www.nzfisher.co.nz 1

Matariki from the rocks.jpgwww.nzfisher.co.nz

Nymphing Czech

The Gateway To More Fish

Tow, tow, tow Your Boat

ISSUE 51 September 2015

H O N DA M A R I N E

M E R M A I D

Honda Marine New Zealand recognizes women as an important part of

fishing and boating. In dedication to the passionate fisher women of

New Zealand we have released the Honda Marine Mermaid to swim our

shores. Research has shown that female boating & fishing enthusiasts look for

the same traits in their outboard engine as they do in their partners: start first

time reliability, a high level of efficiency and extremely low noise emissions!

In recognition of the passion NZ women have for the local boating and fishing

scene, Honda Marine are backing the fairer sex in their pursuit of time out on

the water and that record trophy fish. Meet the Honda Marine Mermaid, joining

women afloat as they enjoy their piece of New Zealand’s coastline.

www.nzfisher.co.nz 3

4.. Editorial

8.. Czech Nymphing

14.. LegaSea Update

18.. Surfcasting: Surfcasting Taranaki’s Big Boulder Snapper

20.. Tow, tow, tow Your Boat

25.. Video of the Month

26.. Kuala Rompin

30.. Reader Pics

32.. Competiion

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 Derrick on 021 629 327

or email derrickp@NZ Fisher.co.nz

ADDRESS / NZ Fisher, PO Box 47794,

Ponsonby, Auckland 1011

WEBSITE / www.NZFisher.co.nz

This is a GREEN MAG, created and distributed without the use of paper so it's environ-mentally friendly. Please think

before you print. Thank you!

CONTENTS

Cover Images: Benjamin with a stunning Taupo rainbow - Czech nymphing kicks ass!

H O N DA M A R I N E

M E R M A I D

Honda Marine New Zealand recognizes women as an important part of

fishing and boating. In dedication to the passionate fisher women of

New Zealand we have released the Honda Marine Mermaid to swim our

shores. Research has shown that female boating & fishing enthusiasts look for

the same traits in their outboard engine as they do in their partners: start first

time reliability, a high level of efficiency and extremely low noise emissions!

In recognition of the passion NZ women have for the local boating and fishing

scene, Honda Marine are backing the fairer sex in their pursuit of time out on

the water and that record trophy fish. Meet the Honda Marine Mermaid, joining

women afloat as they enjoy their piece of New Zealand’s coastline.

4 www.nzfisher.co.nz

I’VE BEEN A MEMBER of many fishing

clubs, for many years. I love the

comradery of clubs and how members

rally around newbies – take them under

their wings and look out for them, often

for many years. Clubs feel like a relic of

an aged gone by, an era of our parents

more so than our children. Instead of

clubs we tend to rely more on Facebook

and other social media to make new

connections and spread the knowledge

learned over generations.

I feel that clubs still play an important

part in the fabric of New Zealand fishing

communities. I understand the New

Zealand Sport Fishing Council and

NZACA are in growth mode, but the net

has filled the gap of many years decline.

I’ve found many groups online

that I can call upon for knowledge

and I’m building new bonds, albeit

online, with older or at least more

experienced fishers to grow my

knowledge and experiences.

And that’s cool, but I’ve been blown

away by the way kiwi fishers on the

Facebook page NZ Fishing Community

have rallied around a member Alastair

McEwen who was badly beaten on

his way home in Whitianga after

celebrating the purchase of his new

business Blue Water Marine Services.

When NZ Fishing Community

administrators Ben Chissell and Michael

Walkley heard about Alastair’s plight,

they set about raising funds to set

Alastair up for more fishing adventures

when he recovers. The NZ Fishing

Community raised over $750 in just

two days. The biggest input came from

member Ian Lawrence, who purchased

a stick bait combo donated by NZFisher

EDITORIAL

www.nzfisher.co.nz 5

and Pauls Fishing Systems in Onehunga.

While Ian was the winner, there were

a dozen bidders, all wanting to do

their bit plus 27 individuals who made

donations directly.

Alastair McEwen with his new toys

Alastair’s situation is horrible for both

him and his family but the way the

fishing community rallied around

them has proved to me that we’re not

forgetting the club culture of our past

but more expanding it beyond the walls

of the clubrooms.

6 www.nzfisher.co.nz

On the subject of raising money, the team

at The Marine Research Foundation are

still working towards a hefty total to fund

the ‘What’s fishing worth’ research project.

On this front, I’ve got to admit to being a

bit disappointed in the lack of action (read

donations) by the NZ fishing public.

With a Fisheries Act review already

underway by the Ministry of Primary

industries, the data that can be produced

from the What’s fishing worth project can

(and, in my opinion, will) show the true

value of the recreational fishing sector to

those who shape policy and the decisions

that dictate the allocation of fish to the

various stakeholders.

To this end, NZFisher is putting our money

where our mouth it. I’m putting in $2000,

but there’s a catch. We’ll match every dollar

donated by NZFisher readers – just watch

our Facebook page for the post. Please

do donate, and then leave your donation

amount in a message on our Facebook page

and we’ll match it – dollar for dollar. This is

too important not to.

We’ve been fishing a bit recently too, which

is a nice change, but it hasn’t been all that

easy. We seemed to hit a bit of a stall on

the fishing front for a few weeks in August,

par for the course I’d say. What seemed to

make the difference between getting a feed

and going home empty handed was line

weight. I’ve enjoyed very light line fishing

in the past, but for the last few years I’ve

tended to go for heavier gear – better to

not lose fish once you do hook them. I

think the 15lb soft bait set I have come to

rely on might be a bit heavy for the depths

of winter. I purchased a Shimano Stradic

1000, which is as small as any mainstream

spinning reels go, before a trip to Bream

Bay a few weeks ago.

I had an absolute ball hooking (and landing

all but one) snapper to 550mm. There was

also a feisty kingfish, just to make things

interesting. All the while me old mate Daz

manned the camera as he missed out on

everything but a handful of gurnard on the

‘normal’ gear. While one session doesn’t

make a trend, I’m reminded again of why

we so love light line fishing. It’s more

effective and hells bells, it’s fun!

Have a great spring team, there’s plenty of

hot fishing ahead of us now!

Tight lines,

Derrick

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8 www.nzfisher.co.nz

Nymphing The Gateway To More FishWords & Images by Chris O’Neil

Czech

FRESHWATERFISHING

www.nzfisher.co.nz 9

AS AN AVID SALTWATER fisherman,

I have always looked at freshwater

fisherman as just an old boys club:

tweed vests, tweed hats and little

trout. Since starting at Rod and

Reel in Newmarket, it’s safe to say

that my thinking has changed! We

are seeing a resurgence of youth

giving trout fishing a go and thanks

to things like Czech nymphing,

affordable quality gear and learning

from people your own age. It has

seemingly never been easier!

The goal for younger fisherman is

ultimately to catch fish, and the

more big fish, the better! I have now

experienced huge numbers of fish Czech

Nymphing for our winter run trout, with

friends catching far fewer on the river

using traditional indicator techniques.

I believe it is possible for someone who

is new to fly fishing to do the same, and

it can be done using the technique of

Czech or Short line nymphing.

Czech nymphing gives you the ability

to fish the whole river quickly and

effectively, with very little or no

previous fly fishing experience. It

helps simplify the intricacies of nymph

fishing. Not only does it break down

the barriers of having to be able to cast

effectively before you are going to catch

any fish, but it is also hugely effective

and most of all, incredibly fun!

For many thinking about taking up

fly fishing, one thing that can scare

them off, and is a real barrier, is

learning to cast. Learning to cast a fly

can take a lot of patience and time to

10 www.nzfisher.co.nz

be effective. Both of which youth are

generally lacking. With a lot of people

predominantly fishing for trout in

the winter time and swapping back

to the saltwater in summer they can

be unwilling to put in the time and

practice needed.

This is where Czech nymphing comes

into its own. You no longer need to

throw a 20m cast upstream and be able

to mend the line perfectly to get it to

drift the run just how you want it.

Czech nymphing puts all the line

guidance back into your hands. With

a simple flick of the rod tip, or a water

loaded cast (it doesn’t have to be pretty,

just effective), take up the slack line

and you’re fishing.

The idea is to have either a specialist

Czech Nymphing line or mono running

line, attached to this is one foot of

bicolour indicator line (multi-coloured

hi-visibility mono – I prefer Hanak’s

new range). Then seven to eight feet of

FRESHWATERFISHING

fluorocarbon leader, where you then tie

on your nymphs, and that’s it.

There is no need to have copious

amounts of line out; we want to keep it as

simple as possible. Once you have flicked

your line upstream, draw up your slack

line, and keep drawing this in as your

nymphs drift towards you. The aim is to

have the join of your bicolour indicator

and fluorocarbon leader, running level

with the top of the water. This enables

your nymphs to hit the bottom; then

you can adjust your rod up and down

until your nymphs are bouncing on the

bottom. Don’t stress if it isn’t perfect, it

can go under, or be above the water line.

Keep in contact with your nymphs by

keeping your line tight. Follow the flow

of the river with your rod while also

watching the line and feeling with the

rod for takes or bumps of the nymphs.

It will take a while to distinguish

between the bottom and a fish taking

your nymphs. If you don’t get a take

www.nzfisher.co.nz 11

during the drift, pull your nymphs

out and just flick them straight back

upstream to start your next drift.

I run my nymphs through a run about

four times before taking two steps either

up river or deeper into the run. The idea

is to fish all of the run, both width wise

and up the run. If you feel like you know

that there are fish in the run, but they

are just not taking your nymphs, don’t be

afraid to change them up. Size, colour and

weight can all be a factor. If it doesn’t look

right (weight, size, colour, drift speed,

etc.), the trout are not going to eat it.

One of the major draw cards for Czech

nymphing is how simple it is to set

yourself up. The idea is to keep it

simple while being effective. First we

use either a specialist Czech Nymph

line, or a mono running line (attached

over the top of your fly line), to which

we attach our bicolour indicator line

and then leader.

I use Hanak Fluorocarbon (9lb or higher

on winter spawning fish). There is a

multitude of knots you could use to

join the two. I use a back to back uni-

knot, but you should pick one and learn

to tie it quickly and effectively. Then,

when you have a bust off on the river, it

becomes second nature to you to tie a

quick rig and keep fishing.

Trim off roughly seven to eight feet of

leader. Now you need to tie on your

dropper rig. Cut off 20cm of matching

weight leader, come up 30cm from the

bottom of your eight foot leader and

lay the two leaders over the top of each

other. To join them I find the three turn

surgeons knot to be the most effective

and strongest for the amount of time

invested. Trim the top of your dropper

and ALWAYS tie your Nymphs to the

bottom piece of fluoro. Tying to the top

strand of fluoro on your dropper will

cause the line to hinge on the knot and

can increase the risk of a bust off.

12 www.nzfisher.co.nz

Now you have your dropper rig setup;

it’s time to select your nymphs. On the

bottom of the leader, I usually run my

bomb, the heavier of the two nymphs.

This can vary from extremely heavy

epoxy bombs, double tungsten beaded

nymphs to smaller natural Hare and

Copper Nymphs. Depending on the

volume of flow in the river, and the

depth that you wish to get down to,

you may need to adjust the weight of

your nymphs several times.

Don’t be afraid to employ split shot

above your bomb to make sure you are

getting your nymphs down to where the

fish are sitting in a run. You want your

nymphs to be bouncing on the bottom,

but not dragging. You need to make sure

you have enough weight that you can

maintain contact with your nymphs,

without ripping them off of the bottom.

Use your dropper rig to fish an egg

pattern like the Otter’s Soft Milking

Eggs (these have proven themselves to

be deadly on winter run fish), or a small

natural nymph. The dropper will catch

a large number of your fish, so always

think carefully about what you’re going

to tie on here. An egg pattern in 4mm

and 6mm is a pretty safe bet on winter

spawning fish, especially early and late

in the day. If the water is clear, or it

is bright, you may need to change to

more natural nymph patterns.

The main thing you want to remember

is to try and keep your nymph and egg

selection as natural as possible and

remember always to try and ‘match the

hatch’. What I mean by this is try and

keep your nymphs as similar as possible

to what the trout are eating in that river.

It can vary greatly from river to river, but

white and green caddis are a major food

source for trout. One of the easiest ways

of doing this to flip over a rock in the

river you are fishing, and see what insect

life is living there. Another way is to ask

your local tackle shop; I am sure they

will be more than happy to help you out

and point you in the right direction. ■

FRESHWATERFISHING

“At Reel Life Sport fishing, engine performance, economy and reliability are paramount to us running a successful charter business. We changed to Honda and have never looked back; the BF250 engine has almost halved our fuel cost compared to the previous brand. Our Honda is quieter and smoother than our previous engine and delivers so much more useable power. In 40 odd years of involvement with boating, and chartering in NZ, I can honestly say, I have never experienced such support and backup from any other supplier and to us that puts Honda Marine in a league of their own”

Phil BarchetReel Life SportfishingNorthland, NZ

www.nzfisher.co.nz 13

“At Reel Life Sport fishing, engine performance, economy and reliability are paramount to us running a successful charter business. We changed to Honda and have never looked back; the BF250 engine has almost halved our fuel cost compared to the previous brand. Our Honda is quieter and smoother than our previous engine and delivers so much more useable power. In 40 odd years of involvement with boating, and chartering in NZ, I can honestly say, I have never experienced such support and backup from any other supplier and to us that puts Honda Marine in a league of their own”

Phil BarchetReel Life SportfishingNorthland, NZ

14 www.nzfisher.co.nz

FISHERIESMANAGEMENT

IT’S JUST OVER A month since

LegaSea launched the ‘What’s Fishing

Worth?’, a fundraising campaign on

behalf of the New Zealand Marine

Research Foundation. Thanks a lot to

everyone who has contributed to this

important project. So far we’ve raised

over $37,000 to discover the value of

recreational fishing to our economy.

Now we thought it was about time

we started talking about what has

happened when this kind of research

has been done overseas.

The researchers, Southwick

Associates, have seen their research

change the way people view the

ocean, creating a more positive

attitude towards conservation.

For example, management priorities

changed after a study of one area

in Mexico, Cabo San Lucas, found

sportfishing generated over $245

million in new local and federal taxes.

And, the total economic activity

associated with 345,000 visiting anglers

was estimated to be approximately

USD$1.125 BILLION!

Here in New Zealand, after 30 years

of the quota management system we

still have our precious Kahawai being

exported for $1.45 per kilo, and 25 to

29cm snapper being sold to Australia

for $9.00 per kilo. It’s time to smarten

up. We can do so much better with our

current marine resources.

Like Mexico, the potential for job

growth, wealth generation and tax

revenues all depend on having fish

available. That’s why the New Zealand

Marine Research Foundation has

engaged Southwick’s to conduct

this important research. Preliminary

research results are expected by

December and a full blown peer-

reviewed report by mid-2016.

Legasea Update

What’s fishing worth? Update by Trish Rae, Legasea

www.nzfisher.co.nz 15

What’s the cost?

Overall this research project will cost

$400,000, with $100,000 being sought

from public donations. 100% of your

donation goes towards the project

and is tax deductible because the New

Zealand Marine Research Foundation

is a registered charity.

What can you do?

We need all your family, friends

and work colleagues to know what’s

going on, and only you can reach

them by sharing.

Please stress to them that

management changes will only

come about through a widespread

understanding of both the benefits of

having more fish in local waters and

the potential earnings for the country.

Please share this campaign far and

wide. And, if you have any promotional

ideas to help us spread the word, we’d

love to know - just fire them through

to matthew@legasea.co.nz. ■

Legasea Update

Call 0800 LEGASEA (534 273)

Email us info@legasea.co.nz

Subscribe at www.legasea.co.nz

Read more at www.facebook.com/legasea

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16 www.nzfisher.co.nz

Surfcasting Taranaki’s Big Boulder Snapper

SURFCASTING

Words by Alex Reeves

for

Craig Wisnewski with a 30lb taranaki snapper, 2014.

www.nzfisher.co.nz 17

Surfcasting Taranaki’s Big Boulder Snapper LOCAL EXPERT FISHERMAN Craig

Wisnewski has taken no less than six

trophy Snapper in the last 18 months

from South Taranaki waters ranging

in size from 21 to 30 pound. Another

accomplished big Snapper fishing mate

Shane Dunlop recently took a 10kg

Snapper while fishing for Gurnard with

small baits and 3/0 hooks! The terrain

encountered, greatly varying tide heights

and the vagaries of West Coast weather

make success anything but assured.

But when one considers the limited

time local surfcasters can spend on

the water versus the large number of

trophy Snapper that are taken each

year, there is no doubt in my mind that

Taranaki is the mecca for big Snapper

surfcasting in the country.

Local expert fisherman Craig Wisnewski

has taken no less than six trophy Snapper

in the last 18 months from South

Taranaki waters ranging in size from 21

to 30 pound. Another accomplished big

Snapper fishing mate Shane Dunlop

recently took a 10kg Snapper while

fishing for Gurnard with small baits and

3/0 hooks!

While local knowledge will give you

an advantage anywhere, this probably

rings true for Taranaki more than most

places. Visiting fisherman can struggle

without assistance and direction from

resident fishermen.

When I first started fishing the South

Taranaki reef, I had little confidence that

that I might be successful. It was initially

impossible to understand how you could

fish this minefield of boulders and not

lose every bit of gear you threw at it. As

well as why any large Snapper would

feed in such shallow water and how

any fish could find a small bait in this

labyrinth of rocks.

In addition to learning by trial and

error, I have had the good fortune over

the years to be able to pick the brain

of local big Snapper legend Leon Jury.

He has unselfishly shared a lot of his

knowledge with me, and I credit a lot of

my success to him.

“While local knowledge will give you an advantage anywhere, this probably rings true for Taranaki more than most places. Visiting fisherman can struggle without assistance

and direction from resident fishermen.”

C

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SWTFNFINAL01-14paths.pdf 28/11/14 12:45:42 PM

Challenging Terrain

North of New Plymouth you will find predominantly,

flat, black iron sand beaches. The Northern beaches

throw up their share of big fish and larger bags of

typically smaller fish, but it is the South Taranaki

water that most consistently produces trophy class

fish of 20lb or better. The South is dominated by more

boulder reef, interspersed with a few deeper bays

but whichever the direction you head the depth is

gradually shelving and relatively shallow. The majority

of fish would be hooked in 10ft or less of water.

While there are large beds of Stalked Kelp on offshore

reefs the inshore reefs are largely devoid of substantial

weed beds and limited to bands of brown Flapjack

Seaweed at the low tide mark. Otherwise the shoreline

can look pretty stark and open and care needs to be

taken while traversing the rocks.

Fishable water is usually situated on the edge of

surf-breaks at the mouths of the numerous small

bays or in small holes or ‘pocket water’ in amongst

the reef itself. Once you decide where to fish you

target a suitable boulder to fish from and start

wading to your fishing platform! ■

SURFCASTING

Author (Alex) & his son Ollie with a 12.05kg Taranaki snapper - proof the techniques work.

www.nzfisher.co.nz 19

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20 www.nzfisher.co.nz

Meeting your responsibilities when towing your boat trailer

Tow, tow, tow Your Boat

Words by Neil WagenerImages by Hosking Trailers

www.nzfisher.co.nz 21

What’s there to know about towing your boat to the fishing ramp? Just hook the trailer onto your tow bar, drive to the ramp and drop the boat in the water right?

Actually, there’s a lot more to it than that

to make sure you stay safe. Sadly, about

seven people die each year from crashes

involving vehicles towing trailers, so it’s

important that if you’re towing, you’re

aware of your responsibilities so you

don’t become another statistic.

We spoke to a few sources; both the NZ

Transport Agency, NZ Police and industry

leaders, Hosking Trailers in Auckland to

get our heads around what’s required

and how you can mitigate trouble with

the police and your insurer.

The New Zealand Transport Agency has

some good information to help - to find

out more, go to: https://www.nzta.govt.

nz/resources/glovebox-guide-safe-

loading-towing/guide-safe-loading-

towing.html but we’ll look into a few

more avenues too.

There’s no doubt that these rules are

hard to follow and worse, hard to prove,

especially after the fact. If we were

to make a recommendation, it would

be to have your trailer braked, even if

you think you’re legally compliant or if

you’re not sure.

You can buy the parts to do this

yourself for less than $1000, but

then you’ll need to be pretty handy

to ensure you’re achieving the right

result. We decided that the best option

was to look to the experts, so we asked

a few questions and pretty quickly

found there are as many charlatans as

decent trailer builders in Auckland.

It seems there are no restrictions on

who can build a trailer, but the result

does need to be compliant. We heard

from fellow fishers that there’s a real

case to be made for paying the extra and

getting a full Stainless steel system. It

will cost more upfront, but significantly

less in the long term (especially with the

removable cast-iron hubs and rotors).

And since we’re doing this to protect

our investment and potentially lives; no

question we’ll go for the best we can.

We settled on Hosking Trailers, a

family run Albany-based business

specialising in trailers for the marine

environment. Mark quickly put me at

ease with his knowledge of the laws

and what is required to achieve a cost

effective, safe outcome that will last as

long as the trailer.

The full install cost a little over $2000,

including a full new axle, (as an add on

cost when new, it’ll be less of course) so

there’s no doubt it’s a decision you don’t

make lightly, but the knowledge we’re

not risking our lives or our $70,000

investment – that’s priceless.

Mark’s a straight-shooter, and his team

don’t mess around; you get what you

ask for on time and within your budget,

and it’s a tidy job. That’s something I’m

happy to pay for. Also below are a few

tips we picked up along the way:

22 www.nzfisher.co.nz

How do I know my tow set- up is compliant?

The first thing that you are likely to

want to know is the maximum weight

that your vehicle can safely tow. There

are multiple aspects that you need to

consider. Probably the best guide is the

manufacturer’s vehicle tow ratings, which

refers to the recommended safe towing

limit, and usually covers both braked and

un-braked trailers (more on that later).

While these are a guide, they are likely to

be taken into account by police and your

insurance company in the event of a crash,

so it’s wise to follow them.

Check out your vehicle’s manual for its

tow rating, or have a look here for a list of

common New Zealand vehicles and their

manufacturers recommendations.

As well as the vehicle tow rating, also

consider the rating of your tow bar, tow

ball, and draw bar. Have a look for ratings

stamped onto these components. The

only aspect that is explicitly identified as

being recognised by the law is the required

stopping distance of your vehicle when

towing, which is the ability to stop within 7

metres at a speed of 30 km/hour.

That’s not exactly easy to measure, so the

recommendation is that any un-braked

trailer weight should not exceed three

quarters of the vehicle’s weight.

So back to the original question of

compliance. NZ Fisher spoke to Warrick

Andrews, a Vehicle Safety Officer with

the New Zealand Police. He recommends

considering each of these recommendations/

requirements before hooking up your boat

trailer. At the end of the day, if your tow is

not safe, this could put you and others at

risk, and would be looked at as part of any

crash investigation.

www.nzfisher.co.nz 23

What about brakes?

Your trailer may require a braking system,

depending on the total weight of the

trailer you are towing. If the gross laden

weight of your trailer is between 2000 and

2500kg, then the minimum requirement is

indirect brakes (often referred to as over-

ride brakes).

This type of braking system is activated

when braking of the tow vehicle causes

the trailer to push against the vehicle.

If the gross laden weight of your trailer

is between 2500 and 3500kg, then your

trailer needs direct brakes, which are

activated by the driver.

A trailer of this size will also require a

handbrake and breakaway brakes (which

stop your trailer should it detach from

the tow coupling while you are on the

move). While there is no requirement for

trailer brakes if the gross laden weight

of your trailer is less than 2000kg, Mr

Andrews suggests that your trailer meets

all of the requirements outlined in the

previous section.

Also consider the un-braked manufacturer’s

recommendation for your vehicle. It is

unlikely to be above 750kg, so in many

cases the threshold weight for needing a

trailer braking system is going to be much

less than the 2000kg that is specified.

What else do I need to know?

It’s not possible to cover everything,

but here are a couple of other things

you may want to consider when

hooking up your trailer.

Mr Andrews suggests that when things

go wrong with trailers, they can often be

attributed to inadequate braking systems

(covered above), trailer loading, speed, worn

coupling components and safety chains.

First, have a look at your tow ball and make

sure it matches the coupling. There are

two common sizes, 1 7/8 inch and 50mm.

While you are there, check for wear and the

general fit of the tow ball in the coupling,

which should not be excessively loose. You

should also have a safety chain on your

trailer, so make sure it’s connected before

you drive off. Also please check that your

trailer lights are working and that your

tyres have adequate tread and pressure.

When packing for your fishing trip, have a

think about how much extra weight you

are adding. The combined weight of fuel,

bait and ice, fishing and dive gear can add a

substantial weight to your load. This could

potentially mean that your loaded trailer

exceeds recommendations/requirements

for your vehicle, your tow bar or the trailer’s

braking system (or lack thereof).

24 www.nzfisher.co.nz

Also think about how you pack your

load. Try to put weight over the trailer’s

axle(s), avoiding excessive loading at

the front or back of the trailer. As a

general rule, your trailer should have

downward force at the coupling of

about 10% of the overall weight of

the loaded trailer. If there is upward

pressure or excessive downward weight

at the coupling, the trailer may handle

poorly and be unsafe. Also consider

how your load is secured (lashings/

ratchet tie downs etc…). This goes for

the boat too and any items inside it.

If your load extends beyond certain

dimensions (either in width or at the

rear of your trailer or front of your

car) then you must display certain

warning devices. Most relevant to

boats, if your load extends more than

one metre behind the trailer, then

you need a flag that is at least 400mm

long and 300mm wide (white or

fluorescent red, orange or green). At

night you need to display a red rear

facing light. If you have twin engines

then you are likely to need a flag/light

on each engine.

A final rough rule of thumb

Finally, if you are driving a sedan or

station wagon, your un-braked tow

rating is likely to be relatively low,

probably around 500kg. The largest

aluminium boat you can tow is likely to

be 4 to 4.5m. Even if you have a vehicle

with the highest possible braked tow

rating, its un-braked rating is likely to

be much less, around 750kg. As a result,

the largest aluminium boat you can tow

un-braked is about 5m.

Any boat larger than this will at least

require over-ride brakes, and direct

brakes would probably be needed for an

aluminium boat of between 7 to 7.5m

(>2500kg). Very large trailer boats (ie

>3500kg or > 6000kg combined vehicle

and trailer weight) exceed light vehicle

towing requirements.

An 8.5m aluminium boat would likely

exceed these limits, and as a result, you

will need a different class of driver’s

licence and a non-standard vehicle such

as a commercial truck (even the largest

recreational vehicles have a maximum

tow rating of 3500kg).

If you are unsure about the weight

of your boat and trailer, it’s probably

easiest to give your nearest tip/transfer

station a call and arrange to weigh your

trailer on a day when they are likely to

be quiet.

Again, before you take to the water, we

recommend you think about all of the

aspects of your trailer and vehicle - and

of course pack your lifejackets and other

safety gear. It’s in your own interest to

tow and drive safely as you’re not going

to catch any fish if your trailer can’t get

your boat to the ramp without landing

you in hot water. ■

www.nzfisher.co.nz 25

I love fishing, but there’s no doubt fly fishing

for any species increases the enjoyment. In

the way surfers talk about a connection to

beaches, waves and the ocean itself, these anglers

show a similar connection, not only to New

Zealand’s glorious rivers and fishery, but the whole

environment in which it sits. Watch it here.

Fishing Paradise

VIDEOOFTHEMONTH

26 www.nzfisher.co.nz

GAMEFISHING-READERSSTORY

Sailfish on My Mind

Kuala RompinWords & images by Russell Jones

Russells daughter Tammi on the end of a screamer!

Russell with his catch - what a feeling!

www.nzfisher.co.nz 27

FRESH OFF THE PLANE from New

Zealand, we bundled the kids into

the car in Malaysia and made off

for Lanjut Beach and Golf Resort,

Kuala Rompin. We were at the Jetty

at 8am and we were whisked off to

the fishing grounds aboard a typical

Malaysian longboat.

While I knew we were chasing sailfish,

we turned up not really knowing what

to expect. In half an hour we were at

the first FAD (fish attracting device)

about 10 miles offshore in deep, blue

tropical waters.

Bait catching was the first task but

this was mostly us watching the

skipper throwing Sabiki flies around

as we picked up as much as we could

from him. The kids were dying to give

this a crack as there were so many

different types of fish to investigate

but I had left their rods in the shower

at the resort. Big mistake!

After 10 minutes we had no bait;

everything was too small. Next FAD:

similar problem, lots of fish, wrong size.

This happened at the next two places.

The travelling time between the FADs

is only about five to 10 minutes but we

were chomping at the bit. We roared up

on the next FAD and sent Mahi-mahi

airborne. My eyes lit up!

The skipper thought if we don’t get

big enough livies for Sailfish, we could

keep some of the smaller livies and

have a crack at these. But this new

FAD produced and at least three livies

of marginal size came in.

The skipper, with thoughts not

dissimilar to mine, threw a free

swimming livie over the back while he

set about catching more for the tank.

It didn’t take long and our livie was

swallowed and spat out on the strike.

Mmmm, I should have done a bit

more reading on how Sailfish take

baits. The skipper just wound in and

made off for the next area – Doh!

We deployed two free swimmers at

the next FAD and in seconds my livie

Kuala Rompin“White water everywhere, everyone was

buzzing and screaming! This thing was going absolutely nuts. The line was in a big loop

out from the rod tip and this fish was coming straight for the boat, smashing on the surface

as it stormed towards us.”

28 www.nzfisher.co.nz

was whacked. It was a strange take.

For a minute, there was nothing,

but then it was whacked again! I

had the bail arm open on the Stella

and holding the line with just the

slightest resistance in my fingers. Still

too much pressure apparently so then

a sailfish cruised to the surface with

its sail out of the water and cruised

off again. Then, like music to my ears,

the other reel started to sing!

White water everywhere, everyone was

buzzing and screaming! This thing was

going absolutely nuts. The line was in

a big loop out from the rod tip and this

fish was coming straight for the boat,

smashing on the surface as it stormed

towards us. Twice it did this and then off

it went – its speed is incomprehensible -

it wasn’t hanging around.

By the time I got to the rod, it was 10

metres off the boat. By the time I got

my shi*t together, it was 70 metres and

counting. Aerial, down deep, skipping

on the surface: you name it, it did it.

Towards the boat, away from the boat,

under the boat. The fight was perfect.

I had it close and then three seconds

later, I had 50 metres to gain back. This

is what we’re here for people!

The drag on the Penn needed to be a

lot smoother as the stop-start affair

was a little unnerving, but soon the

beast of the bay succumbed and

photos ensued, before the beast was

hastily returned to the ocean to fight

another day.

Then we were off to find another

patch of fishy ground.

We stopped off again in a new area,

this time in 60 foot of water but

every time we stopped and deployed

baits we were bitten off. It was either

Spanish mackerel or barracoota or

even a squid attack, but nothing

stuck. Then, out of the blue we lost a

GAMEFISHING-READERSSTORYTammi’s fish - Well done Tammi!

www.nzfisher.co.nz 29

short bill swordfish – this time after

its second run. Sailfish are notoriously

difficult to hook; it’s a patience game,

and they’re just downright fickle. We

had more takes but then lost them with

bad strikes and not paying attention.

My bad. It was time for the kids to have

a go and on cue the balloon jiggled and

then off we went again!

This time, there was a lot of surface

skipping, and then down deep and back

to aerial again. This time, it was my

12-year-old daughter Tammi holding

tight to the five-foot jig rod. She was

learning quite quickly how to use the

rod as a lever and to wind down on the

line as not to leave it too slack.

Quite tough when close to being

spooled and the skipper reversing

hard to regain some line. Her hands

blistered from the ordeal; her smile

said something else. Our self-

proclaimed New Zealand ‘Mackerel

Queen’ doesn’t want to catch

mackerel anymore. She wants things

that pull string - and these sailfish

certainly deliver.

Note to self, these fish don’t

like pressure!

The skippers balloon rig.

Loop of line, blow up the balloon

and tie the balloon AROUND the

loop, making sure the loop can be

pulled through the knot. Little or no

resistance.

Will I go back? HELL YES! Next

time I will try the fisherman’s

accommodation at the ‘Sea Dragon

Inn’ right beside the ‘Jetty.’ Families

should try the resorts. ■

Stunning when air bourne, they’re little speedsters on the surface

The balloon rig

30 www.nzfisher.co.nz

Tommy Johnson with a 12lber -

almost too big to lift. Nice fish!!!!

>

READERPICS

Erin Murphy 6, by the Rangitiki

River at the lovely campground at

Mangaweka. Caught all by

herself!

>

www.nzfisher.co.nz 31

Mike Clews first time live baiting and also targeting kingfish, caught this 24kg

beauty at Spirits Bay

>

Oscar with one of his Dads Taupo trout>>

Oscar with an almost legal

Sunshine coast Brim

32 www.nzfisher.co.nz

Share an Awesome Photo and Be in to Win!

Share a fishy photo this month and be in to WIN one of two $100 Go Fish Vouchers!

COMPETITION

Competition!

SHARE AN AWESOME photo of you with

a fish to our Facebook page, or email it

to derrickp@fisher.co.nz by October 23rd

2015 and you’ll be in to win one of two

$100 vouchers from Go Fish to spend on

anything you like from their website

or in store.

This month's winner is Tommy Johnson.

Tommy has won a $100 Go Fish voucher,

happy spending Tommy! ●

www.nzfisher.co.nz 33

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