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

2 www.nzfisher.co.nz

Pg 16

10 12

Pg 4

CONTENTS

LANDBASEDFISHING

4 Fish of a lifetime

6 Roctober Fish Rocked!

SPORTFISHING

10 Trout: What are they good for?

HOW TO

12 Building Your Own

Mechanical Jig Rod

BOATFISHING

16 The Kids Take Dad Fishing!

18 What’s new in the world of fishing?

20 Regional Reviews

23 Fishing Video of the Month

www.nzfisher.co.nz 3

IT’S BEEN A very busy month since

the last issue of NZFisher graced your

inboxes. There have been tropical

game fish tournaments, mad chases

of gannet work-ups in the Hauraki,

a pretty cool landbased comp and a

shotgun start jetski comp from the

inner city. I guess that’s what spring

brings – manic fishing!

I had a pretty major hand in the

running of ROcktoberFish 2012 and

I’d like to say a big thanks to the

competitors, sponsors and supporters

online. After nearly six weeks of

abysmal weather, the sight of the

sun rising over Maitai Bay on the first

morning of the comp near bought a

tear to my eye. Over thirty hardy fisho’s

fared a big swell, bright sun and fish

with their mouths shut, but they did

really well.

I’m heartened by the spirit of our

fishers, still getting out there and

catching a feed for their families despite

trying conditions.

If you haven’t already, now is the time to

get your gear into your local tackle store

for that all important annual service. We

want you to land those great fish you’re

//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 Paull

ART DIRECTOR / Jodi Olsson

GROUP EDITOR / Trudi Caffell

CONTENT ENQUIRIES /

Phone Derrick on 021 629 327

or email derrickp@NZ Fisher.co.nz

ADVERTISING ENQUIRIES /

Phone Richard on 09 522 7257

or email richardl@espiremedia.com

ADDRESS / NZ Fisher,

C/- Espire Media, PO Box 137162,

Parnell, Auckland 1151, NZ

WEBSITE / www.NZ Fisher.co.nz

Cover Image: Forbes Taylor & his new ROctoberFish PB at 65cmCover insert credit: Young Greg Savage with his sensational 11.3kg - only his second snapper!

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

you print. Thank you!

likely to encounter over summer, so get

them done. Do it now!

As summer races towards us I’m

getting more & more excited to get

my hands on the NZFisher Boat that’s

busy getting built in the deep south.

Being so far away is tough. I want

to touch it, see it, photograph it &

spread the good news. We have a

new boat coming & it’s going to be

stunning. We’ve sent the electronics,

including the all new Lowrance HDS-7

Touch GPS combo that I am bursting

at the seams to play with. Ahh, the

agony. While I’m plotting ways to

catch more fish, it’s a pleasure to also

know there’s groups like LegaSea

(the NZSFC) & a light on the horizon

like the Fishin’ Future Search working

for us while we’re out there spending

our hard earned holidays time on

or under the water. They can only

do their thing with our help so once

again I ask you to please put a few

dollars towards these valuable groups

of volunteers who work hard for us.

Tight lines!

Derrick

4 www.nzfisher.co.nz

“landbasedFISHING

WELL WITH THE first Pania

surfcasting Club fishing comp

looming I glanced over Swell map

and it was crap to say the least.

South-easterly winds chasing a 2m

South easterly, lovely...Not!. SE is

probably the worst wind for Hawkes

Bay, add the swell and you are quite

limited with where you can fish. I

always like to head to the northern

reaches of Pania fishing boundaries

which extend from Herbertville in

the south and the beautiful Mahia

peninsula to the north.

I headed up Friday morning, eager

to get away and for a bit of a scout

around. With the forecast I knew

Snapper Rock would be fishable

and maybe Mahanga. One look at

Mahanga though, made me doubt

my choice of heading north. Brown,

full of weed and not nice at all.

Snapper rock couldn’t have been

more different. Clean and looking

great with a gentle half a metre swell

lapping at the shore. These were

perfect conditions for my target

species for the weekend decided to

head back to my batch in Mahia to

get a good rest.

430am and the alarm was going and

I was up ‘n into it. A short trip over

the hill to snapper rock I went. 5am

first baits were sent out. I didn’t

have to wait long before a couple

of gurnard were put on ice and they

were followed shortly by 2 kahawai

Fish of a Lifetime

www.nzfisher.co.nz 5

“ “and 3 more gurnard. The gurnard

were smallish but the missus loves

them so in the bin they go. It was

weird baits were lasting on the

bottom, unusual as we have a very

healthy crab population in Hawkes

Bay. If it didn’t get hit or catch a

fish they were coming back like I’d

thrown them out. Just after 8am

in the morning while I was down

changing baits noticed that one rod

was a bit slack, so I gave it a wind

and turned back around to my other

rod when the I heard a drag squeal

and turned round to see the rod

doubled over and line peeling off.

I grabbed the rod, tightened the

line, felt a pull back. I struck and it

took off on a short run. Then a weird

fight started, “nod, nod, short run,

side to side”. This pattern continued

for the whole fight!! I was positive

I had a big conga the whole way

in till I got it in close and glimpse

a flash of orange/silver and said to

myself, “OH NO Its a snapper and its

f@#ken huge!!!”

Words can’t describe the feeling of

when I saw it coming in on my line.

Bit of shock, almost **** myself.

Then freaked out a bit more as I

was by myself, gaff was 30m away

in the truck (you don’t need a gaff

for gurnard). I got lucky with a swell

that lifted the fish and beached on a

small weedy ledge and I threw down

the rod and dived in below the fish,

grabbed it by the tail and slid the

other underneath it and tossed it

up to the dry papa rock and did a

happy dance in the water, got out

of the water and did another happy

dance. All up completed about 6-7

happy dances in short order I ran

quickly up to the truck and grabbed

my Berkley scales and weighed

it. I was in shock!!!!! 13.66kg of

beautiful snapper !!!! I text my wife

and my good mate Chad to tell

of my great fish, responses were

the same, “Really? Bull****”. I

rang Chad then and he could tell

by my voice that I had caught a

great fish. I sent both him and the

wife a pxt of it sitting on the Pania

certified scales 13.656kg. Was a

weird feeling. I had a need to tell

the world but Chad said there may

be another one there, and I didn’t

want the whole lot of club mates

crowding me out so I kept it quiet

and continued sending more baits

out and waited. I picked up a nice

trevally and 1 more gurnard by 10

am, then it went pretty quiet. Didn’t

matter what baits I threw out there

, they were coming back untouched

but I persevered throughout the rest

of the day, changing bait every 30

mins. Around 730pm I had big hit

and when I struck it came up solid

and the telltale nod started, but no

sooner had I got excited that I may

have another one that the hook

pulled and the fish was gone. Must

have been a conga. Apart from that,

a few small kahawai and one even

smaller gurnard was all I got till 9am

when I left.

The snapper went 13.44 kg 28 hours

after I caught it on the club scales at

weigh in Sunday lunchtime. For 30

hours of fishing I didn’t lose a bait

without seeing a bite or catching a fish.

landbasedFISHING

I was positive I had a big conga the whole way in till I got it in close and glimpse a flash of orange/silver and said to myself, “OH NO Its a snapper and its f@#ken huge!!!”

6 www.nzfisher.co.nz

ROcTOBERFISH IS A competition

like no other. Not only is it

Landbased only, you can catch

measure and release your fish –

providing there’s a quality image

taken before it goes back.

We ran it for a few mates last year

to test the theory & decided to go

hard at the concept in 2012. After

months of terrible, windy weather the

weekend forecast began to look just

about perfect from about 10 days

out. Those last ten days saw entrant

numbers double as it became obvious

we were on for a cracker.

The trip up was pretty eventful for a

couple of guys – including a blown

head-gasket & further 12hours of

travel time for one carload of anglers.

The briefing was straightforward –

go out & catch some fish! Some silly

buggers thought drinking whisky till

the wee hours was a smart way to

prepare & the 0500 start time was a

disaster as they struggled to move

let alone take their gear with them

(Forbes, did you mean to leave your

reels in my car?)

The morning dawned a beaut, no wind,

few clouds and a reasonable swell.

By all accounts fishing was hard,

but the fish that were landed were

of a large & long for their weights.

Doubtless Bat local John Buckley took

the early lead with a 76.5cm snapper

on the first morning that stood in first

place right through the day. Most

anglers had a more subdued second

night, choosing sleep over boozing

while a few hardier souls tried their

luck at Rangiputa after dark Jeffery

Zeelie of the North Shore club landed

a nice 50cm snapper, but no monsters

were snared.

Saturday dawned even calmer than

Friday with barely a puff of wind until

late afternoon,. This afforded access

to more spots but was countered by

a bigger swell. The NZ Land Based

game club guys headed out over the

ROctober Fish Rocked!

landbasedFISHING

www.nzfisher.co.nz 7

landbasedFISHING

Parengarenga bar in what one fisho

described as ‘daunting’ conditions. They

were rewarded with the best fishing of

the trip, not only in numbers but size.

Those closer to home base generally

struggled under the bright sun but

again the average size was very good.

Nearly all participants ‘measured in’

their fish at Whatuwhiwhi prior to

close off, but one large group missed

out by about 15 minutes. Sorry guys,

rules are rules!

The prize giving was a bit late as the

compeer was a bit busy enjoying a

beer & forgetting to tabulate results!

The crowd was in a great mood and

the prize giving was a whole lot of

fun. The standout was the average

length of fish measured – a staggering

57.8cm or about 3.2kg. That’s

phenomenal – it goes to show the

quality of fishing in the far North.

Congratulations to Mark ‘Sharkey’ Van

Deepen who narrowly took first place

over another Mark with a 79.5cm vs.

79cm flat snapper. There was only

one Trevally landed, by Aucklander

Matthew Ryan at 52 cm it took the

first place prize comfortably. Well

done also to Norman McIvor who

not only one the Early bird prize but

also took out the raffle & brand new

(yet to be released) Bradley Two rack

Smoker.

RoctoberFish was a great event &

worked really well. We’re looking

forward to making it a permanent

fixture on the tournament calendar.

On return to the big smoke I received

First place Trevally Matt Ryan (it was the only one!)

Tim & his PB

8 www.nzfisher.co.nz

landbasedFISHING

the following message in our

Facebook message box. It’s comments

like these that really inspire & make it

all worth it. Cheers Boyce!

Boyce Lawrence

“What an awesum organisation, comp

went well didn’t catch nothing, or even

a spot prize haha. But I can see this

Landbased comp getting bigger every

year. The really good thing bout this

comp is that it’s not the heaviest but

longest fish that wins.. Even average

an mystery length.. Prizes for a comp

this size so far actually amazed me and

(John) Buckely, good quality gear.. Can’t

wait for next year, see you’s then...”

A big thanks to the competitors who

took a punt and come north and a

special thanks to the main sponsors

of the tournament, without you we

are nothing.

• Okuma,

• Reel Rods,

• Go Fish,

• Bradley Smokers .

And many thanks Forsyth for the help

to make Rocktoberfish happen

Big Norm won the early bird & the Bradley 2-rack!

Congratulations Sharky!

Hasn’t Okuma come a long way?The exciting sound of the clicker, the subtle

take of the fly, the explosive strike that

comes from a rapidly retrieved popper...

fishing rewards the senses in so many

ways. From mountain lake to offshore

waters, at every turn Okuma Fishing

Tackle embraces your passion for the sport

of fishing.

Our 2012 introductions continue our

commitment to dynamic and innovative

rods and reels for both freshwater and

saltwater anglers. Within each, our goal is

to advance your skills and deliver a better

experience from every day on the water.

We accomplish this with advanced

materials, cutting-edge design and by

having one ear to the ground at all times.

Never wanting to limit your possibilities,

Okuma creates the tools to unlock endless

angling experiences.

www.cdrods.co.nzo nz

10 www.nzfisher.co.nz

sportFISHING

WHy IS FLy FISHING for trout so

popular? That is a question I often ask

myself. After all, they fight like a wet

sack, they smell like mud and most of

the talk about them revolves around

gear, technique, pomp and ritual.

On the other hand, we are blessed

with a trout laden Mecca here in

New Zealand and from what I hear,

the challenge is in the presentation

of the fly, not so much the fight. In

addition, many fly fishing locations

are set in picture post card locations

and trout don’t taste half bad either

(and that’s coming from someone that

doesn’t really like eating fish). Most

of all though, how could I really be a

critic of fly fishing if I haven’t given it

a nudge.

Well, it’s not like I haven’t caught trout

before, but I have always stayed well

clear of the fly fishing caper. The only

time I had ever picked up a fly rod in

anger was when I was 14. That was

fishing for kahawai, and mostly I just

managed to fling the tippet round

like a whip and snap off my fly. So as

a genuine rank amateur, what place

could be better to learn than the

mighty Tongariro River. Well, that was

Derrick’s idea.

So I needed some gear, and it seemed

fairly unlikely that I’d drop any coin on

a mudfish. Its times like these when

friends that really appreciate the slimy

critters come in handy. So thanks to

Steven for his gear and advice. Over

a 30 minute lunch I absorbed Steven’s

extensive knowledge on fly fishing.

I couldn’t afford to diversify my

techniques, so we were going to stick

to nymphing. Floating line, 8 lb tippet,

Trout: What are they good for?By Darren Parsons

In to it!

An outsider’s perspective on fly fishing

www.nzfisher.co.nz 11

sportFISHING

a yarn indicator (really guys, would it

make any difference if the indicator

was made of something else – there

is the pomp and ritual I referred to

earlier), a nymph and a “bomb”. As far

as I could make out the heavy “bomb”

nymph is a sinker with some colour

and a hook in it, and on the Tongariro

this “bomb” needs to be quite heavy.

Little did I realise that would have

consequences (more to come on

that). I also needed waders, they were

borrowed in the customary couple

of sizes too small. Derrick had more

experience with fly fishing, heck he

even had his own fly box with actual

flies in it! Being Derrick he couldn’t

help but decorate himself with some

new tackle (rod, reel and waders). So

even before we headed for the central

North Island I was a few hundred

dollars up.

On our first morning we headed

off into the mist in search of a pool

filled with trout. After an extensive

search where we rejected many likely

looking spots we eventually ended

up in the pool under the main road

bridge. Well not in the pool, but we

did come close. We could see trout

from the bridge and the other anglers

were catching them, but I started to

get cold feet. Not just because my

waders had a giant hole in them and

my left leg had filled up to the crotch.

No, worse than that there wasn’t a lot

of room on the bank that was clear

of obstructions or fishers. As such I

was a bit unsure about unleashing my

first cast in 20 years with anglers and

willow trees watching over me. The

other anglers were probably fearful

too, or they should have been. It was

also about now that I realised that

the Tongariro was probably not the

place to learn to fly cast. Big water

means that everything needs to be

done so much faster. Anyhow, as

you can see from the photo, I must

have got something right. Well, not

entirely. I caught trees, my indicator

didn’t really float much, and I caught

my back. I even managed to snap my

nymphs off on my back about four

times. This is where the weight of the

“bomb” has consequences, but you

should really ask the back of Derrick’s

head about that. So you can imagine

my surprise when I went to cast and

there was a fish on. I bet Derrick was,

he had hooked and lost three larger

specimens; all three at his feet. One

of them may have partially been due

to my apprehension to go to his aid.

I will blame that on the leaky waders.

Anyway, back to my fish, and this is

where I need to get really descriptive.

I wound it in. Well it wasn’t that

simple. I did have to untangle the

pool of line at my feet and even snap

off a small twig and wind it onto my

reel to get the fish in. Other than that

though, the fight was uneventful.

Job done, but now I had the bug. I

can’t put my finger on what it was. I

know for sure it wasn’t the “challenge

of enticing a trout to take your

presentation”. I think I had done

everything possible to not catch a

trout and still caught one, so they

can’t be the fussy critters they are

made out to be. Furthermore, the

particular specimen that I landed

wasn’t the best eating fish either. So

let’s put it down to an undefined X

factor. Trout have it. I’ll be back to

give it another go, so if you see me

with a fly rod in hand; Duck!

“ “Now I had the

bug. I can’t put my finger on what it was. I know for sure it wasn’t the “challenge of enticing a trout to take your presentation”. I think I had done everything possible to not catch a trout and still caught one, so they can’t be the fussy critters they are made out to be.

12 www.nzfisher.co.nz

howTO

Building Your Own Mechanical Jig RodEasy, right? Part 1 of 3

Rod building 101: skip the basics and any cosmetics and start with an acid wrapped jigging rod

The thought of building your own rod

can be intimidating due to the highly

technical nature and skill required

to get things just right, and that is

coming from someone that owns

multiple custom rods and has been

involved in building bits of them. The

evolution of jigging rod technology,

however, has resulted in some great,

but rather expensive rods. $800

would be an average price for a

decent jigging rod. That is simply

out of reach for many. Alternatively,

building your own rod allows you

to get the exact product that you

are after. That includes fitting it to

how you fish, and adding whatever

cosmetic elements that appeal to you.

These are some pretty good reasons

to build your own. So why would

you listen to someone who has only

built one rod from scratch? Because

only a beginner understands what

a beginner needs to know. Most of

the information that you find on the

web is for specific, and usually quite

technical elements, of rod building.

Here we present an easy how to guide

from scratch. In Saying that, being

able to pick the brain of someone

with real skill and experience is

invaluable (thanks here goes to Mark

Griffith – check out some of his builds

here. So I’d suggest that you utilise

whatever knowledge you can find.

This experience is especially important

in getting the correct components

together. If you are able to tap into

someone’s experience they will be

able to spell out the specifics that you

will need in advance to order your

components online (e.g. mudhole.

com). This is likely to save you money.

If you don’t have that advantage, then

it may be best to go to a shop that will

sell you the components and provide

you with advice as to what you need

at the same time (e.g. Monahan’s in

Auckland). Using online rod building

forums can also be useful (http://www.

rodbuildingforum.com/).

Rod blank: The first component you

probably want to consider is the rod

blank. The style of blank that you

choose will determine what type of

rod you build. The blank is also going

to be the most expensive part of your

rod. You can make significant savings

here though, by buying directly from

a blank manufacturer like Composite

Developments in Albany or Kilwell in

Rotorua that produce quality products

and are happy to work with you to

make sure you get the rod you.

The blank I used cost just over $100

allowing for a cheap overall build cost.

In terms of a jigging rod, it needs

www.nzfisher.co.nz 13

howTO

to be thick walled and have a high

graphite percentage (often referred

to as high modulus). This provides

incredible strength for a very light rod.

This combination of light weight, but

strength, is crucial for a rod that you

will be lifting up and down all day that

also needs to stop large kingfish. For

example, jigging rods often have the

ability to ‘dead lift’ weights in excess

of 20 kg. Jigging rods and blanks,

however, are most often rated for the

weight of lure they are designed for.

This rating is not very indicative of

the overall strength of the rod, just

the flexibility of the tip which works

the jig. For example, a 100 g rod is

suitable for jigs of around 100 g (plus

or minus 50 g), which would most

often be used in shallow (<50 m)

water. This rod will have a reasonably

flexible tip. A 400 g rod is suitable

for large jigs that are used in deep

(>80 m) and or high current locations

where large kingfish are expected

(e.g. The Three Kings or White Island).

This jig rod will have a reasonably stiff

tip, so that it isn’t overloaded by the

heavy jigs used. A jig rod rated for

200-300 g jigs hits the middle ground

that allows it to be used in more

situations than the more specialist 100

g or 400 g rods. Some rods may be

given a PE rating, which is based on

the line weight to be used with the

rod. PE 5 (50 lb) is probably the most

common line weight used for jigging

for kingfish, and would match 200-300

g jigs. PE 3 (30) would be suitable for

a 100 g jigs and PE 8 (80 lb) for 400

g jigs. Finally, the action of the blank

may also be referred to. There are two

basic types. Parabolic; when loaded

this type of blank will have an even

bend right throughout the rod. Fast

taper; here the loaded rod will have

the majority of the overall bend in the

upper third of the blank. The choice

here will come down to personal

preference.

Guides: Potentially the most

confusing component of rod building.

There are an unlimited number of

styles, sizes and insert types. This

is where you may need some input

from someone with experience to get

you underway. With jigging rods (or

any rod where you may use braided

line) you need to get guides with

inserts that won’t be eaten into by the

tough braided line. There are lots of

different types of insert, and some are

very expensive (e.g. Silicon Carbide).

Alconite is of sufficient quality to

handle braided lines and relatively

cheap, so was a good option for me.

Before you order your guides you

need to know how many you need

and of what sizes. This is difficult

without having the guides and blank

in hand to try different things out.

Here are a few pointers. Get a large

‘striper’ guide (the first guide up from

the reel). This ensures that the line

doesn’t touch the fore grip when the

rod is loaded. This will be especially

important for rods with a parabolic

bend. I used a size 25 striper guide.

You can also easily figure out which

tip top you need. A vernier callipers

will come in handy here (and for a few

other things to come). Measure the

diameter of the rod tip and ensure

that you order a tip with an internal

barrel diameter that is slightly larger

than this measurement. Choosing the

remaining guides will depend on the

length and action of your blank. My

final rod length was 5’4” and my rod

had a fast taper action. As such I went

14 www.nzfisher.co.nz

for a further 8 guides (14, 12, 2 x 10, 4

x 8). For most jigging rods you could

probably get away with 8 guides plus

the tip as opposed to the 9 guides

plus tip that I used. If in doubt order a

couple of extra guides .

Bottom end components: The

rest of the components are relatively

simple and a lot is often decided by

personal preference (the bottom end

of the rod is often where people use

‘rod bling’ to customise their rod).

If you want to keep it simple (and

cheap) then this is what I did. First

determine the final length you would

like the rod to be. Most conventional

jigging rods are between 5’ and 5’4”

(although there are some substantially

longer jigging rods in use overseas).

Remember the longer the rod, the

more leverage the fish will have

against you; this is why jigging rods

have evolved to become so short.

It is most common to adjust the rod

length from the bottom (although

some people do cut the tip). Place

a few wraps of masking tape where

you want the but to end and cut

with an angle grinder. Now you can

determine your reel seat position. This

is easily figured out. Hold your blank

under your armpit as though you

were jigging, positioning your hands

as though there was a reel. Mark

where the reel would be on the rod.

Reposition the rod but to your left

hip as though you were fighting a fish

and again note the most comfortable

position for the reel. You now need

to strike a balance between these

two positions for your final reel seat

position. Your reel seat will be about

12 cm in length. Again use masking

tape to mark out its position at each

end. You can now measure from the

bottom of the reel seat to the rod

but. This will be the length of your

bottom grip. Use your vernier callipers

to measure the rod diameter at few

positions within this butt section. You

need to get a grip that has an internal

diameter just narrower than this (it will

stretch and slide on with the glue).

Do the same for your fore grip. The

length of your fore grip will be limited

by the position of your striper guide.

For my rod this was 27 cm from the

top of the reel seat, but this may

vary with the action of your blank. In

terms of the type grip, there are many

choices, the most common is EVA. I

terms of your reel seat, you need to

ensure that its internal diameter is

greater than the external diameter of

the blank at the position where it will

be mounted. The reel seat also needs

to be of sufficient size to take the reel

you will be using. I went for a size 20. I

howTO

www.nzfisher.co.nz 15

also chose a graphite reel seat. While

not as flashy, they are light, cheap

and allow flex through this part of the

rod. At the top of your fore grip you

may consider a ‘winding check’. This is

purely cosmetic. I used a black rubber

winding check to help the visual

transition of the fore grip into the

narrower blank. At the butt end you

will need a cap or gimbal. This is up to

you. I chose a graphite gimbal with a

moulded rubber cap. Here you need

to ensure that the internal diameter is

greater than the rod butt.

Other bits: You will need some

binding thread. The colour of your

choice will determine the overall

look of the rod. You may also want to

consider different colours for under

binds vs over binds and for any extra

cosmetics you wish to build into the

rod binding. I chose one 100 yard

spool of black thread. This is enough

for more than one rod and gives the

simple look I was after. Furthermore,

using one colour is also cheap and

does not require skilful binding

techniques that I don’t have. Binding

thread often comes in different

diameters. I chose the thinner

diameter (“A”) as it has a better final

finish. Also consider getting colour

fast thread if available, this allows you

to avoid using (and buying) separate

colour fastening solution. You will

also need a flexible coating or finish

to seal over your bindings. There are

many choices here, they should all

work well. I bought 24 ml (two 12

ml syringes); this is enough for two

rods. To apply this coating you will

need small paint brushes and plastic

pottles. These are often sold in a pack

with the coating. If not you can get

cheap paint brushes and plastic shot

glasses from $2 shops. You will also

need rod building glue to secure your

reel seat and grips. Again there are

many options here. I bought a 4 oz

two part pack, again this is enough for

two rods. Non-specialist glues from

hardware stores can be used here

as well. You will also need masking

tape (this goes under the reel seat

and butt cap). I use ½ “ wide tape,

which I could only find on rod building

websites. Finally, you may need a

white ‘china marker’ pen for marking

positions on the rod. These are hard

to come by, but specialist art and craft

shops do have them.

Part II next month

howTOhowTO

16 www.nzfisher.co.nz

“UH-OH DAD, bites, BITES!” That’s

how it starts. You have a boat full of

experts and the small children are

out fishing everyone. A fish nudging

their baits and them slowly pulling

the bait away from the fish ever so

gently is enough for them to hook

up and play a huge part providing

dinner for the family.

Fishing with kids is just excellent fun.

Some get it, some don’t. But most,

even on their death beds with sea

sickness will manage a smile when

they get a tug on the line and are

miraculously healed at the suggestion

that someone else wind in their fish.

The simplicity and innocence of their

actions is something we all could take

some time to remember. The look on

a kids face when they have landed

a good fish is priceless. But????????

Why do the jammy little buggers catch

all the best fish on the day?

Think for a moment. Some have spent

thousands of dollars on boats and

fishing gear. We’ve spent hundreds

of hours on the water “perfecting”

our techniques, even more time

reading and yarning with people

about how to and how good we are

at it and the wee ones turn up chuck

a line over the side an whammo!

They’re into the fish of the day.

I’ve been fishing with kids for a

while now and I can’t work out if its

beginners luck or whether there’s

something in the way they fish. We

have lots of people on the boat

that just attempt to rip the head off

anything that comes anywhere near

the hook and miss most of them.

The small person just cruising away in

the corner, generally thinking about

something that has nothing to do with

the task at hand (Glee or One Direction

or even girls, as I found out with some

of the boys) are in to a fish every time.

We have seven Play Station games

in our house and all for a 20 year old

version. Barring 50knots and torrential

rain the play station was not an option

when the kids were growing up. There

is however, a Game Fishing one that

plays on it that did get snuck out a bit

when they weren’t around ;) We do

have 32 fishing rods though and they

could play with those whenever they

wanted.

The experience the oceans give are

priceless and they won’t all be fishing.

What they get to see on it, in it, or

under it cannot be gleaned from the

pretend world the gaming companies

promote; So every chance we got

to get them out we’d go fishing or

snorkeling or surfing, anything to get

them out there.

After a while you see their skill set

improve, they become more efficient

at knots, casting, handling and iki’ing

the fish. They learn species and to

read weather maps and become

involved in picking the days and places

to fish. Caring for the resource and

maintaining it for their offspring to

enjoy. This not a unique point of view

heaps of kids go fishing every day.

I did however attend a social function

a while ago where there was an

interesting man with an interesting

attitude. He was an excellent angler

by all accounts and presented some

very knowledgeable points of view. He

is the father of 2 young boys and when

asked how they enjoyed their fishing

he proceeded to tell the gathering how

he wouldn’t take them in the boat as

“they were a pain in the butt” and “the

children, they just get in the way”. I

simply felt sorry for him. I guess, each

to their own. So why do these jammy

little buggers land the good ones. Luck

or just simply the fish are there to be

caught. Is there some twisted fishing

god that gets a kick out of watching

the grownups shown up by the young

ones or could it be simply that they

are fishing? Time is our most precious

commodity; the person with the most

of it spent wisely will be the richest.

Take your kids fishing!

boatFISHING

The Kids Take Dad Fishing!

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:

Hannah’s Anazac Snapper!

Taylor driving

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:

18 www.nzfisher.co.nz

HDS Gen2 Touch 7

newPRODUCTS

What’s new in the world of fishing?

By Marc Touchette

LOWRANcE HAS expanded its HDS

Gen2 range, with the new wide-format,

touch screen HDS Gen2 Touch.

HDS Gen 2 Touch delivers the same

award-winning benefits that made

the HDS High Definition System the

world’s top-selling multifunction

display series, with Gen2 Touch

models incorporating new easier-to-

use, wide touch screens. Click here.

OKUMA RAW II

Tested by NZFisher (Size 40)

FROM the makers, Okuma: As the

leader in delivering best-in-class

spinning reel performance to anglers

of all levels, Okuma Fishing Tackle’s

all-new Raw II saltwater spinning reels

once again raise the bar. Constructed

from a proprietary, highly corrosion-

resistant aluminium alloy and

featuring Okuma’s Dual Force Drag

system with a completely carbon fibre

drag stack, Raw II spinning reels take

on both the toughest species and

harshest environments....

As tested: I’ve taken a liking to the

new breed of super strong, small light

weight spinning reels of the current soft-

baiting age. They’re light, tough and

very easy to use. After playing with a

few of the newest & shiniest (and most

expensive) I think I’ve got a decent eye

for their strengths and weaknesses.

Soft-baiting is a form of fishing that

you tend to do all day. That’s a lot

of casting, flicking the bail arm,

sporadically winding & then repeating,

with the monotony sometimes broken

up by a fish pulling back the other

way. You need tough, but light: and

that is a difficult balance.

Where others see weakness, I

see genius. The new Raw has the

components you most need in a

small spinner. Okuma have provided

a little ‘bling’ for the show ponies,

Raw II spinning reels

www.nzfisher.co.nz 19

but at its roots this is a little battler. What matters

most is a smooth, powerful drag coupled with a stiff,

strong body and handle. Others have suggested the

new carbon handle is lacking strength, but I only see it

lacking cosmetics, it was strong – and sensitive. The all

alloy body gives nothing and the drag is responsive and

strong. What will determine its value is longevity, so we’ll

have to see. At under $250 it’s half the price of similar

reels I’ve tested but performed as well, if not better in

some aspects.

What we liked: Smooth drag at all pressures. A tough,

lightweight frame and handle. The 5 year OKUMA

warranty to take away the guesswork.

What we didn’t like: The small diameter handle-grip.

AL-KO

AL-KO manufacturers, markets and distributes a

comprehensive range of products for the marine trailer,

caravan and motor home markets in Australia and New

Zealand. We are best known for our high quality running

gear range, including axles, brakes and suspension products.

AL-KO has a long and proud history in Australia spanning

back to 1946, when Hornby Engineering was founded

and started to produce axles in South Melbourne. In

1974 this company was acquired by Girlock and with

the acquisition of two other companies in Sydney and

Brisbane it became Australia’s largest company in its field.

In 1988 the German AL-KO Kober Group acquired

the company, which signalled the start of a new era of

international involvement in New Zealand and South

East Asia. The company’s strong growth over the last

decade has been driven by product range expansion and

innovation that has further enhanced AL-KO’s position as

market leader in its field.

AL-KO is proud of its reputation for high quality products

and services to the trailer, caravan and motor home

market. In the past, AL-KO products have only been

available for purchase from re-sellers and OEM suppliers.

Early this year, a decision was made to make AL-KO

trailer products available for online purchase direct

from AL-KO in New Zealand only. Our marine range

is made up of a number of categories including hubs,

stubs, drums, jockey wheels, couplings, bearing kits and

bearing buddies.

Check out the new NZ website here and take advantage

of their 50% off voucher

boatFISHING

Built-in StructureScan® HD sonar imaging, plus award-winning Broadband Sounder® with DownScan Overlay™ and TrackBack™ feature. The ultimate fish-and structure-finding display. www.lowrance.com/find

Personalised or optional Navionics® charts. View both at once in 3D perspective view, plus StructureMap™ and Broadband Radar™ capability. www.lowrance.com/navigate

New super-bright widescreen displays in 7, 9 and 12-inch sizes with touchscreen control. Dominate your time on the water with greater command and control that’s now easier to learn and customize. www.lowrance.com/dominate

P R E V I E W T H E N E W H D S G E N 2 T O U C H A T L O W R A N C E . C O M

www.enl.co.nz

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20 www.nzfisher.co.nz

Coromandel Source: carl Muir – www.EpicAdventures.co.nz

regionalREVIEWS

Wellington Source: Steve’s Fishing Shop

The Shore ReportThe Gurnard are in! Good numbers

of Gurnard have been taken in the

Harbour off most of the

wharves, and around the Miramar

Peninsula / Evans Bay area. The

Snapper are also starting to trickle in as

well, which is pleasing. Check out the

recent Wellington Snapper posting on

our Facebook Page.

Don’t forget to try different sized

baits e.g. whole Pilchards or small

Squids, with two 7/0 hooks for your

Snapper. Gurnard and Trevally prefer

smaller baits and light trace line like

30lb / 40lb Sufix Superior Trace Line,

which is clear and easy to tie. Adding

Hi-Vis Fluro beads and trace line to

your rigs can make a huge difference

to your catch rate.

Red Cod are still scavenging around for

your nicely presented Gurnard bait as

are the Kahawai. In amongst the small

Kahawai boil ups we have had several

reports of Kingfish being spotted.

It is not prime time yet for King’s

but still worth a shot. As soon as

the wind stops blowing so hard and

those random cold Southerlies die

off the numbers of Kingfish will start

to rise steadily.

West Coast is still getting hammered

by big winds from the Westerly

quarter therefore not much to report

from that coast. The West Coast really

comes into its own on the fishing front

from about November, and fishes well

for Snapper until late autumn.

South Coast from Turakirae Head to

right round to Honeycomb Rock in

the East Coast has been excellent for

good sized Spotted Sharks up to 7kg

with an average weight of 3.5 kg. The

Red Cod are feeding hard around the

many river mouths as are the Kahawai

this is due to Whitebait moving up

the rivers, Gurnard should start to

appear with more consistency on the

open coasts from now on.

Some nice Blue Moki have been

caught and these fish are great

scrappers as well a good eating

fish, and quite a few nice Spotted

Sharks which are an excellent sport

fish. Pictured is James Bennie with a

lovely Palliser Bay Spotted Shark

Good Luck and may the Fishing

Gods be with you. Felix

The Boat ReportThe Harbour has been the only nice

place to take the boat or Kayak out

over recent weeks due to

the constant barrage of high winds

most days. With the Whitebait

and other bait fish moving in, the

Kahawai fishing has been good along

with good numbers of nice Gurnard.

Trevally have been the surprise fish

here with Trevally being caught

at lots of different places. Those

fisho’s making the effort to berley up

when out in the boat are improving

ww

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www.nzfisher.co.nz 21

regionalREVIEWS

their catch rates and will have the

advantage over fishermen who don’t

use berley over the coming months.

Over the next few weeks more

Gurnard and Trevally will enter the

Harbour along with Snapper and

Kingfish. The hole at Kau Point and

Falcon Shoal plus the inshore reef

south of Camp Bay are all worthy

of a fish. Don’t forget - berley will

always improve your chances, I

know I keep banging on about

the importance of berley but the

majority of anglers still don’t use

berley and miss out on vastly

improved catch rates.

Stray line or live baits are always

worth a shot for Kingfish and

Snapper along with small ledger rigs

i.e. 2 to 3/0 rigs such as Kiwi Tackle

2/0 2 Hook Ledger Rig for Gurnard

and Snapper. Check out our Boat

Fishing Wellington Harbour fishing

hot spot for more information.

South Coast, just like the West Coast

the weather has made it hard to get

out with big swells and strong winds

slowing us all down. Those fisho’s

lucky enough to get out in between

the gales and big swells have mostly

found the fishing hard. Out wide

Bluenose and Groper have been

patchy at best.

Sometimes when you are thinking of

chasing the fish out wide in moderate

to rough seas, you may consider it just

not worth going out with the cost of

fuels, baits etc. It makes more sense to

wait for a nice day, and while they have

been few and far between nice days

are well worth the wait in the payoff of

comfortable fishing and better results.

Inshore reefs should be holding

good numbers of fish such as

Terakihi and Blue Cod as they have

not been fished much due the

weather making fishing impossible

a lot of the time. This is nature’s

way of protecting our fisheries and

it is a good thing that the weather

prohibits continuous fishing of the

same spots.

When the weather comes right, 5

Mile Reef, Western Ledge and Fitzroy

Bay will all be worth a shot. Don’t

be surprised if you get one or two

Groper on some the inshore reefs, and

November and December can be a

very good time for inshore Groper.

Looking forward to have better fishing

to report over the next few months as

the summer fishing season is almost

here. And don’t forget, we are only a

phone call or email away if you have

any questions about fishing, we are

always keen to help a fellow fisho.

Wishing you all the best with your

fishing.

Steve

22 www.nzfisher.co.nz

regionalREVIEWS

AND THE WESTERLIES just keep

on keeping on! While we’ve seen

equinox periods like this, and

even worse, the early start remains

unprecedented – and there appears

no end in sight at this point in

time. We have experienced these

cool westerly winds right into early

December previously, certainly well

into November. So, with a full six (6)

weeks of these winds under our belt,

how long will they continue to torture

us? Compounding this and making it

even more frustrating and difficult to

take, is the fact there’s some pretty

good fishing to be had out there!

Inshore

Certainly, due to its proximity to

shore, this area has seen more effort

in the small windows of opportunities

which have shown themselves.

Fishing here, by and large, remains

constant – not great and definitely

not bad. Snapper are continually

appearing in larger numbers with

many/most well over the legal size.

While limits are scarce, “good feeds”

are common. Natural bait seems to

have the edge over soft plastics at

the moment but that should change

as water temps increase with time.

Bolstering this species have been

terakihi, gurnard and omnipresent

kahawai. To combat the incessant

westerly’s some savvy anglers are

getting very early stats, heading west

(Rurimas, Matata) and then coming

home as soon as the winds freshen.

While early starts may not agree

with everyone it’s one way to secure

a good catch, avoid the nasty chop

created by wind and have most of

their day left to attend to shore side

activities!

Offshore

While the westerlies have been

decisively influencing the inshore

arena, they have been devastating

further afield. Thankfully there has

been virtually no swell to contend

with, just plenty of wind, resultant

chop and occasionally horizontal

rain – all good deterrents to keep

anglers either inshore or onshore.

On the few visits there over the past

fortnight, rewards have come to

those intrepid anglers.

For the first time in ages, some effort

was put toward deepwater species

with reasonable results. Small

bluenose and bass were bolstered

by some reasonable sized hapuka.

Back toward the island the kingis

continue their penchant for baits

with consistent catches in the windy

conditions. Water has predictably

gone green. How could it be any

other way with the offshore blowing,

upwelling creating westerly’s?!?

After flirting with the 30 kilo barrier

for weeks, it’s finally been eclipsed.

Hamilton angler Tim Degan landed

his 31 kilo specimen with mate Paul

Jones only a kilo behind – well done

guys. Otherwise the norm remains

with 15-18 kilo fish but more quality

fish over 20 appearing all the while.

Condition factors still vary greatly

between slabs struggling to gain

weight and barrels waiting to rid

themselves of milt and roe – judging

by water temps are still many weeks

away. Back in shallow water, light

tackle anglers are capitalizing on

some decent reef fish starring trevally

and terakihi but well supported by

porae, some very nice sized.

Ranfurly Bank

No visits whatsoever for obvious

reasons but due to change with

several visits scheduled next week.

Summary

Playing a waiting game? Got any

other choices? Hardly! We can but

hope for improving conditions sooner

than later. If this penance we’re

forced to live bait out is in trade for a

settled summer ahead then perhaps

it’s worth it. In the meantime if you

can get out it’s well worth your effort.

Till next week

Bay of Plenty Source: Rick Pollock. www.Pursuit.co.nz

cARLS REPORT this month is so

image heavy we can’t post it in the

mag. Click here for the full report,

awesome photos and a general round

up of Epic awesomeness.

Coromandel Source: carl Muir – www.EpicAdventures.co.nz

www.nzfisher.co.nz 23

Fishing Video of the Month

OK, FIRST UP this is neither a video or

is it about fishing – it’s just interesting

for a sheltered antipodean like me.

That’s some WOW- factor.

So here’s a real fishing video to

keep us on topic – well, spearfishing

video anyway. Check out the terakihi

at around 5.30mins – surprisingly

shallow...

And one more in memory of Reece’s

fab spot off Kapiti – It’s still there

but sadly Reece has moved north!

Great fish...

And lastly, this isn’t a video either, but

it’s a great read about how our young

cover insert (Greg) went fishing and

how his very second snapper was

a monster 11.34kg. Stories like this

don’t come around every day – I hope

you enjoy it as much as I did. Well

done Greg!

VIDEO

www.nzfisher.co.nz 24

regionalREVIEWSNEXTmonth

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IN NEXT MONTH’S NZ FISHER

• The new NZFisher Boat unveiled• Best jig reel on a budget• NZ Team wins Tongan

International Game tournament