Post on 23-Jul-2016
description
transcript
www.nzfisher.co.nz 1
ISSUE 49 July 2015
www.nzfisher.co.nz 1
ISSUE 8 May 2011
// The new Ocean Kayak Prowler 4.3 NZFisher scores gold at NZACA Nationals//
The Landbased Pilgrimage - Lottin or bust//
www.nzfisher.co.nz www.nzfisher.co.nz 1
ISSUE 9 June 2011
// Broadbill season fires up in the chill of winter
Kawau by Kayak//
// The Prowler 4.3 tested
Monster Snapper at NZLBG Nationals
www.nzfisher.co.nz www.nzfisher.co.nz 1
ISSUE 10 July 2011
// NZFisher gets Fresh with Trout
// LORD HOWE ISLAND!
Mastering Gurnard
www.nzfisher.co.nz www.nzfisher.co.nz 1
f sherISSUE 11 August 2011
// Martin Salter’s Lord Howe adventure continues
Rawhiti: Kiwi El Dorado
www.nzfisher.co.nz www.nzfisher.co.nz 1
f sherISSUE 12 September 2011
Magnificent Squid – International secrets shared
Landbased from the boat – Its becoming a habit!
Great Barrier Is – Better late than never
The Waitemata – Auckland’s overlooked Jewel
NZFisher – One year old!
www.nzfisher.co.nz www.nzfisher.co.nz 1
f sherISSUE 13 November 2011
Introducing the Kiwi Anglers guide to Fishy words
Jetski antics at Coromandel
www.nzfisher.co.nz
Piper, too tasty for bait
Targeting Winter Kings – the Coromandel Experience //Readers Photo Competition//
//Pitch and Switch – Making it Happen with Marlin
Winter Moocher Hunt //Big winter snapper from the rocks
www.nzfisher.co.nz
ISSUE 1 July 20
www.nzfisher.co.nz 1
ISSUE 2 October 20 2010
// So, where do the Snapper go?
What makes a good jigging rod? //
Monsters from the Deep - Hauling Hapuka//
www.nzfisher.co.nz www.nzfisher.co.nz 1
ISSUE 3 November 2010
// Big boy snapper old Skool styles
Scallop’s perfected – The Fish Stock //
Kayaking for Kingfish - Far far north//
www.nzfisher.co.nz www.nzfisher.co.nz 1
ISSUE 4 December 2010
// Sharpening up – being on target for landing Marlin
The Sc-iwi:A Scott in Aotearoa //
Lazy Fishy Days of
Summer//
www.nzfisher.co.nz www.nzfisher.co.nz 1
ISSUE 5 January 2010
// Working the jigs
Unlocking the Secrets of Rarotonga//
www.nzfisher.co.nz www.nzfisher.co.nz 1
ISSUE 6 March 2011
// Northern adventure scores large for newby crew
Landbased – from the boat?//
Goin’ deep for the
big Ones!//
www.nzfisher.co.nz
www.nzfisher.co.nz 1
f sherISSUE 15 March 2012
Finally, a great Skippy recipe
www.nzfisher.co.nz
North, West, East & South It’s all firing!
www.nzfisher.co.nz 1
f sherISSUE 16 June 2012
www.nzfisher.co.nz
NZFisher’s Landbased Bumper Issue - GT’s in Raro- Far North epic- Kings on Stickbaits
www.nzfisher.co.nz 1
ISSUE 17 July 2012
www.nzfisher.co.nz
Whangarei Juniors take out BOI Kingfish International
- The fishing Mecca of Feilding explored
www.nzfisher.co.nz 1
ISSUE 18 Sept/Oct 2012
www.nzfisher.co.nz
Landbased Retreat to the Winterless North
The Tuturoa Trophy - Craig Smith explains
Gearing up for ROctoberFish
www.nzfisher.co.nz 1
ISSUE 19 November 2012
www.nzfisher.co.nz
Roctober Fish Rocks! Snapper galore &
PB’s smashed
Trout: What are they good for?
The kids take Dad fishing
Young Greg Savage with his sensational 11.3kg - only his second snapper!
www.nzfisher.co.nz 1
f sherISSUE 22 March 2013
www.nzfisher.co.nz
NZFisher take on the Chesters ‘Fanatical Fishos’ Comp
Rarotonga Still Delivers
SOLO MARLIN!
www.nzfisher.co.nz 1
ISSUE 23 April 2013
www.nzfisher.co.nz
Te Atatu Creek Kingfish!?!?
Solo West coast Marlin
Fish Your Feet First
www.nzfisher.co.nz 1
f sherISSUE 24 June 2013
www.nzfisher.co.nz
(Re)Learning LBG Lessons at the East CapeSmall boat Swordfish
Congratulations to our Hooked Up prize winner for Issue #24!
www.nzfisher.co.nz 1
ISSUE 25 June 2013
www.nzfisher.co.nz
North Queensland Barra, mate!
Congratulations to our Hooked Up prize winner for Issue #25!
Paua for the picking
Paua for the picking
www.nzfisher.co.nz 1
ISSUE 26 August 2013
www.nzfisher.co.nz
Winter Moochers from Cape to CapeSnapper on dry-fly?
Congratulations to our Hooked Up prize winner for Issue #26!
www.nzfisher.co.nz 1
ISSUE 27 September 2013
www.nzfisher.co.nz
Champagne Fishing – Shore Boys on the WaterKiwis at the 2013 Offshore World Champs
Congratulations to our Hooked Up prize winner for Issue #27!
www.nzfisher.co.nz 1
ISSUE 29 November 2013
www.nzfisher.co.nz
Aitutaki Bone Fish - A Refreshing Challenge
Congratulations to our Hooked Up prize winner for Issue #29!
KINGFISH – Where, When & How?
Strip Strike – SWF Club is Launched
www.nzfisher.co.nz 1
ISSUE 30 November 2013
www.nzfisher.co.nz
ROctoberFISH
Congratulations to our Hooked Up prize winner for Issue #30!
KINGFISH – Where, When & How?
Strip Strike – SWF Club is Launched
www.nzfisher.co.nz 1
ISSUE 31 December 2013
www.nzfisher.co.nzCongratulations to our Hooked Up prize winner for Issue #31!
From Fly to Micro-Jigs
Honda Marine IceyTek & Torpedo7 Competitions inside
Kingfish are on fire!
www.nzfisher.co.nz 1
ISSUE 32 January 2014
www.nzfisher.co.nzCongratulations to our Torpedo7 prize winner for Issue #32!
Landbased Kings on Fly
Big Fish –Small Jigs
www.nzfisher.co.nz 1
f sherISSUE 33 February 2014
www.nzfisher.co.nzCongratulations to our Torpedo7 prize winner for Issue #33!
All you need to know about knivesTo believe or not to believe
Sailfish in Malaysia
www.nzfisher.co.nz 1
ISSUE 34 March 2014
www.nzfisher.co.nz
Marlin, marlin everywhere!
Huge on Livebait
Snapper
www.nzfisher.co.nz 1
ISSUE 36 May 2014
www.nzfisher.co.nz
Powering Bottom Dwellers
up the
Rompin Sailfish Video Inside
www.nzfisher.co.nz 1
ISSUE 37 June 2014
www.nzfisher.co.nz
Review: The Lowrance
Elite 4 HDI Combo
GURNARD: What Winter
Fishing Legasea Update:
Getting the Best Back Out of Our Fisheries
is all about!
www.nzfisher.co.nz 1
ISSUE 38 July 2014
www.nzfisher.co.nz
Rooster Rica
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
www.nzfisher.co.nz 1
ISSUE 40 September 2014
www.nzfisher.co.nz
Get IGFA Compliant this Game Season
YaksAttackthe NorthThe Maniyaks on fire in Orton Comp
How to Fish Taupo Rivers in Winter
www.nzfisher.co.nz 1
ISSUE 41 October 2014
www.nzfisher.co.nz
The Art of FishThievery
Chasing Sails Simply Wrasse-tastic
www.nzfisher.co.nz 1
ISSUE 20 December 2012
www.nzfisher.co.nz
FREWZA! The NZFisher boat launch
OffShore Landbased FishingWIN an OKUMA Salina Combo
www.nzfisher.co.nz 1
f sherISSUE 14 January 2012
Top spot No. 3: The Bay of Plenty
www.nzfisher.co.nz
October Landbased Magic
www.nzfisher.co.nz 1
ISSUE 7 April 2011
// Bye, bye Summer, hello MoochersThe new History of Stickbaits//
Autumn Work-ups firing in the gulf //
www.nzfisher.co.nz
www.nzfisher.co.nz 1
f sherISSUE 28 October 2013
www.nzfisher.co.nz
Your Guide to Fishing - The Seasons
Congratulations to our Hooked Up prize winner for Issue #28!
Spring Fishing Is Unleashed
www.nzfisher.co.nz 1
ISSUE 35 April 2014
www.nzfisher.co.nz
Charlie Green Machine
& the
Winterise Your Outboard
www.nzfisher.co.nz 1
ISSUE 42 December 2014
www.nzfisher.co.nz
Top Water Kings
Do a Little Jig
www.nzfisher.co.nz 1
ISSUE 43 January 2015
www.nzfisher.co.nz
Tired of Catching Small Snapper? Getting sorted for offshore Yakking
www.nzfisher.co.nz 1
ISSUE 44 February 2015
www.nzfisher.co.nz
Yellow Fin On!
Tired of Catching Small
Getting sorted for offshore Yakking
www.nzfisher.co.nz 1
ISSUE 45 March 2015
www.nzfisher.co.nz
Marlin MARLIN
Kingfish from the Rocks II
Tired of Catching Small
Getting sorted for offshore Yakking
www.nzfisher.co.nz 1
ISSUE 46 April 2015
www.nzfisher.co.nz
Catching your Dream Fish
NZFisher goes
hunting www.nzfisher.co.nz 1
ISSUE 47 May 2015
www.nzfisher.co.nz
Rockin’ On
Hapuku from a Kayak!
Surprise on BenIsland
www.nzfisher.co.nz 1www.nzfisher.co.nz
Fish of a Lifetime
ISSUE 48 June 2015
www.nzfisher.co.nz 1www.nzfisher.co.nz
PotentialWorld Record on Fly!
Enjoying the best of winter in Aotearoa
ISSUE 49 July 2015
Matariki from the rocks.jpgwww.nzfisher.co.nz
50ISSUE
www.nzfisher.co.nz 3
4.. Editorial
6.. Fishing Truth: Are We Training Fish to Avoid Lures?
14.. Active Angling: Outsmarting Trevally with Flies & Lures
18.. LegaSea Update
20.. Winter Success
26.. Kayak Fishing: I Hate Winter Fishing
32.. Reader Pics
34.. Video of the Month
35.. Competiion
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 / Colin Kennedy
ART DIRECTOR / Jodi Olsson
CONTENT ENQUIRIES /
Phone Derrick on 021 629 327
or email derrickp@NZ Fisher.co.nz
ADVERTISING ENQUIRIES /
Phone Derrick on 021 629 327
or email derrickp@NZ Fisher.co.nz
ADDRESS / NZ Fisher, PO Box 47794,
Ponsonby, Auckland 1011
WEBSITE / www.NZFisher.co.nz
This is a GREEN MAG, created and distributed without the use of paper so it's environ-mentally friendly. Please think
before you print. Thank you!
CONTENTS
Cover Images: Every issue of NZ FIsher so far
4 www.nzfisher.co.nz
WEATHER FEATURES SO OFTEN in my
editorials I wonder myself if maybe I
wasn’t actually a meteorologist in an
earlier life. The weather windows have
been decent; albeit clear, crisp and very,
very cold. There’s been some extremely
hot fishing to counter the cold – gulf
snapper, kahawai down both coasts,
gurnard chomping at the bit on the
Kaipara and the trout are practically
leaping into fishers creels in Taupo.
I’ve had the pleasure of fishing for all
of these fine species in the last month,
and I haven’t been disappointed.
EDITORIALI managed a new personal best Rainbow
trout on the Tongariro this month. A
brief flick before work benefited me
a 6lb hen that was then beaten that
evening by a 7lber on the Hinemaiaia
– both were in excellent condition and
fought like demons. I was fishing alone
in both cases but managed to get a
local to snap me a pic (see below) on
the Tongariro – I think I’ve found a new
passion – trout are…ok!
I attended the launch of the Marine
Research Foundations new research
project ‘What’s fishing worth’ on the
10th of August. This project is to
investigate the value of the recreational
fishing sector to the whole New
Zealand economy.
For a very long time, we’ve been
told that recreational fishing doesn’t
provide the
same value to
the economy
as commercial
interests.
This study is
looking to balance the books and find
out the true value to the economy
when the estimated 900,000 kiwis
and 100,000 tourists who go fishing
open their wallets. The research is
www.nzfisher.co.nz 5
being undertaken by world
fisheries economic experts
Southwick Associates who
have undertaken many studies
internationally with a focus on
measuring the economic impacts and
values of outdoor recreation.
The Marine Research
Foundation is looking
to raise $400,000 for
this project and need
your help. If every
fisher helps, the cost
will be covered in no
time. The purpose
of the information
gathered is to
generate statistically
valid estimates
of the economics
(expenditure, jobs, tax revenues,
income and other economic
contributions) associated with New
Zealand’s marine recreational fisheries.
This can then be used to place
recreational fishing in the scheme of
things when the minister considers
the best use of our shared fisheries.
At present, only 6% of all fish taken
from New Zealand’s waters are taken
recreationally, but the benefit of our
efforts are likely to be far greater than
what we take. Please check out the
website, and commit your share to
the cause.
But front of mind for me – this is
NZFishers, our Fiftieth Issue. And we
couldn’t have done it without support
from our reader base. Thank you for the
first 50 and thanks for
the next, who knows
how many!
As I mentioned last
month, there’s been
some big changes at
NZFisher. I’ve been
editor since day one
and have loved (almost)
every minute of it but
my enthusiasm has
taken a leap forward
since last month when I acquired
NZFisher from Espire Media.
NZFisher would never have begun
without the vision of Richard, Jen, Jodi
and Alastair - the Espire Media team.
Thank you guys for your blood, sweat
and tears in our five years –
it’s been awesome. I’m committed to a
bright future for NZFisher and promise
bigger and better things in the months
and years to come.
Tight lines, Derrick
“I’m committed to a bright future for NZFisher and promise bigger
and better things in the months and years to come.”
6 www.nzfisher.co.nz
Training Fish to Avoid Lures ?After a modest return from a recent Far North fishing trip I was left wondering how I could have done so poorly. by Neil Wagener
YES, IT WAS WINTER, so I might not
expect the fish to be hot on the bite,
but I had spent a couple of full days
plopping soft baits along an extremely
fishy coastline without any luck.
This result shouldn’t have come as a
surprise; however, since I started using
soft baits in 2007, I have noticed that
those mind blowing sessions have
become harder and harder to come by.
I have even dropped my line weight
down to 6lb to see if that would
help increase my catch rates without
any improvement. It’s unlikely that
snapper numbers have declined over
this time period, which leads to an
awkward question: have snapper and
maybe other fish started to cotton
onto soft baits and other lures? I have
heard others talk about fish being lure
shy before, so was curious to find out
if there was any more to it.
Are We
FISHINGTRUTH
www.nzfisher.co.nz 7
by Neil Wagener
There is actually a lot of anecdotal
information and research to back up
the concept that with time, lures can
become less effective. This process can
work in two ways.
The first occurs when fish repetitively
see a lure, learn that it isn’t food and
don’t bother attacking the lure if
they see it again. If the fish is hooked
during this process and either escapes
or is caught and released, then this is
likely to create a powerful negative
association with the lure. You may
have heard of “Pavlov’s dog”, which
after repetitive association between
food and a dinner bell began salivating
at just the sound of the bell by itself.
The response of fish to lures, as
described here, could be thought of as
the opposite to the dinner bell.
In the US largemouth bass
fisheries this process is called “fish
conditioning”, and there is a lot of
discussion on the topic, with many
pro bass fishermen confident that in
heavily fished lakes the bass become
conditioned to the most commonly
used lures. Some of the best evidence
for fish conditioning comes from
the company behind Berkley Gulp!
Pure Fishing. In lab experiments,
researchers would expose groups of
bass to a particular lure by casting it
across the tank five times. Upon first
seeing the lure all of the bass would
hit it, with the number of strikes
decreasing with each successive cast.
8 www.nzfisher.co.nz
FISHINGTRUTH
Essentially the bass weren’t getting the
food they expected, so they became
less interested. This process was then
repeated on separate groups of bass
with similar results. All of the bass
were then left alone for three months
before the same lure was again cast
repetitively across the tank. This time
each group of bass were uninterested in
the lure, only striking at it a few times.
When a different type of lure was cast
into the tank, however, the bass struck
at it as often as they had when they
first saw the original lure. This shows
that not only were the bass able to
remember that the lure wasn’t food for
at least three months, they were also
able to distinguish between similar
lures. There is plenty of other evidence
from fisheries around the world
suggesting that fish can modify their
behaviour in response to encounters
with lures or hooks.
For example, catch and release trout
fisheries have resulted in a pattern
where the most heavily fished streams
have the lowest catch rates. UK carp
fisheries are well known for ‘bait shy’
fish, with some carp having a reduced
probability of recapture for over a
year after initially being caught. Some
fish farming operations even use the
remarkable learning capacity of fish
to their advantage. When hatchery-
raised fish are stocked into the wild,
the farmers continue to feed the fish,
and each time they put food out they
www.nzfisher.co.nz 9
play a specific tone into the water.
wThey keep this practice up for a while
but eventually let the fish find their
own food. After the fish have grown
large enough to harvest, the farmers
simply play the tone into the water
allowing the expectant fish to be easily
encircled with a net.
The other way that lure effectiveness
can be reduced is through selection.
Essentially some fish are more
aggressive than others and are
therefore more likely to attack a lure
as it darts past. These individuals are
therefore the most likely to be caught
on lures, and as they are removed by
fishing the whole population becomes
less aggressive and lures become less
effective as a result.
Experimental fishing conducted on
largemouth bass simulated this scenario,
by removing individual bass that were
captured by anglers and allowing the
remaining bass to interbreed. After
this selection had been repeated for
four generations of bass, the resulting
population was much more cautious
towards fishing gear than the fish
originally stocked into the lake.
This result goes beyond changing
the number of fish willing to take a
lure, it demonstrates that reduced
aggressiveness has a genetic component,
suggesting that fishing could even
determine how vulnerable future
generations of fish will be to capture!
While there is compelling evidence
that reduced lure effectiveness can
Netted moocher
10 www.nzfisher.co.nz
occur in tank experiments and within
small constrained lake fisheries, these
results are not New Zealand relevant,
and aren’t at the scale of a large marine
fishery where millions of fish mix over
hundreds of kilometres of coastline.
There are indications that similar things
could occur in New Zealand though.
Have you ever been for a swim in the
Goat Island Marine Reserve and noticed
how close you can get to the snapper?
There are a lot of potential explanations
for this, but most of them involve the
capacity of the fish to learn and the lack
of negative experiences associated with
people inside the reserve.
Also, emphasising the capacity of
snapper to respond to particular
influences, tagging experiments have
shown that snapper caught by longline
were more likely to be recaptured by
trawl and those captured by trawl
were more likely to be recaptured
by longline. This shows that snapper
could remember the negative capture
experience and learnt how to avoid
that fishing method in the future.
So ‘fish conditioning’ and ‘lure shyness’
sound like a plausible explanation for
my bad fishing trip, but are others
noticing it occurring as well? NZFisher
spoke to a few very experienced
charter skippers and got mixed
responses. Rick Pollock of Pursuit
Charters is adamant that it has already
occurred for White Island kingfish. Rick
FISHINGTRUTH
Sea ox with 17lb snap.
Shane & last fish
www.nzfisher.co.nz 11
refers to the extreme effectiveness of
long jigs and mechanical jigging when
this technique first came online in
about 2005.
Jigging catch rates at White Island
quickly declined, however, while live
bait effectiveness remained high. Today
Rick states that jigging at White Island
mostly produces rat kingies, while the
live bait fishery is as good as it’s ever
been. These kind of results are very
compatible with how we would expect
lure shyness to work.
Mechanical jigging is hugely efficient,
enabling anglers to catch many more
fish per day than would be possible
using live baits. This combined with
the one fish limit in operation at White
Island and the popularity of catch
and release amongst jig fishermen
in general means that many fish can
quickly become conditioned to lures.
Rat kingies remain vulnerable to
capture as they are new on the scene;
they haven’t seen jigs before. The
live bait fishery for kingfish remains
productive as this method not only
results in fewer encounters between
kingfish and fishing gear, but kingfish
are also less able to distinguish between
a live bait and their actual food.
“Mechanical jigging is hugely efficient,
enabling anglers to catch many more fish per day than
would be possible using live baits.”
Some fish are even stupid enough to fall for a floating Santa
12 www.nzfisher.co.nz
PLEA
SEAPP
ROVE
THIS
ADASSO
ON
ASPO
SSIBLE
.NOTE
THAT
ANY
ALTER
ATIONSMUST
BEFINALISE
DBYOURMAT
ERIALDEA
DLINE.
Fairfa
xMediama
kese
veryeffortto
create
advertis
ementstome
etyourspecific
needs.Please
noteinsome
instan
cesw
emay
beunabletosupplyaddition
alproofsduetoc
omple
xityo
ftherequestordeadlinec
onstrain
ts.©Thisadvertis
ementhas
been
create
dasa
service
ofFairfa
xMedia.
Itcannotbereproducedw
ithoutpermission
.Ifyouw
ishtousethis
material
elsew
here,plea
seconta
ctyouradvertis
ingconsultant.C
harges
willa
pply.
ADVE
RTISING
PROOF
CUST
OMER
ROD&RE
ELLTD
PUBL
ISHING
03/09
/15SA
LESRE
PP.F
RANC
ISPU
BLICAT
ION
NZFISH
INGNE
WS
DESIGN
ERUn
know
nSE
CTION
RUNOF
BOOK
PROO
FED
13/08
/2015
1:41:4
9a.m.
SIZE
9.3X2
6.7AD
ID6828857A
AFA
X09
6342
948
Free Parking right at the Shop!(down beside the Caltex)
Rod and Reel Fishing Specialists480D Broadway, New Market, Auckland
09 520 0307www.rodandreel.co.nz
6694
455A
B
• Now the most affordable Japanesemade fluorocarbon leader in NZ.
• Why pay as much as $29.95 elsewhere?
• Used by the top competition anglers inthe world
• Available in 4lb, 5lb, 6lb, 7.5lb and 9lbbreaking strains.
• Made in Japan
Rod and Reel, home to NZ’s largest range offlyfishing and flytying essentials!
Scierra Canyon Wading JacketNormal rrp $299, NOW we are able to
offer this at $179.95!• Wind and waterproof to 10,000mm and
Breathability to 5,000 g/m2
• Fully adjustable cuffs, hood,waist toggle, etc
• Handwarmer pockets, plus 2 XL sizedfront pockets
• Get in now, ready for the winter fishing,with this amazing deal!
Nautilus reels – new stock just in!
• Grab yourself one of Nautilus’multi-award winning reels ready forwinter or the tropics!
• Models available – FWX, CCF-X2,NV-G and NV Monster in varioussizes / colours.
Free Parking right at the Shop!(down beside the Caltex)
Rod and Reel Fishing Specialists480D Broadway, New Market, Auckland
09 520 0307www.rodandreel.co.nz
6828
857A
A
• All water, fast action rod• X-Wrap graphite technology for maximum
vibration dampening, strength and torsionalstability.
• PowerGrip is a non-slip polymer griptechnology created to reduce fatigue andamplify power.
• Carbon fiber reel seat insert with customanodized highlights
• Alignment dots for easy setup• Lifetime warranty!!• All rods are 4pc / 9ft with sizes from #6
through to #12
Rod and Reel, home to NZ’s largest range offlyfishing and flytying essentials!
Patagonia 3-in-1 River Salt JacketNormally $699, NOW ONLY $525.00!
• H2No® Performance Standard polyester shell,with a waterproof/breathable barrier
• Three TPU-coated, water-repellent front zippockets sized to hold fly boxes etc
• Innovative, fully-vented, adjustable hooddesigned to stay in place even at high boatspeed
• Watertight adjustable cuffs, drainage materialin all hems.
• Nano Puff® Jacket snaps out of shell andcan be worn alone or with layers(stays warm even when wet).
• Weighs only 932g
Scierra CC3 XP wadersNormally $399.95, NOW ONLY $249.95!
Redington Vapen red rods now 30% off!NOW ONLY $314.95.
• Strong 3-layer breathable fabric construction• 100% waterproof with more than 20,000mm
and highly breathable with over 4,000mvp• New design with better, more functional fit• Deluxe handwarmer front pocket with water
repellent zipper• Elastic adjustable suspenders with slim
strong buckles• Great inner pocket with zipper and mesh
Furthermore, kingfish tagged at White
Island are seldom recaptured away
from White Island, suggesting that
the kingfish there are a constrained
population, making repetitive exposure
to jigs a more likely occurrence. Other
experienced charter operators that we
spoke to didn’t consider lure shyness to
be an important issue for either kingfish
and jigs or snapper and soft baits.
In summary fish have the capacity to
recognise lures and to learn to avoid
them, and there are suspicions that
this might be occurring in fisheries
around the world. The jury will
probably always be out as to whether
it is actually occurring in our fisheries
though. So what can you do to
overcome the possibility that it might
be affecting your catch rates?
The answer is undoubtedly keep it
fresh. Whether that be through using a
lure with a different shape, swimming
style, or colour, retrieving the lure in
a different (potentially slower) way, or
using actual fresh or live bait.
A combination of these techniques will
ensure that you are placing something
that the fish hasn’t seen before or
something that it can’t distinguish from
real food in front of its face. For snapper
the lure options are endless due to the
advent of bottom ships, cabura jigs,
micro jigs, slow jigs etc… This allows us
to engage in a lure arms race, always
keeping one step ahead of the fish. ■
FISHINGTRUTH
www.nzfisher.co.nz 13
PLEA
SEAPP
ROVE
THIS
ADASSO
ON
ASPO
SSIBLE
.NOTE
THAT
ANY
ALTER
ATIONSMUST
BEFINALISE
DBYOURMAT
ERIALDEA
DLINE.
Fairfa
xMediama
kese
veryeffortto
create
advertis
ementstome
etyourspecific
needs.Please
noteinsome
instan
cesw
emay
beunabletosupplyaddition
alproofsduetoc
omple
xityo
ftherequestordeadlinec
onstrain
ts.©Thisadvertis
ementhas
been
create
dasa
service
ofFairfa
xMedia.
Itcannotbereproducedw
ithoutpermission
.Ifyouw
ishtousethis
material
elsew
here,plea
seconta
ctyouradvertis
ingconsultant.C
harges
willa
pply.
ADVE
RTISING
PROOF
CUST
OMER
ROD&RE
ELLTD
PUBL
ISHING
03/09
/15SA
LESRE
PP.F
RANC
ISPU
BLICAT
ION
NZFISH
INGNE
WS
DESIGN
ERUn
know
nSE
CTION
RUNOF
BOOK
PROO
FED
13/08
/2015
1:41:4
9a.m.
SIZE
9.3X2
6.7AD
ID6828857A
AFA
X09
6342
948
Free Parking right at the Shop!(down beside the Caltex)
Rod and Reel Fishing Specialists480D Broadway, New Market, Auckland
09 520 0307www.rodandreel.co.nz
6694
455A
B
• Now the most affordable Japanesemade fluorocarbon leader in NZ.
• Why pay as much as $29.95 elsewhere?
• Used by the top competition anglers inthe world
• Available in 4lb, 5lb, 6lb, 7.5lb and 9lbbreaking strains.
• Made in Japan
Rod and Reel, home to NZ’s largest range offlyfishing and flytying essentials!
Scierra Canyon Wading JacketNormal rrp $299, NOW we are able to
offer this at $179.95!• Wind and waterproof to 10,000mm and
Breathability to 5,000 g/m2
• Fully adjustable cuffs, hood,waist toggle, etc
• Handwarmer pockets, plus 2 XL sizedfront pockets
• Get in now, ready for the winter fishing,with this amazing deal!
Nautilus reels – new stock just in!
• Grab yourself one of Nautilus’multi-award winning reels ready forwinter or the tropics!
• Models available – FWX, CCF-X2,NV-G and NV Monster in varioussizes / colours.
Free Parking right at the Shop!(down beside the Caltex)
Rod and Reel Fishing Specialists480D Broadway, New Market, Auckland
09 520 0307www.rodandreel.co.nz
6828
857A
A
• All water, fast action rod• X-Wrap graphite technology for maximum
vibration dampening, strength and torsionalstability.
• PowerGrip is a non-slip polymer griptechnology created to reduce fatigue andamplify power.
• Carbon fiber reel seat insert with customanodized highlights
• Alignment dots for easy setup• Lifetime warranty!!• All rods are 4pc / 9ft with sizes from #6
through to #12
Rod and Reel, home to NZ’s largest range offlyfishing and flytying essentials!
Patagonia 3-in-1 River Salt JacketNormally $699, NOW ONLY $525.00!
• H2No® Performance Standard polyester shell,with a waterproof/breathable barrier
• Three TPU-coated, water-repellent front zippockets sized to hold fly boxes etc
• Innovative, fully-vented, adjustable hooddesigned to stay in place even at high boatspeed
• Watertight adjustable cuffs, drainage materialin all hems.
• Nano Puff® Jacket snaps out of shell andcan be worn alone or with layers(stays warm even when wet).
• Weighs only 932g
Scierra CC3 XP wadersNormally $399.95, NOW ONLY $249.95!
Redington Vapen red rods now 30% off!NOW ONLY $314.95.
• Strong 3-layer breathable fabric construction• 100% waterproof with more than 20,000mm
and highly breathable with over 4,000mvp• New design with better, more functional fit• Deluxe handwarmer front pocket with water
repellent zipper• Elastic adjustable suspenders with slim
strong buckles• Great inner pocket with zipper and mesh
THERE’S A SIMPLE REASON WHY HONDA’S FOUR-STROKE MARINE ENGINES LEAD THE WORLD IN PERFORMANCE, RELIABILITY, FUEL-EFFICIENCY AND ENVIRONMENTAL RESPONSIBILITY… THE COMPANY
HAS BEEN MAKING THEM FOR OVER 50 YEARS!
CREATING THE ULTIMATE FOUR-STROKE
SINCE 1964
Take a closer look
Honda adopted the policy of manufacturing only four-stroke outboard engines back in 1964. This commitment to first-class four-stroke outboard technology can be found in the words of Mr Soichiro Honda, when he gave the following directive to Honda staff:
“Two things are most important: If they are not reliable, people’s lives can be endangered. Second – water cleanliness. What will happen to our oceans, lakes and rivers if all that exhaust gas mixed with oil gets pumped into the water? I don’t care if everyone else is making two-strokes – Honda has to make four strokes.”
For more information or your nearest authorised Honda Marine Dealer visit us at www.hondamarine.co.nz - sales@hondamarine.co.nz - www.facebook.com/hondamarineNZ
Honda Marine 1964 Yamaha 1984 Suzuki 1994 Mercury 2004
NZ Fisher 1964.indd 1 22/07/15 3:19 pm
14 www.nzfisher.co.nz
Outsmarting Trevally with Flies & Lures
ACTIVEANGLING
Words by Alan BulmerPictures by Paul Smith of Active Angling NZ
In the throes of battle
www.nzfisher.co.nz 15
ONE OF THE MOST sought after
estuarine flats targets is trevally.
Nicknamed the ‘Silver Prince’, they are
a difficult fish to hook and often can be
even harder to land. The larger specimens
encountered in estuarine environments
tend to hunt alone, unlike in the open
ocean where schools of fish are common.
Tagging studies by local fisheries
scientists have shown
that trevally are not
a wide- ranging fish
and tend to stay
within a 50 kilometres
radius of where
they spend their
juvenile years. They
tend to move into
the shallow waters
of many estuaries
in spring and move back out into
deep-water in late summer.
There is always an exception to this
rule though, and I have caught many
trevally in shallow estuaries through
the winter period. The resident fish
caught over autumn – winter tend to be
bigger than the fish that first enter the
estuary in spring.
In the estuaries, they tend to feed
predominantly on mantis shrimps,
small fish and crabs, so it makes sense
to target them using small lures or flies
which are accurate representations of
these common prey items. Small soft
plastics fished on light jig heads are often
irresistible to big trevally.
Keep an eye on the shallows as the tide
recedes as trevally will frequently move
steadily downstream with the current
zig zagging from deep to shallow water.
Often they will herd and concentrate bait
fish against an underwater obstruction
while doing this
and then charge in
at speed to grab as
many as possible
during the resulting
pandemonium.
Trevally like lures
and flies to be fished
on the bottom, dead
drift. I generally
target them with
soft plastics and weighted flies using
the ‘wet lining’ retrieve and like to feel
the lure ‘tap, tapping’ the bottom as it
swings downstream with the current.
Very slow retrieves, either by hardly
cranking the spinning reel handle or a
figure of 8 for fly lines, seem to work
best. When spinning I really just try to
do enough to keep a tight line to the
lure. The same applies in fly fishing
where a tight line ‘do nothing’ wet line
retrieve works well.
I’ve found that the most successful soft
plastics are the Berkley PowerBait Ripple
“Trevally like lures and flies to be fished on
the bottom, dead drift.”
shad, PowerBait minnows or Bento Bait
minnows in 2” or 2.5” size. They will
occasionally take a toby especially if a
single hook is used, and an orange or
pink soft plastic whirl tail is carefully
threaded onto it.
The flies I’ve found work consistently
well for trevally are what I call the ‘Krill
Clouser’ or the ‘Brush Ranger’ (see
above). Anything that could be mistaken
for a marine worm, shrimp, tiny crab,
smelt or bully will likely work though. In
general imitative patterns work best as
the fly is constantly moving due to the
current pushing them steadily along the
bottom. The fly should always lead the
line in order to eliminate drag.
ACTIVEANGLING
Takes can be incredibly tentative or
equally brutal. If you are fly fishing,
then strip strike at any pause or
irregular movement of the fly. It is
better to strike on impulse and not
hook anything than do nothing and
wonder later on whether you just had
a faint touch.
Once hooked they generally tear off in
a searing run downstream. They soon
tire of this however and then tend
to spin and head back upstream into
the current. Trevally like to fight by
running parallel to the shore as this
allows them to use their broad flanks
to resist the pressure being exerted by
the angler.
The catch
www.nzfisher.co.nz 17
If you want to see how to tie a Krill Clouser, then click on the video link below.
Regular changes of direction, vigorous head shaking and
rapid bursts of acceleration punctuate the fight. This,
coupled with the fact that the connecting flesh around the
maxillary area is delicate, means that it is easy to rip a hook
out if too much pressure is applied. Steady, gentle pressure
works best if there is no foul areas on the bottom to worry
about, but if the territory is gnarly, then a no holds barred
approach is often necessary.
When fighting trevally, move quickly along the shore with the
run and always try to keep a slight angle to the fish. If they
are running into the current, I like to be slightly downstream
of them and vice versa. When they tire, walk them out by
stepping back away from the shore. They follow meekly at this
point, and it is easy to tip them on their side in the shallows
when they are nearly spent.
Trevally are my favourite estuary foe. They are not easy to
hook, fight hard and are excellent table fare. ■
18 www.nzfisher.co.nz
FISHERIESMANAGEMENT
A RECENT AUSTRALIAN study found
recreational fishers contribute an
estimated $2.56 billion to the nation’s
economy. But what’s fishing worth in
New Zealand? No one knows.
So the New Zealand Marine Research
Foundation has commissioned
Southwick Associates to research how
much recreational fishers contribute to
our national economy through taxes,
job creation and GDP growth.
Southwick will quantify the economic
contributions per kilo of fish harvested
by recreational fishers. This will account
for the value generated by retailers,
suppliers, boat builders, charter
operators, accommodation and tourism,
the list goes on.
LegaSea is promoting the “What’s
Fishing Worth?” fundraising campaign
to support this important project. The
research is already underway. Results
are expected by the end of 2015, so
please, show your support now.
Legasea Update
What’s our fishing really worth? Update by Trish Rae, Legasea
www.nzfisher.co.nz 19
Why is LegaSea involved?
LegaSea is leading the fundraising
effort because this research
aligns with our Principle #5:
Value recreational fishing. We are
determined to make the most of this
opportunity because this research is
essential if we want balanced fisheries
management decisions that restore
abundance to our coastal waters.
While a lucky few can remember times
when our fisheries were abundant,
most of us know the feeling of fishing
in depleted waters. In many areas a
reasonable daily catch is becoming a
rarity. More fishers are saying, “we’ve
had enough of ‘sustainability’, we want
restored abundance!”
Clearly the Minister, Nathan Guy, is
under pressure to deliver increased
exports. If he had evidence similar
to the Australian study then he
might feel more confident in
making decisions that take account
of all aspects of fishing, including
recreational interests.
As our decision-maker we need to
give him information that supports
more abundant fisheries and a thriving
recreational fishing economy; because
there is more to fishing than just low-
value exports of our precious kai moana.
What is the cost?
Overall this research project will
cost $400,000, with $100,000 being
sought from public donations. These
costs cover the scoping, research,
report writing, peer review and,
finally, publicising the results. After
all that effort we need to make sure
the public (and politicians) know that
our fishing is a source of jobs, income,
value-added and a treasure worth
passing onto future generations.
Please go online to www.whatsfishingworth.co.nz to add a donation. 100% of your donation goes towards the project and is tax deductible because the New Zealand Marine Research Foundation is a registered charity. ■
Call 0800 LEGASEA (534 273)
Email us info@legasea.co.nz
Subscribe at www.legasea.co.nz
Read more at www.facebook.com/legasea
20 www.nzfisher.co.nz
It’s been a long wait for a cracker weekend day.
Winter SuccessWords and images by Ed Stubenitsky
www.nzfisher.co.nz 21
IN FACT THE BOAT hadn’t been in the
water for three months – you know
how it is with kid’s sports and house
renovations. The guilt had set in, and we
just had to head out to get a line wet.
I managed to convince a couple of
keen fishing buddies, Josh and Graeme
to join me for a fine day’s fishing in
the gulf. None of us have never really
had much success winter fishing in
the gulf, a bit hit and miss you might
call it, well really miss, miss, miss. The
forecast was good, there was some
swish new fishing gear on board as
we set off to Channel Island from Half
Moon Bay early.
It was a cold start, the temperature
gauge in the car claiming -3, ice on
the windscreen of the boat, a thick
frost over all the grab rails and a hot
cuppa coffee to warm us from the
inside out…
The plan was to head to Channel in
the hope of finding kings to test out
some of the new Stick Bait gear recently
purchased, but we needed a backup plan.
First stop – Live Baits, a quiet little bay
in the back of Waiheke proved to be a
successful stop, and after a bit of a burley
session we had a tank full just in case.
On the trip out we saw Brydes whales
and dolphins, but couldn’t find any
22 www.nzfisher.co.nz
likely looking sign on the sounder, so we
decided to stick to the plan and head for
the horizon. A few miles before we got to
Channel we came across some sign that
looked promising. ‘Cubura’ jigs, or ‘Sliders’
were the lure of choice, and very quickly a
few nice pannies arrived in the boat. Now
as I mentioned, winter fishing isn’t our
forte, so we basked in the glory of being
able to take home a feed of fresh snapper.
Next drift things spiced up somewhat,
reels screaming, rods loaded… Well, two of
us anyway.. It’s funny, there’s always one
on board that seems to miss out on the
good stuff, this time round I was stoked it
wasn’t me!! Poor Graeme felt a little left
out of the action, the fish were fantastic at
www.nzfisher.co.nz 23
playing along in the game, only jumping
on the hook long enough for him to get
excited and then spitting it back out.
Meanwhile Josh and I were landing good
healthy snapper between eight and 16
pounds. After we had four or five of these
‘big boys’ in the bin, every fish we landed
we attempted to release with mixed
success. We celebrated as they swam back
to the green depths. It’s just such a good
feeling being able to let them go to live
another day and provide stocks for our
future generations.
In amongst all the action my little 60 gram
Orange ‘Cubura’ got smashed by something
big and heavy. After a long slow battle, we
“ Josh and I were landing good healthy snapper between eight and 16 pounds. After we had four or five of these ‘big boys’ in the bin, every fish we landed we attempted to release with mixed success. We celebrated as they swam back to the green depths.”
24 www.nzfisher.co.nz
saw some colour – a bit of yellow, a bit
of green… Trevally! At 64cm long the
biggest any of us had seen. Both hooks
on the ‘Cubura’ were nearly completely
straightened from the fight. Sashimi all
round was the call, too tasty to go.
With a few more drifts and 15 healthy
snapper on board, we headed to Channel
in the hope of finishing the day on a
high with kingfish in our sights. Alas, it
was not to be and after just a few token
casts the call was made to return to our
snapper spot for and more fish each
before the long trip home.
So happy to say, by far the best winter
fish we’ve had. Thanks to the kind
weather gods, the snappers, Trevor
the tasty Trevally, the good folks at
Surtees and Yamaha for a comfortable
day on the water and finally…. Winter
Success at last. ■
www.nzfisher.co.nz 25
A unique combination of professional-level features plus easy-to-use operation makes the new HDS III Series of fishfinders/chartplotters both exclusive and yet some how effortless.
See it. Believe it. · Superior Lowrance® target separation· Visibly better screens· Obviously faster interface· Full boat integration and system control
The next generation has arrived. To see how Lowrance Gen3 can make you a better angler visit lowrance.com/hdsgen3
Download and upload maps, software, and apps direct to your fishfinder / chartplotter.
Lowrance Pro: Scott Mitchell lowrance.com/ScottMitchell
26 www.nzfisher.co.nz
KAYAKFISHING
Sometimes it’s timing, others technique but after a while you get a feel for what’s working and it’s a damned good feeling.
I Hate Winter FishingBy Derrick Paull
www.nzfisher.co.nz 27
I FIND AUGUST A terrible fishing
month in general and more so for lure
fishing. Cold water, strong, cold winds
and incessant rain interspersed with
bitterly cold clear days. Bliss.
I’ve been chasing truth this winter
and needed a hit of salt water and
decided after a chiding from my kayak
guru Stephen Tapp that the Viking
Reload needed to be reloaded onto
the truck and get its bum wet instead
of spending its winter in the rafters
gathering dust.
My paddling buddies Forbes and
Daz were out so I hooked up a ride
with recent yak convert Orson, and
we headed north neither really
convinced on the best location as we
got on the motorway north. Around
Constellation Drive we agreed on
Shakespeare Bay and got our heads in
the game.
The forecast was for a brisk, but warm
nor-wester that appeared a bit more
on the west once we hit the water
and that complicated situation with
a strong incoming tide frothing the
water just off the headland into the
Tiri Channel. Heading out there was
sign everywhere – but no decent size
to it and definitely no snapper lurking
under it.
The wind picked up significantly and
caused us to head for the shelter of
the headland and into shallow, weedy
shelves looking likely but extremely
barren for the hour or so we needed
to hide until the sun came out and
the wind died completely.
“So what now? The world at your feet – what to do? As I said, I don’t like, or don’t trust winter fishing because fish are slow, fickle and a damned pain in the arse to get to bite.”
www.nzfisher.co.nz 29
So what now? The world at your feet
– what to do? As I said, I don’t like, or
don’t trust winter fishing because fish
are slow, fickle and a damned pain in
the arse to get to bite.
The sign on the Lowrance was getting
exciting – I’ve become so reliant on
the Chirp/Down-scan functions I’m
stoked I have it now on the kayak too
– but I was struggling to entice a bite.
The fish were hugging the bottom
hard and did appear to be feeding
– but not on what I was offering. I
tried standard soft baits, inchicu’s and
sinking stick-baits. Nothing.
“Daz has an annoying way of finding fish when there’s seemingly none around – and he usually looks like he’s not fishing. ”
30 www.nzfisher.co.nz 18+ lbs snapper off the rocks.
KAYAKFISHING
So, time for a re-think; as we all do
when confronted with these kinds of
situations I looked back to experience
and recalled one such experience
where I got my ass handed to me by
Daz on such a rubbish August day a
few years back.
Daz has an annoying way of finding
fish when there’s seemingly none
around – and he usually looks like he’s
not fishing. This in-fact means that
he puts on a fresh soft-bait and casts,
lets it sink and does nothing. And I
mean nothing. No twitch, no jerk, no
lift and check. Nothing but winding
the slack in. Until it gets a hit. Which
it does because at this time of year
snapper are lazy and slow. Which is
what I’ve been accusing Daz of being
for a long time.
But it worked. I slipped on a Savage
swim bait & doused it in Berley mate
black-stuff and let it fly. The Savage
baits are articulated & the tiniest
movement makes them look very
much like a wounded baitfish, and
you don’t need to move them far –
exactly what’s required when you
don’t want to out-run your prey. The
stink of the Black-Stuff brings them
near and the wounded baitfish gets
the bite.
Less effort, not more.
In the last 30 minutes before dark
managed to bag four keepers after
three hours in the wind catching
nothing. Slow, lazy fisherman catches
slow, lazy snapper. Maybe I could
come to like winter fishing (for the
record, my toes defrosted by the
Harbour Bridge on the way home).■
“Slow, lazy fisherman catches slow, lazy snapper. Maybe I could come to like winter fishing (for the record, my toes defrosted by the Harbour Bridge on the way home).”
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
Boatmaster
Maritime VHF Operator Certificate
Coastal Skipper
Radar
GPS Operator
Engine Maintenance
Marine Medic
Sea Survival
Sea Kayak and Waka Ama
Club Safety Boat Operator
Bar Crossing
PWC
Powerboating
Sail Cruising
Motor Cruising
32 www.nzfisher.co.nz
READERPICS
Alex & Ollie with Alex’s
PB snapper - a 12.05kg
monster
>
Felicity Anderson with avery nice Pearl Perch from Cairns, on a recent trip
>Winner!
Reader Pics
www.nzfisher.co.nz 33
Mark Cockburn with a PB snapper 5.9kg
from Cape Runaway queens birthday
weekend this year
>
Ollie Reeves with an early winter Ngongotaha Rainbow.
>
Reader Pics
34 www.nzfisher.co.nz
VIDEOOFTHEMONTH
Gurnard Where, How & On What
I love gurnard, for the table rather than on the end of a line. They’re ridiculed for their inability to fight, they’re admired for the stunning beauty of their wings and sought after for their delicious, sweet, delicate fillets.
We took a day out from chasing monsters to fill the fry-pan
– check out how we did it, here.
www.nzfisher.co.nz 35
Com
posite D
evelopments
(NZ) Ltd
3 Piermark Drive, Albany Industrial Estate,Auckland 0751, New ZealandPO Box 302 363, NHPC, Albany,Auckland 0751, New ZealandP +64 9 415 9915 F +64 9 415 9965Freefax 0800 SKIN FISH E sales@cdrods.co.nzwww.cdrods.co.nz
Like us on Facebook!
www.cdrods.co.nz
2015catalogue
facebook.com/CDRodsNZfacebook.com/Borntofishnz
Composite Developments (NZ) Ltd
Composite Developments(NZ) Ltd
Share an Awesome Photo and Be in to Win!
Share an awesome photo this month and be in to WIN a $150 Composite Developments Voucher!
This months winner is Felicity Anderson. Felicity has won a $150 Composite Developments voucher,
happy spending Felicity! ●
COMPETITION
Competition!
Share an awesome photo of you with a fish to our Facebook page, or email it to derrickp@fisher.co.nz by ? and you’ll be in to win an $150 voucher from Composite Developments to spend on anything you like from their 2015 catalogue - click here to view.
www.nzfisher.co.nz 36
Have you subscribed to NZ Fisher? It’s free!Simply visit www.nzfisher.co.nz to get a copy of NZ Fisher
delivered straight to your inbox every month!