NZ Fisher - Issue 47

www.nzfisher.co.nz 1

ISSUE 47 May 2015

www.nzfisher.co.nz

Rockin’ On

Hapuku from a Kayak!

Surprise on BenIsland

www.nzfisher.co.nz

www.cdrods.co.nz

www.cdrods.co.nz

https://www.facebook.com/Borntofishnz

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6.. Editorial

8.. Rockin’ On

16.. What’s up with Blue Cod?

18.. Legasea Legends Recognised

20.. Hapuku from a Kayak!

22.. Benisland.co.nz

26.. Reader Pics

28.. Competition

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 / Colin Kennedy

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 [email protected]

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 distributed without the use of paper so it's environmentally friendly. Please think before

you print. Thank you!

Cover Image: Regular contributor, Ben Assado’s friend Jim did well in landing this massive snapper from the rocks at Great barrier.

Contents

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http://www.NZFisher.co.nz

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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

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.boatingeducation.org.nz


WIS

EWO

RD

S

“The way you see people is the way you treat them, and the way you treat them is what they become.”- Johann Wolfgang von Goethe German Writer & Philosopher, 1749-1832

6 www.nzfisher.co.nz

“I’VE JUST ARRIVED HOME from a couple

of hours eyeing up beautiful, shiny toys at

the Auckland Boat Show. I’ve been blessed

with meeting hundreds of keen, passionate

fisho’s through the publication of NZFisher;

I couldn’t walk 25 metres without bumping

into another friendly face and having a

fishing focused chat.

Despite the passion and long years of

experience of those I spoke to, many of my

conversations were about the apparent lack

of snapper in our back yard, the ubiquitous

Hauraki Gulf. After the reduction in

recreational bag limits in 2013, based on

the bumper fishing years of 2011 and 2012,

it’s a surprise that there aren’t actually

more fish being caught. It’s all anecdotal

– not considered scientific enough to be

looked into yet, but it feels like there’s lss

snapper than the last two years. Sadly, due

to the slow pace that fisheries management

wheels turn, there’s no chance we’ll know

the truth for another year.

What the boat show highlights to me is the

sheer size of the industry in New Zealand

- About 600,000 active recreational fishers

support it. While we happily spend on our

recreation, there’s a feeling of desperation

from some retailers who are getting

squeezed too as fish number a[p[ear to be

Editorial

dropping. Along with fish numbers some

have been impacted by the rise and more

so, the fall, of the recently closed FCO chain

in New Zealand. Offers of up to 70% off

fishing tackle are going to draw the core of

the tackle market in for a t least a look and

takes a chunk of turnover out of the market

for some time. But with FCO’s closing,

retailers are expecting a return to the good

old days, or as good as they can get with

internet sales on the increase. So what role

does our retail network have these days?


I’ve got a handful of stores I frequent, but

there’s only one ‘local’. Even though it is

way across town, I’ll head there as first

choice because I love the interaction with

the proprietor.

The best stores have an owner and

often staff who don’t just love fishing,

they live it, dream it and in a few cases

have broken marriages because of their

passion. Of all the advice I’ve had, the

best has consistently come from the

mouths, and essentially the hearts, of

tackle store proprietors.

It’s pretty hard sometimes to swallow

a 25% difference in the price you pay

for something locally and what you can

import it for. But along with our snapper

stocks, it seems decent fishing retailers

are on the decline. I feel for the staff at

FCO, but I’m quietly glad they’re out of

the market and our locals will be getting

increased custom again.

In my day job, I get to travel the country

and visit stores when I can. If you’re ever

in Te Awamutu Salt Water Sport Fishing

is a must. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a

better stocked, more complete tackle

store. If you’re in Auckland, there’s a few

goodies still out there. My favourites are

Go Fish on the Shore plus Rod & Reel in

Newmarket, but I hear good things about

Norcross, Yeehaa, Hunts and Hunting &

Fishing. If I’ve missed any, my apologies,

it’s not intentional!

Winters pretty much landed on us and the

fishing has changed once again. The Marlin

look to have headed off, no reports from

the Kings included Marin this week, so I’ve

dedicated the next few weeks to moocher

hunting in the shallows.

The Fishing & Adventure boys ran an

episode recently of their fishing in the

inner Hauraki. A haul of a nice mid-teens

King and 70cm snapper were a reminder

that we do still have some excellent fishing

on our doorstep. I’m keen to buck the trend

and get some good fish from the ‘back door’.

You won’t get a feed at home on the couch,

so get out there and get some for yourself!

Derrick

Marc Venema / Shutterstock.com


SPO

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FISH

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I WAS STANDING ON a local ledge with

Gary and Joe at some very un-gentlemanly

hour back in July. With our beanies on

and sipping coffee from the thermos on a

perfectly still and crisp winters’ morning,

we were trying to catch a snapper for

breakfast (the only way to justify to our

wives our absence every second Saturday).

Gary said he was dead keen to do a serious

land based kingie mission in the late summer.

From memory, Joe’s response was instant,

and my rubber arm was already flailing about

when the only five-knot gust of wind blew

through and twisted it up behind my back.

While we only skipped around the subject

through the coming months, the seed had

Orca in the anchor

Rockin’ On Prime rewards for a bunch of land-based muppets

been planted. After the new year, when

the festive season glow had worn off and

we were all back at work staring down

another year of hard slog, it didn’t take

long for the subject to come up again.

We studied the tides and picked a

weekend at the end of February that

looked the goods with nice morning lows

just after the first quarter moon. It just

so happened that this weekend was also

Gary’s birthday that made the decision

that much easier.

Gary emigrated from the UK with his family

about four years ago. He a dead keen land

based angler who, after a landing a few from

the boat, has been obsessing over a king

from the rocks for a wee while. To get one on



his birthday would just be too much.

Along with another local mate, Greg,

we decided on northern Coromandel

as the destination. Being a peninsula,

Coromandel is an excellent destination

due to there always being a coast to fish

no matter what the wind decides to do.

Particularly handy when you are planning

a trip weeks in advance.

There are tonnes of options when the

weather is good, and most are relatively

easy walk-in spots too. However, on this

occasion we were saved from the hard

slog and bush bashing that normally

accompanies these missions by a good mate

and fishing buddy, Benjamin. He offered us

the loan of his IRB while he was attending a

wedding in Christchurch.

43 phone calls, 536 group emails and 91

swell map hits later and the weekend had

finally arrived. The weather gods had smiled

on us, and the forecast was perfect. As we

loaded all the gear in the hot sun at 5pm on

Thursday evening, I couldn’t help but feel

this was going be a great trip.

We got to our base for the weekend around

midnight. Thankfully the ranger had left the

key where he said it would be, and we were

able to settle into a couple of beers on the

porch after a long drive.

As the waxing moon threw a blanket of dim

light across the towering hills that formed

the valley surrounding us, fishy tales and

plans for the morning were discussed to

the soothing sound of crickets in the still

air. There is something very surreal about

northern Coromandel that I can’t quite

put my finger on. The anticipation of what

tomorrow might bring was thick amongst

the boys, but somehow we eventually

managed to get our heads down.

A few hours later the first alarm went off and

after a brief moment of disbelief, we were

up and moving about. Perhaps it was the

excitement of waking up somewhere new

with a whole coastline of unlimited fishiness

to explore that got the boys out of bed.

Perhaps it was the heavy, thick air lacking in

oxygen as a result of four men sleeping in a

small room that inspired us to be on our feet

in a very short amount of time.

Whatever the reason, teamwork was the

name of the game. With one man making

lunch, another cooking breakfast and the

other two sorting bait/burley and loading

the boat we were down at the water’s edge

ready to launch the IRB at first light.

That day was the first time the other lads

had done a land-based mission using an

IRB for transport. So in true early morning

fashion, I gave some very vague details on

how this beach launch was supposed to go.

We dropped the boat in the water, and I

went to park the ute and trailer well up

above the high tide mark. By the time I got

back the others had managed to get the

bow facing into the crashing swell, but the

engine wasn’t running. The boat was half full

of water, and the back of the transom was

very close to the water line. Breakers were

smashing over the bow, and things were

looking a wee bit hairy!

After a heap of priming, choke and revs

in waist deep water with the boat getting

smashed by the swell and a dozen pulls on

the starter cord, the engine finally fired up.

SPO

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FISH

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With the transom about to disappear under

the waterline, I was taking no chances.

I whacked her into gear and hit the gas,

launching the boat forward. With one hand

on the throttle, the other on the side rope

and my body and legs flailing out the back

like some perverse giant-sized squid vicious

teaser, we cleared the breakers and I pulled

myself on board!

“All good”, I think were my exact words as I

smiled at the others as casually as I could

before dropping the scuppers. Quietly though

I was thanking fate I wasn’t ringing Ben and

telling him I had sunk his boat!

Pretty soon the scuppers had done their job.

With the water completely drained from

the hull, we were planing our way to spot-X.

Upon arrival, it quickly became obvious that

we weren’t going to be landing on the ledge

I had hoped to fish. The swell was wrapping

around the coast and pumping into the small

bay that we usually use to unload. With three

inductees on board and my own confidence

somewhat in tatters after the diabolical

launch, the call was very quickly made to try

another ledge further down the coast that

had produced decent fish for me in the past.

This ledge was easily accessible, and so

began the offload. The boys picked up

the gist of the bungee system in no time.

Before we knew it, Greg and I were tying

off the empty boat while Joe and Gary were

setting up on the ledge.

It was at this point that Greg and I noticed

we had taken on quite a bit of water again.

I instantly thought the worst – that there

was a tear in the hull. As we took off again to

drain her, Greg suddenly turned to me and

asked that obvious but taboo question that

no skipper ever wants to be uncertain off:

“Are the bungs in?”.

The brief moment of relief that the problem

had been identified and was easily rectifiable

was quickly swamped by the mortifying

realisation that I was going to have to live

with this error for not only the rest of this

trip. But until such a time that each of the

others had committed an individual act of

muppetry of equal proportions.

Once on the ledge, we got set up and then

went about trying to catch livies. They proved


extremely difficult to get at first and didn’t

improve much over the day. We pumped a

solid burley trail and cubed continually. We

fished spinners, un-weighted pillie cubes,

baits under floats, retrieved baits, soft baits

– you name it, we worked it. Unfortunately

though the Kahawai just didn’t seem to be

around and the two or three we did secure

and deploy as live baits ended up belly up

within 10 minutes.

We took turns at regular intervals throwing

a popper about and despite four sets of keen

eyes on the wash, we didn’t see a kingie

cruising all day.

In the mid-afternoon around high tide, the

thought of a chilli-bin packed with beer and

salt-ice got the better of us, and we decided

to pull the pin. As any fisherman will tell you,

conceding defeat for the day is never easy

but knowing that you have two more days

up your sleeve certainly softens the blow.

Getting back to camp a little earlier than

expected also allowed us plenty of time to get

organised for the next days’ assault!

In the morning, we were on the beach again

launching by daylight. We were much better

prepared having had a chance to properly

organise ourselves the previous afternoon.

We had virtually halved our gear, the boat

was properly packed and, of course, (the

question was raised many times!) the bungs

were in!

Greg decided to park the wagon up the beach

this morning while I got the engine idling.

There was far less swell today which made

this job easier and as soon as Greg got back

down the beach we were off.

We went straight for the ledge we dismissed

the day before and were met by the sight of

a very small and manageable swell wrapping

around into the bay. With everyone having

had a bit of practice with the bungee system

yesterday, we were all happy that this would

be (and was) an easy disembark.

Once landed, we got a burley out straight

away and let it go to work while we set up our

kit. Without the drama of yesterday, we were

on the ledge getting ready half an hour earlier

than the day before and were greeted by a

glorious sunrise.

The water along the ledge looked very fishy.

It was clean, had good visibility with plenty

of current and a nice swell smashing up

against the rocks that was creating plenty of

white water. It just oozed potential kingfish.

By the time the first bait hit the water the

Kahawai had sniffed out the burley and

were ready for breakfast. Within 20 minutes

and with three hours until the low, we

had three livies out bobbing about under

balloons - pretty much the polar opposite of

yesterday’s start.

With ourselves now well set-up, I decided to

throw a popper about to keep myself busy

while the other boys set about catching a

feed of snapper for tonight’s meal.

After an hour or so and a couple of livie swap

outs (a couple went belly up), the fishing

slowed a little. Joe and Gary’s livies had

followed the current and made their way

around to the left of the ledge (a prime spot

where I have seen many kingfish harass baits

in the past). Mine had left its prime position

on the edge of the wash to find itself right

back in close to the ledge and getting bashed

around in the surge below me.

SPO

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I wound up the slack line on the livie rig

before setting about trying to catch a new

live bait. I have seen this many times where

live baits that are tired swim back to the

ledge and then get caught up in the surge.

This leaves them unable to swim out against

the swell that keeps bashing them back up

against the rocks. While my bait wasn’t at

that stage yet, I figured it was probably better

to get prepared now.

I was casually casting about an unweighted

pillie, and I looked down to see my balloon

suddenly get dragged under the water

without warning and pop off. The clicker

on the TLD50 began to sing as I yelled out

to the others and ran over to lift up the

rod. By this stage, the reel was silent, and

the fish had stopped running. My heart

sank as I figured it had spat the bait. A few

tense seconds later the spool started to spin

again, and I pushed the lever up to strike,

waited for the weight and then struck the

hook home. The rod loaded up, and the line

began to pour off the reel.

Greg ran over and put a gimbal on me while

I tried to get the fish under control. By this

stage, after its’ initial run, the fish had dug

down deep right in front of me and was

dragging my mainline across the rocks.

Thankfully the kelp was cushioning the

24kg mono from parting but I was taking

no chances and backed the drag to about

halfway. This allowed the fish to turn and

run out to deeper water that gave me some

breathing space before I pushed the drag back

up and began the process of trying to wear it

down further out.

It felt like a decent fish and after a good

tussle out wide with some long solid runs

and plenty of give and take, I could feel him

Result!


tiring. I began retrieving line at a good pace

and after a while he was back at the ledge.

He ran me up and down the weed line a

few times and had me scrambling along

the ledge trying to keep the mainline away

from the sharp rocks.

Finally, the wind-on emerged through the

surface of the water. With 5m of 200lb wind-

on and 3m of 100lb flouro trace being the

only thing left to drag across the rocks, I

knew I had this fish. Greg was down at the

water’s edge with the gaff, and as the trace

came within reach, he yelled that there was

another fish shadowing my one.

Greg grabbed the trace and quickly sunk in

the gaff. I was stoked as this was my first

land based kingie in a couple of years. While

I knew it wasn’t the 25kg model I’ve been

dreaming of, I knew it was far bigger than my

previous PB of 15kg.

Greg hoisted the fish up the ledge and lay it

down in front of me to much whooping and

high-fiving before we heard Gary yell out. In

the commotion, the rest of us hadn’t noticed

him wind in his live bait after seeing the other

kingie, and it had been smashed as well.

Before I had even had a chance to take a good

look at my fish, Gary was hooked up, and it

was all on again. It quickly became apparent

that this was another good fish and that Gary

wasn’t going to be able to muscle it in quickly.

It had him running up and down the ledge

with us in tow and forced him into a crouch

on more than one occasion.

The end game was hard work and became

a battle of attrition. The fish had burrowed

down deep and swum through the kelp

directly at our feet, and Gary had to take his

time inching it back. We later learnt that he

was fishing a mono he had brought with him

from the UK that was rated at only 38lb.

Slowly but surely though he started to get

the last of the mainline back on the spool

until I was able to grab the leader and lift the

fish through the kelp for Greg to gaff.

To a chorus of expletives and whooping, Greg

handed the gaff to Gary above us who hoisted

it safely up onto the ledge. Gary looked a little

stunned at first before suddenly exclaiming in

full English accent “Wot a peach of a fish!”

Garys’ was clearly a larger fish than mine and

the buzz on the rock with two solid kingies

at our feet was something that I’ll remember

for years to come. One of them was my new

PB, and the other was Gary’s first land based

kingie (and on his actual birthday). After all

the weeks of planning and build-up and not

to mention the drama of the day before it was

a perfect moment.

“After all the weeks of planning and build-up and not to mention the drama of the day before it was a perfect moment.“

SPO

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After a few minutes of back-slapping, high

fives and photo’s we put the fish into an

insulated kingie bag and hid them in the

shade of the cliff. We quickly decided it was

Joe and Greg’s turn to land one, and went

about trying to catch live baits before the low.

The Kahawai though seemed to have

disappeared and unfortunately for the boys,

didn’t reappear for the rest of the day. We

fished on through to the middle of the

afternoon but despite our best efforts could

not secure a decent live bait. At one point, I

even put out a large maomao but had to bring

it back in when I realised the clutch was not

engaging on my reel.

Back at the campground we quickly shot back

to the cabin to drop off the boat and pick up

some ice-cold bevvies before taking the fish

down to the filleting station at the water’s

edge. On the way, we stopped in at the

rangers hut and picked up a set of scales.

We hung the scales from a pohutukawa and

weighed mine first. It ended up going 18kg

which was a new PB for me and 3kg closer to

my goal of a 25kg land based kingfish.

Next up we all watched in anticipation as

Gary’s fish was hung up and pulled the dial

round to 23kg! An excellent effort on 18kg

line for anyone, let alone this being his first

land based king.

That evening, kingfish was all over the menu.

We gorged on fresh sashimi, followed by

islands style raw fish and then a main of

kingfish and snapper tacos with a beautiful

mango salsa that Joe prepared.

The cabin had filled with people during the

day. There were two sets of foreign trampers

and a group of fisherman from the Waikato,

who all enjoyed the fruits of our labour that

evening as the drinks and laughter flowed on

into the night.

It was a fitting way to round off a great day.

By contrast, the next day was uneventful.

We landed on the same ledge but the bait

never showed. We didn’t catch a Kahawai

all morning, and the maomao we put out in

desperation went unnoticed. We knocked it

on the head around midday so we could get

packed and hit the road back to Auckland at a

reasonable hour.

While it was a disappointing way to end the

trip, it did reiterate just how critical timing

and organisation can be to success. Had we

missed the bait the day before, we may have

gone home with our tails between our legs.

Thankfully though, we found the right ledge

at the right moment in time and turned three

days of tough fishing into a lifelong memory.

On the drive home, it was agreed that we’d

make this an annual trip. Greg and Joe had

some unfinished business, Gary was still

buzzing from the result, and me…well, I was

still to witness these guys commit their acts

of muppetry.


FISH

ERIE

SMAN

AGEM

ENT

FOR THE FIRST TIME in four years

management of Marlborough Sounds,

Blue cod is being reviewed, and LegaSea

is encouraging recreational fishers to

have their say on the future of this

most prized fishery.

A multi-stakeholder group, the Blue Cod

Management Group, is seeking people’s

views now before they develop potential

management options to be included in

a public consultation document, due for

release mid-year.

If you have an interest in this important

fishery then please send your feedback as

soon as possible to [email protected].

Your comments can be detailed or brief. Do

it now, so your comments can be considered

early, and be sure to include your contact

details so you can be kept informed of any

further developments.

What’s up with Blue Cod? New agreement for

Marlborough Blue codUpdate by Trish Rae, Legasea

mailto:[email protected]


Coalition of interests

There is unprecedented agreement on

how Blue cod in the Marlborough Sounds

ought to be managed in the future. So far,

groups representing more than 50,000

people have agreed on a range of potential

options that could be applied to this fish

stock after this year’s review.

Specific groups that have worked together

on this issue include the Marlborough

Recreational Fishers Association, the

Coalition of the Combined Clubs of

Wellington, the NZ Angling and Casting

Association and NZ Sport Fishing Council.

Their recommendations have been

distributed so others can support the same

measures. The intention is twofold; firstly

to have fair rules that apply to recreational

fishing across the entire Top of the South

Island. And secondly, to have simple

regulations that are well supported by the

local community and visitors to the area.

LegaSea is supporting the combined

group’s recommendations as they align

with our Principles to

1. Rebuild the fishery,

2. Stop senseless waste and

3. Set equal size limits, including

minimum size limits for sustainability

reasons rather than to give priority to

commercial fishers.

Feel free to download the details from

www.legasea.co.nz/bluecod.php

Next steps

The Ministry for Primary Industries will

conduct a formal consultation process

in May this year, with submissions due

by 15th June. Ministry will review all

submissions and make recommendations

to the Minister on what regulations ought

to apply when the new Blue Cod season

opens on 20 December 2015.

Please take the time to have input into this

process. The Marlborough Sounds Blue cod

stock is worth conserving as it draws people

to the area from around the country and

overseas. Let’s do what we can together to

rebuild this iconic fishery. ■

Call 0800 LEGASEA (534 273)

Email us [email protected]

Subscribe at www.legasea.co.nz

Read more at www.facebook.com/legasea

http://www.flambeauoutdoors.com/

http://www.legasea.co.nz/bluecod.php


LEGASEA LEGENDS IS A new initiative

that recognises people who are committed

to fishing and conserving fish for

future generations.

People who contribute at least $10 per

month to LegaSea are entitled to join the

Legends programme and receive a Welcome

Pack and Certificate of Recognition.

The recent Hutchwilco New Zealand Boat

show in Auckland was the first time LegaSea

Legends was revealed to the public, and it

proved to be a winner.

New contributors welcomed this public

recognition of their generosity, and past

regular contributors were particularly pleased

to learn they qualified for ‘Foundation’

Legend status.

How are LegaSea Legends recognised?

• LegaSea appreciates the commitment of people who sign up to the Legends

programme. In return for your contribution you receive:

• A ‘Welcome Pack’, including a Certificate of Recognition and multiple decals

• Regular updates and access to tools so you can easily respond to fisheries

management issues and influence change; and

• Relevant ‘thanks’ opportunities through our sponsors’ promotions.

LEG

ASEA

UPD

ATE

What does is mean to be a LegaSea Legend?

• INVOLVED Actively

participating and eager

to learn what actions can

accelerate a rebuild in

our fisheries.

• RESPECTED Appreciated

by LegaSea and your

fishing peers.

• INFORMED Aware of the

issues affecting our fisheries.

• DEDICATED Investing $10

per month to help restore

your fisheries to abundance.

LegaseaLegends Recognised


What happens to the money?

100% of public donations made through

the LegaSea Legends programme are

transferred to the New Zealand Sport

Fishing Council whose Board carefully

invests it in advocacy, research and

education work streams. There is an

endless list of issues that need to be

addressed and publicised; this work costs

money if we want it done independently

and consistently to a high standard.

In the 2013-2014 financial year, the Council

invested over $130,000 in advocacy,

research, education and promoting public

awareness of issues.

Collectively the Council’s projects,

submissions and public awareness

initiatives are designed to achieve

abundant fisheries and meaningful fishing

experiences for their members and for us,

the public who have faith and belief in

this work.

What has LegaSea achieved?

LegaSea has achieved greater public

awareness and engagement in fisheries

management and policy issues. In the

past two years, more than 120,000

fisheries management submissions have

been generated via the mechanisms

provided by LegaSea. Our ongoing

publicity initiatives regularly reach

over 100,000 people per month.

You are welcome to come aboard

and become a LegaSea Legend, or

if your business is looking for a

worthwhile investment then the

Building LegaSea or LegaSea Works

programmes might fit you better.

LegaSea is a public outreach initiative

of the New Zealand Sport Fishing

Council. The Council has an experienced

fisheries management, science, policy

and legal team. On behalf of the Council

LegaSea raises funds and provides

public-friendly information about a

variety of processes that are important

to the sustainable management of

fisheries for future generations. ■

LegaSea is the public face of the New Zealand Sport Fishing Council. The Council has an experienced fisheries management, science, policy and legal team. On behalf of the

Council LegaSea provides public-friendly information about a variety of processes that are important to the sustainable management of fisheries for future generations.

LegaSea has achieved greater public awareness and engagement in fisheries management and policy issues. In the past two years, more than 120,000 fisheries management submissions have been generated via the mechanisms provided by LegaSea.


A MATE AND I TRY to get down to Haast

at least twice a year for a bit of a fish and a

hunt. The Haast area is one seriously wild

place, the scenery down there is almost

beyond words. The lack of launch spots for

vessels larger than tiny, combined with, the

weather and the swells ensure the region is

under little fishing pressure. Thanks to this,

the fishing is fantastic when you can get out,

and Haast rarely fails to produce a surprise

or two. This trip was no exception.

The first day of our trip started at 4.30am

for me leaving home to meet the boys,

Chook and Andrew, at Springfield. We

transferred all the gear to one 4x4 and a

trailer to continue the seven-hour drive.

Along the way, we stopped at an unusually

secret spot to drop our cray pots. After

checking into the Haast Lodge, we went

down to the river mouth and had a ball

hooking and landing Kahawai after Kahawai

on trout gear from the shore.

Day two was the freezer filler when we

returned to pull our full pots. We fished

the shallow reefs and sand for mixed bags

of nice blue cod, Tarakihi and gurnard.

It’s extraordinary how diverse and full a

fishery can be when it’s left to develop and

not get hammered.

KAY

AK

FISH

ING

Yup. From a kayak!

Hapuku from a Kayak!

Olly & the PukaII


Day three saw us paddle out from a river

mouth two kilometres beyond the Open

Bay Islands, where we settled in fishing

in 35m of water. After a few cod, the first

surprise of the weekend turned up in the

form of a 21lb hapuku. To say I was stoked

would be an understatement!

Dropping the line back down I hooked a 6ft

7 Gill shark that became tail wrapped beside

the kayak; the line snapped, and it sank from

sight looking very sorry.

Then as I retied my rig, there was a splash

a few metres in front of me. I glanced up to

see the second surprise of the trip, heading

straight towards the back of my mates yak

(he was tied to the front of mine) was grey

fin!! As the shark passed below us, we rafted

up together and identified the shark as a great

white, although thankfully a small one at

around 3m long. It began circling us at speed,

checking us out. We calmed our nerves after

the initial shock and sat there, paddles at the

ready to give the shark a good whack if it got

too friendly. Eventually I hauled the anchor,

and as the chain rattled up the side of the

yak the shark seemed to lose a bit of interest

and we slowly paddled away keeping close

together. I’d describe the meeting as nervous

but fascinating!

Day four was a little more relaxing with a

surf cast that produced a few wrasse and

a fruitless evening deer hunting in some

seriously stunning, albeit barren, countryside.

Day five was the drive home and a chance

to reflect on an amazing week on the wild

west coast. It’s an often forgotten slice of our

paradise that we’re stoked to be able to enjoy

it and even get a decent paddle in too – down

here the weather’s often merciless. It was a

great and full weekend. ■

Olly & the PukaII


BEN

ISLA

ND

.CO

.NZ

LAST WEEK I WAS asked whether I was

available to take a couple who were visiting

Great Barrier Island fishing off the rocks. They

were staying with a friend of mine, and since

I hadn’t been to her place, I decided to check

the area out the day before. After meeting

and having a chat with everyone, I walked

down from the house to the bay pictured

below to suss out the track and where to fish.

The Spot

In spite of the rain we had lately, the track

was still very manageable, and my plan was

to fish off the point. Like most of the spots

I fish regularly, this is a low tide spot. While

this spot does not boast deep water, it does

provide all one needs to land good fish. A

little bay that can provide shelter in south-

westerly winds, a lot of foul and a bit of a

current at the point.

The Plan, Conditions & Tide

Our plan was to meet the next day at 13.00

and fish the point facing into the bay.

Low tide was at about 17.00 and it would

take us about 30 minutes to get there. We

experienced a south-westerly wind 15 knots

strong, which was not an issue, as the little

semi-island we were fishing off provided

shelter from the wind. If anything, the wind

aided with casting further.

The Rig & Preparation

Although I brought along my gear, I didn’t

plan to fish on this day. I rigged two rods with

a single 6/0 circle hook at the end of about

1 meter of 30 lbs trace. The main line was

of the same category. My task for today was

to be a rock fishing caddy, aiding with rigs,

landing fish and so forth (I quite enjoy that!).

Of course, like any other avid land-based

angler, I had pre-tied a dozen rigs so that they

can be replaced quickly when the fish are on

the bite and re-rigging is required.

Benisland. co.nz


Burley & Focus On Catching Fresh Bait

One of the local boys told me that they catch

plenty Kahawai here, and my plan was to

burley hard and get them to come to us.

We would catch a few, they are heaps of fun,

good eating (superb sashimi) and are top

fresh bait. It took about half an hour until

the first Kahawai was landed. And after that,

for about an hour more big Kahawai were

hooked, played, caught and released.

Both anglers were competent on their own,

and I was surprised to see that they hardly

snagged to the bottom. The Kahawai were

all the same size, about 3lbs. We put two of

them into a rock pool and one I cut up to

use as bait.

Snapper & Staying Prepared

It took about one and a half hours until the

first snapper showed up. We had the sun

in front of us, and it was difficult all day to

see into the water and observe the burley

trail. The snapper that were, however, all

undersized and I remember mentioning that

they will get bigger.

As a matter of fact, I believe that there

is always one good hook-up out there

when you’re out there on the rocks. The

challenging thing is to stay calm and

prepared, even after landing and releasing

the tenth small snapper.

Often this puts anglers off; they start

theorising and concluding that because they

have landed many small snapper that there

is only small snapper out there. They start

decreasing the drag and pay less attention to

what they are doing.

Believe me, when you’re out there with a

good plan and set-up, never give up and stay

on guard. When the big one takes your bait,

everything happens very quickly. If you are

not on top of the action, all you have to show

for is a story of the one that got away and the

story of the undersized snapper.

A great day on the rocks with a bit of a tail wind. Very enjoyable to be standing there and catching a feed..


BEN

ISLA

ND

.CO

.NZ

The Hook-up

After a couple 35cm snapper had been

secured in a rock-pool, I felt very good. It was

a great day; we were comfortable, had heaps

of action on Kahawai and had even enough

snapper for a feed. Although I was still hoping

for a bigger snapper, the pressure was off, and

I mentioned that we did everything right.

“Now it’s time to land that trophy fish!”.

Well, Jim cast a slab of fresh Kahawai about

15 metres out and moments later said:

“Got another Kahawai on.” I watched his

line closely and couldn’t see any signs of

a Kahawai. The line was pointing steadily

into the water and not dragging in a zig-zag

motion. Jim was all cool and used the rod to

bring in what appeared like a bit of weight.

The first time I saw some colour, I saw

heaps of dark and brown. Still too far away

to say what he had hooked, but the closer

it came, the less it looked like a Kahawai.

Although I did not want to believe it

because Jim was reeling it in very casually, I

knew this was a big fish.

I thought it would be a Porae or similar, and

wanted to give instructions as to increase

the drag as the fish hasn’t gone for a run yet.

In the end, I did not say anything and only

moved down to the water’s edge to assist

with landing this mysterious fish.

I almost couldn’t believe my eyes when I

saw a very decent snapper about five metres

away from the rocks. It was huge, clearly

over 10 lbs but why didn’t it fight? “Did I

miss the fight? Oh boy, this one is even more

than 15 lbs”, I mumbled to myself as the

leader was in reach.

“What shall we do Ben, do you have a

plan?”. The fish looked exhausted to me,

and I managed to lift it out of the water.

Once it was out of the water, and I felt the

actual weight, I think we all were even more

surprised. Jim stated immediately that he

wanted to release the fish.

“I’m afraid this one is gut-hooked very deeply

Jim. I won’t be able to get that hook out.”

We placed the snapper into a big rock-pool,

and after a closer inspection, it was clear that

we could not do much for him. He was well

hooked in the gut area, and there was a lot of

blood coming out of the gills.

18+ lbs snapper off the rocks.


This article is reproduced with permission of Ben Assado. Ben 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. Check out Ben’s website www.benisland.co.nz for more fishing stories and a great read about island life

I congratulated Jim and as you can see he was

very happy about this snapper as well. A bit of

a shame, as he said, that we had to kill it, but

I’m pretty sure it wouldn’t have had survived.

The happy couple continued fishing for

another hour while I began preparations for

heading back. Scaling, gutting the catch and

starting to pack in. We released the Snapper

and Kahawai that were very active in the

rock pool and here is a photo of some of the

snapper that were taken.

The Gist Of ItFish: Snapper

Caught: Rock Fishing May 2015

Bait: Kahawai slab

Where: South East Coast

Weight: 18 lbs

Gear: 30 lbs

Main: Line: 30 lbs

Trace: Fish landed an hour before low tide. ■

Smoked snapper head for Ben..

A memorable and very productive land-based fishing session on the Barrier..

http://www.benisland.co.nz

www.fishing.net.nz


REA

DER

PICS

Reader Pics

Forbes Taylor with his first ever Grandaddy Hapuku

Forbes Taylor with a nice inner Gulf King

Mabel Richards (8) with a landbased Hiwihiwi

Image sent in by Craig Thin - angler unknown, but he looks pretty stoked!

Winner!


Mabel Richards (8) with a landbased Hiwihiwi

Sam Richards (5) son with a landbased Hiwihiwi

Teghan Errington with a Yellowfin - not much detail, but we’re all jealous!

Sam West with a huge 29 pound Snapper landed in the Hauraki Gulf. Enticed by a mullet bait

Winner!


Com

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evelopments

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Auckland 0751, New Zealand

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Share an Awesome Photo and Be in to Win!

Share an awesome photo this month and be in to WIN a $150 Composite Developments Voucher!Share an awesome photo of you with a fish to our Facebook page, or email it to [email protected] by June 15 and you’ll be in to win an $150 voucher from Composite Developments to spend on anything you like from their 2015 catalogue - click here to view.

This months winners are Sam and Mabel Richards, who have won for their Landbased Hiwihiwi (Thanks to dad Richard for sending them in). Sam and Mabel have won a $150 Composite Developments voucher,

happy spending Caitlin! ●

CO

MPE

TITI

ON

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NZ Fisher - Issue 47