Issue 77 - The Fishing Paper & New Zealand Hunting News

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INFORMING • ENTERTAINING • ENCOURAGING TO FISH February 2012 Issue 77

The Year of the Big Snapper

SUMM

MAYDAY ER S A FE TY

TH IS CO UL D

G U ID E

JU ST SA VE YO UR LIF E

Death can be a nast y beast It’s final . if it calls too early There’s . no goin g back.

It has an irreversib victim le effec and t on peo spiritually it’s painful – emotiona ple other than . just lly, phys While acc ically and the That’s whaidents do happ become t MAYDAY is en, many can about; helping be avoided. full enjo better equippe you yme d endeavou nt from your so that you get to chosen rs or work activities, .

It is a subj at the samect to be take n with your e time it need seriously but informed head. Just be not mess aware, and stay stay alert.

There is plenty of inter reading esting in so I’ll leav this issue of MAYDAY e you to it.

Cheers, THE

FISHIN G PAPER

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Holly's First

Inside

pg 20

Snapper's Holy Grail pg 4

Dunedin: New Salmon Capital Canty Mammoths

Hunting: Sky Leopard

pg 6

pg 24

pg 11

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The fishing Paper

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Experience and Leading Brands Founded in 1946, ENL has for many years been the leading provider of marine electronics in New Zealand building a solid reputation for both quality products and great service.

We are fiercely proud of this reputation and in everything we do, we aim to not only maintain this reputation but also enhance it.

Unlike other companies who diversify into other areas, we have focused solely on the marine industry to ensure we are the best at what we do. For both of these reasons it is therefore vital that we keep moving forward, not to just keep up to date, but to have products that set the benchmark.

So it is fantastic news that we have new product releases to suit almost every budget and application in the recreational market coming out this year from two of our biggest brands, Lowrance and Furuno.

Lowrance will very shortly be releasing the new Elite/Mark 4 series. This is a series of four inch displays to build on the success of the five inch versions that were released last year.

Amongst this range there will be both colour and monochrome fishfinders, chartplotters and combination units. In addition to these there are also some down scan units that utilise Lowrance’s ground breaking structure scan technology. These units will be very competitively priced ensuring the latest technology is available to everybody.

Also being released by Lowrance this year is the next generation of HDS (High Definition Systems). Lowrance have again pushed the boundaries and among other improvements have added a feature called structure map, which will take the side scan information and

overlay on your chartplotter screen. This gives you a real time detailed underwater map of the area, which can be saved and used for future reference or shared with other HDS Gen2 users. This feature does require the installation of structure scan.

Furuno is also releasing some new products for the recreational market this year, including the next generation NAVnet, TZ Touch, and others which have to stay under wraps. But watch this space!

The good news is, I can give you some information on new fish finders being released by Furuno, the FCV627/587. These units are building on the great success of the FCV620/585 with some great new features.

One of these new features is the Bottom Discrimination Mode which is able to determine the bottom type (mud, sand, gravel, rock) from very slight variations in the return echoes. This can then be displayed very clearly on your screen, so at a glance you will know what type of seafloor you have beneath you.

The time scales for these new releases start from the end of this month and will continue through the first half of the year, with most new releases expected to be out by the time the Hutchwilco show comes around in May. Both ourselves and our dealers nationwide are looking forward to demonstrating these products, so once released do pay your local dealer a visit to get a demo.

Next month we’ll be going over the basic operations of your sounder and how to set it for maximum effectiveness.

Mum Shows ‘Em

What do you do to beat the wet season in your tropical island home of Rarotonga?

You head to Golden Bay to visit family and catch snapper!

It was a first visit to the

By Ali Kennard

region for Chris Leeburn, mother of Michelle Kelly operator of Bay Country Lodge and Wildcat Charters Son-in-law Leigh took Chris and husband Andrew out for a day on the bay early last

By Darryn Palmer

month on their charter vessel Mistral.

Chris caught the fish of the day, a nine-pound snapper.

Husband Andrew could do nothing but look on in awe.

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The Twilight Zone

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John Heslop can’t quite believe what he’s caught.

By Graham Heslop

Family Rivalry

Young Ryan Hobbs kicked off a bit of fierce family rivalry when he caught his first brown trout with his grandfather on the Motueka River.

A keen sea fisher, the sevenyear-old leapt at the chance to have a crack at a trout with Grandad Brucie.

He caught the three and a half pound well conditioned trout on a black and gold Toby lure and was absolutely stoked.

But Grandad Brucie says the rest of Ryan’s cousins now want to try and get their own bigger and better trout!

Acting on a tip-off from some dude I met at a wedding, we headed out of Nelson’s harbour on a flat sea with nightfall still distant on the horizon. The word was that snapper in abundance were being caught seven k’s from The Cut. It was to be a family affair, with brother Phil and Dad joining me in the tinny so with only vague nautical references to guide us, we followed the GPS until seven kilometres was behind us.

Berley met water and rods were baited but nothing much happened for half-an-hour. Then Phil’s rod was thumped by something huge but it didn’t stick. Again and in short order he hooked into something off the scales and it seemingly reeked of snapper, appearing to nod on the line. It too went west.

Out of nowhere, Dad then got a strike that folded his rod in two but the fish only did the one explosive run. He then settled in to playing it patiently and with surprising gentleness for such a big man. You could tell that it was heavy and we even ventured to suggest he had something monstrous on the line.

Dad had often regaled us with fishing stories from the past, including tales of the odd biggie caught down the Sounds in his youth. This fish, though, was about to surpass anything he’d done battle with before and when we finally saw colour, it put us all in a state of shock.

Spiralling toward the surface wasn’t ‘colour’, but something from the Twilight Zone - a monster the likes we’d never seen before. Dad was stoked and for Phil and me to share this moment with him, was very special.

We weighed the fish on the digital bathroom scales when we got home and it registered 31lb twice. When weighed with Dad holding it, it scored 28.4lb so, rather than sound like typical fishermen, we have opted for the smaller figure. Either way, it’s a magnificent fish and a magnificent memory.

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Stick Bait Hat Trick

Articles in The Fishing Paper showing big snapper and kingies caught in the Nelson region had me wondering whether such stories were truly representative of a fishery that I had thought was pretty much thrashed by over exploitation and rapacious trawling.

In late December, local gurus Brian and Andrea Fensom, and their son Troy, invited me to fish the mussel farm off Motueka, where we cast stick bait lures to the floats and retrieved them flat out. Accurate casting was easier said than done, as the chances of snagging a mussel line seemed higher than a hookup - a great business model for increasing the sales of the lures.

My expectations were raised when Troy shouted, “follow,” as the speeding shapes of interested kingies followed his lure in. Brian then started mechanical jigging and was hooked up almost instantly but the resultant barracouta was a disappointment.

As the mid-morning sun started to burn the cloud off I was thinking we had passed the best period, when suddenly my lure was taken in a swirl and a splash a metre from a float; literally just a turn or two of the reel handle.

We were positioned to the seaward side of the farm with a light southerly pushing the boat

By Philip Strang away from the sanctuary of the mussel lines I expected the fish to bolt towards. It fought like a demon but, fortunately, all the drilling runs were oblique to rather than towards the farm. As the fish got into deeper and clearer water I was confident my gear was up to scratch and most importantly, my knots firm; why? Because Brian had tied them! After giving my salmon rod and reel a workout they had never been subjected to before, we had my first ever legal kingfish on board and comfortably so at 85cms.

2011 had been a crap year, quakes and the resultant fallout need no explanation but suddenly it was ending on a high note. I was beyond happy, and could not believe my luck when I got a similar strike only 20 minutes later.

This time the fish behaved quite differently; no blistering runs, just a dead weight. Colour showed and I could see this fish coming in limply, belly upwards. I assumed something was wrong when the fish lay sideways on the surface. Troy took the leader to bring it in; that is until it woke up. The fish ‘came to life’ and proceeded to outdo all the runs of my first fish; again fortunately well clear of the rafts. This kingi was about the same size as the first and as Brian wanted a fish, we took it.

We continued to fish and after another half hour I had a fish ghost slowly out of the depths and lazily follow my lure with disinterest, until just before I lifted it from the water. In full view of the boat, it lunged and took the hook like a trout rising for a dry fly. Again a magnificent fight ensued during which time Brian radioed and found a luckless (and possibly less skilled) mate who needed a fish (I was just having a bad run. Ed!). At 95cm it was my biggest and sealed a perfect day.

Blair Muir with a pure silver ingot taken in the Great Otago Silver Rush

Silver Rush in Gold Country

By Brett Bensemann. Chair – Dunedin Community Salmon Trust Dunedin was the centre of the gold rush era and now is experiencing a ‘salmon rush’, much to the delight of the Otago Community and visitors to the City.

Dunedin is one of only two cities where salmon are caught off the city wharf – Vancouver city being the other. This unique ongoing fishing activity is all due to the supporters of the Dunedin Community Salmon Trust, that was established in 2009.

The purpose of the trust is to establish and maintain a self supporting salmon rearing facility at the Sawyers Bay Hatchery in Dunedin.

The initial start-up years

saw 25,000 – 40,000 smolt released in Dunedin streams and harbour locations. This Year plans are underway to release 100,000 plus smolt, fertilized and reared on site.

The Sawyers Bay Hatchery is managed by a team of enthusiastic supporters, which has a club called Hens, Jacks & Sprats Supporters Club.

The Otago Branch of the NZ Salmon Anglers Association assist in smolt release and various other needs at this facility. Both the University of Otago and the Dunedin City Council are fully supportive and committed of the Trust’s project to establish the

hatchery and provide this unique recreational salmon fishery that’s freely available to all the Otago Community and friends.

This venture will also provide a research environment for the University of Otago and make Dunedin City the Salmon Fishing Capital of New Zealand. This season began earlier than usual, with great catches in December and January. The prime months of February and March look to be very exciting, with the annual Dunedin Salmon Competition being held on 3 - 4 March. Watch this space!

Tight lines from Dunedin.

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I Am The Boxer

Join The Fishing Paper Tag Team The local kingfish are going off. Use this opportunity to play a part and tag a kingi!

Send us a photo of your tagged kingfish and if published you win a Black Magic Livebait Gift Pack.

Big Blue Dive and Fish Cnr Akersten St & Wildman Ave, Port Nelson 03 546 7411 Coppins Outdoors 255 High St, Motueka 03 528 7296 Henderson’s 38 Grove Road, Blenheim 03 578 9960 Stirling Sports 213 Queen St, Richmond 03 544 8290 This is one of several kingfish caught on the spat farms off Motueka on Boxing Day, and is the first one Dave Evans has tagged.

Dave was a happy camper when he finally landed this fish, as he had been smashed off twice already by these dirty

fighting hoodlums.

His offsider Reice Piggott had a good run, landing six fish without losing any costly Rapalas, much to Dave’s disgust.

One fish was kept for the smoker and the other six were released.

Valued at $ .95

59

Tai’s First Kingi

By Wayne Costar Oh joy! Tis that time of year again, kingi time!

Tai decided it was time he had one, so off we went to the prime kingi real estate and started chucking lures.

Sure enough, after just 10 to 15-minutes it was whack, and fish on.

Successfully leading it away from the obstacles, Tai played it really well until it made a huge run, whacked the rod down and pinched the braid against the side of the tinnie. I braced myself for a big bang, but it held until almost at the boat and the hooks pulled. Buggar! Tai was gutted, but there wasn’t time for feeling sorry for ourselves. We decided to go and get another.

Ten minutes later, whack number two and a repeat performance but this time Tai wasn’t about to let this one beat him. He played it like a pro until we boated it. Weighing in at about 15-pounds it was big smiles and high fives all round.

After he who shall not be named busted off a couple of perfectly good lures, I nailed a fine 25-pounder, which meant one each to take home.

As long as you obey the golden rule with fish cooking and don’t overcook it to the cotton wool stage, kingi is a lovely eating fish. I reckon the smaller ones are the best!

I’ve been experimenting marinating it in soy and lime or lemon as a base then chucking ginger or other flavours in and leaving it for up to half an hour before cooking. Very nice tucker indeed!

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A Right Royal Snapper

By Phil Cairns (10yrs)

This is the story of a big snapper that was caught. It was a very hot day and my family and my sister’s friend went fishing in the Royal Portage Fishing Competition.

First up was Dad. He thought that his fish was a snapper but no it wasn’t! It was a stingray. A big one too. Maybe 6kgs, but he put it back. Then my rod got a big hit and I knew it was a big snapper. It took nearly half an

Join the

hour to get it to the boat, but I eventually got it in.

Sarah and Sara were getting nothing, but they eventually got a tiny fish each. It only weighed half a kilo and so off to the competition we went.

Mum’s snapper came first in the women’s section. Sarah and Sara didn’t get a place but won a chocolate fish each. Then I ripped into the lead with an 8.5kg snapper.

I thought it would be at least 16kgs. (Did you use Dad’s Size It Right invention to measure it? Crimpy) Mum won a $50 voucher, which went towards icecreams and cold drinks for the children, and I got a $50.00 voucher from Picton Sports, which I used to get a Swiss Army Camping Knife.

THE

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on

10 The fishing Paper

Captain’s Log: Beam me up spotty

The consensus seems to be, that for many, last year was a shocker but already this year is firmly leaving its mark as a golden one and long may it shine. The jungle drums have been beating overtime and the messages from around the traps suggest our fisheries are yielding some spectacular catches.

The Chinese have a way of marking their calendar and not to be out done, I have devised the ‘Crimpy Astrological Chart’ and hereby dub 2012 ‘The Year of the Big Snapper’. Now before all you ‘Southerners’ get pissy with me for mentioning snapper and stop reading, take the title as meaning ‘abundant everything’. I would have called

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it ‘The Year of the Abundant Everything’ but it didn’t have the same ring to it and would have made me look even more of a prat.

The exciting thing is, that one-way or another, most regions are experiencing sublime fishing. The Top of the South has produced some thumper snapper; prolific kingies, kahawai and school snapper, and Golden Bay has also lit up with trevally. Albacore have finally turned up and it looks like the rig and greyboys have bounced back in numbers, to provide excellent fare for the table.

The West Coast is on fire, with albacore there in droves.

The boys bashing the surf along the Canterbury Coast have been having a cracker season on the rig, greyboys, elephant fish and moki, and Otago has literally gone nuts on the salmon.

While this is fantastic news for those wetting a line, it also suggests our inshore fisheries are in fine fettle and this bodes well for the future.

Tarakihi Atop the Strawberry Patch

By Daryl Crimp

Brent Harkerss is pretty stoked with this Canterbury tarakihi taken over The Strawberry Patch east of Banks Peninsula.

It’s quite a hike out there and because it is protected by the weather, produces excellent fishing when conditions allow.

Brent struck an awesome day and had their limit of pup groper within forty minutes of arriving. There were probably a dozen other boats out their making the most of the opportunity and once the groper were dealt to, it was on to target the tarakihi, trumpeter and big blue cod. The boys were using flasher rigs baited with tiny strips of squid and all enjoyed plenty of action.

Damon Nuhaj of Nelson with proof that the fishery is on the incline.

SUPERSTITIONS Flowers - Flowers are unlucky onboard a ship. They could later be used to make a funeral wreath for the dead therefore, becoming a symbol that someone could die on the voyage.

The fishing Paper 11

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Stick Your Oar In Coloured Permits!

Dear Ed, Yes, I do mean those ‘Customary Permits’ for fishing - illegally as far as I am concerned.

While these ridiculous cod and set-net bans are on for the genuine fisher-person, others obtain the ‘coloured permit’, to over-fish the normal limits, big time. What a damned rip-off!

The policy states; “Fishing is part of the cultural heritage of Maori. Both recreational and commercial fishing are important to Maori, because they have always fished to feed whanau, and traditionally kai moana was traded among iwi, hapu and European settlers.

New Zealand must uphold Maori fishing rights and customs.”

What about the rest of the Kiwis who, like me, have fished recreationally most of their life?

Does it not matter about us?

We just stand on the beach watching while ‘coloured permit’ fishers rip the hell out of the fishery. I’m getting sick and tired of that!

This customary permit rip-off has to be got rid of. Common sense should prevail over the cod and set-net ban. Give the fisher back the right to catch a feed.

I urge the Minister of Fisheries to grow some balls and tackle this discriminating policy!

Frustrated fisher!

Phil Russ Ward.

Ed replies: Like it or not, Customary went through the appropriate channels to secure property rights within our fishery, just as the commercial sector has. The recreational sector that you claim is hard done by has failed to do the same, being fractious, disinterested and apathetic on the whole. Until we can agree on a united body to lobby for a stake in the resource, we will always be disenfranchised and therefore, any amount of emotive complaining and sweeping generalisations will not solve the problem.

Aquaculture Threat Looming Dear Ed, I admired Mr Gillard’s nifty little sidestep last month in relation to fishers’ concerns over the ballooning applications for increased

space to accommodate rising numbers of salmon farms. It is no secret the government is paving the way to greatly increase aquaculture output and the fallout from this will be less scrutiny of applications, a gold rush for prime sites and a negative impact to the environment. Mr Gillard didn’t deny there would be adverse effects but tried to soften the blow by saying they would be ‘minimal’ – somewhat trite I would argue.

Mr Gillard also never addressed the issue of visual pollution and the insidious erosion of fishing opportunities that will clearly be a by-product of increased commercialisation. In the early days, the aquaculture industry used to work in with and have a good relationship with recreational anglers but since they have gone corporate, there seems to be a real arrogance in the way they see things.

You almost think the Marlborough Sounds is their domain and the rest of us are interlopers!

Stuart Graham West Coast.

Dear Ed, Are recreational fishers not concerned about the Government’s aim to turn aquaculture into the next commercial Ben-Hur? The obvious outcome will be a serious erosion of recreational fishing opportunities through spatial depletion, loss of habitat and decline in water quality. I see Aquaculture have gone very quiet – could it be that they want to muscle things through with as little fuss as possible?

B Walker Marlborough Aquaculture Poor Cousin to Fishing Dear Ed, The promotion of aquaculture expansion particularly in the Marlborough Sounds is a policy line, which should cause concern. Fish farming is no substitute for proper management of the wild sea fisheries.

An important principle is at stake with aquaculture in that it is alienation of the public’s water and seabed space for private profit.

Crimptoon

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 The Fishing Paper encourages readers contributions and points of view. We ask that all contributions come supplied with contact details.

All letters must be emailed, type written or printed legibly, signed and not more than 300 words. The Fishing Paper states that opinions put forward are not necessarily those of the publisher. We reserve the right to publish in part or refuse to publish on legal grounds if the content of the letters are in any way legally contentious.

While proponents may sing the export value of aquaculuture there is a monetary value in terms of tourism, recreational fishing and the environment in relation to the natural environment. After all in 1999 the South Australian Centre for Economic Studies, commissioned by the NZ Ministry of Fisheries, assessed the value of recreational fishing to the country. Using only five species (kahawai, blue cod, snapper, rock lobster and kingfish) the study showed the total recreational expenditure was $973.5 million - almost a billion dollars annually.

So recreational fishing effectively injects a billion dollars each year into the economy and importantly pumps much of that into regional economies, outside of the main centres. Note that billion is conservative as it assessed only five fish species.

Recreational fishing is an economic asset to NZ. In contrast aquaculture’s economic value is $380 million - less than a third the value of recreational fishing.

The obsession with aquaculture runs the danger of escalating to a wild west gold rush mentality, something current cabinet minister Nick Smith expressed horror at when several years ago when National was in opposition. Now in government would Nick Smith reiterate his concerns?

Tony Orman Blenheim (Abridged)

Elephants and Mammoths

By Mark Weir With the ongoing shakes and rumbles around Christchurch you’d think the place had been hit by a herd of stampeding elephants, but they’re all off the coast.

Elephant fish that is, and they are in fine fettle.

Last year was a good season for us local boys who give the surfcasting a good nudge and this year has been its equal. While we don’t have the exotic species of other areas, rig, elephant, greyboys and the odd seven gillers are not to be sneezed at when it comes to a good scrap and they make a welcome addition to the freezer.

The elephants start poking their noses in during October and traditionally we’ve stopped fishing for them by the time we get distracted by the salmon, but this year we’ve been nailing them right through January. We generally

fish from Coopers Lagoon to around eight kilometres past Taumutu.

I have a lot of admiration for elephant fish because they are such a powerful fish and beautiful in their own right.

They put up a spectacular fight on the rod, often leaping out of the water as they run across the waves, with their pectoral wings outstretched.

We call the big females mammoths and if you are lucky enough to get one of those, you are in for a great scrap.

A lot of people will swear you can’t catch elephant fish on squid, arguing that black is white, but the reality is, we catch 80% of our elos on the stuff; good quality, human consumption stuff, mind. And it pays to look after it, keep it fresh and out of the sun.

Another misconception is that you have to fish an

incoming tide but they are there all the time. You’ll catch them at all times of the tide and in all coloured water.

The big thing is to be there whenever conditions permit you to fish.

The lads and I use 25-35kg braid main lines, which means we can get away with light breakaway sinkers – 3-5oz. We run standard ledger rigs with 4-5/0 hooks and I make my traces from 50lb fluorocarbon. It seems to stand up to the elements, take a fair pounding and means I get a couple of trips out of it before I have to re-rig.

It’s not uncommon to get a couple of elephants in a session and occasionally you get a herd of them!

When they are there, they feed in schools, with the fish averaging around the four-kilo mark and the odd mammoth going seven or eight.

12 The fishing Paper From Westport: Greymouth +05 minutes Hokitika +10 minutes Karamea +35 minutes Whanganui Inlet -1 hour 05 minutes

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Marine Weather 24/7

Tide Chart

February 2012

NELSON • 1341 AM MARLBOROUGH • 92.1FM WEST COAST • 98.7FM

From Nelson: Picton is -47 minutes on the high tides and -1 hour 19 minutes on the low tide Elaine Bay -35 minutes Stephens Island -30 minutes Collingwood -25 minutes Croisilles Harbour -18 minutes on the high tides and -02 minutes on the low tides From Akaroa: Kaikoura +1 hour 08 minutes on the high tides and +1 hour on the low tides Lyttelton +43 minutes on the high tides and +42 minutes on the low tides Moeraki -1 hour 08 minutes on the high tides and -35 minutes on the low tides

FISHING WITH CRIMPY NELSON • 1341 AM MARLBOROUGH • 92.1FM WEST COAST • 98.7FM SATURDAY MORNINGS | 7 - 7.30 To find out what’s hot and what’s not and whose rod has a in it.

Join Crimpy and Darryn for fishing mayhem, madness and much more!

Tidal data supplied by OceanFun Publishing Ltd www.ofu.co.nz Note: Tides in chronological order. Lower daily depth = low tides. Higher daily depth = high tides.

In Touch with North Canterbury

By Emily Arthur allowed him the flexibility to work alongside staff when called up during the week, often at short notice. Fish & Game put Trevor through an electric fishing course so that he could be even more useful.

Fieldwork has included fish salvages, hatchery work, spawning counts, and assisting with drift dives.

Fish & Game Ranger Trevor Trevor started Keeley feeds fishing when he was the hatchery five or six years old. “I fish. have always fished,” he says. Living in Christchurch he started off on the Avon River. As a young boy he said he was one of the ‘original scratchers’ (aka foul hookers) but added that they Being a Fish & Game Ranger is not just about checking say, “Poachers make the best licences; rangers get dragged rangers.” Trevor also used to into all sorts of field work by fish at Lake Bryndwr, a shingle staff and Trevor has probably pit that must have been stocked at one stage by Fish & Game, seen more than most.

Trevor has been a ranger for or the Acclimatisation Society 20 years and in his words he as it was known in those days. has “loved every minute of He would go out before and it.” He decided to become a after school to catch brown ranger because he saw lots of and rainbow trout. This lake illegal fishing on the Rakaia has now been filled in and and wanted to do something developed into housing.

At Christchurch Boys High about it.

Owning his own business he kept on fishing, often

Angler profile: Trevor Keeley

biking from Christchurch to the mouth of the Selwyn River with mates such as Dave Denton (who now organises Take A Kid Fishing). Being born on opening day has meant he has always received a fishing licence for his birthday.

The thing he says he has enjoyed the most about being a ranger is all the people he has met and the places he has been with Fish & Game. Thanks for all your help Trevor.

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Yakking with Kathy

Kayaking with Chris West

Long-Line Fishing from a Kayak

By Kathy Pantling The benefits of kayaks as a fishing platform have been recognised by long line fishermen for many years and as I discovered, this style of fishing can be an extremely rewarding and efficient way to catch fish. Hubby Gary and I average three to four take home fish, typically snapper or gurnard, which is probably as good a success rate as I have with a few rods.

There are many long line kits available and some specifically designed for kayak use. We use a traditional one with a few design amendments to help us deploy from the kayak. It consists of two floats on 30m of line, two weighted sinkers, 30m corded line wrapped onto a hand winder and a 25-hook trace set. The smaller kayak specific long lines are relatively compact, have fewer hooks and are designed to be stored in a hatch.

It is essential to get organised before setting out on the water. Our long line traces are set in a rectangular plastic bucket with 25 holes on the lip to hold the pre-baited hooks. We have modified the traces and use quick release hooks on a wire trace with clear tubing and florescent balls. The bucket is stored between our legs or in the rear fish well.

Deploying the long line is quite straightforward but again it pays to be prepared and have your deck area clear while deploying. One kayaker takes a weight and releases a float overboard, then drifts away slowly while the other kayaker attaches the baited traces to the loops 1m apart on the corded line. If the weight was dropped straight away the line would be torn off the spool and deploy too quickly, that’s why we prefer to deploy the line in pairs.

With weights at either end of the main line, all 25 hooks will sit on or near the bottom, floating naturally with the current - the perfect position for bottom feeding fish such as snapper. We also attach the bin to the float to save hauling it around. But don’t forget to put your name and a contact number clearly on the floats or you may find your line being confiscated. Check the Ministry of Fisheries rules for long lines.

Choosing the right location is important for both catching fish and reducing the risk of tackle loss. A sandy bottom close to a reef is best, although I have dropped the long line in areas where I normally wouldn’t even bother fishing, only to find I had some of my best catches! Setting your line on rough ground will only lead to snags, which becomes difficult and dangerous to try and free from a kayak.

Always carry a sharp knife so if your line becomes snagged or you hook something objectionable, you can release it quickly.

o is the winner of Glen Godsiff wh .99 for his kayak Congratulations 49 , Vest valued at $1 blished in last the Power Kayaka Beach Charity” pu ina “K y or st g fishin Paper. month’s Fishing hing special in a you need somet g kin ya ka re u’ e was designed.

When yo y the Kayaka rang wh ’s at th d an uit wets warmth, es you unequaled giv ka ya Ka e lin The Body e in neoprene y. It’s the ultimat ilit xib fle d an rt fo com e.co.nz. ailable at bodylin paddling gear. Av

Methods of signalling Last month we looked at devices used to communicate while kayaking. This time round we will discuss ways of signalling within a group.

Paddle signals can be used within a group to get a message to others. The main signals used are: • Go this way – extend paddle horizontally to the left or right to indicate the direction you want people to go.

• Come to me (or go now) – hold extended paddle vertically above head.

• Stop (or hold position) – hold paddle horizontally above head.

• Help – extend paddle vertically above head and wave from side to side.

All the signals above need to be done with a degree of exaggeration so that it will be clear what you mean and so that your signal will not be confused with a paddle stroke.

There are several times where paddle signals are very useful. If you need to land on a surf beach, the strongest paddler can land first and then signal the other paddlers to the best landing (or signal not to land should the conditions be unsuitable). The help signal can be used if you are in the water with your paddle as it will be seen from further away than if you just wave your arm.

Whistles Everyone should have a whistle attached to their PFD. It is a cheap and easy way to communicate with others in the group. To get the attention of others reasonably close by all you need to do is give a short ‘blast’ on your whistle. If you are in trouble a whistle can be heard further away than your voice.

Next month, we will look at several devices we can use to signal for help.

Please ensure you have adequate skills and knowledge for the kayak trips that you undertake and always carry the necessary safety equipment.

14 The fishing Paper

www.thefishingpaper.co.nz

From Sinker to Smoker

By Ron Prestage

Snapper Scarce at Mokihinui

Kenepuru Philosophy

By John Inwood

It was the full moon of November and the Motueka RSA Fishing Club was having its Christmas party, but I thought I would go fishing in Kenepuru Sound instead.

We set off on Friday evening and fished unsuccessfully until late.

A 5.00am start the following proved a winner.

We had the first ten and a half pound snapper within half an hour, then the 17.5-pounder in the picture by 6.00am.

We fished all day and into the early hours of next morning but with no more to take home, although we did lose four! Sometimes it’s like that in the Kenepuru.

Only two surfcasters of the 75 entered in the recent Mokihinui Fishing Competition claimed daily heaviest snapper prizes in the ten-day contest. Sandra Gough’s 0.61kg day four snapper also turned out to be the heaviest of the contest, netting her the heaviest snapper prize money, as well as the daily prize. Sandra, with partner Allan is a regular competitor in the Mokihinui contest and thoroughly deserved her prizes, given the difficult and frustrating fishing the West Coast can throw up.

Trophy for the biggest catch overall went to Westport’s Lloyd Jones with an eagle ray of 21.25kg. This fish was caught on day one when conditions were ideal. Top trout fisher was Errol Tombs and electric kontiki honours went to the Comfort Crew for heaviest fish and heaviest snapper landed. Junior angler Ariel Coleman caught the heaviest trout and Shinae Thornley, the heaviest kahawai and heaviest fish overall.

The ten-day contest started with idyllic sea conditions but this didn’t last long as rough seas, powerful drifts and rubbish in water from flooded rivers made conditions trying to fish in with only 84 fish weighed in.

Our few days of fishing in marginal conditions produced only a kahawai for Gaynor and a greyboy shark for myself. As usual the kahawai fell to the two-hook ledger rig with plenty of bling on. The greyboy, which had razor sharp teeth, was lip hooked with a pulley rig so didn’t get a chance to sever the nylon trace. Instead it took the opportunity to sever my finger tip as I tried to push it down into the chilly bin. The power and danger of the sea was brought home to me when a rogue wave bowled me over as I retreated up the shingle bank after making a cast.

Fortunately, on this occasion, the only thing that drowned was my cell phone!

Once again weigh masters, Ron and Helen Bennett, provided great service over the ten days of the contest which was well organised by Brian and Tony Murphy and Brian Morgan. The fishing club committee catered for all at the prizegiving with a sumptuous barbecue at the Seddonville Hotel, the competition base.

Trophy for heaviest fish, won by Lloyd Jones.

Sandra Gough, here presented with The Fishing Paper daily prize also took out the heaviest snapper prize.

The fishing Paper 15

www.thefishingpaper.co.nz

Seafood Curry 5-800g firm white fillets cut into cubes 1 medium red onion roughly chopped 1 red capsicum diced 1tsp cumin powder 2tbsp chopped fresh coriander 1tsp Dijon mustard 1tbsp green curry paste 1 tin coconut milk Cracked pepper Olive oil

Heat a good dollop of cooking oil in a large saucepan and cook onion and capsicum until soft. Stir in cumin, herbs,

mustard and curry paste until well blended. Add coconut milk and a liberal seasoning of cracked pepper and bring to a simmer. Allow to simmer until the sauce reduces to a thick creamy consistency.

Add fish and cook for 2-3 minutes.

Serve with large chunks of French bread to mop up the juices.

Baked Oysters 12-24 oysters Scallop shells Olive oil Worcestershire sauce Balsamic vinegar Finely diced tomato Cracked pepper

drizzle over a tbsp of olive oil, a dash of Worcestershire sauce, a dash of balsamic vinegar and a liberal grind of cracked pepper Bake for approximately 5 minutes in an oven preheated to 220C. Serve with fresh buttered bread.

Arrange oysters and chopped tomato in scallop shells and

THE

FISHING PAPER

Published by Coastal Media Ltd 7 Kotua Place, Wakatu Industrial Estate, NELSON PO Box 9001, Annesbrook, 7044, NELSON Ph 03 544 7020 Fax 03 544 7040 www.thefishingpaper.co.nz

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

Sales & Advertising

Annette Bormolini 021 996 541 sales@thefishingpaper.co.nz Laura Loughran getresults@thefishingpaper.co.nz 021 277 2575

Graphic Design Patrick Connor production@thefishingpaper.co.nz Printer Guardian Print

Assistant Editor Darryn Palmer darrynp@thefishingpaper.co.nz

Deputy Editor Ron Prestage

rgprestage@xtra.co.nz

Contributors

Dean Kelly

Simon McMillan

Daryl Crimp

Mark Hubbard

Darryn Palmer

Norman Holtzhausen

Ron Stuart

Ali Kennard

Graham Heslop

Poppa Mike

Philip Strang

Ron Prestage

Brett Bensemann

Kevin Sheehan

Kim Swan

Wayne Costar

Quinn Chisholm

Dave Duncan

Phil Cairns

Emily Arthur

Dean Kelly

Mark Weir

Kathy Pantling

Chris West

Ian Rowling

Mark Roden

John Inwood

Malcolm Halstead

Becs Greaney

Ian Bright

Pete Connolly

Peter Harker

Dave Dixon

Paul Merritt

Tarmra Heal

Ron Eddy Mark Wills

Peter Watt John Hawkins

The Fishing Paper 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.

The Fishing Paper encorporates the Top of the South Edition and The Canterbury Edition.

16 The fishing Paper

www.thefishingpaper.co.nz

Bays Boating Riding Crest of Wave

By Daryl Crimp

the servicing side. The team of Ross Dixon, Brendon McCauley, Ricci Hayward and Steve Harris has been instrumental in helping Bays Boating expand dramatically in an otherwise flat market. Dave’s formula is simple.

The phone rings frequently at Bays Boating in Motueka. Foot traffic through the yard and showroom is high and staff numbers have certainly swelled. There’s a real sense of purpose and industry about the place and owner, Dave Thorn, says quite openly that it’s not come without a great deal of hard work and attention to detail.

“Service is key,” says Dave, “ and service has always been the main part of this business and always will be.”

To that end, Dave now employs four fully qualified and experienced outboard mechanics to cope with the huge growth in

The fishing Paper 17

Front of shop is important too and Dave leads a small team attending to customers at that crucial first point of contact. Janet Thorp handles all administration in her role as office manager, while Dave handles sales and maintenance inquiries, with showroom assistance from Bruce Whitwell.

“The guys are brilliant.

They are fully versed in servicing all makes and models of outboards but just as importantly, they are willing to help and offer knowledge as opposed to just doing the job.”

“At the end of the day you are only as good as your staff and my staff are unbelievable!” says Dave.

Starting from the left, Ricci Hayward, Ross Dixon, Brendon McCauley, Janet Thorp, David Thorn and Bruce Whitwell. (Not present is Steve Harris.)

And it’s not only the immediate locals who benefit from the lads’ determination and experience because an integral part of Bays Boating servicing has become the free pick up and delivery offered to Nelson, Stoke and Richmond clients.

Bays Seals The Yamaha Deal

Our FREE service pick up and delivery for Nelson, Richmond, and Motueka areas. Call us now and book your boat in for a service.

As a testimony to the company’s focus to maintain high standards, build long-term customer relationships and deliver excellence to the wider community, the ever popular Yamaha brand has now joined Honda in Bays’ stable and this has positive implications for the region.

“Securing the Yamaha agency was a huge feather in our cap,” says Dave. “It now means we have all bases fully loaded, with the two leading outboard brands giving us serious opportunity to tailor boating and power packages to suit each customer’s need.”

He said the scope now gives customers a greater range to choose from, wider

options and more flexibility. For those who have previously purchased Yamaha outboards in the area, it means they now have an authorised dealer on hand to handle servicing and warranty issues.

“Look, we can cater to virtually anyone’s preferences and price points now, from top of the line four-strokes to carburetted twostrokes.”

Another vital ingredient to what continues to make Bays popular with its public, is a commitment to make sure prospective purchasers of boats or motors have all the options and information at their fingertips so they can make an informed choice and not be disappointed in the long run.

With this in mind, the team have really

Brendon is very happy kitting out the new demonstrator Osprey now available at Bays Boating. Check out the March issue of The Fishing Paper for a review of this top of the line pontoon alloy boat.

refined the art of kitting out new boats so people don’t have to settle for what’s on the lot, but can have their own touches added. Of course this takes time but Dave sees that as an investment in his customers.

“People work really hard for their money and boating is a big investment so we do go that extra mile to ensure they get best possible value and they go away happy. At the end of the day, grabbing a quick one-off sale is not our style and it doesn’t make for good business.”

With the stunning range of Yamaha outboards comes Yamaha Finance, moving

Bays Boating ever closer to attaining the pinnacle of being a one-stop marine shop.

Because of its global size and dominant market share,Yamaha has developed a very effective finance arm that is really user friendly and competitive. Dave says it is so well thought through and packaged, he is able to sort out tailored finance options on the spot.

“It’s just another way in which we are constantly evolving and streamlining as a business, in order to achieve greater efficiencies that, at the end of the day, will be passed on to the customer.”

18 The fishing Paper

www.thefishingpaper.co.nz

PRODUCT PREVIEW Native Manta Ray Fishing Kayak The Manta Ray Native Watercraft is a premium sit-on-top fishing kayak. Three sizes are available to suit different needs; from the maneuverable Manta Ray 11 to the speedy Manta Ray 14.

Comfort -The DVC deluxe seat cushions are like no other and feature thigh support and hip pads. Easy Foot provides easily adjusted, inclined foot support.

Convenience - The tag-along wheel makes getting your kayak to the water easier than ever before.

Customisation - The Groove outfitting track makes adding accessories an easy task.

You can quickly fit and adjust rod holders, electronics or even add a folding dash.A Manta Ray kayak can transport you to wherever your fishing takes you; ocean, lakes or rivers.

For further information visit www.kayaksnz. co.nz or call us on 03 541 9554.

The Land Rover Specialist Deal with the organ grinder and not a monkey. At Nelson Independent Land Rover Centre Tom Bletso is the man.

He’s company owner, foreman and mechanic. All work is strictly one on one just you and him, nothing is lost in communication.

Tom’s worked with Land Rovers since the day he left school. He loves them! “They’re gritty machines that aren’t afraid of the rough stuff, tackling it with an air of elegance and refinement, classic style!”

Tom only uses the very latest specialist Land Rover diagnostic equipment called Autologic. He handles every aspect of the job himself, from all mechanical to full electrical and electronic work, he’s a specialist.

But being a specialist doesn’t mean expensive. Tom imports and stocks many new parts, but can also source most other parts overnight when needed.

Nelson Independent Land Rover Centre, up the drive at 122a Tahunanui Drive.

Cosmic Boots – Out of This World!

The next generation in outdoor footwear has arrived at Motueka’s Abel Tasman Outdoors. Surprisingly light and stable, Salomon’s Cosmic 4D GTX applies trail running technology and comfort into a backpacking boot. This lightweight boot is made from the very latest abrasion resistant materials allowing breathabilty and comfort while remaining waterproof.

The Cosmic’s revolutionary ‘Sensifit’ system cradles the foot, providing a precise and secure fit, catering well for those people with a wider foot. The high cut design gives increased ankle support. But don’t take our word for it. Here’s what the wearers say: “The most comfortable boot I have ever worn! I bought mine in October last year and can only praise their performance ….”

“Look good and are really comfortable. Done long walks in them with no foot problems ….”

Available from Abel Tasman Outdoors, 177 High Street Motueka.Ph 03 528 8646.

Early Morning Delight

By Becs Greaney

Steve and I were totally stoked to land this beauty!

We had been fortunate enough to have the lovely grandparents look after our two preschoolers for a couple of nights so we thought we would make the most of the opportunity to get into a bit of early morning action… and head out for a fish!

We left home at 6:30am (Not that early. What were you doing? Ed.) and finished setting the set line by 7:30am. It was a fantastic morning, very calm with a stunning sunrise! We fished off the mussel spat farm in Tasman Bay for around two hours, landing eight nice sized brim up to around 37cm. It was great to finally make it out together - brilliant quality time, just Steve and me.

The setline had been soaking about two hours when we decided to haul it in and from the very first touch we knew we had something really decent.

Steve said, “Flip, judging by the massive tugs there is something big on the line!” Between the two of us we hauled in the line and were thrilled when some snapper over 40cm showed their colours, followed

by gurnard and plenty of sharks! On the third-to-last hook we could see colour and it was huge.

Steve hollered for the gaff. Rising to the surface was the most magnificent fish - our 22lb beauty. I held the line with trembling hands as Steve gaffed the massive snapper, hoisting it on board with a huge flourish and amidst a spray of water. We were both stunned and stoked all in the same moment! We were so, so excited! Steve finally landed the fish he’s been dreaming of. I was so rapt. Mint too we could share this trophy together. It was a fitting climax to a special morning!

But that wasn’t the final chapter. Two days later while competing in the Motueka RSA Fishing Competition, Steve set the line in the same place and came home with a twenty-one pound snapper. Another stunning specimen, and although it wasn’t eligible for the competition, being caught on a setline, he did get a special mention at the prize giving.

The fishing Paper 19

www.thefishingpaper.co.nz

Garmin Brings Touchscreen to Marine Touchscreen technology is a giant leap forward in the way we interrelate with information technology and is almost certainly the way of the immediate future. Apple’s iPhone is a great example of how the new technology has exploded onto the consumer market, making it so much more accessible in everyday situations.

Garmin created a similar sensation with in-car touchscreen navigation devices such as the Garmin nuvi series and now they have applied the same successful formula to their marine range, with the introduction of Garmin GPSMAP® 750 & 7000 series chartplotters.

Essentially, touchscreen technology is more intuitive, faster and easy than the old system of pushing buttons and turning dials and once experienced, it is hard to revert back to older systems. For example, many of the advanced features in the Garmin GPSMAP® 750 and 7000 series are easily accessed with the touch of an icon on screen. Select a position of the chart and with instant access to a full keyboard, tap in details of the waypoint; no scrolling through an endless alphanumeric loop to

Coarse Fishing

enter the name.

A common concern over the new technology is that it won't be compatible with the rougher conditions at sea; having to contend with sun glare, salt spray and rain, and grubby fish-scum covered mitts. Not so, Garmin thought of this and immediately introduced a manufactured durable glass panel, dispensing with the traditional plastic screens. The upshot is it makes the units resistant to scratching. Smears can be easily cleaned by using a wet rag and squeezing water out as you wipe down, thus flushing larger particles away without grinding them into the screen.

Those nervous of new technology need not be. Touchscreen technology is fun, very easy to master because it is intuitive and therefore doesn’t require remembering complex sequences, and it is fast.

For more information on the Garmin GPSMAP® 750 & 7000 series chartplotters, visit www.garminmarine.co.nz

By Dave Dixon

Christchurch Hosts International Event

For the first time in its 20year history, the Trans-Tasman Trophy, coarse fishing’s equivalent of the Bledisloe Cup, will be contested in the South Island. Top Australian match anglers take on their Kiwi counterparts in a twoday competition on February 15-16 at Lake Rotokahatu, in Christchurch.

The lure of fishing a new venue has seen the visiting team swell to 20 competitors, which will be matched by home-side anglers from North Harbour, Auckland, West Auckland, Hutt Valley and Canterbury fishing clubs.

It is the biggest event to be held on the lake, which has undergone major repairs and grooming since the earthquake

and promises to be a fair match venue, with tench the target species. How it will fish under the pressure of so many anglers is uncertain, but with an area of around 15 acres and depths down to 22 feet, there is plenty of water for the fish to hide in.

The top individual catches are likely to be at least 50lbs and much more is possible with the lake record currently standing

A match winning catch from Lake Rotokahatu

at 115lbs. All fish will be returned unharmed to the water after being weighed.

The average size of the tench is around two pounds but fish over five pounds have been caught in the past. Different areas of the lake and even certain pegs can produce slightly larger or smaller fish and whilst the locals often know these areas, it does vary depending on the time of year and the prevailing weather conditions.

To reduce the influence of these factors on the outcome, the lake will be pegged in sections of eight pegs. Each team will have four anglers in each section - pegged alternately along the bank. The section angler with the heaviest total catch will be awarded one point, with two for second and so on. The total number of section points for each team is tallied at the end of the day, with the lowest total score over two days taking out the trophy.

If the scores are tied, then total weight will be considered.

New Zealand currently leads Australia 11-9 in the Trans Tasman series.

The lake will be open to the public and spectators are welcome.

Visit www. canterburycoarsefishingclub. co.nz for more information.

20 The fishing Paper

www.thefishingpaper.co.nz

No Bait

No Tangle No Tiddler

By Pete Connolly

The Pink Page With December about to roll over into a whole new year again, a five-thirty start had us at the boat ramp eagerly anticipating another catch of splendid Tasman Bay snapper. We’d been scoring okay on the setline, taking a few 2-6kg schoolies on a regular basis but the rods had been quite idle.

Troy Dando had joined Marilyn and me for what was going to evolve into a rather exciting and satisfying outing. Setlines are great fun and a good insurance policy, so after baiting ours with squid and barracouta, we anchored some distance away and began rod fishing in earnest. For half an hour I let Craig Goodman’s secret homemade salmon berley formula weave its magic, which largely involved luring every carpet shark in a forty mile radius straight to Troy’s rod, thus leaving the path clear for Marilyn to shine.

Her rod did the classic big snapper ‘WhackThump’ and then line started melting like butter on hot toast. Of course she was otherwise distracted and didn’t respond at all gratefully to my calls of, “Come on, come on, come on – it’ll have reached old age by the time you wake up to the fact that its on your line!” It didn’t help that I’d turned off the

ratchet but a prize isn’t a prize without a degree of challenge.

The tide was flooding and the fish went with it so I initially called it as a large school shark.

Troy reckoned it was nodding so put money on a big snapper and Marilyn settled in to play it with complete calm and composure and a lot of concentration.

Troy Spielberg got his video camera into gear and directed the action from all angles, while I just directed the action. There was no shortage of advice.

Marilyn was fishing a 6kg strayline rig with 30lb fluorocarbon trace and 6/0 Black Magic hooks weighted with a quarter ounce ball sinker, so a fair degree of finesse was required to handle the fish.

Although Marilyn is keen on her fishing, she doesn’t do bait; she does all the manly stuff like backing the trailer – but not bait or tangles, so I’d put on the cut pillie that had proved too tempting for the big snapper that was now showing colour at five metres.

Marilyn’s biggest snapper to date came aboard weighing seven kilos and was greeted with a fair degree of impromptu partying. Let’s just say she’s a passionate angler now!

How I Gutted My Hubby

By Debbie Williams

Holly’s First

By Paul Merritt

From the front cover …

A last cast effort got my wife Holly her first ever snapper, and it’s one she’ll never forget!

She caught the 23-pounder on a ‘Slam bubblegum 5’ soft bait, dropped right into the berley trail below the boat.

We were fishing in about five metres of water

just around the corner from the family bach in the Grove Arm of Queen Charlotte Sound and it was her last cast of the day while I was cleaning the boat up.

The photo was taken just moments after the fish came on board and the look on her face says it all!

Join the

on

Finally, I’ve caught my first fish and a kingi at that!

Anyone who knows me knows I don’t do the boat thing but Christmas and New Year must have done something to my brain.

During an early morning walk, I mentioned to hubby how calm it was out on the water and said the magic special words that any fishermen like to here, “Let’s go for a troll along the Boulder Bank!”

There was no chance to change my mind. I’ve never seen my husband walk so fast to get home and get ready - he doesn’t even do the housework that fast.

The water was calm the whole time we were out there, which was great for me! It wasn’t long before I had a fish on my line

and I was hoping like anything that it was not a barracouta.

Fortunately, it happened to be a kingi, which I was very happy with; not because of what it was but because I’d actually caught a fish.

I’m sure I looked funny though, as I was worried I was going to fall in so was hunched over the back of the boat. I’m sure my husband wanted to push me overboard, judging by the comments he was making.

Sudoku

This being a family paper, I’ll edit out his colourful turns of phrase!

I didn’t realise how messy it can be when having to kill a fish. Thankfully I turned my head away, otherwise I would have been adding to the berley!

Seeing that I caught one, someone else wanted to get one so he didn’t feel left out. But did he? No - he just got to gut and gill mine. He was gutted!

How to solve Sudoku!

Fill the grid so that every row and every 3x3 square contains the digits 1 to 9. Answers on page 22.

The fishing Paper 21

www.thefishingpaper.co.nz

NAUTICALLY

SPEAKING christchurch story

Salmon for Jam

By Simon McMillan

My wife reckons my hobby is fishing, and salmon fishing is my obsession. Little wonder I stole the opportunity on New Years Day to sneak away to ‘field test’ a mate’s new jetboat. It was his first run on the river so two in the afternoon saw me riding shotgun up the Rakaia and while there’d been no salmon to speak of, one is forever

optimistic.

My mate is not an angler but he did express an interest in the silver demons that torment and tease so many of us normally sane fishers.

“What’s a salmon hole look like?” he asked, as the boat scythed into a tight turn.

After a couple of more twists in the braided river system, I nodded to a stretch and said,

“That’s got everything I like in a good run.”

We idled to a stop to allow me to assemble my gear, just as a salmon porpoised in front of us.

“Well, aren’t you going to catch it?” my mate deadpanned.

I tried to explain that salmon fishing wasn’t quite that straight forward and simple but

I sensed it was lost on him. On the third cast I hooked up and a right royal battle followed, leaving my mate more excited than the fish.

At eighteen pounds it was a decent slab of fish but I still couldn’t disguise the fact it was bit of a jammy catch.

You Scratch My Back and I’ll Scratch Yours is a saying with its origins in the English Navy. These days we use it to suggest two people will do each other a favour, or look out for each other so that both parties benefit from one another’s actions.

During the 17th and 18th centuries the English navy was traditionally brutal and punishments for disobedience or absenteeism were unimaginably harsh.

It was common for a crewmember to be tied to a mast after being sentenced to a dozen lashes, with a ‘cat o’ nine tails’, for minor offences such as being drunk. A ‘cat’ was nine lengths of thin-knotted ship rope bound at one end into a handle. These punishments were usually carried out in full view of the crew, by one of the victim’s crewmates.

But it was also likely that the crewmate would himself be a victim of the cat o’ nine tails at some stage on a voyage, so would be lenient with his victim by applying only light stokes and merely ‘scratching’ his back. He himself would then receive equally lenient treatment by another shipmate if and when he was on the receiving end.

22 The fishing Paper

www.thefishingpaper.co.nz

Scholarships Awarded to Celebrate 50 Years To mark 50 years since the company was first registered, Sealord has announced a scholarship programme to help employees’ children.

The inaugural Sealord Scholarship has been awarded to Nelson’s Kurt Allen and Jonathan de Smit of Lincolnshire England.

Each will receive NZ$5,000 per year to complete their tertiary studies.

Sealord CEO Graham Stuart says he was delighted when employees suggested the scholarship as a way to celebrate the company’s 50th anniversary.

“I asked Sealord people to come up with an idea so we could look back on the 50th anniversary and be proud. The Sealord Scholarship is a small but powerful way we can help some young people to prepare for successful careers. It’s a useful contribution given rates of youth unemployment,” says Stuart.

The Sealord Scholarship is for up to NZ$10,000 per year and available to dependents of Sealord employees from around the world. The scholarship will be awarded annually.

Jonathan who turned 19 in November is studying Sociology at the Newcastle

University.

“Studying sociology provides a wide understanding of society, social problems and trends and what causes these. I’ll have several potential career directions and the Sealord Scholarship will be a great help in making my degree become a reality,” says Jonathan.

18 year-old Kurt Allen plans to begin his Bachelor of Information Technology at the Nelson Marlborough Institute of Technology this year.

“I’ve always enjoyed using computers so the Sealord Scholarship will help me increase my knowledge so I can do what I love as a job. IT is changing every day and is an exciting and creative field,” says Kurt.

Sealord’s global net spans seven continents. Each year it delivers more than $500 million worth of seafood to people in more than 60 countries around the world. It employs more than 1,100 people throughout New Zealand and more than 400 people around the world.

Established in 1961, Sealord is half owned by iwi, and half owned by leading Japanese fishing company Nissui.

PO Box 175, Nelson - 137 Vickerman Street Ph 03 548 0711 - Fax 03 548 0783 email: cscott@scallop.co.nz Representing your fishing interests and property rights

It Will Be What it Will Be – part two

Crossword

& Sudoku answers

By Mark Hubbard I wandered up the valley resisting the urge to try my luck in the easily accessible water nearer the hut, instead concentrating on the incredible native surroundings.

As I started the descent towards the flats I saw the gin clear river through the trees.

In the first pool I spotted a fish moving side-to-side feeding.

I put my big dry over it. The fish took it and I struck, but the trout managed to throw the fly just seconds after the hook up, bugger!

My buddy Huge arrived back from an unsuccessful deer stalk and decided to head back down the valley to try his luck in the lower reaches.

I moved further upstream, and soon spotted a good fish holding station in the lower section of the next pool. This fish was hungry and lifted its head to break the surface and suck my fly down on the first cast. No mistakes this time as the fish shot downstream testing the leader’s strength. I got the upper hand and slid a great five-pound jack into the net.

From then on the fishing got better as another fish was taken at the top of the same pool and two more landed further up the valley, all on the dry fly except the last that took a dropper nymph, and all fish were over five pounds!

I arrived back at the hut just after 4.00pm to find Huge with a coldy waiting for me. He sat patiently and listened to me go on about my great day’s fishing, and although he hadn’t seen any deer was still pleased to be here.

Day three arrived and we headed across the opposite valley for one final stint.

Huge stalked up ahead of me along the bush line, while I explored the river. I didn’t expect too much with the recent plague of early season fishermen on this stretch of water.

I crossed a small side braid and spotted a large shape moving deep in the slack water.

The nymph went up, moved to the left, then as it started to move back to its right I struck to solid resistance, I was in. Huge arrived to take some action shots of the fight. I managed to get it to the surface, six and a half pounds I reckoned. Then the hook pulled and the fish was gone!

Disappointment was verbalised, but as I calmed

down and moved further up to inspect the next pool I spotted a fish holding station in front of a sunken grassy clod. Without hesitation it engulfed my dry fly offering and another fight broke out! This time it was the fisherman who triumphed.

Netted, weighed and released, it was another great five-pound fish.

Out of time we boated towards the lower end of the lake and reflected on the trip, the lack of deer sign, and although the fishing was a little shaky at the start it turned out to be great.

This Nelson Lakes area has gotten into our blood so any time spent there is treasured, and as we loaded the boat on the trailer we exclaimed, “it was what it was.”

The fishing Paper 23

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Give Me Cold Water

By Ron Stuart Sunday 22 Jan - 0630hrs. Air temperature, cold, 13 degrees.

Sky, threatening southerly.

Water temperature, 17.2 degrees. We are angling for salmon, but there was nothing showing, not even a kahawai.

We struggle through the morning, but take the chance to catch up with the regulars at the Waimak River.

We talked about The Press fishing section article featuring John Hodgson which was along the lines that salmon don’t like warm water, and anything above 17 degrees they’re just not interested. Me ole mate Mick reckoned we should forget that crap. His theory is if a jack’s horny enough he will come in at any temperature.

Well it never happened that morning!

About 0745hrs I called the wife and told her I was heading back to the caravan for breakfast, and wow what a breakfast, after being out in the cold for a couple of hours!

After refueling myself I headed back to the river mouth and hoisted my temperature gauge extended reader probe out of my jacket pocket and let it float at my feet. The temperature is now 16.8 degrees. Casting slightly up river and letting my Z spinner drift down before retrieving I had no luck. But my instincts, and John Hodgson’s 17 degrees theory held me in place.

Moments later 10 metres

Peter Robinson NZ Salmon Angler Member & Fish & Game Councillor and a cold salmon

upstream a strike was on.

The fish broke surface with a significant splash, the angler played it with purpose. His mates thought they would do him a favour and hopped into the river ready to tail the fish up the bank. The problem is any other fish that a see a human lumbering round, just bugger off. That was certainly the case on this day. The only salmon hooked, broke free and carried

on with its purpose. It was the first and only fish for that tide!

Lesson; when fishing for salmon in a group and there’s a fish on, step back, don’t come forward until the fish is beached and lying on its side. Any sooner and you’ll stuff up a landing …

And if the water temperature is above 17 degrees I reckon don’t get too excited, because it probably won’t happen!

24 The fishing Paper

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g n i t n u h THE

n o i t c se

Check out the new Garmin Rino 650. See Mayday for the review

Hunt High Says The Leopard of the Sky

By Daryl Crimp I was perched so high on the ridge gazing down, I never for a moment considered looking up; that is, until the still of the alpine evening was disrupted by the urgent and unmistakeable hunting call of the New Zealand falcon, karearea.

This creature more than any other has proved inspirational to me.

It is the leopard of the sky, a consummate predator, nimble of flight and yet lithe and primal in the way it hunts. It can exceed speeds of 200kph, cope with stresses of 17 G-forces, catch prey six times its own body weight and can see eight times better than you or I can. It hunts very efficiently from up high.

I returned my gaze to the gullies and scrubby guts at my feet. The whisper of the creek far below came and went, as an errant wind played havoc with the volume. The sun had since departed, bringing a softness to the High Country that drew me in. Three jack hares materialised to my right and foraged amongst the prolific spring growth, completely oblivious to my presence. I’d adopted my oftquoted hunting strategy of “let the bum do the walking while your eyes do the stalking.”

Arse on ground and with ‘farlookers’ raised, I scanned the vista for the second time that evening.

Behind me, hunting buddy Mark Wills was glassing a basin on the opposite side of the ridge, while between us our compact dome tent sat snuggled in the lee of a large manuka. We’d elected to camp high so we could put ourselves amongst the animals when they were most active – first and last light. It was early December and we were hunting deer on the range dividing Marlborough from the Awatere. The objective

was meat for the freezer.

Often it’s not the whole animal that gives away its presence but something out of place, like the flick of an ear, a patch of white or a slight movement. In this case, it was a colour so incompatible with the muted tones of the alpine tops that caused my pulse to quicken – red! I grabbed for the Yukon spotting scope and a young stag came crisply into focus. It was lying on a small ledge above a creek in the gully below.

The deer was content and only interrupted its evening ablutions spasmodically to check below for danger. Prey does that; picks a vantage and looks down, but seldom up for danger. That makes altitude a useful asset for the hunter.

I let the scene play out before me for some time.

There was no rush. The animal was ruminating and going nowhere – unfortunately. I’d hoped it would get up and start feeding so I could get it in the open but no luck. I still didn’t move but mentally went through the stalk. It seemed straight forward; drop down the spur on the righthand side to keep from view, sidle around from the rocky prominence to the tall dead tree that looked like a crooked witch’s finger, shimmy on my belly up to the knoll with the twin tussocks next to the flowering hebe … and ping it from sixty metres. Simple.

Shouldering my daypack, I dropped off the ridge and followed the plan. Up until the last moment of the stalk I would be completely hidden from view, so was nervous the stag might get up and move into the scrub, making it difficult to pinpoint from such a low angle. This fear was heightened two-thirds the way down the hill when the wind started swirling and causing a

chill on the back of my neck.

This prompted haste and the remainder of the stalk was executed with some urgency.

The witch’s finger slipped behind me as I lizard-crawled toward the twin tussock. I had to fight to control my

breathing; the quickened gasps not entirely a product of exertion. Buck fever at my age! Peering through the spindly branches of the hebe, I could just make out the partial outline of the stag, still in its bed but no longer content. I’m

a great believer animals have a sixth sense and as if taking a cue from my musings, the stag rose up onto its haunches and began looking about in an agitated fashion.

No time now for pussyfooting around. I boldly hoisted my backside onto the knoll so as to give me some height above the long grass and scrub.

The suppressed .308 swung naturally into the cradle of my arms and the crosshairs of the Weaver settled on the

dorsal strip along the stag’s back, found the crease where the shoulder blades ended and bucked as I squeezed the trigger.

The Belmont 150 grain soft point mushroomed beautifully on impact and the stag never got out of bed.

There’s a great satisfaction that comes with a well-executed stalk and a clean kill and I confess to feeling quite elated with myself. A harsh sound interrupted my reverie and I cast an eye skyward. Another predator, the leopard of the sky, was looking down from up high.

The fishing Paper 25

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The Storm of ‘68 Fine weather meant Lake Te Anau’s level was so low we had to be rowed ashore from the launch Tawera, instead of the usual beach landing. Four of us were heading up the Worsley Valley for a ten-day trip to cull red deer, as part of the Fiordland Wapiti herd improvement strategy.

We left a cache of extra food under an overhanging rock at Castle River as insurance if rising rivers trapped us.

Fiordland river levels fall as quickly as they rise so it doesn’t pay to be impatient.

We set up a permanent camp at the mouth of Prospect Creek, which consisted of two small tents with solid polythene flies, cooking fly and waterproof sleeping bag covers; we were prepared for whatever Hughie could throw at us.

Heavy rain started in the morning and continued for the rest of our stay, with just the odd break where we ventured out for a shot. Having only seen wapiti, Colin and I forded the Worsley and trudged upriver to Bog Clearing. I shot two reds, Colin got one while Dave and John picked up another in Terminus Creek. That was to be our total for the trip.

With two days to go we were again pelted with torrential Fiordland rain and increasing winds from the nor’west - not a good sign. During the night it intensified and around midnight, sounded like a train thundering up the valley.

Everything would go deathly quiet, then you would hear the

wind building a head of steam as it blasted up the valley. Then the train would hit. It was total chaos as we hung onto the sides of the tent, hoping like hell they would hold together.

During one of these tremendous gusts, the top end of our tent collapsed amidst a cacophony of noise. We fumbled about to assess the carnage thinking the ropes had given way. Colin then suggested I feel behind my head. I came up against something solid. It quickly registered that a tree had blown down, missing our heads by inches! We weren’t able to rescue much of the tent out from under the tree but crawled into our sleeping bag covers to see out the rest of the night, the fallen tree affording a little protection if another one came down.

A wet, foggy, gloomy but thankfully windless dawn revealed our situation. The tree was around 18 inches through and to our good fortune was branchless in the part that hit us.

We packed up and attempted to get back to the lake head hut.

All the trees on the nor’west face of a leading ridge had been felled, which really slowed our progress. The Worsley was still in high flood, which meant we couldn’t make all the crossings we had made on the way in and were now confronted with bluffs, slowing us even further.

We finally staggered upon the Castle River around midday where we faced a long wait for the river to fall enough for

By Ron Eddy

a safe crossing. As Dave and I retrieved the food from our cache under the rock, we heard a rifle shot. The other two had shot a trout, claiming it would add to the food supply if we got stuck there.

After a good feed we explored the river with a pole for a crossing place and found a spot that was just over waist deep and in slower moving water so we locked arms and took off. Once across, it was off down valley again in rapidly deteriorating weather.

Thinking we were home and hosed, we stumbled onto a large area of water. Lake Te Anau backed up into the bush and the small stream that previously held an inch of water, was now a pond over our heads. We crossed on a fallen tree and finally made the hut, sitting on a small island amongst the flooded bush.

A marooned culler was totally surprised we had made it and welcomed us with a shot of rum, which warmed us all the way to the stomach.

Lake Te Anau had risen incredibly, enabling us to board the Tawera by ladder. The storm had destroyed Mckinnon Pass hut and claimed the life of a man tenting near Mavora Lakes, from exposure.

I learned from this experience to plan well, have the right equipment and most of all, use commonsense and discretion in decision-making when in life threatening situations.

The three of us (Dave Saunders, myself and John Hooper) as we emerge from the Castle River on the way out.

A Pig and a Poke

By Kim Swan Slips and slumps slid onto the narrow metal road, subsidence was evident on some insidecorners. Water runnels caused corrugations, and washouts had crumpled culverts. That was just the road and the long driveway. After eyeballing forest debris strewn across the waterlogged flats and slopping through ankle deep sludge at the gate I pushed on to my friend’s lovely old homestead.

Oh my! Oh what devastation and damage! Trees down, hillsides down, and half an acre of brand new rock garden.

The first day of 2012 and there would be no R’n’R as we knew it. More like RR as in rock removal and road rejuvenation and right-of-way recovery.

As I stood oh-mying at the aftermath caused by Nelson’s end-of-year deluge, the dogs writhed and wriggled through the weeds and vanished into the manuka.

After a minute or two I deemed it timely to pay attention to the new fangled technology strung over my shoulder. It indicated my two dogs were steadily climbing up the steep face. The young dog then paused, scratched his temple and put his hand to his chin before thinking ‘hmmm, no’. He was back with me soon after.

Bugs, the old dog, did no such thing. His little black symbol on the small plastic screen kept running, and as the metres flashed faster and faster he travelled due south.

Cas, the young dog, Fred the possum dog and I, all U-turned and slopped over our muddy footprints, back the way we’d come.

Now young Cas has this innate ability to find his running mate, often with no obvious clues, and today was no different. After scaling the steep bank and burrowing into a wall of blackberry he vanished. Luckily for me I did have a clue. I had a symbol on a screen, still going south, and next time I looked both dog’s symbols were together and indicating quarry treed.

Wee Fred and I upped the pace and scuttled southward till we heard sounds of battle.

Quarry was treed above the driveway, above a bank too high and steep to climb and amidst a tangle of blackberry and mahoe.

After doing a spiderman imitation I alighted above the bank further down the road, Fred hung with me only long enough to sniff scuffs and smears in the bush. “Wait for

me boys, I’ll give you a hand,” he squeaked as he bolted their way!

Soon we were all laying in the dirt, puffing and congratulating ourselves amongst the barbed vines of blackberry bushes. The deceased Boris was not big, but he was cunning, old and gnarly. He also knew how to use his toothsome weaponry.

Cas had copped a poke in the flank, one of those pokes that on thorough inspection reveal devastating damage. He went on to put on a good show of dying, very dramatic it was, but not permanent. Still, temporary dying was good reason to ohmy once more, before pressing the dog to my bosom and staggering off with him in my arms - moving south, nose to the breeze and following yonder star.

Early morning, January 1, the beginning of another year.

Another year of life, love, work, play and of course, pig hunting. I quickly headed home with Cas comatose on the back seat. Home. Here my dear husband had lain in wait, sprawled languidly between the sheets. Poor romantic fool, he was hoping to start the New Year with a bang.

Rather excited he became, as he heard the truck come down the drive. “Honey, I’m home” he hoped to hear me say, his woman home from the wilds.

And this he did, followed by “I’m just hanging my pig up and then I’m off to the vet’s, see yah”. Devastated and damaged, he then experienced slumps and subsidence.

“Oh my,” he sadly sighed before giving serious thought to moving south.

26 The fishing Paper

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Straight Shootin’

I Shot My Brother In-Law ...Not!

By Kevin Sheehan An incident that happened to me years ago could have turned out a lot worse! I’ll never forget it.

I’d bought a new Remington BDL 700 and happily hunted with it for a year or so. I have always been taught to point a gun in a safe direction, either at the ground or up in the air and away from people.

When I hunt, I always load a round into the breech, engage the shell extractors by closing the bolt, and then lift the bolt handle so I’m not walking with a fully loaded weapon. I was also taught never to trust the safety catch and I never have. When aiming at an animal all have to do is close the bolt handle.

I never touched the trigger mechanism and the rifle never gave any trouble - until this particular day. I did what I always do and went to close the bolt to engage the extractors, when the rifle accidentally discharged into the ground beside me. I blamed myself for having my hand on or near the trigger. I was highly peeved at myself for being so dumb to allow this to happen and scare away any game. Lesson learned!

A couple of months later my brother-in-law joined me on a hunting trip and as I was to lead, I did my usual and went to half cock the bolt.

Again the rifle discharged but into the ground beside him. We were both shaken to the core.

The implications frightened the crap out of us!

I realised there was a problem with the rifle because, after the first incident, I had made sure my hands were never anywhere near the trigger when closing the bolt.

We took the mag out and open and closed the bolt repeatedly, to see what was going on.

Occasionally you could hear the click as the firing pin went off. Bloody scary stuff!

The rifle went back to the sports shop, then off to the gunsmith. I was told I had been tampering with the trigger – No Way! Many years later I was reading an article in a magazine about that model of rifle and issues with it discharging accidentally. What I had carried on my shoulder could have shot my hunting buddy years earlier! Disturbing.

It didn’t result in an accidental shooting because my father instilled in me from a very young age, never to trust a safety catch and never fully load the rifle until you’re aiming at the intended target. And always, and I mean always, point the weapon in a safe direction - either in the air or at the ground.

By Mark Wills About two years ago I traded in my Remington 243, which I had owned for about twentyfive years, for a new Tikka T3 in the same calibre. I scoped it with a new Weaver 4-16 vary power. I also attached a bipod, then got myself a range finder.

After a bit of discussion with a bloke I’d known for close to 30-years, we decided he would load my ammo for me with the same powder charge each time using the same projectile.

We then established at what height I should shoot at the bull on the target over various distances. He then worked out my projectile drop at three hundred, four hundred and five hundred yards, which has since given me some fantastic results.

A crappy weather forecast meant a last minute change of plan. We were meant to be heading out to try for a kingfish, but I got on the phone and hastily made new arrangements to hunt up at Mount Nongakas.

After changing rods for rifles, and boats for bikes we were on our way up the valley to the hut.

Well bugger me as soon as we had finished unloading at the hut it started to rain, and did it rain! It wasn’t until about seven thirty when it let up enough for

us to get out and look for a pig.

The gully we chose to go up was rather windy and darkness was setting in fast. However once on the top and before we lost all visibility, we spied six pigs on the next ridge. They were too far away to get that night so we decided head back to the hut and prepare for an early start next morning. It was pitch black by the time we got back so I opened a beer and started to cook dinner. That night it was venison steak, hash browns and baked beans, accompanied by a cabernet.

We were out of bed at 4.30am eating muesli and tinned apricots, washed down with a coffee for breakfast. It took about an hour to ride around to the next ridge on the bikes.

As daylight started to make an appearance, we dismounted and headed up the ridge on foot to hopefully to see the pigs we had glassed the night before.

The wind was swirling as we climbed and peering over the top all we found was rooting, pig marks and dung! We were disappointed so headed back down to the bikes to hunt low down in the gully and get out of the wind.

Brett and I had been quietly riding and glassing for about two hours when a pig burst out of the scrub and disappeared into the bush ahead of us. The

rest of the mob must have smelt or heard us too. Next thing pigs were running everywhere.

We hastily leapt off the bikes and took aim. My first shot took down a ginger and black 70-pound boar and Brett nailed a black boar of eighty pounds before the mob headed over the ridge. The leader of the animals then appeared on the ridge a bit further up. I drew a bead, fired and the black and a hundred and twelve pound grey boar rolled down the hill. We were rapt!

With pigs gutted, I retraced my steps and used the range finder to see how far my shots were. The first was 170 yards and the second 331 yards, and both were moving targets. Two years ago I wouldn’t have even considered taking the second shot, so for me it’s been well worthwhile learning about my rifle.

Through the afternoon we shot up to thirty goats out to ranges of 450 yards using the range finder.

Back at the hut the pigs were hung in the chiller, then it was time to cook tea. Whitebait patties washed down with a chilled Macs malt lager, not a bad match!

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Heavy clouds of mist hung over the Donald River flats as Dave Rossiter, Barry and myself left the hut and began to walk downstream. The mountainside directly behind the hut was almost vertical so to reach the open tops, we were forced to climb a ridge that began almost at the Waitoto and Donald River confluence. It proved to be the right one and there were no difficulties in the two-hour climb to the snow tussock slopes.

A big buck chamois scrambled across a moraine field and appeared to know just the right moment to duck out of sight, as one of three rifles pointed his way. Finally, he stood on a ledge above us and gazed down. Once again he was most fortunate, as to shoot him meant climbing well out of our

position, I fired a bullet a foot or so above the cave. The result was more than expected – one airborne chamois. We still didn’t know how he reached the cave.

After an hour of climbing the rock walls, we had to admit defeat and squatting together on a narrow ledge, thought about our next move.

There appeared to be enough shrubs and clumps of stunted flax bushes to enable risky descent into a narrow belt of alpine scrub. I put my stomach against the mountain face and began to wriggle down the rock. Barry followed.

The alpine fringe was a tougher barrier, so tightly interwoven we had to fight our way over the top on a very steep angle. We were glad to eventually

Family Trapped in Sanctuary!

By Quinn Chisholm (aged 10)

The Brook Sanctuary is 715 hectares of protected forest, only five kilometres from central Nelson and really close to my school, St Josephs.

My family have been volunteer trapping for possums, rats, mice, stoats and weasels at the sanctuary for a year; these pests destroy our native birds.

We trap two lines - this takes us three hours. Sometimes we do another line to help and this takes another hour. The pests like peanut butter, eggs, apples and carrots.

We need to carry lots of things with us: bait, first aid kit, a sharp knife, water, food and a cellphone. All volunteers have to wear a high visibility vest so we can be seen in the bush, found easily if we get lost and not get shot by hunters.

We have to walk 40 minutes to get to our trap-line, have lots of river crossings, sometimes higher than my knees and pass many waterfalls. It is really nice to walk in the bush because you can only hear the birds and water.

We check and reset the traps, and fantails often follow us around.

answers on page 22

Bluffed By Flying Chamois – 24 July 1971

way in order to collect the pelt.

We climbed steadily and followed the base of a vertical cliff southwards until we reached Solitude Ravine and chamois became more plentiful. Climbing over a series of large boulders, we caught two chamois unaware and Dave shot the better with a fine display of marksmanship.

Ahead of us Mount Aspiring and the peaks of Mainroyal, Skyscraper and Stargazer stood out in bold relief, in all a most inspiring scene. We retraced our steps. Barry and I planned to descend into the Hanging Valley of the Donald, while Dave decided to return back to camp.

Clinging to the base of Solitude bluffs, we edged our way along with only odd clumps of tussock and hunks of rock for support. There was obviously a better approach but it was too late to retrace our steps. It seemed unlikely any animal could live on such a vertical face yet it was by chance we spotted a chamois lying in a shallow cave, which had no apparent access.

Not wishing to shoot the old fellow, but bursting with curiosity on how he got into such a lofty

reach a kinder grade and a game trail. Further into the basin, deer sign became more plentiful but we didn’t see a single animal.

It was a pleasure to step out into the open snowgrass and shake the dirt out of our hair and empty the bark and twigs from inside our shirts.

Once into the heavy timber we began to sidle around the mountainside in an effort to reach the spur we had used as an access route to reach the top in the early part of the day. After awhile we detected the muffled roar of the Waitoto River and knew our climb was almost over. Breaking out of the bush at dusk, we paused for a few minutes on the river flats before strolling slowly towards the hut.

Since trapping has started at the sanctuary, the native bird population has increased and they would now like to get kiwis into the area and to get them to breed.

My family’s small contribution will play a vital role in preserving New Zealand’s iconic species, such as the kiwi, kakapo and tuatara and will help save some species from extinction.

28 The fishing Paper

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west coastwith

By Dean Canterbury Kelly – Manager, Fish & Game Field Officer North

2012 Salmon Season is Here The long awaited salmon season is upon us with fish now entering the major rivers and lakes of the West Coast to begin their breeding cycle.

Fish & Game has already had reports of early fish getting caught, but the bulk of the run arrives from this month and next.

Salmon were introduced to the West Coast in the early 1900’s and have been present in the South Westland lakes since the 1930’s. The large braided rivers from the Grey, south to the Haast, all have a run of some sort, but the more consistent are in the Taramakau, Hokitika, Paringa and Haast Rivers.

The West Coast is unique in having a couple of lake fisheries where sea-run salmon can be caught. Other lakes throughout the South Island have small lake resident populations of salmon, but Lakes Mapourika and Paringa have consistent runs of returning sea-run quinnat that can reach weights of more than 20 pounds.

Angling pressure is still light with an average of five boats fishing per day on each lake for the bulk of the season. A 2008 survey showed the average size of fish that year was 14 pounds but Fish & Game spawning surveys since have shown that was an exceptionally good year. Fish over the

longer term are more likely to be around the 10 pounds mark.

Fish & Game monitor peak spawning at both South Westland lakes from April until June. Both lakes have experienced a gradual increase in peak counts since 2000, with peak counts in both systems observed in the second week of May 2011. 311 salmon were noted during the peak in MacDonalds Creek at Mapourika, and 243 were observed during the peak in the Windbag Stream at Paringa. The 20-year average for both streams is just over 200 fish.

Angler surveys also reveal that there are a few basics to increase your chances of catching a fish; Fish just after a fresh/flood – salmon move into the rivers from the sea after these events and still readily take a lure. The longer they have spent in fresh water the harder they are to catch.

Fish deep - whether in a river or lake, your lure needs to be near the bottom. In lakes it may require a lead line or a downrigger and in rivers a large lure cast slightly upstream with a pause before the retrieval.

Fish early in the morning or late at night- salmon are more active at this time and in lakes they’re generally higher in the water column.

A nice five-pound rainbow captured in the lower Pelorus after a 30 minute epic battle that included aerial acrobatics and tail dancing from this fine fighting fish.

Plenty of Trout Action This Summer!

Nelson

By Fish & Game Office - Rhys Barrier

Fish & Game staff in the Nelson-Marlborough region have been receiving favourable fishing reports from many of the region’s waterways, despite the summer floods that triggered a civil defence emergency in the region. While horrendous flooding caused much property damage, fortunately for our trout fisheries, most of it fell in a coastal band from Takaka to Nelson. This meant most bigger river systems got off quite lightly, many just reached annual flood flows or less.

Anglers in the Molesworth area have been catching plenty of fish in Lake Tennyson, and some big fish are being taken in the upper Clarence and Acheron Rivers.

The Wairau continues to fire, with a ten-pound sea run brown landed early last month. We are also expecting success stories of salmon being landed in the mid to lower section of the Wairau as the summer salmon season progresses.

Nicely conditioned rainbows were being caught in the lower Pelorus in early January.

The angler in the picture reports several others were also hooked by his companion but were so large that they were lost prior to landing.

Apparently the lure hooks got straightened out amid outbursts of unrepeatable words! The happy licence holder reported the one that didn’t get away tasted sensational after being salted overnight, then sprinkled with brown sugar and popped in a hot smoker.

Footnote: Don’t forget your

licence! Our compliance team have given out offence notices for five unlicensed trout anglers over two weeks last month, all of whom potentially face prosecution in court and substantial fines – save yourself a lot of hassle and join the other 5000-6000 or so anglers in the top of the South Island who have already purchased a licence.

ue -

Our Next Iss

een Robson gr sively talks exclu to Crimpy!

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Change of Pace

i k i t on

k

s w ne Horsing Around

By Ian Rowling

The new kontiki trolley

We have a Seahorse kontiki that we use when we are travelling in our fifth wheel motorhome. Some of the places we have set it include off the South Island’s east coast at Milford Huts, just out from Temuka, catching elephant fish, greyboy shark and a rig during our January trips. We also got a bloody big log there one day and lost some line, but that’s another story. Other good spots we’ve found include Warington just

north of Dunedin where we caught heaps of greyboys, and at Monkey Island not far from

by Tuatapare in Southland where we got sharks and a very nice cod.

Last trip away down the West Coast I gave a guy a hand to retrieve his Seahorse at Hector.

It had got caught on something the night before. The tinny old bugger managed to get the lot back although it did look like some fancy piece of macramé.

But on the line was a 1.5m rig, which was still alive when we pulled it in. He generously shared it and I got a nice feed for my troubles.

One thing I have done to make it easier for us to use is I’ve made a plate that hooks onto a sack barrow, like the ones you can buy cheaply at some hardware stores, and all the bits hook to this plate including a fish bin at the bottom. This means one person can pull it all along.

I’ve yet to give it a full test run but it should make the job a lot easier, and if the wife buggers off because it gets too cold or her wine glass is empty, I can manage it myself without having to make two or three trips!

seafaring superstitions Stones Throwing stones into the sea will cause great waves and storms. It’s a sign of disrespect to the sea, ensuring retaliation in the form of stormy seas.

A stone thrown over a vessel that is putting out to sea ensures it will never return. It too is a sign of disrespect to the sea, dooming the ship and all aboard.

By Peter Watt I have boated for the past 60 of my nearly 70 years. For years I owned and sailed yachts of all shapes and sizes, then moved on to motorboats.

But about five years ago I began finding it tough launching off Paraparaumu Beach. My joints and muscles would ache for a day or two after my trips.

As a person who doesn’t believe in owning a boat unless you use it, I usually get out fishing once a week.

One day I was sitting in the spa soaking my aching body and mentioned to the missus that when I’m finally unable to go out in a boat I will buy myself one of those flash electric kontikis. I’d watched and helped others use kontikis and decided when the time came, I would get myself a Seahorse.

In late 2010 I purchased the complete package, including spare batteries, from Seahorse in Tauranga. The day it arrived my wife said, “So you will be selling the boat now then?”

“Not until I get the hang of using a kontiki,” I replied.

A full season and a bit later I regard myself as an expert on the kontiki but still haven’t the heart to sell my boat.

I started using the kontiki at Paraparaumu Beach, just south of the fishing reserve, and would regularly bring in seven snapper in a one hour set. However the tide is very strong in this area with a lot of logs and rubbish

sitting in the deeper holes less than a kilometre offshore. The obstacles caused problems, so I now fish off Peka Peka Beach.

Using a mixture of squid and fresh barracoutta bait, I try and send the Seahorse out about an hour before high tide where it drifts slightly north before the tide turns and gently brings it back to me.

I set up the winch on the lowered back door of the Hilux and send it out on high speed for about 15 minutes which gets it out about a kilometre and a half offshore in water about 25 metres deep. When the water is warmer a five minute setting is enough to get the 25 traces well out past the sandbars and the crabs to catch the snapper coming in close to the beach to feed.

Last season, between December and April, I caught the equivalent of $2400 worth of snapper and gurnard with the kontiki as well as quite a few kahawai for the smoker. As it cost around $3700 this meant it went a long way to paying for itself in one season and provided fresh fish for my large family of 15 grandkids.

This method of fishing is so much cheaper and easier than launching a run-about. I quite enjoy sitting on the beach in my chair in the early morning sun reading the paper while the kontiki does its thing.

I don’t always catch snapper though. I recently caught a five foot shark a blind eel and many smaller sharks, with not a snapper or gurnard in sight. But that’s fishing!

30 The fishing Paper

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TIDES OF CHANGE

By Poppa Mike

Back to the Futurist When fishing vessels work offshore in deep waters it is common practice at night to hunker down and let the boat drift with riding lights showing. It allows the crew to get much needed sleep. Modern technology with such things as better quality lights, the use of sea anchors to restrict drift, radar alarms to warn of other vessels nearby and regular marine weather reports throughout the night, make this a safer strategy.

In the early years a crewmember would be rostered to do the night watch, looking out for a change in the wind direction and strength, the sight or sound of white water or the lights of other vessels. On a calm dark night there was not a lot to see or do.

In March 1947 the 129ft long fishing trawler Futurist, with its eleven crew, turned in for the night well out to sea in southern Cook Strait with the beams from Cape Campbell lighthouse in the distance. Crew were rostered on for two-hour watches through the night, with instructions to raise the skipper, Captain Alexander Sutherland, at 4.00am for another day’s fishing.

Suddenly at 3.50am the skipper and crew were woken by severe bumping on the hull.

Everyone rushed into action, her steam engine started and the skipper reaching for the controls as floodlights showed white water seaweed, and rocks all around them as far as they could see. As

they attempted to reverse off the rocks she was caught by another wave and dumped further onto another shelf of the reef, and the propeller blades stripped off. Remaining upright Futurist continued to be driven further up on the reef while the crew fired distress flares and got the lifeboat ready. Off shore FV Maimai saw the flares and moved as close as it safely could to the reef, on standby.

At first light the crew managed to launch the lifeboat, board it and set off for shore, being carried over several more reefs by the surges. Two of the crew headed off along the beach knowing that the Cape Campbell lighthouse keeper would be in residence, reaching there about noon.

From there rescue of all the crew was promptly activated.

FV Futurist was stuck fast on Long Point and left there, soon becoming a total wreck. The subsequent Court of Inquiry found that the night watchman had failed in his duty to keep a proper lookout, partly due to his inexperience in lookout duties, and failure to advise the skipper of a wind change.

Futurist was built in 1917 as a minesweeper of the German Navy, taken over by Britain as reparation after WW1 and renamed. The Royal New Zealand Navy later acquired it during WW2 and used it as a minesweeper. At the time of the wreck it was owned by New Zealand Fisheries Ltd.

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89 Pascoe St Nelson Ph (03) 547 8097

Compliance Levels Disappointing Fishery Officers and Honorary Fishery Officers have been disappointed with levels of compliance with the regulations in some areas over the past few months.

Before you go fishing ensure you know the relevant rules and regulations for the area you are fishing in, particularly if you are just visiting that area from another part of the country. Remember there are different rules for different parts of the country. The relevant regulations can be found at www.fish.govt.nz or text the species you are fishing for to 9889 and receive the size and bag limit by return free text.

“Take what you need for a feed, not what you can.”

Adherence to bag and size limits is crucial to ensure fish for the future as pressure on the fishery increases. For example drive down the Kaikoura coast on a nice day and see the numbers of shore gatherers and divers enjoying that fishery, the number of cray pot floats along that coast, see the numbers of boat trailers at boat ramps and fishers on rocky points, wharves and beaches and you begin to appreciate the pressure on our fisheries.

Recently there have been adverse comments about fishers and their mates who

By Ian Bright Field Operations Manager Nelson Phone 0800 4 Poacher

all take their daily limit, particularly for larger species like kingfish. A legal kingfish is a large fish and many that are taken are far larger than the 75cm minimum size, yet there are fishers who don’t think they have had a good day unless they come home with their legal limit. Fortunately more and more have a more responsible attitude towards their fishing and are limiting the number of fish they kill and take home.

This wasn’t the case for a group who had gone to a seaside town for a three day 'boys fishing weekend,' and was inspected on their first day. In addition to their limit of blue cod they had more than 50 sea perch and commented that fishing was to begin in earnest the following day. As they were not encountered by fishery officers over the rest of their trip one can only surmise how many fish were killed.

Fishery officers often inspect fishers with their daily limit of fish that are subject to a daily limit but also have bins of species like sea perch, for which there is no daily limit.

Sadly often the attitude is, 'we can so we will.'

For the future of your fishery take what you need for feed, not what you can.

Honorary Fishery Officer (HFO) network

Many fishers have been inspected by members of our Honorary Fishery Officer network. There are 233 HFO’s nationally, all unpaid volunteers who give freely of their time so that you can continue to enjoy your fishing.

While most fishers treat HFOs with respect some treat them with contempt, ignoring the fact these dedicated men and women are actually out on the beach making a very valuable contribution to the sustainability of our fisheries.

There also exists in some quarters a lack of understanding about the powers that can be exercised by a HFO. An Honorary Fishery Officer’s warrant of authority confers the same powers held by a Fishery Officer on the holder and refusing to allow an HFO to carry out an inspection may result in prosecution for a charge of obstructing a Fishery Officer; a charge punishable by a fine of up to $250,000 and forfeiture of any equipment used in the offence. Such equipment could include your boat and fishing gear.

The fishing Paper 31

www.thefishingpaper.co.nz

Spearfishing With Mark Roden

Whatever Floats Your Boat

In The Clear

By Malcolm Halstead

The weather gods smiled on Christchurch in the week leading up to Christmas, although the god of the earth wasn’t so kind giving us a real shake up!

Northeasterly winds prevailed providing calm clear water for the Akaroa Heads, which just happened to be my haunt for the holiday break.

Once set up at the caravan on Boxing Day we hit the water.

There was no swell at the heads and the water was by far the clearest I have ever seen.

Visibility of 15 metres was the

norm.

The following day my son Jack, his mate Logan and I headed out for a morning of free diving and spear fishing.

We set up in a calm bay and the boys donned their gear then hit the water full of enthusiasm while I acted as boatman. Jack and Logan use Hawaiian slings and once a fish was secured they either returned to the boat with it or hailed me to motor over to retrieve them. Then the fish was placed on ice in a chilly bin.

Logan was first to score with a nice size wrasse. Jack then followed with a good butterfish.

The competition then heated up as the two of them tried to out do one another to be the top dog.

At one stage Jack was swimming towards the boat with a leather jacket on his spear when he suddenly stopped and removed it. He then dived down to reappear with another butterfish, ending up delivering two fish back to the boat. The net result was a chilly bin full of butterfish, wrasse and leather jackets.

While the boys were diving I rigged up a soft bait rod and had a ball catching and releasing wrasse. The water was so clear I could see which fish was about to hit the bait before it actually did.

Over the entire Christmas break we dived most days and were always successful in getting a feed, which also regularly featured paua.

One of the highlights for me was seeing trumpeter in water that was only three metres deep.

If this is the result of the set net ban then long may it continue!

Our children will thank us for it one day.

Spearfishers regularly talk about floats, and the float has become a key piece of equipment in recent years for a number of reasons. Primarily the float is a fish carrying device. Fish are threaded onto the line at the gun end via a detachable threader and they travel along the line towards the float as the diver swims along. Line length is usually dictated by the maximum depth that the diver anticipates descending to, usually 15 – 20m. The system has a number of benefits.

The fish slide up to the float and are away from the diver. The advantage of this is if a shark decides to take an interest in your fish, well they were his fish first, you’re relatively safe. Athough it’s interesting to note that this can also be seen as an invitation to a shark, seal, barracouta or conger that otherwise my not have approached a fish that is closer to the diver, I’m happy to share my catch with anything that’s large enough to bite my arm off.

Another benefit is safety, the floats are much easier to see than a diver in the water. This makes divers much easier to see by passing boats. The skipper on any dive trip can also keep an eye on groups of spearos in the water. Divers are also venturing further from

the shore. Nelson’s Boulder Bank is a good example where spearos are swimming right out into a busy sea lane. For this reason more floats are sporting dive flags to make them even more visible, which is a good idea.

Floats range in size from the popular Ronstan or even a borrowed inflatable yacht mooring fender, to the ‘Kaikoura hunter gatherer boogie board special’ right up to the recently introduced Dive Mate.

We tried the Dive Mate in Croisilles Harbour on a scallop hunt. It’s surprisingly easy to manoeuvre once in the water. It was swum along with ease, even into the current that was running at the time. The plan for the Dive Mate would be to swim it to a likely looking spot and then anchor it with a small grapnel then dive that location before moving on. It’s certainly highly visible and would be an ideal confidence builder for kids or novice divers.

One slight downside is managing it out of the water, because of its size. The Dive Mate would be a great addition to the range of water toys at a waterfront property or beach resort.

So, yes, floats are good. If you have any questions call me at Spearfishing Nelson on 545 7222.

Brimming With Confidence

By John Hawkins

My three and a half year old grandson Vinnie Robertson is becoming a passionate fisher.

He absolutely loves it.

It started when he was about two helping me clean the boat down. He’s now been out dozens of times and hasn’t looked back.

We were fishing my not so secret favourite Tasman Bay spot, in line with the toilet block off Rabbit Island, last month.

Vinnie caught three brim and two nice kahawai while nana, grandad and dad were left with nothing but pesky little sharks!

Adding insult to injury Vinnie fished successfully for the entire day using his wee blue Shimano rod and the same piece of bait.

If you look closely at the picture you can see we’ve tied the rod to the side of the boat because he’s so vigorous with his fishing that we’re worried it may go over the side at any stage.

32 The fishing Paper

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Mondo Travel

Presents

TFPTRAVELS

EXtreme Reading with Robson Green The quirky Pommie star of the hit TV series Extreme Fishing was in New Zealand recently filming episodes for series seven and, while in Nelson, made a point of catching up with The Fishing Paper team.

Robson said he first stumbled onto The Fishing Paper when targeting the lesser-spotted Outer Mongolian mullet and he noticed a yak taxi driver reading it while waiting to pick up a fare. He was amazed at where in the world The Fishing Paper popped up and reckons that alone qualified it as extreme reading.

Robson said he is the envy of all his acting mates because of the show, which is a global juggernaut. “This gig that I’ve got is so unique and unusual you wouldn’t believe it,” he said.

Having fished all over the world, Robson had some hot tips for fellow readers of The Fishing Paper looking for the sublime fishing experience.

“Go to Ascension Island in the middle of the Atlantic. It is the finest marine ecosystem in the world,” he told Crimpy. “I got a hat trick in four minutes!”

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He went on to say the variety of species is staggering, from snapper, wahoo, jack, dogtooth tuna and sailfish to marlin.

“It is the best fishing in the world but if you want panache, excitement and a party time while fishing, you have got to go to Cuba – and go now because it’s going to change in a few years!”

During the hour or so they chatted over a coffee, Crimpy said Annette behaved like a complete harlot, managing no less than two full kisses from the movie star. Daniel and Robson swapped fishing yarns and the eight-year-old left on cloud nine, having secured his hero’s autograph. Robson reckoned he could top that and was very proud to point out that he had Muhummad Ali’s autograph.

Crimpy and Annette wish to thank Phil and the team at Mondo Travel for offering to fly them for an all expenses holiday to Cuba so they can report back on Robson’s claims. Keep an eye out for a full report in The Fishing Paper – even the stars read it!

Our next issue - The inter view; Robson Green talks candidly with The Fishing Paper!