www.nzfisher.co.nz 1

ISSUE 39 August 2014

www.nzfisher.co.nz Time to Get Serious About Our Fisheries Future

LearningProTongariro

from the on the

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www.nzfisher.co.nz 3

Contents 6.. Legasea Update

August 2014

12.. Pro’s learning from the pro’s on the Tongiriro

16.. Hosting Foreign

Anglers

22.. Winner’s Report

24.. Reader Pics

26.. In the family

28.. Video of the month

29.. Competitions

ABOUT /Short and sharp, NZ Fisher

is a free e-magazine delivering thought provoking

and enlightening articles, and industry news and

information to forward-thinking fisher people.

EDITOR / Derrick Paull

GROUP EDITOR / Jennifer Liew

ART DIRECTOR / Jodi Olsson

CONTENT ENQUIRIES /

Phone Derrick on 021 629 327

or email derrickp@NZ Fisher.co.nz

ADVERTISING ENQUIRIES /

Phone Jennifer on 09 522 7257 or

email jenniferl@espiremedia.com

ADDRESS / NZ Fisher,

C/- Espire Media, PO Box 137162,

Parnell, Auckland 1151, NZ

WEBSITE / www.NZFisher.co.nz

This is a GREEN MAG, created and distrib-uted without the use of paper so it's envi-ronmentally friendly. Please think before you print. Thank you!

Cover image: Kev Haugh with a handful of serious South Island Crays caught earlier this winter

Equipped with the patented Okuma bait feeder system and dual

felt drag washers this is one of the most accessible reels in the

Okuma range.

THE CORONADO SPIN SERIES FEATURES:

• Patented On/Off auto trip bait feeder system

• Precision Dual Force Drag System

• Multi-disk Japanese oiled felt drag washers

• 5 corrosion resistant stainless bearings

CORONADO

The Safina Pro spinning series offers anglers everything

one can expect in an upper end spinning reel, but at great value.

THE SAFINA PRO SPIN SERIES FEATURES:

• Graphite body and rotor

• 4 bearing drive system

• EOS system

• Aluminium spool

• Blade body

SAFINA

This solid built, value reel features 5 stainless steel ball bearings, an

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combines to give a smooth retrieve and versatile performance.

THE AVENGER SPIN SERIES FEATURES:

• Patented auto-trip Bait Feeder function

• Machine cut brass pinion gear

• 6 + 1 ball bearings

• Spare graphite spool

AVENGER

The Latitude is designed specif ically as a long casting surf reel. With 3

bearings, machined conical spool, and titanium nitrate coated line

roller you will love the casting performance and reliability the Latitude

gives you.

THE LATITUDE SURF CASTING SERIES FEATURES:

• Machined aluminium conical spool

• 2 sealed stainless steel bearings plus one-way roller bearing

• Rotor brush system, prevents line tangles

• Worm shaft oscillating for even line lay

LATITUDE

Coronado

SafinaPro

Safina

AvengerBait feederr

Latitude

Get a new Okuma Fixed spool reelthis wkend

TO DO:

for 2014

HOT!For news, advice, offers & a good old laugh,

visit us at facebook.com/borntofishnzwww.cdrods.co.nz

aina

www.nzfisher.co.nz 5

Editorial

Equipped with the patented Okuma bait feeder system and dual

felt drag washers this is one of the most accessible reels in the

Okuma range.

THE CORONADO SPIN SERIES FEATURES:

• Patented On/Off auto trip bait feeder system

• Precision Dual Force Drag System

• Multi-disk Japanese oiled felt drag washers

• 5 corrosion resistant stainless bearings

CORONADO

The Safina Pro spinning series offers anglers everything

one can expect in an upper end spinning reel, but at great value.

THE SAFINA PRO SPIN SERIES FEATURES:

• Graphite body and rotor

• 4 bearing drive system

• EOS system

• Aluminium spool

• Blade body

SAFINA

This solid built, value reel features 5 stainless steel ball bearings, an

additional anti-reverse bearing, bait feeder and a balanced rotor that

combines to give a smooth retrieve and versatile performance.

THE AVENGER SPIN SERIES FEATURES:

• Patented auto-trip Bait Feeder function

• Machine cut brass pinion gear

• 6 + 1 ball bearings

• Spare graphite spool

AVENGER

The Latitude is designed specif ically as a long casting surf reel. With 3

bearings, machined conical spool, and titanium nitrate coated line

roller you will love the casting performance and reliability the Latitude

gives you.

THE LATITUDE SURF CASTING SERIES FEATURES:

• Machined aluminium conical spool

• 2 sealed stainless steel bearings plus one-way roller bearing

• Rotor brush system, prevents line tangles

• Worm shaft oscillating for even line lay

LATITUDE

Coronado

SafinaPro

Safina

AvengerBait feederr

Latitude

Get a new Okuma Fixed spool reelthis wkend

TO DO:

for 2014

HOT!For news, advice, offers & a good old laugh,

visit us at facebook.com/borntofishnzwww.cdrods.co.nz

aina

MOST OF THIS MONTH I’ve been bombarded by election information. If not telling me who to vote for, or rather cynically who not to vote for, there’s the ‘get out and vote’ message being repeated in many forms, from artsy TV ads to whole page newspaper calls-to-action. The message from the parties themselves is far from inspiring: Spend, spend, spend and we’ll figure out how to pay for it later.

What concerns me more than their spending is the threat to our marine environment that lies imminently beyond the horizon. Fisheries were an area the present government saw economic potential in, along with aquaculture and an overall increase of 50 percent from our primary industries.

This means, without wanting to sound like the loony conspiracy theorist, that there will be a significant impact on our marine environment: more fish extracted, more fish bred in captivity (fed on who knows what) and more nutrients in the ocean via freshwater farm run-off. This cannot be good for what I consider our greatest treasure. Not good at all.

Those who ask for my votes cannot tell me what they plan to do about this because they are more focussed on export dollars and the wants of their party funders than they are on the environment we fishers most desperately want to see preserved.

Normally, I’d preach on about who we see as the best bet for a bright future for rec fishers. But there’s no clear winner. So we need to bring all the political parties up to speed with what we see for the future of fisheries.

There’s a few groups working for us, working really hard, and I hope you take the time to get behind their various efforts. I’ve reproduced a Legasea article in a few pages, but there are others out there too, like Fishing Future, who is holding a meeting and AGM on the 30th of August in Kilbirnie, Wellington. Check them out here. However you lean, whomever you vote for or with, please remember the fish.

Speaking of fish, thank you mother nature for putting a nail in those pesky winds. The calm weather at the beginning of August was a sweet relief for house-bound fishers desperate to get lines wet and rods bent.

The results are pretty decent to; I saw two 10kg plus snapper pulled from Little Barrier, and five 9kg plus landed by the kayak fraternity in the Orton Events Bridge to Cape. Big snapper have been out in big numbers: long may it last!

Tight lines NZFishers,

Derrick

6 www.nzfisher.co.nz

LegaSea has developed five principles to

help Tip the Scales towards more abundant

fisheries and fairer management decisions.

Our team has sent these principles and

specific policy recommendations to all of

the political parties.

We have asked them to adopt these

principles and deliver a more public-

friendly fisheries policy, but they will

only be swayed if there is enough public

support; so please, go online and tell

them what you want.

By Trish Rea, LegaSea team www.legasea.co.nz

Update August 2014LegaSea

FISH

ERIE

SMA

NA

GE

ME

NT

Let’s Tip The Scales

www.nzfisher.co.nz 7

All you need to do is:

1. Register your support for the five principles at: LegaSea.co.nz/tipthescales.

2. Share the Tip the Scales link with family and friends.

3. Share the Tip the Scales Facebook post on your page.

4. Make an appointment with your local MP and tell them you want their party to engage and deliver on a public-friendly fisheries policy.

5. Make an informed decision when you cast your vote on September 20th.

You will be joining a powerful team. We have got some serious horsepower supporting our vision, including: Matt Watson, Sir Graham Henry, Jamie McDell, and legendary former All Black, Kees Meeuws.

Specifically, the Tip the Scales campaign vision is: “For New Zealand to have sustainable and well managed fisheries that provide abundance for current and future generations.”

After you have been online and registered your support for the five principles, we will keep you updated. Closer to the election

we will report back to you and let you know which party has the earned the most points for their fisheries policy. They can earn up to 20 points for adopting each of the five principles. There are extra points on offer for any innovative ideas.

LegaSea will not be endorsing any particular political party – that’s your decision. Our task is to educate and engage you on fisheries matters, then give you the opportunity to show the politicians how much we really care about the way our fisheries are being treated.

Each of us has two votes. Use your electorate vote to support the person that best represents your community. Your party vote is the most important because it determines who will be responsible for managing our fisheries over the next three years.

Simply fill in your details online at LegaSea.co.nz/tipthescales and ask your family and friends to do the same. It’s easy. Then vote on September 20th. Together we can Tip the Scales . ●

Call 0800 LEGASEA (534 273)

Email us info@legasea.co.nz

Subscribe at www.legasea.co.nz

Read more at www.facebook.com/legasea

8 www.nzfisher.co.nz

FLYF

ISHI

NG

Words by Chris O’Neil of Rod, Reel & Tackle

PETER AND CHRIS FROM Rod & Reel went

on a bit of a road trip early Friday morning

down to Tongariro for a Spey Casting

Event held by the boys at LOOP Tackle.

It was an awesome morning on the river:

sharpening up our skills with Chris

Even the pro’s need a tune up

managing to hook a fish (that he also

dropped) with his first go with a Spey Rod.

After some lunch we made our way to

the Hinemaiaia to make the most of the

beautiful afternoon. The Hinemaiaia

was running quite high and was pretty

Pro’s Learning Pro’s Tongarirofrom

theon the

www.nzfisher.co.nz 9

coloured up. We started Czech Nymphing the runs in by the third car park and managed some nice fish, but with light fading fast and a chilly water temp we decided to call it a day at around 5:30pm.

The Saturday started with us meeting up with Roman Heimlich at the local Burger King for some breakfast, with Peter and Roman sharing war stories of competitions past and reminiscing about some mutual friends from all over the world.

We made our way from breakfast to the TT river for what turned out to be an absolute master class of Czech Nymphing from Roman. Roman’s ability to read the water and place his nymphs to make the most out of every stretch of water was something to behold. His ability to give you pointers on your technique from a small glance at what you’re doing is amazing.

We managed some really nice silver bullets up the TT. Although fish numbers weren’t quite there, I think we will see the TT greatly improve in the coming weeks as the fish start to move.

It was an awesome morning on the river: sharpening up our skills with Chris managing to hook a fish (that he also dropped) with his first go with a Spey Rod.

10 www.nzfisher.co.nz

FLYF

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NG

We had some lunch and decided to move to the Hinemaiaia for another afternoon session. The river had dropped from the day previous and water clarity had greatly improved. This saw us have a great afternoon session on the nymphs.

The fish size was a bit bigger on the Hinemaiaia but a lot of the fish were pretty spawned out, and not a lot of fresh fish in the river yet.

We finished the day on a nice “honey hole” of fish, with Pete landing three, and getting dusted on two larger models. Chris also managed a nice

fish out of here, but following a gun like Peter he didn’t hold much hope of any fish being left in there for him.

It was an amazing two days fishing, with picturesque weather, and left us thinking how truly lucky we are to live in such a beautiful country with such amazing fishing on our doorstep.

Again, a big thanks to the guys at LOOP Tackle and Juan for the awesome Spey Casting Lesson, and a massive thank you to Roman for the unforgettable day on the river; it is truly something we will never forget.●

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12 www.nzfisher.co.nz

KA

YAK

FISH

ING

MonthsWords by Bam ‘Maniyak’ Blakie www.maniyaks.com

Once you’re hooked…

I HAVE AN APP on my Samsung called Timehop Abe. What this app does is show me what I posted on that same day years and years ago. I have seen the odd Facebook status from five years ago, but one that really struck me today was a status from my very first kayak fishing adventure.

I used to surf-cast every second I had spare, and finally got the opportunity to give kayak fishing a go myself. While my first outing did not break any personal bests and I don’t

even think I came home with a feed, what it did do was get me hooked on to what I call an extremely addictive sport.

I spent that day catching undersized blue cod, kahawai and maybe a small baracoutta. I got back home and as soon as I was showered and dry I was trolling auction sites to find my very own fishing kayak. Starting from the very start, I had no real idea what I was looking for. I looked at all that was on offer and became instantly

TheFirst 24 Back in the day

www.nzfisher.co.nz 13

almost connected to the design of the Viking range. The way the kayaks were laid out, the mouldings, the compartments and the overall design just struck me as the right boat for me – just comparing to other fishing kayaks available, where there were things that just didn’t sit right with me.

After a bit of conversation (and saving), I finally found my new kayak. A second hand Viking Profish 440. I managed to pick up the kayak, paddle, lifejacket, fish finder

and all the usual mod cons for around the mid $2000’s. I was in love with this thing. It looked the part anywhere it went, and I was so proud to be able to launch out into the water and wave goodbye to my surfcasting mates.

The next kayak to come my way was a Viking Profish 400. My two kayak-fishing buddies who I paddled with every spare second had them, but the main reason for the change was to be able to install my new Lowrance

Shane & Bam’s early days

Early success

14 www.nzfisher.co.nz

KA

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Elite 7 fish finder. The older 440’s didn’t have a large transducer scupper so I had to wave goodbye to my beloved 440.

Now, I had always planned on a kayak making up the time in between saving for a boat and buying one. At the start a boat was the only real way to go fishing. How times change. I ended up spending that boat money on a brand new PF400 with all the bells and whistles, including the very first color-coded chill pod. This turned up off the truck and blew me away. It looked fantastic! Grant at Viking knew straight away that I had created a monster, and sure enough, almost every new Viking now sports a custom-coloured chill pod. Sorry Grant!

This kayak didn’t last as long as I thought. This was just around the time Shane and I created the Maniyaks, who very quickly became the Viking Maniyaks. We had just finished the Orton Kayak Fishing Series. We really wanted to fish the next season, after Shane had managed a 2nd place, and

I would have never thought

I would have anyone helping

me go and paddle a kayak

in incredible places around

the country, all while trying to catch fish. It

really is a tale of luck, hard work

and passion.

Shes a thing of beauty

The Latest bunch

because of all the amazing places it took us, but travelling the distance we did every month or so was hard work.

We thought we would ask for some sort of help, and help we received. This also bought a new Viking Reload into my life. While there is absolutely no way we could ever give up our day jobs, what Grant at Viking, Chris at Jig-star, Dave from Ferg’s Kayaks Wellington, and the team at Railblaza did was allow a couple of passionate boys from the other end of the island to continue enjoying and representing the brands they genuinely believe are the best: in return for the obvious product placement, shout outs and videos, etc.

Now, this is not a ‘toot our own horn’ story. This is just a basic story of exactly how my last two years have gone in a scene that continues to grow and grow and grow. I would have never thought I would have anyone helping me go and paddle a kayak in incredible places around the country, all while trying to catch fish. It really is a tale of luck, hard work and passion. While the Maniyak stables may have been a little quiet over the winter, we will be back in force soon.

Whatever your kayak fishing adventures bring you, we wish you all the safest and most exciting journeys! We would love to hear them all! ●

The Latest bunch

16 www.nzfisher.co.nz

Hosting Foreign Anglers

WE BRITS HAVE ALWAYS liked our foreign fishing trips. Perhaps it is a throwback to the days of a far-flung empire, when our officer class would venture out into the bush with their greenheart fly rods and try to emulate the pleasures to be found on a much missed Scottish salmon river or English chalk stream.

We have these pioneers to thank for the ‘discovery’ of mahseer fishing in India, and the presence of trout in Kashmir and New Zealand. It seemed that wherever we went

Words by Martin Salter, Former British MP and Patron of the UK Anglers Trust

An Englishman’s dilemma

Where do you take a guest who has fishing like this in his backyard (18kg Spanish mackrel)

we tried to re-create another England, and could it be that some of this rubbed off on the modern angler?

Like most anglers of my generation, my early fishing adventures beyond the comfort of our native shores were somewhat less exotic. In the 1970s a spring trip to Ireland was as about as exciting as it got except for those with particularly deep pockets. Budget airlines and designer travel rods had yet to emerge, so our sights were set on wherever it was possible to travel by car ferry.

www.nzfisher.co.nz 17

We had a three month closed season for all coarse fishing – from mid-March to mid-June – so the urge to find somewhere to wet a line as the weather improved was often irresistible. In those days, Ireland was a fishing Mecca. 100lb hauls of bream, huge pike, and big nets of roach, rudd and hybrids were not just possible, but at times commonplace for visiting anglers with half an idea, and enough bait and local knowledge.

Travel companies sprang up, offering everything from angler friendly accommodation and block

ferry-bookings to bait fridges and weekly maggot deliveries. The Irish Tourist Board rose to the challenge and even installed road signs indicating what species could be caught in which lakes. I don’t use Satellite

Navigation but I have often wondered where someone would end up if they typed in ‘bream’ whilst driving west from Dublin!

The years have rolled by, the world has gotten smaller and perspectives inevitably change. I’ve been lucky enough to have fished parts of the planet that I never dreamed I would see back in the days when we were smuggling pillow cases full of live maggots aboard Irish Ferries.

Along the way I’ve picked up some good fishing mates in Europe, Canada, USA, Australia, New Zealand, Africa and India. Trust me; this is a good thing to have, as nothing beats local knowledge and local connections. Exotic fishing locations might look good in travel brochures, but no matter how competent we are at our craft, no one can catch fish that are not there.

Words by Martin Salter, Former British MP and Patron of the UK Anglers Trust

Showing our guest how to trot hemp and tares - not quite what they do on the Great Barrier Reef!

18 www.nzfisher.co.nz

As in any relationship, we have to put in what we take out. This means that when my foreign fishing friends land on these shores I feel honour-bound to ensure that they don’t leave without a bent rod and a half decent angling experience.

This is not always easy when trying to provide a good day out for someone whose staple fishing diet is leaping marlin, angry snapper or reel-screaming tuna: and so it was that last month I found myself hosting Aussie fisheries expert and big game angler, Dr Ben Doolan, who was over here on a work trip. His early impressions of the UK were not going to be the best, as he was spending three days at a conference in Hull.

However, in return for helping us out on the Angling Trust stand at the Game Fair (in the pristine grounds of Oxfordshire’s Blenheim Palace) I agreed to give him a taste of what the local angling scene had to offer the foreign visitor.

Although Ben (or Dools) now lives three hours north of Sydney in the marlin capital of Port Stephens, he began his fishing career in more humble surroundings. He is one of the few Aussie anglers I’ve met who actually enjoyed catching carp and perch, so perhaps it would be possible to convince him that English coarse fishing did have more to offer than just an efficient method of collecting live bait for more worthwhile species?

Just to add to the pressure, next week I’ve promised a day out to another Aussie who certainly won’t be fobbed off by a quick session at the local carp puddle. Young Jack Harnwell is the son of my good friend Jim Harnwell, who edits Australian Fishing World: the leading angling magazine Down Under. Jack has inherited his father’s loathing for all things carpy, and, I suspect, will only be impressed by the best we have to offer.

So where do we take our foreign guests to show them a good time on the water, given the inevitable constraints of time and unpredictable weather?

Most of these guys hardly ever fish with bait nowadays and wouldn’t know a waggler from a wallaby. With a few exceptions, lure fishing in the UK is miles behind that practised in the USA and Australia, and we simply don’t have the range of white-knuckle, surface-striking predators that are so sought after in other countries. However,

Along the way I’ve picked up

some good fishing mates in

Europe, Canada, USA, Australia,

New Zealand, Africa and India.

Trust me; this is a good thing

to have, as nothing beats

local knowledge and local

connections. Visiting Aussie angler Ben Doolan looking pleased with his first British barbel

www.nzfisher.co.nz 19

when I do publish a picture of a nice bass from the South Coast or Ireland there are usually a few murmurs of approval from the Aussies and the occasional “cool looking fish mate”-type comments.

So, bass is clearly an option, but I don’t have ready access to a sea-going boat, Ireland is too far away, and dawn and dusk sessions from the shore aren’t that easy to arrange when you live in Reading. Besides which, bass stocks are in trouble in the UK, meaning that success would be by no means guaranteed.

Pike is a possibility, but they would need to find another guide as I only fish for the things out of necessity – when they are attacking my beloved roach.

An easier option would be barbel. The Aussies have nothing like it; it pulls hard and lives in rivers with decent flow and good habitat. Not something that is exactly commonplace over there.

So it was that a plan was hatched to show Dr Dools what his Mother Country still had to offer in terms of freshwater fishing. He was due to spend some time with my mate Dominic Martyn from the Environment Agency, learning about how we undertake river=basin management planning. Dom is a fine barbel angler and kindly agreed to take Ben out for an evening session on our local River, the Loddon.

Now, the Loddon holds some very fine fish, but is no easy river. However, at 11.30pm,

An easier option would be barbel. The Aussies have nothing like it; it pulls hard and lives in rivers with decent flow and good habitat. Not something that is exactly commonplace over there.

Visiting Aussie angler Ben Doolan looking pleased with his first British barbel

20 www.nzfisher.co.nz

SA

LTW

ATE

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just when hope was receding, Ben’s rod-tip crashed around and a lovely barbel gave a fish-starved Aussie a lively battle in the confines of a snaggy small river-swim. With the job half done the pressure was off, so I decided to offer our visitor something completely different. Stick float fishing on two pound line with hemp and tares is about as far removed from hurling heavy poppers at warm water predators as you could possibly get, but Ben was up for the challenge.

Despite never having fished with a fourteen foot rod or a closed-face reel, I was impressed how quickly Ben got the hang of what must have been a totally alien way of fishing. Within an hour, that lightly shotted float was being inched down the flow on the River Thames at Wallingford as if he had been born to it. Some careful feeding saw the fish lined up, and before long a steady

stream of roach, dace and small chub were coming to the net. These fish weren’t particularly big, but Ben understood how even minor adjustments to presentation and shotting patterns could make a real difference to catch rates.

Later on in our session we were joined by a few chunky roach/bream hybrids with a liking for sweetcorn, before a feeding pike gate-crashed the party, scattered the shoal and ruined proceedings. Not one to miss an opportunity, our intrepid visitor marched up the hill to the van to collect his spin gear and promptly began throwing lures around.

It goes without saying that the pesky pike was captured, and much as I admired the skill and adaptability of my guest, it holds true that you can take the angler out of Australia – but you can’t take the Aussie out of the angler! ●

You can’t keep an Aussie out of his lure box for long!.jpg

www.nzfisher.co.nz 21

Know whatyou’re doing

Phone 0800 40 80 90 or visitwww.boatingeducation.org.nz

Core Courses Specialty Courses RYA Courses

Wide range of courses for all types of boating available nationwide

Ocean Yachtmaster

Day Skipper

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Sea Kayak and Waka Ama

Club Safety Boat Operator

Bar Crossing

PWC

Powerboating

Sail Cruising

Motor Cruising

22 www.nzfisher.co.nz

Winner’s Report

I WAS SURPRISED, whilst browsing through NZFisher Issue 33 (earlier in the year) to find a picture of me with my first legal kingfish staring back at me from the ‘Reader’s Pic’ page.

I was even more surprised to find out that I had actually won! Not only that, but the prize was a day’s charter on ‘Diversity’! I could tell that my husband, even though he had entered me, was most jealous of my prize!

“Who will bait your hooks? Whose rod will you use?” he asked, to which I replied, “One of the rods you have bought for ‘me’ for Christmas – and while I can bait a hook, I am no good at removing the live fish from them…so I suppose you can come along too.”

We booked our charter, farmed the kids off for the day and made our way to Gulf Harbour, one very cold day in May.

Words by Heidi Stubenitsky

NZFisher Winner of Reader’s Pic (Issue 33)

Charter Connection

www.nzfisher.co.nz 23

The skipper was most friendly and

helpful and we spent a large part of the

day sharing fishing, boating stories and

disasters while making our way to the

numerous fishing spots.

The boat had a range of people aboard,

from those who had never caught a

snapper to the keen fishermen who were

out for a good day’s fishing. It was great

seeing the excitement and memories

being made.

While the start of the day was on the slow

side, we still managed to catch a few

snapper and have a couple major line

tangle-ups, thanks to the kahawai. In the afternoon, our skipper found a great spot, and no sooner had the sinker hit the ocean floor, there were bites on the end of the line and snapper and kahawai were being caught left, right and centre. My husband and I caught our limit with some nice 45cm-plus keepers.

While we defrosted in the cabin on our way back to the marina, I couldn’t help thinking about how much we had enjoyed the time with those on board, and also how much I enjoyed having spent time with my husband fishing. Thanks NZFisher and ‘Diversity’ for a great experience! ●

Diversity charter snapper

24 www.nzfisher.co.nz

RE

AD

ER

PICS Reader

Pics

Marks’ landbased King - 24.5kg!

A bag of tasty reefies caught by Dean Kaye from the Kayak recently

www.nzfisher.co.nz 25

Reader Pics

Ethan Hunter-Wilson with a nice wee snapper - making the big boys jealous!

Peter Thomasen with a hefty summer snapper landed at the bottom end of Waiheke Island

Tobes (26.3kg) and Mark (24.5kg) with a pair of hard pulling Bay of Plenty Kings

Winner!

26 www.nzfisher.co.nz

RE

CIP

EOF

THE

MON

TH

MY 11-YEAR-OLD STEPDAUGHTER Caitlin

had been asking me to take her fishing for

several months. She’d not been out since

the middle of summer, and had recently

had surgery, so I was a little reluctant to do

anything too strenuous.

On Sunday morning we decided to head up

north to a little rocky outcrop in Doubtless

Bay. In our haste I forgot to get the burley;

but it was more about getting out there than

catching fish, right? Caitlin would disagree

of course, but she will learn soon enough

to appreciate the wonders of the ocean and

the bounty it offers that extends to far more

than just fish.

After fitting Caitlin and myself with manually-inflating lifejackets, and explaining to her how to use it, we proceeded out onto the rocks. There was a half-meter swell running, and I was at this stage cursing myself for forgetting the burley. The water was a fantastic blue, and clean for mid-winter. I set Caitlin up with a popper on my soft bait gear to give her some casting practice. She was a bit rusty, but soon had the popper casting well enough to be in some fishy looking water. After a while she tired of casting so I clipped on a stray line rig, and cast out half a pilchard. I was stray lining pilchards on a 15-24kg spin set, hoping for a rogue daytime snapper

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to make a mistake. It was, after all, the perigee super moon later that night, and I anticipated big things.

We fished through until about half tide with only a few bites. We’d both lost what appeared to be fairly decent fish, but the tide was beginning to rise now and I made the call to leave before we got wet. Fish and Chips on the wharf at Mangonui seemed the go.

After dinner we walked over to the wharf to have a look. Several people I knew were fishing live baits hoping for a kingfish, but the kings have been few and far between this year, with only a few sporadic runs throughout the year. Mangonui harbour is known for its kingfish, but a serious lack of baitfish this year has resulted in a heavily reduced catch over the summer. Tonight was an exception, and large yellowtail mackerel were being caught and sent back out as live baits. We were witness to a good sized John Dory caught while we were there.

I made the call to leave 30 minutes before dark. This time of year the 45-minute drive home to Kerikeri is often met with heavy fog, and as Caitlin had school the next day I

didn’t want to be home too late. As we were driving out I noticed a few birds showing some interest in the harbour along with some rings on the water. I decided to stop and put a popper on my 15-24kg set on the off chance that some kings were present in the channel.

My first cast was hit by a kahawai that failed to hook up. I cast the rod again and passed it to Caitlin, coaching her to keep the popper moving and allow it to create as much noise and splash as possible. She had a kahawai follow the popper right to the edge and turn away in a spray of water. As you can imagine it got her pretty excited, and I was having a great time seeing her enjoying it. The next cast she hooked up, and she played that fish like a pro. No panic: remembering that the fish has a soft mouth and allowing it to run if it wanted to, she coached it to the water’s edge where I landed it.

It wasn’t long before two kahawai were bled and ready for the ice in the chilly bin. A couple of quick photos and we decided to pack up and head home. It was a great way to spend an afternoon, and a very proud young lady was keen to tell mum she’d caught dinner tomorrow. ●

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FISH

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Wicked fishing across the world! This weather is complete bollocks, so I’ve been forced to scour the web for cool fishing vids from places where I’d rather be right now! Here’s my top five internet fishing vids for the month

• First up, Yup – trout fishing! They’re fishing some of the finest water in the world – good old NZ!

• Next, let’s stick to fly – but how cool would THIS be??? It’s a bit long, but there’s some awesome footage of some fast, bulky and furious Tarpon.

• Ok, on to some kiwi fishing now – once again the Jig Assassin team are leading the charge. Damn they make a great video!!!!

• For the land-based team: here’s a different one. Ever wondered what a 100kgs (Est.) of Yellowfin Tuna would feel like on the end of your popper rod? This guy knows.

• And the best? Imagine this! The video name says it all…. Marlin and sailfish double hook up, One man in a tinney.

I hope you enjoy these as much as I did!

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Share an Awesome Photo and Be in to Win!

Share an awesome photo this month and be in to WIN a $50 GoFish Voucher!Share an awesome photo of you with a fish to our Facebook page, or email it to derrickp@espiremedia.com by 15th September and you’ll be in to win a $50 voucher for www.gofish.co.nz.

This months winner is Ethan Hunter-Wilson. Ethan has won a $50 voucher to shop online at Go Fish.

Competitions!

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TERMS AND CONDITIONSWinner/s must email jenniferl@espiremedia.com within 14 days of publication to claim their prize. Competi-tions are only open to NZ residents residing within NZ. One entry per person for each competition. Prize pack product/s may vary from pictures. Prize/s not exchangeable or redeemable for cash. Winner/s will be selected at random and no discussion will be entered into after the draw. Winner/s will be announced in NZ Fisher e-publication. If winner/s fail to make contact within the claim period, Espire Media may redraw the prize. Secondary winner/s will be announced on the NZ Fisher Facebook page. Prizes must be collected by the winner unless courier delivery is specifically offered by the sponsor as part of the competition. Your contact details will not be given to any third party, except for the purposes of delivering a prize.

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WINwithCONGRATULATIONS TO THE WINNER:

Gordon Carle To claim your prize email jenniferl@espiremedia.com now!

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“Everyone should believe in something. I believe I will go fishing.” - Henry David Thoreau