THE
FISHING FREE
May 2017 Issue 140
Yuri’s SLOW snapper jig
PAPER
&
HUNTING Ope
NEWS
ning
morn
ing antic
ipation. Photo
Yuri Kostic was fishing d’Urville Island in April with a Shimano 160g Bottom Ship slow jig on 30lb fluorocarbon trace, on a very slow retrieve at 70m, when he hooked this monster 20lb+ snapper. Photo Ben Boothy.
Wand in the willows
Prawn stars on West Coast
TOP OF THE FOOD CHAIN Yamahaʼs outboard motors are highly evolved and perfectly adapted to our marine environment
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MARINE ELECTRONICS
A MODEL TO Match your Challenge
With Sean Ryan sean@fluidelectronics.co.nz
Immunise your boat for next summer Last weekend the Challenge for a Mate vessel (CFAM) arrived back in Nelson after successfully completing its 2658km, 21 day solo circumnavigation of the South Island. Dave endured trying sea conditions that pounded both him and the vessel but determination and Kiwi ingenuity got them both through. The sea can be a lonely place, especially when confronted with unpleasant conditions and onboard issues one expects in an expedition of this nature. The way we configured the vessel’s electronics and communications ensured 100% reliability, giving Dave confidence that people knew exactly where he was at all times and that they were simple to contact. If you have been following CFAM and you would like to donate, then please go to the website and check out the prizes up for grabs. Reliability of electronics is something we all need when heading out on the water because the focus is to enjoy your day, get home safely, and your biggest problem should be the ‘one that got away’. Keeping charge in batteries is something I have struggled with in the past months and I have rightly taken a far amount of stick from the guys in the workshop but have it sorted now. Keeping your batteries constantly topped up is vitally important. Depending how far you are parked away from a power supply, a simple solar charging system is fantastic portable option at a fraction of the cost of replacement batteries!
Have your outboard serviced, clean out the toolbox, and use a good lubricant to make sure the all the moving bits in the box still move, test non-tinned copper wiring to see what life is left in it and check exposed joins, replacing old corroded joints and segments to avoid them disintegrating while on the water. The annual electronics health check is another essential: the condition and positioning of your transducer, clean any corrosion in and around any plugs for your sounder/plotter etc, and check your termination and earth points to see if anything has rattled loose during the summer. A simple radio check with the monitored marine channel in your area or a mate will quickly tell you if it is working correctly and that you can be heard and hear others. Frequently towed boats can have vibration issues with antennas that cause damage that is hard to detect and will generally be the cause of poor reception. During May, mention The Fishing Paper & Hunting News and receive a 10% discount on all recreational boats servicing work. Let us take the hassle out of your onboard maintenance and put your mind at rest that your servicing has been done professionally. This is also a great time to get extra lights, charging points, and other accessories installed or replaced. Some of you may not know but another big part of our business is installing awesome home audio, visual, and automation packages. We talk more about this below.
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THE OTHER HALF!
The team at Fluid Electronics are marine electronics experts. What you may not know is that we are also experts in home audio and automation. Cutting his teeth on super yacht projects, which integrated marine and home audio systems, Daniel has amassed 18 years experience in this field. You do not get a more design critical and demanding environment than this. There are a lot of applications that automate and distribute audio throughout your home; apps to stream music and video, devices to turn lights on and off… so many it’s mind boggling.
The most important factor in any system is a solid design that can expand to accomodate growing needs, one that can handle the demand of the traffic you throw at it, and control systems that can manage all that equipment effectively and reliably. The product should also consistently deliver a quality end result. When it comes to the custom installation industry, no other company has consistently received more recognition and accolades than Dana Innovations. They have been designing and building multi-room audio equipment since 1981, pioneering a raft of innovative firsts. Speakers are an integral part of any system and Dana produces Sonance speakers, which consistently impress with the quality
Home Automation
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of workmanship and performance. We have heard a lot of in-ceiling and in-wall speakers in our time, and while there are some very good ones, Sonance speakers still make the hairs on Daniel’s arms stand up! With great sounding speakers comes clarity at lower volume. In multi-room systems, this means an even sound throughout the home at a volume that won’t upset your neighbours – a level that still is incredibly enjoyable and easy to listen to. Gone are the days of turning up the stereo in your lounge to hear it in the bedroom. One of the most underrated locations for multi-room sounds would be the bathroom and is possibly the most commented on area we get feedback on. During planning, the homeowner normally resists the idea but when they use it once, the
response is one of disbelief. “We are so glad we did it and never thought it would be that cool!” There are many components to a quality system and we can design, supply, install, and support everything required for your system. We will be talking more about these other system components over the next few months, so watch this space. If you are building or renovating and really enjoy quality audio, you should at least consider a pre-wire; this is most cost effective and a potential future selling point. We can custom design a system that suits your needs and offer great advice. Give us a call to discuss options.
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Snapper by the multiple
working the berley, and waiting in anticipation for those exciting snapper runs. Everything felt right on this occasion and you just knew you were going to catch fish, but I kept losing baits without detecting any strikes. It got me to wondering if the snapper were off the bottom, in the berley trail, and sucking the soft baits off, so I started feeding my line by hand. Sure enough, I was able to detect the soft nudges of the snapper through my hands as they gently slurped up the soft piles. I struck immediately and it was a game changer. Robbie then hooked into his first snapper, which put a smile on his face. Big bends, peeling line, and scrappy head shaking bunting - the signature of a good snapper.
Graeme Johns
Robbie fished up in 'tens'.
T
wo things made this snapper trip different: it didn’t involve the hardcore ‘sparrow’s fart’ start and I learned something new about stray-lining. I’d picked up the theory of subtle takes on TV shows but never experienced it firsthand. Once I’d twigged to what was going on, the snapper virgin and I transformed a magnificent autumn Delaware Bay setting into a honey day. My partner Grace’s son, Robbie Giddens, likes to flick metal at trout but had yet to catch a snapper, so
we headed out around midday on an outgoing tide. Anchoring just off the rock fringe in 22m, I set up the berley, one from the anchor and one in a surface cage. Within thirty minutes, my rod dipped and line peeled to the sound of a singing reel. I fish light tackle when stray-lining and it has definitely improved my success rate: Shimano 4-8kg rod with Shimano 4000D overhead reel. While the majority of fishers run big hooks, my stray-line rig comprises a 2/0 and 3/0 hook - light and small. On this occasion I was using whole pillies for bait.
When colour rolled at the side of the boat, he was justifiably thrilled; his first snapper a thumping 10lbs. Robbie quickly regained and fed his line back into the current, hooking up again in short order. The fight was a repeat of the first, only heavier and ‘gruntier’. Unbelievably, his second ever snapper went over twenty pounds! He was screaming, jumping for joy and beside himself but desperate to get the thing off the hook. “Why the rush?” I asked. “I’ve got to get back down,” he gasped, “because, at this rate, the next one is going to be a thirty-pounder!”
The first couple of snapper were nice eaters in the 3-4lb range; plump and feisty. Then I was the victim of a hit and run. Thinking it was a good snapper I struck but still played it with light hands, preferring not to muscle big fish on light string. It was quite scrappy deep down but through the last 10m, went all puppy on me. I was stunned but delighted to see it morph into a trevally, and a good one at that - ten pounds. I honestly didn’t know you could catch them around here and hadn’t caught one before. I love stray-lining; sitting with the lines out the back,
A surprise catch for Graeme, a feisty 10lb trevally.
NG FISHI THE
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Shiloh Berney likes to start at the top and work down not a bad first fish!
Shiloh goes soft on big boy Caleb Taiulu
During mid April we undertook a two day trip to Twizel, for Shiloh’s first ever taste of fishing. After purchasing a 24hr licence at midday, we then spent three hours learning to cast, tie on tackle, and fish the flow. Following some helpful advice from mates and friendly local fishermen, we were directed to a spot where we were told there were plenty of fish but no one had luck catching one all day. We proceeded to that spot to find 10 or so anglers fishing. After a long debate in the boot about what soft bait to use, Shiloh tied on her preferred selection onto her 12 pound mono line and eagerly headed to the spot. Luckily she checked her knot because it had come loose, so she re-tied it and commenced casting. Ten minutes in, she turned to me in shock and said, "I think I've got something.�
Suddenly we were surrounded by helpful fishermen willing to give us advice on the best way to land it. We were handed a net to land the fish with but at this point we had not seen it. It was not about to come in easily and gave Shiloh the run around. Some murmurings suggested we might need to rethink the landing scenario and 15 minutes later we were handed a very much needed larger net. After two failed attempts at netting, it was third time lucky and this 24 pound behemoth came sagging to shore. The trip was cut short and an early departure for home was made, as the fish didn't fit in the chilly bin. It was safe to say we weren't expecting to catch one that big. For those interested, its statistics were: height - 257mm, length - 871mm and width - 115mm, caught at Ohau Canals, at 4.45pm on Sunday the 16th of April.
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Taking a broad to a birthday party Joe Schroder
It was my partner Renata’s birthday weekend so serious fishing was off the agenda. After packing the van, we headed to Kaikoura for a few days, arriving at Goose Bay at 8.20 pm to find the road closed overnight. Bugger. The next morning we finally made Kaikoura and launched at South Bay with the intention of doing a spot of sightseeing and dolphin watching. It was not all feel-good stuff, as I planned on setting the cray pots so we could enjoy a crayfish for dinner the following evening.
blue shark cruising just below the surface. “Oh it’s just a blue shark. You see them a lot this time of year,” I explained. I started cruising over for a closer look when I noticed the distinctive tail fin and realised it wasn’t a blue. “Must be a mako,” I mused. But as we drew closer, I changed my mind again once I’d seen how forward and in line with the pectoral fins the dorsal fin was. As the fish turned toward us and surfaced, I clicked.
STORY
The broadbill was cruising the surface in broad daylight.
We headed out early to check the pots, unsure of what to expect; I hadn't fished the area since the earthquake but was pleased the fishing was okay, with six to seven per pot and half being legal size. I felt I had earned a bit of fishing time, so we went to the edge of the canyon for a bit of jigging. Upon locating sign on the sounder that looked like rays bream 30m under the boat, so I grabbed my Ocea 10-15kg rod with an 8000 Thunnus spooled with 10lb braid and dropped a jig into the school. It instantly stopped at the 30m mark. I engaged the reel and hooked up for a brief moment before feeling something hit my line, busting me off. Rays bream are very aggressive and other fish trying to hit the jig must have chomped my braid. As I fumbled for another jig, Renata yelled out, “What is that?” I looked over and saw what I thought was a
Hooked up... briefly.
“It’s a SWORD!” Panic set in as I fumbled through my tackle box to find something to cast at it. I knew it was a long shot for it to take a lure with us in sight but it’s not every day you see a broadbill cruising around on top. I shouted driving orders to Renata while I tried to keep calm enough to tie on a lure. Just as I was ready, the broadbill sounded and glided back down to the depths. I was gutted to have missed such an opportunity but the pain eased when Renata explained she’d managed to capture a few photographs. It was such an awesome experience seeing a sword up close like and one of those magic experiences that Renata and I will not forget. It was only in 220 metres and a mere 5km from the peninsula, so it has given me motivation to target them next season when I have more time.
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Anchoring the old boy with a cuppa
Jim Collins wondered what the hell he'd struck when this monster moki took a shine to him
Jim Collins
Being brought up in the seaside village of Eastbourne on the east side of Wellington harbour had many advantages as a kid. The main one was living across the road from the beach. I was taught to boat, sail, and fish by my Dad, but back then, in the 60’s and 70’s, we only used hand-lines with thick green cord and limpets for bait. No wonder our catch was limited to spotties and small blue cod. Roll on 40 plus years and the gear is now high-tech and the baits have changed, with heaps of variety available now. Not that we use soft plastics here in Welly, or will admit to it, ha ha. But I do have a few lures in my kit that get wet occasionally. The fishing has changed also; I remember
"Dad was straight into and looked like out-fishing me until I anchored him with a cuppa."
the Italian fishing families fishing dragging their nets in the harbour and up the beach on summer evenings, loaded with a variety of different species, often hapuku, which 50 cents worth could feed our family of five. Okay, I will stop living in the past… a few years ago I decided to quit work and buy a boat so I could spend a little more time fishing. The wife agreed, and before long I was the proud owner of a tidy little Buccaneer 540 with a 90hp Yamaha. Fishing Wellington Harbour can be hit and miss at times. The weather certainly can be unpredictable, with gusty nor’westers or howling southerlies, sometimes both within minutes of each other. But generally there are spots where you can shelter when the wind is up, and like they say, “You can’t beat Wellington on a good day.” It was a good summer’s day, so I invited my Dad along for a morning fishing trip on a serene harbour. We departed Seaview Marina and headed across the harbour to an area off Mahanga Bay. This spot is amazing for its different species that live or pass through it. On many occasions we have caught
There is no bad weather, just bad gear.
eight or more different types of fish here, including kingfish, snapper, gurnard, tarakihi, kahawai, and blue cod. Of course it can also produce other ‘not so awesome’ creatures, like conger eels, spotties, red cod, barracouta, and sharks. We anchored in 20 metres and I slid a berley down the anchor rope. Not long after, Dad hooked up to a big kahawai, which, I believe, was his first. Soon his rod was nodding again and he pulled a large gurnard into the boat - another first for him. Whoa, I’m getting out-fished here! I made us a cuppa, and while he relaxed in the cabin, my rod buckled over. I pulled it from the rod holder and leaned back to set the hook. Wow, this was a heavy beast. I was in a stalemate with whatever had inhaled my small squid bait but, after a minute or so, I managed to get the beast moving off the sea floor. A few minutes later, a large silver flash came to the surface. Wow, it was a first for me too, a beautiful blue moki. It tipped the scales at 7.8kg and was caught on a size 2/0 orange flasher rig I brought from Steve’s Fishing in the city. It was a day of firsts for us both, and it was good to show my Dad the new techniques and gear. How times have changed and so has our catch.
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R IC H M
TO R Y OND S
Thomas was stoked to finally be on the board.
Torpedo tug of war Doug Clifton
Good mate Thomas Williams had never caught a kingfish but was chomping at the bit to see how these green torpedoes pulled string, so we towed the little red DNA 450 to French Pass for a planned assault on d’Urville Island. I was quietly hopeful, having had success there before. Launching the boat, we steamed around the bottom of the island and commenced jigging. Thomas was in luck and hooked into his first king, which provided him with plenty of entertainment: big bends in the rod, searing runs, and the expected string pulling. Needless to say, he was stoked and had a lot of fun on kingies up to 15kg.
After getting warmed up there, we headed around the west side of d’ Urville on a classic South Island day and marked some fish on the sounder at another secret location only half of Nelson know about. A few drops later, I was in and the weight suggested a good fish, so we guided it out into deeper water where a good tug of war raged for the next 10 minutes. Good gear and a bit of skill won the day, with a nice king floating to the surface. A few photos were taken and the fish was returned in great condition. A few more kings were landed for the day before we headed back home on a glassy sea.
Doug with a real scrapper that needed coaxing away from the rocks.
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Cyclones sandwich South Island Spearfishing Champs Mark Roden
In between Cyclone Debbie and Cyclone Cook we had two fine days, one of which we had earmarked to hold the South Island Spearfishing Champs out of French Pass. The weather forecast was actually brilliant for the weekend, with the biggest concern being the water clarity after the region had received a battering from Debbie. The great thing about d’Urville Island is it sticks far enough out into the open sea so it’s not so affected by the rain runoff that chokes up the bays and the Marlborough Sounds. A total of 26 competitors signed in and we launched the boats and headed up the east side of the island towards Old Man’s Head. I had joked that if the visibility is better than three metres, we’re getting in. We stopped at the head and could see the top of a rock 10m down, so that was it; we
anchored the boats and started the comp. It was challenging initially, with a strong current, although that dropped away and the cloud burnt away; the day got better and better. Four hours later we were all back on the boats and headed back to French Pass for the weigh in. Josh Craig and Brad Olsen from Dunedin were the overall winners with seven species weighed in. I have to say, we were pretty lucky with the weather. Vis was 6-8m and fish weren’t easy to find, but hey, it was a competition – looking forward to next year’s event already. Brad & Josh's fish ready to be weighed and measured.
Results: Brad Olson , Josh Craig
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David & Michael Husband
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Brad Warr, Dave Sutherland 692.00
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THE FISHING PAPER - MAY 2017
Big brother no bother
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Richard and Dominic.
Chelsea Routhan
Nelson man Richard Boyden got a lot more than he bargained for when he volunteered to become a mentor with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Nelson. He volunteered because he thought it would be fun to take a young person fishing and other outdoor excursions, but he has gained great buddies as well. Richard has been mentoring since 2012 and has been matched with Dominic, 12, for four months. He says they get on really well because of their shared love of the outdoors. With his three matches, Richard has been surfcasting at Tahunanui Beach and has shown the boys how to fly fish or spin fish at the children’s ponds. Richard, who has been a fly fisherman all his life, is a trustee of the Sports Fishing for Youth Charitable Trust that developed the ponds, opened in 2012. Richard talks about a memorable moment when he took a previous match, Chazz, surfcasting off Tahunanui Beach. “After 20 minutes of waiting, there was a huge tug on the end of our line and immediately Chazz jumped up and started reeling in the line, but excitement took over and he lost the fish. After a few hints on how to reel in a fish, it wasn’t long before he
landed a 1kg kahawai. He was so proud and showed everyone on the beach his catch,” said Richard. However, in mentoring, he does a lot of other things besides fishing too, including school fairs, mini-golf, ten-pin bowling, and beach walks. As a father of two adult daughters, Richard says he enjoys being around a young person again. While he has a granddaughter of his own, he doesn’t see her very often because she lives in the North Island. “As an individual we receive great pleasure in seeing so many changes in the life of a young boy or girl. For me, it’s a real pleasure being a BBBS mentor and it’s only a small part of your life, but an important one for a boy or girl,” he said. Richard is one of 180 mentors matched with young people through Big Brothers Big Sisters of Nelson. The mentors spend one to four hours a week with their young person, doing activities they both enjoy. The organisation is currently in need of more male mentors. To find out more about becoming a mentor, phone 03-545-9864, email nelson@ bigbrothersbigsisters.org.nz or visit www. bigbrothersbigsistersnelson.org.nz.
Black Magic innovative leaders in rigs When it comes to fishing rigs, the brand foremost in anglers’ minds is Black Magic. Perhaps the most iconic of their rig selections would be the Snapper Snatchers®, which they developed as part of their ‘flasher’ rig range over 20 years ago. Breaking new ground by introducing an innovative new concept, Black Magic turned the humble bait sabiki into a rig for targeting larger species, but with an added twist – they built them around their Japanese sourced self-hooking KL circle hooks. Since then the range has expanded to include a broad selection of hook sizes from 1/0 to 8/0. In addition to that, some rigs have been built on suicide hooks for the angler that prefers to strike at the fish when it bites. In the ensuing years, there have been many copies but Black Magic’s focus has remained on producing most of their rigs here in New Zealand. They also make sure they have complete control over the raw materials used, including the hooks and swivels, the ‘flash’ material, and their high performance tough trace. Regardless of the style of rig they manufacture, every batch is tested to lessen the likelihood of failure during use. It’s all part of the Black Magic “best by test” philosophy. As time has gone by, Black Magic has developed many other types of rigs to suit specific species and fishing methods. Some of the better known ones are the livebait rigs, strayline rigs, the very sturdy hook a puka rig, and the Squidly rig – an
effective choice for blue cod and trumpeter fishermen. Their development team will continue working on new styles of rigs, but if there’s one thing you can be sure about, the choice of components and manufacturing techniques will have performance, innovation, and quality at the forefront.
10 THE FISHING PAPER - MAY 2017
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Captain’s Log:
A hen & hog to the dozen
Beam me up spotty
Mysteriously acquired knowledge I never thought I’d become a taxi driver, but kids do that to you. I took Anna fishing from the age of five weeks but Daniel was a late bloomer. He showed no interest until he was around four and suddenly could see over the side of the boat. I bought him a tiny rod, which he named ‘Lucky’, because… well, because it was lucky. The little bugger started out-fishing everyone and could pull fish from puddles. His first snapper was dragged up from 80m at the age of four and weighed 5lb. He caught a 15lb snapper when he turned five, followed by a 25lb groper and 33lb kingfish. He got to meet his hero, Robson Green, when he was seven and the two sat for an hour swapping fishing tales and sharing a universal bond that comes with fishing.
Dylan Booth
In early March the weather was horrible but a few fishing friends and I still went to Twizel in search of some big trout. The rain kept us off the water quite a bit of the time but when it cleared, we drove to Spot X. I chose this spot because it meant that we had a high chance of something. Within a few casts, I hooked and landed a beautiful 7lb rainbow hen. This fish was perfect; the colours and condition of it were spectacular. I got the hook out of its mouth, then had a few quick snaps with it, and I sent away back to the depths. All of a sudden I spotted a big bow wave heading towards the bank, so a quick flick towards the area where I spotted it and BANG! The reel spool was on fire. Line was peeling off super quick and then the big 14.5lb rainbow leaped out of the water like a flying fish.This definitely was one of the harder fights I’ve had with a trout. The fish tried wrapping me up in everything that was around it, but, with my knowledge of that area, I kept it out. When it was finally showing signs of tiring, we tailed it. I was also stunned of the condition that this hog was in.
Rig used to be the staple of the fish 'n' chip industry.
Someone’s been hanging out at McDonald’s too much. Again, a quick snap with this fish, then we called it quits on that spot. It wasn’t bad for a dozen casts in one spot.
This hen rainbow was a sucker for the soft plastics.
The best rig fishing in New Zealand - WATCH IT NOW! - Scan here
NG I H S I F
The point is, this all came about because of opportunity and the fact our inshore fishery is improving, with fish abundance on the rise. It is good to see many species on the rebound and not just the glamour ones like snapper and kingfish, but ‘lesser’ fish like gurnard, trevally, elephant fish, and rig. Many of these are also underrated as a table fish but, with greater abundance, that is changing. Opportunity is one thing, but time on the water is necessary for continued success and that is where I come in. Once a hero in Daniel’s eye, I can no longer catch fish and am relegated to boat driver and sausage sizzler, while he and his mates catch all the fish with knowledge acquired… mysteriously! Once in a while I step out and catch a fish just to prove I’ve still got it. Like this nice rig taken in the Marlborough Sounds. Sadly, it didn’t impress the youth, as they still laughed me back into the cockpit. Mind you, I did call it as a snapper on the way up.
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11 THE FISHING PAPER - MAY 2017
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Mail your letters to Stick Your Oar In The Fishing Paper, PO Box 9001 - Annesbrook, 7044, NELSON email: editor@thefishingpaper.co.nz and match more than a dozen different toxins in packets, tubes, baits, and sachets; they even make outdoor dispensers to deliver any one of their range of toxic liquids. It has long been the idea of these ‘researchers’ that, when 1080 is banned, one of Connovation’s ‘alternative’ toxic products will take its place. The financial rewards would be tremendous. Jeremy pulled his stunt at the end of 2014 and his former colleagues at Connovation, Landcare, and the Cawthron Institute, are still watching 1080 spread all over NZ. But Jeremy’s threat produced
1080 terrorism windfall Dear Ed, Ron Eddy’s letter of April 2017 told how the 1080 in baby formula terrorist, Jeremy Kerr, was found working among the country’s leading 1080 scientists and researchers. He had been working for decades in Landcare’s financial wing, Connovation. The aim of Connovation is to make money from the sale of wild animal control products, mostly toxic products. Connovation now produces around 100 different products, which mix
a massive financial windfall for them and not through extra sales. Fonterra tested tens of thousands of baby formula samples and the 1080 testers in the laboratories made a fortune. More than half of the $37 million spent cleaning up Kerr’s mess was paid to the 1080 testers. For these 1080 experts Jeremy Kerr’s, apparently failed, act of terrorism was highly successful. This testing money added $27 to the cost of every hectare that received aerial 1080 that year. John Veysey
Puddling about with paddle crabs
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John Ryder
I read with interest the article by Cole Ryan ‘Eating Tahuna Beach Lobster,’ in the December 2016 edition. (I had to look for it on the web as I had not picked up a copy that month. Thanks, Daryl) I was told I had the sole rights on paddle crab articles after my previous writings. No, I don’t and it’s been several years since I wrote about the beasts. However, I would like to add to Cole’s writings. Firstly, the paddle crabs are much less common now than previously. I have heard several theories but I believe the reason for their demise lies in the increase in numbers of snapper eating
them. Both paddle crabs and snapper are fun to catch. I have not had a decent paddle crab catch in about five years. Next, catching them. I do this from a dinghy using pull pots, ring nets. Mine are made from a length of reinforcing steel bent into a circle. One length of rod makes two nets. Reinforcing steel comes in lengths of six metres. Half a length makes a circle of just under one metre. Net is attached to the steel circle. I found cable ties do the job nicely. A bait bag made of ‘gutter guard’ is tied to the centre of the net and rope to a float is tied onto a yoke attached to the edge.
Bait. I have found oily fish is best. Frozen herrings, yellow-eyed mullet, are good – squash them when they are thawed. Salmon is excellent but some people prefer to eat it themselves. Try and get belly flaps. You can see the salmon oil float to the surface of the water as the net descends. Crabs do not like less oily fish – I have used garfish, squid, and snapper frames but these are less preferred. My best catch from my dinghy in the heyday of crab fishing was two fish cases full in threequarters of an hour – that was discarding the small ones. Paddle crabs are best bled when they
are still living. This kills them quickly and prevents the blackening of the flesh after cooking. If they are cleaned - remove the top shell, remove the gills, gut and tail, then snip the legs off with secateurs - they take up less room in the pot and can be cooked indoors as they don’t stink. One fun way of eating them is the ‘three bucket’ method performed outdoors. Get three 10 litre pails. Number one filled with cooked and chilled crabs. Number two for the scraps and the third with hand washing water. A large paddle crab has as much flesh as a minimal sized crayfish but tastes much better.
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Paddle crab make delicious, if fiddly, eating.
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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 - MAY 2017
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COOKING with CRIMPY
Paua Stacks with Mushroom Risotto & Hollandaise Paua is an iconic Kiwi delicacy, yet is out of the reach of most of us because of the lucrative export market. If you aren't in the position to gather your own, Solander Seafoods is the only company who can deliver them yo you door. Check out their ad on this page. This recipe is delicious, presents well for entertaining and combines three distinctive flavours - the earthy taste of the risotto, the delicate flavour of the paua and the piquant bite of the Hollandaise - to create a sublime synergy. • 2 large paua • 1/3 quantity white fish • 1tbsp plain flour • 2tsp baking powder
Mushroom Risotto • 2 cups Arborio rice • 1 cup white wine • 3tbsp oil • 1 onion finely diced • 1.25 litres mushroom stock made from re-hydrating a handful of mixed French forest mushrooms and adding extra water (or substitute chicken stock and a cup of button mushrooms quartered and fried off). Remove mushrooms, dice and add to the risotto at the end. • 6-8 strands of saffron • Salt
• 1 fresh chilli
Heat oil in a large saucepan and sweat onion until translucent.
• 1tbsp chopped frozen spinach
Stir in rice and cook for 3 minutes without browning.
• Cayenne pepper • 2 eggs Gut paua and remove frills. Cut into chunks and put through mincer. Put white fish fillet through the mincer, about one third the amount of paua. Combine and add finely diced chilli and a smidgeon of cayenne pepper to season. Put through the mincer a second time. Sift four and baking powder together and mix thoroughly with paua.
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Add stock a ladle at a time, stirring until absorbed. Grind saffron and add 100ml of boiling water to the pestle to get a rich yellow liquid and add this to your pot. Season with salt and stir in mushrooms.
Hollandaise Sauce • 3 egg yolks
A Hunter’s Quest Daryl Crimp
• 1/4 cup white wine vinegar • 2 tbsp cold water • white pepper • 200g salted butter
Mix yolks with paua mix and then fold in whites. Stir in spinach.
• Juice of half a lemon.
Remove from rings and serve on top of mushroom risotto with Hollandaise sauce.
59 Saxton Rd, Stoke, Nelson • Ph 03 547 4777 Fax 03 547 6208 • www.stokegl.co.nz
Add wine and stir over moderate heat until absorbed.
Separate eggs and beat whites to a foam.
Half fill a set of greased 'chef's rings' in a baking tray of a muffin tin and bake in an oven pre-heated to 200°C for 8 minutes. The paua stacks should rise to a light, fluffy consistency.
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Melt butter and stand to one side. Add vinegar, water and a good dash of white pepper to a small saucepan and simmer until reduced to 1tbsp. Pour into a bowl that fits over a saucepan containing boiling water (To avoid direct heat) and whisk in egg yolks one at a time until light and frothy. Gradually stir in melted butter until you attain a thick light sauce. Add lemon to taste.
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13 THE FISHING PAPER - MAY 2017
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The BIG ONE that didn’t get away Max Barclay
Rangiora Eco Holiday Park Canterbury hub How often do we have blinkers on to what is right in front of us and discover little gems to one side of the beaten track? Think Canterbury, think Christchurch, but if you are a true lover of wide open spaces, the outdoors, nature, hunting and fishing, and adventure sport, Rangiora is the real hub of mid Canterbury. Geoff Brown of Rangiora Eco Holiday Park explains that the small rural town is central to such a wide range of activities and interest focuses that it makes logistical sense to base yourself there when visiting the region’s playgrounds. “If you are a keen hunter, we are half-anhour from the Southern Alps where you can hunt tahr, chamois, and deer, and if you are a keen fisher, we are close to the Waimak’ where trout, salmon, and whitebait run.”
Dad and I had a couple of days up our sleeve so we headed down to the lake. We launched the boat at midday and got going as quickly as possible, as the sandflies were at our heels. The plan was to stay two nights, fish all day and, if we had time, go for a quick hunt. It took about 30 minutes to get to the hut, unload and head out for a quick fish to get something for dinner. Just before the sun went down I got a strike and I knew it was big; there was a lot of weight on the line. The fish quickly showed itself and jumped multiple times. It did about four big runs before it started to tire. When the fish was a good five to six metres from the boat, we could see it clearly. It was the big one. With a little persuasion I got it to the side of the boat for dad to have a go at netting it and, luckily, he got it first time. It was the biggest one we had caught in this lake and other fishermen who had fished there for years said they had not seen one this size for over 10 years. We took some photos, weighed it at 7.5 pounds and did not go hungry for the next two days.
The cyclist is well catered for here, with the beautiful cycle and walkway along the Ashley River to Waikuku Beach, but that’s just the start. From Rangiora, everything is within comfortable striking distance to the cyclist: visit Oxford and take in a Sunday Farmers’ Market (ditto Ohoka), crack into Christchurch City and experience a taste of metropolitan life, while avoiding city prices for accommodation. And for the seasoned or experienced cyclist, bike to Waipara for a day sampling the vineyards and return to the cozy ambience of this quaint rural township - the round trip is only 70k! Rangiora Eco Holiday Park is the perfect destination, offering a huge variety of extremely affordable accommodation options from cheap cabins at $20 per night, lodges for groups at $20 per person per night, through to motel class self-contained cabins at a fraction of the motel rate. It’s worth checking out; the hub of Canterbury hums… quite an affordable tune!
Max was clearly stunned at the size of the monster trout.
Not to mention the many other rivers, streams, and beaches worth exploring. The town boasts its own airport, helicopter operators, and even has a resident hunting guide for those who want access to some fertile hunting fields. Just down the road is the Waimak’ Bridge and popular launch spot for jet boaters seeking adventure on Canterbury’s most famous braided river system.
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Rangiora Eco Holiday Park A large holiday park with cabins, self-contained lodges, caravan and tent sites from $15 per night. We provide affordable accommodation for motorhome and campervan travellers, couples, families, school and sports groups, business travellers and backpackers.
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14 THE FISHING PAPER - MAY 2017
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TIDES OF CHANGE By Poppa Mike
DELPHINIDAE? I Hear You Say? My daughter gave me a copy of the December 2016, New Zealand Geographic magazine for Christmas. In it was a comprehensive 17 page article titled, The Puzzle of Pilot Whales, by Kennedy Warne. As I read it, I never thought for one moment members of my family and other friends would soon be called out to a pilot whale stranding at Farewell Spit in Golden Bay. As I was unable to attend, I listened to the regular news updates, calls for more volunteer helpers as the sheer number of whales involved was estimated at over 400. Then I read further, this time, Farewell Spit, by Chris Petyt, (1999), a Golden Bay
resident who spent many hours researching the long history of whale strandings at Farewell Spit, with more strandings than any other location, despite the record of 1000 stranded on Chatham Island in 1918. It was not until I pulled out Barbara Todd’s book, Whales and Dolphins of Aotearoa New Zealand, I discovered pilot whales are not really whales at all – they are dolphins, one of 18 delphinidae (ocean dolphins) found in New Zealand waters. Likewise the orca or killer whale is also a dolphin. So how was it neither of the two other books mentioned this important fact? Barbara Todd also makes it clear there are
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two types of pilot whale – the long–finned and the shortfinned, the latter being rarer and less prone to strandings. Early settlers used the name blackfish, a term still used by many today. Others use the term potheads. I have heard people speculate the strandings occur in places like Farewell Spit when the large pods work together herding fish into a corner. Not so, I discover. Pilot whales do not eat fish, they eat squid and octopus. Interestingly large numbers of small squid were present in Golden Bay during the most recent strandings. There are many theories as to why such strandings occur – full moons, king tides, infected sonars, suicide, whale graveyards, being chased by predators like orca, navigational malfunction based on anomalies in the earth’s magnetic field, and underwater oil testing exploration. In 1991, Department of Conservation researcher Mark Brabyn concluded the strongest possible cause is that, “Long, gently sloping beaches are natural whale traps. The idea is offshore species unfamiliar with this kind of topography and its associated tides and currents, find themselves getting shallower and shallower, until it is too late to retreat.” Makes sense to me. Thank you to all the researchers, all those who care, and the hundreds who turned out to help save some of the pilot whales (dolphins), in particular the joint coordinators, Department of Conservation and Project Jonah. Each such event helps us learn a little more.
Dane does dirty on dad Kirsten Frew
Dane Frew may only be eight-years-old but already he’s becoming a dab hand with the rod. A keen freshwater angler, Dane loves doing battle with big trout but, secretly, gets more pleasure pitting his wits against his dad. He is pictured here with the biggest of his five fish that he landed for the afternoon while fishing on Lake Te Anau. It was a nice brown jack weighing in at 3.5 pounds and 560mm long. Dad had to buy the pies on the way home because his fish was smaller. We had one very happy fisherman that day and I think he was double happy for delivering pay dirt, while Dad dipped out. Dane with the biggest of a run of trout.
An Affinity with Fiordland Brooke Maitland (9-years-old)
I went on Affinity Cruises to see fabulous Fiordland, which is a world heritage park.
Brooke at home aboard Affinty Cruises.
I was so excited when we arrived at the helicopter place to fly into Affinity in the fiords – Yay! I screamed out and we had a wonderful flight in the helicopter. This was my second time in Fiordland, the first was with my mum and dad and my brother when I was seven-years-old. I am so lucky that my Nanny and Skipper (grandfather) own Affinity Cruises. As we arrived onboard, I was still really excited as the helicopter flew off again to get more passengers. When they arrived they all said they had a wonderful flight too. Skipper (that’s my grandfather) explained who the crew were and the boat rules. Then we set off on our three night adventure. On our journey in Fiordland we saw lots of dolphins, seals, and big seabirds, as well as wonderful sights of gushing waterfalls. On some of the days, we went ashore in the tender to go for bush walks. We also learnt about Richard Henry and Captain James Cook. It was winter time when I went but Skipper always made sure we were nice a warm, and we had lots of yummy meals and our beds were comfy. Fiordland is a cool place to fish and we caught all sorts of fish and Skipper cooked it up for us on the barbecue for dinner. Fiordland is a really wonderful place with beautiful scenery and I recommend that everyone should go there because it is AWESOME!
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15 THE FISHING PAPER - MAY 2017
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From Sinker to Smoker By Ron Prestage
Prawn stars on West Coast
A typical West Coast rig.
My blueprint for making a pulley rig.
In recent years Australian banana prawns have been my goto bait when targeting rig on the West Coast from Tauranga Bay north to Mokihinui. Paddle crabs are usually used for rig bait but can be sometimes hard to collect when needed. An element of laziness is also present with age! The convenience of buying frozen banana prawns is a factor in using them for bait that works for me. My most successful terminal tackle for rig is the pulley rig. The streamlined nature of this set-up allows the bulky prawn bait to be cast easily and the bait, once to the sea floor wafts around in a natural manner on a relatively long trace. Two hooks and bait elastic fix the banana prawn in a lethal and firm position, ready for the bite if you can call it that from a toothless rig! Night fishing is often done for rig catching but I prefer the dawn and dusk sessions to fishing in the dark. Don’t be put off
by water that is not clear as rig have an uncanny sense of smell and will find your bait in real murky conditions. On some West Coast beaches you will find a gutter that fishes well at low tide while other areas may have a hole formation that fishes best as the rising tide covers and deepens it. Getting the optimum tidal time to coincide with dusk or dawn is the way to increase your chance of success. When I make my pulley rigs I like to incorporate plenty of lumo beads as these seem to increase the strike rate. Also I like to use the sinkers with the built in bait clip on the sinker stem to simplify the system. Once caught make sure you trunk the rig as soon as possible to retain the eating quality and avoid the ammonia taste that develops quickly in dead sharks. When hooked, rig often swim strongly along the shoreline so be prepared to move sideways as you reel them onto the beach.
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One way of hooking up a banana prawn.
Lowrance® Elite Ti Fishfinder display bigger Lowrance®, a world-leader in fishing electronics since 1957, reports that fishing consumer trends are clearly indicating the growing trend with fishfinder displays is that ‘bigger is better.’ Following a record-setting year in 2016 with the Elite-7 Ti – the topselling fishfinder/chartplotter display globally – early sales reports this year tip the Elite-9 Ti as the new frontrunner – another indicator that fishers are angling for bigger, brighter, and easierto-view displays. Designed as one unit to do almost everything, the Elite Ti is poised to meet the current and future demands of the market. With the amount of proven fishfinder and chartplotter features being packed into a single, affordable display, users are requiring the largest screen available to allow them to easily and effectively view all the most important data at once. And with the easier to use touchscreen, anglers are getting more out of their fishfinders because the units are easier to learn and use. Whereas 5-inch displays used to be the strongest sellers, recent trends show that 7 and
9-inch displays are current favourites, and this will likely grow to 12-inch displays in the next two years. The Elite-12 Ti models are already set to ship in March. Including cutting-edge features like an easy-to-use touchscreen interface, Bluetooth® and wireless connectivity, proven Lowrance navigation technology, and high-performance sonar – including CHIRP, Broadband Sounder™ and StructureScan® HD with SideScan and DownScan Imaging™ – the Elite Ti Series displays offer incredible value at an affordable price. CHIRP sonar offers improved fish-target separation and screen clarity, while the StructureScan HD sonar imaging system with exclusive Lowrance® DownScan Imaging delivers photo-like images of fish-holding structure on both sides and directly beneath the boat. For the ultimate in on-the-water navigation, Elite Ti displays feature a highly accurate, built-in GPS antenna that displays position on a detailed C-MAP or Navionics+ map. Bluetooth and wireless connectivity also provide control of single or dual Power-Pole®
Watch our introduction to the Lowrance Elite-9Ti and Elite-12Ti - Scan here
shallow water anchor installations, as well as access to the GoFree Link App, which allows anglers to view and control the display from an iPad® or Android® tablet. With enhanced sonar performance, trolling motor control, built-in- high definition charts, waypoint sharing, and advanced charting options, the Elite Ti Series offers features and a price point that competitors can’t match. The easy-to-use touchscreen is a Lowrance exclusive, as is the TotalScan transducer capable of Broadband, CHIRP sonar, StructureScan HD and DownScan Imaging, all in one unit. The enhanced sonar performance of the Elite Ti offers better clarity of targets than the Helix G2N and greater sonar range where it counts. Simply put, the Elite Ti finds fish faster than all the rest. To learn more about the Elite-12 Ti and Elite-9 Ti, please watch this video: www.youtu.be/NrAYd6uLzB4
16 THE FISHING PAPER - MAY 2017
Try before you buy! (caveat emptor)
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Murky water benefits Scott Campbell
Frank Cartwright
difficulties in establishing which rod best Over the years I have worked my way through a considerable number of rods suited my requirements, was having to rely for bait, spin, or fly fishing and recall way on a salesman’s sales pitch I was, (a) getting back in 1949 purchasing my very first the right rod and (b) the best deal. Most trout rod from Alex Thompson & Son in times I found the majority of sales staff Dunedin, home of Alexto products. gave honest, factual information but after purchasing an expensive 8’6” graphite rod The rod was an English import only to find it had a lazy action, I resolved manufactured by the Martin James company and built from greenheart, a high I would never again purchase a rod, density hardwood sourced from South regardless of its reputation, unless I had America and turned on a lathe to produce tried casting with it first. a taper. However, greenheart rods were I put this to the test during the early not overly user-friendly. They were ‘stiffish,’ 1990’s when I decided to replace a quite heavy and spinning rod with better suited to bait something a bit fishing as opposed more high tech to fly fishing but after I spotted a If you are contemplating in spite of inherent nice little Mitchell purchasing a rod from a limitations, my ‘Copperhead’ Martin James rod in a sports tackle store, first establish rod gave good store. I asked if it service, especially whether or not a field test was possible to after I modified test-cast it before is possible. it by marrying purchasing. The on a split-cane salesman on duty upper section. not only acceded When spinning to my request, he actually encouraged me reels started coming on the market around to take four other rods with me to ensure the late 1940’s, I further modified it as a I was getting the right rod for the job! For spinning rod, which proved to be the best my part, all I had to do was surrender thing I ever did - my catch rate dramatically my credit card as security against several improved! hundred dollars of rods. A couple of hours Around then, fibreglass rods were later I was the proud owner of that nice entering the market. They were a great little Mitchell. It wasn’t the lowest nor the improvement over organic materials, such highest priced rod but it had the action as greenheart or Rangoon cane. They were and accuracy I was looking for. With the reasonably light, flexible and virtually salesman’s trust in me established, any indestructible as I discovered when I time I wished to buy or try a rod, fly rods boated a shark almost as long as my three in particularly, I was able to river-test metre dinghy on a rod I had formerly used them first without a hassle and best of all, for spinning! However, solid fibreglass as a regular customer, I received loyalty rods were quickly superseded by hollow discounts, which are worth having when fibreglass rods which were substantially you consider many top-brand rods have lighter and better to cast with. Fly fishers four-figure price tags. in particular were quick to embrace the If you are contemplating purchasing a rod opportunities provided by these strong, from a tackle store, first establish whether light rods but within a few years, hollow or not a field test is possible and if you are fibreglass gave way to graphite or boron turned down, there’s always another store rods, which rapidly captured the market. to approach. One further tip. Always use Fly fishing, entered a new age, one the same reel, fly line, and leader when dominated by synthetics and the world field testing rods, as each rod will have its eagerly embraced the considerable own little idiosyncrasies and you need to advantages presented by these hi-tech, be aware of them before parting with your revolutionary materials. hard earned dosh. I can’t recall purchasing my first graphite Good shopping, happy casting, and tight rod but over the years I bought a few more than I really needed because one of the lines!
Murky water produced Scott's first legal Wellington Harbour kingi.
The weekend after cyclone Debbie hit, I hit the water with my mate Jim aboard his 5.5 Buccaneer in a glassy Wellington Harbour. The water had dropped a few degrees since we were last out and, due to the rain from ‘Debbie’, it was very brown. We decided the best tact would involve lots of berley and fish baits only with pilchards and trevally. Not expecting much, the first few drops produced snapper, gurnard, and some good tarakihi. Keeping with the fish bait plan, we started using freshly caught kahawai and mackerel as cut bait, which also produced
some good gurnard. Then the sharks moved in – elephants, spineys, and a big spotty shark. Time to move spots and half-an-hour later blue cod, trevally, big kahawai, and, finally, my first Wellington Harbour legal kingfish were landed, as well as a rough skate! Great job from Jim who pulled up all the obstacles from the boat including reeling in the skate from my stray line set up whilst I was frantically holding onto this 98cm freight train! Just goes to show that fishing in brown water can reap benefits if you plan well.
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17 THE FISHING PAPER - MAY 2017
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plus Bust off those shackles AND REDEFINE YOUR BOUNDARIES We are not bears!
We do not hibernate in winter - we embrace it and welcome what it offers.
Gone are the days of our parents and grandparents where people hunkered down in winter and went into survival mode. They did it for no other reason than they had to, but time and technology have erased the depression and negativity of winter from our past. The beauty of living in a place like New Zealand is we have seasons, four distinct
changes in the year where we can switch, revitalise, recharge, refocus, and enjoy a totally different aspect of life. Think of food: fresh asparagus in springs, summer strawberries and cream, Bluff oysters in autumn, winter stews and comfort food, whisky by the fire, and mulled wine at night. Activities change with the seasons too: winter reading nights, travel escapes and ski weekends, hunting for winter tahr, and fishing in spring. The changes also provide us with time: time to renovate the house or buy those tools to do the home handyman stuff
because you are spending less time fishing, time for shopping and dining, buying a new wardrobe, or just time to spend on weekend outings and activities with the family. Welcome to SUB zero plus, our celebration of winter and the many exciting opportunities she brings. Over the next few months we’ll be tackling a diverse range of topics and looking at new innovations and technology that aims to improve our lives. So‌ bust out of your shackles and redefine your boundaries.
18 THE FISHING PAPER - MAY 2017
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Crimpy’s whisky tasting tips • If you have never tried a Scotch whisky before, here are some tips to get you started. • Each scotch is different and can vary widely in taste and ‘smoothness’. Scotch differs by age also, so start with a mature single malt 10 - 15 year old. • I would suggest something sweet and smooth like Aberlour or Glenmorangie Original single malt Scotch, then step up to something more full-bodied and oaky like Ben Nevis 10 year old. Avoid highly peated scotch such as Laphroig because that is an acquired taste and may well put you off whisky altogether.
Welcome to the world of Scotch Daryl Crimp I’m not a connoisseur but I do love a good whisky, preferably a smooth single malt and taken neat, unadulterated by water, ice, or the shameless assault of sugar-laced mixes. A good whisky stands alone, like an ancient flaming haired Celtic warrior, proud, noble, and from distinctive lineage. It is like a poem that contains both structure and freedom of form, and the ability to stir passions and evoke emotion, while remaining slightly mysterious, unpretentious, and aloof. It is a spirit with pedigree, unsurpassed and unrivalled in elegance. Whisky is a man’s drink enjoyed equally by women. Back in the eighties, when I traveled through Scotland, I thought I’d discovered heaven. Each dour, foreboding country pub we visited had a top shelf that stretched to affinity and every bottle contained ‘liquid honey’, so the distant horizon was bathed in an amber sunset. I never knew so many brands of scotch whisky existed but I gave a fair number of them a nudge. What is it about ‘the malt’ that holds prisoner the heart of whisky lovers? It’s a highly personal thing but history and tradition play a part. There are two spellings, whisky and whiskey, but the actual origins of the names and reasons for the variance have been lost to the mists of time. Today it is commonly accepted that whiskey refers to Irish and American whiskeys, whereas whisky is common usage for other producing countries.
Scotch is the internationally recognised term for Scotch Whisky, that distilled in Scotland. The word whisky is actually the anglicisation of the Gaelic word uisce or uisge (wee-ski) meaning ‘water’ and was derived from the Latin phrase for distilled alcohol, aqua vitae meaning ‘water of life’. Whisky became uisce beatha (Irish Gaelic) or uisge beatha (Scottish Gaelic) meaning “water of life’. Then anglicised and shortened to whisky. Whisky is essentially a distilled alcoholic beverage made from fermented grain mash, which may or may not be malted, and aged in wooden casks, generally made of charred white oak. Various grains are used for different varieties: barley, corn, rye, and wheat. Scotch whisky, considered by many as traditional whisky, is a malt whisky originally distilled from malted barely and made in a manner specified by law. Wheat and rye was added late in the 18th century and now Scotch whisky falls into five distinct categories: single malt Scotch whisky, single grain Scotch whisky, blended malt Scotch whisky, blended grain Scotch whisky, and blended Scotch whisky. All Scotch whisky must be aged in oak barrels for at least three years and any age statement on the bottle must reflect the age of the youngest whisky used to produce the product. A whisky with an age statement is known as a guaranteed-age whisky.
Toolbarn for quality refurbished tools Since 1996, the family owned and operated Toolbarn has developed a loyal following and strong customer base. Founded by the father and son team of Ross and Roger Exley, Toolbarn has grown to become New Zealand’s premier secondhand tool dealer and for good reason. Toolbarn believes in the quality of the tools of old from trusted makers in the United States, England, and Western Europe - quality, proven, and trusted brands from leaders in engineering. Tools are bought from a variety of sources and refurbished by the Toolbarn team. We pride ourselves on service and providing customers with a wide range of fine tools. If you can't find it on the website just give us a call or pop in for a browse around the shop. Toolbarn can deliver throughout New Zealand by post , courier, or freight company for larger items.
• Buy a Scotch glass, which is wide at the bottom, tapering to the top, and then flaring out. This shape concentrates the aroma. If you don't have the proper Scotch glass, a red wine glass is a good substitute.
Crimpy’s whisky pick This month I have been enjoying a wonderful Speyside malt, the doublematured Aberlour 12 year old Scotch whisky. This Highland single malt has been matured in two cask types: the traditional oak and sheer oak casks. The casks are hand picked, filled and aged for a minimum of twelve years before being married together to deliver this light ruby gold coloured, smooth, yet rich tasting whisky. It is not harsh but develops on the palate with a hint of spice. This one is easy to drink neat.
• Some people never add water to their Scotch, but try adding various amounts AFTER you have tried it full strength. A first time taster might want to add water first. The water should be room temperature and be bottled or filtered to remove chlorine and other chemicals. • Now enjoy your entrance into wonderful world of Scotch and a life-long journey exploring the many different tastes, brands, and ages of Scotch. See Maree at Super Liquor Richmond for the widest selection of quality whiskeys in the Top of the South. Celebrate World Whiskey Day 20 May 2017.
Cruise Fiordland with the grand lady Cindy Hardy Cruise Fiordland is privately owned by Nigel and Paula Lamb. Having previously owned and operated Doubtfulsoundcruise.com for 13 years, the couple sold that part of the business in 2012 to concentrate solely on Cruise Fiordland. Nigel has over two decades experience around Fiordland and Stewart Island as a commercial fisherman, paua diver, and recreational hunter, so knows the area intimately and is passionate about sharing it with others. The company’s flagship vessel even has Nigel’s mark stamped all over it. When Cruise Fiordland purchased the MV Cindy Hardy it was fair to say the vessel was in no state to be carrying passengers. Built in 1963 in Tasmania of Australian hardwood, MV Cindy Hardy operated throughout Fiordland for 25 years and was put to good use. She had a rough life and had certainly seen better days, but Nigel looked beneath the fatigue at her sound structure and good bones, and saw her potential. He decided to completely strip her apart and spent close to $1,000,000 in a full refit, which was completed in late 2015. Since then, MV Cindy Hardy has been operating out of Bluff, Stewart Island, and Fiordland, doing private day, overnight, and multi day charters. From people who had previously sailed on the MV Cindy Hardy many years back,
the feedback and comments on the transformation have all been positive and really great. A couple of comments received were, "Great to see the 'old lady' again… “A far cry from her earlier life. Congratulations on all the hard work", "Good effort - great to see her revamped for her new life." It’s feedback from clients and people who have been on her in previous years that have made all the blood, sweat, and tears truly worth it. From a couple of bunk rooms and a shared bathroom, to six bedrooms with attached ensuite bathrooms, one dining area in a confined space, to two dining areas with enough room to cater for 20 seated passengers, the MV Cindy Hardy has certainly come a long way. It is really good to see a vessel that has operated in Fiordland now for 30 years, able to continue to do so, following a bit of TLC and love. Cruise Fiordland mainly operates in Fiordland and, while in Fiordland, caters to a maximum multi day charter group of 12, allowing for two per cabin. This makes for a comfortable experience. The activities all vary from hunting, fishing, diving, sightseeing, going ashore, and relaxing. Whatever you are interested in get in contact today and we will be sure to design a charter catered to you.
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19 THE FISHING PAPER - MAY 2017
The Scud and the duck Gary McManaway
Two times World Super Boat Jetsprint champion, Scott Waterjet and jet boat designer Konrad Scott shares the benefits of duck shooting with a Scud Jet Boat. Konrad comments: “Our Scud and ducks are a marriage made in heaven.” Duck shooting is a passion and obsession for a lot of Kiwi hunters, and opening morning is eagerly awaited and planned for. The pre-hunt preparation can be just as exciting, as it’s a valid excuse to add to the arsenal and equipment (man toys) required. One piece of equipment Konrad finds vital to duck shooting is a jet boat that is fit for the purpose, as hunters find locating, preparing, and accessing our top-secret duck spots challenging to say the least. Luckily, ducks and jetboats share one common passion. They both love water, so the ability to easily traverse over water while carrying all the duck hunting essentials can’t be underestimated. One of the challenges in the past has been to find a suitable jetboat for the task because the conventional jetboat has not been well suited, as it is typically heavy, noisy, and difficult to load and unload quickly. Simply put, they just aren’t well suited to the task because they were not designed with hunting in mind. Konrad explains, “Then came the ‘Scud’. It ticks all the boxes; light, compact, great performer, quiet, and provides super easy access in and out for hunters, dogs, and equipment.” Konrad delights in recounting a typical opening morning: I’m up at sparrow’s fart to pack the gear in the truck (the boat’s already hooked on the back), including food and drink lovingly prepared by a dedicated other half. I load
my boy and the dog into the cab and off to the river, while still dark. Then transfer the gear to the boat: decoys in the rack, guns in the holders, food and drink down the back. Reverse into the water, fire up the boat and switch the LED lights on, that’s right it has lights, and back off the trailer while my boy parks the truck. Nose the boat into the bank, my boy and the dog jump in the nose. Yep, it has an open nose, which is so good for loading and unloading quickly; no more clambering over windscreen decks etc.
Then when it’s all done and dusted we can cruise comfortably back to the truck, trailer the boat, and off we go home to reminisce on a great day’s hunting and jet boating. An added bonus is we get to combine two sports into one: jet boating and game bird hunting, and that’s just the start of the adventure. Bust out of your shackles and redefine your boundaries.
Coastguard Boating EDUCATION
Or how about that teenager who keeps bugging you to take out the boat with their mates? A Day Skipper course is a great way to get them off to the best start and you can follow that up with a Maritime VHF Radio Operator certificate? Make it a prerequisite they have to pass these courses before you will let them take the boat out and while you may still have a few nerves, at least you know they have a great grounding. Better yet, they can get their computer fix while gaining the certificates and do the online courses. The Maritime VHF Certificate Online has just been re-launched with a new record and playback feature that enables you to ‘make’ a call and hear a playback recording from Maritime Radio. You can practice as many times as you like.
3.55m, 3.70m, 3.90m
Once we arrive at our spot, I tie the boat up, unload people, dog, gear, and cover with a camo net (there is a factory camo spec one coming). Off to the maimai in anticipation of a great day’s adventure. After lots of bang bangs and the shooting dies down, we retrieve the ducks, load all the gear back in the boat, get the crew on board, and head off to shoot some other spots, where access without a boat would be impossible. We can motor quickly into back waters, jump out, with the dog off into the trees doing his thing and we get in a lot of fantastic jump shooting.
Dad..can I have the keys to the boat? Coastguard Boating Education is the leading provider of boating education courses in New Zealand, providing courses for recreational boaties from beginners through to ocean voyagers. There are topical and highly detailed courses such as the Radar Certificate for the more experienced boatie or for the more practical boatie, how about an engine maintenance course? Both inboard and outboard engine types have a general maintenance course.
Scott Scud
It ticks all the boxes: Light & compact Great performer & quiet Super easy access in and out for hunters, dogs & equipment
Back out into the river and up on to the plane. This is where the performance pedigree of the Scud shines, with its precise handling, low planing speed, and the agility of a cat to navigate the river in the dark.
, go out and do it Whatever the weather
Now’s the time, when summer is a not too distant memory, to learn about all those things you thought about learning when you were relaxing on your boat.
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Got a little more experience? How about the Boatmaster course? A little more in depth and comprehensive in navigation, this course discusses how to use your radar and echo sounder as aids to navigation, and is one of the modules that comprise the CIDMO programme – a pathway to the Skipper Restricted Limits certificate – which is a commercial ticket for skippers of 12m vessels carrying up to 19 passengers. While away the cold and dreary long winter evenings participating in an online or home study course, or liven up the weekend with a classroom course and meet some new boating friends. There is a wonderful world of bays, islands, and lakes to explore, and we have the courses to give you the skills to do just that. Courses are held nationwide, although dependent on student numbers. Run in conjunction with Coastguard Units and tutored by qualified Coastguard Boating Education tutors, the courses are fun, informative, and can lead to wonderful careers and experiences. You can travel the ocean and visit the wonderful and interesting bays, all by starting with the Day Skipper. Want to learn more? Visit our website www.boatingeducation.org.nz or give us a call on 0800 40 80 90 and speak to one of our staff about which course is right for you.
www.scottwaterjet.com
Konrad Scott 03 615 8851 - contact@scottwaterjet.com
20 THE FISHING PAPER - MAY 2017
One of the great joys of winter is that it provides us with the opportunity to indulge ourselves. There is nothing quite like creating a sense of ‘escape’ to heighten one’s enjoyment and sense of self worth. We all work hard and deserve to reward ourselves with treats and that is why a Pacific destination getaway to escape the cold and recharge the batteries is so appealing during winter, and it is so affordable. Crimpy has developed a hugely popular bespoke hosted tour for fun-loving and adventurous couples and travellers that does that and more. He talks about…
Crimpy’s Niue - the last Pacific paradise
A
tiny atoll in the heart of the Pacific Ocean, 2,400 km north east of New Zealand, Niue Island is truly the last paradise unfettered by commercial tourism. Ambience wise, it is like stepping back into 1960’s New Zealand, to a time of little stress, a gentle pace of life, genuine friendly community spirited people, and an uncomplicated way of life. Called ‘The Rock of the Pacific’, Niue is a tiny upraised coral atoll that is home to 1,500 locals, half of whom are children, living in fourteen neat and colourful villages.
300 tourists, and it never gets that busy, so you are never jostling for position with thousands of other tourists. You really do have a beautiful Pacific island to yourself.
Genuinely friendly, happy, and welcoming That is the cliché used to describe the Niueans but it is true. Leave your grouchy faces at home because this is the land of smiles and, because there are so few tourists, you get to interact with the locals every day. There are no traffic lights, no queues, no fast food outlets, very little shopping,
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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.
• • • •
During the peak season, which is our winter, only two planes a week from Auckland service the island, so once you land and the plane leaves, you get a real sense of isolation and freedom; there is not the bustle and hassle and comings and goings of hordes of tourists. In fact, you pretty much get to know all the tourists on the island and really get to feel as if you have Niue to yourself - your own private Pacific island. Because the island is tiny, you can drive around it in a couple of hours, there is only accommodation for a maximum of
and no crime on Niue, so the speed at which you totally relax is unbelievable. The culture and the food is simply something you need to experience, and the locals are proud to share their way of life with you. There are no crass tourist souvenir shops on Niue, but plenty of authentic crafts and products made by the locals.
Nothing to do but be busy relaxing
• • • • • • •
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
CHECK THE AWESOME THINGS YOU WILL DO ON CRIMPY’S NIUE
In some ways Niue is a paradox, there appears little to do but you always leave wanting to return, because there is always plenty left undone. From the many scenic walks to rock pool swimming, fishing to swimming with the mighty humpback whales, dining out to hunting the famous unga or coconut crab, taking a weaving lesson to visiting an authentic morning market, indulging in a village feast to relaxing by the pool, diving to visiting a jungle plantation, Niue has plenty to offer.
Crimpy’s Niue a special package I have designed Crimpy’s Niue to be unlike any other hosted tour, so expect a few fun surprises along the way. Working closely with tourism Niue and locals, I have been able to create a package that includes activities not available to any other tour company so you get to be a special VIP when visiting Niue. We time our visit to be at the peak of the fishing season and the whale season. Of the three groups that joined Crimpy’s Niue last year, we got 100% thumbs up, with the most frequent comment that it far exceeded people’s expectation for value for money. Treat yourself to a winter escape this year and a holiday break like no other by joining Crimp’s Niue - you deserve it.
ED T I M T. LI F E L ES C A P S ICK! U Q BE
Crimpy’s Niue 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
21 HUNTING NEWS - MAY 2017
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All the 3’s for 2017
HUNTING NEWS
Richard Turner
A
fter a hectic six weeks of looking after clients at home at the Fairmead Hunting Experience, I decided to diary a few days over Easter to go hunting myself. I have shot heaps of red deer, both commercially and in my later years recreationally, but never a DS 300 plus, which has been my dream for a number of years. The weather forecast was for cyclonic winds at home Thursday night, so I decided to stay home in case of any damage but when I rose in the early hours of Friday morning to stars and little wind, I blew the dust off the gun safe and let the .300 win mag Blaser out. I hastily packed some gear and headed north. The forecast was for NW wind and showers but it was good to be away for a few days. I was heading to a free range block I am lucky enough to occasionally have access too but the rules are that if you shoot it you must have it mounted, this makes you think twice before you pull the trigger, a great idea. I arrived mid afternoon and headed for the very homely Heli Hut parked out the back of the block. These fibreglass two-bunk huts are insulated, have solar lighting, a bench and sink, and weigh around 3-400kilos. they are designed to be flown into any location under a H500 or Squirrel; a great idea developed by Rob McLean of Black Pearl Fibreglass in Hamilton. After stowing my gear I headed out for a look and listen that evening but I only saw a couple of hinds and a pig before it got dark and very wet and windy, so I retreated to camp. I changed into dry gear, lit the jet boil, and cooked up a delicious wilderness stew from Absolute Wilderness (maybe I will get some free ones for this plug ), then crawled into my sleeping bag and turned the lights off. I woke before dawn to a strong wind and very heavy showers, and was very tempted to stay where I was but with only time for two days hunting, I donned wet weather gear and headed off. Again I saw a couple of pigs and the two hinds plus a spiker, but no stags. After a few hours checking clearings in the bush and getting saturated, I heard a faint roar way down in a gully. I got onto a ridge to have a glass around and spotted the stag with three hinds in a clearing about a kilometre away. I couldn’t make out how good he was and, because of the wind direction, I couldn't see a way of getting to him without him getting my wind, so I very nearly left him. I then decided to go way down a ridge down wind of him to see if I could get a better look at him and, if he was worth it, have another go the next day if the wind was more favourable. Once on a knob across the gully from him, and after glassing for a while, I spotted him but he was now in thick regrowth and heading for thicker stuff. I could see that he had very good tops but could not see if his lower tines stacked up. I nearly headed home to then have a look the next day but I have done that before and never seen the animal again, so I ranged him and at 332 metres, it was beyond my comfortable shooting range but I decided to have a go. I could see him through the binoculars but, because of the rain, I
Richard is proof that you never give up on a personal quest.
had difficulty finding him in the scope. Finally, he moved into a slightly more open patch and I got a good look at his chest area so I let strip. He disappeared into the thick stuff and, after a few tense seconds, I heard a crashing in the scrub, and he rolled down into a clearing stone dead. From where I was, it was going to be a mission to get at him so I decided to make the one hour hike back up to the top and phone reception, and call for help. I was lucky enough to get hold of my son Peter and he said that he would gather up some helpers, his wife Kate, my grandson Mark and granddaughter Ashleigh, who were both there for the Easter break. When they all arrived we were able to get the 4x4 bikes a few hundred metres from the clearing. Mark was first to the stag and yelled out that I had shot a small 10. I was the last to get to him (getting a little slow now) and when I got there they were all grinning and I did too when I got a good look at what I had shot, a
Come along and talk to Crimpy about his hosted trips to Africa at this year’s Sika Show. SEPTEMBER 30 & OCTOBER 1, 2017 between 9am and 4pm at the Great Lake Centre & Tongariro Domain, Taupo The Annual Sika Show & Competition is the largest outdoor trade show of its kind in New Zealand.
&
Coming up in our August issue...
the RETURN of the
SIKA NEWS
G N I H FIS THE
lovely even 12. I caped the stag and Pete and Mark took the hind quarters and back steaks off for sausages. They carried everything back to the quads for me and we headed back to the Heli Hut to pack up my gear and head out. After a hot shower and a late lunch we took the head to Simon Bullivant at Truelife Taxidermy. I had a couple of beers with the family that night and then headed home early the next morning to get ready for the next group of hunter clients. Simon emailed me that night to tell me he scored my stag at 333 DS so, after 56 years chasing reds, I finally found the one I had been looking for. My wife Barb suggested that now I have found what I have been looking for, it might be the end of my hunting trips. I said, ‘Yes … until I head down south chasing tahr!”
R PAPE
HUNTING NEWS
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22 HUNTING NEWS - MAY 2017
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Red stags come in many shapes and forms but, in terms of free range hunting, the classic 12 pointer plus is the dream of most Kiwi hunters. Genuine wild bloodlines showing good symmetry, heavy timber, and a natural array of points are sought after, not the ridiculous and unnatural ‘fifty pointers’ of game parks. However, escapees from farms and game reserves have improved the lines of wild stock in some areas, so there is no clear black and white in this argument. What is inarguable though, is that there has never been a better time since the halcyon trophy era of the thirties and forties, to hunt trophy stags. Daryl Crimp looks at how to better hunt…
Trophy stags of the hinterland What constitutes a trophy is the subject of much debate, often heated. Early hunters typically kept ‘trophies’ as reminders or mementoes of the hunt, and they served the same purpose as a photograph does today; they evoke clear memories or reminders of an important or exciting hunt, while also showing respect for the animal by immortalising it as a mount.
During the mid twentieth century, when game populations hit an all time low in America and Canada, the concept of a trophy animal changed to one of a conservation tool. In order to preserve dwindling game stocks, trophies were ‘reclassified’ to fit older animals in decline, that had passed their used-by date. The idea was that hunters would shoot less animals but, rather, focus on the pursuit of a more ‘defined trophy’ and leave prime breeders to contribute to the gene pool
From record to record
After the Roar stags are in recovery mode. Photo Gary Fissenden.
Make your next hunting experience a
Fiordland Hunting Experience
Record books for hunters were instigated early on as ‘a record’ of what was being shot; in other words, as a way of recording the sizes and dimensions of various species shot. Over time the emphasis changed to mean ‘a record animal’, resulting in a shift of thinking in the minds of some, to pursuing ‘a record animal’ with a higher ‘score’, rather than seeking a memento of the hunt or a representative animal. The downside to the pursuit of a record animal is that it often promotes taking animals in their prime, before the quality of the head deteriorates. In some cases it may devalue the quality of the hunt because the focus becomes purely about the size of the trophy as opposed to the challenge, thrill, and intrinsic values of a good stalk. A sole focus on size can also detract from respect we normally afford our game quarry; is a 9.5 inch 13-year-old chamois in its last years of life a lesser trophy than a ten inch five-year-old? Based on numeric value, yes, but the wily old campaigner has lived longer and outwitted more hunters than the young buck, so I would argue that it is the greater trophy. At the end of the day, what quantifies as a trophy is a very subjective and personal thing. In the eyes of the Kiwi free range hunter, a nice classic 12 -18 pointer red, classic 8 point sika, or heavily palmated fallow would fit the bill. Some guys just want a good looking head to mount above the fireplace as a memento of an exhilarating hunt, while the more ‘trophy’ oriented seek stags or bucks of certain dimensions, the benchmark being Douglas Score 300 for
red stags, or a typical big 12 of 40 inch length by 40 inch spread or thereabouts, DS 180 for sika, and DS 240 for fallow.
The best time to hunt stags Traditionally, the Roar or rut is peak hunting time for stags; the deer are vocal, preoccupied with rutting, and easier to locate and shoot. It is also the most exciting time to hunt them. However, there are more hunters in the field so competition and risks are at the greatest during this period, and the Roar is never consistent with regards to timing, frequency, or duration, so it is easy to miss an opportunity. Over recent years, a growing number of hunters have cottoned on to ‘jumping the gun’, or hunting stags before the Roar. Late February is the best time to do this because the stags are still on the tops or in the open but their velvet has hardened. They tend to still be in bachelor groups and haven’t started splitting off to establish territories for the rut, so it can be a good time to secure a good stag. The downside is you will be taking the animal before it has had a chance to breed and , if it has exceptional genetics, that’s a shame.
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BE A PART OF NEXT YEAR’S ROAR
23 HUNTING NEWS - MAY 2017
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Good stags are still to be had post Roar. Photo Gary Fissenden.
THE
Roar
20 17
into this. Both red and sika will sit, doze, and ruminate for long periods so it is easy to overlook them. Feeding spells can vary but 8.00am to mid morning, midday to 2.00am, or 3.00pm to dusk often show peak activity. The bottom line is the stags eat often and for prolonged periods because they have a lot of condition to stack on, so it is a good time to be hunting them. It is also the least hunted period, so competition and disturbances from other hunters is less likely. The opportunity to hunt a stag for the wall is by no means over. In fact, if I was a betting man I’d wager that the next six weeks is definitely worth a trip in to the back country.
Post Roar blues for reds and others There is a third period that provides good opportunity to get a good stag, be it red, sika or others, and that is post Roar, May through June. It is the most overlooked period of this trilogy but possibly the best time to secure a good head. Here’s why: During the rut stags expend a lot of energy and lose a lot of bodyweight, up to a third in the case of red stags. They take a bruising when fighting other males and some get seriously injured, even mortally. They are exhausted and, therefore, the post Roar period becomes one of recuperation and revitalisation. With winter approaching, it is imperative they replenish conditions and fatten for harsh, lean months ahead. Many actually perish because they are so run down or badly injured they simply don’t recover fast enough. The stags also reform their bachelor groups again, so become easier to locate. They don’t necessarily move far from their rutting pads but frequent the same or similar areas each year. They favour sunny faces with abundant food and will spend much of their time in the open. While not vocal, they tend to stay in close proximity so can be observed almost on a daily basis, once located. Good places to look are the sunny faces in the headwaters of creek systems, high up in scrubby guts above the bush line, along the edges of the tree-line, and north-northwest facing. If there is snow, they will be below that but above the valley floor and the frost-line. The best option is sitting and glassing. Once deer are located, there is nothing to be gained by taking hasty shots but, because
they will most likely be in bachelor groups, it is better to observe them over a period in case the big boy steps out. Stay vigilant and glass a lot because these animals are recuperating and rest factors
A typical cull stag. Photo Gary Fissenden.
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24 HUNTING NEWS - MAY 2017
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Straight up, no lie Kim Swan
When it comes to summer hunting with dogs, I have a predawn ritual I call the ‘Knicker Test.’ I slide out of bed and out the front door onto the porch wearing nowt but knickers. If a goose bump or two quickly appear and I want to slip on a warm shirt, I know it’s cool enough to hunt without my dogs being affected by heat exhaustion. I must add, I live rural and don’t have near neighbours – It’s not a ritual I’d perform in suburbia. Goosebumps indicate ‘go’ this morning so it’s a matter of collecting hunting paraphernalia and dogs, then driving into the dark of predawn. Three locked gates and some 4WD action later, I drape myself in the paraphernalia and set the dogs free from the confines of their box. I have no plan, no pre-fixed route. I’ll go with the flow, letting the dogs lead the way. Soon enough they lunge up the bank drawn by their olfactory glands to a boar scent up high. It’s steep where they go, overgrown with bracken, interspersed with rock outcrops and pocked with pig root. It’s steep and it’s gnarly. They lunge and they crawl. They navigate around enormous rocks and continue ever upward. Black dog and white dog, both panting with exertion. Higher and faster till the summit is near and there they overtake their fleeing quarry. From the forest track I crane my neck and mutter quietly. While the dogs took a zigzag trail, crossing bluffs and gorges and rock slides, my best option is up. Straight up. Hands and knees up. Rockclimbing and bracken-smashing and heavy-breathing up. Till the summit is just there and the bail barks are loud and clear. Big black boar backed into a snow-battered hebe, a lone shrub amidst the tussock. Both dogs circle and tail-wag up here on rocky
mountain high. Sun’s early rays straight-lining onto the scene. Snapped and snapped again. A couple of brilliant photos then I swap camera for rifle. It’s an easy shot, Boris is giving me the evil eye so I centre crosshairs on the imaginary X I draw between evil eyes and questing ears. All good. Now down. Straight down. The boar he rolls and bounces, dust and boulders fly. Dogs and I we pick our way carefully; it would be easy to twist an ankle here, to shatter a knee-cap or break a leg. A series of stop-starts, catch up with the boar, give him a shove then follow his blood-stained smash-trail as he somersaults down boulder fields and through alpine scrub. Uphill was physical. Downhill is intense, all concentration and fancy footwork till the road is just there. Just 20 metres till touch down. And then, truth stranger than fiction, no lie, the boar somersaults head-first into a jumble of large boulders. The gap between the circle of rocks is waist deep and boar-and-a-half wide. Down he goes, head down, bum up. Astride boulders, among boulders, burrowing under boulders, every which way I try I cannot wrestle the large slippery-coated pig from his resting place. The more I heave and wrench the further his wedge shape slides downward. His snout is twisted under his shoulders, his jaw jammed under a rock. His ribcage finds its happy place. Bum-hole, ball-bag and hairy tail are all I’m left with. I try till I’m spent. I rest, then try again. I cannot move him. I give up, final touch down so near and yet so far. I trudge back to my truck empty-handed. Between the
mountainous descent and the pig-wrestle I’ve exhausted my reserves, I’ve lost my knife, torn my chaps, and shredded my hunting pouch. What I do have, and I’m pretty excited about it too, is a couple of exceptional bail photos. As I trudge, lower lip dragging in the soft silty dust on the forest track, I flip open the small viewing screen on the back of my camera to take a sneak peek at the shots I’m so proud of. The screen is black. In the centre of it is a message for me. No Memory Card. Like bloody hell, I know it’s there. And it is. But it needs just a tiny little nudge to engage. There now, all good.
Easter Bunny to dinner Zack McGeady
I am 12 years old and I have just shot my first rabbit. On Easter weekend, Dave, Mum, and I went rabbit hunting at a friend’s place up the Lee Valley. As soon as we got there I saw two rabbits in the front paddock by the river, so we took a shot but missed. We walked around the other paddocks for a while and didn’t see any more. Then we saw a black rabbit in the back paddock. I asked if I could take the shot. We crept closer; it was about 20 metres away. I took the Cometa Lynx 22 cal PCP air rifle, leaned over the fence and sighted on the black rabbit. I said, “I can see the rabbit.” Dave said, “Take the shot.” Then I pulled the trigger and looked up to see the rabbit flop down, and then it started doing back flips in the long grass. We opened the gate and went over to the rabbit. Dave broke its neck. Then I carried it back to the car; it was warm and fluffy. We took the rabbit home, Dave skinned and gutted it, and Mum cut it up for a later meal. It was my best Easter so far.
Zack and his Easter Bunny.
25 HUNTING NEWS - MAY 2017
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Twin tahr at last O Malcolm Halstead
ver the past 40 years I have hunted all game animals available in the South Island with some success, apart from the mighty tahr. I had read plenty about them and watched heaps of clips on YouTube and while this did motivate me, I just had no idea where to go. My 19-year-old son, Jack, was also making noise about chasing tahr. A few enquiries among some hunting acquaintances had us pointed in the direction of a creek down south. We had two massive one day trips down there and although we saw a few and even had some long shots, we never succeeded in getting anything. Out of frustration I made contact with DoC and explained we just wanted to shoot a tahr and were not hooked on getting a trophy; just some meat would be good. The lady was very helpful and gave me the names of some spots worth a look. Next up we thrashed Google Earth, studying each spot before deciding on one to visit. The plan was to leave Christchurch creek, Jack suddenly saw a mob of tahr only 200 metres from early, hunt all day, then find somewhere to stay the night. us. We hastily scrambled into a shooting position. Jack shot first Jack, his girlfriend Neroli, and I left Christchurch in the early with his new 6.5 x 55 and dropped a tahr off the bluff. I let loose hours heading south. Two hours later we parked the Hilux and two confident shots and was dismayed to see my tahr walk on as set off upstream with the aid of head if nothing had happened! Just after it lights. Neroli comes from a farming had disappeared into the bluff it came background and had her trusty manuka tumbling back down and over a steep “As the sun hit the higher hill stick with her, which she put to good drop off. You beauty, we had both slopes we started to make use manoeuvring up the steep rough scored and all we had to do now was stream bed. After an hour we stopped retrieve them. out small groups of tahr, and awaited the dawn so we could start We climbed to the bottom of the glassing. which certainly got our bluff before parting company to As the sun hit the higher slopes we locate our animals. Mine had fallen hopes up” started to make out small groups of tahr, into some alpine scrub and, after which certainly got our hopes up even some serious searching, I located a blood trail leading me to my prize. though they were in places we wouldn’t On the bright side I had scored a large bodied bull with an 11 attempt to visit. We found a couple lower down the mountain inch head. The bad news was he had smashed a horn off on the we felt we could stalk, so off we went. Rounding a corner in the
Both Halstead boys spin a lot of bull.
rapid descent. The plan was for me to gut my animal and carry it around the mountain to Jack and Neroli, then roll both animals down to the creek bed. I could not lift my bull so I climbed around to the others to tell them I would drag it downhill and meet them back at the day packs we had left in the creek bed. With a bit of dragging and grunting, I got close to the bottom when Jack appeared to give me a hand; payback for having kids! Jack had also scored a bull with a 10 inch head so it was smiles all round while we took the obligatory photographs. We harvested both back legs, back steaks, and the heads off both animals and took on the clamber back downstream to the Hilux. By the time we got back it was only 10:30am so rather than camping out we headed home. Finally we had achieved a tahr each so now it is just a case of chasing a decent head this winter. Out of interest I had neck shot my bull with my trusty .243 and he had just kept walking like nothing had happened: they sure are a tough animal.
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26 HUNTING NEWS - MAY 2017
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Shrugging Murph’ off his shoulders
Optically Speaking - with Ant Corke
Corey Carston
Jake’s a real keen outdoors lad who loves his fishing and, more recently, his hunting. He’s been trying for a deer for a bit now but had to show some resilience because Murphy has kicked him around a bit. I sold some decoys to a guy who is now a good mate and he had a few deer running around on his farm so he invited us up for Jake to bag one. We'd been there twice before and had a deer in the scope both times but the wind screwed us up. That’s Murphy for you. This night we'd had already seen three that had got away again due to a swirling wind. Then it started pouring down and we only
had one more place to check out. As you can imagine, Jake was beginning to wonder if his luck would ever change. We snuck over a hump and there were five deer there. Jake spends a heap of time out hunting and fishing with me and he's a pretty cool calm kid. He took his time, resting on Hayden's shoulder, and squeezed off a shot with the suppressed Tikka .243. His aim was spot on and the shot flattened a nice yearling hind. Jake was both relieved and excited to have finally got Murph’ off his back. He cooked the fillet steak the next night and it was awesome .
Jake was thrilled with his first deer.
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We have been busy using the new Pulsar thermal imagers for shooting a variety of animals, including deer, wallabies, rabbits, rats, and even the odd mouse! I saw pigs on the back of my property last week, so it won't be long before pork is added to the list. The performance of the new Pulsar Trail thermal riflescope and Pulsar Helion thermal monocular are outstanding. The recordings of our month of testing will be available through our website soon. However, this month I would like to talk about the latest Pulsar Quantum Lite thermal monocular, which competes at the lower-end of the thermal imaging market. The Pulsar Quantum thermal monocular has been one of our best sellers since 2013 and is in widespread use around New Zealand by keen hunters, professional pest controllers, and government departments. Its performance has always
eaten the competition and at a price that was unthinkable just a few years ago. During a recent search and rescue exercise, the feedback indicated it was on a par with a NZ Army thermal costing $30,000. It is hardly surprising that we sell so many of these units given that type of feedback. Recently, the Pulsar Quantum thermal range has been replaced by the Pulsar Helion thermal range, which has more features and better performance. In place of the original Quantums, are the new Pulsar Quantum Lite 23v and 30v thermal monoculars, which are now considered as entry level units. I've had a good go with these and have some interesting observations.
Image quality The Quantum Lite is the same as the previous Quantum, except for its lower performance lens and viewfinder.
Comparing it to the previous Quantum XQ, XD, and HD, the image quality is similar to the HD model that was our flagship in 2014. The new Quantum Lite is actually better for panning because it has a 50Hz refresh rate compared to 30Hz for the HD model.
Features All the features are the same as the recent Quantum, such as stadiametric rangefinder, colour modes, and thermal sensor, etc. The external power and video sockets have reverted back to the easy-to-use HD type.
Cost This is where the original Quantum and the new Quantum Lite really differ. At $2699 for the Quantum Lite 23v, and $2999 for the Quantum Lite 30v, are less than half the price of the original Quantum HD19s and 38s, but offer better all-round features and performance. Whilst the new Pulsar Helion eats the Pulsar Quantum Lite for performance, the Quantum Lite eats all other thermals on the market for performance and value for money. It is a great option for the budget conscious, and perfect for general hunting and security. But don't take my word for it, visit your local dealer and see for yourself. For technical and dealer information, visit yukonoptics. co.nz, or phone Jayden, 03 9700 570.
27 HUNTING NEWS - MAY 2017
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28 HUNTING NEWS - MAY 2017
Shocking stats avoidable
BOOK REVIEW
Mike Daisley - CEO Mountain Safety Council
The Gamekeeper Portia Simpson
Simon & Schuster RRP $40
Reviewed by Daryl Crimp Portia Simpson was 24-years-old when she became the first woman to qualify as a gamekeeper in Scotland, a male dominated field steeped in history and tradition. Through this memoir, Portia recounts the difficulties and obstacles she faced breaking into this conservative male profession and goes on to lay down a rich tapestry that is the life of a gamekeeper. Her writing style is crisp, clean, and yet highly evocative, gently drawing the reader into a multifaceted and textured journey that exudes warmth and humour; a contrast to the often harsh and imposing landscape around which the story is set. The structure of the book is wonderful: much like a highland bothy (cottage) on a bleak winter’s night that opens its wooden door against a gale to reveal a cosy fire, comforting dram of single malt, and good companionship. Portia’s story is peeled back in layers and by sharing broad brushstrokes of her life, amusing anecdotes, and enlightening characterisations of her colleagues and identities surrounding her, she captures the essence of the gamekeeper’s lot while highlighting some of the intrinsic values associated with this ancient profession. You get insight into the love these folks have for nature, wildlife, and their role in managing it, along with the value they place on hunting as a conservation tool. In our emotive PC world where a minority group of anti-hunters dominate headlines and perpetrate the lie that they are fighting for the rights and welfare of animals as opposed
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to power and control over other people, it is refreshing to see the prosaic Scots’ pragmatic yet loving approach to wild animal husbandry. This gamekeeper’s story is also underscored with other themes: male chauvinism and a feminist’s rise above it, struggle and triumph against the odds, the dichotomy of loving life yet killing to preserve, and the classic maturing of ‘young bull into old bull’. There is another theme that trickles along in the substrata like a mountain brook in the heather and that’s the question of nature versus nurture - aka destiny: Portia grew up in an urban family that had no real connection to nature, yet she was tomboyish from the outset, singleminded in her pursuit of the wilds, and seemingly pre-programmed to become a gamekeeper. The Gamekeeper is a compelling read that will sit comfortably in the hands of a wide audience, regardless of the hunting backdrop. For Kiwi hunters, apart from being a good yarn and entertaining read, it gives a good understanding of the history and traditions from which our hunting grew. Highly recommended.
Opening weekend is an annual time of celebration for game bird hunters. There is something of a carnival atmosphere, with many people preparing months in advance. However, I’m in the unfortunate position of being one of the people the media call for comment if there is an incident. I say ‘if ’ in the positive sense that I sincerely hope hunters heed the press releases, media articles, TV pieces, our own advertising, and of course the recent insights publication we’ve produced focusing on hunting. Some people would hasten to change my ‘if ’ to a ‘when,’ such is the regularity of incidents that happen each year. Some are minor, some are very serious, and, tragically, some are fatal. On average (01/04 - 03/16) the month of May represents 64% of total of game bird injuries. 41% of all game bird injuries are on opening weekend. Game bird hunters face other hazards as well. They are – compared with the average of all hunting types - 14.5x more likely to sustain an injury from flashback / powder burn. They are also 8.0x as likely to sustain a gunshot wound from an accidental shot / ricochet, and 7.5x times
more likely to sustain serious hearing loss. We recently released our second insights report ‘A Hunter’s Tale: A deep dive into hunting incidents in New Zealand’ - which is where the data for this column is pulled from - that has sobering statistics for those heading out this year. Shockingly, 34% of all game bird injuries involve a firearm and a good portion of these could be considered ‘near-miss’ events. Of the five fatalities between (06/2007 – 06/2016), two were ‘accidentally shot self ’ and two were ‘accidentally shot other.’ These are completely avoidable incidents that change families in an instant. Checking your firing zone and always pointing the firearm in a safe direction (loaded or unloaded) are two of the seven basic rules of safe firearms handling. If
you’re not able to remember the seven rules, refresh yourself before you head out to the maimai this year. And, if you see behaviour that’s unsafe, make sure you speak up. We’re all responsible for ensuring the hunt is successful and safe. What it really boils down to is prioritising making it home over the glory of bringing home dinner. If you need any help with this priority ask your family, your wife, or your kids which they’d rather have at Christmas this year. You or the duck. I’m absolutely sure we can have a ‘0’ in the fatality column this year. It’s possible if we all advocate for safe and enjoyable hunting. I wish you well in your hunt but, for your family’s sake, prioritise making it home.
Opening weekend is just around the corner and the video below is the second in the series that explores the insights from ‘A Hunter’s Tale’
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29 HUNTING NEWS - MAY 2017
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30 THE FISHING PAPER - MAY 2017
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Within the New Zealand lobster industry, CRAMAC 5 holds training courses every three to four years and is gearing up to refresh commercial fishers on reporting, and landing and holding regulations. Why? The rules haven’t changed dramatically and the fishermen simply don’t forget. Larnce Wichman explains that the way enforcement officers interpret them varies, which has lead to changes in the way they are applied. Changes, he says, that are funnelling industry down the path of …
A right bloody mess
T
o make matters worse, MPI is taking a tougher stance on commercial, largely due to the spanking dished out to them by The Simmon’s Report, which accused commercial of catching up to three times what was historically reported. The report was denounced by the Seafood Industry because much of the information was based on anecdotes rather than facts, actual catch reports, and scientific research. Regardless, the gulf between MPI and commercial is widening, with potentially dire consequences.
MPI’s three monkeys
Commercial understand the need for compliance and diligently work within the 7,000 plus fishing regulations but feel the law is draconian, with fishers deemed guilty until proven innocent. It gets worse; come 1 October 2017, tougher regulations will be implemented, with the Electronic Monitoring and Reporting System (IEMRS) being introduced. This is not a bad thing per se and will, in fact, improve the quality of data collected. There is major concern, however, around the framework of the introduction, black holes in terms of relevant and meaningful information, and specifics in terms of technology and application. MPI seems to be taking a three monkeys approach to our questions - see no evil, hear no evil, and speak no evil - yet steadfastly adhering to a timeline that is unmanageable. What electronic equipment will be used? No answer. What data is to be recorded and for what purposes?
Our lobstermen are heavily invested in a sustainable fishery.
No answer. When will we have answers? No answer. Given the lead in time, five months and shrinking, the task of disseminating information, distributing material, wiring and kitting out the commercial fleet, training staff, and ironing the inevitable bugs in such a complex data capture system, is complex and daunting. What is Ministry’s blueprint for the effective implementation of this? No response.
Alternative solution deemed monkey business
The various CRAMAC areas already operate an electronic logbook data collection system called BERT (see Issue 125 Feb 2016, page 22, on-line edition www.thefihingpaper.co.nz), which already has the capacity to collect the likes of Catch Effort Landing Returns (CELR), but MPI do not want an ‘industry developed’ tool that can do this job because of ‘potential corruption’ of the system; in other words, they think we will cheat the system by filing false reports, or the like. Ironically, these types of accusations have already been levelled at us by so called ‘recreational fishers advocacy group’ LegaSea. Despite being spurious and disingenuous, this style of sentiment comes as a slap in the face to commercial, who currently supply ALL the data used to manage the lobster stock, 50% of which is supplied voluntarily. Could MPI, manage the lobster resource without that information? No.
No wonder commercial fishermen face a conundrum and feel as though they have been pushed between a rock and a hard place.
Currently, the management of the lobster fishery falls on the shoulders of commercial.
As for LegaSea rhetoric, does change for political gain necessarily make for good management practice? No. Is the recreational sector equipped to, or have the inclination to supply necessary data to manage the fishery? No. No wonder commercial fishermen face a conundrum and feel as though they have been pushed between a rock and a hard place. MPI accept information on one hand but leave us in the dark with the other, having no real understanding of the rules they impose upon us. For example, MPI refuse to train commercial how to use CELR forms, instead, adopting the authoritarian stance
of prosecuting if they are not used correctly. Commercial fishermen fear we are heading down the same path with the introduction of IEMRS - into a right bloody mess.
Take a snapshot and think about it
Reportedly, the brains behind IEMRS want lobstermen to ‘record an event’. What is in every pot is ‘an event’. As yet, we don’t know what device will be used and what data is to be collected: starfish, whelks, carpet sharks, octopi, and all lobster not just counted, but sexed, sized, damage recorded, egg count, and condition? Given the average lobsterman has 150 pots in the water, it would take all day just to record the information. During winter, with shorter daylight hours, it may be impossible to accomplish without extra staff, which would necessitate hiring, induction, and training. Vessel surveys would then need to be changed to accomodate more on board. The permutations and ramifications of such an ill-conceived regulatory intervention is staggering. Yet we have only five months until it becomes mandatory!
Lost in the mists of bureaucracy
But let’s just step back for a minute and view this from a solution-based perspective. The solution is to manage the resource to abundance, so the question must be, what is enough information to manage the fish stock? Given what the commercial lobstermen provide through the statutory requirements and the voluntary logbook, tagging programme, and puerulus collection data, is this not enough? CRAMAC 5 has done okay. Given natural fluctuations in settlement, our involvement in helping manage the lobster resource has been successful, in comparisons to other regions. MPI, and LegaSea for that matter, could not have done better. MPI’s drive for yet more data, without clear purpose, will not alter that and certainly not provide better resource management. Why? Because another black hole exists; one that has conveniently been lost in the mists of bureaucracy: 42% of necessary data, is missing from recreational and customary users.
31 THE FISHING PAPER - MAY 2017 All recreational fishers have their favourite spots and we know there is talk of ‘localised depletion’ in many of these areas. One immediate solution would be for rec fishers to support Our Fishing Future, an incorporated society whose purpose is to promote responsible management of New Zealand’s recreational fisheries, as opposed to dealing in combative politics and claptrap. Check out: ourfishingfuture.org.nz/
See how the numbers stack up
It is time to face up to the fact that ‘other’ catch rates are a real issue and take stock of the impact on the fishery. As a snapshot, take Christchurch, which has experienced a population growth of 59,748 people (Christchurch Wikipedia) over the past 32 years. Use LegaSea’s own statistics that 25% of New Zealanders go fishing, and we have 14,937 more Christchurch recreational fishers extracting from local resources. Let’s say, hypothetically, that half of these go lobster fishing or diving, and that’s 7,468 MORE participants in the fishery. If they average six lobster each three times a year, that’s 134,433 lobster or 80.6 metric tonne. If this was factual, another 80mt of lobster is removed from the CRA 5 fishery just from the increase in population over the past 32 years, from Christchurch only. MPI and LegaSea don’t factor these calculations when trying to maintain abundance. CRAMAC 5 has because we see what is happening on the water and you cannot escape the increase in recreational activity up and down the coast. This is not a gripe and we are not suggesting recreational or customary are not entitled to a share of the fishery, but argue that it’s time
we have elected not to take an increase in quota since 1999, and have turned down three possible opportunities of a commercial increase so that we could maintain abundance for all users. This brings our rant about the lack of clarity over MPI’s intentions with the introduction of IEMRS and their deliberate distancing themselves from industry, into perspective. Along with the misguided political pressure being applied to Government by LegaSea, we are concerned as to how the fishery is going to be managed into the future and by whom.Political intervention and MPI over-governance is not the answer. MPI has displayed an inability to manage the fisheries in many regions; We understand there is a stretch of 80km coastline on the east coast of the North Island that compliance does not enter, as it is too dangerous because of the gangs.
Further more, increased tourism is now also having an impact, with our fisheries resource free to all visitors.
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After twenty years of responsible management, industry feels we can put up our hand and say we know how it can work. However, we believe population growth needs serious consideration. Further more, increased tourism is now also having an impact, with our fisheries resource free to all visitors. With
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they become a proactive part of the solution because there is a limit to what commercial can do solo, and we are fast approaching it. One for all and all for one Historically we have gathered information that shows trends, based our management around this, and made some hard decisions we get little or no recognition for. For example,
the expected growth over the next three years further compounding the problem, we cannot wait 20 plus years for politics or MPI’s governance by Braille to come up with management decisions. All resource users need to become responsible participants in the utilising and managing of the resource - full stop.
Check out Crimp’s wicked animated cartoon on the future of fishing. Scan and view the video.
Paper toast of free travel International ‘Free Travel Artist’ who goes by the nom de plume, Le Croissant du Pari or The Toast of Paris, is the leader of a new craze spreading through Europe, anonymous travel for free. The concept seems simple but strict rules and conditions apply. The object is to travel as many legs on a journey as possible and cover the most distance, without being caught or revealing your identity. It sounds easy but it’s not. Some go to great lengths to disguise themselves, which only draws attention to themselves,
making arrest that more likely. Le Croissant of Pari uses no disguises and only one prop - The Fishing Paper & Hunting News. Seen here poised to leap off a bridge near Notre Dame in Paris, onto a canal barge, with The Fishing Paper & Hunting News at the ready, Le Croissant explains how he gets away with it. “I quickly alight zee transport by unusual means, startling zee other travellers but before zey are seeing me, I thrust zee Fishing Paper at zem and, voilá… zey are
distracted looking at all zee big fish pictures!” Le Croissant says that by the time anyone looks up, he as long since mingled with the crowd and is unrecognisable. To date his record is unbroken, traveling from Rome to Moscow in 12 days using 87 forms of transport. He said his most daring was jumping a ride on a solo tandem bicycle race in Holland, but got away with it because the rider was at the front.
At WorldTravellers Motueka we’re passionate about travel and are avid travellers ourselves. If there’s somewhere in the world you’d like to go, chances are one of our team has been there and can share their knowledge and personal experience with you - making the world of difference when it comes to booking your next holiday.
WorldTravellers Motueka • www.worldtravellers.co.nz/motueka Call: 03 528 1550 - Visit 183, High Street, Motueka
32 THE FISHING PAPER - MAY 2017
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The adventures of Gurr, Little Gurr, and Bigger Gurr:
What a difference a fly makes
Little Gurr (right) with an Arctic grayling.
Graham Gurr
The guides had been talking up this trophy grayling stream ever since I’d mentioned on day one that I would really like to catch a really big Arctic grayling. My sons and I were enjoying outstanding fishing on the Kenai Peninsula in Alaska. We had caught and released char, dolly varden (a sea run version of char), silver, sockeye, pink, and chum salmon, lake trout and more than a few grayling. It didn’t take a lot of persuasion to devote the last day to the secret Trophy Grayling Stream. Bigger Gurr begged off the trip as he was suffering the effects of something he had ‘ingested’ the night before, which left Little Gurr, me, Bob the pilot, and Jay the guide. The only problem was, we had to fly into a lake, hike upstream for about an hour, fish, and get back again for the floatplane pick-up at 3.00pm. Jay made it sound easy, just a stroll in the woods. The day was perfect, so good in fact, the local pilots joked that they would have to cancel flights because they hadn’t been trained to fly in weather like this. Our flight over the inlet,
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mountains, and glaciers had a dream like quality; smooth and surreal. We landed at the secret lake with a sizeable stream flowing into it, the Trophy Grayling Stream. After waving the floatplane goodbye, we addressed the problem of getting upstream to the grayling. “No problem,” says Jay, “we just find a bear trail and follow it.” BEAR TRAIL! That’s exactly what we did. After sloshing through the shallows, Jay found a trail three metres in from the stream and we stumbled, ducked, and dived along it. ‘It must have been a small bear that made this trail,’ I thought - until we discovered the paw prints. My two hands together were the size a one paw! I definitely did not want to meet this boy (or girl). Eventually, the bear trail petered out so we took to the stream. Spawning sockeye salmon in their red livery were stacked food, that the larger ones may be 25-years-old or older. They across and up the stream, and the clarity of the water was such slow their metabolism during the winter when lakes and rivers you could see every pebble and stone across the entire width of the stream. are under ice. Alaska Fish and Game have recorded grayling as old as 32 years! After another half-hour of wading the shallows, Jay called a halt. The good grayling fishing started here and kept going until After catching a couple of fish from the same spot, the fish the stream reached its source, another lake a few miles away. went doggo and would not look at a fly again. This was no Salmon stood out scarlet-red and grayling formed dark grey problem, because just by moving a few metres there would be shadows alongside and between the spawning sockeye. A slight some fish not yet fished to. Big ones continued to elude me upstream breeze kept a riffle on the surface as current and wind but I was complaining; every few casts another fish would go rubbed against each other. Little Gurr was quickly into a fish for the fly, some slow gulping takes but most were so fast that I while I was still putting together my rod. missed more than I actually hooked. But boy did I hook some I tied on a Royal Wulff, which is my go-to dry fly when I’m fish. not sure what to use, I tried a few casts, covering fish, when The problem was trying to get the XXOS grayling I could see a window allowed me to see a grayling come up, look at the to take the fly. I tried getting into the centre of the stream so the fly, and turn it down. A quick change: on went a Grey Humpy, better - a grayling slashed line shadow would be on at it as it drifted back the other side of the fish, towards me. I cast again but all they did was move and this time got a take. aside, and often a smaller The fish sizzled out into fish would appear from the centre of the stream, nowhere to take the fly. I but it was only a small was having fun catching one and was quickly at fish after fish but not a real hand. I unhooked him big one. in the water and he sped away. Yes, it was a boy. Eventually Jay had to You can tell by the dorsal spoil it by suggesting we fin. should start back for our Back into it, up went the pick up. We’d arrived at fly again, a fish slashed at the lake around 10 started it, missed - too slow. Same fishing at 11, and three result a couple of casts Grayling look splendid in the clear waters of the Arctic. hours had gone by without later. my noticing. Upstream a short distance the wind was no longer creating One more fish! the riffle on the water and I could see the grayling stacked up Only this time I put a streamer on and cast across and alongside the salmon. Some of them were enormous; this is downstream. I wanted a sockeye. In case you don’t know, what we came for. sockeye are plankton feeders and do not as a rule take a fly. A few casts over some of the bigger ones and things were going pear shaped - absolutely no interest in the fly. Time for They are, however, extremely aggressive on the spawning redds another change -a caddis type of thing Pete Carty had given me and will use their body to knock aside any intruder. Needless to some years earlier. say, it took but one cast and I was hooked into a male sockeye What a difference a fly makes. When I cast to one of the that proceeded to take me all over the stream, securely hooked big fellas, up came a smaller one from below, straight up just behind the head. Several minutes later, I pulled the fish in through the water column and gulped the fly. The clarity made reach of Jay who deftly removed the hook and released the fish. it possible to witness the whole thing and time the strike to Time to go… perfection. Actually, he was not so small, and after several On reflection, in spite of not hooking one of the real trophy spirited runs I had it to hand. Again I released it without taking fish I saw, it had been without doubt one of the best day’s him from the water. dry fly fishing I have ever experienced in over 50 years of fly Jay cautioned us to look after the fish: the growing season is so short for the grayling, they only have four months of abundant fishing!
The stark beauty of remote Alaska.
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33 THE FISHING PAPER - MAY 2017
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The management of the CRA2 rock lobster/crayfish fishery Marty Bowers - MPI Recreational Fishing Team
Spiny red rock lobster, also commonly known as crayfish, is highly valued by tangata whenua and recreational and commercial fishing sectors. This can put a lot of pressure on rock lobster fisheries, and we need to work hard to find the right balance between what is right for the fishers and what is right for the rock lobsters. One of the key rock lobster management areas is called CRA2 – it stretches from Te Arai Point, north of Auckland down to the lighthouse at East Cape. The CRA2 fishery supports one of the biggest recreational rock lobster fisheries in New Zealand. It covers a significant stretch of coastline and it has New Zealand’s biggest population centre on its doorstep. We know that within this large area there will be places where it will be more difficult to harvest rock lobsters than others. In areas where the fishery comes under more intense pressure from multiple sectors this may be more apparent. For instance, in popular holiday destinations like Tauranga and the Coromandel Peninsula the rock lobster fishery is likely to be under more pressure over the summer months.
The spiny rock lobster is in need of a helping hand.
Because of the pressure the fishery is under from all users, we keep a close watch on how it is performing. In 2013 we conducted a scientific survey and found that the CRA2 stock was low. In response, the commercial catch limit was reduced in 2014 (from 236 to 200 tonnes) to help the numbers of rock lobster increase. We have continued to monitor the fishery on an annual basis. We are aware of ongoing concerns from tangata whenua and others over the availability of rock lobster in the Hauraki Gulf and the Bay of Plenty. We are serious about a rebuild of the CRA2 stock and so are the industry. The CRA2 Industry have already voluntarily cut their commercial catch limit to support the progressive rebuild of this shared fishery. For the 2016 and 2017 April fishing years, the voluntary commercial catch limit has been set at 150 tonnes (down from 200 tonnes). However, it seems there is some misinformation or confusion about what MPI has and is doing in response. There is a significant amount of work being carried out by MPI behind the scenes to ensure that this rock lobster fishery is managed sustainably and for the best interests of all fishers. This is what we are intending to do to improve the health of the CRA2 fishery: i) We have brought the full scientific review of the fishery forward from 2018 to this year. This will involve taking all available catch and scientific information and determining how the population has tracked since the commercial catch limit was cut in 2014, and where it is heading. Specifically we want to scientifically assess whether the stock is going to increase in abundance under current (and alternative) management controls. ii) We will be working with you on developing management options this year. There are a range of management tools that we can use to ensure the sustainability of the population while providing the best value for those harvesting it. From the middle of this year we will work directly with tangata whenua and recreational and commercial fishers on the future management of the fishery. We will let you know when, where and how you can have your say in the coming months. iii) We will be reviewing the management of the fishery in
Commercial have taken further voluntary cuts.
2018. Using the science information and the information we receive from talking to the community, we will be looking at how the fishery is currently managed and what changes could be made to ensure it is in the best shape to provide benefits to all users. We will consider the use of all the tools we have at our disposal. The best available information will be used to inform catch limit settings from April 2018 and the implementation of any other management controls later in 2018. If you would like to receive updates from MPI and factual information on the fishery as we go through the review process, sign up to the MPI recreational fishing mailing list: recfishingteam@mpi.govt.nz
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.
34 THE FISHING PAPER - MAY 2017
Accidental bastard fish Jeff King
The back story to the JD was really a happy accident. We had been prospecting around Forsyth Island for groper holes, and after having our fun with rig, a big seven giller and blue cod, we thought we would try for some snapper amongst the mussel farms in Anakoha Bay. Still on a ledger rig and fresh barracouta cut bait, I dropped down just so I had a bait in the water while rigging up another trace for a snap. I saw the line moving in the water and I immediately thought, "Bastard
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Jeff with the 'accidental bastard fish' that went down a treat.
carpet shark,” but after hitting it, I soon changed my call. He made a beeline for the mussel ropes and fought a short but strong fight. After a few minutes he was netted and it was high fives all round. JD'S are usually only caught on livies, so we were stoked with such a prized eating fish picked up accidentally. Like winning Lotto, fishing style! Interestingly, when opening the fish bin we found him drained of colour, but when on the filleting table he coloured up again!
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Don’t know about you, but I like my literary diet varied. Sometimes I’m drawn to books that enrich my life and help make be a better person. Other times, I like junk food books – light, easy reads that hook me in, tempting me to steal a few minutes here and there during a busy day to see what my fictional character-friends are going to be embroiled in next. My Sweet Revenge falls into the latter category. The perfect book for a wet weekend when you want only pure escapism and entertainment, and have the peace and quiet in which to enjoy it. The plot is straightforward enough. Woman who has given away her career to do the wifely thing, finds out her successful husband is cheating. The twist is that instead of leaving, her revenge plan is to make him fall in love with her again. And then she’ll turf him out. Great idea. Doesn’t quite work out that way,
however. Events are soon out of the spurned wife’s control with the storyline ducking and diving in the usual unexpected directions. Jane Fallon has written many of these types of books – six of them top 10 bestsellers. She’s also a television producer of such shows as ‘Teachers’ and ‘20 Things To Do Before You’re 30’. I’d venture she’s adept at finding new angles that lure in readers like me who enjoy a good chick lit every now and then (more often that I’m prepared to admit). It may look like a hefty tome, but I promise you’ll whizz through the 400 pages in less time than it takes to make and munch your way through a batch of Sunday afternoon scones. Addicts of literary junk food (like me) will love this.
It was a long hot day scrounging round lake Wanaka on a summer’s day for a trout. By about 3.00 pm I was just about to give up trolling, as we were way up Makarora end of the lake. While the lads in the boat trolled the edges, I decided to try my luck flicking a sinking Rapala cockabully pattern under the willows and, low and behold, picked up this lovely fish, which weighed in at about four pound. It fought like a devil on 5 kg line, a small thread line spin set, and a light rod. It was a keeper for the smoker manuka / brown sugar - PERFECT. Thanks to Perry Allen my brother-in-law for the lovely day out on his gorgeous 4 Winns ...
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35 THE FISHING PAPER - MAY 2017
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A day in late March dawned like many other. A morning lacking work is a morning involving fish. Off I went to check out the Lower Wairau River, in Marlborough, to a familiar spot laden with brown trout. Willow trees cover this stretch and willow trees, at that time of year, sing. It’s not the trees singing but the dense coating of cicadas. These cicadas do their thing - a life of song and sex. All this hormonal cacophony is a welcome tune to the fly fisher. These insects are full of sex drive and protein but light on brains. Much like the teenagers of our species, they’re only focussed on music and sex, and their behaviour reflects this - they’re dumb. They fly around, crash into trees, onto the ground, and also into the water. Trout have been waiting for this. Slipping silently under the willow branches, cruising brownies lurk, waiting for the splash of a misguided cicada flight. A large, dyed green chunk of deer hair, spun around some high tensile steel, thrown into the water anywhere near these lurking trout elicits the same result; the trout racing over to consume whatever made the splash. This is what I was here for, to fly fish for the cicada eating brown trout of the Lower Wairau River. Unfortunately, the day, although overcast, was mild. During warm weather, the metabolism of the brown trout speeds up to the point they burn so much energy, they cannot replenish energy expended collecting food with what they gather. Basically, it’s too much effort to eat. Couple this with warm water’s decreased capacity to hold dissolved oxygen and trout basically stay still, on the bottom of the river, suffering an asthma attack. These trout seek areas of cool water, such as springs in the river bed, or where little side creeks enter the main flow, and do bugger all. They are described, when in these thermal refuges, as ‘lying doggo’, and they are uncatchable. So I wandered back to the Landcruiser, thinking about heading home for lunch, when I saw a large fish moving slowly upstream as the tide started to creep into a lower pool. It wasn’t a trout; pointier fins and a blue-silver tinge. It was a salmon. I considered at once returning to the truck to gather my salmon fishing rod but a thought hit me – ‘smack him with the longwand.’ I rummaged through the fly box, amongst the large flies. There it was, a size four fly hook, with black rabbit dubbing on the shank, a rib of copper wire and, down the spine of the hook, a sliver of tanned black rabbit hide. It was not the most ostentatious fly used for salmon, but it was big and that’s all I was after. My first cast fell short, with the fly sinking well out of sight of the fish. The second cast - perfect. Directly in line with the fish up current and about five metres ahead, plenty of time to sink.
The salmon then moved, toward me. As the fly was at depth, I started to swing the fluffy black piece of bunny across the current. The salmon saw it, rose from the depths, swam over and, with a flash of white jaws, sucked in the fly. I struck. The salmon did what salmon always do when first hooked and shook its head like a mauling pit-bull. Then it ran downstream. And ran. And ran. And kept running. Deep, deep into the backing it went. Now, I’ve caught a fair few hundred trout on the fly rod: big, small, browns and rainbows. From a tiny stocked lake near Karikari in Northland to the Waiau River in Southland. I’ve fished the big names: Otamangakau, Benmore, Mataura, Motueka, and Tongariro. I’ve fished the unnamed creeks of the Eastern North Island, to the snow fed rivers of Westland. Tiny streams I could jump across, to the Clutha and Waikato that I doubt I could even swim across. Tarns so small they’re merely puddles, right up to Taupo and Te Anau and their whitecaps. ‘I’ve fished everywhereere man’. I’ve fished for hours and I’ve fished for days. But never, ever, have I once been taken to the backing, and this baptism was a drowning. Thus, we tangoed on the river and it was the salmon leading the dance. I was running upstream, downstream, up the bank, and to the water’s edge. My sage fly rod, normally a straight, linear, length of graphite, had all the rigidity of an overcooked noodle. Five minutes passed. Then 10. Finally, at around 15 minutes past hook set and a 100 metres from where our first punches were thrown, it was tiring. I slipped the net under its head and the game was mine. Nine pounds of straight out of the sea, chrome flanked, chinook salmon. Number four black rabbit fly, six-pound tippet, floating line, on a wee little six weight fly rod, smack bang in the middle of the day. My first sight-fished sea run salmon. My first fly rod sea run salmon. Something I had always wished for but never planned. Some dreams almost seem too elusive to put on the bucket list and this was one.
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