www.nzfisher.co.nz 1

ISSUE 32 January 2014

www.nzfisher.co.nzCongratulations to our Torpedo7 prize winner for Issue #32!

Landbased Kings on Fly

Big Fish –Small Jigs

ALLNEW

GREENMACHINE

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

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

BF60

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

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

ALLNEW

GREENMACHINE

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

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

BF60

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

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

www.nzfisher.co.nz 3

Pg 6

18

20

CONTENTS

editorial

NEWTECHNIQUES 6 Santa Baiting– Christmas Fishing at its Best

TORPEDO710 Livebaiting Essentials with Torpedo7

14 Kings on Fly: NZ’s Peak Fishing Battle?

KAYAKFISHING18 Night Fishing From Your Viking Kayak

20 West Coast Snapper Smashed

BENISLAND.CO.NZ22 Big Snapper off the Rocks

26 Reader Pics

28 Competition

29 Video of the month 10

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

ISIS

• ALC: Rigid 1-pcs anodized aluminium frame• Aluminium left & right side plates• Machined aluminium, gold anodized spool• Multi-disc Carbonite drag system• 5BB + 1RB Stainless steel bearing system• Quick-set anti-reverse roller bearing• Precision cut brass main and pinion gear• Adjustable 6-pin velocity control system

AKENA

CITRIX

SERRANO

For news, advice, offers & a good old laugh, visit us at facebook.com/borntofishnz

Akena

Citrix

NEWMODEL!

for 2014HOT!

Isis

Serrano

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

www.cdrods.co.nz

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

www.nzfisher.co.nz 5

HAPPY NEW YEAR NZFisho’s!

We’ve had a cracker of a break but

we’ve pulled finger and here’s your

first 2014 issue of NZFisher.

Congratulations to all those who

have wet a line and landed some fish

already this year. We have had a bit

of fun looking at ‘other’ species over

the break and have generally given

snapper and kingfish a miss. There’s

been scallops, paua, crays, pipi, tuatua

and more blessing our dinner tables

(ok, there’s been some snapper and

kingfish too!) But it’s gamefish we’re

onto now. All going well, we’ll have

some marlin and tuna pics for the

NZFisher (and Reel Adventures) team.

We’ve had great news recently that

shark finning is to be banned In NZ,

starting with some species this year

and closing out with blue sharks in

2016. Despite the long phase-in

period, we’re pretty happy with the

Minister’s decision to implement this

law before the elections. It’s long

overdue and well received by most

intelligent people.

For those of you who have not heard

about this yet, please head to the

‘Sea Change’ website and have a

read up on what is being proposed to

develop a marine spatial plan for the

Hauraki Gulf. It’s an important process

and they’re planning shared use

over the next 30 years. While today

we might think of it as a pathway to

better access, its the access that’s

at stake. You can visit the full site at

www.seachange.org.nz. NZFisher

is right behind the protection of our

natural environments, both on shore

and marine – but we wish to ensure

the public is fully informed of the

processes at play.

2014 is being heralded as a bit of a

watershed year by most Kiwis I’ve

spoken to. The baggage of the GFC

appears to have been left behind

and the unusual superstition of

2013 is now behind us. At NZFisher

we’ve set some pretty lofty goals

for ourselves and we hope to bring

you an improved, more detailed and

professional publication in 2014. It is

our goal to become the number one

online fishing publication in NZ and

we want you to enjoy the benefits

too. Please send us your images and

stories to derrickp@nzfisher.co.nz so

we can share your successes with our

own – and you’ll also be in the draw

for some awesome prizes too!

Tight lines NZ Fisho’s!

//From the EDITOR

editorial

ABOUT /Short and sharp, NZ Fisher is a free e-magazine delivering thought provoking and enlightening articles, and industry news and information to forward-thinking fisher people.

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

Cover: A Houhora king falls victim to a ZETZ Boggie Walk Smelt – Landed by Ian Biddick

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

print. Thank you!

EACH YEAR MOST OF us head off to far away beaches,

camp-grounds or family baches to relax, rest up, drink,

eat well and often fish for a feed. This year a few of us

NZFisher folk headed up north for a week to get away, try

some new tricks and, well, get a feed!

Weather was a bit tricky and a few electronic hiccups on

the new boat meant deep water was too tough to be

fun, so we stuck to the inner reefs and bays in search of

moochers. By Christmas we’d missed the first round of

snapper spawning so they’d dispersed a little and we’re

a bit patchy. That didn’t stop us giving them a good go

and with some less conventional lures (we tend not to

use bait, at all).

We also spent some time trialling, and sadly failing, with

our handmade imitation Maori fish hooks. After some

reading on their traditional use we have the idea that

they’re more of a choker than ‘hook’ in the modern sense

and were used more to target the likes of couta and

hapuku rather than our target, snapper. There’s more work

to be done here and we’ll get on to it again soon, (who

could say no to some more fishing?)

It was Christmas, so it seemed right to put a bit of Christmas

spirit into the fishing so Santa hats on and lures Chrissy

themed. Despite our best intentions the fish just weren’t as

into our Christmas cheer as we were – until Ian (finally!) nailed

one for the camera on

the Santa lure.

After the Santa

baiting session, we

landed a few more

snaps on soft baits

and micro-jigs before

heading close in for

a bit of a Cray/Paua

snorkel. As Neil has

said previously, when

the fishing is slow you

can almost always rely

on Crays, Paua and

other shellfish to fill

the fridge and they’re

so much fun for the

whole family to chase.

6 www.nzfisher.co.nz

Santa did it!

newTECHNIQUES

NZFisher’s Northland writer Neil Wagener looked at the difficulties of Christmas fishing in the last two issues and we thought we’d put his teachings to the test over Christmas and New Years – here’s how we got on...By Derrrick Paull

Santa Baiting– Christmas Fishing at its Best

The newest skippie lure of choice

The boat

www.nzfisher.co.nz 7

Our team were only on snorkel but managed a nice haul

of two Crays (plus returned a number of undersized

packhorse‘s too) and half a dozen nice (yes, legal!) Paua –

one hell of a feed for day one. At the beach we also dug

a handful of tuatua to spice up the pasta a little. It’s such a

pleasure to live in NZ on days like this when our initial plan

was foiled by fish with their mouths firmly shut, we can nip

into a bay and find a king’s feast of shellfish with little effort.

We set out on day two but were somewhat foiled by an

electrical issue on the new boat. The sounder was nothing

short of awesome in water up to 100 metre, but any

deeper we lost the bottom regularly; virtually ending our

hapuku / bluenose mission. Not to be completely outdone,

we used what we knew of the garden patch hotspots to

put ourselves in the right places, but dropped baits blind.

250 metre plus is a very long way to drop

baits without knowledge of what’s there, but

when you’ve travelled 30 kilometres offshore

to find fish you make the most of it, right?

While not our target species, a pair of gemfish and a

scarpie were once again greatly appreciated for the pot.

On reflection, the gemfish is outstanding, and went down

a treat at out Christmas day celebrations too with everyone

commenting on its delicate flavour and texture.

A quick snapper fish on the way back did provide a bit

more sport and a few fillets for the families on shore. A

day truncated by wind, we spent a few hours talking up a

plan for day three over a few quiet ales; causing a late start

and much deserved sleep in.

The day dawned cool but clear and the plan was to

chase kings and snapper on micro-jigs and stick-baits off

Houhora. We set off across East Beach on a mirror-like sea

with high hopes of one of our plans actually coming off!

We arrived at the reef to find it crawling in bait-fish and

decent schools of kings chasing them. A few drops later

and we were into some nice fish and ones that actually

took the baits we wanted them to – specifically the ZETZ

micro-jigs which we’d been dying to put up against

the kings. Ian Biddick managed the best fish on one, a

stroppy 12 kilogram model that came aboard hooked by

the tiniest corner of its mouth – something only the tiny

hooks on the micros could manage.

newTECHNIQUES

Thank god for small harbours

Calamari Entree

Darren wrestling one out

8 www.nzfisher.co.nz

Ian M also landed a new PB, an 11 kilogram fish that he

fought hard in 15 metres on the 10lb Ducro 10 PE1 set.

When I started jigging it was with PE6, 400 gram sets

that destroyed kings (and anglers) but stole the joy of

fighting anything but the biggest fish. I love this light

gear and intend to put it to good use at the three kings

later this year!

We landed our fill of kings but the best action came when

we threw the bigger stick-baits at them with the Hitter

Aurora 120 gram causing the biggest stir. There were

packs of 20 or 30 fish up to 20 kilogram chasing, smashing

and hitting the baits – every time the video camera was

switched off but constantly absent while we were filming –

it was insane and awe inspiring. Ever since my first real top

newTECHNIQUES

The kings were hungry – but only for very small jigs

Ian’s Zetz King

top water experience at mayor Island in 2010 I’ve

maintained the opinion that there is no thrill in fishing

within NZ like a pack of crazed kings smashing at

stickbaits. If you haven’t yet – you must get on a trip to

throw stickbaits at kingfish; it’ll change your life!

I trust you all had a fishing experience that put a smile

on your face like Ian’s over the break. If not – get away

from your PC and go fishing – it’s all on now!

The Aurora does it again!

Ian nailed his new PB on the Ducro 10lb set-up!

A mixed bag

Kings ON!

What a haul - and not a snapper in sight!

newTECHNIQUES

10 www.nzfisher.co.nz

Sabikis

A decent sabiki rig is essential when catching those

precious baits prior to a big day out livebaiitng. Sabiki rigs

are a very effective Japanese creation that work a treat on

New Zealand bait fish.

These Saltura Sabiki rigs have been tried and tested in the

southern hemisphere and developed to target our baitfish.

Each rig is set up with 4 hooks, flashers, beads, a swivel at

each end and a sinker.

FEATURES

Top Shelf Quality•

4 Hook Setup•

Ready to fish•

Livebaiting Essentials with Torpedo7

Livebait is unquestionably one of the most efficient, rewarding and enjoyable forms of fishing; and Kiwis just love it! While not necessarily difficult, livebaiting does require some specific tools of the trade. Here Torpedo7 gives a quick rundown on some of the essential pieces of equipment you’ll need for a successful day’s livebaiting.

Torpedo7

www.nzfisher.co.nz 11

Keep your bait alive and kicking

Once you’ve caught your bait, it is vitally important to store

them somewhere with recirculating water until you are

ready to rig them up and let them down into the enemy

territory. Turn virtually any water well into a live well with

this 12 volt aeration system from Marine Metal Products.

By aerating the water you keep bait/fish lively increasing

their performance as a livebait.

FEATURES

Converts any well into a livewell•

Aerates and cools up to 35 gallons•

Mounts with suction cups•

Choice of two spray bars•

500GPH Pump with 10’ wire and filter•

Copper battery clips•

2 spray bars with connector, mounting clips, •

suction cups and screws

5.5’ flexible tubing•

Hook the dream catch with Owner

When you are livebaiting, you are obviously chasing

some pretty serious fish so you need some serious hooks.

These amazing hooks from Owner are built tough and

are purposefully designed for this style of fishing. These

durable hooks are coated in corrosion resistant black

chrome and have a tough forged shank. Ideal for rigging

large baits.

Featuring a patented “T” shaped triple edged blade led

by a needle sharp point, these hooks will cut their way

through the toughest cartilage, scales and jawbone. With

the three cutting edges, the resistance decreases as the

edges cut their way through for an effortless hook up.

Torpedo7

12 www.nzfisher.co.nz

Reel ‘em in

When livebaiting, there are a few different options when

it comes to reels. The lightweight but very tough Shimano

Thunnis has become a very popular choice however.

The Thunnus 12000 C14 offers all the features

that the Thunnus reels are renowned for but

offers a larger line capacity, making it suitable

for most fish in Australasian waters.

Whether you are casting Poppers, Straylining or

Livebaiting and you hook a decent Kingie or Snapper you

will have piece of mind that your Thunnus will provide

unparalleled reliability and performance. It offers

Shimanos renowned Baitrunner feature which enables

the fish to take the bait without resistance and to strike

simply re-engage the drag pressure by reeling in.

These reels are ultra versatile so if you are looking to buy

a top end setup that you can do virtually anything with the

Shimano Thunnus 8000 should be a certain choice.

FEATURES

4:4:1gear ratio•

6 +1 Stainless steel ball bearings•

Dyna Balanced anti wobble system•

Oversized power roller line roller•

C14 Ultra lightweight construction•

Propulsion line management system•

Fluidrive II gearing system•

Paladin - Gear durability enhancement•

Cold forged Aluminium spool •

Super stopper II Anti Reverse•

One Piece bail wire•

Mono line capacity lb/yrds - 12/550, 16/350, 20/265•

Braid line capacity lb/yrds - 50/505, 65/310, 80/240•

Weighs approx 780g•

Max drag 12kg•

Torpedo7

COMPETITION WINNERThe lucky winner of Torpedo7’s $150 voucher from NZ Fisher’s December issue is Darryl Lock.

Congratulations Darryl, enjoy!

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

summer issues. Competition open only to NZ Fisher subscribers. Head to www.nzfisher.co.nz to subscribe for

free! 2 easy steps to enter!

Read this issue of NZ Fisher and answer this question...1.

“In our Kings On Fly article tell us one ingredient from the writers recommended Berley mixture”

Go to our Facebook page at 2. www.facebook.com/NZFisherMagazine and tell us your answer

Entries close 14 February 2014 and winner named in our February issue!

www.nzfisher.co.nz 13

14 www.nzfisher.co.nz

Kings on Fly: NZ’s Peak Fishing Battle?

This summer has already been an absolute cracker for kingfish in the Auckland region. We’ve been seeing them, hooking them and catching them on virtually every trip since mid-November. Words and images by Tom Lusk

MY FRIENDS HAVE managed them on livies, cotton

Cordell pencil poppers and stickbaits, and others around

the place have had success jigging and even surfcasting for

other species off the West Coast beaches.

For me, I’ve attained a major milestone: a keeper king on

fly from the shore. Since I took up the long wand in salt in

early 2012, I had caught a 73 centimetre number on trout

gear and lost two biggies that grabbed snapper flies and

smashed me in less than five seconds. Now I’ve landed

two nice comfortable keepers and lost three more, and the

season is just kicking off.

Encountering Kings

My approach to tangling with kings on fly gear is similar

to more traditional king methods. I’m a big believer in

berley, and like to use a mixture of a three kilogram Salmon

berley with white bread, all mixed up in a 20 litre bucket of

seawater and spooned into the water bit by bit.

Rolled oats are a good further constituent. A long-handled

serving spoon or ladle is a good delivery method, and

slapping a spoonful into the water every ten or fifteen

minutes gives a good combination of noise, smell and

visual cues.

Such a thrill

www.nzfisher.co.nz 15

While I’m not sure that kings necessarily follow their noses,

I think that when they’re stooging along looking for trouble

and come across a menagerie of excited and distracted

baitfish, plus delicious oily scents and floating pieces of

food, they are bound to flick into extermination mode.

White bread is a great addition because it’s fairly cheap,

very visible, and everything in the ocean likes it, even kings

themselves. Gulls love it too, but when targeting kings, the

extra commotion they cause is probably not a bad thing.

Terrain is important. Ideally, you want lots of clean seabed

in front of you. If you can find a kelpie fringe leading onto

a sandy bottom, you’re off to a good start. Really evil

territory is probably better left to LBG fishos.

The Set Up

With fly gear, your fly line is expensive – around $80 to $100

and up, so with notoriously dirty fighters like kings, you really

want the weakest point in your line to be close to the hook.

Thus, I use relatively light leader: 20 to 30 pound fluoro is my

preferred weight, something unthinkable when live baiting.

I also use barbless hooks, as if I do bust off, I don’t want the

fish stuck with a piercing and possibly trailing a fly line.

My rod for kings is a 12WT Kilwell, and my reel is a Colton

Torrent 911. This is at the heaviest end of the scale, and

some of my fly-fishing friends do well on kings with 10WT

rods. However they tend to be fishing on clean flats, where

it’s not so crucial to be able to lift the fish at the end of the

fight, when he is hell bent on doing macramé in the kelp.

The smile says it all.

16 www.nzfisher.co.nz

The Flies

When a king sees your fly as he meanders along the rock

edge, he’ll usually instantly accelerate and engulf it from

a couple of metres away, so I don’t know how important

beautifully tied flies are.

Size, shape and flash are key features of a fly, but I’ve

had very positive hook ups on a variety of sizes, shapes

and colours. For a beginner, I’d recommend any baitfish

patterns of about 7-10cm. If you like surface strikes, crease

flies are fantastic, and I’d rate these above popper flies,

which can be knocked aside by the attacking fish. One of

my favourite flies imitates piper, so it’s long and slender,

with a distinct black beak and big eyes.

The Fight

My two successful fights with keeper kings from the shore

have involved me getting very wet. In both cases, the kings

came in out of nowhere, smashed the fly and then blasted

off along the bottom, right through the kelp. To free them,

I’ve backed off the drag and swum out to free the line from

the weed, which is something I’d only do in calm conditions

with mates on the shore.

Once the fish is free, it’s really a matter of slogging it out,

ideally over the sand away from any structure. My first fish

took 230m of line in three blasting runs, and showed me

the spool knot - very worrying, and the first time this has

ever happened to me. However, once he was that far out, I

knew he was in the clear, and was able to gently wear him

down before bringing him back in to shore.

Facts and tips

Don’t worry if your casting distance isn’t great. Kings 1.

will come in to incredibly shallow water. A 10m cast is

usually overkill.

A stepladder, as used by a flats kingfish guru friend, is 2.

very useful on the rocks, too. Height gives a lot more

visibility.

Keep your drag low early in the fight. You really want 3.

the fish to swim away from the rocks as much as

possible. Once he’s out in the open, you can begin to

wear him down.

Polarised sunglasses are virtually an essential. Fly 4.

fishing for kings is a highly visual game.

Having pillie cubes handy is a good idea. A dozy king 5.

can be woken up to feed by a hail of splashing bait.

If you get tired of waiting for his majesty and go for 6.

other species with a smaller rod, keep your king gear

very close, and ready to go, i.e. a bit of fly line out of

the rod tip, fly clear on the rocks, drag set low. Kings

turn up at the least convenient times.

call 0800 666 785 for your nearest retailer

keeps your screen water repellent...for longer!

diamondfusion.co.nz

Milan Radonich, PlaceMakeRs Big angRy Fish, nZ.

“…using diamond Fusion gives you clear vision 360 degrees (even at night).” 

endorsed by new Zealand Fishing news and fishing.net.nz

18 www.nzfisher.co.nz

kayakFISHING

HOW OFTEN DO YOU struggle to find time to get out

on the water for a fish? Our days can so easily be sucked

up with everything other than what we want to be doing.

During the summer months it is possible to get out for

a fish after work but sometimes if there is a good bite

or you are just having too much fun, have you thought

about staying out after dark?

When I first took up kayak fishing the thought of sitting

out on the water in the dark was not something I ever saw

myself doing. Fast-forward to now and I have no problem

at all about paddling out into the cover of night to go for

a fish. I have learnt that as long as precautions are taken

and everything safety wise is covered then it can be a very

enjoyable time to be out.

All sorts of factors need to be thought about and I must

stress that it is not a smart idea to night fish a new area

without having fished it a few times during the day. It

is extremely easy to lose your bearings and have no

idea what way you came from especially if there are few

landmarks viewable in low light.

Apart from all of the usual safety equipment (life jacket,

radio etc) you should already have on board; night fishing

adds a few new things to the already large list of necessary

items. First of all a white light that is viewable round 360

degrees is required under Maritime regulations so that

Night Fishing From Your Viking KayakHow often do you struggle to find time to get out on the water for a fish?By Shane Kelly and Bam Blaikie

You’re not always easy to see

you can be seen by other vessels. The Maniyaks use the

Navisafe lights on Railblaza telescopic poles, or another

great option is the Railblaza visibility kit The higher the

better as even a small swell will see the light disappear

every few seconds. Something else worth thinking about

is reflective tape on the blades of your paddle and on

your clothing for additional ways of letting others know

you are out there.

So that ensures others can see us on the water but what

should we use to see for ourselves? We have found the

best option to be the cheap Energizer head lamps that are

available almost anywhere batteries are sold. These lights

offer enough light to make out what is in front of you but

also has a red light setting which is very good to use when

sorting new tackle or re-baiting hooks which you will find

your eyes not needing to re-adjust after switching the light

off. While these are not water proof they are cheap enough

to replace if they ever fail. A back up source of light is also

something to have hidden away in your night pack.

Chart plotters are not a must but extremely recommended.

As it is incredibly disorientating being out in the pitch black

you need something that you can use to get you back the

way you come. While not all kayaks are fitted out with chart

plotters even a GPS or a smart phone will let you track

where you came from so you can head back the same way

when it is time to call it a night. Our Lowrance finders leave

a snail trail of exactly where we have paddled. All we need

to do is follow this back to our launch spot.

There is one more item far more important than any of

these and that is a buddy to go along with you. Fishing

on your lonesome is never a smart idea unless you know

the area very well but in the dark it becomes far more

important to have someone else there. Be careful not to sit

in shipping lanes or anywhere that is a high traffic area.

I recommend you give night fishing a go this summer. It will

add a whole new dimension to an already enjoyable sport.

You will find you notice your senses in overload as you

sit out on flat water and notice every splash around you

wondering what the heck it could be. Let us know how you

get on. We would love to hear your story of paddling out

into the dark.

The Viking Maniyaks are Wellington based duo, Shane

Kelly and Bam Blaikie. Keep an eye peeled for more of

their tips, tricks and competitions wins right here in NZ

Fisher and on their new website, www.maniyaks.com

kayakFISHINGNice high, clear mounting point

VHF & waterproof light a MUST

360deg LED light

Handy LED light, secured to the yak.

20 www.nzfisher.co.nz

I PLAY A LITTLE game of find the truth with the Ministry

of Primary Industries (MPI) about the state of fisheries

recreational fishers are most interested in. One of the

fisheries in question is the Snapper 8 (North Island West

Coast) where there is major conflict between what science

says, recreational anglers report, and the commercial

industry insist. For my part, I’ve heard more from observers

and scientists within Government departments that cannot

speak freely.

The last assessment of the Snapper 8 Fishery was back in

2005; where results show that the fishery is (was) as likely to

be at 10% as above. In fisheries terms, this is a ‘collapsed

West Coast Snapper SmashedWhat’s the state of our snapper fishery off the coast of the North Island?By Neil Wagener

www.nzfisher.co.nz 21

fishery’ – but in this case, one we can still take fish from. It

seems very odd to me, a science outsider, that given the

known state of this fishery, that we would still be fishing it.

The 2005 assessment also looked at the age class of fish,

stating “Recent catch-at-age sampling shows that the

age structure in the fishery has changed little over the

last 20 years averaging around 6 years (this is the lowest

average of all the snapper stocks). The fishery is held

up in most years by only 4-5 dominant age classes with

an eligible accumulation of biomass beyond 20 years.

Given the current age structure the stock would be very

vulnerable to recruitment failure extending more than

2-3 years in duration”.

The way I read that, the fishery is full of midgets and not

too many adult fish at all.

There is a big ‘but’ to this story though. It doesn’t appear

to be all doom and gloom at all. You’d think that in a

collapsed fishery there might be a bit of outrage from

recreational fishers who can’t catch a feed. Or perhaps

there’d be a drop in commercial catch. But there isn’t.

I’ve followed this fishery for a few years, armed with

the science and MPI assessments, often getting really

into the minds of those who fish the west coast. It’s very

seldom that I come across boat fishos who are genuinely

disappointed in their (snapper) fishery over the bars or

launching off the beaches on the West coast. It seems

that once you know the spots, snapper are easy to land

off shore.

I cannot say the same for landbased fishos. It seems they

struggle to ever catch snapper these days – even from

waters where snapper were formerly noted swimming so

densely and shallow that their backs would be out of the

water while hunting for tuatua over the high tide.

In fisheries management there’s a term, ‘localised

depletion’, and at first glance the idea that an area had

simply been depleted, before another area, would fit

this situation. Until you have a look at where the fish

are consistently being landed in this fishery. The data

surrounding where trawlers land their fish is shrouded in

secrecy, but there are commercial fishers willing to share

their insight and experiences – albeit it on the quiet.

What appears to be happening is that snapper keep

returning to the same locations their school mates just got

scooped up from, sticking close together and keeping the

same haunts.

While this does make it a wee bit easier for recreational

and commercial fishers to catch them, common sense

might suggest it’s also a way to deplete the species, not

just locally, but across the whole fishery.

If you’ve made it this far you may be wondering why I’m

writing this article and even more, why would we think that

snapper are huddling together in the depths; especially in

places where they get regularly scooped up in trawl nets?

The theory comes from a mix of anecdotal information

garnered from recreational and commercial fishers. This

anecdotal information can be added to a theory presented

by G. A Rose & D. W. Kulka in relation to the collapsed

northern cod stock off Newfoundland & Labrador in

their paper; “Hyper aggregation of fish and fisheries:

how catch-per-unit-effort increased as the northern cod

(Gadus morhua) declined” (Google it if you’d like a better

understanding) and a real problem can be envisaged.

In short, hyper-aggregation means that the fish, remaining

in the fishery when they’re severely depleted, seek each

other out and aggregate in such numbers and with such

density that when they’re being targeted and researched,

the fishery appears to be strong and the fish abundant.

Only problem is, the Ministry’s own research showed in

2005 that the fishery was in trouble (at or below 10% of un-

fished levels). The magic number of 10% is what they call

the ‘Hard Limit’ at which point the fishery should be closed

to taking more fish.

Is it possible that our west coast snapper are so heavily

depleted that they are seeking each other out and hyper-

aggregating in a similar way to the north sea cod? At this

point, no one entirely knows, but there are some pretty

big questions to be answered by the proposed stock

assessment we’re hoping will come to fruition.

For the sake of the fishery and the future of snapper on the

west coast, I really hope there is no correlation, but you

have to wonder!

22 www.nzfisher.co.nz

WE HAD ROUGH SEAS and gusting south-westerly’s all

week and I was eager to go for a fish. It has been two

weeks, you know…taking the dinghy out into Tryphena

Harbour was not an option due to the strong winds, thus I

decided to go rock-fishing on the East Coast. Low tide was

around midday and there was no swell on that side of the

island. I left home around 9 o’clock, bought some bait from

the Stonewall shop and casually drove to Medlands Beach.

Something happened during the 20 minute drive. I

was so excited to go rock-fishing; you know the kind of

excitement? When you are sitting in an office and doing

your job and suddenly the fishing vibe gets to you, you

drop everything, say you feel sick, leave the workplace

and go for a fish. You are going on a mini-adventure and

although you might have done this thousands of times,

you sense that special feeling; psyched to hear the line

spooling and feel the weight of a solid fish on the rod.

Personally, I enjoy very much being all by myself or with

fellow fishos on a remote spot.

Yeah man, I was freakin’ excited to go rock-fishing, and

there is nothing wrong with that! By the time I unpacked

the car and me and Rani started to walk, I realised that I

should be standing on the rocks right now. I should have

left home earlier. Well, anyway, I walked via the ‘Track’

around to the southern side of Oruawharo Bay.

Big Snapper off the Rocks

benisland.co.nz

When it comes to fishing, you just can’t top rock-fishing or as some people say LBG (land-based-game fishing). I’m going to stick with the term rock-fishing as LBG implies that you do a bit more than simply casting out a piece of dead bait from the rocks and hoping to catch the big one. By Ben Assado

Walking on the ‘Track’ down to the ledge. It’s not easy finding the track, but no climbing is involved.

www.nzfisher.co.nz 23

There she is, a new personal best off the rocksbenisland.co.nz

This time I even had some berley, a nice four kilogram

Bonito one, however, I forgot to bring a rope and the berley

bag. After rigging up the first rod it was around 10.15am

already, and I still felt like a lazy fool for not being here an

hour ago. There was a bit of side-on wind and I thought:

“Don’t bother with the second rod, don’t bother with the

berley, just cast out mate.” And that’s what I did, a whole

squid baited onto two fixed 6/0 hooks on a meter of 60

pound trace. I was using my 10 to 15 kilogram, 8.6 foot

two-piece rod and the ever trusted Shimano 6500 Baitrunner

spooled with 30 pound line.

Boom, I was on a snapper immediately. It was 30+ cm and

went straight into the bucket. Second cast, boom, I was on

again. A smaller snapper that was released to fight another

day. So there I was, casting out, every cast a bite and the

berley was still next to my feet. What do I do, keep casting

out, cut a chunk of berley and throw it out? Three times is

a charm, so a piece of squid was casted out again. The bait

was taken only a few seconds after it hit the surface, flicked

from free spool into drag mode and, let me say it again,

kaaabooom the rod loaded up and the fish was taking

line. Too much line I thought and turned the drag up half a

notch, line was still taken.

What a great feeling it is when you hear line spooling out,

when you get into position to fight a fish, holding the

rod as high as is feasible, letting the fish take line when it

fights, and working rod and reel as fast as you can when

it isn’t pulling line. The fish had a few runs but I managed

to keep the load onto him and to turn its head quickly.

Snapper fight hard to begin with but once you turned the

head upwards and keep the pressure on they don’t have

much fight in them. That is of course if you can stay on top

of them, not letting them run into the foul.

The fight, albeit intense, took only two to three minutes,

before I saw colour a couple of metres out. There was a lot

of colour and all I could think of was not to lose this one.

‘Keep the pressure on, take it easy, and slowly wind him

24 www.nzfisher.co.nz

No gaff, no net, no berley, no getting up early or fishing late, bo boat, just pure skill and lots of luck… hehe

onto the rocks.’ And there it was; a new personal best for

Snapper off the rocks.

Needless to say, I was stoked! I put her into a rock pool and

for a moment, I was unsure of what to do next. I still had

four kilograms of berley and had only used three pieces of

squid so far. I decided to toss all the berley into the water

and fish hard for another hour or so. The fish kept biting

and biting and I kept landing and releasing Snapper. One

after another…

What a beautiful (fishing) day! I packed in at 11.15am which

was just amazing. I’d landed enough fish for a whole week

within the first ten minutes and there were plenty more

snapper wanting to get arrested. While cleaning the fish, a

dinghy passed by and unfortunately, I realised too late that

there were some mates of mine in it. Well, I ate lots of fish

yesterday, and Rani and I have three smoked fish, a couple

of smoked wings and a smoked head to enjoy for the rest

of the week. Here some more pics for you guys.

Keep it real, Ben

Reproduced with the permission of Ben Assado. Ben Island

lives permanently in the hills of Tryphena, in a rugged and

stunning bush block, and pursues his dream of living in

harmony and sustainably from the land. Landbased fishing

and blogging about the simple, yet utterly fulfilling life on

Great Barrier Island are his favourite pastimes. Follow his

fishing adventures for big snapper and kingfish off the rocks

on www.BENIsLAND.co.nz.

benisland.co.nz

The knife is 36 cm long..jpg

www.nzfisher.co.nz 25

www.thesnapperfestival.co.nz

PROUDLY SPONSORED BY:

Feb 7-8 2014

www.thesnapperfestival.co.nz

26 www.nzfisher.co.nz

READERpics

Reader Pics

Allan MckInvens new PB - a 75cm Hauraki Gulf Summer snapper

Allans PB & his second best

Barry Williams with a lengthy Whatipu Kingfish landed on Christmas eve!.

Derrick with a nice Northland king - submitted by Ian McLeod

www.nzfisher.co.nz 27

READERpics

Wayne Downer & a tasty summer snap aboard his own Frewza F16

Mike Proctor & his new PB king on spear (80lb!!!!) Image Camden Andrews

Angela Cielo Taguibao with her new PB, 2.3kg snapper from the rocks - Great fish!

Russell Baily & his new 17kg PB (on a jig) in the Bay of Plenty

Peter Wigg & a Large John Dory caught in Whangaroa Harbour before Christmas

Tony Brake with a16lb snapper taken by ‘Seahorse’ long line off Auckland’s West Coast

WINNER

28 www.nzfisher.co.nz

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

JUST POST A PIC of you with a fish to

our Facebook page and you’re in the

draw to win day trip aboard Diversity

care of Damo and the team at Tackle-It.

Every image you enter has a chance

to win the big prize. The more and

sooner you enter, the better your

chances so get fishing and posting

those images to Facebook!

WINNER: Tony Brake with a16lb

snapper taken by ‘Seahorse’ long

line off Auckland’s West Coast

COMPETITION

www.nzfisher.co.nz 29

VIDEO

Fishing Video of the MonthI LOVE KAYAK FISHING and love how waterproof video

cameras have opened up the sport to non-kayak fishos

in such a visual, vibrant way. Here’s a handful of videos

I’ve seen lately that have motivated me to go kayak

shopping again!

First up, the 1. ‘NZBlokes’ team with their 2013

round up

And more recently they’ve been getting into them2.

in the Far, far North.

And 3. this is what I want to be doing more of this

summer!

30 www.nzfisher.co.nz

HOOKEDUP!

Know whatyou’re doing

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

Core Courses Specialty Courses RYA Courses

Wide range of courses for all types of boating available nationwide

Ocean Yachtmaster

Day Skipper

Boatmaster

Maritime VHF Operator Certificate

Coastal Skipper

Radar

GPS Operator

Engine Maintenance

Marine Medic

Sea Survival

Sea Kayak and Waka Ama

Club Safety Boat Operator

Bar Crossing

PWC

Powerboating

Sail Cruising

Motor Cruising

www.nzfisher.co.nz 31

Have you subscribed to NZ Fisher? It’s free!Simply visit www.nzfisher.co.nz to get a copy of NZ Fisher

delivered straight to your inbox every month!

regionalREVIEWSNEXTmonth

Coming up in our February issue:- What really makes a good knife?

- Reel Adventures vs Rompin Sailfish

- Propping your motor - how do you know what’s the right prop?

Photo Credit: ChameleonsEye / Shutterstock.com

Know whatyou’re doing

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

Core Courses Specialty Courses RYA Courses

Wide range of courses for all types of boating available nationwide

Ocean Yachtmaster

Day Skipper

Boatmaster

Maritime VHF Operator Certificate

Coastal Skipper

Radar

GPS Operator

Engine Maintenance

Marine Medic

Sea Survival

Sea Kayak and Waka Ama

Club Safety Boat Operator

Bar Crossing

PWC

Powerboating

Sail Cruising

Motor Cruising