February 2017 - The Fishing Paper & Hunting News

THE

FISHING FREE

February 2017 Issue 137

PAPER

&

HUNTING NEWS

Four horse’s e

Youn g

stag po

r trait . Photo by Da

ren ve So

of th

CAVALCADE Story page 3

Dan Govier about to saddle up and ride this one home.

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Black from the blue

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THE FISHING PAPER - FEBRUARY 2017

NELSON’S SPECIALIST DIVING AND FISHING STORE

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www.thefishingpaper.co.nz

MARINE ELECTRONICS

With Sean Ryan sean@fluidelectronics.co.nz

Real mates go the distance We have been working with a team of enthusiastic people from Challenge For A Mate (CFAM) that is going to the extreme to help a friend in need, successfully circumnavigating the South Island solo in the smallest power boat on record!

They are raising funds to assist with on going treatment and rehabilitation of a cherished mate suffering a severe form of Ricketts disease. The project has been fully sponsored so 100% of donations go directly to the cause, the aim for him to once again experience quality of life..

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The challenges facing the vessel’s experienced skipper, David Puklowski, has meant taking his expertise with electronics to a new level, with an elevated focus on safety.

Navico has donated a Lowrance Elite7 Ti that, when installed and connected to the VHF, will have a direct feed from the GPS so that the vessel’s position is permanently displayed on the radio. If an emergency occurs, David can read his position to rescuers. It has also required tuition on using the Elite7 effectively: focusing on the plotting of waypoints, navigation of routes, and of constantly having the right information displayed as he navigates from point to point.

Fuel capacity is critical because there are few places to re-fuel along the rugged West Coast, so the more direct line he plots and navigates, the better the fuel economy and safety margins. To further support this, we are installing fuel flow sensors so that usage can be accurately monitored on the

Elite7, to ensure he has enough to make his designated landfall points.

Due to the terrain, they cannot completely rely on either VHF or mobile phone coverage to consistently communicate with the support crew, so we are equipping them with Inreach SE two-way satellite communicators. This ensures 24/7 communication and SOS emergency capability where ,if necessary, rescuers can communicate with David wherever he may be and track his movements until he is back in safe hands. It is new technology for him and is a bit like going back to school as all equipment, regardless of its capabilities, is only as good as the proficiency of the user.

The learning process has started but we will continue it over the next two months, prior to departure from Nelson.

Followers can view the teams progress via Challengeforamate.nz - which provides a link to the Inreach Mapshare site, along with other camera footage and commentary.

You will be able to see daily messages and know exactly where the vessel is within the last 12 minutes.

We are also installing USB and 12 volt charging points to keep the power in some of the camera technology, and a powerful led-light bar in case he is still on the water when darkness falls.

It’s a privilege to put our resources into such a worthy case and we encourage people to get behind this venture and generously donate, and follow the progress of a true kiwi spirited challenge.

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ISSUE 137 - THE FISHING PAPER 3

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A cavalcade of Tasman Bay horses

STORY

Dan Govier

down in the depths confirmed it was a The plan was to get up early Sunday horse! Pete grabbed the net, which broke morning to chase some Tasman Bay when he tried lifting the fish due to the snapper; however, with no sea breeze size of it, but we still managed to get it on the Saturday afternoon, I put a call onboard. out to Pete Connolly to see if he was keen to head out that evening instead of After the photo session, we were back getting up early Sunday morning. Pete into the fishing. Pete was on next, with confirmed, and we were soon at my boat a nice fish weighing 12lb, a great start to shed all ready to go. the evening. What then followed was The wind had crazy: the fish increased to 18 were hungry and “The fish were hungry and knots since we were hitting the made the call were hitting the baits like baits like steam but we figured steam trains, stripping plenty trains, stripping it would ease plenty of line from out later that of line from the reels.” the reels. I then evening, so we followed up with still headed out. two more good We soon had the snapper, but unfortunately all the fish had berley trail going over the side and fresh come up bloated so could not be released. baits deployed in the water.

With four good snapper onboard we It was fairly quiet for a while on the decided to stop fishing, we had enough snapper front, until I started eating my fish and since they were coming up dinner. I looked back and my Shimano bloated we did not want to take any more Catana Nano rod was doubled over in big fish that day. the rod holder, with the rod tip nearly Mark from Big Blue met us back at the touching the water. As soon as I grabbed ramp with some scales. The four fish it and felt the weight of the fish, I knew it weighed: 12, 18, 22 and 24lb. The big boy was a good one! It pulled a lot of line off the Thunnus 4000 Baitrunner and gave me was caught on a Black Magic flasher rig, so it pays to mix it up a bit. an extremely good fight, but quality lets A great evening fishing, especially with you use light gear on big fish. Terminal not having to get up at a crazy hour in the tackle is critical also, and in this instance morning as originally planned, and even was using Black Magic tough trace and better to get the boat washed and put the new DX hooks. When it finally came away before dark. within sight, that familiar golden red glow

STORY

Dan had to call a halt to the fishing before they created a stampede.

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THE FISHING PAPER - FEBRUARY 2017

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Stella the snapper slayer Jo Gearry

Our daughter is not what you call an old hand when it comes to fishing, but old hands might envy her form. Stella is fiveyears-old and caught her first snapper over a year ago. With Christmas and our annual holiday in the Sounds looming, she was full of anticipation.

Santa must have had a ‘tip-off’ because he didn’t disappoint, delivering the perfect gift for a young fisher, a Shimano Hyperloop 4000 from Hunting & Fishing, Tower Junction, Christchurch.

Stella enjoys summer holidays with family, staying at her

STORY

And Poppa played second fiddle.

Aunty and Uncle’s bach at Nikau Bay in the Marlborough Sounds. We make it a fun event, with a friendly fishing competition amongst family members and a trophy up for grabs for biggest fish over the season.

This day on the water had to go down as one of the greats.

Stella was eager to put her new gear to the test and opted to stray-line with pilchards as bait. Her younger brother, three-yearold Jack, was not about to be left out and was lined up with a similar set up. Poppa, Brent Triplow, had a hand in the mix as well, making three generations of fisher expectantly waiting for things to happen aboard the 7.5m McLay. With little kids on an alloy boat, noise is always a concern but things were about to unfold and make that issue redundant.

Stella’s stray-line folded over and line peeled off the reel. She leapt into gear and, with dad Brad helicoptering over her, dealt to the monster on the end of the line. As we saw colour we

FLY

all realised it was a thumper but Stella was not content to stop there and for good reason. Once all the squeals and excitement abated, the 23lb behemoth was put on ice and silence reigned supreme. I can assure you we would've been the quietest boat on the water while we waited for the next catch.

Then she did it again. Another monster. Not quite as big but at 21lb, a very fine double in anyone’s book. She named the two snapper ‘Dinner’ and Dessert’, and was one very happy little girl.

When asked what her secret was she told me, “The secret is to be really quiet and have yummy bait so then the fish don’t know that you’re there”.

So with only three snapper under her belt, she is now quite the expert and thrilled to be the new trophy holder. Oh, Poppa came close but not close enough. His biggest snapper for the holidays weighed a mere twenty-pound.

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ISSUE 137 - THE FISHING PAPER 5

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Black from the blue Brian Fensom

With the penultimate day dawning fine on our week long assault on Great Barrier Reef, I was still without a marlin so the decision was made to throw everything at it. It was a question of going for broke, no distractions, and no sideshows. We troll dead-baits both sides of the tide, cover different spots, and bring a ‘blackie’ from the blue if necessary.

The set up was simple: three rods and three baits strung astern; one shotgun rig way out back and two flankers off the sides. We were using mac’ tuna for dead-baits, bridle-rigged with one hook at the front so the fish still swam naturally.

I was settled in the chair, lulled by a big lazy swell when the marlin struck. It transpired that it was the smallest marlin of the trip, taken on the largest bait but, in the moment, all thoughts were on clearing the other rods and getting me locked into the one that was squealing like a pig going to market. It all happened so quick and once I was clipped into the harness, I felt the surge of power that is unmistakably marlin: staccato tail beats that propelled the sleek black torpedo away from me at an incredible speed. Line melted - no, evaporated from the reel while around me the crew became the cogs in the team machine that caught marlin.

It is not a solo achievement.

The marlin was a bit of a show-pony, performing a spectacular somersault in front of the camera. But the

STORY

fight wasn’t protracted. The skipper knew his biscuits and powered the big launch full astern at the appropriate moment. My first marlin was released at the boat and estimated at 60kg; not a monster but it ticked a box for me so I was stoked.

The boat had experienced

a good season, with several fish approaching the magical ‘grander’, so there were biggies to be had. Would I go back? Most certainly but earlier in the season. While all marlin were hooked and released, the thrill of catching a ‘blackie’ from the blue just leaves the angler - hooked.

6

THE FISHING PAPER - FEBRUARY 2017

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One less spend fish

Daryl Crimp

In years gone by when stocks were abundant, there were those fish confined to cat food status. Maligned species with reputations blackened by popular myth that they were ‘rubbish’, shit fish’, ‘garbage’, and so on. In Australia one such undesirable is simply called ‘The Mother-in-law’.

Deserved or not, labels can stick but with time, education, and shortage of popular species, many on the ‘ditch list’ now find favour as respectable table fish; gurnard, sea perch, and kahawai spring to mind.

However, I do still struggle with the red cod, a slimy, catfish-like looking fish that really does personify the title - slimy scum-sucking bottom fish. Cantabrians will rally and send out the lynching

party at my inflammatory ramblings because, in their neck of the woods, the ‘Akaroa cod’ is a delicacy.

And that is my point: it is all a question of perspective, or ‘One man’s poisson is another man’s poison’.

Red cod belong to a family of fish called Morid cods, of which fifteen species can be found in our cooler waters. The red cod is also found in Australia, present all around New Zealand but most prolific in South Island waters. It is is reddish brown on top graduating to pink on the flanks when caught, but loses colour quickly to a greyish pink. Scales are soft and easily dislodged, and the skin is slimy. Most commonly caught around the 40 - 60cm range, red cod will grow to 80cm.

It’s no laughing matter son... keep it away from my tackle box!

Red cod are commonly mistaken for their cousin the bastard cod, of which there is a North Island and South Island species. It is easy to distinguish between the red cod and the other bastards because of two factors: red cod have a black pectoral blotch and a square tail, whereas those other bastards have no blotch and a rounded tail.

They are generally thrown back because they are ‘yucky’ to handle and difficult to fillet, which has led to their food qualities being underrated. The soft, moist,, white, flaky flesh gives a delicate flavour and is beautiful served as a light mornay, fish pie, tempura batter, or in fish cakes.

Daniel recently caught a couple of ‘nice’ ones so, rather than waste them, I took them home and fed them to the… elderly parents. They loved the creamy mornay and loved me again - briefly.

The trick to filleting them is to chill them in an ice slurry straight away, or put them in the freezer until set firm first.

It is a fiddly job but worth the effort, and also a smart conservation move. Many fish brought to the surface from deep water do not survive release because of damage induced by pressure change, so you might as well enjoy the feed, rather than the sea lice.

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ISSUE 137 - THE FISHING PAPER 7

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STORY

Andrea with a mother of a PB, pure gold from the Kenepuru.

Selling wife’s rod bad karma Andrea Fensom

During the Christmas break, Brian and I headed up to Kenepuru for our first fishing trip up there in over a year. The weather looked better than it had been so we decided to take the chance while it was likely to be calm.

We headed up there late afternoon after discussing the spot to fish in. Brian favoured one spot but, as I have had little success there, suggested we should go to MY favourite spot, which is what we did. He will tell you he put me on the spot and did all of the work except for winding in the fish. That is partly true, except ‘all of the work’ to Brian doesn’t include the fact I cooked the dinner and breakfast, and attended to the other domestic boat duties!

The other discussion we had was about the rods – mysteriously my rod had disappeared, so hubby had set up one of his rods righthanded to suit me, which was very kind of him. The other four rods, however, were set up for him (I have in the past pulled in fish using my other hand when he is busy). Turns out my rod was sold to a club member some time back!

We sat for a few hours enjoying the sunshine and waiting for the fish to bite – as always up there we know you need loads of patience and even then, sometimes we come away with no fish in the bin. At about 8.30pm my rod went off so I proceeded to wind in what appeared to be an average size snapper.

When it appeared at the boat, Brian had the net ready and said something along the lines of… “My gosh that’s a massive fish!” And it was – weighing in at just over 23lb. My best fish yet. Also the fish was long enough to get me a pin from the fishing club (requirement is 80cm and my previous best was only 78cm long).

Feeling very pleased with myself, I relaxed again in the sunshine but not for long. My rod went off again. I then pulled in a smaller fish that fought harder than the big one, as they often do.

We had a lovely night out there: Brian’s four rods netted him one fish while my single rod did all the work, catching me more than hubby. Funnily enough, I was not invited on the next fishing trip!

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THE FISHING PAPER - FEBRUARY 2017

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This kahawai was a gritty fighter but Lily quickly came to grips with it.

Stargazer surprise post sunset Greg Gilbert

Turbo kahawai no match for Lily Josh Tasker

During the school holidays I took a Monday off work because I had two kids to entertain. My oldest, Lily (7) had caught two small salmon from the Groynes lakes last season, but we hadn't gone out fishing together since. These small stocked lakes in the heart of Christchurch provide a great introduction to fishing for young children and great family entertainment. My four-year-old, Hartley, had got a small spin set from Santa, which he was dying to try out too.

After a recent small fresh through the rivers, I saw that the Waimak had dropped to around 80 cumecs, which should have been fishable. Looking at the tides and targeting the two hours before low, we all piled into the car and set off for the mouth, after I had quickly got the kids licences online: this was to cover us in case we accidentally caught salmon. There were plenty of people around as usual and kahawai were being landed, the kids watching the action as we walked down past the bait fishers, looking for a spot. Someone was finishing up and saw the kids and motioned for us to jump in.

Lily needed little help getting back into the swing of casting a small lure out, but I was doing the casting for Hartley and helping him retrieve. It wasn't too long before a scuttling crab

grabbed Hartley's attention, and I was fishing alone! Pretty quickly I hooked one on Hartley's rod and gave him a yell to come over and grab the rod. It put up a great fight and he was hardly able to hang on, even with me with a hand on the rod.

The kahawai kept jumping and on the third jump, landed on the line and busted him off.

Lily lasted about 20 minutes then also got distracted by the crab, leaving me using my trout rod and reel. I hooked into another one and handed it over to Lily to land, again a great condition fighting fish. After plenty of big runs and lots of jumps, she brought it in with little help. About 10 minutes later I hooked into another one and offered the rod to Lily but this time I said,”You got it” and let her fight it out on her own. This one was even bigger and really put up a spectacular fight, with an aerobatic display followed by searing runs . After such a punishing workout the rod tip was starting to drop, "Dad, my arms are getting sore!" “ “Great work Lily, you've nearly got him.”

A few minutes later she landed the power-packed kahawai on her own. She was stoked, and after a quick photo, she held it in the water until it swum away. A great day out for me and the kids.

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It was after work one evening Tyler asked me to go for a fish. To be honest, I didn't have the energy but the drive of a bent rod was too strong so off we went!

After getting sorted and fishing a few spots unsuccessfully for a while, I flung out my line and felt some weight. It was dark so I didn't know what it was; all I knew it was tiny and jumping. Much to my delight a flounder appeared at my feet and seeing it was legal, it was quickly dispatched and back to the water’s edge I went.

“Oh hang on, there is weight here again,” I said to Tyler.

After a very short slash around on the water, a stargazer appeared! It was a cool looking fish and the first one Tyler had seen up close. He loved the mottled colouration, which is perfect camouflage for this ambush predator. After a couple of quick photos it was released to grow larger and fight again another day !

Just goes to show you never know what you will catch

The mottled colour of the stargazer is perfect camouflage for this ambush predator.

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ISSUE 137 - THE FISHING PAPER 9

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A happy Dylan went mouth-to-mouth with the river monster and won.

STORY

The river monster Dylan Booth

On December 9, two mates and I yet again ventured to the MacKenzie Country canals in search of another ‘Monster’. With first light peeking over the top of the surrounding hills, we stopped at Ohau C. Sunrise was still two hours away so on went a Savage glow in the dark. I was using a Crucis 1-3kg 7’8” two-piece rod with a good spinning reel, so fishing light. Sensitivity and quality go hand in hand, so I was using Black Magic SSP Fibre Glide line, which affords super smooth casting and has zero stretch so you feel the slightest contact. To this, I attached 6lb Black Magic Fluorocarbon; targeting big fish requires finesse and a few extra dollars but it pays off.

The action was almost immediate. Within five minutes I was onto a huge brute of a fish that really put a bend in the rod. After a good fight, I managed to get it to the bank - a beautiful 14lb rainbow trout.

As time passed, I managed to land two other fish weighing 7lb and 15lb, but the best fish of the day actually came from a nearby river not connected to the canal; it flowed into Lake Benmore. I’d never fished

this waterway but decided to explore it a bit and had a cast into a deep run. I was in! It was a healthy brown trout of around 6lb with plenty of fight, leaping out of the water until it eventually threw the hook.

I had a few more casts into the pool with no other hits. I said to myself, ‘One more cast,’ and lucky I did. I cast right to the head of the pool and BOOM - fish on. I was shocked at what I’d hooked in such a small river: huge head shakes and massive runs up and down the pool suggested I’d discovered The River Monster!

It was cunning too. Half way through the fight, the fish tried wrapping me up in snags but I managed to stop it in time. Despite its huge size, the fish ran out of energy fairly quickly, but it still had a bit of kick left. One last jump and I turned its head into slack water, and grabbed its tail. I yelled from the top of my lungs with joy and in disbelief at what I’d just pulled from the river. The weight came in at a shocking 18lb 13oz!

A true trophy… and definitely a heck of a story to go with it.

Dylan was on the board early with this nugget.

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10 THE FISHING PAPER - FEBRUARY 2017

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Captain’s Log: Beam me up spotty The Catch… Crimpy’s catch

Attending the premiere of The Catch in Nelson in January, I had no idea the evening would end in a delightful twist of irony and with a new credit added to my CV. The New Zealand feature film, set around the magnificent Kaipara Harbour, tells a twisted comedic tale of a down-on-his-luck Brian, a likeable rough diamond who stumbles onto a huge snapper days before a local competition.

The temptation to enter it, scoop the huge main prize, and solve all his woes at once forms the basis of the storyline, with the underlying themes of pakeha-Maori banter, bromance, breach of trust, boy gets girl gets boy, overfishing, and selling your soul to the devil, giving the movie a real Kiwi flavour.

Straight away you know that this is no ordinary movie. It has, in fact, arrived upon our screens via a convoluted series of clichés: A Maori, a Scot, and an Englishman go fishing, it is ‘run on the sniff of an oily rag’ movie making, it reeks of Kiwi-can-do, and there’s number 8 wire in there somewhere.

Initially failing to attract funding, it was shelved for over ten years before director and producer, Simon Mark-Brown, decided to self-fund it. Filmed over eleven consecutive days at a fraction of the cost of a Hollywood blockbuster’s catering budget, the movie quickly developed a momentum of its own - as if it were meant to be made. Actors were quite literally pulled from the streets, with many of the ‘locals’ in the movie being real locals from the Kaipara. Simon liked a real-life hard case local antique dealer so much, he even wrote a scene for him in the movie. He also dragged Aysha Boneza, a secretary from next door to where he worked, onto the set to serve in the local fish and chip shop but when she turned up pregnant two weeks before filming, a quick script rewrite promoted her to the ‘love interest’ and leading lady.

Nicol Munro is solid and believable as Brian, which has as much to do with his fine acting skills as it does with him being cast alongside Tainui Tukiwaho, who plays his buddy and

conscience, Wiremu. The affable Scot and the talented Tainui combine onscreen to create a subtle alchemy that gives rise to some golden moments; like the scene where Brian is drunk and morose while trying to assist Wiremu repair his car in the dark. In the first take, Nicol said they used real whiskey as a prop but, true to Scottish form, he really did get pissed so they switched to cold tea thereafter.

But low budget seat-of-the-pants moviemaking doesn’t equate to B-grade movie in this case. The Catch is funny, witty, and entertaining. Much of this is because the storyline is strong and intriguing, but also because it is plausible and something Kiwi audiences can relate to. In fact, The Catch was inspired by real events: the catalyst an item in The Sunday News exposing cheating at a competition in Matamata over a decade ago.

The article became topic of conversation at a dinner party of ‘film-makey’ people.

“We were all throwing ideas around about what would make a good film,” says Simon, “and the conversation kept coming back to the fishing cheat.”

He liked the comedy of smuggling a big fish into a small town competition and the basic

Nicol Munro and Tainui Tukiwaho share a light-hearted moment on the set of The Catch.

storyline was thrashed out over a few wines that night. Then the process started in earnest with the human element being developed.

“We had to work out why someone would do that, and then develop characters around that central protagonist.”

Simon, Crimpy, Daniel, and Nicol at the premiere of The Catch.

Notch in greenbone belt Matt Stone

The deep blue of the Canterbury sky stood in contrast to the turquoise of the coastal waters, both separated by the burnt brown on the Port Hills in summer. Clouds of cotton floated lazily above and conditions looked good for a spot of land-based fishing.

I’d coaxed along Jayden Rich with the promise we’d target some butterfish aka greenbone. It didn’t require much coaxing as Jayden is full on into his fishing and, with the possibility of getting another first of a species, he was amped.

Using size 2 hooks and mussel/daisy flower combo baits on our surfcasters, we cast out into some kelp beds close to

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Simon said the archetypal Maori fishing buddy was the perfect ‘conscience’ of the lead, the yin to his yang. Then the story arc had to work: the protagonist had to be believable but likeable so the audience would root for him. The obvious question then was would he develop as a character, would good triumph over evil, and would the phoenix rise from the ashes? His nemesis and the devil character was played beautifully by David Capstick, a pommy actor you just love to hate. An Englishman, a Scotsman, and a Maori go fishing - the perfect mix. It’s great entertainment and a must see movie.

And the irony? The Crimpy connection? I’d always harboured a secret fantasy to sit behind the scenes and watch how a motion picture was made but no, I was never on the set of this one. I’d never met Simon until the night of the premiere. But I was the freelance journalist who broke the cheating story that sparked the movie. So now there is an addendum to my CV. It reads: The Catch, based on a story by …

WIN The Catch DVD. See page 30 for details.

Jayden notched up his first butterfish after a testing session from shore.

Christchurch.

Slender, sly, and streamlined, butterfish are endemic to New Zealand and inhabit weed beds in shallow water: they seldom go deeper than 15m and don’t like open water. The colouration is essentially dark green to brown, with older fish becoming a greenish blue-black: perfect colouration for camouflage amongst the kelp forests. While traditionally targeted using nets, butterfish can be caught successfully on rods. They typically grow to 30 - 50cm, but can reach 70cm plus.

The fishing was a little slow at this spot, which we had not tried before. I managed a nice butterfish early on and

Another good moki comes to the pan.

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an undersized moki. With a little coaching and plenty of encouragement, Jayden finally managed a really nice fish himself, bigger than mine, so he was delighted.

On the next outing Jayden was able to put another notch in his ‘greenbone belt’, and then he went on to score another first of the species, bringing two moki to the table.

That lad is on a roll.

Butterfish are absolutely delicious as a table fish, and are strong, hard fighters that like to try and bolt into the kelp for protection. Testing and tasty at the same time.

ISSUE 137 - THE FISHING PAPER 11

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STICK YOUR OAR IN

CRIMPTOON

FREEMAN GROUP – Home of the Roofing Gurus

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 had more time, we’d have a look around for new toys and fishing equipment. In fact, we have in the past purchased all our life jackets and outdoor sports from Northwood but we will no longer be doing so as it doesn’t serve its dual purpose anymore. It’s disappointing to hear that the new management may be losing sight of the loyal customers that have been brought up with Smiths City.

JG Christchurch

Editor makes poor judgement call Dear Ed, Just read the Jan issue.

Hunting articles on page 18 and 20…”Where Wallabies are Wronged” and “Ripe for a Woman’s Touch” are hardly good examples of safe shooting that your paper should promote: “… think it’s a wallabies ear… it’s a bird…bang down it goes” “… up leapt a rabbit I hadn’t seen.......I could see its ears…..”

Dear Ed, First let me just say, love the paper and look forward to it every month. Here’s the problem though. I normally pick up a copy at ITM Greymouth where I work but there hasn’t been any since October. A long time with no fishing paper. I have checked the only other place I know that has the paper as well (Smiths City) and they haven’t had it either.

My mate Ryan Fitzmaurice sometimes has stories in your paper and I always keep a close eye out for him.

Please can you let me know where in Greymouth I can get

Both are examples of not clearly identifying the target.

Respectfully suggest should refuse to publish such stories and explain to the authors why.

Kevin Wilson Blenheim (Ed replies: A valid point Kevin, thanks. It is not the intention of the paper to promote bad practice - quite the opposite in fact. Readers’ stories are not professional pieces but reflect what is happening at ‘grassroots’ warts and all: they also take effort to write, therefore I like to reward writers by publishing their stories. That said, some judicious editing may have been called for).

a copy from.

Cheers, Steve Ed replies: Thanks Steve and JG - yes it is disappointing but we are trying to work with these companies to remedy the situation. While The Fishing Paper & Hunting News is free to the reader it is funded by advertising. In turn, we reward those advertisers by distributing the paper through them: they get foot traffic each month when our readers go in to pick up the paper and, interestingly, over 80% of our surveyed readers buy off the ads in the paper. Therefore, it is a very effective system.

Regretfully, both Smith City and ITM pulled their advertising last year but, as a mark of good faith to our readers, we continued to distribute through those channels until it became unviable. Greymouth readers can pick up a copy from Dean at Westland Engineering.

Christchurch from Hunting & Fishing and Edward Gibbons.

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Paper missed from iconic stores Dear Ed, We were so surprised this month to go in and hear the news that you were no longer supplying The Fishing Paper & Hunting News to Smiths City. Its not uncommon for the stand to be empty as the issues always go so quick but when a staff member saw our disappointment to miss January, he told us that they were no longer being sent it. He told us it was due to Smith’s City not advertising for so long, so they were off the distribution list.

I did have a grumble to him as it seems absurd for Smiths City to not support The Fishing Paper & Hunting News.

Having them as a distributor was very handy to us and when we collect the paper we also look and purchase. The staff were friendly and we felt welcome as we sometimes just ran in and out or, if we

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Inkwise

Contributors Daryl Crimp Ron Prestage Sean Ryan Poppa Mike Ant Corke Mark Roden Ian Hadland

Kim Swan

Scott Campbell

Andrew Claridge

Craig Irwin

Lynnaire Johnston

Kevin Wilson

Simon Jones Dylan Booth Dave Duncan Dan Govier Jo Gearry Andrea Fensom

Matt Stone Richard P. Graeme Detlaff John Leader Jessie Crasburn

Chris West

Greg Gilbert

Grant Holmes

Brian Fensom

Charles Smith

Daymon Nuhaj

Marty Bowers

Lucus O’Sullivan

Fish Herring

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

12 THE FISHING PAPER - FEBRUARY 2017

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Around the tale of the rainbow Lucas O’Sullivan

BOOK REVIEW

Good Me Bad Me

By Ali Land

Penguin Random House RRP $37 Reviewed by Lynnaire Johnston

I’ve read at least a dozen books since finishing Good Me Bad Me but can’t get it out of my head.

I’m not sure what that says about me because the subject matter pertains to having a mother who is a serial killer. Of young children.

Take a moment to think about that and consider what it might be like. But no matter where your thoughts take you, you won’t even have begun to conceive how much that would mess with your head.

Lucas struck a puddle at the end of the rainbow.

There are numerous small ponds and tarns throughout New Zealand and most of them hold fish. So a mate and I headed out to a pond in the Mackenzie Country area where fish had been sighted.

Immediately, we were greeted by 5 or 6 large, and when I say ‘large’, I don’t mean sissy little two-pounder large, I mean double figure fish swimming around in a pond no more than 30 metres wide! This instantly set off the adrenaline alarm. We were there for no more than five minutes before I managed to bank a spectacular 5lb rainbow on a small nymph submerged under a buoyant dry fly.

This already made the trip worthwhile and, as if it couldn’t get any better, five

casts later my dry fly dipped under the surface after I placed the rig two metres from a fish. Seconds after the hook set, the fish was dancing over the surface, pushing more water than the Shotover jet. This alerted me that this fish was BIG! I knew that if I could get this in, it would be my biggest rainbow trout on a fly rod - excluding the canals.

This trout was swimming from one side of the pond to the other in a matter of seconds. It had my reel screaming like a kahawai would. In the process, my fly line wrapped around a rock despite me keeping my rod high, which resulted in me needing a new fly line. Without hesitation, I jumped into the freezing cold water, forcing my rod around the submerged rock to free

the line.

At this stage the fish was at the other end of the pond, which then created a large pile of slack line in the water. This had me reeling in the line at the speed of light! Suddenly the fish stopped fighting and I caught a glimpse at my leader wrapped around the tail of the rainbow. A few tense minutes later my buddy had his hands around the wrist of the tail. I had just caught an 11lb rainbow trout from a puddle!

A few photos were taken and I had the fish swimming around with his buddies in no time!

To make things better I caught a 17lb rainbow from one of the canals the next day!

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This (hopefully fictional) book is written from the perspective of the serial killer’s teenage daughter, who finally dobbed her mother in to the police and is now waiting to testify at her trial.

The details of the killings are mercifully kept indistinct so if gory details of hacked-up bodies are your idea of a good read, don’t bother with this.

But if you like your fiction to leave a little to the imagination, to make you do a little work to put the pieces together, then Good Me Bad Me will fit your reading bill.

The book is being hyped as likely to be “one of the most extraordinary, controversial and explosive of 2017” and I’m inclined to think that might even be true.

It will stay with you long after you’re finished because when you’ve spent more than 300 pages inside the head of someone who has been party to atrocities on an unimaginable scale, you will never be the same again.

ISSUE 137 - THE FISHING PAPER 13

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Capital snapper Harvester Scott Campbell

I have been fishing in Wellington for a few years now and have to say that this year has been by far the best season for catching snapper in Wellington Harbour. Most Welly fishos will tell you that ‘west is best’ and, by and large, it is and certainly produces much bigger snapper than the harbour does.

We have always managed to catch a few snapper in the harbour, on land

and in the boat, but nothing as much as we have had this year!

On a recent trip with Captain Sam on board his lovely renovated boat Harvester, we managed to pull in five snapper, five gurnard, and six trevally, as well as dozens of kahawai. All were caught between 5.00am and 8.00am.

As always, when you fish a harbour with not much bottom structure, lots of

berley is a must and we are finding that salmon, or shellfish and kina seems to be the flavours that work the best.

Shore fisherman have been doing really well with the snapper and fishing the change of lights seems to produce.

Fishing where there is structure always helps.

Hoping this great fishing will continue for the next few months.

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gave me an awful lot to think about and by the time I’d finished I’d decided … well, you’ll need to read it too to find out.

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He’s a long-time, highly respected science and environment journalist who’s reported for the likes of New Zealand Geographic and Radio NZ. But he’s also worked for DoC so he is well versed in both sides of the argument.

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I also started to notice debates about the issue appearing in all kinds of publications.

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In the interests of self-disclosure, if you’d asked me which camp I was in before reading this, I’d have confidently said, ‘Against’. But Protecting Paradise

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14 THE FISHING PAPER - FEBRUARY 2017

www.thefishingpaper.co.nz

Traditional flash snags salmon

STORY

Charles Smith

Salmon catches don't come easy so having the gear that enhances my chances is a must. It’s about balance and sensitivity, so I invest in getting the gear right for me. I use a Shimano Calcutta 201D with 20lb braid, 20lb Shimano Ocea fluorocarbon, and have a custom built CTS SD Elite 8"6 salmon rod built by Paul Thomas at Sports Service Centre.

What lure? That’s always the million dollar question, but I like to support locally so I use Amazing Baits salmon lures. This salmon was caught on a 28g silver with a Amazing

Baits #2 treble hook. When river conditions are ideal I prefer the traditional flash that a polished Silver Zeddy has; you can't beat it.

All these items together work well for me salmon fishing.

The end result on this occasion was a beautiful chinook salmon for myself and Josh Bashford.

Sadly the 2016/17 salmon season has been a very poor season with extremely low returning fish numbers throughout Canterbury. Poor fish condition and size is another big worry.

What exactly is happening out in the ocean?

STORY

Andrew snags a spring snapper on the stray-line.

Snapper anarchy on stray-line Andrew Claridge

Word was out that spring snapper were being taken on the longlines and the odd salt & peppering on the rods. In early November, the snapper have drifted in from their winter haunts out deep and are stacking on condition pre-spawning. They are also looking to school up, so it can be hit and miss fishing. I wanted some action on the rods and was fishing with workmates new to the stray-line, so made an early start from Nelson Harbour.

Being a Monday, we didn’t have to do the mad 4.00am ramp queue so set a leisurely pace along the Boulder Bank that protected the sheltered waters of Nelson Haven. The day started off well with a nice snapper on the boat within 10 minutes of anchoring.

The stray-line rig proving deadly on the day. My weapon of choice for stray-lining is a Shimano Stradic 5000 with a Shimano Anarchy 7’ 5-10kg. This setup makes snapper fishing incredibly fun, with even the smaller fish giving a great account of themselves.

Anchovy was the key bait and a perfect candy size for snapper to eat whole. Once we had a few fish each in the bin, we shot back in to fillet our catch. It makes a great days fishing when you can get out and back in within a few hours and still have plenty of time left in the day. This kicked off the start of the snapper season for me and it is great to catch them on the rods without having to resort to the setline early in the season.

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Charles and Josh with a nice brace of chinook salmon taken from a Canterbury river.

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ISSUE 137 - THE FISHING PAPER 15

16 THE FISHING PAPER - FEBRUARY 2017

Kayaking

Kayak HQ the ‘Yak’s nuts

with Chris West

Daryl Crimp

KEEPING THINGS DRY Whenever we are around water, it is easy for the gear we have with us to get wet.

Some items of gear will be OK if they get wet, while others are easily damaged or become less useable when wet. If your spare clothing gets wet, it is not ideal, but at least they won’t be wrecked. However, if your phone gets wet, it is highly likely that it will never work again. Different items of gear need different levels of protection.

Where we store gear can have a big impact on how wet it will get. Items stored on the deck of the kayak will be more exposed and therefore more prone to getting wet. Items stored inside the kayak will be protected from the elements, but do not assume that items inside your kayak will stay dry. Water will often find its way into your kayak and it only takes a few drops to damage some electronic gear.

www.thefishingpaper.co.nz

What can we use to protect our gear? There are many options, and what the option you choose depends on what you want to store in it. Zip lock bags, plastic bags, and rubbish bags can all be used to carry gear, but don’t expect them to do a particularly good job nor expect them to last too long. A much better choice are drybags. These are made with a range of fabrics. For use around water, it is best to avoid the lighter weight bags.

Mid to heavy weight bags use fabrics that will remain waterproof even when sitting in a puddle of water. However, the closure on drybags can still let in a small amount of water, so only store items that will be OK if they do happen to get a little wet. Spare clothes and your lunch, while it is not ideal, will still be OK if they get slightly wet.

For the ultimate in waterproofness, a fully waterproof case is needed. These can be a soft case, such as the Aquapac range of cases, or a hard case, such as a Pelicase. A soft case has a clamp style closure at the top, and this will seal well enough to keep all the water out. Cases like this are certified as waterproof. A fully waterproof soft case is a good choice for your phone. It’ll stay dry but you can still use it whilst in the case. Hard cases are the ultimate in waterproofness.

They use an ‘O’ ring to seal water out. If you have expensive camera gear, or other sensitive electronics then a hard case offers water, dust, and shock protection (so it’ll handle a bit of rough treatment).

Have a think about what you carry on and in your kayak and then consider the implications of each item getting wet. Protect it with a suitable bag or case, and you can paddle with the confidence that your gear will be dry when you need it.

Do you want a

Chris is an instrinsic part of Kayak HQ.

Kayak HQ of Nelson has turned three-years-old and is sporting a ‘full to the roof’ showroom as a result of the hard graft and to mark the coming of age as a truly specialist kayak store. Store owner and kayak specialist Christ West says that the growth is reflected through increased stock and expanded range of quality kayaks and accessories, covering recreational through to race, whitewater, and in-between.

Chris said popularity of the shop has gathered momentum and this has allowed him to focus on supporting true kayak brands. A wide range of kayaks from reputable NZ brands can be found in stock: Phoenix, Mission, and Ocean Kayak in sit on tops.

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try before they buy, and the majority of purchases come with free on-the-water tuition.

As well as having confidence through purchasing quality and recognised brands, dealing through Kayak HQ allows you access to Chris’s knowledge and skill set, and forms the perfect pathway for beginners to grow into the sport, acquiring accessories and upgrading when affordable as is necessary. Chris is not just there to take your money and ring the till; he is genuinely interested in the product, the experience, and guiding his customers to fulfilment in whatever path they choose to take their kayak.

We can vouch for Chris’s integrity: Daniel Crimp acquired a kayak from Kayak HQ for his birthday last year and is already a repeat, and satisfied, customer of Chris’s.

The follow-up service is excellent. Have you ever heard the term,’Duck’s nuts’?

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“The sit-on-top proves to be most popular, and we sell a lot for fishing, family fun, fitness, and general adventure and exploring.”

Chris says another huge part of the business is accessories: paddles, lifejackets, water sports gear and special footwear, roof racks, tie-downs, carts, fishing accessories, splash jackets, and dry wear. Kayak HQ also stocks a wide range of seats from basic through to deluxe.

But it is not just quality stock that has made Kayak HQ a sought out destination amongst ‘yakkers, Chris himself is an intrinsic part of the business. An accomplished kayaker with huge knowledge base, Chris exemplifies his business’s mantra of try, buy, and learn: Chris is there to makes sure the whole process is right, from the purchase through to the ultimate enjoyment of the sport, recreational pursuit, or adventurous endeavour. Kayak HQ has boats people can

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ISSUE 137 - HUNTING NEWS 17

www.thefishingpaper.co.nz

Feed, trot, walk, & die

HUNTING NEWS

Daryl Crimp

With two deer on the deck moments after the chopper had receded, I really didn’t need to hunt again but this was a meat hunt. Willie Sage had dropped us into the Marlborough back blocks and fed us useful information on current deer movements. His local knowledge saves a lot of legwork, and he’s real keen that ‘his hunters’ are successful. He almost takes it personally if anyone comes home empty-handed, so you can be sure Willie is always going to give you the best advice possible.

Tom decided to stretch his legs and head upstream to where we’d spotted a couple of deer from the chopper. I wandered with little intent downstream to check some clearings. It had come into drizzle that hadn’t been forecast but the mountains do as they please so we just accepted it. I was, in fact, quite happy with the situation because, aside from a little discomfort, the muted conditions deadened scent, softened imagery, and made it less conspicuous to be a hunter.

One hundred metres from camp I shimmied up an escarpment and backed up under a bench of manuka. The Swarovski binoculars with their light-gathering properties are excellent in conditions like these because they give depth to an otherwise flat Strategising the hunt over a brew.

S TO R Y Tom with two deer Crimpy shot on dusk.

field of view. It’s this contrast that makes it easier to define animals not in the open. Straight away I spotted deer. Then a pig, a young solid sow, that was flat out cropping the lush grass; no rooting at this time of year.

Then two yearlings came sauntering on a mission: feed, trot, walk, and feed. Both stopped to join in a comedic game of tag with the pig, which caused me to break into a giggle because they looked so much like little kids splashing each other in puddles.

Presently, they tired of the game and the deer resumed their perambulations. My hunch had played out and they were now syphoning into a bottleneck in the valley I’d determined to be a good ambush point.

I shot the lead hind from across the knees at ninety yards, quickly reloaded, and waited. It took less time than I thought it would probably half-a-minute - and the spiker came stiff-strutting back to see what had initially caused it to take flight. It never found out; the 150 grain projectile poleaxed it.

Installing a Gunworks’ suppressor on my .308 a number of years ago had transformed my hunting. The suppressed shot only cracks above the animal’s head as it breaks the sound barrier but is not followed by the usual rolling thunder that allows the animal to determine where the danger has come from. Prey will often not bolt until they can be sure the direction of the threat, unless a group is headed by a cagey old matriarch. Young animals like these yearlings are inquisitive so it was a good bet the spiker would return.

Another interesting point to this hunt: the spiker was a fallow and happily living with the red deer. So many ‘experienced’ hunters have told me over the years that red won’t live with fallow, in fact, fallow will drive deer from an area. That’s an urban myth worth busting because, of the two dozen odd deer I saw on this hunt, many were fallow and they were all happily living and cavorting with the red deer.

18 HUNTING NEWS - FEBRUARY 2017

Possum pack from K-2 Richard P.

I spend a lot of my time in the bush chasing possums for their fur; it can be a rugged environment and the daily toil punishing on gear. While there are plenty of products on the market for recreational outdoor enthusiasts, it is not always easy to find stuff designed for, or that will stand up to professional use. That’s where Marie from K-2 Antarctic Products is a godsend to the Kiwi market.

All Marie’s products are built to last and have an outstanding track record and reputation so, from the get - go, the brand is an obvious choice. Adapting it to personalised needs is also an option because everything is locally made and , whether you call via phone or pop into her Tapawera premises south of Nelson, Marie will listen and suggest modifications to fit your situation. She can custom-make for

almost any circumstances.

I needed a pack to use out possoming with my dogs, capapable of carrying six to eight possom carcasses, as I bring them back for dog tucker. I also required a separate compartment for carrying the plucked fur, plus two other pouches to carry collapsible water bottles.

The pack Marie created for me is based on the standard Tasman Pack but with a bigger front pocket, the two side pockets, and also a sternum strap for extra support.

It is also constructed from 12 ounce canvas so it can stand up to the abuse that comes on the professional possum circuit. I am very impressed with the quality and the comfort so far, but not sure if I’ll be around long enough to comment on its durability - these things appear to outlast a lifetime.

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Optically Speaking - with Ant Corke THE AMAZING PULSAR QUANTUM XQ38 THERMAL IMAGER Few products give me a tingle of excitement as much as the Pulsar Quantum XQ38 thermal imager. Its performance beggars belief. Our slogan ‘Seeing is believing’, really is a slogan from the heart and not just advertising rhetoric.

Taking one in the field for the first time is an experience never forgotten and common to all owners.

We received our first Pulsar Quantum HD38 sample back in autumn 2013 and simply couldn’t believe our eyes! At night, animals were ‘magically’ visible, even at extreme distances and in places where we would never have suspected. In daylight, rapidly spotting animals on distant hillsides, and then identifying them with a spotting scope was so easy and quick, that it redefined the way that I hunt. The Pulsar Quantum HD38 has seen many changes since, with each change improving performance and adding functionality.

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Spotting and approaching deer at night is easy with a Pulsar Quantum XQ thermal imager. This image is taken with one of the Quantum’s seven colour modes, for easy spotting whilst being easy on the eye.

• Precision ground 38mm f:1.2 Germanium lens. This lens ensures that the image that falls onto the sensor is ultra-sharp, with excellent contrast.

• Advanced ULIS a-Si thermal sensor with a pixel count of 384x288, a tiny 17µ pixel size and a refresh rate of 50Hz. This produces a very sharp and smooth image, even whilst panning or viewing from a moving vehicle.

• A powerful processor controls the way that the image is presented on the screen, as well as controlling all viewing functions. It is often the most overlooked component, and yet is critical to the performance of the device.

• The final image is presented on a state-of-theart 640x480 OLED Micro Display screen. This screen is an industry leader, producing an ultra-fine image, with no drag, even in subzero temperatures.

FUNCTIONALITY The Pulsar Quantum range is packed with useful features and is incredibly easy to use due to careful ergonomic design. These features include: • Fully variable image, with 2x and 4x zoom, seven colour modes for different conditions, and fully variable brightness and contrast settings.

• An interactive stadiametric rangefinder that can be preset according to the range your rifle is zeroed to, and it is calibrated for deer, pigs, and hares. This feature is particularly useful at night, when range is difficult to judge.

• A video-out socket, 12V external power socket, quick-change battery packs, and only two second start-up time provides the Pulsar Quantum both versatility, and fitness of purpose.

For all of the above reasons, the Pulsar Quantum will always have a place in my heart and in my hunting kit. But don’t take my word for it, see one for yourself at your local dealer. For more information, visit www.yukonoptics.co.nz

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ISSUE 137 - HUNTING NEWS 19

20 HUNTING NEWS - FEBRUARY 2017

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A good hunt is a safe hunt one you make it back home from Sure, you might be tired, scratched up and bruised but that’s part of it in some respects. We know March and April are almost exclusively about Big Game hunting and we also know that that weekends account for 57% of all hunting injuries, 48% of searches and 55% of all fatalities. So, if you’re going big game hunting on the weekend in March or April you’re risk of becoming a statistic is a great deal higher.

To make sure everyone makes it home this year, we’ve got to confront a few key issues.

Firstly, the consequences of an incident in this sort of terrain are frequently very high; there are over 100 hunting related searches each year. Also, falling (32%) and misidentification of target (23%) are the top two causes of hunting fatalities in NZ. If you add in drowning (19%) the top three account for 74% of fatalities.

So, we’re also entering a higher risk time and it’s appropriate that we cut to the chase and speak plainly about these issues.

Although it may not be of much surprise (given there is a spike in big game hunting participation around this time), 23% of all hunting related searches and 23% of hunting fatalities happen in April. If you go back to March, the percentage of searches drops to just 6%, but fatalities are still high at 10%.

on their own for considerable

The sort of terrain you’re are likely to hunt big game at this time of the year is almost always off-track and often very steep.

Often hunting parties split up to cover more ground and individual hunters are sometimes

take much of a current to wash

amounts of time during the day.

If we roll all of this together, you have a recipe for incidents to occur. It doesn’t take much of a fall to sprain, strain or break an ankle meaning an unexpected night out, or worse. Nor does it you off your feet in a solo river crossing. It’s certainly true that your eyes can deceive you in the close quarters hunting of the North Island.

Mike Daisley, Chief Executive – Mountain Safety Council

If you’re heading out this season consider this: 1) Take a second, third and forth look. Assume that the noise, movement, colour or shape is another hunter. Work backwards to confirm it’s a deer, not the other way around. Load your firearm only when ready to fire, and after the identification process.

2) Your safety is greatly improved if you act pre-emptively. Prepare to get into trouble hoping it’ll never happen. This means the basics of the outdoor safety code apply.

3) Consider what you’d do if you had a serious fall or injury? Do you have a first aid kit? How will you communicate your condition? Do you have an emergency shelter?

4) How would a search team find you? A ‘PLB’ doesn’t necessarily make you safer by itself and certainly doesn’t replace good planning and preparation. It does, however, make you a whole lot easier to find.

Let’s make the 2017 ‘Roar’ one to remember for all the right reasons.”

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ISSUE 137 - HUNTING NEWS 21

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A wee rabbit and a cracker porker Kim Swan

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Hunting for a half-pint, not a quarter.

brain shot but was slightly off target. Now, try as she might, the young pig cannot run off with her mates. The tiny bullet has clipped her spine at the top of her neck. She is alive and well but her wiring is faulty, her navigation crook. Now I have to catch her and dispatch her, but she’s all too aware she is in peril.

The sow rockets through the rushes, she zigs and she zags and she squeals with anger and frustration. Tentatively at first but then with ever increasing enthusiasm and skill, Gus helps his human. Instinct and generations of genetics are in his favour, for he is the grandson of Bugs, nephew of Cruz, son of Speck. He hocks the sow, spins her, bails with gusto.

When the wee sow is caught and killed, Gus’ adoptive mother turns tail for hut and husband.

The rabbit hunt has been extraordinarily successful, opportunities such as this are both rare and treasured. A young pup’s first solo pig not too hard, not too big. And he, the accidentally bred double-cross to his legendary grandsire, shows the same style and flair for stopping as the old dog.

Two hundred metres before the hut I grab the quarter-pint rabbit from where I stashed it earlier.

I’ve been gone two hours, the chores are done, my tea is cold, and my ever-tolerant husband is already in his sleeping bag and half-asleep.

Eventually I snuggle up beside him, “Got a small one,” I say smugly, and he knows all too well I’m not talking about a wee wabbit.

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headlong into ‘hunt’ mode. I find a nice antler, recently cast by an eight-point red stag - wooo.

Then I find a second, which is a mate to the first – woo hoo. The pig dog pup who shadows me sniffs them and wiggles his short tail, sensing my happiness.

The pup is Gus, an ‘only-child,’ whose dam is old and just a little strange. I adopted him early, carrying him with me wherever I went so he’d get socialised. It didn’t work. Gus is anti-social and just as strange as both his dam and his adoptive mother. In three days he’ll be seven months old and now he’s big and mobile enough to follow me wherever I go. He loves it. He’s an instinctive hunter and I am his pack.

One kilometre. Two. Still no bunnies. To be honest I’m no longer looking for them. That husband of mine knew all too well I would not be content with a wee wabbit. I bet he’s done the evening chores, his and mine, and put tea on the camp fire - he knows I won’t come back to the hut till I’ve terrorised a wild pig. He’s right, but first I have to find one.

I find four.

At the very end of the bush track, at the last clearing, and in the last of the evening light, I spy a mob of feasting porkers. They may as well be four huge boars the way my heart begins to thump. It begins this raging ker-thump when I reckon on the biggest of the porkers being a suitable target for a .22 bullet well-placed.

Gus and I make our approach with great stealth and many a long silent pause. The grunters crop spring grass, their tails swishing. I look down at my mate, his hackles are up and he’s following my lead. Sneak. Sneak. Twenty metres, then 15.

Target porker side-on and still. ‘Crack’ not ‘boom.’

The .22 bullet knocks the wee sow down and she squeals indignantly as her mates stand by and grunt, urging her to her feet. I intended a

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“Just one more half-pint aye?” I ask my husband when we returned from our evening drive-by shoot. I mean a half-pint of the nonalcoholic variety. A rabbit that’s larger than a kit but not yet mature. If I shoot one more young rabbit I can ditch the old buck I’d shot earlier - grey with age, ears tattered, flesh dry and tough.

If I can add one more half-pint to the two we already have I’ll be rapt because, when it comes to little buns, two’s company but three is a feed.

Hubby gives me that look. You know, ‘that’ look. If I read his mind correctly he’s thinking, “Woman, if you were a dog you’d be on death-row for roaming and worrying.” He shrugs and nods the affirmative, muttering, “One more rabbit, yeah right.”

I am so pleased to be let off the leash, I bolt away without grabbing my knife or any spare .22 bullets. Anyways, I won’t need them if I am just shooting one more young rabbit, aye?

Well bugger, I haven’t walked 200 metres and there is a young rabbit. A very young rabbit. I shoot it. It’s just a quarter-pint so now I have to get just one more. Really, I do, because this one is just too small to be more than a mouthful.

I don’t see any more rabbits but I walk further and further. It’s a glorious calm back-country evening, the sort of evening that throws one

22 THE FISHING PAPER - FEBRUARY 2017

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ISSUE 137 - THE FISHING PAPER 23

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OPINION:

A once abundant fishery is on its knees.

ON A KNIFE EDGE – MARLBOROUGH SCALLOPS John Leader

It is hard to imagine how quickly a once thriving scallop industry could have shrunk, from one that removed more than 1000 tonnes meat weight in the 1970’s, to a miserable 23 tonnes in 2015, in the process obliterating the once healthy scallop populations of Golden and Tasman Bays. Attempts at reseeding in Tasman and Golden Bays provided a small rebound, which promptly collapsed again. Dredging in these areas now unprofitable. A shortterm fillip was next obtained by a transfer of commercial effort to the Marlborough Sounds, but returns from here have fallen exponentially towards zero. Surprisingly, the commercial sector representative Challenger Scallop Enhancement Company - has praised its own efforts to date as an example of good management.

This catastrophic drop led the Minister of Primary Industries, Hon Nathan Guy, to establish a multi-sector working group to consider options for the fishery and to present them for public input on the future regulation

of the industry. The outcome of this process was the closure of the fishery for this season, a move widely approved by the interested public, most of whom understood the reasoning behind the closure. The Minister also empowered the working group to consider longer term options for management measures to assist in rebuilding the fishery. A moment of decision has now arrived:

Is it time to reopen the savagely diminished Sounds fishery?

A single season of respite from fishing may have offered an opportunity for the generation of a large number of larvae from the few beds that are still at moderate density. These may form the basis of a recovery. However, scallops do not mature overnight. In the Coromandel they grow to takable (90mm) size in two to three years, and it is safe to assume that a similar time span applies in the Sounds. Thus one season is unlikely to contribute to an evident and exploitable recovery of the population. For this reason alone the Minister would be wise to continue to ban taking of scallops until there is evidence of the return of a substantial population. Subsequent restraint may favour the return of a resilient population. This was an option favoured by many of those who took part in the public discussion meetings held earlier this year.

Equal shares of nothing for everyone?

John Leader.

Recreational members of the multi-sector working group have continued to invest much time and effort in attempting to achieve a sustainable management structure going forward. Sadly, a barrier to agreement on a new inclusive management structure to ensure the survival of the scallop fishery

in the Marlborough Sounds has been the reluctance of the commercial sector (the Challenger Scallop Enhancement Company) to entertain any dialogue with other members of the multi-sector group. No doubt this stems from a reluctance to accept change is required. However, this must be seen as the necessary first step in the establishment of a management structure that could examine and make recommendations to implement measures for the sustainable exploitation of the resource in a way which satisfies all stakeholders. With a new inclusive management structure in place we could address the detail around sustainable operational management measures. There is nothing new here; Dr Gardner outlined many of these measures in a paper prepared for the Challenger Company in 1995 and these have recently been further developed by the expert panel appointed by the Minister in 2015 to review New Zealand’s scallop fishery stock

assessment data and methods. The panel made some valuable suggestions, which merit serious discussion in good faith, and which the working group, at least the recreational representatives, is keen to entertain. There is the basis of a constructive inclusive way forward. Failure by the commercial sector to realise they must participate in achieving such a consensus is likely to lead to a situation where we arrive at equal shares of nothing for everyone.

Decisive decision required To avoid this disastrous outcome the Minster and his officials will have to act decisively and either bring a recalcitrant industry to the negotiating table or be prepared to go around them. The new aim has to be recovery, not restitution of the original status quo, but working towards a more ecologically sustainable environment.

(John Leader is a retired academic biologist).

24 THE FISHING PAPER - FEBRUARY 2017

The absorbing, informative, and fascinating CRAMAC 5 articles run last year were to end with tips from commercial lobstermen on setting pots, best bait, and good potting practice to help recreational fishers maximise their opportunities over the holidays.

However, the November earthquake dealt a blow to routines, and getting life back to some sort of normality is still ongoing. Larnce Wichman now shares a few ‘trade secrets’ to help you avoid…

www.thefishingpaper.co.nz

Seth Moore of Christchurch notched up an amazing first with this Marlborough Sounds kingfish.

S TO R Y

STORY

Flying kites underwater Pots are designed differently to suit a variety of locations along our coastline. Cook Strait pots are very large and heavy to manage because of the huge tide and currents in that area, so it requires deft hands to target a reef seventy metres below the boat. If the pot is too light, it would be like flying a kite underwater.

The east coast is categorised as a highenergy coastline, so conditions can drag pots, and tides can pull buoys underwater.

Pots not weighted accordingly, or with a surface buoy that’s too large, may be dragged along the seabed by wind, miss the mark, or, worst case, you may think some low life has taken your pot.

Oily baits and ghost fish Bait, tide, and current all factor in a successful set.

Pots need to be set on the up current side of reefs so a scent trail can work productive ground. Fresh bait is best, with oily bait outlasting soft flesh bait and dispersing over a longer distance. Lobster are most active over night, so pots are generally lifted in the morning and rebaited. New bait then has to last until night time, so fresh frozen bait is then an option.

Leaving pots in the water for longer than a week is simply wrong because ghost fishing occurs. Lobster will move in and out of pots whether baited or not, and become vulnerable to ‘the big ghost’ - namely predating octopus, which are smart, love lobster, and recognise pots as a source of food. If commercial leave gear in the water for a holding period, they de-bait and open the doors so they do not ghost fish. Recreational pots usually don’t have doors, so they have a bigger impact on ghost fishing. When not in use, you should bring pots back to shore.

and protect it from being cut off by other vessels steaming along, looking at the birds or dolphins and not noticing your buoy line.

Step up to the pot The term ‘shared fishery’ has changed in meaning from early days, to now mean ‘a share of the available catch’. If we apply this thinking to a share of a ‘sustainable catch’ only, we actually all have less to catch. However, commercial lobstermen have shifted their focus to creating and maintaining ‘an abundant fishery’ and feel we all share that responsibility of maintaining abundance.

MPI cannot manage abundance, because it is not in their management rules. Their rules are about sustainability. The CRA 5 resource, according to stock assessment scientists, is just over twice the sustainable thresholds, or the intervention level where MPI can step in and manage the fishery sustainably under their rules.

When commercial look at our effort, we understand many parts make the whole.

Your contribution as a part of the whole effort also makes a difference. So, let’s share and maintain the abundance, and good potting practice will assist with that.

Finally, become familiar with and abide by the lobster regulations. MPI have them on notice boards along the coast, on the internet, and you can download an app on your phone. We all know, ignorance to the rules is no defence.

Seth stoked - kingie not so Daryl Crimp

Camo’ed up, cap on, and cool-dude shades cocked, Seth Moore of Christchurch cut a swaggering figure as he fished Queen Charlotte Sound with his family in January.

A very keen fisho, Seth likes quality gear and was equipped with a Shimano Raider rod and Tekota 600 reel, and on a specific mission targeting kingfish. The 12-year-old had yet to add that species to his target list but the conditions were good and he’d given himself the best possible odds by trolling a Rapala lure at six knots.

Seth loves catching cod, tarakihi, and gurnard, with his speciality being out-fishing dad. He did again on this occasion when

the kingfish suddenly hit in a shower of spray and peeled line while putting a good bow in the rod. Seth leaped into action, leaned into the fish, and went head-to-head with the kingfish as it pulled out all the stops to take him to the cleaners. However, the green torpedo was no match for the grit and determination of the youngster who, without any help from the old man (he was still in shock), boated his fist kingi single-handedly.

He was absolutely stoked.

In celebration of such a momentous catch, the fish was filleted, crumbed, and pan-fried for dinner. It also made a delicious coconut curry.

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Beware… whales crossing Set your pot lines to the depth you are fishing in; whale entanglement in pot lines is not a good look for commercial or recreational lobster fishermen. Slack pot lines increase the chance of entanglement greatly. If the tide is too strong and you are concerned your buoy will go under when setting for depth, there is another solution. Two metres below the buoy, place a lead weight on your line. These can be purchased from fishing gear suppliers and will keep your line taught

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ISSUE 137 - THE FISHING PAPER 25

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Marc ‘farges' ahead on elephant stakes

Sou’west Snapper

Grant Holmes

I met Marc Farge and his 4WD at the beach entrance.

Conditions were perfect for a surf cast, with northwest winds flattening the sea. I was hoping to catch my first elephant fish or a rig.

A large number of anglers were already on the beach, with a forest of rods in beach spikes framing the horizon. Marc set the controls in his trusty Pajero for a few Ks further down the soft sand and shingle. Even so we had to stop and let the tyres down for better grip.

Once at Spot X we were quickly rigged up with paua, prawn, squid, and crab on offer for the fishes smorgasbord.

It was so pleasant in the shirt sleeved warmth. I just hoped the forecast southerly would hold off long enough for us to get fish. Sure enough, after only 15 minutes Marc’s rod bent over, along with the beach spike. A dive tackle that wouldn’t disgrace an All Black saw Marc grab the rod just before the reel hit the sand. Fortunately, the ele’ had hooked itself and the 16 foot rod soon subdued it. A few minutes later the southerly blew in and blew away just another of my fishy dreams as the temperature dropped markedly, with the wind chill driving us off the beach.

Marc Farge with the elephant that almost had him selected to play for the All Blacks.

Jesse Crasborn

Craig with the monster caught wind against tide.

Craig Bartlett had three weeks off from work so thought we would make the most of it and get some fishing in, as he’s normally busy during the week when I normally go fishing.

We intended fishing Tasman Bay and headed out before dawn as usual, but the morning didn’t quite start as planned.

A brisk 15 - 20knt SW wind buffeted us as we headed out of The Cut, tracked a northerly course, and dropped anchor.

The wind was irritating, pushing us against the tide, so we could only fish two rods with the lines heading towards the anchor, which wasn’t ideal. We decided just to use ledger rigs as these would keep things easier while the boat was swinging around.

We continued putting out berley when my rod bent over

Presents

The paper soaks up Venice Venetian gondola skipper Antonio Rubbabanderas was snapped reading The Fishing Paper & Hunting News, while taking a lunch break in Venice.

Antonio has been poling gondolas through the canals of the ancient city since he was a boy of eight, learning his craft from his great grandfather, Tomasso Saucio, who still held a current water taxi licence at age 102. Antonio left school aged twelve and has been cruising the canals ever since.

He is rated one of Venice’s finest operators and says his work satisfaction comes from helping keeping romance alive in an increasingly PC world. Time magazine once never rated cruising the canals of Venice in a Gondola one of the 10 top romantic things to do in the world and, as a result, Antonio has become the favourite romantic chauffeur of many Hollywood celebrity couples, including, Dame Judy Dench and Tom Hanks, Arnold Schwarzenegger and any old maid, and Donald Trump and Donald Trump.

Antonio participates every year in the

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and the action began. Craig next experienced the rodbend but his fish seemed to have more weight to it and, sure enough, after a head-butting stoush of impressive proportions, the big fish slowly rose to the surface; first colour through water column, then the realisation that it was a thumper of a fish. Craig was stoked and reckoned it a beat a work-day hands down.

We took some photos and tried to release it but after five minutes of holding the fish in the water, it didn’t show any signs of swimming away so we elected to keep it.

We caught some more snapper shortly after and then things went quiet once the sun came up.

We later measured the big fish at 82cm and, considering the condition, estimated the fish to be well over 20lb.

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Antonio can be seen wearing a bone fishhook in recognition for his other passion, canal fishing.

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26 THE FISHING PAPER - FEBRUARY 2017

Down and dirty Mark Roden

Well it’s happened – this is the first time I’ve sat down to write a story for The Fishing Paper and I haven’t been out diving since the last issue - well in the middle of summer anyway. Hopefully that won’t happen again for a while and now that we’re all back at work the weather is settling down a bit.

There is no doubt that the weather pattern is changing; most of us remember long summer holidays, maybe one rainy day, maybe one tent flooding episode with the sleeping bags out in the sun the next day to dry out, but that’s it. We have even moved the South Island Spearfishing Champs back from the traditional early Waitangi Weekend, in early February, to March and have had a better run.

This year we’ve opted for April 8 so fingers crossed things stay settled right thru until then.

Those who have dipped in the water have generally managed to get a feed, as there are a few crayfish about, and the limited visibility has discouraged spearfishing and encouraged grovelling around under rocks. Mind you,

a mate just called after a look round Pepin Island and he couldn’t even find the rocks!

One spearo even confessed to trying fishing – with a fishing rod (you know who you are)!

Watching the discussions about Kaikoura on Facebook, it is good to see the support for reduced bag limits and the understanding that most people have that we need to protect our coastal areas. Some have even been brave enough to suggest that the bag limits be reduced permanently. I’m sure this option is being considered.

The good news is the fish are getting a break and there seems to be plenty about – a few kingfish have been speared over the holiday break, but not many. Check your gear if you’re going to target these big fish: shooting lines and rubbers. Stay close to your buddy for safety, and the reality is that you’re both more likely to get a shot at a fish if you stay together.

So next month there will be a story with some actual spearfishing in it – promise!

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Midnight showoff at rigged backyard Daymon Nuhaj

Daymon in rig production mode.

South Island Spearfishing Champs – this is the starting point, and you need to be back in the same spot within the 4 hour time limit.

It’s a fun event suitable for relative beginners.

Planned for April 8 this year.

The evening started with packing the ute: rods, crab pot, bait, tackle box, and rod holders.

“Check!” And away.

I was with my father and our German exchange student Louis.

We arrived at eight, half-an-hour off low tide. First to be launched into the surf was the trusty home crafted crab pot, loaded with a kahawai carcass.

Fresh crabs are essential if rig is to be on the menu.

other rod went ballistic. Louis was quick to set the hook and I heard him yell: “Something big!”

I chuckled and continued my fight, landing a beauty, which was quickly dispatched.

Then I came to the rescue to help Louis land his first rig. As it swam close to shore the fight picked up to thrashing water, screaming reel, and one thrilled German.

The fight wore on but the rig eventually bought a one-way ticket to the frying pan.

Gliding to shore, she gave one last attempt at throwing the hook and was successful but not successful enough to make it back to surf. I pounced onto the rig as if I was a professional crocodile hunter and, after a short wrestle, asked Louis: “How does it feel to catch your first rig?”

“I will eat it myself,” he said, his voice dripping with pure excitement.

“Greedy pig,” I muttered sarcastically.

It was time to call Dad for a ride home… and a fresh midnight snack from our ‘rigged back yard’.

Louis was thrilled to land this midnight marauder.

After five impatient minutes I was pleased to discover seven aggressive paddle crabs, which I threw into a bucket - the new wrestling ring. I relaunched the pot and baited the rods with the defeated crabs from the bottom of the bucket. By pulling the shells and what was left of their legs, I was left with a circular piece of delicious white flesh, which I prefer to whack in half.

Using bait elastic, I tie these to 4/0 octopus hooks, followed by small lumps of squid on a basic ledger rig.

I fired both rods 20-30m offshore. It was change-of-light with only thirty minutes to dark. Suddenly, fish on! It was a real screamer and while I was playing it the

ISSUE 137 - THE FISHING PAPER 27

www.thefishingpaper.co.nz

Harbour Views

Moki mayhem in quake zone

Common sense boating no picnic

By Dave Duncan

Dave Duncan - Harbour Master

Greg Gilbert

Greg with a sizeable tope-edo from North Canterbury.

With the recent quakes in Kaikoura we had decided to stay clear to let things settle, but headed up recently for a fish.

I arrived the Friday night and was quickly into catching moki. Matt and Greg, both from the Canterbury Surfcasting Club, soon arrived and after a few hours we had upwards of 40 moki landed, with only one legal. We also caught various other reef fish but nothing of size.

We hit the hay in preparation of a 5.45am Saturday morning start. After setting up my first rod, I started to get the next rod baited.

Looking up at my rod I was startled to see it already had a fish on, which was a fantastic gurnard. It proved to be a good omen because we had a run of carrots that day, along with Matt’s stingray and rig.

The weather turned later in the morning so we headed south where the fishing was extremely slow for eight hours, with only a rig,

a stingray, and a reasonable tope to show for it. We fished on till about 10.30pm and, once it started to get dark, we managed some small red cod, a conger, and Greg got two fantastic moki, and a rig that he released. We decided to pack it in and went and got a feed of John Dory from the local chipper and hit the hay.

On Sunday we were plagued by dogfish so, after getting a couple of dozen in an hour, I gave up and headed back to Christchurch.

It was so quiet in Kaikoura, which was sad and unusual to see, with mine and Greg's cars being the only ones parked down the main street when we got dinner. Usually it’s a hard spot to get a park at that hour. The road is open between 6.00am - 8.00pm from Christchurch, with only a couple of small detours. So come on guys, don't forget the wee town with good views and fishing to be had. Even go in for a visit.

Kaikoura needs support, so get back into it.

PRODUCT PREVIEW John Deere Tin Signs - The Perfect Gift

It’s been an exciting month with many variances of vessel on the water. The most unusual I saw was a picnic table held up by 44 gallon drums and powered by three enthusiastic young men without lifejackets.

Given the speed as they tried to get their cheap thrill cruising around the marina, I assumed it was also powered by an outboard. If I had been in the Harbour Master boat instead of my own yacht with a group of friends it might have cost the intrepid ‘boaties’ $200 each for no lifejacket, $200 each as we would have held them all equally responsible as skipper (or wanted to), and $200 for exceeding 3 knots within the marina. Not bad for a picnic table.

Common sense prevailed and they retreated from the water.

The next excitement came in the form of a paddleboarder, missing presumed drowned. Thank goodness for alert citizens, coastguard, and, oh… he was wearing a lifejacket. Well done I say.

A kayaker was reported as having difficulty and eventually swept through some dangerous surf to sea.

Real fears were held for her

life as we all, Coastguard, Surf Rescue, and ourselves braced against pounding seaways and strong winds.

Lo and behold she paddled from the Haven into the big seas and enjoyed surfing all the way back to the police on Tahunanui Beach. It was a pleasure to watch a skilled operator of a ski enjoying herself in the surf and we were all equally glad our target was alive and well.

Over in the Tasman district, excitement was a word that overstated the problem of vessels dragging anchor, the rough seaways, and the strong winds disrupting many holiday plans. Well done to all who stayed out of the water choosing safety over …

Keep the inflatable toys out of the water and in the

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Get prepared before you go out on the water. Wear your lifejacket, don’t just carry it, and let someone know where you are going and when you will be back Have fun safely and enjoy a happy New Year.

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28 THE FISHING PAPER - FEBRUARY 2017

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From Sinker to Smoker

Craig only goes ankle deep for big rig.

Ron Prestage

Fishing Clubs

Ankle deep at Kawhia

Presently I have involvement with three fishing clubs, the Mokihinui Fishing Club, the Dawnbreakers Fishing Club and the Canterbury Surfcasting Club.

The Mokihinui Fishing Club has given me many years of Christmas holiday enjoyment with its annual 10 day competition and I now support it through The Fishing Paper’s daily snapper prize. This year’s top snapper fisher was Carl Tanner with a 3.01kg specimen taking out the Seddonville Hotel’s cash prize. Shannon Bush landed the heaviest fish to claim the Speight’s cash prize and Danella Leach was the top female fisher whose cash prize was sponsored by Hike ‘n’ Bike Shuttles.

Craig Thin got on the prize list with the top trout and kahawai plus the Mystery Weight and Lucky Fish prize.

His son Jeremy was the junior top trout angler. Junior Bronson Avery caught the heaviest fish. In the electric kontiki section Tony Timbs’ elephant fish and Tony McNabb’s snapper were the major prize winners.

The Dawnbreakers Fishing Club of Nelson made me a life member a few years ago. This club is a great place for the newbie through to competitive types.

Craig Irwin

Once you have tasted them, you can’t go back. In fact, this fish was once the staple of the Kiwi fish ’n’ chip trade and was responsible for the phrase, ‘shark and tatties’. Rig, known commercially as lemon fish, is a spotted smooth-hound and a very versatile fish, as it can be cooked by any method and freezes exceptionally well.

January is my favourite time to chase rig in the harbour at Kawhia on the West Coast of the North Island. The trick is to use light line and fresh crab bait. I fish shallow water on a rising tide, and often pull

good fish from two-metres or less.

School snapper are also on the move in the harbour, with fish of 40cm not uncommon. Patience is required and change of light at either end of the day is most productive.

When conditions allow, crossing the bar gets you into the main action, with bag limits of snapper, a scattering of gurnard, and plenty of kahawai being the norm - weather permitting. I can’t stress that enough: with a boat rolling on the bar a few weeks ago it is a reminder to all, to not take the sea lightly.

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direct

Carl Tanner took out the major snapper prize at the Mokihinui competition with this 3.01 kg snapper.

Dawnbreaker Kevin Bannan landed this fine rig at the club’s recent Rabbit Island outing.

Their most recent outing was to Rabbit Island where surfcasting, an electric kontiki demonstration by Andrew Claridge of Hunting & Fishing and a barbecue was held. Facebook will give you all the necessary information about this well run club. Members get a monthly fishing and diving hotspot and a grand prize giving dinner at the end of the season in June.

The most recent club I have joined is the Canterbury Surfcasting Club. I hope to attend some of its events in the future. It is obvious from Facebook postings the club has been instrumental in getting many Canterbury surfcasters on to some good catches of elephant fish and rig. Now more fishers are learning to catch moki and butterfish from the Canterbury coast line so this is a club well worth being part of and one The Fishing Paper is keen to support.

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ISSUE 137 - THE FISHING PAPER 29

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The anatomy of compliance Marty Bowers: Senior Fisheries Analyst, Recreational Fishing Team

Ministry for Primary Industries fishery officers are the front-line that support management of New Zealand’s fisheries. Collectively, they spend a very significant amount of time monitoring beaches, boat ramps, wharves, and ports and undertaking inspections at sea to ensure that fishers are keeping within the rules.

Over time, the work of fishery officers has evolved to keep up with new developments in fisheries management and best practice for compliance.

An example of this is the increased interaction with fishers through MPI’s regional Facebook compliance pages.

Compliance is a critical part of our work as the regulator for a number of areas including fisheries, and that’s not because we take a heavy-handed approach. That’s not in anyone’s interest.

Instead, MPI encourages and facilitates voluntary compliance using a model that is consistent up and down the country. We recognise the vast majority of people follow the rules and want to comply and we aim to ensure people are aware of the rules and regulations through targeted communications.

Where there is evidence that people don’t understand the rules, we focus on reminding them of their responsibilities and offer to help explain the rules and regulations. For people less willing to comply, or who deliberately look for an opportunity to offend, we remind them of the penalties and consequences of their offending. There will always be those who go out to deliberately offend, knowing the consequences of their actions. In these circumstances, we take appropriate action, including prosecution action where it is

warranted.

Persons found to be fishing in breach of the legislation will be dealt with proportionately to the circumstances and seriousness of the offending.

The range of response can vary from the fishery officer providing educational advice, issuing a warning or an infringement notice, through to prosecution in court. Again, depending on the seriousness of the offending, property used in the commission of the offence such as boats, vehicles, fishing or dive gear can be immediately seized and may, upon conviction, be forfeited.

Generally speaking, for less serious offences, people taking more than the daily limit but not more than two times the daily limit will be fined $250 per offence. If a person takes more than the daily limit but not more than three times the daily limit they will be fined $500 per offence.

Fishery officers work with what is called ‘strict liability’ legislation.

This requires the fisher to prove they didn’t commit an offence. When a Fishery Officer conducts an inspection their role is to observe the scene and determine whether an offence has been committed. They take notes on what they see, what they ask an individual, and that individual’s response to those questions and any other issues the fisher may bring up. These notes form the basis of an offence file in which an enforcement action is decided i.e. warning, infringement, or prosecution.

Any contentious, disputed, complex or serious files are reviewed by an experienced fisheries manager to ensure that no bias enters into the decision-making process.

Most offending that involves possession of or take of more than three times the daily limit is likely

The stake-out - one of the many and varied roles of an MPI officer.

to end up in court and may result in the forfeiture of anything used in the commission of the offence: for example, cars, boats, and equipment.

If a repeat offender is caught with more than the daily limit but less than three times the daily limit, MPI has the option to take court action as well.

A prosecution file is compiled by the fishery officer, who then passes it onto the team manager of the relevant region with a prosecution recommendation. The manager will then seek legal advice to ensure the case meets evidential requirements.

The final decision to prosecute lies with the manager.

Once the decision to prosecute is made, the case follows a natural progression whereby MPI provides the requisite evidence, the case moves into the court system, and the presiding judge makes the final decision, guided by the Fisheries Act 1996 and the Fisheries (Amateur Fishing) Regulations 2013.

Over the years there has been some argument around wording in

legislation or certain regulations, such as the term “immediately”. In cases where definitions are questioned, fishery officers will always go back to a standard dictionary meaning. In the case of immediately it includes “right away, straight away, instantly”. The intent being for immediately returning fish or shellfish to the waters from which they are taken. Sustainability is the main reason; to ensure the greatest likelihood that fish or shellfish will survive.

Black market sales of fish using social media is a growing trend and fishery officers are now actively monitoring social media. This issue first came to light in 2012 when four cases of black market fish trading were identified online. This quickly grew to 39 cases in 2013, 173 cases in 2014, and 117 cases to the end of August 2015.

It is illegal for people to buy, sell or swap their recreational catch.

Depending on the scale of offending, people risk facing prosecution and fines of up to $250,000 as well as forfeiture of any gear used in the offence, including

computers and cell phones.

Many of our MPI prosecutions have come from public tip-offs. The public are a vital tool for fisheries compliance and any information on black-market operations and poaching is highly appreciated. You can let MPI know of any concerns by calling 0800 4 POACHER, emailing poacher@mpi. govt.nz or messaging us on one of the regional MPI Compliance Facebook pages. If you are reporting an online offence, screenshots are useful evidence. Offenders often know what they are doing is wrong and will delete posts quickly once they receive customers. If you are out fishing and notice any suspicious behaviour, the most important thing is to keep yourself safe. Writing down details of boat names, call signs and other identifiers, descriptions of people, and vehicle registration numbers are all useful pieces of evidence. If you can safely do so, take pictures as well. Call 0800 4 POACHER immediately and pass on what you are seeing.

Significant busts have been made by fishery officers catching offenders redhanded due to public tip-offs. It is much more difficult to formulate a solid case if the information is passed on hours or days later.

If you yourself are approached by a fishery officer while fishing or returning home, it’s best to be co-operative and frank, answer all questions, and supply proof that any fish in your possession was obtained legally.

Fishery officers are there to help protect the fisheries resource so that you and future generations can continue to catch a great feed of fish. It is a collective responsibility that we can all contribute to in our own ways.

WHO ARE YOU KIDDING? It’s no joke when you catch undersized fish. Play by the rules of size. Make sure your catch is a keeper.

Check the rules at www.mpi.govt.nz/ fishingrules, download the New Zealand fishing rules app or free text “fish” to 9889.

30 THE FISHING PAPER - FEBRUARY 2017

WIN A COPY OF THE CATCH DVD

An Englishman, a Scotsman, and a Maori enter a fishing competition - what could possibly go wrong?

This delightfully entertaining, witty, and genuinely funny New Zealand made motion picture has a Crimpy connection: no he didn’t get the role of lead actor, he couldn’t be trusted around any leading lady let alone a fishing competition. The story The Catch is based around a real story of skulduggery at a fishing competition, which was exposed by Crimpy when he wrote for Sunday News years ago.

WE HAVE 15 COPIES OF THE CATCH DVD TO GIVE AWAY.

Here’s your chance to win: Send in your true fishing story titled The Catch, together with one or two high resolution jpeg pictures, and the first 15 stories selected for publication will win a copy of The Catch DVD! Stories should be a good ‘cup of coffee read’ - ideally between 200 to 500 words and capture the essence and excitement of the moment: where, who were you with, what were the conditions like, what gear, bait, and rig did you use, how did it fight, how did you feel, and… woo hoo!

The stories don’t have to be about mega monster fish - we just want good yarns about what you guys are doing.

If you don’t have a story - don’t let that stop you.

Write about a friend or neighbour who has had some success lately.

The Catch - it’s seriously good entertainment. Be in to win!

Send to: editor@thefishingpaper.co.nz or message Crimpy on FB.

www.thefishingpaper.co.nz

Knuckle-busting chinook at Rugged Point (Part 1) Marty Johanson

Landing and driving in Vancouver city reminded me very much of Auckland and I definitely rated it, but I wasn’t here for the sightseeing.

We were booked on the earliest passage across the Strait of Georgia to the port of Nanaimo, for the six hour drive up the island to Ahaminaquus.

Then a one hour fast boat ride to a beautiful little inlet called Rugged Point and the Rugged Point Lodge. Originally inhabited for centuries by the Inuit’s, today sees a wonderful community thriving through the involvement of lodges, fishing guides, and charter boats.

There is only a small window for the village to make enough income to sustain the long winters and this comes from services provided to the operators: guides, lodge staff, fish cleaning and packaging, and taxis.

However, we came for the fishing, which involved an early rise, a hearty breakfast, and serious wet weather gear. When I saw the outfit, I got a little nervous. I am definitely a bare-footed, t-shirt fisherman, so to wear all this gear was very foreign, but necessary; it gets darn cold and you can get very wet from the heavens above or spray from the heavy seas.

The fiords are absolutely beautiful as the sun rises; otters frolic in the sea and majestic bald eagles fly all around

Y STOR

Marty with a touch of Canadian salmon fever.

you. I have fished in Idaho and to see a bald eagle is a treat, but here they are everywhere.

Out through the headwaters and then another 30-40 miles to the ‘Salmon Highway’ to target chinook salmon, which is done with outriggers fishing at about 150 metres. You see the fish on the sounder so there’s not a lot of ‘rocket science’ required, other than the crazy reels they use - centre-pin reels that we named ‘knuckle-busters’ and hated using.

The rods were 9ft long and quite whippy. When the fish strikes, the rod takes up the slack in the line when

released from the 10kg down-rigger lead ball. It isn’t an easy strike to see, very subtle, and you have to be on the ball to take up the slack because the fish often run towards the boat.

With the centre-pinned reels you have to immediately back off the drag in the centre of the spool - no easy feat with my big maulers - hence the term ‘knuckle-buster’! Back the drag off too far and you have a huge mess and screaming skipper. We requested some Okuma Komodo 463 bait casters, which the Captain reluctantly agreed to, saying, “Don’t blame me if you don’t land these monsters.”

The new Komodo with braid required adjusting the settings on the down rigger release clips. The skipper wasn’t as adjustable as the clips but we managed again to talk our way into continuing on.

Wham… immediately into fighting the fish as I didn’t want to lose it and get an earful. Modern reels winding at 7.1 to 1 retrieve put line on a spool at a good rate, so I was able to get this fish under control quickly and really enjoy the fight; mission accomplished and little said from the wheelhouse!

So after we all caught our limits, three fish, each approximately 23 - 30lbs, we headed back.

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By Daryl Crimp

ISSUE 137 - THE FISHING PAPER 31

www.thefishingpaper.co.nz

A HOLIDAY BREAK LIKE NO OTHER !

Crimpy’s Hosted Boutique Island Tour Niue - Departing August 2017 I have personally packaged this unique hosted boutique tour so you get to sample the very best of Niue, while still having free time to enjoy your choice of an amazing array of activities: whale watching, swim with the whales, dive with the dolphins, fishing for wahoo, mahi mahi, and tuna, snorkelling, coral reef dives, underwater scooter, hunt the coconut crab, forest tours, golf, fishing from the shore, and much much more.

Immerse yourself in the culture, cuisine, and comfort of Niue with me, while relaxing in the beautiful clifftop surrounds of the scenic Matavai Resort.

CHECK THE AWESOME THINGS YOU WILL DO ON CRIMPY’S NIUE

BOOK NOW! You will need to download a QR reader app on your smartphone or tablet to view.

See more at www.thefishingpaper.co.nz/tfp-travels/

You need to come and visit Niue, this tour we are on is brilliant. Way better than doing your own thing, you should call Daryl Crimp and put your names on a spot for next year. We are going to come back again Daryl & Kate Morris

e u i N s ’ y p m Cri

The last untouched Pacific paradise Personally crafted and hosted boutique island tour

For more details contact Crimpy or Annette Crimpy 021 472 517 - editor@thefishingpaper.co.nz Annette 021 028 7 3393 - annette@coastalmedia.co.nz

• 7 days - untouched paradise • Untouched by commercialised tourism • Cocktails with the High Commission • Connect with the mighty humpback whales • Abundant fishing opportunities • Crimpy cooks the catch • Genuine island feast and village experience • Snorkel in rock pools full of tropical fish • Indulge yourself with cocktails as the sun sets over this Pacific paradise • Island walks, relaxation and much more • Departing from Auckland

32 THE FISHING PAPER - FEBRUARY 2017

www.thefishingpaper.co.nz

Experience the culinary delights of

Vietnam & Cambodia Personally hosted foodie tour with Crimpy A sneak peak of Vietnam Start the day with a traditional breakfast of pho, a dish that originates in Hanoi and is designed to awaken the senses and prepare you for the day. Then it’s time for a guided tour of Chau Long Market, where you will learn all about the ingredients and flavours of northern Vietnamese cuisine. Get involved in a betel nut demonstration. The more daring can try a fertilized egg or silk worm. You’ll also sample the local coffee, typically served with yoghurt or black sticky rice with yoghurt. Hanoi is renowned for its legendary street food dishes and Dong Xuan Market is one of the best places to go for it. Enjoy lunch here alongside the locals.

This afternoon you’ll visit the Hanoi Cooking Centre to learn the secrets of northern Vietnamese cuisine.

Discover some old Hanoian favorites like caramel pork as well as some lesser known dishes from the highlands. Enjoy the fruits of your labour for dinner. You will also stop in at one of the city’s hidden teahouses, where you might sample some varieties – perhaps green or white tea infused with flowers.

A sample day in Cambodia Phnom Penh remains a living relic of the country’s past struggles and successes. Your included visits to the Tuol Sleng Prison Museum and the Killing Fields of Choeung Ek tell the story of the tragic legacy of the Khmer Rouge.

Tuol Sleng is a former school that served as a Khmer Rouge torture centre, and it’s estimated that more than 20,000 people were held and tortured here. The Choeung Ek Memorial is home to a stupa made up of some 8,000 human skulls, marking the site of the infamous Killing Fields. This was the execution ground for the torture victims of Tuol Sleng, and standing in this peaceful setting it’s almost unthinkable to imagine that to date nearly 9,000 corpses have been exhumed from the area. Lunch is at Bopha restaurant.

If time permits you can explore the street food options or perhap continue to visit and learn more about a brighter period in Cambodian history with a visit to the Royal Palace and Silver Pagoda, while the National Museum, housed in a beautiful traditional building, is a great place to see some excellent Khmer craftmanship.

In the late evening pick up by tuk tuk to sample a hosted meal at Chomreoun house and interact with a local family.

Join me on my

Taste of Asia I love international travel and the thrill of discovering new places, often just off the beaten track.

Exploring far-off lands, different cultures, and meeting new friends abroad is the essence of travel, but with a Crimpy twist it becomes a memorable and magical experience.

I have personally handcrafted this trip to be unique and unavailable elsewhere, so you get to capture a sense of the explorer rather than just another tourist.

Vietnam and Cambodia represent the perfect Asian contrast and, with the emphasis on food and having a great time, this package is a mustdo experience.

Join me for an exhilarating and unforgettable getaway.

Crimpy’s Taste of Asia

For the full package.

Call Crimpy now 021 472 517 • email: editor@thefishingpaper.co.nz Annette 021 028 73393 • email: annette@coastalmedia.co.nz

Early September 2017

www.thefishingpaper.co.nz

Asian prawn kebabs

ISSUE 137 - THE FISHING PAPER 33

COOKING with CRIMPY

taste of Asia

This simple yet zesty dish is ideal as an entrée or with a crisp salad on the side.

•

2 - 4 doz prawns de-shelled

•

1 cup plain yoghurt

•

1 tbsp fresh chopped coriander

•

Juice of two limes

•

Grated zest of 1 lime

•

6 - 8 drops of sesame oil

Thread prawns onto skewers and arrange in a shallow dish.

Combine all other ingredients and pour over prawns - marinating for an hour.

Add a splash of oil to a hot grill and cook prawns for 1-2 minutes a side.

Serve with a crispy salad and fresh bread.

Join me for a Taste of Asia as we tour Vietnam and Cambodia.

Immerse yourself in exquisite cuisine, culture, and countryside, with 17 nights of touring and tasting.

Indulge yourself with the making of traditional dishes with Crimpy.

Immerse yourself in the rural way of life while staying with a local family.

Make new friends, eat traditional, home-cooked meals.

Over 32 meals included.

Awesome accommodation and sights to see.

ONLY

6500pp*

$

Come with us on this fantastic foodie tour of Vietnam and Cambodia - BOOK NOW! *Terms and conditions apply, see the full package

For the full package.

Call Crimpy now 021 472 517 email: editor@thefishingpaper.co.nz Annette 021 028 73393 email: annette@coastalmedia.co.nz

Crimpy’s Taste of Asia Early September 2017

34 THE FISHING PAPER - FEBRUARY 2017

www.thefishingpaper.co.nz

BOOK REVIEW BORN TO RUN

BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN Simon & Schuster Reviewed by Poppa Mike RRP $40

Having read many books about people’s lives, I found myself becoming a bit ho hum so often, memoirs full of facts and figures, massaging egos, name dropping, an almanac of dates, scores more designed for the record books than a brain stimulating, ‘damn good read.’ So it was I first sat down with this sizeable tome. What, no photos? This could be hard work I initially thought.

I was parked up in a DoC camping ground on the West Coast when I first made a start on the book and by evening, as the light faded, I realised I had not stopped all afternoon and was now halfway through. What an interesting man with an interesting approach to telling his life story; a very perceptive and analytical way, with carefully chosen words and many clever passages from the heart of the writer, in much the same way as artists in other fields display special qualities. It took him seven years to complete the book. It’s easy to see why.

Growing up a Catholic in New Jersey sets the foundation for his later successes, for life in his neighbourhood presented much darkness and many challenges. “I was reticent and would remain so, but I needed to find out what I had. Forty years later I did not want to be sitting in my rocking chair on a Sunday afternoon with the, woulda, shoulda, coulda blues. All I could think of was my dad covered in a cloak of cigarette smoke lamenting he could’ve taken that job with the phone company but would’ve had to travel. So instead, it was lights-out, the blues, beer, and resenting his own family for what he thought he might’ve accomplished. Dead meat.”

His drive to become a successful musician with a successful band and hit songs drove him relentlessly. His strategy throughout was

In one deft move, victory was assured.

the 1+1=3 approach, making something extra special, when you add something on! Much of the book is about the people and the ways he achieved such successes.

As soon as I got home from my camping trip, I headed for my vinyl collection from the 60’s and 70’s and put on Born To Run, his first big breakthrough moment. Then it was time to pick up the book again - in doing so I suddenly realised why there are no photographs throughout the script, as there is no need for them. His words say it all for our minds to visualise and our brains to digest his amazing achievements.

As I finish writing this, I regret not having booked for one of his concerts in late February at either Auckland or Christchurch.

Of course he will be up front getting all the praise and applause but please read this book before you attend, then you will realise the concert is thanks to his father (Dead Meat), the many musicians that have gone before, his E Street band, the lessons along the way, and the magic formula, as well as his many hours of practice and persistence. What a read. What a man!

Salmon season splutters Fish Herring

The salmon season puttered off to a lacklustre start, with more metal, lines and anglers in the water than salmon. Slivers of silver have been rare and theories abound as to why the fish aren’t there.

A lesson to be had though, is that you have to have your line in the water to catch

fish. Norm Anderson, who has a hut at the Rangitata, is not one to give in easily and flogged the water to a foam before taking this 5kg salmon on a lure rod, in mid-January. He was fishing in the gut of the river and the fish was number four on the board for the season for the South Side, reflecting a very poor start to the season.

Norm attracted a lot of attention with his catch.

Youngster foots it with the experts Ian Hadland

Mark approached the passenger window of the truck and handed a small snap-lock bag to Jack, my 15-year-old son. From a distance it could have looked dodgy.

“Tied them myself from the mallard arse feathers your dad gave me,” he said proudly.

Jack admired the CDC emerger flies, thanked him and promised to use one if he got the chance. Jack had drawn one of the 29 beats in the prestigious Otago Anglers’ Waipahi Gold Medal Competition, which was in its 133rd consecutive year. Making it the oldest fly fishing competition in Australasia. The heaviest four-fish bag wins. The event is regularly contested by top fly anglers.

“This won’t be easy Jack,” I said.

“The conditions are good and there’s some wily old critters in the comp.”

He was unfazed by the occasion, or any of its so called experts. He just wanted to snag a few trout on the fly rod.

The Waipahi River at Jack’s beat was a blend of menacing weed beds, bedrock and hidden timber, making it tough fishing for even seasoned anglers. As nothing was moving on the surface, Jack persisted with various weighted nymphs. I followed him with the lunch as he covered every corner of the stretch without a single take.

“Chocolate?” I said to Jack, after noticing his cast and bottom lip had drooped.

He dumped his rod in a tussock and leant against another.

“This burst of sunshine will change things Jack, might even be a hatch,” I said with

thinly-veiled optimism.

As if on cue, a dimple formed on the edge beneath an overhanging bullrush. Jack saw it too and was reaching into the pocket of his vest.

“Might tie on that thing that Mark gave me and give it a shot,” he said.

The lad snuck up the edge towards the sipping trout and lengthened the line with a few blind casts. He shot the fly forward and the tippet landed over the top of the bullrush leaving the fly dangling on the surface beneath it. Almost instantly the trout lunged at the fly and Jack responded with a backward heave on the cork handle. The trout surged into midstream dragging the tippet free of the bullrush. It ran for the cover of a weed bed and got momentarily tangled but thankfully came free and was eased to the net.

“I’m on the board with a cracker dad, three more like that and I’ll make the podium for sure,” Jack said.

Jack went on to catch two more on the same pattern, so had a respectable bag to parade in front of the crusty old experts, many who hadn’t done so well. Jack had caught the third biggest fish of the day.

“How’d you get on with those flies young fella?” It was Mark.

“Good, caught three – all on that emerger.

How did you go?”

Mark’s face warped into something between a painful grimace and a grin before he replied, “Just a wee one for me – but as long as somebody is catching them on my flies I’m happy.”

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Tail-flick turn at Twizel Graeme Detlaff

As an engineer for Air NZ, I work in a team of five, who all happen to be keen fishers.

Someone suggested a work trip to the canals was in order, so we did a dash for Twizel but came up short in Fairlie - the obligatory pie stop! Cravings satisfied, we edged into camp early afternoon, promptly rigged our gear and attacked the Ohau with a fervour.

We had all bases covered: two of us were flinging flies, while the others switched from baits, spinning, and softbaits. To be fair, our enthusiasm and efforts didn’t match the fishing, which was really slow. The odd small fish rewarded our combined efforts but they were quickly released.

By six o’clock the passion had ebbed and all but died, so we started packing up but I was stalled in my tracks by a big fish cruising the edges. It would drift in and out of sight but it was enough to tempt me into the fatal ‘one last cast’!

I was using a beaded Woolly Bugger on a

Graeme with the monster that taunted him.

six-weight rod with a medium sinking line - just the right combo because the fish turned and followed the lure right into the shallows before giving a tail-flick turn to disappear into the deep again. Okay - one more cast. It followed again. Tail-flick turned again. And I gave it one more cast.

The Woolly Bugger had its work cut out because that damn fish followed again and again, each time almost grounding itself before giving up the ghost. One more cast. This time it edged right in, lifted its snout and gulped the Woolly Bugger, tail-flick turned and pulled line.

I could feel the weight through the line; it was a big fish but it didn’t go ballistic. The fight was more a heavy lazy pull - dogged. Eventually might prevailed and I had the monster ashore.

Beautiful fish like these command respect, so it was a quick pic, a quick release, and a tail-flick before it was gone.

I thought I’d caught and released a monster trout, only to be told later that it was a salmon.

Ian Hadland from Fish & Game comments on the unusual nature of Graeme’s salmon catch: The salmon may be ‘egg bound’, which means it has been unable to shed its eggs at the proper time: autumn for salmon and brown trout and spring for rainbow trout.

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