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!

ALLNEW

GREENMACHINE

Honda’s brand new BF60 four-stroke EFI outboard engine combines exclusive Honda technologies in a lightest-weight-in-class package that delivers best-in-class performance.

The newly-designed, water-cooled, three-cylinder engine incorporates electronic fuel injection, Honda’s revolutionary Boosted Low Speed Torque (BLAST™) air/fuel ratio and ignition-timing technology, and lean burn control to deliver powerful start-up and acceleration together with outstanding fuel economy during cruising (ECOmo). NMEA2000 compatibility allows the BF60 to communicate with onboard marine electronics, while ultra-smooth operation and world-leading environmental performance combine to crown the new BF60: ‘Green Machine’.

BF60

www.hondamarine.co.nz0800 4 STROKE (787 653)

Honda_BF60_BC_FP.indd 1 18/6/2013 8:58:44 AM

ALLNEW

GREENMACHINE

Honda’s brand new BF60 four-stroke EFI outboard engine combines exclusive Honda technologies in a lightest-weight-in-class package that delivers best-in-class performance.

The newly-designed, water-cooled, three-cylinder engine incorporates electronic fuel injection, Honda’s revolutionary Boosted Low Speed Torque (BLAST™) air/fuel ratio and ignition-timing technology, and lean burn control to deliver powerful start-up and acceleration together with outstanding fuel economy during cruising (ECOmo). NMEA2000 compatibility allows the BF60 to communicate with onboard marine electronics, while ultra-smooth operation and world-leading environmental performance combine to crown the new BF60: ‘Green Machine’.

BF60

www.hondamarine.co.nz0800 4 STROKE (787 653)

Honda_BF60_BC_FP.indd 1 18/6/2013 8:58:44 AM

www.nzfisher.co.nz 3

Pg 6

16

20

Pg 32

CONTENTS

editorial

LANDBASEDFISHING6 Barrier Kings

HUNTING10 NZFisher goes Hunting COOLGEAR16 Torpedo7

SEAFOOD COOKERY18 Bradley Smoker Christmas Ham

FRESHBOAT20 The NZFisher Frewza gets a Makeover

NEWPRODUCTS20 The New Honda 250hp – Silver Bullet

HOLIDAYFISHING26 Christmas is coming!

28 Reader Pics 30 Competition31 Video of the month

NEWTACKLE 32 Microjigging

• Forged aluminum, 2 tone anodized side plates• ALC: Rigid 1-pcs anodized aluminium frame• Aluminium left & right side plates• Machined aluminium star• Multi-disc Carbonite drag system• 4BB + 1RB Stainless steel bearing system• Quick-set anti-reverse roller bearing• Precision cut brass main and pinion gear• Adjustable 6-pin velocity control system• Aluminium twin paddle handle with oversized knobs• Available in both left and right hand models

ISIS

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AKENA

CITRIX

SERRANO

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Akena

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• ALC: Rigid diecast aluminium frame• A6061-T6 machined aluminium, anodized V-shaped spool• External adjustable centrifugal cast control system• Multi-disc Carbonite drag system• 7BB+1RB bearing drive system• Micro-click drag star for precise drag settings• Quick-set anti-reverse roller bearing• Graphite sideplates• Available in both left and right hand models

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• ALC: Rigid diecast aluminum frame• CRC: Corrosion Resistant Coating process• Aluminum right side plate holds gears in perfect alignment• A6061-T6 machined aluminum, anodized spool• Magnum light spool on SR-200W for reduced weight• Heavy duty, machine cut, Dura brass gearing• Multi-disc Carbonite drag system• Micro-click drag star for precise drag settings• 10BB+1RB stainless steel bearing drive system

www.nzfisher.co.nz 5

MERRY FISHMAS! OK, it’s a tired

line, but despite the history of poor

fishing over the Christmas break, I

hope you all experience some great

fishing moments in your holidays

and days off. Neil has come up with

a few new species to chase over the

break – if you’re not making headway

against the normal ‘target species’ his

tips are worth considering.

In my case I’ve loaned the boat to

my mate Brendan who’ll be up at

Doubtless Bay trying his luck – be

sure to say ‘Gidday’ should you

see him out there. I’ll be staying

in Auckland this year, spending

time and banking brownie points

for a bumper game season (fingers

crossed!) and enjoying some time on

mate’s boats.

If you do manage a feed (and we

hope you do!) don’t forget about

utilising the whole fish. As a kid

I grew up thinking the only part

of a fish we could eat was the

fillet – slipped off the bones with

the deft flit of the knife. As times

have gotten tougher and fish more

precious we’ve been educated,

and learned the best parts of the

fish are the bits we used to throw

awayIf you have any questions,

check out this video on utilising the

entire fish by Matt Watson and the

Freefishheads.co.nz team.

We’re stoked to be introducing two

great competitions in this month’s

issue thanks to both Honda Marine

and Torpedo7, you are some very

lucky readers! You can only be in to

win if you are a NZFisher subscriber,

so we suggest you subscribe now if

you haven’t already. If you’ve got any

questions, check out our Facebook

page for more info.

Whatever your plans and where

ever you find yourself, have a great,

relaxing and safe Christmas. May the

FISH be with you!

Tight lines,

Derrick

//From the EDITOR

editorial

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 PaullART DIRECTOR / Jodi OlssonCONTENT ENQUIRIES / Phone Derrick on 021 629 327or email derrickp@NZ Fisher.co.nzADVERTISING ENQUIRIES /Phone Richard on 09 522 7257 or email richardl@espiremedia.comADDRESS / NZ Fisher, C/- Espire Media, PO Box 137162, Parnell, Auckland 1151, NZWEBSITE / www.NZFisher.co.nz

Cover: Tom Lusk’s landbased Fly caught kingfish from north of Auckland

This is a GREEN MAG, created and distributed without the use of paper so it's environmentally friendly. Please think before you

print. Thank you!

Barrier Kings - from the Rocks

FINALLY, I GET A chance to write in more detail about our

recent land based fishing adventures. Regular visitors to

www.benisland.co.nz know that I’m into land based fishing,

and as any keen angler, I also enjoy putting the few friends

that come and visit me onto the fish. At times this can prove

difficult, mostly because fishing is not their highest priority,

but it certainly is easy with my mate from England. Paul is an

expert on catching kingfish from the rocks. He’s dedicated,

very experienced and most of the time, well prepared. He

uses the word ‘kingi’ a lot during a day.

As in most things in life, the key characteristics needed to

be a successful land-based kingfish angler are preparation,

timing, dedication and skill. Luck is of course more than

helpful. After three ‘pleasure fishing sessions’, meaning

stray-lining dead baits for a couple of hours without using any

burley to catch a feed of snapper and kahawai, it was time to

take Paul to a spot on the east coast to target kingfish.

Our timing was great, the big swell that had pounded

the coastline for a hand full of days had receded to half

a meter, and the low tide was due early in the morning.

We left BENIsLAND at 0530 and it was still dark when we

parked the car and walked on the beach. After a bit of a

hike and climb we reached the ledge and started prepping

our gear. We set the kingfish rod, the stray-lining rod and

the bait rod. Paul also has a rod dedicated for popper

fishing only and we finally deployed the berley. I think it

was about seven in the morning, the sun was just coming

up and I had the first bait in the water. My next words

to Paul, who was prepping yet another rod (the fly rod)

were: “There’s snapper in the berley trail.” Indeed, it was a

pleasure to watch legal-sized snapper right by my feet.

While 30-ish centimetre snapper were cruising up to the

surface, swallowing bits and pieces coming off the berley,

before swimming back into the deep, a solid snapper

appeared and just cruised right by the ledge. That was

certainly exciting and I tried a few tricks to hook it. It wasn’t

actively feeding, wasn’t shy at all and, unfortunately, wasn’t

keen on the baits I cast. I tried getting it more excited

throwing pieces of pilchards at it, but that was all moot.

We estimated it at about five pounds and since it just hung

6 www.nzfisher.co.nz

The hard part

landbasedFISHING

www.nzfisher.co.nz 7

around there, I cast pilchards a bit further away; perhaps

there were even bigger snapper in the deep.

The rod bent immediately, something was pulling line and

was swimming sideways. Hmm, perhaps a kahawai? It turned

out to be an almost 30 cm long trevally. Being a good host

and knowing that Paul will gladly send it back into the ocean

with a solid hook in its back, I offered the trevally to him.

I kept landing trevally, they were really hungry and took every

bait. We had been fishing for an hour and a half, still no sign

of any kahawai. The big snapper had cruised off but watched

us land a few of his mates. The fishing was so productive

that we just kept one good trevally in a bucket with water,

releasing the rest, knowing that there are good and hungry

fish at our disposal.

While Paul was sharing a story with me, line started peeling

off his reel and making that unmistakable sound. He looked

out to the balloon, which had popped by now, then to his

rod. Yes, something is going on mate, go to your rod! A

few seconds later and he had the rod butt in the gimbal,

the line tight and striking.

It appeared as if there was no solid hook-up, he struck

again, wound some more line in, but wasn’t sure if there

was a fish at the end of the line. Once the rod started

bending (Paul likes to fish a lot of drag) he couldn’t keep

it up. All doubts were gone, a big fish was hooked and it

wasn’t happy about that at all.

The fight was intense, the kingi tried different angles,

going left, going right, going deep. Paul tried to keep the

rod tip high, but with so much drag, he was essentially

muscling the fish just on the drag. So it only took about 2-3

minutes until I could see the colour. Shimmering silver with

some green and yellow.

I had the gaff, and we mentioned to each other almost

simultaneously that it is longer than a metre (75 cm is the

size-limit for kingfish), before I gaffed it unprofessionally in the

belly region. The fish was secure on the gaff and although it

hadn’t gained much line, it seemed to be somewhat powered

out when we secured him higher on the ledge.

What a great morning, great snapper and trevally action.

A decent 25 pound plus kingfish landed. Time to pack in

and enjoy the rest of the day I was thinking to myself. Paul

was thinking: “Nice kingfish, I bet there is a bigger one out

there.” When I suggested releasing the big trevally we had

in the bucket, I heard: “Noooo, we’ll put that out and catch

a bigger kingi.” So we kept on fishing, I stray-lined (a bit

half-arsed) and Paul had a 35 cm trevally out there.

By 11 o’clock the sun was pretty high and

it was getting hot; really time to leave!

We packed in and climbed out, sweating

under the sun.

We ended up fishing the same spot on

the next day, something Paul really didn’t

fancy. “I never fish the same spot two

days in a row,” he said. “Hmmm, Beni,

I don’t know.” We discussed at length

other places we could potentially fish,

but there was really only one alternative

The sideline sport

Livebaiting Trevalley

landbasedFISHING

8 www.nzfisher.co.nz

which I didn’t fancy because you get caught out there by

the tide.

Well, Paul was (kind of) right. The same spot, similar

conditions, no snapper in the burley trail, no trevally, no

kahawai, no piper, actually there wasn’t much happening at

all. We spotted a kingfish cruising by but he didn’t respond

to the popper Paul cast and it certainly wasn’t interested in

what I was doing.

I really tried hard to catch a kahawai or other fish I could

use as live bait to no avail, and didn’t help that Paul was

constantly repeating that nothing was going to happen

today. “Too calm mate, same spot, too.” “Nah, we should

have stayed at home.” “Shouldn’t be here.” “Nothing’s

going to happen mate…”

So what does a good host do? Yes, I green-berleyed

while he was eating his chips. Green berleying is a special

technique which involves a bit of praying, a bit of patience

and a homage to the (fishing)-Gods. What do you know,

the bites got stronger - at least it felt like big fish taking

bait, and out of nowhere comes a kingi which cruises past

the ledge.

I might add, exactly as I had told Paul, close in, from right

to left. Believe in the green-berley. This time he cast close

to the rocks, the kingi turned around, followed it frantically

and got hooked on its first attempt to bite it.

It looked bigger than 75cm in the water to me, but I

suggested we try to land it without gaffing it. The fish had

a good go at getting away and was tired, we managed to

lift it out of the water by the tail and the leader.

On the rocks it still looked bigger than 75cm, but we had

plenty of kingfish on ice at home. Giving it away was an

option but instead of measuring it we just deployed it

gently back into the water.

I managed to get some of the action of the second fish on

video. See Ben’s video here.

Text reproduced with the permission of Ben Assado.

Ben Island lives permanently in the hills of Tryphena, in a

rugged and stunning bush block and pursues his dream

of living in harmony and sustainably from the land.

Land based fishing and blogging about the simple, yet

utterly fulfilling life on Great Barrier Island are his favourite

pastimes. Follow his fishing adventures for big snapper and

kingfish off the rocks on www.BENIsLAND.co.nz.

landbasedFISHING

belt protector pouch to keep them

safe on your hip.

Click to check the specs! >>> [Link

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10 www.nzfisher.co.nz

hunting

NZFisher goes Hunting

A fisher out of water

GETTING INTO DEER STALKING has always been

something I have wanted to do. Unlike fishing I have

found the entry into hunting much more difficult. Having

some friends with experience is the best way of getting

over that first hurdle. For me that meant choppering into

the Kaimanawas and chasing sika deer with three seasoned

hunters. Not a bad entry point for a beginner, so as you can

imagine I was brimming with anticipation when we loaded

up the chopper at Helisika.

After just fifteen minutes we were there. One thousand

metres altitude, a mixture of tussock, scrub and mature

beech forest and an eternity away from civilisation;

but hopefully a whole lot closer to my first deer. Other

than that we had a small, but well equipped hut and a

crisscrossed matrix of clear streams that had carved their

way into the pumice filled hillside. An amazing vista that

was all ours for the next five days. Oh, and I neglected to

mention the trout. After all, this is a fishing magazine.

By Darren Parsons

www.nzfisher.co.nz 11

hunting

Looking out of the hut, the open door framed a

picturesque pool with the familiar shadow of a trout finning

into the current. This was a post card, not a hunting block.

With the trout grinning at us from the river and still plenty

of daylight left before primetime hunting, we set off for a

casual stroll up the river with rod in hand. The trout in the

pool next to the hut was actively feeding, darting back and

forth across the pool. It didn’t take long for him to take a

fly either; but he fell off after a short battle. We headed

upstream and the next pool had four large trout in it. This

place was paradise.

Standing on a bank directly above the pool I was able to

guide the angler’s casts to the four fish as they moved

around the pool. The water being so clear, however, it

was all too easy to spook the trout just by passing the fly

line over the top of them. This was at a different level to

anything I had encountered before. This situation was soon

resolved by the next pool upstream, which hosted two

nice trout. Brent cautiously presented his nymphs without

passing the fly line over the fish and he was soon hooked

up. Not the most energetic of fights ensued (on the fish’s

part that is), and with a couple of quick photos the trip was

off to a successful start.

As evening ensued we hoped this meant the deer would

come out into the open. Being November, conditions were

warm, but not yet dry, so there were pockets of green

grass that might entice our four legged friends out. Well

that was the plan. So that first evening Brent set off with

me under his wing. I was bubbling with enthusiasm but

watching my feet to make sure I didn’t make too much

12 www.nzfisher.co.nz

Great Kingfish country

noise (apparently the deer don’t like that).

As we walked, Brent pointed out the signs; how to tell

the difference between old and fresh deer poo and

tracks. Clearings amongst the scrub that were likely

to hold deer were also highlighted. After walking for

an hour and then glassing a likely looking slope for

another hour we hadn’t seen any deer and dusk was

fast approaching. We pushed along the edge of a

scrub line and as we came over a rise we spooked a

hind that was only about 30 metres away. It darted

off into the bush. My first encounter with a deer and I

didn’t see it.

Our first day’s activities soon came to form somewhat

of a routine. Upon rising we had the option of a

morning hunt. The rest of the day would be filled with

eating, reading, and a stroll up the river in search of

trout. Every evening we would all take to the hillside

with our binoculars in search of deer. On the second

evening I even managed to spot one too. Well, it did

take about five minutes of Cam pointing it out with the

binoculars for me to actually see it. It was an important

lesson though, as the image I eventually tuned in on was

very different to what I had been expecting to see.

So on the third evening after we had done the hard

hunting

www.nzfisher.co.nz 13

My senses were so highly tuned I could hear the blood surging through my head.

yards and crashed through to the very back of our block,

I knew what I was looking for. Scanning what was a very

large valley with the binoculars, I soon locked in on two

small, grey and stationary shapes. I paused my gaze on the

shapes for at least ten seconds and eventually one of them

moved, its bright white tail confirming that I wasn’t seeing

things. Two more deer came out of the bush and joined

them, including a nice six pointer stag that proceeded to

clash antlers with a spiker.

This was like watching Discovery Channel, but I was keen

to get within firing range. It’s fair to say I may have been

a little excited, but we kept low and used cover to move

closer to the deer. I had convinced myself that this stag was

going to be it.

With only twenty minutes until it was dark, and about 700m

of scrubby hillside between us and the deer it just wasn’t

going to happen. Brent made the very prudent suggestion

to just watch them and come back the next day. After all,

deer are creatures of habit.

hunting

14 www.nzfisher.co.nz

hunting

The next day was one of anticipation. As evening

approached I became increasingly anxious that the deer

wouldn’t be present due to a change in the weather

conditions or because of hunting disturbance from the

adjacent block. We made our approach up a different ridge

line to ensure we were pushing into the wind.

As we stuck our heads up above the ridge, Brent spotted

five deer amongst the scrub in front of us. Slightly out

of range for a good shot at about 300 metres, but a lot

closer than the day before. We didn’t have much option

but to descend the hillside, which was directly in their

line of sight. They must have noticed some movement as

this made them move across the hill, not fully spooked,

but at a canter.

We were hoping that they were merely returning to the

good patch of grazing we had seen them on the day

before. So walking into the wind we stalked slowly around

the scrub, rifle at the ready. With each carefully placed step

I was anticipating seeing a deer. My senses were so highly

tuned I could hear the blood surging through my head. But

when we eventually came to the grassy slope where we

thought the deer may be there was no sign of them.

We sat down and glassed the valley below us hoping our

mob of deer would re-emerge. Within five minutes Brent

had spotted two more deer and we made the decision to

have a crack at them rather than wait for the original mob to

reappear. We stalked up on them using a bush line as cover.

Brent took time to clean the rain from our scopes and we

both adjusted our eyes to the view through the scope in

the light conditions that we were experiencing. Poking

our heads into the open I soon spotted one of the deer,

about 120 metres away. I tried to take a standing shot,

but a combination of weak arms from holding the rifle

and adrenalin meant that I couldn’t keep the rifle steady

in this position.

Shooting prone wasn’t an option, so I sat down and used

my knees as a rest. At this angle the deer were obscured,

but eventually one stuck its head up and looked directly

at us. I placed the crosshairs and took a deep breath. With

an echoing boom four days of stalking, whispering and

anticipation came to a sudden and very loud end. “I think

you got him” Brent said. After about 5 seconds a deer

stuck its head up.

A crescendo of shots rang out as Brent unloaded his

magazine and bambi bounced across the hillside jumping on

all fours. “I’m out of ammo, no here’s one”, you take a shot….

shoot in front of it…”. While disappointed that I had missed

my chance, we were left laughing as the small deer escaped

unscathed despite bullets smattering the hillside all around it.

Nothing like a good turkey shoot. Brent suggested that

we have a look to see if we had hit anything, this seemed

strange to me as we had clearly seen the deer escape. But,

there laying exactly where I had aimed the first shot was a

small hind. A shot through the neck, heart and lungs had

poleaxed the deer instantaneously.

The deer was gutted and strung across my shoulders. While

the walk home was long and a bit sore on the shoulders,

we were upbeat, and made it back to the hut just on dark.

Cam had shot a much larger hind earlier that day, so we had

plenty of meat to take home. I couldn’t have hoped for more

out of a first hunting trip. Thanks to Brent, Cam, Martin and

Jackson for showing me what to do.

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COOLgear

The Summer Shopping List with Torpedo7Who doesn’t want an excuse to get some new fishing gear? Here are some of the hot summer picks from the team at Torpedo7. Check ‘em out and get special promo prices just for NZ Fisher subscribers!

The ultimate man powered fishing craft! Experience the thrill

and excitement of landing that big

one off this massive 365cm Fishing

Kayak with rudder. This vessel

features rod holders to significantly

help keep your kayak clutter free

during travel and comes equipped

with a tackle/utility hutch that also

doubles as a fish ruler.

The contoured seat also gives you

the option of attaching a kayak

chair for added comfort during

those long fishing endeavours,

while the rudder offers greater

manoeuvrability when paddling/

fishing. Click to check the specs!

Stealthy Fishing Kayak – $799.99

Throw away your rusted and heavy pliers. Constructed from

aircraft grade aluminium, these

Saltura pliers have been anodised

for absolute corrosion resistance.

The tough Tungsten carbide cutter

jaws will take care of braid, heavy

mono and wire while the main jaws

are engineered from hardened, high

carbon steel for rugged strength

and reliability. Slip one of these

lightweight pliers into your lure bag,

tool box or tackle bag. Comes with

belt protector pouch to keep them

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Saltura Multi-function Fishing Pliers - $49.99

www.nzfisher.co.nz 17

COOLgear

These deluxe ice boxes are built to last. They use a Heavy

Duty polyethylene construction and

featuring heavy duty non corrosive

double lid hinges and side handles

to avoid the harsh salt eating away at

them. It is insulated with high pressure

polyurethane which helps to keep

temperatures lower for longer, keeping

your salt ice frozen for up to 5 days.

If space is an issue on your boat- these

work perfect when doubled as a

seat because of their durability and

comfortable sitting height. Available

in 50L, 70L, 100L and 150L models.

Click to check the specs!

Keep it cold all Day - From $189.99

Tackle bags are a good option for people wanting all their gear in a single bag. With zip access to the internal compartments you can

easily get to the bottom of the bag without having to sift through hooks.

The comfortable shoulder strap proves priceless if you have to walk out

to your favourite fishing spot. Front and side exterior zip pockets are ideal

for keeping all your new flasher rigs or your items that you want to keep

separate and easily accessible.

Relix tackle bags use the Relix 2200 clear plastic dividers to keep all your

tackle together and organized. Each of these come customizable to your

specific needs which is handy when wanting to divide up hooks, swivels,

sinkers etc. These internal compartments are made of heavy duty durable

plastic that is 100% worm proof. Click to check the specs!The Fisherman’s Bag - $49.99

Win a $150 Gift Voucher with NZ Fisher and Torpedo7!To celebrate the summer season we’re giving away a $150 voucher to spend at www.torpedo7.co.nz in each of our summer issues.

Competition open only to NZ Fisher subscribers. Head to www.nzfisher.co.nz to subscribe for free!

1-2-3 Easy Steps to Enter!

Head to the1. Torpedo7 website to decide what you would spend the voucher on if you win

Read this issue of NZ Fisher and answer this question...2.

“In our Christmas fishing article, how many types of shellfish are mentioned?” Go to our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/NZFisherMagazine and tell us your answer and what gear you would choose 3.

by leaving a comment on the special Torpedo7 post.

Entries close 15 January 2014 and winner named in our January issue!

18 www.nzfisher.co.nz

seafoodCOOKERY

THIS IS AN ESSENTIAL RECIPE for every smoke-loving

BBQ and fishing fanatic. The Christmas ham is as much a

part of our annual holidays as rain on Christmas day! Here’s

a pretty simple and very tasty way to experience your own,

homemade, Christmas Ham!

CURE MIX FOR 5 LBS. (2.25 KG) OF PORK

3 Tbsp (45 ml) Bradley Maple Cure (Do not use more than

this amount.)

1 tsp. (5 ml) teaspoons onion granules or onion powder

1 tsp. (5 ml) garlic granules or garlic powder

1 tsp. (5 ml) white pepper

honey (optional) 1 to 3 Tbsp.

Note: If the meat weighs either more or less than 5

pounds (2.25 kg), the amount of cure mix applied must be

proportional to that weight. For example, if the weight of

the meat is 2 1/2 pounds (1.15 kg), then each ingredient,

including the Bradley Cure, needs to be cut in half.

Blending and applying the curing mix:

Weigh the pork. If more than one curing container will be

used, calculate separately the total weight of the meat that

will be placed in each container. Refrigerate the meat while

the cure mix is being prepared. (Any plastic food container

with a tight-fitting lid — or a strong plastic bag — can be

used as a curing container.)

Prepare, calculate, and measure the required amount of

curing mixture for each container. Mix this curing blend

until it is uniform.

Place the meat in the curing container(s). Rub the cure

mix on all surfaces evenly. Cover, and refrigerate. The

refrigerator temperature should be set between 34°F and

40°F (2.2°C to 4.4°C).

Bradley Smoker Christmas Ham

www.nzfisher.co.nz 19

seafoodCOOKERY

Overhaul the pieces of meat after about 12 hours of

curing. (Overhaul means to rub the surfaces of the meat

to redistribute the cure.) Be sure to wet the meat with any

liquid that may have accumulated in the bottom of the

curing container.

Overhaul the meat every other day until the required

curing time has elapsed. (Cure one week per inch: If the

thickest piece is 1 inch, cure 1 week; if the thickest piece is

two inches, cure the whole batch 2 weeks.)

Assuming the maximum thickness of the pork is 2 inches (5

cm), the pork will be fully cured at the end of two weeks. When

the curing is finished, rinse each piece of pork well in lukewarm

water. Drain in a colander, and blot with a paper towel.

Wrap each piece of pork in a paper towel, and then wrap

again with newspaper. Refrigerate overnight.

Smoking the ham

The next morning, remove the paper and dry the surface

of the meat in front of an electric fan or inside of a smoker

heated to about 140°F (60°C). If a smoker is used, make

sure that the damper is fully open. Do not use smoke.

Drying the surface will require one or two hours.

When the surface is dry, cold smoke the pork for 3 hours.

If your smoke chamber temperature is higher than 85°F

(about 30°C), the smoking time might have to shortened to

prevent excessive drying.

Raise the smoke chamber temperature to about 150°F

(65°C).

Smoke about 2 or 3 hours more until the surface of the

ham takes on an attractive reddish-brown colour. Remove

the meat from the smoke chamber.

Cooking the ham

After removing the ham from the smoker, it may be cooked

using one of several methods, or it may be refrigerated

or frozen and cooked later. If it is to be refrigerated or

frozen, cool it at room temperature for an hour or so and

refrigerate it – uncovered – overnight; the next morning it

may be wrapped and, if you desire, frozen.

Suggestions for cooking the ham.

(Ham is fully cooked when the internal temperature is at

least 160°F (71.1°C).

Leave the meat in the smoker and hot smoke it until it is done.

Wrap each piece of ham in plastic food wrap and cook

in a steamer. This is an excellent method to cook the

ham; the juices are retained by the plastic wrap. (A

steamer may be improvised by using a large pan with an

elevated rack inside; cover with a lid.)

Bake it in an oven.

Slice it and fry it.

Note: If the salt taste is too mild, add about 1 teaspoon

of salt to the ingredients list the next time you make

this product. If the salt taste is too strong, reduce the

amount of Bradley Cure by about 1 teaspoon.

For more information on Bradley Smokers and a heaps

more recipes then visit: www.bradleysmoker.co.nz

20 www.nzfisher.co.nz

TRUE, MAKEOVER’S ARE usually the domain of women’s

mags and trashy fashion shows on late night TV – but we

thought we’d spruce her up and make sure you can see us

out there doing it!

If you do see us on the water or at the ramp, come and say

Gidday. We’re always keen to get to know the readers and

to know what you think of what we do. If the fishing’s hot

– show us your catch – if it’s tough, we’d love to see if we

can help. Wherever we are, make sure you let us know, you

know who we are!

The boat graphics were designed by Strip Strike Fly Fishing

club founder Brent Condon, Brent‘s been a Conceptual

Graphic Designer and Digital Illustrator for almost 20

years under the name of ARTTANK illustration and has

a passion for customised one-off fly fishing illustrations

for boats/boat signage/decals. If you’d like a similar look

for your boat, drop Brent a line on 0210713214 or at

blankbc_creative@hotmail.com

The NZFisher Frewza gets a Makeover 1

2

3

4

5

5 simple rulesto help you stay safe:

Life jacketsTake them – Wear them.

Boats, especially ones under 6m in length, can sink very quickly. Wearing a life jacket increases your survival time in the water.

Skipper responsibilityThe skipper is responsible for the safety of everyone on board and for the safe operation of the boat. Stay within the limits of your vessel and your experience.

CommunicationsTake two separate waterproof ways of communicating so we can help you if you get into difficulties.

Marine weather New Zealand’s weather can be highly unpredictable. Check the local marine weather forecast before you go and expect both weather and sea state changes.

Avoid alcohol Safe boating and alcohol do not mix. Things can change quickly on the water. You need to stay alert and aware.

For more information about safe boating education and how to prepare for your boating activity, visit www.adventuresmart.org.nz

KNOW BEFORE YOU GO

The Boating Safety

Before you go boating on our seas, lakes and rivers, get familiar with New Zealand’s Boating Safety Code, no matter what kind of boat you use.

CODE

www.adventuresmart.org.nz

The Water Safety The Outdoor Safety

CODE CODE

Also available:

FreshBOAT

www.nzfisher.co.nz 21

1

2

3

4

5

5 simple rulesto help you stay safe:

Life jacketsTake them – Wear them.

Boats, especially ones under 6m in length, can sink very quickly. Wearing a life jacket increases your survival time in the water.

Skipper responsibilityThe skipper is responsible for the safety of everyone on board and for the safe operation of the boat. Stay within the limits of your vessel and your experience.

CommunicationsTake two separate waterproof ways of communicating so we can help you if you get into difficulties.

Marine weather New Zealand’s weather can be highly unpredictable. Check the local marine weather forecast before you go and expect both weather and sea state changes.

Avoid alcohol Safe boating and alcohol do not mix. Things can change quickly on the water. You need to stay alert and aware.

For more information about safe boating education and how to prepare for your boating activity, visit www.adventuresmart.org.nz

KNOW BEFORE YOU GO

The Boating Safety

Before you go boating on our seas, lakes and rivers, get familiar with New Zealand’s Boating Safety Code, no matter what kind of boat you use.

CODE

www.adventuresmart.org.nz

The Water Safety The Outdoor Safety

CODE CODE

Also available:

22 www.nzfisher.co.nz

NEWProducts

The New Honda 250hp – Silver BulletReel Life Adventures’ get repowered

www.nzfisher.co.nz 23

AS WE TOUCHED ON in last month’s issue, Capt. Phil of

Reel Life Experiences has refitted his White Pointer with

the new Honda BF250. In an effort to show it off, we were

invited to experience Phil’s hospitality and check out how

the Honda performs in everyday use.

As many readers will know, I’m traditionally a rock fisher

who has migrated to kayaks and more recently a five

metre boat, so the pattern of always wanting something

bigger has been set. There’s no doubting a launch will

be fun, but at present I’m eyeing up a 6m – 8m boat as

the next NZFisher boat, should NZFisher ever grow up

we’ll need a bigger boat right? Getting a chance to ride

on different rigs like Reel Life is a real pleasure – it’s not

only the fishing, but experiencing the ride and the new

territory that matters.

I’ve fished a fair bit of the southern side of Bay of Islands;

mostly from the kayak but a few long days have been spent

traipsing around the hills of Cape Brett in search of rocky

ledges too. I’d paddled as far as the Twins, but not out

to the Hole in the Rock, so when Captain Phil advised the

weather was against us and we were to be fishing the Bay

of Islands instead of Whangaroa, I was keen to see some

new water.

On the boat for this trip was Ian Biddick, of Honda NZ and

Brett Patterson of Fishing News. The goal? To get Captain

Phil to give up some secrets – be it fishing or the low down

on the Honda.

The weather preceding our trip had been outrageous – 50

Knot easterlies off shore had developed huge swells the week

NEWProducts

24 www.nzfisher.co.nz

before and cancelled my previous weekend’s fishing in the

Reel Rods comp out of Whatuwhiwhi. We were desperate

for a fish and the pressure was on our skipper.

First stop were live-baits where Brett proved a fine foil

for the crafty yellowtails – little did they know their fate

was to be far worse than the drop from the Sabiki to

the floor, before finally slipping into the bait tank.

With 25 baits in the tank we headed out of Te Puna

inlet and were met with scattered flocks of Gannets,

lazily dropping from the sky on patchy schools of bait.

Showing potential but no rewards, these pockets of

bait kept us interested but fish-less for an hour before

we made the call to head out to Bird Rock for some

kingfish action.

During this quick burst across the Bay it became really

apparent how quiet the Honda really was. I run the

Honda 60hp on the NZFisher Frewza and know how

quiet the Hondas run, but you expect the 250 horses

of the BF250 to be so much louder. It was Brett who

bought it up, but in the open cabin of Reel Life we

were just talking like we were in the pub – no need to

shout as the outboard just doesn’t get that loud.

At Bird Rock we were met by schools of trevally and

kahawai busting up and chasing whitebait in the currents.

The kingfish signs were good and we soon latched onto

NEWProducts

www.nzfisher.co.nz 25

a couple of legal, but rat kings. Once we determined the size

of fish on hand was small, we reverted to plastics and micro-

jigging gear to at least make a fight of it!

We landed a number of small kings and after a while I started

flicking a new Hitter Aurora on a heavier stick-bait set. I didn’t

get any follows, but Capt. Phil was pretty keen for a go – the

new Hitter lures are making quite an impression!

Phil didn’t get any action for the first few casts but on

cast three, while luckily the camera was rolling; there was

a very visual – brutal strike! Sadly however within a few

seconds it was all over – broken at a wind knot (not the

knot I blamed Capt. Phil for in the video!) This was not to

be our day! Check the video here – its work a look for a

chuckle anyways.

We had a few more casts and headed back to some in-

shore reefs for a bit of a bait fish. The weather was building

and despite some bust-offs, it wasn’t until we revisited the

mid-water work-ups of the morning that we landed any

memorable fish. I ended the day with a 12lb snapper to my

name – definitely the best of a very hard day!

On the way in we had a chance to really quiz Phil on the

boat setup and the new Honda. For those that know

Capt. Phil he’s a bit of a hard nut. A fishing nut and hard

to get to share secrets. When discussing the Honda

though, he was an open book. He’s got a Garmin GMi10

set up to help monitor the engine, and it was set to fuel

consumption specifically.

Phil reckons he’s burning about two thirds of the gas

he was previously and the benefits have been more

than just financial. Instead of filling the tank every trip,

Phil’s only filling every second day – it just doesn’t burn

enough fuel to justify it!

An average day out of Whangaroa is only using 50 litres or

about 5 litres an hour on average. The motor runs once a

day, usually from 7am through till 5pm. Keeping punters on

the fish all the way in all sorts of weather takes 50 odd gear

shifts a day – 3000 already and it’ll be a whole lot more the

way the fishing is up there right now (it’s definitely come on

since we visited!)

Our day ended up in the Italians, a very Italian restaurant

in Kerikeri. It was definitely my day when César the Chef’s

served me the special Russian Roulette pizza with the

hottest chillis in the north – small price to pay for landing

the fish of the day!

NEWProducts

26 www.nzfisher.co.nz

HOT SUN AND STILL AIR – perfect for a beachside

bonfire but not great in the middle of the day while

you’re trying to catch a Christmas holiday feed.

Last month we looked at where and when to find

Christmas snapper & kings, but what else can you chase

over the holidays to fill the fish bin?

If you’re the diving or snorkelling type, the ocean is

overwhelmingly bountiful. Think beyond just scallops

and crayfish – there’s so much more! In 2011 the rules on

mussels were relaxed and now you can collect mussels on

snorkel and scuba. Mussels are a juicy, delicious and they

don’t fight back!

Most rocky bays around the coast have mussels somewhere

– and they’re often able to be found just walking around

reefs at low tide or in tidal rock pools near headlands in

good current.

Mussels are easy to collect, you just need to wrench them

from the rocks and keep them cool and dry before cooking.

Unlike sand dwelling shellfish, mussels do not require time

to spit out sand and grit after capture so they can be eaten

almost immediately - some people do have them raw!

The easiest and often considered the best way, to cook

them is gently steaming them in their shells over a smoky

flame. Mussels don’t require much cooking and are

definitely better on the side of undercooked than over,

when they become tough & a bit chewy. The daily limit

in most of our waters is 50 per person per day, but check

local limits to be sure! (10 per person is plenty and they

don’t run away, so be smart and leave a few for next week!)

For those more suited to simpler things, traditional ‘pipi

hunting’ is still alive and well in New Zealand. While a

lot of our beaches are not loaded with pipis specifically,

there’s almost always cockles and tuatua’s to fill the creel.

As a kid I remember walking what seemed like miles across

sun-drenched mud flats at Whangateau to the edge of the

deepest channels that wind across the flats. Where the

So where do the fish party?By Neil Wagener

holidayFISHING

Christmas is coming!

Mussels

www.nzfisher.co.nz 27

lowest tides rest between flows the pipis and cockles are

the largest and most prevalent. That means twice a day

you can wander out with bucket in hand & dig a few inches

below the sand/mud surface and find plump, salty tuatua

and cockles.

Sadly, many of our best ‘beds’ have been decimated

through poor management and greed. While the daily limit

in many areas is 150 shellfish per person per day, 20 or 30

per person is plenty - I cannot think how terrible it would

be for us to lose these amazing coastal resources – please

be respectful.

Pipi, cockle & tuatua are very similar in flavour and their

preparation can be treated as if they are the same. All

three filter sand loaded water and remove the nutrients.

This means there’s often a lot of sand inside them when

you dig them up. I’ve heard lots of opinions on how to

get the sand out, but my preference is simply to leave

them over night in a cool place in a bucket with salt water

(from the sea) and a teaspoon of flour or corn-flour – which

annoys them and makes them spit out their sand loads.

Whether you give them time to spit their sand or not,

cooking is very simple and can be varied depending on

how you want to serve them. All these shellfish need is

heat, whether its from steam, boiling or on the grill, they

steam in their own juices – salty, sweet and a flavour

reminiscent of the sea itself! Try mixing them into pasta

(alla Rick Stein) or something more interesting – like this!

Once again, if you can get yourself below the surface, paua

are a real delicacy worth searching for. In the North (North

of Auckland anyway), legal paua are a rare and prized find

but anywhere rocky south of Opotiki on the East Coast will

often offer up legal paua in good numbers. There’s a few

things to bear in mind when hunting them out, but there’s

no real ‘rules’.

Paua generally like to be on the sheltered side of rocks that

are themselves amongst larger rocks and boulders that

break up the surf and waves. Paua eat algae that grow on

rocks. They often end up covered in algae themselves & are

hard to see, but once you’ve found one, you’ll find a bunch!

The minimum legal size is 125mm across the longest part

of the shell in all of NZ, except the Taranaki area – but

check local rules. You’re only allowed 10 each, but in all

honesty you’ll only need one each at most.

Correctly cooking paua is a question for the ages. I like

them as fresh as possible, shelled and knocked hard once

with something very heavy. We then slice them and very

quickly fry them with a bit of butter & garlic – Mmmm – I’m

salivating just thinking of them! However you cook them,

enjoy the flavour. Paua are subtle but tasty, don’t go too

heavy on other flavours.

Hopefully you’ll find some tasty treats on your summer

breaks – good luck & Merry Christmas!

holidayFISHING

Mussels galore!

Paua & Crays

28 www.nzfisher.co.nz

READERpics

Reader Pics

Barry Williams showing off a well conditioned spring snap from a rough Coromandel Day.

Denis Railey & his new PB, a stonking 26lb, 93cm Snapper FROM THE KAYAK!!!!.

Dominic Ryan with his new PB, a 5kg snapper caught ont he first drop with his new Powerflex rod.

Peter Whig & a very tasty looking JD caught in Whangaroa Harbour

www.nzfisher.co.nz 29

READERpics

Tom Lusks Landbased King on fly - stunning!

Stephanie Ryan with a 12lb Kawau Trevally caught on her Dad, Chris’ boat.

Dave Brown with a fatty snapper landed mid winter on a Trigger-X softbait

Hibiscus Kayak Fishing Club member Steve with a nice Rawhiti Snapper (Thanks Dave Brown)

Michelle MacKinven with a 68cm spring schoolie caught about Alan ‘Alanimal’ McKinven’s new Rayglass 850 Legend.

WINNER

30 www.nzfisher.co.nz

Win a Trip on Board Diversity with Tackle-It & NZFisher!

JUST POST A PIC of you with a fish to

our Facebook page and you’re in the

draw to win day trip aboard Diversity

care of Damo and the team at Tackle-It.

Every image you enter has a chance

to win the big prize. The more and

sooner you enter, the better your

chances so get fishing and posting

those images to Facebook!

WINNER: Stephanie Ryan with a

12lb Kawau Trevally caught on her

Dad, Chris’ boat.

COMPETITION

www.nzfisher.co.nz 31

There’s no doubting the Epic team based from

Tairua and Whitianga are at the top of the kingfish

charter business here in New Zealand, but in these

two videos you get to see it all from the anglers

perspective. It’s not just kingfish featuring here either!

First off there’s a day aboard Sanity with Tobes

where there are over 20 kings landed with the best

three going over 20kgs!

Day two was landbased with Owen ‘Bush Billy’ up

the Coromandel coast – check out the fish landed &

try to guess the weight of the one lost!

VIDEO

Fishing Video of the MonthWe often hear anglers refer to their trips as ‘Epic’ but that phrase can only really be attributed to one trip – the one you take on Epic Adventures. There’s three boats and a landbased charter in the ‘fleet’ now so who’d be surprised to find so many great videos from the Epic stable online.

32 www.nzfisher.co.nz

NEWtackle

AFTER SEEING GREG’S intro to micro-jigging last month

we thought we’d give it a go and also try a few of the

micro stickbaits we’re seeing appear in a few tackle shops.

In both cases we were pretty impressed with the results as

both stickbaits & the little jigs out-fished not only soft-

baits, but also bait.

What we found was using such small jigs we started using

even lighter tackle – you need to stay in touch with the jig.

I was lucky enough to have a 4kg Hearty Rise / Ducro 10

set up with 10lb line – perfect for twitching jigs and flicking

the stickbaits. We didn’t encounter any big fish, but the

micro jigs in particular elicited bites when nothing else was

working. We were fishing 10-28gram Zetz Boggie, Asari

Mah & Maria mico-jigs; all fitted with factory assist or

treble hooks.

What was really interesting was the species that hit the

these new jigs. Typically flicking around the inner gulf we

hook snapper and the odd kahawai, but with the micro-jigs

we landed gurnard, yellowtail (Mackerel), snapper, kahawai

and kingfish – all the while we only hooked a couple of

snapper n soft baits. OK, so its early days and we don’t

want to get carried away, but the early results have been

really encouraging.

Don’t be fooled by their size – these jigs get hit and hit

hard by most species. I’m very keen to get them in front of

some tuna this summer – they’ll be deadly!

To date we’ve only lost one micro-jig, and that’s very good

as the lowest cost one we could find was $13.50 – not

cheap, but very effective!

My new favourite lure is the Little Jack Sayoris – it’s best

described as the closest thing I’ve ever found to a real

piper in the water.

They’re weighted almost perfectly to just sink a tiny bit,

allowing them to be fished in reefy areas where you want

the bait below the surface, but not sinking into the weed

and getting tangled. I’ve now had snapper, kahawai,

trevally, goatfish (I know!?!?!) and kings on these little baits.

I definitely recommend changing out the trebles for single

hooks and even reducing them to two instead of three –

fish hit them hard as it is, so there’s not much need for the

trebles and you’ll be much safer without them!

We’re planning a few Far North missions in the next little

while, so all going well we’ll have some more feedback on

both the micro-jigs (what works best, where, and when)

and some more of the ever increasing list of small stickbaits

on the market.

Micro-jigging; the next big thing

Sayoris

Sayoris got bit

Perfect imitators

www.nzfisher.co.nz 33

GIVEAWAY

Be in to win these awesome prizes from Honda Marine - just for subscribing to NZ Fisher!

HUGE NZFisher Subscriber Giveaway!BOY, ARE WE excited about this one! Thanks

to the good people at Honda Marine we’ve

got this awesome 70L Icey-Tek chilly bin and

two Hutchwilco inflatable lifejackets to give

away to one lucky NZ Fisher subscriber.

We’ll be drawing the winner of this huge value prize in our

February issue and entering couldn’t be easier - simply

subscribe to NZ Fisher and you’re in the draw!

How to enter:If you’re not already an NZ Fisher subscriber, simply head

to www.nzfisher.co.nz and subscribe - it’s free! If you

already an NZ Fisher subscriber, you’re already in the draw!

Entries close 19 Feb 2014. To be eligible you must be

an NZ Fisher subscriber and a New Zealand resident as

at 19th February 2014. Winner will be announced in the

February issue of NZ Fisher on 26th February 2014.

f sher

34 www.nzfisher.co.nz

COULD IT BE YOU?

Congratulations to our Hooked Up prize winner for Issue #31!

HOOKED UP! Every issue, all NZ Fisher subscribers*

go in the draw to get hooked up with some fantastic prizes courtesy of generous NZ Fisher supporters. To find out if you’ve won simply check this section in each issue to see if your name has been drawn and then email us before the deadline to claim your prize. Sweet as!!!

*To be eligible to win stuff in the Hooked Up section you need to be a confirmed email subscriber to NZ Fisher e-Magazine and be a resident of New Zealand at the time of the draw. A big thanks to our Hooked Up sponsors! Please support them!

Braiden Keen is the winnerYou’ve won this month’s awesome Hooked Up prize pack including:

Your choice of mens or womens ReelWear T courtesy of • Reel Adventures

A $50 voucher to spend online or instore from • GoFish.co.nz

A super tough 3-tray tackle box from • Flambeau (contents not included)

Plus two 500ml bottles of • Tackle-It Odour Eliminator from PureAir to keep those fishy smells at bay!

To claim your prize you simply need to email jenniferl@espiremedia.com before 5pm Wednesday 20th December, 2013. Easy!

HOOKEDUP!

www.nzfisher.co.nz 35

COULD IT BE YOU?

Congratulations to our Hooked Up prize winner for Issue #31!

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!

regionalREVIEWSNEXTmonth

Coming up in our January issue:- Land based kingfish on fly- West Coast snapper fishery hammered- We test out some traditional Maori fish hooks And heaps more!