wwwnzfisherconz 1

ISSUE 27 September 2013

wwwnzfisherconz

Champagne Fishing ndash Shore Boys on the WaterKiwis at the 2013 Offshore World Champs

Congratulations to our Hooked Up prize winner for Issue 27

2 wwwnzfisherconz

Visit okumafishingconzfacebookcomborntofishnz

A NEWOKUMA

BABY ISBORN

wwwnzfisherconz 3

Pg 6

12

20

Pg 36

CONTENTS

editorial

SPORTFISHING6 Champagne amp Fishing ndash What Did I Miss

COMPETITIONFISHING10 The World Offshore Champs 2013 LANDBASEDFISHING12 Bucket List Time in the Far North Part 2 ndash CMvD

BOATFISHING18 Monster Snapper Snared in Auckland

LOCAlFISHING20 Fishyourfeetfirst

SPORTFISHING22 Fishing amp Diving in Vanuatu

26 Reader Pics 30 Competition

KAYAKFISHING 32 So You Want to Fish from a Kayak

HOWTO

34 What Knot amp Why

GEARREVIEW 35 Jiggyrsquos Jigheads Tackle Review

Visit okumafishingconzfacebookcomborntofishnz

A NEWOKUMA

BABY ISBORN

ALLNEW

GREENMACHINE

Hondarsquos 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 Hondarsquos revolutionary Boosted Low Speed Torque (BLASTtrade) airfuel 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 lsquoGreen Machinersquo

BF60

wwwhondamarineconz0800 4 STROKE (787 653)

Honda_BF60_BC_FPindd 1 1862013 85844 AM

ALLNEW

GREENMACHINE

Hondarsquos 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 Hondarsquos revolutionary Boosted Low Speed Torque (BLASTtrade) airfuel 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 lsquoGreen Machinersquo

BF60

wwwhondamarineconz0800 4 STROKE (787 653)

Honda_BF60_BC_FPindd 1 1862013 85844 AM

wwwnzfisherconz 5

In the middle of August Irsquom having

the pleasure of sitting at my desk in

shorts and a tee smelling the flowers

of spring and the salt air on the breeze

ndash and itrsquos August Itrsquos possibly the

beginning of a wonderful spring or just

a teaser to get our minds off the fact

that itrsquos the middle of winter I cannot

help but draw the comparison with the

Ministry of Primary Industry and their

Ministerrsquos most recent public back

down on the Snapper 1 issue

Wersquore presented with the unthinkable

a possible bag limit reduction to three

Snapper per person But wait The

Minister tells media halfway through

the consultation period that itrsquos unlikely

that there will be such significant cuts

(ldquoSnapper back-down on the cardsrdquo

as one headline in the print media

read) Do we feel a triumph on the

cards Well only time will tell but

I cannot help but feel this is a false

dawn ndash the fight must continue if

we want to know our fisheries can

be secured for future generations

As far as spring goes the fishing has

been extremely lsquospring likersquo already

as many northern fishers have already

experienced The beach fishing in

Northland has been great with a few

15lb plus Snapper taken off Ninety

Mile beach this month and as the

landbased fly guys in Auckland have

been finding unbelievable patches of

fish on the inner Islands Seeing what

our Scottish-Kiwi contributor Aaron

has been landing recently the Snapper

fishing in the outer Hauraki has been

out of character for August too

The fish are biting hard most of the

day but theyrsquore in tightly concentrated

schools that are easy to run off when

you find them Also check out Mark

Kitteridge and his enormous kingfish

landed with the Epic Adventures guys

in late July That is a serious fish and

from what Irsquom told the biggest landed

onboard Epic so far Well done Mark

and the Epic team

As always get a line in the water ndash

you wonrsquot catch anything with your

rod parked in the garage

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 derrickpNZ FisherconzADVERTISING ENQUIRIES Phone Richard on 09 522 7257 or email richardlespiremediacomADDRESS NZ Fisher C- Espire Media PO Box 137162 Parnell Auckland 1151 NZWEBSITE wwwNZFisherconz

This is a GREEN MAG created and distributed without the use of paper so its environmentally friendly Please think before you

print Thank you

Fish of a lifetime

SPORTDfishing

Champagne amp Fishing ndash What Did I Miss

By Andrew Evans

wwwnzfisherconz 7

THE CHAMPAGNE CRICKET CLUB is

a club like no other founded on the

history of men who enjoyed cricket

champagne and socializing in the

late 60rsquos It is now being carried on

by a mix of ex Westlake and Rosmini

graduates in their late 20rsquos (two

schools with a fierce sporting rivalry)

The CCC enjoy the twilight and indoor

forms of the game only we donrsquot

want to embarrass the Black Caps

you see so a good proportion of the

club enjoy fishing In late June the

challenge was set for a Westlake vs

Rosmini fishing show down

Scrapper came up with the idea

and we were to base ourselves

in Ngunguru at his familyrsquos beach

house There was a loose itinerary

laid down with bottles of rum for the

biggest Snapper Kingfish and Most

Memorable catch With pride being

the biggest prize of all

We found ourselves heading north

from Auckland with a cold southerly

heading up the country The forecast

was to get better over the three

days so day one we were to let

the wind die out with a potential

afternoon Stray line day two would

be Snapper sessions along Tutukaka

coast and day three out to the reefs

surrounding the Poor Knights to chase

kingfish There were two boats to be

used Rosmini was equipped with a

Buccaneer billfisher named Strayliner

and Westlake on my new boat a 61

m fibreglass centre console named

Papillon Jared came up with a third

option the Boat show won Stabi

craft who went tohellipwe named this

Gaybi as in Gold Stabi Mostly out of

jealousy as we didnrsquot win it

Arriving on the first night the

Speights flowed and we didnrsquot really

realize when it turned into rum The

reports were of good Snapper in

close classic winter fishing and bait

and burley on the cards After retiring

far too late the call was made for a

late start

We awoke rusty to a brisk southerly

and a 2-3m swell hitting the coast not

the best conditions so the call was

made to go for a surf and wash away

the cobwebs After this we checked

the conditions again and again but

hangovers and Speights prevailed To

be fair it didnrsquot look amazing though

and we had two full days Donrsquot worry

we do get on the water this is a fishing

mag after all So once we settled

down and put the funnel away the plan

was made for a 530 am start

We awoke to two boats covered in

ice We loaded up and got everything

in order Although Scrapper and I

have done a fair bit of fishing we

both have had the dream fish of over

20lb elude us I have come close off

the far north bricks with one 19lber

and Scrapper more so with multiple

19lbers So close

We spoke on our last trip up north

about the quest for 20lbers often

overshadowing good trips as we

have been so keen to get them

that the quest can overshadow the

moment But this weekend wasnrsquot

really about us we both had crew

that although keen were very much

new to this level of fishing

None of my crew had even stray lined

before so it would be a mixture of

fishing a few baits and helping out

the lads so we could all have a good

time and ultimately win the comp It

was all on

As we left the Tutukaka ramp we

steamed up around the coastline

to find a likely looking area The

place is filthy with fishing potential

and the opportunities for greatness

are endless We both settled within

sight of each other in shallow water

Papillon a little wider in 10 m but

there was foul everywhere and it was

great Snapper territory The burley

was sent in and rigs were prepared

The very first bait thrown in by G

smashed by a respectable pannie it

was looking good A quick VHF call

between boats determined that both

of the Mattrsquos were feeling a little

under the weather so we werenrsquot

going to run out of burley

We had a stream of small fish and a

one up to the 50 cm mark so the bin

was no longer vacant No big runs

had really started however that was

about to change I had cleaned out

the freezer before I left and along with

a Skippy and an old flounder I had an

XOS jack Mack

SPORTfishing

Getting the best out of the little ones Place worthy

8 wwwnzfisherconz

Having set the boys up for now

I decided to take the head and a

good bit off the body of the XOS

Mackie and attached it to two 100

hooks and cast out with the 6500

baitrunner Waiting I felt it settle on

the bottom I was about to reposition

it in the water column when the bait

runner took off with an absolutely

screaming run

The instinct to strike was quelled

from my past experiences of

dropping fish during big runs ldquoLet

him have itrdquo I told myself It was a

big bait but I had the feeling that

this fish had sucked it right down

considering it wasnrsquot stopping

With adrenaline pumping like it

does when you are about to strike

I cranked the handle and struck It

came up tight but the line didnrsquot slow

downhellip it kept charging at full speed

A slight increase in drag only saw me

pulled off balance Finally it slowed

allowing a few pump and winds

before it took off again My initial

thought was kingi But it couldnrsquot be

I got nervous It slowed again and we

got into a dog fight

I am fairly quiet when on a good fish

SPORTfishing

Big Snapper I have seen in the past often look old and ragged but this fish was in its prime big and broad the only blemish what looked like an old spear wound by its dorsal Gee I was glad the spearo missed this fish

not wanting to jinx anything only

telling the boys to get the lines in

and concentrating on the job at hand

Getting line in when I could as the

fish tired I began to make ground and

I could feel the weight of it heavy

After a few minutes of this I was

waiting for colourhellip and I soon saw it

and it was big and red

The boys started hollering and after

a tense moment it was directed into

the net - just fitting The first thing I

noticed was the tail and the wrist of it

Big and powerful the fish was lifted

onto the deck

Shouting and high fiveing ensured I

was elated knowing this was definitely

my first 20lber and it looked well over

This was the biggest Snapper I had

ever seen when I saw the hook was in

the lip and the great condition of the

fish there was no doubt in my mind

it was going back Big Snapper I have

seen in the past often look old and

ragged but this fish was in its prime

big and broad the only blemish what

looked like an old spear wound by

its dorsal Gee I was glad the spear

missed this fish

I rushed the boys with the goal of

release in mind ldquoMatt get water in the

big livie tankrdquo which was soon filled

and the Snapper put in Cameras

were readied and the digital scales

sorted out It was when I lifted her out

I realized the weight I fixed her on

the scales with G and I watching them

settle on and around the 115kg mark

Not only over 20lb but over 25lb

I was ecstatic and proceeded to have

quick photos with the fish before I set

her back in the water after a kiss on

the head of course Holding the fish

for a while till she re-gathered her

strength it was two kicks of the tail and

powerfully she swam off I couldnrsquot

really believe it I had no expectation

of a fish like that on this trip and it was

safe to say the swans (Westlake) will

be hard to beat in the Snapper stakes

I had a Speights to calm the nerves

and take it in Finally I had done it and

could now relax knowing I had a trophy

Snapper to my name

The beauty for the lads was that

now I had clocked Snapper fishing I

happily became the deck hand and

so tied knots taught lessons on bait

presentation letting the fish run and

striking fish The boys did well there

was the odd bust off but we got in a

stream of nice eaters one of my baits

later in the day bought in another 10

lber Another good fish

We were considering heading out in

search of a kingfish but the wind was

around that 15 knot mark and still

swell around so we decided to leave

that till tomorrow and wrapped up the

Snapper session to return to the pad

and compare fish and stories Rosmini

were very congratulatory on my fish

and looked at the photos On looking

in their bin they had a great day also

with three Snapper around the 15 lb

mark to three different anglers and a

good bag of fish for a feed

The comp was hot and PBrsquos fell both days

wwwnzfisherconz 9

SPORTfishing

It had been a classic winterrsquos day for

the crews tentative bites and the

occasional big Snapper every other

hour We settled into a relaxed night

with hot smoked Snapper heads a

good roast and a few beverages The

Mattrsquos both worse for wear after a

long day at sea both guilty of a spit

over the side I couldnrsquot stop grinning

like an idiot and prompting everyone

for one more drink but no one could

finish watching Aus beat the Lions in

game two and it was off to bed for an

early start

We awoke again to a crisp calm

morning ice needing to be scraped

off the boats again Launching with

haste team Rosmini was down a

member due to Grandmarsquos birthday

Westlake would have four jigs in the

water could it make the difference

We steamed the 45 minutes out to the

local kingi joint and both boats circling

and searching for sign of balled up

bait and kingfish It wasnrsquot there ldquoerrr

this looks ok have a drop hererdquo was

going to be etched into my brain as I

said it over and over The fish had to

be there but their mouths were shut

tight We had been jigging for over

two hours now really should have got

some livies I thought

It was about11am when we finally

had a breakthrough None of the

lads had done much jigging but it

was G cranking the spin set who had

the first fish Never having caught a

king before he thought he was on the

bottom and I heard a yell of ldquowhat

do I dordquo I turn and see the rod kick

ldquoPump and windrdquo I yell He fought

the fish to the boat I could tell it

wasnrsquot massive but a king rose about

85cm right in Rossminirsquos face Could

Westlake have a clean sweep

Gareth was stoked and surprised by

the strength of the fish tired I got

him to hold it up for a few snaps

The fish was weighed bled and put

in the bin and I turn to see Rosmini

hooked up (had they called in divine

intervention will those days of bible

study pay off) No it was a smaller

rat and was returned we are looking

good The call was made to give it

another 30 minutes

That was when the old Joey the

hunter on team Rosmini decides to

have a little flutter with an Inchiku

Well it paid off the smaller jig enticing

the smaller kings that were obviously

around He was hooked up and after

a good scrap on Snapper gear a king

around the same size as ours was put

in the boat It was going to be close

After that with sore arms and

shoulders Rosmini decided on heading

in to the mainland so the Mattrsquos could

go for a dive We searched for any

other likely looking kingi territory

around the place went for a quick

Snapper jig both to no avail We met

up with the lads as they finished their

dive Steaming back into Toots the

final day was a wrap and targeting

kings in winter needs a bit more

thought it seems It was to be a quick

turn-around as the admin associated

with any big fishing trip ensued There

was cleaning and packing and dump

trips and more cleaning and before

the filleting a weigh in

The kings as I said were small ours

had pulled the scales to 77kg with

Joeys visibly bigger at 85kg Their

rat trumped ours Rosmini was saved

embarrassment Scrapper awarded

me for my catch with biggest Snapper

and Most Memorable catch going to

Westlake for my 255lb Snapper

I really thought Most Memorable

catch could have gone to Evan for

catching two sea birds but was happy

with the result That Snapper was a

magnificent fish will be very hard to

top and whatrsquos better is that it is still

out there charging around growing

bigger making babies and perhaps

one day being a 30lber to be caught

With that we started the trip back to

Auckland all of us agreeing that this

was to be an annual event Scrapper

is expecting a child in the coming

months so the next one maybe a

family affair Thanks needs to go to

him for organizing a great weekend

well done Also to your sometimes

Editor and self-proclaimed land based

guru Forsyth thanks for the lend of

your wagon

For me it is another fishing goal ticked

off the next one a big Kingfish I have

introduced a couple more friends to

the passion we all share in fishing they

are hooked and may be expecting a

20lb+ Snapper to come aboard every

triphellip little do they know it took me

four years of targeting big Snappers

to get that fish They can find reality

out the lsquohardrsquo way

10 wwwnzfisherconz

competitionFISHING

My good friend Pete the Panel

beater has been telling me

about his international game

fishing trips for years and finally

he let me see the photos

It seemed immediately that Pete

might actually be telling the truth

which in fishing circles is a rare and

beautiful thing Petersquos great fishing

mate Mike Wood has been fishing

the Tongan International for 12 years

and when they won in 2010 fishing

aboard lsquoLevenuellarsquo they decided

to go through and fish the World

Offshore champs in Cabo San Luca on

the southern tip of the Baja Peninsula

Their 2011 WOFC trip was fun but

the fishing hard ndash bordering on

boring they tell me

So when they won the Tongan

International again in 2012 it was with

trepidation that they decided to head

to Costa Rica At $9800USD to enter

the costs are pretty high for anyone

but as good Kiwis do they saved hard

bribed their wives and made a plan to

get some real fishing done this time

Their name this year was lsquoSalty Dogsrsquo

and the Salty Dogs earned their stripes

with some great sailfish and Mahi-mahi

captures during the tournament

The team is made up of four

members Tony Smith David Swan

Mike Wood and Peter Lineham

All are keen fishers but travelling

halfway around the world to fish

for species we donrsquot even see

in New Zealand is tough

By the Cockpit Cowboys

The World Offshore Champs 2013Hard fighting kiwis from Tonga to Costa Rica

wwwnzfisherconz 7

THE CHAMPAGNE CRICKET CLUB is

a club like no other founded on the

history of men who enjoyed cricket

champagne and socializing in the

late 60rsquos It is now being carried on

by a mix of ex Westlake and Rosmini

graduates in their late 20rsquos (two

schools with a fierce sporting rivalry)

The CCC enjoy the twilight and indoor

forms of the game only we donrsquot

want to embarrass the Black Caps

you see so a good proportion of the

club enjoy fishing In late June the

challenge was set for a Westlake vs

Rosmini fishing show down

Scrapper came up with the idea

and we were to base ourselves

in Ngunguru at his familyrsquos beach

house There was a loose itinerary

laid down with bottles of rum for the

biggest Snapper Kingfish and Most

Memorable catch With pride being

the biggest prize of all

We found ourselves heading north

from Auckland with a cold southerly

heading up the country The forecast

was to get better over the three

days so day one we were to let

the wind die out with a potential

afternoon Stray line day two would

be Snapper sessions along Tutukaka

coast and day three out to the reefs

surrounding the Poor Knights to chase

kingfish There were two boats to be

used Rosmini was equipped with a

Buccaneer billfisher named Strayliner

and Westlake on my new boat a 61

m fibreglass centre console named

Papillon Jared came up with a third

option the Boat show won Stabi

craft who went tohellipwe named this

Gaybi as in Gold Stabi Mostly out of

jealousy as we didnrsquot win it

Arriving on the first night the

Speights flowed and we didnrsquot really

realize when it turned into rum The

reports were of good Snapper in

close classic winter fishing and bait

and burley on the cards After retiring

far too late the call was made for a

late start

We awoke rusty to a brisk southerly

and a 2-3m swell hitting the coast not

the best conditions so the call was

made to go for a surf and wash away

the cobwebs After this we checked

the conditions again and again but

hangovers and Speights prevailed To

be fair it didnrsquot look amazing though

and we had two full days Donrsquot worry

we do get on the water this is a fishing

mag after all So once we settled

down and put the funnel away the plan

was made for a 530 am start

We awoke to two boats covered in

ice We loaded up and got everything

in order Although Scrapper and I

have done a fair bit of fishing we

both have had the dream fish of over

20lb elude us I have come close off

the far north bricks with one 19lber

and Scrapper more so with multiple

19lbers So close

We spoke on our last trip up north

about the quest for 20lbers often

overshadowing good trips as we

have been so keen to get them

that the quest can overshadow the

moment But this weekend wasnrsquot

really about us we both had crew

that although keen were very much

new to this level of fishing

None of my crew had even stray lined

before so it would be a mixture of

fishing a few baits and helping out

the lads so we could all have a good

time and ultimately win the comp It

was all on

As we left the Tutukaka ramp we

steamed up around the coastline

to find a likely looking area The

place is filthy with fishing potential

and the opportunities for greatness

are endless We both settled within

sight of each other in shallow water

Papillon a little wider in 10 m but

there was foul everywhere and it was

great Snapper territory The burley

was sent in and rigs were prepared

The very first bait thrown in by G

smashed by a respectable pannie it

was looking good A quick VHF call

between boats determined that both

of the Mattrsquos were feeling a little

under the weather so we werenrsquot

going to run out of burley

We had a stream of small fish and a

one up to the 50 cm mark so the bin

was no longer vacant No big runs

had really started however that was

about to change I had cleaned out

the freezer before I left and along with

a Skippy and an old flounder I had an

XOS jack Mack

SPORTfishing

Getting the best out of the little ones Place worthy

8 wwwnzfisherconz

Having set the boys up for now

I decided to take the head and a

good bit off the body of the XOS

Mackie and attached it to two 100

hooks and cast out with the 6500

baitrunner Waiting I felt it settle on

the bottom I was about to reposition

it in the water column when the bait

runner took off with an absolutely

screaming run

The instinct to strike was quelled

from my past experiences of

dropping fish during big runs ldquoLet

him have itrdquo I told myself It was a

big bait but I had the feeling that

this fish had sucked it right down

considering it wasnrsquot stopping

With adrenaline pumping like it

does when you are about to strike

I cranked the handle and struck It

came up tight but the line didnrsquot slow

downhellip it kept charging at full speed

A slight increase in drag only saw me

pulled off balance Finally it slowed

allowing a few pump and winds

before it took off again My initial

thought was kingi But it couldnrsquot be

I got nervous It slowed again and we

got into a dog fight

I am fairly quiet when on a good fish

SPORTfishing

Big Snapper I have seen in the past often look old and ragged but this fish was in its prime big and broad the only blemish what looked like an old spear wound by its dorsal Gee I was glad the spearo missed this fish

not wanting to jinx anything only

telling the boys to get the lines in

and concentrating on the job at hand

Getting line in when I could as the

fish tired I began to make ground and

I could feel the weight of it heavy

After a few minutes of this I was

waiting for colourhellip and I soon saw it

and it was big and red

The boys started hollering and after

a tense moment it was directed into

the net - just fitting The first thing I

noticed was the tail and the wrist of it

Big and powerful the fish was lifted

onto the deck

Shouting and high fiveing ensured I

was elated knowing this was definitely

my first 20lber and it looked well over

This was the biggest Snapper I had

ever seen when I saw the hook was in

the lip and the great condition of the

fish there was no doubt in my mind

it was going back Big Snapper I have

seen in the past often look old and

ragged but this fish was in its prime

big and broad the only blemish what

looked like an old spear wound by

its dorsal Gee I was glad the spear

missed this fish

I rushed the boys with the goal of

release in mind ldquoMatt get water in the

big livie tankrdquo which was soon filled

and the Snapper put in Cameras

were readied and the digital scales

sorted out It was when I lifted her out

I realized the weight I fixed her on

the scales with G and I watching them

settle on and around the 115kg mark

Not only over 20lb but over 25lb

I was ecstatic and proceeded to have

quick photos with the fish before I set

her back in the water after a kiss on

the head of course Holding the fish

for a while till she re-gathered her

strength it was two kicks of the tail and

powerfully she swam off I couldnrsquot

really believe it I had no expectation

of a fish like that on this trip and it was

safe to say the swans (Westlake) will

be hard to beat in the Snapper stakes

I had a Speights to calm the nerves

and take it in Finally I had done it and

could now relax knowing I had a trophy

Snapper to my name

The beauty for the lads was that

now I had clocked Snapper fishing I

happily became the deck hand and

so tied knots taught lessons on bait

presentation letting the fish run and

striking fish The boys did well there

was the odd bust off but we got in a

stream of nice eaters one of my baits

later in the day bought in another 10

lber Another good fish

We were considering heading out in

search of a kingfish but the wind was

around that 15 knot mark and still

swell around so we decided to leave

that till tomorrow and wrapped up the

Snapper session to return to the pad

and compare fish and stories Rosmini

were very congratulatory on my fish

and looked at the photos On looking

in their bin they had a great day also

with three Snapper around the 15 lb

mark to three different anglers and a

good bag of fish for a feed

The comp was hot and PBrsquos fell both days

wwwnzfisherconz 9

SPORTfishing

It had been a classic winterrsquos day for

the crews tentative bites and the

occasional big Snapper every other

hour We settled into a relaxed night

with hot smoked Snapper heads a

good roast and a few beverages The

Mattrsquos both worse for wear after a

long day at sea both guilty of a spit

over the side I couldnrsquot stop grinning

like an idiot and prompting everyone

for one more drink but no one could

finish watching Aus beat the Lions in

game two and it was off to bed for an

early start

We awoke again to a crisp calm

morning ice needing to be scraped

off the boats again Launching with

haste team Rosmini was down a

member due to Grandmarsquos birthday

Westlake would have four jigs in the

water could it make the difference

We steamed the 45 minutes out to the

local kingi joint and both boats circling

and searching for sign of balled up

bait and kingfish It wasnrsquot there ldquoerrr

this looks ok have a drop hererdquo was

going to be etched into my brain as I

said it over and over The fish had to

be there but their mouths were shut

tight We had been jigging for over

two hours now really should have got

some livies I thought

It was about11am when we finally

had a breakthrough None of the

lads had done much jigging but it

was G cranking the spin set who had

the first fish Never having caught a

king before he thought he was on the

bottom and I heard a yell of ldquowhat

do I dordquo I turn and see the rod kick

ldquoPump and windrdquo I yell He fought

the fish to the boat I could tell it

wasnrsquot massive but a king rose about

85cm right in Rossminirsquos face Could

Westlake have a clean sweep

Gareth was stoked and surprised by

the strength of the fish tired I got

him to hold it up for a few snaps

The fish was weighed bled and put

in the bin and I turn to see Rosmini

hooked up (had they called in divine

intervention will those days of bible

study pay off) No it was a smaller

rat and was returned we are looking

good The call was made to give it

another 30 minutes

That was when the old Joey the

hunter on team Rosmini decides to

have a little flutter with an Inchiku

Well it paid off the smaller jig enticing

the smaller kings that were obviously

around He was hooked up and after

a good scrap on Snapper gear a king

around the same size as ours was put

in the boat It was going to be close

After that with sore arms and

shoulders Rosmini decided on heading

in to the mainland so the Mattrsquos could

go for a dive We searched for any

other likely looking kingi territory

around the place went for a quick

Snapper jig both to no avail We met

up with the lads as they finished their

dive Steaming back into Toots the

final day was a wrap and targeting

kings in winter needs a bit more

thought it seems It was to be a quick

turn-around as the admin associated

with any big fishing trip ensued There

was cleaning and packing and dump

trips and more cleaning and before

the filleting a weigh in

The kings as I said were small ours

had pulled the scales to 77kg with

Joeys visibly bigger at 85kg Their

rat trumped ours Rosmini was saved

embarrassment Scrapper awarded

me for my catch with biggest Snapper

and Most Memorable catch going to

Westlake for my 255lb Snapper

I really thought Most Memorable

catch could have gone to Evan for

catching two sea birds but was happy

with the result That Snapper was a

magnificent fish will be very hard to

top and whatrsquos better is that it is still

out there charging around growing

bigger making babies and perhaps

one day being a 30lber to be caught

With that we started the trip back to

Auckland all of us agreeing that this

was to be an annual event Scrapper

is expecting a child in the coming

months so the next one maybe a

family affair Thanks needs to go to

him for organizing a great weekend

well done Also to your sometimes

Editor and self-proclaimed land based

guru Forsyth thanks for the lend of

your wagon

For me it is another fishing goal ticked

off the next one a big Kingfish I have

introduced a couple more friends to

the passion we all share in fishing they

are hooked and may be expecting a

20lb+ Snapper to come aboard every

triphellip little do they know it took me

four years of targeting big Snappers

to get that fish They can find reality

out the lsquohardrsquo way

10 wwwnzfisherconz

competitionFISHING

My good friend Pete the Panel

beater has been telling me

about his international game

fishing trips for years and finally

he let me see the photos

It seemed immediately that Pete

might actually be telling the truth

which in fishing circles is a rare and

beautiful thing Petersquos great fishing

mate Mike Wood has been fishing

the Tongan International for 12 years

and when they won in 2010 fishing

aboard lsquoLevenuellarsquo they decided

to go through and fish the World

Offshore champs in Cabo San Luca on

the southern tip of the Baja Peninsula

Their 2011 WOFC trip was fun but

the fishing hard ndash bordering on

boring they tell me

So when they won the Tongan

International again in 2012 it was with

trepidation that they decided to head

to Costa Rica At $9800USD to enter

the costs are pretty high for anyone

but as good Kiwis do they saved hard

bribed their wives and made a plan to

get some real fishing done this time

Their name this year was lsquoSalty Dogsrsquo

and the Salty Dogs earned their stripes

with some great sailfish and Mahi-mahi

captures during the tournament

The team is made up of four

members Tony Smith David Swan

Mike Wood and Peter Lineham

All are keen fishers but travelling

halfway around the world to fish

for species we donrsquot even see

in New Zealand is tough

By the Cockpit Cowboys

The World Offshore Champs 2013Hard fighting kiwis from Tonga to Costa Rica

8 wwwnzfisherconz

Having set the boys up for now

I decided to take the head and a

good bit off the body of the XOS

Mackie and attached it to two 100

hooks and cast out with the 6500

baitrunner Waiting I felt it settle on

the bottom I was about to reposition

it in the water column when the bait

runner took off with an absolutely

screaming run

The instinct to strike was quelled

from my past experiences of

dropping fish during big runs ldquoLet

him have itrdquo I told myself It was a

big bait but I had the feeling that

this fish had sucked it right down

considering it wasnrsquot stopping

With adrenaline pumping like it

does when you are about to strike

I cranked the handle and struck It

came up tight but the line didnrsquot slow

downhellip it kept charging at full speed

A slight increase in drag only saw me

pulled off balance Finally it slowed

allowing a few pump and winds

before it took off again My initial

thought was kingi But it couldnrsquot be

I got nervous It slowed again and we

got into a dog fight

I am fairly quiet when on a good fish

SPORTfishing

Big Snapper I have seen in the past often look old and ragged but this fish was in its prime big and broad the only blemish what looked like an old spear wound by its dorsal Gee I was glad the spearo missed this fish

not wanting to jinx anything only

telling the boys to get the lines in

and concentrating on the job at hand

Getting line in when I could as the

fish tired I began to make ground and

I could feel the weight of it heavy

After a few minutes of this I was

waiting for colourhellip and I soon saw it

and it was big and red

The boys started hollering and after

a tense moment it was directed into

the net - just fitting The first thing I

noticed was the tail and the wrist of it

Big and powerful the fish was lifted

onto the deck

Shouting and high fiveing ensured I

was elated knowing this was definitely

my first 20lber and it looked well over

This was the biggest Snapper I had

ever seen when I saw the hook was in

the lip and the great condition of the

fish there was no doubt in my mind

it was going back Big Snapper I have

seen in the past often look old and

ragged but this fish was in its prime

big and broad the only blemish what

looked like an old spear wound by

its dorsal Gee I was glad the spear

missed this fish

I rushed the boys with the goal of

release in mind ldquoMatt get water in the

big livie tankrdquo which was soon filled

and the Snapper put in Cameras

were readied and the digital scales

sorted out It was when I lifted her out

I realized the weight I fixed her on

the scales with G and I watching them

settle on and around the 115kg mark

Not only over 20lb but over 25lb

I was ecstatic and proceeded to have

quick photos with the fish before I set

her back in the water after a kiss on

the head of course Holding the fish

for a while till she re-gathered her

strength it was two kicks of the tail and

powerfully she swam off I couldnrsquot

really believe it I had no expectation

of a fish like that on this trip and it was

safe to say the swans (Westlake) will

be hard to beat in the Snapper stakes

I had a Speights to calm the nerves

and take it in Finally I had done it and

could now relax knowing I had a trophy

Snapper to my name

The beauty for the lads was that

now I had clocked Snapper fishing I

happily became the deck hand and

so tied knots taught lessons on bait

presentation letting the fish run and

striking fish The boys did well there

was the odd bust off but we got in a

stream of nice eaters one of my baits

later in the day bought in another 10

lber Another good fish

We were considering heading out in

search of a kingfish but the wind was

around that 15 knot mark and still

swell around so we decided to leave

that till tomorrow and wrapped up the

Snapper session to return to the pad

and compare fish and stories Rosmini

were very congratulatory on my fish

and looked at the photos On looking

in their bin they had a great day also

with three Snapper around the 15 lb

mark to three different anglers and a

good bag of fish for a feed

The comp was hot and PBrsquos fell both days

wwwnzfisherconz 9

SPORTfishing

It had been a classic winterrsquos day for

the crews tentative bites and the

occasional big Snapper every other

hour We settled into a relaxed night

with hot smoked Snapper heads a

good roast and a few beverages The

Mattrsquos both worse for wear after a

long day at sea both guilty of a spit

over the side I couldnrsquot stop grinning

like an idiot and prompting everyone

for one more drink but no one could

finish watching Aus beat the Lions in

game two and it was off to bed for an

early start

We awoke again to a crisp calm

morning ice needing to be scraped

off the boats again Launching with

haste team Rosmini was down a

member due to Grandmarsquos birthday

Westlake would have four jigs in the

water could it make the difference

We steamed the 45 minutes out to the

local kingi joint and both boats circling

and searching for sign of balled up

bait and kingfish It wasnrsquot there ldquoerrr

this looks ok have a drop hererdquo was

going to be etched into my brain as I

said it over and over The fish had to

be there but their mouths were shut

tight We had been jigging for over

two hours now really should have got

some livies I thought

It was about11am when we finally

had a breakthrough None of the

lads had done much jigging but it

was G cranking the spin set who had

the first fish Never having caught a

king before he thought he was on the

bottom and I heard a yell of ldquowhat

do I dordquo I turn and see the rod kick

ldquoPump and windrdquo I yell He fought

the fish to the boat I could tell it

wasnrsquot massive but a king rose about

85cm right in Rossminirsquos face Could

Westlake have a clean sweep

Gareth was stoked and surprised by

the strength of the fish tired I got

him to hold it up for a few snaps

The fish was weighed bled and put

in the bin and I turn to see Rosmini

hooked up (had they called in divine

intervention will those days of bible

study pay off) No it was a smaller

rat and was returned we are looking

good The call was made to give it

another 30 minutes

That was when the old Joey the

hunter on team Rosmini decides to

have a little flutter with an Inchiku

Well it paid off the smaller jig enticing

the smaller kings that were obviously

around He was hooked up and after

a good scrap on Snapper gear a king

around the same size as ours was put

in the boat It was going to be close

After that with sore arms and

shoulders Rosmini decided on heading

in to the mainland so the Mattrsquos could

go for a dive We searched for any

other likely looking kingi territory

around the place went for a quick

Snapper jig both to no avail We met

up with the lads as they finished their

dive Steaming back into Toots the

final day was a wrap and targeting

kings in winter needs a bit more

thought it seems It was to be a quick

turn-around as the admin associated

with any big fishing trip ensued There

was cleaning and packing and dump

trips and more cleaning and before

the filleting a weigh in

The kings as I said were small ours

had pulled the scales to 77kg with

Joeys visibly bigger at 85kg Their

rat trumped ours Rosmini was saved

embarrassment Scrapper awarded

me for my catch with biggest Snapper

and Most Memorable catch going to

Westlake for my 255lb Snapper

I really thought Most Memorable

catch could have gone to Evan for

catching two sea birds but was happy

with the result That Snapper was a

magnificent fish will be very hard to

top and whatrsquos better is that it is still

out there charging around growing

bigger making babies and perhaps

one day being a 30lber to be caught

With that we started the trip back to

Auckland all of us agreeing that this

was to be an annual event Scrapper

is expecting a child in the coming

months so the next one maybe a

family affair Thanks needs to go to

him for organizing a great weekend

well done Also to your sometimes

Editor and self-proclaimed land based

guru Forsyth thanks for the lend of

your wagon

For me it is another fishing goal ticked

off the next one a big Kingfish I have

introduced a couple more friends to

the passion we all share in fishing they

are hooked and may be expecting a

20lb+ Snapper to come aboard every

triphellip little do they know it took me

four years of targeting big Snappers

to get that fish They can find reality

out the lsquohardrsquo way

10 wwwnzfisherconz

competitionFISHING

My good friend Pete the Panel

beater has been telling me

about his international game

fishing trips for years and finally

he let me see the photos

It seemed immediately that Pete

might actually be telling the truth

which in fishing circles is a rare and

beautiful thing Petersquos great fishing

mate Mike Wood has been fishing

the Tongan International for 12 years

and when they won in 2010 fishing

aboard lsquoLevenuellarsquo they decided

to go through and fish the World

Offshore champs in Cabo San Luca on

the southern tip of the Baja Peninsula

Their 2011 WOFC trip was fun but

the fishing hard ndash bordering on

boring they tell me

So when they won the Tongan

International again in 2012 it was with

trepidation that they decided to head

to Costa Rica At $9800USD to enter

the costs are pretty high for anyone

but as good Kiwis do they saved hard

bribed their wives and made a plan to

get some real fishing done this time

Their name this year was lsquoSalty Dogsrsquo

and the Salty Dogs earned their stripes

with some great sailfish and Mahi-mahi

captures during the tournament

The team is made up of four

members Tony Smith David Swan

Mike Wood and Peter Lineham

All are keen fishers but travelling

halfway around the world to fish

for species we donrsquot even see

in New Zealand is tough

By the Cockpit Cowboys

The World Offshore Champs 2013Hard fighting kiwis from Tonga to Costa Rica

wwwnzfisherconz 9

SPORTfishing

It had been a classic winterrsquos day for

the crews tentative bites and the

occasional big Snapper every other

hour We settled into a relaxed night

with hot smoked Snapper heads a

good roast and a few beverages The

Mattrsquos both worse for wear after a

long day at sea both guilty of a spit

over the side I couldnrsquot stop grinning

like an idiot and prompting everyone

for one more drink but no one could

finish watching Aus beat the Lions in

game two and it was off to bed for an

early start

We awoke again to a crisp calm

morning ice needing to be scraped

off the boats again Launching with

haste team Rosmini was down a

member due to Grandmarsquos birthday

Westlake would have four jigs in the

water could it make the difference

We steamed the 45 minutes out to the

local kingi joint and both boats circling

and searching for sign of balled up

bait and kingfish It wasnrsquot there ldquoerrr

this looks ok have a drop hererdquo was

going to be etched into my brain as I

said it over and over The fish had to

be there but their mouths were shut

tight We had been jigging for over

two hours now really should have got

some livies I thought

It was about11am when we finally

had a breakthrough None of the

lads had done much jigging but it

was G cranking the spin set who had

the first fish Never having caught a

king before he thought he was on the

bottom and I heard a yell of ldquowhat

do I dordquo I turn and see the rod kick

ldquoPump and windrdquo I yell He fought

the fish to the boat I could tell it

wasnrsquot massive but a king rose about

85cm right in Rossminirsquos face Could

Westlake have a clean sweep

Gareth was stoked and surprised by

the strength of the fish tired I got

him to hold it up for a few snaps

The fish was weighed bled and put

in the bin and I turn to see Rosmini

hooked up (had they called in divine

intervention will those days of bible

study pay off) No it was a smaller

rat and was returned we are looking

good The call was made to give it

another 30 minutes

That was when the old Joey the

hunter on team Rosmini decides to

have a little flutter with an Inchiku

Well it paid off the smaller jig enticing

the smaller kings that were obviously

around He was hooked up and after

a good scrap on Snapper gear a king

around the same size as ours was put

in the boat It was going to be close

After that with sore arms and

shoulders Rosmini decided on heading

in to the mainland so the Mattrsquos could

go for a dive We searched for any

other likely looking kingi territory

around the place went for a quick

Snapper jig both to no avail We met

up with the lads as they finished their

dive Steaming back into Toots the

final day was a wrap and targeting

kings in winter needs a bit more

thought it seems It was to be a quick

turn-around as the admin associated

with any big fishing trip ensued There

was cleaning and packing and dump

trips and more cleaning and before

the filleting a weigh in

The kings as I said were small ours

had pulled the scales to 77kg with

Joeys visibly bigger at 85kg Their

rat trumped ours Rosmini was saved

embarrassment Scrapper awarded

me for my catch with biggest Snapper

and Most Memorable catch going to

Westlake for my 255lb Snapper

I really thought Most Memorable

catch could have gone to Evan for

catching two sea birds but was happy

with the result That Snapper was a

magnificent fish will be very hard to

top and whatrsquos better is that it is still

out there charging around growing

bigger making babies and perhaps

one day being a 30lber to be caught

With that we started the trip back to

Auckland all of us agreeing that this

was to be an annual event Scrapper

is expecting a child in the coming

months so the next one maybe a

family affair Thanks needs to go to

him for organizing a great weekend

well done Also to your sometimes

Editor and self-proclaimed land based

guru Forsyth thanks for the lend of

your wagon

For me it is another fishing goal ticked

off the next one a big Kingfish I have

introduced a couple more friends to

the passion we all share in fishing they

are hooked and may be expecting a

20lb+ Snapper to come aboard every

triphellip little do they know it took me

four years of targeting big Snappers

to get that fish They can find reality

out the lsquohardrsquo way

10 wwwnzfisherconz

competitionFISHING

My good friend Pete the Panel

beater has been telling me

about his international game

fishing trips for years and finally

he let me see the photos

It seemed immediately that Pete

might actually be telling the truth

which in fishing circles is a rare and

beautiful thing Petersquos great fishing

mate Mike Wood has been fishing

the Tongan International for 12 years

and when they won in 2010 fishing

aboard lsquoLevenuellarsquo they decided

to go through and fish the World

Offshore champs in Cabo San Luca on

the southern tip of the Baja Peninsula

Their 2011 WOFC trip was fun but

the fishing hard ndash bordering on

boring they tell me

So when they won the Tongan

International again in 2012 it was with

trepidation that they decided to head

to Costa Rica At $9800USD to enter

the costs are pretty high for anyone

but as good Kiwis do they saved hard

bribed their wives and made a plan to

get some real fishing done this time

Their name this year was lsquoSalty Dogsrsquo

and the Salty Dogs earned their stripes

with some great sailfish and Mahi-mahi

captures during the tournament

The team is made up of four

members Tony Smith David Swan

Mike Wood and Peter Lineham

All are keen fishers but travelling

halfway around the world to fish

for species we donrsquot even see

in New Zealand is tough

By the Cockpit Cowboys

The World Offshore Champs 2013Hard fighting kiwis from Tonga to Costa Rica

10 wwwnzfisherconz

competitionFISHING

My good friend Pete the Panel

beater has been telling me

about his international game

fishing trips for years and finally

he let me see the photos

It seemed immediately that Pete

might actually be telling the truth

which in fishing circles is a rare and

beautiful thing Petersquos great fishing

mate Mike Wood has been fishing

the Tongan International for 12 years

and when they won in 2010 fishing

aboard lsquoLevenuellarsquo they decided

to go through and fish the World

Offshore champs in Cabo San Luca on

the southern tip of the Baja Peninsula

Their 2011 WOFC trip was fun but

the fishing hard ndash bordering on

boring they tell me

So when they won the Tongan

International again in 2012 it was with

trepidation that they decided to head

to Costa Rica At $9800USD to enter

the costs are pretty high for anyone

but as good Kiwis do they saved hard

bribed their wives and made a plan to

get some real fishing done this time

Their name this year was lsquoSalty Dogsrsquo

and the Salty Dogs earned their stripes

with some great sailfish and Mahi-mahi

captures during the tournament

The team is made up of four

members Tony Smith David Swan

Mike Wood and Peter Lineham

All are keen fishers but travelling

halfway around the world to fish

for species we donrsquot even see

in New Zealand is tough

By the Cockpit Cowboys

The World Offshore Champs 2013Hard fighting kiwis from Tonga to Costa Rica

wwwnzfisherconz 11

competitionFISHING

The tournament format sees teams

draw their daily boats and skipper

from a ballot this evens the field a

little but therersquos no substitute for

experience as the local US and central

Pacific teams took an early lead Day

one for the Salty Dogs involved a lot

of trolling and only one sailfish (other

teams landed 6 ndash 8)

On day two they drew Spanish Fly

a very successful boat on day one

and their luck changed immediately

All four members of the crew landed

sailfish that day while Pete and Mike

landed two each and saw a bunch

more Team Salty Dogs were the top

ranked team on Day two ndash outclassing

all others and putting themselves in

the mix for the final day

Day three while eventful (they were

surrounded by a huge pod of lsquoSpinner

Dolphinsrsquo at one point) didnrsquot see

enough fish landed by the boys and

they faded to mid pack

To even make the grade to win entry

is a huge achievement wersquore stoked

to see they got some great fish and

had a ball You can see some of their

fishing highlights here

Well done Team Salty Dogs what a

great trip

12 wwwnzfisherconz

LANDBASEDfishing

Bucket List Time in the Far North Part 2 ndash CMvD

AS WE GOT DOWN towards Maria

we could see a couple of boats fishing

off the back of the island and it wasnrsquot

long before we saw one and then the

second hooked up into what looked

like good solid fish Fair to say the

excitement levels were going up

Whenever we go and fish somewhere

new I like to take a bit of time and

have a look around the area you just

never know when yoursquoll get a chance

to come back

The north side of the island goes

straight onto sand and only a few

metres deep Everywhere we looked

in the clear water were Kahawai

massive numbers of them and we

know what likes eating Kahawai The

current running through was pretty

strong and even if we had been

allowed to land on the island (NB

yoursquore not) we couldnrsquot see how wersquod

get an anchor to hold in the sand with

enough pressure to get the bungee

anchor system working

The south-facing side of the island

was still getting the SW swell but it

looked much rockier and deeper and

exactly the kind of place yoursquod want to

fish if you could Coming back round

the island we ran through the channel

separating it from the mainland and the

current was absolutely racing through

creating standing waves at one end

We finally decided on some awesome

looking ledges just inside the Cape

parked the boat up did the big

unload and started getting into it As

always the rule is that no-one fishes till

all the rods are setup and before this

starts the berley goes in the water

With live bait rods popper rods and

Snapper and livey-catching gear by

the time wersquore done the berley is

always pumping and often wersquoll get

5-6kg fish chewing on the bag and

nailed first cast

This time Andrew was first in the water

with a bait and it was only a matter of

minutes maybe not even that long

and he was into a solid fish that set off

Cape Maria van Diemen ndash in a DinghyBy Forsyth Thompson

wwwnzfisherconz 13

LANDBASEDfishing

on a heavy run But within less than

another minute it was over and hersquod

been utterly dealt to by what looked

for all money to be a big Snapper

Quick retie filthy big bait and the

exact same thing was repeated This

one if anything seemed even bigger

and I genuinely thought he might be

into his first 20 and then it ended in

disaster in the same way Shit these

west coast Snapper werenrsquot messing

around Two massive hook-ups

followed by two complete hidings

and Andrew was getting schooled

Naturally as fishing mates Will and I

were supportive and offered plenty

of encouragement Well thatrsquos how I

remember it anyway

By now the Kahawai were everywhere

and all three of us were swimming

livies and watching them with

apprehension Having had a few

legal kings but no big ones we were

hopeful this was going to be our shot

The next thing we know Andrew is

shouting and pointing at what was

pretty much just a hole in the ocean

as far as we could see Big shark

apparently ndash Will and I frankly didnrsquot

pay much notice figuring it was just a

regular bronzie

Wersquod had a few decent Snapper by this

point but no sign of a king when two

turned up at once buzzing everything

but refusing to take poppers stickbaits

baits or livies There are few things

more frustrating for LBG fishermen than

this but when theyrsquore not in the mood

and yoursquove tried everything therersquos not

much else to do

Then one then two of our balloons

came tearing into the ledge and then

across in front of us and it was my turn

to do the pointingshouting thing

behind them was by far the biggest

bronzie Irsquod ever seen top of its tail

sticking what looked like nearly a full

meter out of the water and the bulk

of it looking like a family-sized car as

it cruised past and just inhaled one

of the unlucky baits As it took off

and felt the resistance it went crazy

Evans amp Will

Andrew Evans with a prime Far North Trevally

wwwnzfisherconz 13

LANDBASEDfishing

on a heavy run But within less than

another minute it was over and hersquod

been utterly dealt to by what looked

for all money to be a big Snapper

Quick retie filthy big bait and the

exact same thing was repeated This

one if anything seemed even bigger

and I genuinely thought he might be

into his first 20 and then it ended in

disaster in the same way Shit these

west coast Snapper werenrsquot messing

around Two massive hook-ups

followed by two complete hidings

and Andrew was getting schooled

Naturally as fishing mates Will and I

were supportive and offered plenty

of encouragement Well thatrsquos how I

remember it anyway

By now the Kahawai were everywhere

and all three of us were swimming

livies and watching them with

apprehension Having had a few

legal kings but no big ones we were

hopeful this was going to be our shot

The next thing we know Andrew is

shouting and pointing at what was

pretty much just a hole in the ocean

as far as we could see Big shark

apparently ndash Will and I frankly didnrsquot

pay much notice figuring it was just a

regular bronzie

Wersquod had a few decent Snapper by this

point but no sign of a king when two

turned up at once buzzing everything

but refusing to take poppers stickbaits

baits or livies There are few things

more frustrating for LBG fishermen than

this but when theyrsquore not in the mood

and yoursquove tried everything therersquos not

much else to do

Then one then two of our balloons

came tearing into the ledge and then

across in front of us and it was my turn

to do the pointingshouting thing

behind them was by far the biggest

bronzie Irsquod ever seen top of its tail

sticking what looked like nearly a full

meter out of the water and the bulk

of it looking like a family-sized car as

it cruised past and just inhaled one

of the unlucky baits As it took off

and felt the resistance it went crazy

Evans amp Will

Andrew Evans with a prime Far North Trevally

14 wwwnzfisherconz

right there in front of us and whilst

there was never a chance in a million

of landing it it was something to see

Again and again as it turned out from

memory the same fish had four of our

livebaits throughout the day and Will

(who has done a lot of game fishing)

called it for an easy 200kg+

I couldnrsquot even guesstimate at the size

but Irsquove seen a lot of sharks including

some big makos and threshers

and this was way way up there on

the scale An extraordinary sight

and a reminder that we really were

somewhere just a little bit different

Strangely this huge resident shark

even in feeding mode didnrsquot kill

the fishing off and we had plenty of

Snapper although no monsters and

then finally the ratchet went off on my

livies set and this was definitely not

LANDBASEDfishing

our shark but one seriously grumpy

king I was on the same gear Irsquod got

the 20kg one at E Cape not long

previously and this fish was giving

me a much harder time No question

I had PB in my mind as I tried to get

it in close enough for a gaff shot We

finally got a look at the fish and it was

clearly nothing like the size of the last

one but it was still going hard and we

spent probably another 5-10 minutes

before we made the call to keep it

and put a gaff into it At only around

13kg it was no monster at all but the

fight it put up on an Everol 50 with

37kg was absolutely ridiculous for a

fish its size Obviously they just breed

them tougher out on the west coast

The rest of the day passed with a

few more Snapper a couple of kings

wwwnzfisherconz 15

LANDBASEDfishing

sighted but not hooked and a few

more sharkings for Andrew

No trevs had shown up until later

in the day as we started dumping

all the leftover bait and we had

them coming right up to the ledge

taking baits Andrew got a good 4kg

one I lost one and we saw some

significantly bigger ones cruising the

berley But with such a crazy number

of Kahawai in attendance we just

couldnrsquot get baits to them Still

the sight of huge west coast trevs

within a rod length of where we were

standing was pretty cool and we had

one in the bag for sashimi

None of us wanted to leave but there

was no way on earth we were going to

round the Cape in the dark so despite

the Snapper bite coming back on in

a really serious way we just had to

Layng into the fish of the day

16 wwwnzfisherconz

do the sensible thing I canrsquot imagine

therersquos a fish on earth that would

make me think that Reinga in a 35m

boat would be ok in the dark Like

the first two days wersquod not cracked

any PBs and wersquod not actually caught

any really big fish but the experience

wersquod had (even just getting there)

and the country wersquod fished had been

absolutely special and one I genuinely

wonrsquot forget

Wersquod finished three days in the Far

North with a trip I never thought Irsquod

be able to do in the little stabi and

wersquod had some awesome adventures

and seen some amazing things So

wersquod got no PBs and really hadnrsquot

landed any monsters at all but it

just didnrsquot matter in the slightest

Sometimes you need to remember

that the truly great trips donrsquot always

have to be the ones with the biggest

fish getting out and having real

adventures with great mates will

always keep me coming back

LANDBASEDfishing

The beach kisses the ocean

Rounding the cape

Out of the sun they saw us

wwwnzfisherconz 15

LANDBASEDfishing

sighted but not hooked and a few

more sharkings for Andrew

No trevs had shown up until later

in the day as we started dumping

all the leftover bait and we had

them coming right up to the ledge

taking baits Andrew got a good 4kg

one I lost one and we saw some

significantly bigger ones cruising the

berley But with such a crazy number

of Kahawai in attendance we just

couldnrsquot get baits to them Still

the sight of huge west coast trevs

within a rod length of where we were

standing was pretty cool and we had

one in the bag for sashimi

None of us wanted to leave but there

was no way on earth we were going to

round the Cape in the dark so despite

the Snapper bite coming back on in

a really serious way we just had to

Layng into the fish of the day

16 wwwnzfisherconz

do the sensible thing I canrsquot imagine

therersquos a fish on earth that would

make me think that Reinga in a 35m

boat would be ok in the dark Like

the first two days wersquod not cracked

any PBs and wersquod not actually caught

any really big fish but the experience

wersquod had (even just getting there)

and the country wersquod fished had been

absolutely special and one I genuinely

wonrsquot forget

Wersquod finished three days in the Far

North with a trip I never thought Irsquod

be able to do in the little stabi and

wersquod had some awesome adventures

and seen some amazing things So

wersquod got no PBs and really hadnrsquot

landed any monsters at all but it

just didnrsquot matter in the slightest

Sometimes you need to remember

that the truly great trips donrsquot always

have to be the ones with the biggest

fish getting out and having real

adventures with great mates will

always keep me coming back

LANDBASEDfishing

The beach kisses the ocean

Rounding the cape

Out of the sun they saw us

16 wwwnzfisherconz

do the sensible thing I canrsquot imagine

therersquos a fish on earth that would

make me think that Reinga in a 35m

boat would be ok in the dark Like

the first two days wersquod not cracked

any PBs and wersquod not actually caught

any really big fish but the experience

wersquod had (even just getting there)

and the country wersquod fished had been

absolutely special and one I genuinely

wonrsquot forget

Wersquod finished three days in the Far

North with a trip I never thought Irsquod

be able to do in the little stabi and

wersquod had some awesome adventures

and seen some amazing things So

wersquod got no PBs and really hadnrsquot

landed any monsters at all but it

just didnrsquot matter in the slightest

Sometimes you need to remember

that the truly great trips donrsquot always

have to be the ones with the biggest

fish getting out and having real

adventures with great mates will

always keep me coming back

LANDBASEDfishing

The beach kisses the ocean

Rounding the cape

Out of the sun they saw us

wwwnzfisherconz 17

1

2

3

4

5

5 simple rulesto help you stay safe

Life jacketsTake them ndash 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 Zealandrsquos 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 wwwadventuresmartorgnz

KNOW BEFORE YOU GO

The Boating Safety

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

CODE

wwwadventuresmartorgnz

The Water Safety The Outdoor Safety

CODE CODE

Also available

18 wwwnzfisherconz

boatFISHING

IF YOU WANT TO catch that fish

of a life time you need to get out

of Auckland right Not necessarily

Whangaparaoa resident Tony Hurley

not only caught the fish of his life time

in June he caught the fish that nearly

every Auckland boat owner is after and

he did it within sight of the Sky Tower

At 34lb 4 ounces (1554 kg) and 95 cm

long Tonyrsquos Snapper is of Moby Dick

proportions So how did he do it

ldquoThinking positively is a big part of

itrdquo says Tony In fact Tony goes as

far as saying that he knew something

special was going to happen that

day After anchoring up at his usual

shallow water spot at Tiritiri Island

Tony and his mate settled into a

pretty good fishing session Six fish

between 10 and 18 lb were landed

before Tony hooked into the monster

fish on a half pillie The fish was

netted after a 4-5 minute fight and a

handful of surging runs

Tony describes the fight of these

big Snapper as much like that of a

stingray He should know he has

caught plenty of large Snapper to 24

lb at his Tiri spot

Upon arriving home parking capacity

on Tonyrsquos street became in hot

demand as word of the big fish got

around All up Tony splurged five

bottles of top shelf liquor on the

impromptu guests

The big Snapper is currently being

mounted by a taxidermist and will

be put up on the wall of Top Catch

Whangaparaoa

By Darren Parsons

Monster Snapper Snared in Auckland

wwwnzfisherconz 19

wwwnzfisherconz 19

20 wwwnzfisherconz

localFISHING

Fish Your Feet First

I AM CONSTANTLY searching for

new rocky coastlines to explore with

a fly rod to catch Snapper in winter

One of the tricks to catching a fish on

a regular basis is knowing when to

fish and where Part science and part

intuition multiple factors swirl around

right to the last minute before the

final commitment is made to head in a

certain direction Transport company

tides and of course the weather all play

significant roles in the final decision Itrsquos

the transport option that has played

the biggest role in some of my recent

fishing experiences and in a city like

Auckland which offers so many options

being restricted to land is not always a

bad thing I have many options to be

boat fishing and often decline the big

trips away what I really enjoy is the fast

and spontaneous adventure available

by jumping on a ferry to one of the

many Hauraki Gulf islands

Recently a northeasterly storm

whipped up Northlands east coast for

several days On Saturday the wind

eased but the swell was big enough

for the inner city beaches to offer head

high waves Many points and reefs

that are not surf spots for 364 days of

the year came alive with quality surf

I joined the multitude of Auckland

surfers to savor these rare waves so

close to home

Sunday the wind shifted again and the

swell had eased to offer just enough

surge to make the fishing interesting

On the ferry at 9am a short hike

and a scramble down to some rocks

wwwnzfisherconz 21

localFISHING

I was greeted with green murky

water stirred by the recent storm

These conditions can often produce

great fishing as Snapper forage the

shallows for easy meals in the surge

and discoloured water but on other

days it just makes it hard see your fly

or believe the fish are there Arriving

at a spot that I would have previously

dismissed as a fishing location due to

the shallow water rocks and weed

I set about seeding some gutters

with tiny pilchard pieces Nothing

appeared in the first 40 minutes

baitfish and Kahawai who are the usual

first arrivals did not intercept the tiny

pieces as they sunk to the bottom

Knowing there was more to be gained

by retiring from the rock I had chosen

to hide behind than continuing to

work the small gutter I set about

putting together a 9wt fly rod and

re-positioned myself along the coast

where I found another gutter with an

equally good elevated hiding position

These days I choose my fishing spots

for the potential to conceal myself as

much as any other factor Returning

to the first gutter and just as I was

beginning to think ldquoI should have

been here yesterdayrdquo when the swell

would have been really stirring things

up for the Snapper a large Kahawai

blasted past That first Kahawai was

the first arrival of a small pack that I

kept active for the next ten minutes

Often the Snapper will move in to

investigate a fishy commotion and

depending on their mood will either

find the buzzing Kahawai off putting

or competitors that need to be

pushed along

Soon I had a Snapper claiming some

dominance over the Kahawai which

were twice its size Kahawai know

that speed is their only weapon and

as the competition hotted up over

the tiny morsels a few more Snapper

moved in and pushed the Kahawai

out We witnessed this relationship

in spectacular fashion last year on

the Coromandel where the Kahawai

were numerous and lightning quick

however when a Snapper of about

3kg size appeared it set about chasing

them away right up towards the

surface I have no doubt that Kahawai

have deep respect for the predatory

potential of the slower moving

Snapper and the short bursts of speed

they are capable of Itrsquos witnessing

this sort of near natural behaviour

that really appeals to me when using

stealth but it was time to start fishing

two hours into a my four hour trip and

I had not put a fly in the water

What followed was a session of

continued activity from 400-450

mm Snapper that eclipsed normal

experience My usual approach is

to present a fly to a sighted fish and

then leave the area to rest while I

work another spot close by However

the mood of the fish meant that a

momentary pause was all that was

required between catches at least 8

fish were caught and released before

I switched focus to the gutter just 100

meters north Once again the Kahawai

appeared and soon after some feisty

Snapper started to win the race for

whatever made a tell tale splash on

the surface With knowledge of an

upcoming bone fishing trip I dropped

my leader down to 45 kg and tied

on a small size 4 fly Whether it was

the light gentle approach with which

each fish was fought or the mood of

the fish that day I caught another 12

reasonable Snapper before it was time

to pack up to make the ferry home

While there were no fish caught that

warranted trophy status the pleasure

I took in watching my tiny fly being

approached by respectable Snapper

and the excitement of letting them

pull line from my reel to ensure I was

not busted off made for a fantastic

dayrsquos fishing something to chuckle

about as I joined the afternoon crowds

walking up queen street in the middle

of Aucklandrsquos downtown

While there were no fish caught that warranted trophy status the pleasure I took in watching my tiny fly being approached by respectable Snapper and the excitement of letting them pull line from my reel to ensure I was not busted off made for a fantastic days fishing something to chuckle about as I joined the afternoon crowds walking up queen street in the middle of Aucklandrsquos downtown

22 wwwnzfisherconz

sportFISHING

VANUATU HAS A well-deserved

reputation for exceptionally good

game fishing in the heavy and light

tackle classes as well as newer

techniques like jigging and surface

fishing with poppers and stickbaits

From the 1000m contour line and

the renowned lsquoMarlin Highwayrsquo which

runs hundreds of miles in a north

south direction close to Vanuatu to

the various FADrsquos just offshore and

often itrsquos only a short trip with the

hammers down to get you into some

hot fishing action

Vanuatu is one of the worldsrsquo top

blue marlin fisheries with a number of

world records to its credit as well as a

good number of lsquogranderrsquo blues that

have been taken in the area Most of

the regular game fishing charter boats

would catch around 100 per year with

many being tagged and released to

conserve the fishery

Best times and species

Put simply Vanuatu fishes all year

round however the ideal times are

March through November as this

is the time when the weather

and water conditions are usually

optimal Itrsquos also rather nice

timing in that it gives Kiwis and

Aussies the excuse to escape the

clutches of winter and head for

warmer climes and some fishing

By Grant Blair The Fishing Website

Fishing amp Diving in Vanuatu

wwwnzfisherconz 21

localFISHING

I was greeted with green murky

water stirred by the recent storm

These conditions can often produce

great fishing as Snapper forage the

shallows for easy meals in the surge

and discoloured water but on other

days it just makes it hard see your fly

or believe the fish are there Arriving

at a spot that I would have previously

dismissed as a fishing location due to

the shallow water rocks and weed

I set about seeding some gutters

with tiny pilchard pieces Nothing

appeared in the first 40 minutes

baitfish and Kahawai who are the usual

first arrivals did not intercept the tiny

pieces as they sunk to the bottom

Knowing there was more to be gained

by retiring from the rock I had chosen

to hide behind than continuing to

work the small gutter I set about

putting together a 9wt fly rod and

re-positioned myself along the coast

where I found another gutter with an

equally good elevated hiding position

These days I choose my fishing spots

for the potential to conceal myself as

much as any other factor Returning

to the first gutter and just as I was

beginning to think ldquoI should have

been here yesterdayrdquo when the swell

would have been really stirring things

up for the Snapper a large Kahawai

blasted past That first Kahawai was

the first arrival of a small pack that I

kept active for the next ten minutes

Often the Snapper will move in to

investigate a fishy commotion and

depending on their mood will either

find the buzzing Kahawai off putting

or competitors that need to be

pushed along

Soon I had a Snapper claiming some

dominance over the Kahawai which

were twice its size Kahawai know

that speed is their only weapon and

as the competition hotted up over

the tiny morsels a few more Snapper

moved in and pushed the Kahawai

out We witnessed this relationship

in spectacular fashion last year on

the Coromandel where the Kahawai

were numerous and lightning quick

however when a Snapper of about

3kg size appeared it set about chasing

them away right up towards the

surface I have no doubt that Kahawai

have deep respect for the predatory

potential of the slower moving

Snapper and the short bursts of speed

they are capable of Itrsquos witnessing

this sort of near natural behaviour

that really appeals to me when using

stealth but it was time to start fishing

two hours into a my four hour trip and

I had not put a fly in the water

What followed was a session of

continued activity from 400-450

mm Snapper that eclipsed normal

experience My usual approach is

to present a fly to a sighted fish and

then leave the area to rest while I

work another spot close by However

the mood of the fish meant that a

momentary pause was all that was

required between catches at least 8

fish were caught and released before

I switched focus to the gutter just 100

meters north Once again the Kahawai

appeared and soon after some feisty

Snapper started to win the race for

whatever made a tell tale splash on

the surface With knowledge of an

upcoming bone fishing trip I dropped

my leader down to 45 kg and tied

on a small size 4 fly Whether it was

the light gentle approach with which

each fish was fought or the mood of

the fish that day I caught another 12

reasonable Snapper before it was time

to pack up to make the ferry home

While there were no fish caught that

warranted trophy status the pleasure

I took in watching my tiny fly being

approached by respectable Snapper

and the excitement of letting them

pull line from my reel to ensure I was

not busted off made for a fantastic

dayrsquos fishing something to chuckle

about as I joined the afternoon crowds

walking up queen street in the middle

of Aucklandrsquos downtown

While there were no fish caught that warranted trophy status the pleasure I took in watching my tiny fly being approached by respectable Snapper and the excitement of letting them pull line from my reel to ensure I was not busted off made for a fantastic days fishing something to chuckle about as I joined the afternoon crowds walking up queen street in the middle of Aucklandrsquos downtown

22 wwwnzfisherconz

sportFISHING

VANUATU HAS A well-deserved

reputation for exceptionally good

game fishing in the heavy and light

tackle classes as well as newer

techniques like jigging and surface

fishing with poppers and stickbaits

From the 1000m contour line and

the renowned lsquoMarlin Highwayrsquo which

runs hundreds of miles in a north

south direction close to Vanuatu to

the various FADrsquos just offshore and

often itrsquos only a short trip with the

hammers down to get you into some

hot fishing action

Vanuatu is one of the worldsrsquo top

blue marlin fisheries with a number of

world records to its credit as well as a

good number of lsquogranderrsquo blues that

have been taken in the area Most of

the regular game fishing charter boats

would catch around 100 per year with

many being tagged and released to

conserve the fishery

Best times and species

Put simply Vanuatu fishes all year

round however the ideal times are

March through November as this

is the time when the weather

and water conditions are usually

optimal Itrsquos also rather nice

timing in that it gives Kiwis and

Aussies the excuse to escape the

clutches of winter and head for

warmer climes and some fishing

By Grant Blair The Fishing Website

Fishing amp Diving in Vanuatu

22 wwwnzfisherconz

sportFISHING

VANUATU HAS A well-deserved

reputation for exceptionally good

game fishing in the heavy and light

tackle classes as well as newer

techniques like jigging and surface

fishing with poppers and stickbaits

From the 1000m contour line and

the renowned lsquoMarlin Highwayrsquo which

runs hundreds of miles in a north

south direction close to Vanuatu to

the various FADrsquos just offshore and

often itrsquos only a short trip with the

hammers down to get you into some

hot fishing action

Vanuatu is one of the worldsrsquo top

blue marlin fisheries with a number of

world records to its credit as well as a

good number of lsquogranderrsquo blues that

have been taken in the area Most of

the regular game fishing charter boats

would catch around 100 per year with

many being tagged and released to

conserve the fishery

Best times and species

Put simply Vanuatu fishes all year

round however the ideal times are

March through November as this

is the time when the weather

and water conditions are usually

optimal Itrsquos also rather nice

timing in that it gives Kiwis and

Aussies the excuse to escape the

clutches of winter and head for

warmer climes and some fishing

By Grant Blair The Fishing Website

Fishing amp Diving in Vanuatu

wwwnzfisherconz 23

sportFISHING

While being a renowned blue marlin

fishery with frequent catches in the

100-200kg range the odd XXXL

model does turn up in the gear and

the current record stands at a very

respectable 515kg or 1135 old-

fashioned pounds

Other species that are targeted and

frequently caught in the area include

black marlin sailfish striped marlin

yellow fin tuna mahi-mahi wahoo

Spanish mackerel sailfish dogtooth

tuna coral trout job fish and red bass

Yellow fin and dog tooth tuna

reach some very large proportions

Dogtooth grow to around 80kg and

yellow fin to 100kg while rare are

quite possible

The most important thing about

Vanuatu is the surrounding waters

are rich in a wide range of species

and therersquos plenty to interest anglers

of all abilities and interests be it

trolling for pelagics jigging the

drop-offs or surface fishing with

poppers and stickbaits

Where to go

The main game fishing

operations operating in Vanuatu are

found on Efate - Port Vila and on

Santo - Luganville From Port Vila it

can be only a 10-15 minute trip to be

into sailfish and yellow fin action in

Mele Bay at certain times of the year

however it takes longer to get to the

FADS and out to the marlin highway

Possible destinations with local charter

operators include the Marlin Highway

Blue Hat 366 Nguna Volcano the

Erromango Sea Mounts and Hat

Island From Santo the journey is

considerably longer however there is

good fishing along the way

On some of the smaller islands there

are fishing options in various states of

development and itrsquos even possible

to rent a small dugout and create

your own adventure in and around

the reefs and drops close inshore

catching a variety of species on lighter

tackle Be careful eating reef fish due

to ciguatera A tip we heard from the

locals ndash cut a small section from the

fish and leave it outside overnight If

the ants eat it it should be OK to eat

Put simply Vanuatu fishes all year round however the ideal times are March through November as this is the time when the weather and water conditions are usually optimal Itrsquos also rather nice timing in that it gives Kiwis and Aussies the excuse to escape the clutches of winter and head for warmer climes and some fishing

24 wwwnzfisherconz

sportFISHING

What gear to take

Most of the charter operators have

excellent equipment so check whatrsquos

on offer before you go and maybe you

can save lugging armfuls of kit with

you If you do want to take your own

gear take the highest quality hooks

and split rings you can get and ensure

your poppers or stickbaits are well

made with through-wire construction

Popping and surface fishing

Giant trevally and dog-tooth tuna

of legendary proportions will take

no prisoners and the coral outcrops

and bombs will shred your line in a

heartbeat Solid rods are essential

as it a high quality spinning reel that

can pull 10+kg of drag smoothly such

as a Daiwa expedition or Stella A

minimum of 50lb braid is essential for

offshore popping on the reef edges

and deep drop offs but 80lb is better

to stop those bigger fish A smaller

set with 30 lb braid for fishing in

the lagoons and inshore reefs for a

multitude of smaller species is also a

good idea

Trolling

Species yoursquore likely to encounter in

closer include wahoo barracuda

dogtooth sailfish smaller yellow

fin and the occasional Black Marlin

Further out in the deeper water

blue and striped marlin are more

common as are mahi-mahi (especially

around the FADs) and large yellow

fin Dead bait fishing is common

with rigged ballyhoo skipping or

swimmers being employed

Scad rainbow runners and small tuna

(called mac tuna or kawa-kawa) are

also used The kawa-kawa are a live

bait favourite as they keep well in

tuna-tubes and are a favourite fare

of the large pelagics Trolling lures

bibbed minnows and diving lures

like mackerel maulers etc are also

commonly used techniques depending

on the situation (such as presence of

bait schools where livebaits are more

commonly deployed) or the species

being targeted

24 wwwnzfisherconz

sportFISHING

What gear to take

Most of the charter operators have

excellent equipment so check whatrsquos

on offer before you go and maybe you

can save lugging armfuls of kit with

you If you do want to take your own

gear take the highest quality hooks

and split rings you can get and ensure

your poppers or stickbaits are well

made with through-wire construction

Popping and surface fishing

Giant trevally and dog-tooth tuna

of legendary proportions will take

no prisoners and the coral outcrops

and bombs will shred your line in a

heartbeat Solid rods are essential

as it a high quality spinning reel that

can pull 10+kg of drag smoothly such

as a Daiwa expedition or Stella A

minimum of 50lb braid is essential for

offshore popping on the reef edges

and deep drop offs but 80lb is better

to stop those bigger fish A smaller

set with 30 lb braid for fishing in

the lagoons and inshore reefs for a

multitude of smaller species is also a

good idea

Trolling

Species yoursquore likely to encounter in

closer include wahoo barracuda

dogtooth sailfish smaller yellow

fin and the occasional Black Marlin

Further out in the deeper water

blue and striped marlin are more

common as are mahi-mahi (especially

around the FADs) and large yellow

fin Dead bait fishing is common

with rigged ballyhoo skipping or

swimmers being employed

Scad rainbow runners and small tuna

(called mac tuna or kawa-kawa) are

also used The kawa-kawa are a live

bait favourite as they keep well in

tuna-tubes and are a favourite fare

of the large pelagics Trolling lures

bibbed minnows and diving lures

like mackerel maulers etc are also

commonly used techniques depending

on the situation (such as presence of

bait schools where livebaits are more

commonly deployed) or the species

being targeted

wwwnzfisherconz 25

sportFISHING

Charters

The game fishing charter fleet in

Vanuatu is now a well developed

industry that has a range of top class

vessels manned by experienced

captains and crew running state of the

art quality fishing equipment

Vanuatu offers a wide range of options

and even if the sea conditions are

a little unfavourable there is almost

always somewhere you can tuck into

the lee of and island and fish

Day trips are common or you can

charter a boat for several days for

live-aboard options Some operators

have a lsquostay-awayrsquo option where you

can fish during the day on a luxury

boat and stay in lodges and guest

houses on remote outer islands in the

evening experiencing some of the

fine local hospitality and food

The diving is world class

Fabulous vibrant coral

reefs abundant fish-life and a

couple of dives that are on most

diversrsquo bucket-lists The SS

Coolidge and Million Dollar

point Clear warm water for

most of the year makes Vanuatu a virtual mecca

for divers

Tournaments

The Port Vila Game Fishing Club runs

six competitions a year Some of the

larger ones such as the Marlin Classic

attract lots of international anglers

as well as the locals The tournaments

are held in February through to

November Read Pete Phillips report

about the 2011 Marlin Classic here

There are competitions for everyone

from a great day out in February with

the ladies fishing comp the yellow fin

shootout through to the big money

Marlin Classic or the lsquoTuskerrsquo Game

Fishing Classic held in November

Diving

The diving is world class Fabulous

vibrant coral reefs abundant fish-

life and a couple of dives that are

on most diversrsquo bucket-lists The SS

Coolidge and Million Dollar point

Clear warm water for most of the

year makes Vanuatu a virtual mecca

for divers

26 wwwnzfisherconz

READERpics

Reader Pics

lsquoBlack Hooksrsquo National Kayak Fishing Team member David Brown amp a nice Stanmore Bay Snapper from his Kayak

A stunning Stargazer (Monkfish) caught and released by John Buckley in Doubtless Bay

A bag of nice Snapper for our Scottish-Kiwi Azza McDonald

Aaron McDonald was amongst the Kahawai lsquoout the backrsquo amp caught a number with whole juvenile Snapper in their bellies - including this 20cm model

wwwnzfisherconz 27

READERpics

John lsquoStraight-uprsquo Buckly amp his PB on softbait a 1055kg Snapper talken last year in Doubtless Bay

Aaron McDonald often just the skipper with a snap he snared this season

Aarons mate Duncan amp his best Snapper of the day earlier this winter

Ian Biddick with a 15kg+ King landed aboard Reel Life with Capt Phil while testing the new Honda BF250 fitted to Reel Life

Rhys Hambridge-Johnson showing the awesome colours of this John Dory taken this winter

28 wwwnzfisherconz

READERpics

Sea-Ox amp his best Snapper for a few years

Russell Tidmarsh amp a beautifully coloured winter Snapper ready for the bin

Kerry Boyle holding a nice late summer kingfish caught with

Aaron McDonald

wwwnzfisherconz 29

READERpicsSteve Futter showing hersquos not just a one-hit wonder

Steve Futter with a hefty winter red

Tony with one of first ever Snapper landed out on Highlander with Aaron McDonald

Team lsquoy Notrsquo - The Marmonts of the North Shore Surfcasting Club at Doubtless Bay in June

30 wwwnzfisherconz

Win a Trip on Board Diversity with Tackle-It and NZFisher

JUST POST A PIC of you with a fish to

our Facebook page and yoursquore 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 Aaron McDonald for

image Aaron McDonald was

amongst the Kahawai lsquoout the

backrsquo amp caught a number with

whole juvenile Snapper in their

bellies - including this 20cm model

COMPETITION

wwwnzfisherconz 27

READERpics

John lsquoStraight-uprsquo Buckly amp his PB on softbait a 1055kg Snapper talken last year in Doubtless Bay

Aaron McDonald often just the skipper with a snap he snared this season

Aarons mate Duncan amp his best Snapper of the day earlier this winter

Ian Biddick with a 15kg+ King landed aboard Reel Life with Capt Phil while testing the new Honda BF250 fitted to Reel Life

Rhys Hambridge-Johnson showing the awesome colours of this John Dory taken this winter

28 wwwnzfisherconz

READERpics

Sea-Ox amp his best Snapper for a few years

Russell Tidmarsh amp a beautifully coloured winter Snapper ready for the bin

Kerry Boyle holding a nice late summer kingfish caught with

Aaron McDonald

wwwnzfisherconz 29

READERpicsSteve Futter showing hersquos not just a one-hit wonder

Steve Futter with a hefty winter red

Tony with one of first ever Snapper landed out on Highlander with Aaron McDonald

Team lsquoy Notrsquo - The Marmonts of the North Shore Surfcasting Club at Doubtless Bay in June

30 wwwnzfisherconz

Win a Trip on Board Diversity with Tackle-It and NZFisher

JUST POST A PIC of you with a fish to

our Facebook page and yoursquore 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 Aaron McDonald for

image Aaron McDonald was

amongst the Kahawai lsquoout the

backrsquo amp caught a number with

whole juvenile Snapper in their

bellies - including this 20cm model

COMPETITION

28 wwwnzfisherconz

READERpics

Sea-Ox amp his best Snapper for a few years

Russell Tidmarsh amp a beautifully coloured winter Snapper ready for the bin

Kerry Boyle holding a nice late summer kingfish caught with

Aaron McDonald

wwwnzfisherconz 29

READERpicsSteve Futter showing hersquos not just a one-hit wonder

Steve Futter with a hefty winter red

Tony with one of first ever Snapper landed out on Highlander with Aaron McDonald

Team lsquoy Notrsquo - The Marmonts of the North Shore Surfcasting Club at Doubtless Bay in June

30 wwwnzfisherconz

Win a Trip on Board Diversity with Tackle-It and NZFisher

JUST POST A PIC of you with a fish to

our Facebook page and yoursquore 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 Aaron McDonald for

image Aaron McDonald was

amongst the Kahawai lsquoout the

backrsquo amp caught a number with

whole juvenile Snapper in their

bellies - including this 20cm model

COMPETITION

wwwnzfisherconz 29

READERpicsSteve Futter showing hersquos not just a one-hit wonder

Steve Futter with a hefty winter red

Tony with one of first ever Snapper landed out on Highlander with Aaron McDonald

Team lsquoy Notrsquo - The Marmonts of the North Shore Surfcasting Club at Doubtless Bay in June

30 wwwnzfisherconz

Win a Trip on Board Diversity with Tackle-It and NZFisher

JUST POST A PIC of you with a fish to

our Facebook page and yoursquore 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 Aaron McDonald for

image Aaron McDonald was

amongst the Kahawai lsquoout the

backrsquo amp caught a number with

whole juvenile Snapper in their

bellies - including this 20cm model

COMPETITION

30 wwwnzfisherconz

Win a Trip on Board Diversity with Tackle-It and NZFisher

JUST POST A PIC of you with a fish to

our Facebook page and yoursquore 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 Aaron McDonald for

image Aaron McDonald was

amongst the Kahawai lsquoout the

backrsquo amp caught a number with

whole juvenile Snapper in their

bellies - including this 20cm model

COMPETITION

wwwnzfisherconz 31

BRILLIANT WEATHER some hungry

kings and Snapper and a Mako to

keep things interesting ndash check out

Nathan and Thomasrsquo day on the

water with Capt Phil on Reel Life

Adventures right here

But for the more energetic fisher

check out the Jig Assassin Team at

the Ranfurly Banks If you fish only

two places in your life let them be

the Three Kings and the Ranfurly

Banks ndash unbelievable fishing

Watch it large and loud

VIDEO

Fishing Video of the Month

32 wwwnzfisherconz

kayakFISHING

So You Want to Fish from a Kayak

IrsquoM OFTEN ASKED if you can catch

fish from any old kayak Yes you

canhellip well sort of I mean yoursquod be

relying on luck Luck that you found

the fish and luck that you made it

back to shore safely

If yoursquore like me and want to

catch fish and be safe then some

considerations are required pictured

is my Viking Profish 400 but most of

the good kayaks out there are able

to be set up similarly This is how I

set up my kayak for a dayrsquos fishing

My setup up is not perfect but it is

effective and safe

I highly recommend talking to

your local kayak fishing retailer to

find out what is right for you Itrsquos

important to balance safety with

practicality ndash so donrsquot overburden

yourself with gear it might get you

into more trouble than save you

By Shane Kelly

wwwnzfisherconz 33

kayakFISHING

The kayak A mine is a Viking

Profish 400 lite purpose built for

kayak fishing itrsquos perfect

for my size weight and my style

of fishing

The paddle B mine is a carbon

fibre lsquoPropelz lighteningrsquo light and

strong you can paddle all day and

itrsquos tough as old boots

PFDlife JacketC do NOT leave

home without it to do so is pure

stupidity

Paddle Jacket D to stay dry is to

stay warm

Dry pantsE these ones have built

in socks because I hate having

cold feet I wear these all year

round keeping my dry in the

winter and my legs out of the sun

in the summer

BootsF like I said I hate cold feet

and these puppies are brilliant

(NRS)

A running rigG is used in

conjunction with an anchor (Drift

ChuteDrogue) and can be set

off the front or rear of the kayak

simply by pulling the cord

The AnchorH because I fish in

Wellingtonsrsquo notorious currents

I use a heavier than usual setup

I highly recommend rigging up

a quick release system with a

float in case of snags current

undertow and the ability to go

with a big fish

The FlagI be safe and be seen

you canrsquot miss me flying my

canes flag

Dry bagJ ideal for things you

might not need on the water but

do need to have with you flares

keys etc (I keep a spare old

mobile in mine too)

Fish StorageK no point spending

all day fishing only to have your

catch spoiled by the sun

Fishing Rods L my

recommendation here is to leave

those big long heavy boat rods at

home Lightweight rods and reels

are awesome to use on a kayak

big rods and reels will only get in

the way

LeashesM if you donrsquot want to lose

it put a leash on it rods paddle

dry bag etc I even leash myself

to the kayak when fishing big

currents

N

34 wwwnzfisherconz

What Knot amp WhyBy Derrick Paull

HOWto

BORN TO FISH the Okuma NZ

Facebook page recently posted a

great you tube clip on how to tie the

Albright knot I reposted on NZFisher

page and got some interesting

responses about the use of the knot

and better options (ie the FG knot)

It got me to thinking what is the

best knot for a situation and when

do you make the decision to go with

one over another

With the increased use of braid lsquooldrsquo

knots a like the Albright are less well

suited for connecting braid to mono

and there have been a number of

knots created to get good attachment

without having the braid cut the mono

Knots suited to this type of application

are actually plats rather than knots

This means theyrsquore laid around the

mono line and pressure is exerted as

the lines are pulled tight but therersquos

no actual lsquotyingrsquo of a knot

Therersquos a lot said about how good the

PR amp FG knots are (where do they get

these Acronym names from) I find

both difficult to tie quickly or in high

pressure situations where therersquos a lot

going on or the boat is rocking a lot

This alternative demonstrated by

Markus of FCO is a really easy and

useful version of the PR knot that

makes it more appealing to tie not

only because itrsquos a good knot but

because it can be tied quickly without

too much fiddling around

I do recommend tying a few

times at home before trying

on the water though

wwwnzfisherconz 33

kayakFISHING

The kayak A mine is a Viking

Profish 400 lite purpose built for

kayak fishing itrsquos perfect

for my size weight and my style

of fishing

The paddle B mine is a carbon

fibre lsquoPropelz lighteningrsquo light and

strong you can paddle all day and

itrsquos tough as old boots

PFDlife JacketC do NOT leave

home without it to do so is pure

stupidity

Paddle Jacket D to stay dry is to

stay warm

Dry pantsE these ones have built

in socks because I hate having

cold feet I wear these all year

round keeping my dry in the

winter and my legs out of the sun

in the summer

BootsF like I said I hate cold feet

and these puppies are brilliant

(NRS)

A running rigG is used in

conjunction with an anchor (Drift

ChuteDrogue) and can be set

off the front or rear of the kayak

simply by pulling the cord

The AnchorH because I fish in

Wellingtonsrsquo notorious currents

I use a heavier than usual setup

I highly recommend rigging up

a quick release system with a

float in case of snags current

undertow and the ability to go

with a big fish

The FlagI be safe and be seen

you canrsquot miss me flying my

canes flag

Dry bagJ ideal for things you

might not need on the water but

do need to have with you flares

keys etc (I keep a spare old

mobile in mine too)

Fish StorageK no point spending

all day fishing only to have your

catch spoiled by the sun

Fishing Rods L my

recommendation here is to leave

those big long heavy boat rods at

home Lightweight rods and reels

are awesome to use on a kayak

big rods and reels will only get in

the way

LeashesM if you donrsquot want to lose

it put a leash on it rods paddle

dry bag etc I even leash myself

to the kayak when fishing big

currents

N

34 wwwnzfisherconz

What Knot amp WhyBy Derrick Paull

HOWto

BORN TO FISH the Okuma NZ

Facebook page recently posted a

great you tube clip on how to tie the

Albright knot I reposted on NZFisher

page and got some interesting

responses about the use of the knot

and better options (ie the FG knot)

It got me to thinking what is the

best knot for a situation and when

do you make the decision to go with

one over another

With the increased use of braid lsquooldrsquo

knots a like the Albright are less well

suited for connecting braid to mono

and there have been a number of

knots created to get good attachment

without having the braid cut the mono

Knots suited to this type of application

are actually plats rather than knots

This means theyrsquore laid around the

mono line and pressure is exerted as

the lines are pulled tight but therersquos

no actual lsquotyingrsquo of a knot

Therersquos a lot said about how good the

PR amp FG knots are (where do they get

these Acronym names from) I find

both difficult to tie quickly or in high

pressure situations where therersquos a lot

going on or the boat is rocking a lot

This alternative demonstrated by

Markus of FCO is a really easy and

useful version of the PR knot that

makes it more appealing to tie not

only because itrsquos a good knot but

because it can be tied quickly without

too much fiddling around

I do recommend tying a few

times at home before trying

on the water though

34 wwwnzfisherconz

What Knot amp WhyBy Derrick Paull

HOWto

BORN TO FISH the Okuma NZ

Facebook page recently posted a

great you tube clip on how to tie the

Albright knot I reposted on NZFisher

page and got some interesting

responses about the use of the knot

and better options (ie the FG knot)

It got me to thinking what is the

best knot for a situation and when

do you make the decision to go with

one over another

With the increased use of braid lsquooldrsquo

knots a like the Albright are less well

suited for connecting braid to mono

and there have been a number of

knots created to get good attachment

without having the braid cut the mono

Knots suited to this type of application

are actually plats rather than knots

This means theyrsquore laid around the

mono line and pressure is exerted as

the lines are pulled tight but therersquos

no actual lsquotyingrsquo of a knot

Therersquos a lot said about how good the

PR amp FG knots are (where do they get

these Acronym names from) I find

both difficult to tie quickly or in high

pressure situations where therersquos a lot

going on or the boat is rocking a lot

This alternative demonstrated by

Markus of FCO is a really easy and

useful version of the PR knot that

makes it more appealing to tie not

only because itrsquos a good knot but

because it can be tied quickly without

too much fiddling around

I do recommend tying a few

times at home before trying

on the water though

wwwnzfisherconz 35

Jiggyrsquos Jigheads Tackle ReviewBy an Independent reviewer

gearREVIEWS

From NZ Fisher

The majority of the products we

use for fishing are not designed for

fishing for New Zealand species in

New Zealand conditions As a result

we often have to get used to making

compromises with the gear we use

Jiggyrsquos jigheads are an outcome

of this exact situation Tired of

modifying gear that wasnrsquot suited

for purpose the manufacturers at

Jiggyrsquos have incorporated a number

of features specifically designed to

make soft baits more effective in

New Zealand conditions

Features include large realistic eyes

and glistening colouration in four

choices The hooks used in the

jigheads are also top quality and

highly rust resistant The feature that

first got my attention however was

the shorter shank on the hook This

means that more of the soft bait is

free to wiggle behind the hook giving

the bait a more natural and attractive

action This feature in combination

with the sturdy hook that even a large

snapper would struggle to straighten

is what makes Jiggyrsquos jigheads so well

suited to the soft baiting that we do

here in New Zealand So how did they

stack up to a field test

I have been using Jiggyrsquos jigheads for

a few months now and can definitely

attest to the quality of the hooks

They have held their points well and

have stood up to the pressures that

a few large snapper have exerted on

them On the downside the coloured

paint and eyes do chip off after a

while The jig head is still perfectly

functional without the paint however

and I understand that the paint on

the next generation of the jigheads is

even more durable The most pleasing

feature of the jigheads has been the

versatility they provide with using

different sized soft baits The shorter

shanked hook means you can easily

interchange between 4rdquo 5rdquo and even

6rdquo baits a real bonus

Overall two thumbs up for Jiggyrsquos

jigheads

36 wwwnzfisherconz

COULD IT BE YOU

Congratulations to our Hooked Up prize winner for Issue 27

HOOKEDUP

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 yoursquove 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

Barry Williams is the winnerYoursquove won this monthrsquos awesome Hooked Up prize pack including

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

A $50 voucher to spend online or instore from bull GoFishconz

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

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

To claim your prize you simply need to email jenniferlespiremediacom before 5pm Friday 20th September 2013 Easy

wwwnzfisherconz 37

COULD IT BE YOU

Congratulations to our Hooked Up prize winner for Issue 27

Have you subscribed to NZ Fisher Itrsquos freeSimply visit wwwnzfisherconzto get a copy of NZ Fisher

delivered straight to your inbox every month

regionalREVIEWSNEXTmonth

In next months issue- How to rig livebaits with re-curve hooks for Kingfish- Sounder vs Fish finder whatrsquos the difference- Spring time fishing the annual revolution

36 wwwnzfisherconz

COULD IT BE YOU

Congratulations to our Hooked Up prize winner for Issue 27

HOOKEDUP

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 yoursquove 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

Barry Williams is the winnerYoursquove won this monthrsquos awesome Hooked Up prize pack including

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

A $50 voucher to spend online or instore from bull GoFishconz

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

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

To claim your prize you simply need to email jenniferlespiremediacom before 5pm Friday 20th September 2013 Easy

wwwnzfisherconz 37

COULD IT BE YOU

Congratulations to our Hooked Up prize winner for Issue 27

Have you subscribed to NZ Fisher Itrsquos freeSimply visit wwwnzfisherconzto get a copy of NZ Fisher

delivered straight to your inbox every month

regionalREVIEWSNEXTmonth

In next months issue- How to rig livebaits with re-curve hooks for Kingfish- Sounder vs Fish finder whatrsquos the difference- Spring time fishing the annual revolution

wwwnzfisherconz 37

COULD IT BE YOU

Congratulations to our Hooked Up prize winner for Issue 27

Have you subscribed to NZ Fisher Itrsquos freeSimply visit wwwnzfisherconzto get a copy of NZ Fisher

delivered straight to your inbox every month

regionalREVIEWSNEXTmonth

In next months issue- How to rig livebaits with re-curve hooks for Kingfish- Sounder vs Fish finder whatrsquos the difference- Spring time fishing the annual revolution