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ISSUE 40 September 2014

www.nzfisher.co.nz

Get IGFA Compliant this Game Season

YaksAttackthe NorthThe Maniyaks on fire in Orton Comp

How to Fish Taupo Rivers in Winter

Live and breathe boating?Introducing the new Honda BF80 and BF100.

Call for a quote, you will be amazed at Honda’s value! Freephone 0800 478 765 or visit www.hondamarine.co.nz.

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www.nzfisher.co.nz 3

Contents 6.. The Journey

Getting There

12.. Winter Fishing

Taupo Streams

16.. Legasea September Update

18.. Getting Set for

Game Fishing

24.. Five Guys go Shallow

28.. Reader Pics

30.. The all new Fyran

550 & Berley Mate

34.. Competitions

ABOUT /Short and sharp, NZ Fisher

is a free e-magazine delivering thought provoking

and enlightening articles, and industry news and

information to forward-thinking fisher people.

EDITOR / Derrick Paull

GROUP EDITOR / Jennifer Liew

ART DIRECTOR / Jodi Olsson

CONTENT ENQUIRIES /

Phone Derrick on 021 629 327

or email derrickp@NZ Fisher.co.nz

ADVERTISING ENQUIRIES /

Phone Jennifer on 09 522 7257 or

email jenniferl@espiremedia.com

ADDRESS / NZ Fisher,

C/- Espire Media, PO Box 137162,

Parnell, Auckland 1151, NZ

WEBSITE / www.NZFisher.co.nz

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

Cover image: Kev Haugh with a handful of serious South Island Crays caught earlier this winter

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Editorial

I’M WRITING THIS PRIOR to the election but you’ll likely be reading it during a post-election negotiation. Today I’ve read up on Nationals cynical ‘Recreational only Areas’ pre-election bribe and I’ve got a bad feeling that they’ve pulled off the greatest election bribe of all time.

I have been keen on a plan that allows some areas of recreational and commercial separation but the science is pretty simple. If you want to build a fishery or improve abundance you don’t separate the stakeholders with lines on a map, you take less fish.

Better still, you kill less fish – both the ones you keep and the ones you discard, both the ones you keep and the ones you discard. No one wants to see their right to take fish eroded, but we’re fooling ourselves (both recreational and commercial) if we think we can continue

to kill or take as many fish as we do and the fishery will recover all by itself.

I concede that it’s a bold move by the government to begin the process of separating shared fisheries, but I’m too jaded by previous bribes and empty promises to believe this is anything more than a cynical, and rather crass attempt to con the public into believing there’s benefit for them.

I voted today actually as I’m off to Malaysia to partake in the Royal Pahang International Billfish Challenge

and hopefully snag myself my first sailfish. I was so inspired by Leanne & Tobes’ win last year I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to join them this year and fingers crossed.

Tight lines NZFishers,

Derrick

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How excited do you get before setting out for a fish?

The Journey Getting There

FISHING TRIPS FOR ME are something that are planned months in advance, especially if it is for a competition. I usually count down the days in anticipation, and then the night before we are set to leave I need a sleeping pill just to get me to shut my eyes: I am that excited. There was nothing different the night before our latest adventure north for the Cove to Cape kayak fishing comp put on by Orton Events.

This was the fourth comp in a series of five. We love fishing the far north and really show

Words by Bam ‘Maniyak’ Blakie

that by driving the 800 plus kilometres just to get there. This comp we were taking up a good friend from the Liquid Lunch team, Dan. We planned to leave straight after work on Thursday and drive through the night to get up there with plenty of time to rest before the fishing started.

With the car loaded, we had to pop over the Rimutakas from Wellington to pick up the kayaks, and the other half (lets say three quarters) of the Viking Maniyaks, Shane. Just before we left Wellington the weather

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The Journey Getting There made a nasty turn and decided to dump

a bunch of snow on the hill we needed to cross. After three hours sitting at the bottom waiting for the hill to be plowed – and a brief appearance on the late night news – we made it over. Picking Shane up, we learnt the rest of the journey was going to be a similar battle and tried to figure out a way to get around it.

This would be the point most people would turn around and go home. Almost every road north was closed due to snow, but we thought if we headed up to Napier we may just get through to Taupo, and then smooth sailing the rest of the way. This turned out to be the correct thing to do, and we got to Taupo in a mere ten and a half hours, far from the usual four and a half.

We arrived into Whangarei about 3.30pm Friday. After 20 hours in a car we were far from being well rested, but we made it and that was the main thing. We stayed in a house with three other teams, which just as the year before proved to be a barrel of laughs: talking crap and a few pranks to boot. It really is awesome when these competitors become great mates and we are all there not just for the fishing but for the social side of it all too.

The decision was made to fish the first day out from Oakura where Shane had managed a few large snapper the year before. We woke to incredible conditions by Wellington standards and Shane and I were so stoked we made it. We paddled out loaded with an artillery of bait and burley from the boys

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at Top Catch Whangarei. We anchored and waited: waited for seven hours or so, and without even a legal snap on board, pulled the plug, headed back to shore and got some fish and chips, with the plan to fish the evening change of light and hopefully find some current.

After a good clean up and de-brief from the rest of the top blokes staying with us we went and rocked a short evening fish which ended up being a great stockpiling effort of jack macs for the next day. We all shot back home, watched the All Blacks draw with Australia on some dodgy streaming website and hit the hay.

The following day a couple of the local boys allowed us to tag along to a spot they were planning to fish. We followed them round the windy roads of the east coast to our launching spot. Today

looked even better than the day prior and pretty soon we were paddling out into the glassy ocean in front of us. Very quickly we started seeing sign on the sounders. Not just small sign either: we were seeing arches that you get told to look for but very rarely see. The whole day was spent watching these arches come and go, and turn their noses up at everything we had to offer.

It was a very frustrating day, especially watching the other two locals managing to land a few fish from our berley trail. After a bit of discussion on the way home we realised that what they had been doing differently was fishing a good cast away from themselves. We figured with the visibility being so good the fish were just too cunning and knew what our objectives were.

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Well, after a second day fishing for next to nothing we shot into prizegiving to support the ones that were lucky enough to get some fish to weigh in. Shane and I were extremely happy to leave the pub with a few spot prizes. One was a new 2+1 Viking Kayak and an awesome Okuma popper set from Top Catch Whangarei.

We stayed another night in the far north and then headed home on the Monday, arriving around 9PM that night. Apparently Shane had other ideas though, and while I slept in the back seat (of my brand new Ford Ranger I may add) Shane decided the 3.2L diesel engine needed a top up – of petrol!

Well, as the truck was brand new, there is obviously a warranty to look after and we arrived home 24 hours later and with a bit of a bill to pay to the people at Ford.

I guess we were making it home a bit too quick. So despite not catching much, I would still go jump in the car and do it all again. As a saying goes, that I must keep telling myself after this trip, “It is not about the destination, it is about the journey getting there”.

Just when hope was receding, Ben’s rod-tip crashed around and a lovely barbel gave a fish-starved Aussie a lively battle in the confines of a snaggy small river-swim. With the job half done the pressure

As a saying goes, that I must keep telling myself after this trip, “It is not about the destination, it is about the journey getting there”

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was off, so I decided to offer our visitor something completely different. Stick float fishing on two pound line with hemp and tares is about as far removed from hurling heavy poppers at warm water predators as you could possibly get, but Ben was up for the challenge.

Despite never having fished with a fourteen foot rod or a closed-face reel, I was impressed how quickly Ben got the hang of what must have been a totally alien way of fishing. Within an hour, that lightly shotted float was being inched down the flow on the River Thames at Wallingford as if he had been born to it.

Some careful feeding saw the fish lined up, and before long a steady stream of roach, dace and small chub were coming to the net. These fish weren’t particularly

big, but Ben understood how even minor adjustments to presentation and shotting patterns could make a real difference to catch rates.

Later on in our session we were joined by a few chunky roach/bream hybrids with a liking for sweetcorn, before a feeding pike gate-crashed the party, scattered the shoal and ruined proceedings.

Not one to miss an opportunity, our intrepid visitor marched up the hill to the van to collect his spin gear and promptly began throwing lures around.

It goes without saying that the pesky pike was captured, and much as I admired the skill and adaptability of my guest, it holds true that you can take the angler out of Australia – but you can’t take the Aussie out of the angler! ●

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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

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Sea Survival

Sea Kayak and Waka Ama

Club Safety Boat Operator

Bar Crossing

PWC

Powerboating

Sail Cruising

Motor Cruising

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AT THIS TIME OF year the fishing can be fantastic, as the trout run from the lakes and up the rivers to spawn. Our main winter fisheries include Rotorua and Taupo, with Rotorua fishing best from April to June, and Taupo August to October. Currently the Taupo fishery is well under way, with some great sport to be had!

How do I fish a winter river?

The key to fishing most of the Taupo rivers during the winter is making sure that you have heavy enough flies to get to the bottom. The fish that are running up these rivers keep tight

Targeting Winter Trout

Charter Connection

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Winter Fishing Taupo Streams

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to the bottom, so unless your flies are in the same place, your success will be very limited. The edges of ‘seams’ (where a faster and a slower current meet), depressions in the river bed, or drop offs are the most effective areas to target, as the trout often use these as resting spots on their journey upstream to their spawning beds.

When fishing these areas, the way your flies ‘present’ in front of the fish is critical. They need to look like they are drifting towards the fish as naturally as possible.

Any ‘drag’ (where your flies or line are pulled across the current unnaturally) on your flies or flyline will alter the way the flies look to the fish. If you are using indicators (large natural yarn floats) on your leader, always remember that as the flies drift they will come under the drift line of the indicator.

This means that if you cast across a river and your flies land on the edge of a ‘seam’ (where you want them) but your indicator lands four feet closer to you (away from the seam), the flies will drift across and

Targeting Winter Trout

Winter Fishing Taupo Streams

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under the line of your indicator the further your drift goes.

The most effective way to stop this is to either cast your flies further than the water you want to be fishing so that your indicator lands on the correct line, or alternatively, ‘mend’ your line and indicator across towards where you want your drift to be.

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Mending means that you are intentionally

laying your flyline upstream (or

downstream) of where your flyline first

lands on the water. With winter fishing,

the mend is usually upstream. The key to

‘mending’ your line is to do this either as

soon as your flyline lands (before it starts

to drift downstream), or actually mend it

whilst it is still in flight. This is usually a

lot more advanced and requires a level of

casting proficiency.

The key to ‘mending’ your line is to do this either as soon as your flyline lands (before it starts to drift downstream), or actually mend it whilst it is still in flight.

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The whole point of mending your line is

so that the current doesn’t affect the drift

of your flies. Quite often we are casting

across faster or slower water than where

our flies are actually drifting. So we mend

our line upstream (if the water is faster)

to allow the flies to drift down as naturally

as possible, without the faster current catching the flyline and ‘dragging’ the flies across. Sometimes you will need to mend your line multiple times in one drift to keep them looking as natural as possible.

Next month we will cover fly selection and how to ‘present’ them to the fish. ●

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LIKE THOUSANDS OF OTHERS, you are probably glad the election is over, that spring is here and fishing has improved. LegaSea is pleased that around 15,000 people signed up in support of our recent Tip the Scales campaign. This was directed at getting political parties to commit to rebuilding our fish stocks so future generations can enjoy a meaningful fishing experience.

Now our challenge is to hold the new government to their promises. Ultimately, our needs are simple: reducing waste caused by fishing, and rebuilding our fish stocks. These two

things will go a long way to ensuring we leave a legacy of abundance for the future. www.legasea.co.nz/tipthescales

Building LegaSea

Our Building LegaSea programme is ticking along steadily. We now have more than 40 construction industry entities signed up to a monthly commitment of $100. There are more prospects awaiting confirmation, and the weekly breakfast meetings in downtown Auckland are proving popular.

www.legasea.co.nz/building-LegaSea

By Trish Rea, LegaSea team www.legasea.co.nz

LegaSea FISH

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Update September

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New initiatives

LegaSea is pleased that Pieter Battaerd has recently joined the crew. He is focused on enlisting and organising volunteers keen to support LegaSea, and our collective vision of ‘more fish in the water for future generations’.

Dealing with offers of help has not been our strong point until now, so with Pieter on board we hope to give you the recognition and support you deserve when volunteering your time and energy. Many hands make light work when it comes to a simple mail drop of flyers around your neighbourhood or at the local boat ramp. Register your interest at www.legasea.co.nz/volunteer.

Partnerships

Our Platinum, Gold, Silver and support partnerships are growing. These now span a range of industries and entities all committed to supporting LegaSea and an abundant future.

Please, if you are looking to make a purchase or enlist a service, check our partners list online and support the businesses that are backing our fishing interests.

• Proud partners

• Supporting partners

Hokianga Accord

LegaSea presented the Tip the Scales campaign to around 60 people at the recent Hokianga Accord hui. The August 7th meeting was held at the Bay of Islands Swordfish Club and brought together mid-north Maori, Ngapuhi, Ngati Whatua, local hapu and community marine interest groups.

Several marine reserves have been proposed for inshore waters of the Bay, tangata whenua aspire to implement some form of customary management in the Bay and the Swordfish Club is keen to ensure adequate consideration of fishing and conservation interests in those waters. Discussions are ongoing.

www.legasea.co.nz/hokianga.php ●

Call 0800 LEGASEA (534 273)

Email us info@legasea.co.nz

Subscribe at www.legasea.co.nz

Read more at www.facebook.com/legasea

Update September

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AS I LOOK OUT A window buffeted by gale force winds and torrential rain, I think that one could be mistaken in thinking that spring has finally arrived. But spring signals it’s time to get organised: the game fishing season is almost upon us.

For many fishing clubs, the end of year prize-giving and AGM’s have been held. The incoming committees are busy organising the upcoming tournaments, signalling to the members that it’s time to organise crews, decide which tournaments to fish, and when to take time off work.

Out at the marinas, the hard stands start to come alive. Workers are busy antifouling and everyone rushes to get their boats ship shape before the Christmas rush.

Across town the tackle stores start to get busy restocking shelves with the latest season’s offerings, while out back the maintenance department wade their way through the collection of customer’s reels needing new line.

For the big game fisherman back home, it’s also time to blow the dust off the heavy stuff. It all needs checking for any wear and tear in preparedness for their ensuring battles. As tackle junkies it’s a fun time too. All those lures packed away

NZ IGFA representative Scott Tindale gives us the rundown

last winter being pulled from their hiding place: acting like a child opening a present on Christmas day. Each lure tells a story. Favourites sport battle scars, reviving memories of that one that got away.

What worked and what didn’t? How did others do it? What advantage did they have? All these questions as you ponder over the tackle selection in front of you.

For the big game fisherman, every part of the gear has to be in top condition. Not only that, but for nearly everyone, it is just as important for it all to comply with International Game Fish Association regulations: IGFA for short. Tournaments, national honours or that possibility of landing a record. Prepping for the game fishing season requires attention to detail and knowledge of the IGFA basics.

IGFA rules cover every part of the catch, not just the fish itself, from what equipment is used to who’s involved, how it’s done: even to how it’s processed. Where and when a fish is caught is also covered. Reading up on the rules is important, but most issues overlooked by anglers can be addressed by simple preparation, and being armed with a tape measure, masking tape and a pen.

Getting Set forGame Fishing

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We will start with the line...

There is no such thing as IGFA rated line. Manufacturers may state this, but it only means that their line tests as close to, or should not break over the specified IGFA line class. More times than not this will be the case. There are no guarantees, but it is the preferred type of line that sports fishers look for.

When setting up your reels, if you decide to add additional new line: be it top-shot mono over braid or dacron, be aware the line class will be classified by the highest breaking strain tested of the two. Braid has the disadvantage of over testing, so if you have access to a line tester at a club or tackle store it would be advantageous to check any line sample before use. You will not be able to pre-test for records, but it will give you peace of mind that you are fishing as close to the line class as you can. Any line that ‘tests’ over 60kg will disqualify your catch.

I like to label each reel with the line brand and stated line class – handy during the nationals, and especially critical when you come across an opportunity to target a line class record. Timing can be everything.

Black magic line spools

Next thing to look at is the terminal tackle

Many competition fish and records are disqualified by the trace being over length. Unfamiliar gear, swapping lures around during the day, adding bling such as birds: these are just some of the reasons that can lead to the trace being presented over length. Wind-on leaders would be the biggest culprit I have seen.

Remember you still have to add the lure and hook assembly, which adds to the overall trace length.

Whether traces are shop supplied or home-made, you will have to cut them to suit your requirements.

Reels labelled

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Measure everything to make sure you do not exceed the trace and double combination maximums for the line class you intend fishing. These vary depending on whether you are fishing line classes up to and including 10kg, or over 10kg. Again, I like to label each trace with its overall length. This makes it easier to ensure the final assembly complies.

Note: It pays to keep the final assembly well below the maximum allowable lengths to allow for possible knot slippage, line stretch – or brain freeze!

There are a few things to watch for when setting up big game lures and baits. Most sport fishers carry game lures pre rigged: ready to deploy. Some have the hooks

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Trace collectionHook rig options

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removable making it easier to store, while

others leave the hook attached.

On occasion, this has caused some

embarrassment: especially when you

forget to attach the hook or leave the safety

cork on the barb. These sorts of mistakes

are funny, and make for a great story. Not

so funny is being disqualified because

the hook’s eye is found to extend out past

the lure skirt. No matter if you use single

or double hook combinations, compliant

rigging options can be found in the IGFA

illustrated guide to hook regulations for

natural baits and artificial lures.

Illegal lure

Gaffs

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Another area frequently overlooked is the collection of gaffs, landing nets and tail ropes. Flying gaff heads come in all sizes. Measure each assembled on the pole to ensure it is less than 2.44m (8 feet). Not all parts are manufactured the same. Ropes may have been replaced. Again, check the measurements are less than 9.15m (30 feet). Same goes for tail ropes. Don’t use the anchor rope as a tail rope, as it will probably be well over length.

The last thing to get ready is a copy of the IGFA Angling Rules For Saltwater, Freshwater and Fly Fishing. Available on

line www.IGFA.org, from fishing clubs or by scanning this QR code.

Make a point of getting all of your crew to read it. There are strict rules relating specifically to each one involved. Deck hands are renowned for adjusting the angler’s reel for them. It would be a shame to throw someone over the side. ●

Gaffs

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Gaffs

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ShallowSaltwater Fly – a spring boon

5Guys Go

Words by Matt ‘Matto’ von Sturmer is a professional Saltwater Fly-fishing guide based in Auckland

Brian Jones

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‘FLYSPRAY’ IS A six metre custom saltwater fly fishing vessel, a Revo designed ‘Superfly’ model of polyethylene construction. Rod and Reel have made the venture happen and I am skipper and guide, as part of our set up phase I have been testing the boat and defining the fishing that will be the major part of the operation, full and half day trips in the Hauraki Gulf, fly fishing the shallows. Fly selection, casting skills and my ability to put anglers close enough to the hard fighting kahawai, snapper and kingfish that hunt and weed lines, bays and sand flats that are so close to Auckland city.

This particular trip was a chance to repay some of the support that a few guys had shown to a new club ‘strip strike’ that has grown from the surge of interest in flinging fluff and feathers, and provide me a chance to test the boat even thought I will only have three on board for a charter trip.

The plan was to drop two guys on the shore and fish as intended with one in the back and one on the platform, while the third guy remained seated in a position to fire off encouraging comments as the anglers missed strikes, mistimed casts.

The level of humour flyfishing provides is proportional to how well anglers know each other, and chucking friendly abuse can be a great way of making something that is fun even more fun!

I had found a patch of fish that were feeding on mature anchovies tucked well into the shallows of one of the many bays around Rangitoto Island a few days before, and with five guys on board the plan was to locate the action and leave two guys fishing from the shore and swap around during the day.

I hate plans and much prefer using careful observation of what’s going on out on the water to find the action, and the day started badly with the forecast being accurate but back to front. The wind was supposed to be from the other direction in the morning and as I used the Min-kota to propel the boat along the opposite shore of the bay than intended I was beginning to think of what my back up plan would be.

Four restless anglers, all itching to get a fly in the water while the guide manoeuvered the boat in murky water of less than two metres deep started to look like the seeds for a mutant.

Brian Jones

Four salt fly fishers

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Thankfully Brian who was the angler up on the casting platform put a cast ahead of the boat between some visible lumps of weed connected with a solid fish, everyone’s eyes followed the tightening fly line as a reasonable fish pulled line from his drag.

A beautiful pink snapper was soon on board, and within minutes the first catch of the day was posted on Facebook and the next angler got to take the prime position on the casting platform. We worked a little drop off where the shingle meet the muddy bottom and placing a small anchor off the stern the boat swung to allow two casters to cast flys, one to the slightly deeper water

The Latest bunch

and one to the extreme shallows where Kahawai and kingfish often force bait right to edge of the beach.

We moved a few times while maintaining absolute quiet and just on cue the wind did drop as I once again held position in the two metre deep water with a small stern anchor. With a bit of communication we could manage three flyfishings timing casts towards the weed line in hope of finding the patch of fish I had said would be somewhere in the bay feeding on anchovies. As the tide started to turn a few bumps and nips at the flys could be felt, a bit of coaching to do some un-naturally long pauses converted those little taps into some hard fighting Kahawai and small snapper.

With a theory developing as to how these fish were feeding we got better at catching them , and despite the sun brightly suing overhead and the water we were casting to being about one metre deep, we were fly fishing and catching fish.

It became evident that placing casts a little further than normal or within range of little features was the best strategy,

Colin Sheperd with another fat Kahawai on Mattos 6wt!

Michael Eldred with a very nice snapper

and I demonstrated this well when I suggested I would like to place a few casts myself and proceeded to nail a snapper of good size from such skinny water, later on I did the same and caught a larger than average Kahawai.

Happy in my smug state, I then destroyed any sense of cool, my making sure all on board understood how good I was! Thankfully you can get away with stuff like that among friends and making yourself a bigger target of future abuse is a generous thing to do!

We never got to drop anybody off as we found the consistency of fishing suitable to rotate the anglers with the abuse throwers and a really outstanding afternoons fishing was had. Everyone caught great fish on fly in the sun and very close to where we had launched.

With the fishing just getting better, but having had our share of the action we elected for a change of scene. We explored several bays and were rewarded for careful observation and a quiet approach with small patches of good sized Kahawai busting anchovies on the surface and snapper not far below, these were not the work ups of late summer but small patches of fishing herding bait to the top water before quickly re appearing 50 metres away.

We found drifting into the action was the best approach as any boat noise put them down quickly. It was a great test of the boat and while I will never have that many on board for a fly-fishing charter it was great to see 5 guys flicking flies and catching fish. And if I still have friends in a years’ time after becoming a real skipper, I might just do it again. ●

The Latest bunch

Matto on a solid fish from the shallows Matto releasing one to fight another day

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PICS Reader

Pics

Andrew Evans with a 19lb Kelpie pulled from the rough stuff at Little Barrier

Ethan Hunter-Wilson with a nice snapper from the shore

Winner!

Forbes Taylor into a 5lb snapper off Orere Point in September (Someone needs a GoPro)

Graeme Houlahan with a Fish on! (Okuma Aaxion rod and Camo max4 reel , great gear, thanks Composite Development)

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Tobes (26.3kg) and Mark (24.5kg) with a pair of hard pulling Bay of Plenty Kings

Mike Leasenby’s Favourite View

Longboat Skipper Parmeet with a tasty local Mack-tuna out of Kuala Rompin

Oscar with his first Malaysian Prawn

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Berley Mate is Back

Berley Mate has been proven on the New Zealand market since the 1990s. Now, the Long-life Rapid Berley log has an entirely new formulation. And it’s a game-changer.

The key ingredient is boosted squid liver extract, which has more omega 3 & 4 than any other fish-oil-based attractant.

Berley Mate berley lasts long enough for an entire average fishing session, and stays at the level at which it is dispersed - its trails wont float or sink.

Now there are eight new products in the range, including Berley logs, squid liver pellets, and boosted squid liver oils.

Clean berleying, with no mess, smell or refrigeration packaged in convenient, slim, ziplock packs.

Details at www.berleymate.co.nz

Fyran 550

Fyran Boats have been the mainstay of the boating industry for over 50 years and after a few lean years, they are back at the forefront of innovation in the marine industry.

Under the stewardship of new General Manager Ian Biddick the brand has a plan and if the 550 is anything to go by, they’re certainly on the right track.

NZFisher was pleased to be invited to the official launch in early August and on a rugged September weekend Daz & I had the opportunity to run the 550 in some nasty water on a trip back from Little Barrier.

The biggest upside was that we got to spend the day over some very fishy reefs while waiting for the weather to build sufficiently to give the rig a decent run.

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On the way out we were partnered by a Stabi 1850, a very capable and well set up boat. I wasn’t the only one who was surprised that the 550 left the Stabi behind over a solid half meter chop. The 550 has been redesigned with a very fine V at entry flattening out to a 16 degree transom with nice wide, inversed ‘gull-wing’ chines that provide a very stable platform at rest but it’s the fine entry that gave the 550 the advantage into the slop. The hull design makes for a surprisingly

soft, even aggressive ride that swallows chop and slop so effectively you find you’re able to travel quicker without risking body and boat.

Now I’ve gotten that out of the way, it’s best to look at what really makes this an innovative boat in an age of innovations. ‘Young’ Nick Herd, the new operations and manufacture manager has bought some very new and beneficial ideas to the project. Nicks focus on reducing

The all new Fyran 550 & Berley Mate

32 www.nzfisher.co.nz

manufacturing process through a waterline up rebuild has led to a more spacious cockpit, more accessible transom storage and a less cluttered dash. Nick’s focus on the operational aspects of the design has reduced manufacture cost, improved build quality and allowed more to be included for the same price as the previous model. Great stuff right?

Well, yeah, really great. We took the 550 for a full-on fishing day to see how it really stood up as a fishing platform; it’s more than just a fishing boat, but hey, we’re fishing mag!

While we sorely missed the live-bait tank, we improvised by using the well concealed (and included) 55l Litre Icey-Tek that disappears sweetly under the bait-board console in the transom. Once we’d landed a

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few livies we found a nice spot that provided a wind-tide alignment suitable to drift livies and big baits down over a likely looking reef.

There’s more space than can be explained in the cockpit of the 550. The use of compact but comfortable, upholstered 550-branded, ABS bucket seats further expands the cockpit and allows easy access to the cuddy. We utilised this space to store a secondary, 100L Icey-tek for ice, bait and the catch to be stored out of the way.

Although we didn’t utilise it ourselves, there is a very practical and smartly made waterproof tackle storage tray

locker inset below the bait-board in the transom console. It’s these small things that make this a boat to be seriously considered – both for the hard-core fisher (with a few extras like live-bait tank!) as much as the family looking for a spacious, soft riding multi-purpose boat.

We’re very pleased with Fyran’s re-entry to the market and a very excited to hear a 660 hardtop is likely to follow shortly to.

And, most importantly we got some fish, including a new personal best for Daz – an 11.33kg (25lb) snapper to christen the decks of the 550. Is there a better outcome for a mid-winter boat test? ●

34 www.nzfisher.co.nz

Com

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PO Box 302 363, NHPC, Albany,

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Honda MarineTHANKS TO HONDA MARINE we’re bringing you our freshest competition yet. We’re giving away a Honda Marine IceyTeck 70 litre Chilly bin and two Hutchwilco ‘Honda Marine’ inflatable Lifejackets! This is a prize that will keep your fish fresh and your whanau safe.

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