device with a damp cloth, then wipe dry.
• Spare parts
Spare parts such as lens caps, eyepiece rubbers, straps and batteries are available from Advanced Optics. Get your device into top condition well before it is needed. Many of our customers still use Pulsar thermals that were manufactured from 2013. A Pulsar thermal provides many years of trouble-free service. We stock many spares and batteries for these older models.
• Going on water?
Warm weather is great for water
binoculars and a thermal imager on our boat as a minimum. These are items that at the very least add to our enjoyment and at worst may save our lives. Our Coastguard New Zealand sponsorship means that we take an active interest in their activities and hear many stories about rescues caused by everything from not checking weather forecasts to engine failures. The volunteers work tirelessly, often putting their own lives at risk. Spare them a thought this summer or better still, make a donation. Every dollar helps.
News
I recently had two helicopter trips with the Department of
The Fishing Paper and Hunting News special prize draw. Be in to win a set of excellent European made Yukon Solaris 10x50 binoculars! Simply enter by sending an email to info@ pulsarthermal.co.nz. Title the email ENJOY PULSAR, add your name in the email so we know who you are if you win. The prize will be drawn on 15th January 2026 and the lucky winner will receive their prize by courier. See the binoculars on the Pulsar website: www.pulsarthermal. co.nz
In the meantime, happy holidays, catch you next year!
The Pulsar Oryx LRF XG35 sets a new standard in high performance, compact thermal imaging.
Outstanding features include:
• Accurate 1500m laser rangefinder
• Lynred ATTO640 sensor (MIL-STD 883/810)
• Image stabilisation
• Fast 35mm germanium objective lens
• Precision focus wheel for single-handed use
• Fully protected quick-change battery pack
• Internal back-up battery
• Durable IP67 fully waterproof Mg-alloy body.
Hundreds of paua taken from closed area
Taranaki Fishery O cers caught two groups of pāua gatherers in early November; three pāua gatherers with 118 pāua and then the very next night another three gatherers with 338 pāua – all of it taken from a closed area.
All of these fishers are likely to be prosecuted before the court, says Fisheries New Zealand District Manager, Aaron Mendoza.
“We received a call on our 0800 4 POACHER line last night, reporting suspicious activity, including the registration of a vehicle. Our Fishery O cers responded and with the back-up of New Zealand Police, these gatherers were stopped in their vehicle after taking the pāua from the Rahotu area which is within the closure zone.
“199 of these pāua were undersize. When people disregard the rules – they are stealing from everyone. This followed a catch the night before where 118 pāua were taken by three other people from the closed area near Opunake and 16 of these shellfish were undersize.
The Western Taranaki closure area
runs from Tapuae Stream, just south of New Plymouth, to Taungatara Stream, south of Opunake. The area is closed to taking all shellfish, including pāua. The closure is in place until December 2026.
“The area is closed for a reason –to rebuild shellfish stocks to ensure sustainable fisheries into the future.
When we find people breaking the rules, we take action.
“We’d remind people that the
minimum daily size for pāua in the Taranaki area is 85mm with a daily limit of 5 per gatherer. Our message is simple – help protect the fishery for everyone by knowing where you can fish and where you cannot,” says Fisheries New Zealand District Manager, Fisheries Compliance, Aaron Mendoza.
If you’re unsure of the fishing rules the best way to find out is to download the free NZ Fishing Rules App which you’ll have access to, even in areas where there’s no phone coverage.
We encourage people to report any suspected illegal activity through the Ministry for Primary Industries’ 0800 4 POACHER line (0800 47 62 24).
