August 2015

Transcript

Auckland Bay of Plenty FISHING Waikato Coromandel Peninsula 1 AUGUST 2015 www.theadventurer.co.nz pg 8 Kayak Fishing at the Barrier pg 9 Catching John Dory Tropical Escape by Jackson Shields Photo credit: ‘Ben Allen’ ‘#saltyshafts’ The first thing that comes to mind in June when the winter southerly hits, is buggering off to the tropics to soak up some warmth and bathe in the inky blue water. Tonga has been my choice of late due to it not being too commercialized and providing a raw, tropical experience. I managed to con a few mates to come with me so we could split the boat cost. One of the best things about going to the tropics is scanning from the plane, a remote reef that may never have been speared before. After half a day of travel we hit our accommodation situated right on the white sand. The guys were eager to go for a quick shore dive before dinner to test their gear and warm up for the next day. A short 50m walk and we were in 24 degree water with 20m visibility. We did a drift around the peninsula and were impressed by the fish life. I managed to nab a nice unicorn and parrotfish, which was ample for dinner. Before I had even taken my gear off I was bombarded by a couple of locals to see what I had. They had a fire going on the beach and were eyeing up my fish, so I offered it to them and they jumped at it. One of the locals even ate the whole fish raw right in front of me, chewing and sucking on the bones. It’s great to see such a huge amount of enjoyment out of fresh healthy food! The plan was to dive every day from the big boat apart from Sunday, which is the day of rest. Everyone was soo excited by the thought of big dogtooth tuna; wahoo, and who knows what else! Each day everyone got great fish that we ate for dinner every night and we gave the rest to the local village. The wind hampered our trip as it was blowing 20-30 knots most of the time we were there, but we still got to dive some great spots. Continued page 3 Landbased pg 12 DEEP WATER Softbaiting pg 21 Pine BOAR www.theadventurer.co.nz FISHING 2 New Zealand’s Most Popular Sized Boat - ENFORCER 370 The 12ft tinny has been the quintessential favourite for generations of Kiwi Fishos! Most of us will be able to relate to the great times and memories of chasing snapper and other inshore fish in the old 12ft riveted tinny powered by an old single banger “wake up the neighbours” air-cooled outboard or a set of oars in case the motor gave up the ghost! Fast forward to 2015, Enforcer Boats decided there must be a better way than the lightly- built pressedalloy knock offs. Introducing the new Enforcer 370 for the modern fisherman. A New Zealand built, tough aluminium plate boat at a very affordable price! The Enforcer 370 has been designed and built in NZ for Kiwi conditions. The built-in features include a fine entry forward, moderate 12 degree deadrise and unique negative chines. The result is an extremely dry ride with exceptional sea keeping capabilities and a very soft ride for all on board. Enforcer Boats has raised the bar with no compromise on materials and construction. The boats are built with a high quality marine grade aluminium 3mm hull, sides and transom, with a 4mm fully sealed chequer plate floor. Safety and strength is provided with the pressure tested airtight underfloor chamber with underfloor bulkheads. There are three drain bungs as standard, two which will drain the main cockpit and a central third bung for venting the sealed floor. The structurally engineered transom is designed for and rated to accommodate any 25hp outboard. On test day we were met with a not-so-nice Hauraki Gulf chop from the south west, 10-12 Knot winds. The Enforcer 370 proved more than a match for these con- 370 is a great inshore boat and has a lot of excellent ditions with two people on board plus fishing gear. features that will allow it to be used for a number of Powered by the ever reliable 2 stroke 18hp Tohatsu different applications. outboard, we were treated to a amazingly smooth, For those of you who beach launch you will be suitdry ride and easily cruised at 20mph. The 18hp Tohat- ably impressed just how easy it is. The well positioned su outboard effortlessly popped the boat with occu- forward and aft grab handles and NZ-built A-frame pants and gear on the plain and felt a great match for multi-roller Enforcer trailer had us back on the trailer this boat. Upon speaking with the guys from Enforcer in no time. Boats they said that the boats will also perform very If you are looking for a no-nonsense, tough, stable, well with a 15hp outboard, so anyone looking to up- soft riding well-built Kiwi boat that’s easy to tow at a grade their old “tinnie” boat could utilise the existing very competitive price, contact Enforcer Boats today and get out on the water tomorrow! motor. Out on the fishing grounds near Motuihe Island the Boat, Motor and Trailer packages from $9995 inc GST Enforcer 370’s generous beam provided an incredibly Visit our showroom: 36 Cryers Rd, East Tamaki Monstable platform with the fully welded chequer plate Fri 7.30-5.00 www.enforcerboats.co.nz Like us on floor, wide side decks and high gunwale’s making Facebook light work when it came to fighting fish. At all times we felt safe, secure and comfortable. Enforcers well laid out and uncluttered cockpit will be very popular amongst the serious fishos, inshore family picnic outings and lake camping trips. The winter fishing proved hard but with a steady stream of mussel burley we eventually scored some nice reef snapper and a couple of fat Kahawai. On the run back to the Bucklands Beach boat ramp we found the Tohatsu 18hp a more than adequate power option and tapped out to 25mph. The Enforcer’s hull is very responsive and for its size punches well above its weight! The Enforcer Enforcer 370, great NEW boat for kiwi fishos! FISHING www.theadventurer.co.nz 3 Cover article cont. There were many highlights of the trip, with my mates picking up firsts and personal bests. On the third day of diving we went to a reef I hadn’t dived before that was good for reef fish. As soon as I sighted the bottom it was evident of the great country with sandy canyons funneling the free flowing current, and concentrating the bait on small rises in the reef. There were coral trout everywhere, which are one of the best fish to eat in the world with beautiful white flesh. So we got a few of those for dinner. Sean, who had never dived in the tropics before but is a very successful diver in New Zealand, managed to Published by The Adventurer Ltd www.theadventurer.co.nz PO BOX 140, Tairua 3544 Director/Design/Editor Rodney Thomsen [email protected] Director/Sales/Editor Daniel Rasdall - 02108406670 [email protected] Printer: Inkwise Adventurers/Writers Jackson Shields Jason Harris Brett Waterhouse Arthur Olsen Bonze Shaun Thomsen NZ Kayak Fishing Fish & Game NZ Rick Pollock Eric Carter Rachael Blackie Rebecca Murray Joe Dennehy Dicko Feathersone Trish Rea - Legasea Martitime NZ O MB Sidwell - Toa Hunter Gatherer Kerry Adams Trish Watson Kyle Ridling Jackson Brown Craig Connelly get one of the ‘fish of the trip’ with a ripper job fish. This fish is a cross between a kahawai and a snapper, and can require a good bottom time at depth or good hunting skills to get close to. We managed to get three jobbies that day, but Sean’s was by far the biggest. The biggest highlight of the trip was day five of diving when we hit the jackpot. Our skipper mentioned a reef out off the top of the island that comes up to 27m at its shallowest. I thought it was worth a look so we headed out to it. I jumped in with a flasher to see if I could attract something for the guys. We got dropped in about 40m of water and could only just make out the bottom. We swam up current to look for the bait concentration. It was evident the reef began to rise then drop off to the abyss. As soon as the flasher hit this point it was all on. A big school of barracuda milled around, followed by a big school of surgeon fish (a good indication of a good spot), then the DOGGIES! Each of the guys took turns on the big gun. Sam was in first on a good fish. I went for the float as fast as I could to try and get the fish off the bottom and away from the reef and sharks. Sam managed to keep it off the bottom and got it to the boat safely. Next up was Hugo who landed his shafts into another good fish, which in seconds was mauled by about 10 sharks. Once the sharks got wound up it was going to be hard to land any fish, so we made sure we stopped deploying any more burley as it got the sharks into a frenzy and brought them up to the surface. Sam made another dive to around 25 metres, and as he was descending I saw a mob of doggies glide towards him. Sam only had his reel gun so I made a dive to 10 metres and waited for him. He stretched out, intercepted one of the doggies and pulled the trigger, and out of a cloud of bubbles the fish took off for the bottom. No other fish in the ocean has the explosive power like a dogtooth, and it is scary holding on to the other end and fighting against them. I raced down to meet Sam as his reel was fizzing with line. I wrapped my hand in the line and hauled on the fish trying to slow it down. All of a sudden it changed direction and headed towards me with five sharks in chase. I looked up and saw Sam on the surface and let go of the line as he continued the fight with the safety of fresh air. Somehow, the sharks didn’t manage to get the fish and Sam boated another nice fish. Next dive Hugo was on again, this time with a great holding shot that slowed the fish, and with a team effort that fish was boated too. Sean was up after he had spent most of the time helping the others with the flasher and landing the fish. I proceeded to lie on the bottom in an attempt to entice the fish to circle me. Upon hitting the bottom, Photo credit: ‘Ben Allen’ ‘#saltyshafts’ Jackson Shields with a nice Doggie Sean spotted a group of doggies make a beeline for with their fish. Sean was on the big gun first dive. As me, intercepted them and put the hurt on a nice fish, we drifted to the front of the reef, he made a dive but getting it to the surface promptly. to no avail. I opted for one last look, grabbed the gun Swimming up-current with the flasher, I wasn’t takand made a dive off the outside edge. Drifting down, ing much notice, but Sam spotted a really big Waa school of good doggies came into view so I angled hoo come in and start following me. He made a dive parallel with them to gain their attention. They slowed to close the gap, but the wahoo thought better and and arched in front of me. A nice one passed the tip of bolted for safety. I made one last dive to see what my spear and I let fly. The shaft connected behind the other fish were on the bottom and a nice jobfish came head, and after a spiral turn it headed of for the deep. in, so I placed a good holding shot and went for the On the way to the surface I passed Sean trying his best surface. Once I had the fish within 10 metres of the to hold onto the line as he was being dragged down. surface, two sharks took a fancy to it and demolished Once at the surface we both put the weight on the it off my spear. It was great to see the guys stoked, fish. Sam jumped in the water with a second gun, and all managing to get a doggie which is no easy feat, as soon as the fish was at around 15 metres, Sam dove especially when they had done little to no time diving and made a great kill shot. It topped off a great day the tropics. being the biggest fish of the trip. That night we were There was enough time for one last dive before headspoiled with big tuna steaks and endless stories of ing in so we made for a reef closer to home. Everyone experiences of the trip. We all can’t wait to get back! except Sean and I had had enough and was satisfied FISHING 4 Hauraki Gulf By Craig Connelly REPORTS July has been an exciting fishing month with some brilliant clear winter days and fat winter snapper, mixed amongst some high winds and very chilly conditions. The challenge has been to try and combine the light-wind days with the strong bite-time days, which is not always easy, particularly when you factor in work, sports days and family events, but fishing is about dedication to the cause and making it happen!! The full moon at the beginning of the month provided some perfect fishing opportunities out wide, and some of the best July snapper fishing I can remember. July will also be remembered for the coldest month in Auckland for 64 years, and this writer’s boat being hosed down three times at the marina to try and get rid of the ice! Work-up locations: we have seen moderate work-up action during July in the Hauraki Gulf, mainly caused by an influx of anchovies moving between Motuora Island and Challenger Island, and also large schools moving between Channel Island and as far down as the Happy Jacks. Reports have also come in of work-ups off Ponui Island. Large pods of dolphins were also seen in these areas. The work-ups have produced mixed results, which is typical at this time of the year when the bigger snapper are more sluggish in the 12-14 degree water, and considering that the work-ups are moving very fast, the snapper are not always on time to the party! The smaller snapper tend to be more active, and these are great table fish and well worth chasing. The larger fish have mainly been caught on jigs and soft baits along the contour lines in the same regions mentioned above. Reports were received of large kingfish up to 15kg present in the work-ups, and also huge numbers LOOKOUT for the full “Secret Hauraki Gulf Fishing Calendar” in any good book store or tackle store near you of large kahawai all gorging on the anchovies. Both love jigs, so lots of action there if you want it. Give it a few months and the spring work-ups will be full on again and the snapper action will be intense. What’s working out there for you? The writer is a keen jig-and-soft-bait enthusiast and I have tested different colours of soft baits and jigs over July and come up with the following conclusions: strong bite-time days saw orange coloured jigs with orange skirts producing the biggest fish on the contour lines in 40-50 metres, and moderate bite-time days saw yellow/brown 5-inch soft baits producing similar snapper on the same contour lines. In shallower water the more natural looking soft baits were reported as being more productive for the larger fish, with one report of a 10kg snapper (caught and released) near Kawau on Zane from Envoy Construction with a nice Gulf snapper caught near a natural-looking soft bait (similar to Channel Island on 80 gram Orange Jitterbug Anchovy) in just 8m of water, and with water temp of 11 degrees. Pannies were reported to be taking a variety of colours in both jigs and soft baits. Share your Also reports of beautiful John Dory going for pink soft adventure baits and lures. As I am writing this I can see a weather window apphotos proaching and a good moon phase, so I am off to plan and stories my next trip. Remember, winter doesn’t have to be a no-fishing zone. You just need to change your tactics, facebook.com/TheAdventurerPaper plan well and have some patience. I find the bite-time calendar very useful for planning purposes at this time email: of year. Channel fishing no longer works over winter, theadventurerpaper however shallow water in close to the channels can be productive with both bait and soft baits; or head out @gmail.com wide in deep water on a crystal clear calm winter’s day, Web: and either chase work-ups or fish the contour lines. See you out there, and remember those life jackets theadventurer.co.nz and safety instructions…things change fast at sea. 5 Eastern Coromandel By Jason Harris - Strikezone Well, winter is dealing us some harsh weather with cold temperatures that we haven’t seen for many years, and even worse the damn wind just doesn’t stop blowing! But better times are coming with spring just around the corner and hopefully an improvement on the weather front. This report will be rather brief, as here on the boat STRIKEZONE, we have had cancellation after cancellation, and only a handful of trips have taken place recently; so I will tell you what I know. Snapper: when the weather allows there are good numbers of snapper around. I haven’t been out to the Aldermans recently, but I have fished the coast and the snapper are both prolific and of a good size on the average. A good burley trail is an advantage to bring them on, and smaller baits are catching more fish at this time of year than large baits do in the warmer months. Squid is by far the most effective bait, with the usual pilchards and skippy often not getting a touch. By the way, it is squid season now and if you like a bit of fresh calamari on the dinner plate now and then, the next two months is a good time to catch them. The gurnard are still fairly deep, with Tairua’s own gurnard guru, Ron Cross, reporting the 40m mark as the place to be. The tarakihi too, are still deep, and the 30m mark is still loaded with lots of small snapper but only the odd tarakihi. Next month should see these fish in full force inshore. Kingfish: the limited number of trips we have done have not disappointed. Jigs have been working well, as have livies. Catching live-bait can be a bit more challenging at this time of year, but with some extra effort they can still be caught in good numbers. Thinking outside of the square on your technique and location is often required on catching them. So that’s it this month folks, stay warm out there and take your opportunities when you can, as they are few and far between right now. Tight lines Jason STRIKEZONE FISHING CHARTERS TAIRUA PH 07 8648190 or 02102315760 Sam with an excellent condition snapper caught on-board Strikezone FISHING FISHING REPORTS Bay of Plenty By Brett Waterhouse - Wai Whare - - www.fishbop.com Well, the weather hasn’t been very fisherfriendly this month, although the snapper have still been on the bite in the shallower waters around the 15m mark. Matakana has been producing bag limits. Motoiti has been fishing well with a big berley trail doing the trick; salmon berley releases lots of oil which is a good attracter, ideal for putting in the deeper berley shaker. Motoiti is a good option if you need to seek shelter as there are many parts of the island which are suitable to hide from the weather. Tarakihi has been a bit slower than usual, although a feed is still being caught, squid being the best bait. The Hapuka and Blue Nose have been slower on the Mayor Knolls as the spawning season is over and they have gone deep again. Plenty of fish sign around on the bottom and mixing your baits up is the trick; barracuda, skip jack, squid, and livey. The commercial boats have been catching plenty of Southern Bluefin Tuna off the coast of BOP through to the East Cape; good-sized fish as well around the 70-110kg and in good numbers. Firth of Thames By Eric (Buster) Carter - Snapper Express Well, we are officially in the depths of winter; I know this. How? Because it is bloody freezing, wet, and wind blows from every direction every other day. On the fish front, even they know it is winter. I haven’t been out myself for a few weeks, but the fishos I’ve talked to tell me I have not missed much. As I said in my last report, the Waikawau Boat Ramp Society had their AGM on Sunday 19 July and the usual crew turned up. Out of the 880-odd members, 30 were in attendance. This included the 10 committee members, so from this we take it that everybody is happy with the way it’s going at the ramp. We will do a full dredge in September and we’re planning to run some cuts on the concrete in the ramp to help with traction and stop people slipping over. Also, we plan to fix up the access roads at the same time. 6 The way I would target these fish recreationally is, to look on a chart and find a canyon or tongue of deep water (e.g. off Hicks Bay the 2000m tongue, or Lottin Ridge, or the back of the Mayor Knolls); find a temp break; sound around to see if you can spot any marks or bait; stop the boat and start chumming Pilchards or Sanmarr chopped into chunks over the side of the boat so  that the boat  will drift over it, getting it underwater and  away from the birds; using an 80w Tiagra Shimmano Plenty of Puka and Bluenose action on board Wai Whare! 37kg  mono,  400lb fluorocarbon  windon with no swivel and the hook crimped the chum line and start the procedure again trying to straight onto the windon; a bait wrapped around a focus your chum in a particular area. circle hook; getting feed out down the chum trail and Blue Fin is such an amazing fighting fish, and New retrieving it after 150-200m out; ensuring the chum is Zealand has the migration of this fish going right past consistent but not putting too much feed over. The our doorstep. Let’s hope the weather eases up so we trick is to wait till the chum disappears, then throw can all get out and enjoy the fishing. another over. Having plenty chopped makes the job Cheers and Happy fishing, easy. Once the boat has drifted away, drive back up Brett Waterhouse - Wai Whare Charters Ltd One of the areas of concern is the amount of litter that is appearing in the farms, then washing up on the beach front. It’s simple, if you take it out there, bring it back when it’s used and either put it in the bins provided or take it home. On my last trip I picked up six empty beer bottles between the new farms and the ramp. One of the main issues was that they were empty and that it was Speights; but really, keep the rubbish in the boat till you get home. By TopCatch crew Well that’s another month down and another month closer to those big spring snapper. In saying that, a few boats have ventured westside for varying results. A fortnight ago there was a small window of weather that allowed a few crews to get out, and there were some reports of reasonable snapper being caught at the 45 metre mark, but there were also the ever-consistent spiny dogs! However, just this past weekend there was another reasonable weather break but, unlike a fortnight ago, the snapper were a heck of a lot harder to coax onto the bite. There was definitely no issue with the sharks biting though! Most crews reported a mixed bag of only one or two snapper for a day’s fishing, along with a few kahawai and gurnard. A couple of the larger vessels decided to target the snapper out around the 90 metre mark and were rewarded with limit-bags of fish, although the size wasn’t exceptional, just average sized pannies. Bearing in mind that it is close to thirty miles off the coast, it is a long way to travel for a feed of snapper. You could probably do a lot better sitting in about 8-10 metres of water off Ruapuke or Carter’s Beach with a good berley trail going, something that a couple of crews did this past weekend and were rewarded with snapper up to 20lb; saves a heap on petrol also. The kontiki fishing off Ruapuke Beach has also been very frustrating with one local telling me he scored 24 sharks off 25 hooks, a damn fine hook up ratio, just unfortunately the wrong target species. As for where to fish, my prediction of the back of Pak n Save has been spot on; right up to Raumahaunga seems to be going okay. If you need a feed of Tarakihi, nip over the hill and have a tryout of Whangamata. Again, check out the weather; talk to a few locals and have fun. All I can say is, bring on spring. West Coast Brad Cullen and the catch of the day! The crew on Game On headed for the horizon on Saturday just gone and pulled some very respectable hapuku from the Mokau Trench. Maybe the moral of the story at present is to fish right off the back of the breakers or very wide to enjoy some consistent fishing. In saying that, Karen Blockley caught herself a very nice hapuku in 60 metres of water while snapper fishing just recently, so I suppose they are where you find them. Oh well, only another six weeks to wait before we all look over the horizon for the start of the spawning run; best make sure the leave is up to date! by Rodney Thomsen Brad Bowden with his 15kg Snapper Spot X sure did provide for Waihi’s Brad Bowden when he bagged a 15kg snapper off Little Barrier Island. On a Shimano backbone Elite with a Shimano Torium 20 reel, Bowden pulled in a 15.1kg 95cm snapper on a sunny Sunday morning. A 60lb Black Magic tough trace and a Gamakatsy 8/0 x2 spelled hook was used to catch this fish you dream about but never catch. The battle lasted for about ten minutes with several good long runs, Bowden said as the tide was turning low, they chucked out a burley bomb which attracted a few snapper, but it was half a jack mackerel on a two hook rig which attracted the big one. The beast sure was a beauty, it was not battered like most snappers which get to this size. Not long after the monster was caught, some mates turned up on another boat and a 10kg snapper was caught. Bowden kept enough for dinner and released approximately half a dozen between 5-7kgs. The 30 year old angler plans to mount the fish and have it as a feature in the home. Bowden was 2.1kgs off the New Zealand all tackle snapper record which was achieved by M Hemingway of Mottiti Island back in 1992. However Bowden sits at the top of the leader board in the all time DB Export NZ Fishing Compeition Hall of Fame , 95cm the longest snapper caught and measured in the competition over the last three season. This title has been held by Geoff Preston since 21st November 2012 with a 94cm effort. FISHING Scallop season nearly here! Scallop season is fast approaching, opening on the 1st of September until the 31st of March. Makesure you know your bag limit and regulations before you head out. Below is a few pointers to keep in mind. Sorting and measuring catch The obligation to sort and count your catch arises when you legally “take” the shellfish. Exactly when this occurs has been the subject of discussion in the courts. A recent court case concluded that you should count and measure shellfish at the first reasonable opportunity and in that set of circumstances the first reasonable opportunity was on the seafloor as the shellfish were placed in the dive bag* . *Freedivers do not have as much time to count and measure on the seafloor so it is reasonable for them to do this at the surface. Count as you go You are expected to count each shellfish as you place it in your catch bag. Note: If you are sharing a catch bag with another diver, you are responsible for counting your own bag limit and the other diver is responsible for counting their bag limit. Measure as you go You are also expected to measure as you go. There are many quick and easy ways to measure your shellfish as you collect them and before you place them in your catch bag. For example, you can mark your catch bag handle with the minimum legal size for the shellfish you are collecting. Re-check your catch & return undersize or excess shellfish immediately Always make sure you re-count and re-measure your catch as soon as possible after surfacing. If saltwater Little Barrier Big Snapper 7 you have accidentally taken too many scallops, or undersized scallops, you must return them, unharmed, to the sea immediately. Immediately is not after you have changed into dry clothes and you are comfortably relaxing with a cold drink and lunch, and it is not after you have picked up anchor and moved to a nicer spot! Remember that returned fish must be given the best opportunity to survive and should be returned to the same place that they were taken from. Scallops and dredge oysters returned to different habitat types (e.g., rocky reefs, deep water) are not as likely to survive, and are not likely to be part of the spawning population. Similarly, scallops and dredge oysters not returned immediately to the water may die or suffer adverse effects through dehydration and/or overheating. Ensure your safety while diving When diving, be aware of tides, swell, visibility and weather. While many people find shellfish delicious, they are not worth risking your life for! If conditions are deteriorating, you might want to postpone your dive rather than collecting shellfish in a hurry. Take scallops for up to two safety people only The regulations allow extra scallops to be collected for up to two safety people. No more than two extra bag limits can be taken per vessel, regardless of how many people are diving. So, if you have one safety person on board your vessel, you may only collect one extra bag limit. If you have three safety people on board, you may only collect two extra bag limits, not three. The bag limit is 20 is the Auckland, Coromandel area. For the full regulations and rules check out www.mpi. govt.nz KAYAK FISHING 8 Kayak Fishing at Great Barrier Island using a Mothership by NZ Kayak Fishing www.yakfish.co.nz Although it’s possible to reach Great Barrier Island by car using the ferry, a much better option is by mothership. Not only does it allow you to reach places just not possible from the island alone but also the security to know the mothership vessel is not far away for assistance. Since undertaking the first mothership trip in 2008 NZ Kayak Fishing has visited offshore locations from Mercury Bay to the Mokohinau Islands and Great Barrier has proven to be the best in terms of kayaking and fishing playgrounds. The islands numerous coastlines facing all directions give good options in different wind directions and is well known for its big fish. With a new vessel sorted the maiden voyage on Joint Venture run by Coromandel Fishing Charters happened in late July. The call was made for the trip to go a day early to take advantage of the two stunning days predicted weather-wise. A group of eight kayak anglers headed to Great Barrier Island departing from Coromandel Town. The two hour trip had us arrive at Cape Barrier for a quick mechanical jig from the boat on a couple of pinnacles known to hold kingfish. It was fairly quiet with the exception of a snapper that fell victim to a pink 300g jig. With the kingfish not showing interest we headed for our first destination Arid Island. The kayaks were soon launched and everyone got into fish. Noticing a decent work up happening not far away we let the kayak anglers know and they found some kingfish action with a number of bust offs following on the jigs. Some bigger snapper fell victim to jigs once again and the action continued however a decent wind appeared and not long after things went quiet. Later on in the afternoon with the kayakers refreshed after lunch they went in search of trophy snapper along the deep drop offs along the northern face of Arid and for some of them it was very fruit full with a Lee Kennedy and a monster 24.7lb snapper caught softbaiting number of snapper to 7kg released all falling victim to soft baits and inchiku lures. That night we stayed at the cove on the north eastern end of Arid and enjoyed an entrée of fresh paua and sashimi trevally before our main meal then retired early. Next morning everyone was up early and in the kayaks for a first light hunt in close to the island. The first call came over the VHF with a nice snapper nailed just off the point on a drop off and only two hundred metres from our mooring. The guys fished from the kayaks for an hour and a half with some nice fish landed. All were collected by the boat from various areas around the island. Leaving the kayaks set up and on deck meant they could get back into fishing as soon as reaching the next location. During our ride to the top of Barrier the guys enjoyed a cooked breakfast and hot drinks before getting back in the kayaks. It wasn’t long before one of them soon announced that kingfish were swimming under the kayak, then hooking a decent snapper only to drop it. The excitement was building and the VHF boomed again with another snapper and this one is bigger. Eventually the fish came to the surface and tipped the scales at just under 25lb. Another kayak angler had announced his hook up on something decent and was followed by another boasting something big. The first had a nice kingfish of around 14kg a first for this angler from the kayak. The next capture would turn out to be probably the most epic of the trip, with a horse of a kingfish weighing in at 28kg and yet another first and personal best for the angler. The really cool story with this catch is the angler has only been fishing out of a kayak since March this year. He had never fished deep waters before let alone used jigs and we lent him a rod and reel loaded with 50lb braid that was set up ready for his jig. The kayak angler took to mechanical jigging really well and managed a nice snapper on one the day before so was well hooked to this style of fishing. The rod and reel combo was an entry level jig set valued at around $399. Then there is the jig which was a $2 special from the dump bin and included an assist hook. Just shows that you don’t always need the most expensive gear to be successful. If you are into kayak fishing then Great Barrier Island offers some of the best scenery, environment and fishing in New Zealand. These mothership trips offer you the ability to reach areas that just can’t be accessed from the Island. The vessel is fast enough to reach you when required and is excellent for carrying the kayaks. The vessel was just brilliant for the job and the kayaks were really easy to set up on deck before launching which meant everyone got out on the water quickly. Getting down from the boat to kayak was simple and safe because of the ladder setup, everyone found this easy to use. The fishing was fantastic and the eight kayak anglers on board were a great bunch of people all contributing to the experience. There were a number of personal bests for those on board. We have some video of this trip so keep an eye on the Yak Fish website for the clip. If you are interested in your own adventure visit the website kayakadventures.co.nz Dive Zone Whitianga Student Profile Barry Cahlberg with his personal best kingfish of 28kg caught on a 200 gram jig Back at the end of summer I went out for a day on a boat called Scuba-Doo with Dive Zone Whitianga and shared my fun experience. If you missed it, check out the March edition of The Adventurer. I was offered a seat on the boat when Skipper Craig and Instructor John were headed out for a day to get the Dive Zone career students (Diploma in Professional Scuba Instruction course) in the water. Meet Steve, Dive Zone career students. Why a diving qualification? It’s really fun when you’re in the water out there doing it. I was diving for a while for recreation and I thought I’d do the qualification because I love it. It helps it’s a great relaxer too. Why Dive Zone Whitianga? It was an easy decision as I’m a local, but to add that they have a fan- - By Dan Rasdall They are all training to be certified dive instructors in pristine conditions in Whitianga – warm waters, great visibility, and fantastic dive spots. If you ever consider getting into diving for a career get in touch with the team at Dive Zone Whitianga. If you would like your office to be a Launch then check out Dive Zones Career Training page at www.divezonewhitianga.co.nz tastic reputation with professional instructors. It’s a really great environment to learn and grow your diving skills. How are Dive Zone Whitianga’s facilities? Excellent! They have everything you possibly need there at the shop, not to mention the water 100m also from the door, and all the dive spots to go with it! What’s your favourite thing about diving? The peaceful environment… it’s hard to describe but every diver could probably relate to that. But for non-divers, it’s like a whole new world to discover. What was the highlight of today? Seeing the pod of Dolphins was a great finish to an awesome day on and in the water. Best place you’ve dived? That’s so hard to choose, but I’d have to say The Alderman Islands. Where in the world do you want to go diving? It has to be the Galápagos Islands. FISHING 9 landbased Waihi Rocks = Jackson Brown by Jackson with some great tasting John Dory caught on livebaits Uni had finished and the stress from exams was over. It was time to tee up a mission to a local rocky coast that I had frequented throughout my three year study period. It was a Friday afternoon, phone calls, txt messages and facebook posts were sent out to anyone that was available for a last minute rock fishing mission the following morning. With a few ums and aahs, I’d managed to twist the arms of two friends, Adam and Taylor. A rough plan was made over the phone, a time was set, and we were good to go. Located north of Waihi beach, the sand subsides as the rocky shore takes over. The eastern-facing coastline is relatively sheltered from the prevailing westerlies which make it fishable throughout a large proportion of the year. Species that are found in this area are kahawai, snapper, kingfish, gurnard, trevally and John Dory. Although the presence of some species is seasonally dependent, others such as snapper and kingfish can be caught year round. A well-maintained DOC track meanders through the coastal forest from the northern end of Waihi Beach. There are several “goat tracks” that follow spurs down to the rocks, providing good access relatively close to the beach. Approximately 20 minutes walking and you reach the beautiful Orokawa Bay. Often overlooked by many fishermen, this beach can go off. Fishing a high tide on last light a few days before the full moon can result in excellent fishing for snapper in late summer. After a 45 minute drive we arrived at the car park; another 45 minutes’ walk and we broke through the scrub and were met with a flat sea. First things first, burley in and defrost some baits. Out with the strayline gear and pilchards were cast out the back of the burley trail. As we waited in anticipation I had a feeling it was going to be slow. Generally, when the water is dead flat, the snapper fishing can be quiet. This coast hadn’t had any significant swell in the last two weeks. Baits were wound in and they had barely been touched. It was time to burley up a storm. We began to cube up pilchards and bonito, throwing a handful out into the burley trail every two minutes. We soon had a school of small kahawai hanging around, perfect live baits. As we began to prepare rigs to catch them, a brown image moving through the back of the burley trail caught my eye. JOHN DORY! Not one, but two, wait…three, slowly swimming around at our feet. We needed to catch a livey and get it out ASAP. A small cube of pilchard on a 2/0 hook was lobbed into the burley trail and taken instantly by a small kahawai. It was sent back out with an 8/0 live bait hook through its shoulder and left to swim around with his mates, sending panicking signals that would hopefully attract the Dory. It didn’t take long for the Dory to stealthily approach the kahawai. A white flash made from the Dory thrusting its mouth forward indicated it had taken the live bait. It’s well known that Dory are not aggressive fighters, and when bringing them in, their mouth is often extended, which restricts their movement and increases their surface drag. Keeping tension on the fish was crucial, and with some help, Adam had landed his first land-based John Dory. I was up next, and another small kahawai was caught and sent back out. We soon had two Dory on ice, and Taylor followed suit making the tally three. With a few more turning up in the burley trail it was hard not to catch one more, so we called it quits with 4 to take home. As we wrapped up our gear and emptied the burley we watched the last Dory swimming around. It was a spectacular experience and a real visual form of fishing. To see some footage of the action check out the video on my You Tube channel called “Dory Hunt, Land Based”, and to keep up to date with the latest rock-fishing adventures, check out my Facebook page, “TGA Land-Based Fishing”. Scan the QR code for the TGA Land-Based Fishingfacebook page The beautiful Orokawa Bay game fishing FISHING Late or early? By Rick Pollock Last season was a good one and, in some ways, the gift that just kept on giving! There was some exceptional fishing to be had and also encouraging revelations from the game-fishing scene. Now that we are well ensconced in winter, it’s an appropriate time to review everything that transpired last summer and autumn – plus a preview for next year. One thing that stands out almost every game season is the fact that the fishermen stop well before the fish do! We always hear about the ‘straggler’ that was landed late in the season and everyone marvels at it, wishing it could have been them on the end of the line! Simply stated – it could have! Let’s face a common fact, after Easter most anglers put the gear away for the season, preferring to talk about their exploits over a cold one instead of persevering out at sea a little longer. If they had done, not only might they have found some quality fish to tangle with, but perhaps even the best fishing of the entire season! The term ‘Indian Summer’ is a North American name but it has real relevance here, and no more so than this season. Unprecedented cold water temperatures as late as mid-December had many writing the game season off – including this writer! Then suddenly and inexplicably things all changed and, instead of looking out for icebergs, we were landing mahi-mahi! The game fish came on in a rush and were following the warm currents straight into the Bay of Plenty – especially Whitianga. During all this rush of excitement another revelation made itself very apparent – yellowfin tuna! After seeing hardly any over the preceding decade, and progressively fewer each year, they arrived in abundance! While most were only football size, of 12– 15 kg, it didn’t matter – they were the right shape and colour and there were plenty of them! Indeed, many boats were landing 3 to 5 daily, with one snaring 11! The gold rush was on with many cashing in. 10 Encouraging prospects for gamefishing By Trish Rea, LegaSea Liaison As the season wore on the yellowfin grew in size but diminished in numbers, but who cared, there were billfish in abundance. From Waihou Bay to North Cape and down the West Coast there were stripies a-plenty with enough blues, blacks and shortbill spearfish to make things very interesting and productive. Mercury Bay relaxed its grip on the game fish, with Mayor Island to Waihou Bay cashing in on some great fishing. Just about the time we were settling into a season we wrongly thought could get no better, we got a nasty SW blow in mid-April. Water temperatures dropped a degree overnight and nearly three more in as many days – it looked like the season indeed had ended as abruptly and dramatically as it had started! There was little landed for the next few weeks, with even Northland and the Three Kings seemingly barren. Again, when we were concentrating on kingfish and bottom species, the inexplicable happened – ‘Indian Summer’ returned! At a time when the days were short, the heat had gone from the sun, and the temperature should have continued its descent, just the opposite happened! Blue water came back, water temps increased, and striped marlin returned – hungry striped marlin! Fishing just improved all the while, and even June produced marlin for those brave (some would say insightful) enough to venture forward. Water temps touched a heady 20°C at the King Bank and only a couple of clicks less further South. Stripies were landed right through June and culminated with an astounding catch on July 1st at the Poor Knights to kick off the new season in style! So, where to from here? Realistically, strong winds will probably keep most anglers off the water for the remainder of winter and early spring. We can look forward to the possibility of a strong run of XOS albacore as we head toward next season. What to expect? As we’ve plainly seen this past season, and to quote the well-worn cliché, ‘expect the unexpected!’ What can we do? Another boy-scout motto – ‘always be prepared’! New Zealand is fast becoming world renowned for trophy sized kingfish and lots of them. This is no accident. Management changes a decade ago, Mother Nature and the care shown by recreational fishers who release much of their kingfish catch have all contributed to the stock rebuild. Annual monitoring of kingfish length during the Bay of Islands International Yellowtail Tournament over the last five years is showing a strong pulse of fish from successful spawning events 9 or 10 years ago. Recreational fishers fund the project to collect data from this tournament. This support comes from the Bay of Islands Swordfish Club, the New Zealand Sport Fishing Council and LegaSea. In addition, a Government funded monitoring project is also underway this year. Recreational charter and private fishers around the upper North Island are helping to monitor the status of kingfish stocks. It is expected this project will provide a snapshot of the catch at age of kingfish in the recreational fishery. The target recreational fishery catches a more representative sample of the kingfish population when compared to catch taken by commercial fishing methods. While kingfish are hardy creatures, LegaSea encourages fishers to learn how to successfully catch and release kingfish in good condition. Most important is to use circle hooks, which lodge in the corner of the mouth. Gamefish success For 58 years the New Zealand Sport Fishing Council has been at the forefront of research and conservation of gamefish, and more latterly the management of inshore fisheries and marine environment. LegaSea is promoting this vital work and recognises the Council as the only organisation in New Zealand that purchases and distributes fish tags to recreational fishers. There has been some large yellowtail kingfish tagged this season and overall the average size and number of kingfish appears to be increasing. This past season has also been notable for the return of yellowfin tuna across a range of sizes in modest, but encouraging numbers. Targeting swordfish with deep baits during daylight hours has become more popular and successful. There have been 110 swordfish tagged and released over the previous three years with two recaptures to date. Marlin fishing was sporadic this season, but generally on a par with 2013-14 on the east coast. Fishing on the west coast was very good, at times. The Council is committed to tagging 50% of striped marlin and encourages all anglers to tag and release fish less than 90kg. Some fishers like to keep the first fish of the new season and the NZSFC encourages you to tag and release subsequent captures of that species, to conserve them for the future and so we can study their movements. Recaptured tags So far in 2014-15 there have been 30 tagged kingfish recaptured, two striped marlin and one mako shark. We are privileged in New Zealand to have resources and personnel dedicated to learning more about these remarkable creatures. http://www.legasea.co.nz/documents/Gamefish-Tagging-News-July-2015.pdf Stand up - Become a LegaSea Legend by making a regular $10 per month contribution. www.legasea.co.nz/legend Come see us at the Auckland On Water Boat Show stand Outside 15 FISHING 11 First Marlin for the New Season By Kyle Ridling On Wednesday 1 July 2015 I headed out of Tutukaka with Ross Chapman in search of a striped marlin on my 4.85m Surtees, “Yonkers”. I had been planning this trip since 6 December 2014 when I had tagged and released the first marlin of the 2014-15 season off Cape Brett. I knew we had a good chance of finding one as there had been marlin caught between North Reef and the Kumara Patch in the first half of June. With limited weather windows towards the end of June, and the fact that most people give up on chasing marlin in May, not many boats would be out there trying, so reports had slowed down. I had heard a couple of second-hand stories of marlin still in that area in the last week of June. That was all I needed to know. Once we got out to the grounds where we planned to fish, the water temperature was 16°C which, as far as I know, is the minimum temperature striped marlin can operate in. We put out a couple of Bonze lures off the bamboo outriggers, and a couple of skippy lures out of the corners to pick up a live-bait, which we did straight away. So we bridled one up on a 10/0 circle hook and quickly put it back into the water. At 9.45 a.m. we had something take our bait but I made the mistake of not giving the fish enough time to completely eat the bait. I felt the weight come off and wound in the head of our skip-jack still attached to the hook. We did not see what had picked up the bait, so my first thought was, ‘oh, no big deal, just a shark bite.’ However, once I got the bait back to the boat we could see the head had been squashed and ripped off the body, and there were bill-marks on the trace. Ok, so now we knew we were in the right place. We just needed to catch a fresh bait and try again, so we did. Just after 1 p.m. we had our second bite. This time the marlin didn’t muck around. It had eaten the bait, hooked itself, and was in the air overtaking us before we could even blink. I quickly picked up the rod and began to retrieve slack line as the fish had left a big belly of line in the water, which was perfect. Once the line came tight it didn’t take long to chase the fish down, and within 10 minutes Ross had his first shot at the leader, and we got to see the fish up close. It was bigger than I first thought after seeing it jump past us at the start. Ross was taking care on the leader, not wrapping, because it had only really done one run and we both expected it to take off again. It Kids Fun at Whanga Wharf July school holidays saw over 100 kids attend the Bubbas fishing and outdoors Fish Kids wharf fishing experience. Held on the Whangamata Wharf coinciding with the high tide Kids, parents and grand parents enjoyed 6 wintery days of fishing. Bubbas supply 20 Shimano rods n reels and bait and a local fishing enthusiastic guy ‘Fred’ with a berley bomb in the water small bait fish is the target species, spotties, yellow tail and small kahawai. A drum filled with fresh harbour water keeps the catches alive long enough for all the kids to experience their catches. The squeals of delight and smiles of Kids with their first catch is awesome! Kyle’s 4.85m Surtees been doing the damage over the few seasons did, but not very fast or very far; it appeared to be tail- to the NZ Sport-Fishing Council which, like I said, wrapped and started coming in backwards but still shows the whole ordeal, and even keeps recordswimming well, so we decided it was now or never, ing as I talk to Tutukaka Gamebase, which conwe needed to get it to the boat before we drowned firms the date better than any photo would. I esit by pulling it backwards. The next shot at the leader timated the fish to be around the 100kg mark and Ross went to work, and with his hands full, I picked it was caught on my Shimano Tiagra 80w, on my up the tag pole and popped the tag in. As Ross was off-shore custom 37kg grand-slam-stand-up rod getting the leader free of the tail, I grabbed the front handcrafted locally in Tutukaka by Offshorerods. of the fish and removed the hook. Because of how awkwardly the fish had come in, Ross had the tail and I had the head. The fish ended up in the boat, but this was not our intention so we quickly lifted it up and, as we did, it started to kick and became too hard to hold on to. I made the call to just let it go without trying to muck around with it for photos, plus I had my contour camera on my head and had recorded the fish being traced, tagged and released, even if it was a bit unorthodox. I can assure you, the fish swam away swiftly and unharmed and I had all the proof I needed. After all, it was July and we had just caught a marlin. Even though anyone that knows us personally wouldn’t second guess us, I knew it would be hard for some people to comprehend. I sent the full video Photo credits: PeakofSport fishing Screenshot the tag shot A fun-filled day at the Wharf softbaiting FISHING How to Catch Snapper in Winter using Soft Baits 12 by Craig Connelly Winter is one of my favourite fishing times and I firmly believe the snapper taste better during those months due to their beautiful condition. Also, New Zealand produces some stunning, crystal-clear 5-knot days during winter that are not to be missed. ter and it is a tough, resilient bait. Yellow is the colour I will always start with and test before anything else. Other options are to test more natural colours such as anchovy and pilchard coloured soft baits. The colours can vary throughout the winter season, but start as above. There are three methods that I use during winter and all work well depending on the conditions. What are the best areas to fish? • Deep Water Jig-Fishing • Wash Fishing/Shallow Water Soft-baiting • Deep Water Soft-baiting The one I want to focus on today is deep water softbaiting, as it has been working particularly well this season with some very nice snapper between 8-15lb caught using this technique. The thrill of landing a fat winter snapper on light gear using soft baits is very addictive and has been getting me out of bed early on a cold winter’s day for some years now. What are the best conditions for deep water softbaiting? The best conditions are low wind and a slow drift. It is much easier to get to the bottom and keep in contact with the soft bait when you are not rocking and rolling, or screaming along on a strong tidal stream. Also, a slow drift allows you to use a lighter jig head, even in deep water, which can be more productive. How do you fish the soft baits in deep water? In deep water there is no need to cast, simply drop the soft bait directly under the boat and work it very gently on the bottom. Which colours work? There is one colour and size I will always put focus on first, and that is 5” Yellow and Brown soft bait. There is a range of these baits available through the different manufacturers but my preferred brand is the Zman Bruised Banana 5”. This soft bait produces solid snapper consistently in shallow and deeper wa- We have always found the better fish in 40-50 metres, and the first thing I look for when coming to a new area are ridges that run parallel with the tide. I also look for gentle current and a variance in depth between the ridges. Drifting along the edge of these areas and working the soft-bait very gently will produce the bigger fish even when no sign shows on the sounder. This technique has produced snapper from 8 to 15lb this season. What sized jig-heads work best for winter softbaiting in deep water? With three anglers on board last week, it gave us the opportunity to compare notes and see what had worked the best on the day. We analysed the different weights and leaders used to see what produced the better fish. On this occasion, 3/8oz jig-heads did the business and the heavier jig-heads were not as productive. Also interesting to note was, the 15lb leaders were more productive than the 20lb. However, be prepared to test and change on the day. The following week a 2oz jig-head was more productive, as an example of how it changes regularly. What is the best rod and reel to use? Successful winter fishing in light conditions equates to having light gear. A very flexible light rod and a light but strong quality reel increase your chances Craig with a nice snapper taken while deep water softbaiting particularly over winter. I use Ocean Angler Secret Sauce (Drag Juice) on the inside flap on the soft bait and find this can help. I also like to put a dollop inside the skirts on the Inchiku jigs, particularly outside of workup season when extra help can be required. considerably. Gentle movements with the soft bait have the best hook-up rate, so keep the bait moving gently. Having light gear also increases the user experience considerably, and for me, there is nothing better than the sound of line pulling and a flexible rod putting the hurt on a winter snapper. So next time you are out, try deep water soft-baiting on the ridges and see how you get on. It is very addictive. What can you do to increase your chances? Slow-pitch jigs, Inchiku jigs or soft baits all benefit from some enhancements, Secret sauce works well on softbaits Whitebait Season - know before you go The whitebait season is open between 15 August and 30 November (inclusive) in all areas of New Zealand except the West Coast of the South Island and the Chatham Islands. Fishing gear Zman bruised banana softbait ‘Fishing gear’ includes all nets, screens, lines or other devices that are used, or are capable of being used, to take whitebait. ‘Drag net’ means any net or any rope, material or device used inconjunction with the net that is: • weighted on the bottom edge, and • operated by surrounding any whitebait and being drawn through any water. Whitebait nets must have a mouth no larger than 4.5 m (measured around the inside of the net frame) and framing material no wider than 120 mm. Drag nets must be no taller than 1 m in height and be flat when laid on a flat surface. Both whitebait nets and dragnets must be no more than 3.5 m in length. No fishing gear shall: junction with any whitebait net that is not permitted to be used under the whitebait regulations, whether or not that net is being used for fishing at the time. General Unlawfully taken fish must be immediately returned to the waters from which they were obtained, taking care to ensure their survival. No person shall discard or dump on shore any fish taken when fishing for whitebait. • exceed 6 m in total length No person shall fish for whitebait within 20 m of any tide gate, floodgate, confluence or culvert, or fish from any bridge, or from any vessel. Nothing in these regulations permits any person fishing for whitebait to interfere with, alter or modify the natural bed or banks of any river, stream, estuary or channel. No person shall set or use more than one whitebait net at a time. Every person who sets or uses a whitebait net must remain within 10 m of the net. Fishing gear must be removed from the water at the end of fishing or the end of the day, whichever is earlier. No person shall possess whitebait in con- This is a summary of the Whitebait Fishing Regulations 1994 and 1995 amendments. It is a guide only, has no legal standing, and does not contain all the rules. Familiarise yourself with the full regulations on the New Zealand Legislation website http://www.legislation.govt.nz/ • exceed more than one-third of the water channel width • be used in conjunction with another person’s gear to exceedmore than one-third of the channel width October 16-23 by Maritime NZ “Bag Your Cell” is one of the catchphrases of this year’s Safer Boating Week – that aims to drive home the message to boaties to take reliable communications when out on the water. “Too many recreational boaties end in the water or in difficulty and have no way of calling for help,” says Maritime NZ education and communications manager Pania Shingleton. “Everybody should carry two reliable forms of communications equipment, and make sure they are water-tight.” Cell phones should be carried in waterproof bags, so that calls can reliably be made by pushing buttons through the plastic covering. Other communications options include distress beacons (PLBs – personal locator beacons), hand-held VHF radio (Channel 16), and flares to draw rescuers” attention. The second annual Safer Boating Week is to be held from October 16 – 23, to coincide with the lead-up to Labour Weekend – the traditional start to the recreational boating season. As chair of the NZ Safer Boating Forum, Maritime NZ is coordinating a range of activities around the country that aim to raise awareness about the need to consider preparation and safety before the summer season kicks off. Last year lifejackets were placed on public statues around the country as a quirky reminder of summer’s start, and the fact lifejackets save lives. The number of deaths from recreational boating accidents averages around 20 a year in New Zealand. Generally around two-thirds of those that drown could have been saved if they wore a lifejacket. Ms Shingleton says the main aim is to encourage all boaties to pause before heading out for the first time this season, and go through a series of basic steps that will help them keep safe this summer. “Taking the time to take stock could save your life this summer,” says Ms Shingleton. Prep your boat – service the engine, check and change the fuel, check the battery and just generally give the boat a good onceover. Check your gear – make sure your lifejackets are still fit for purpose and you have enough; service any inflatable lifejackets and ensure you have two reliable forms of communications equipment. Know the rules – ensure you know the rules of the road on the water, and check your local bylaws to make sure you understand what the requirements are in your area. Maketu Taiapure excess mussel sentencing A Papamoa man was fined $750 and $130 Court costs in Tauranga District Court in June for his part in taking too many mussels from the Maketu Taiapure area. The Maketu Taiapure area has a reduced quota for the harvest of green-lipped mussel to a daily limit of 25 mussels per person per day. Kevin Winston Wagstaff, 48, pleaded guilty to taking more than 3 times the daily recreational limit for green-lipped mussels. Mr Wagstaff was in a group of 3 divers that were stopped by Fishery officers in January this year. The group possessed a combined total catch of 355 mussels. Two other men in the group have already been dealt with by the court. by MPI The reduced limit for green-lipped mussel from 50 to 25 per person per day was introduced in the Maketu Taiapure area in October 2013 in an effort to reduce the threat of unsustainable harvesting. The daily limit outside of the Maketu Taiapure area is 50 per gatherer, per day. MPI District Compliance Manager Brendon Mikkelsen says it is disappointing that these divers targeted an area that is being managed to conserve the local mussel stocks. MPI encourages people to report any suspicious fishing activity to 0800 4 POACHER (0800 476 224). All calls are confidential. Whitebaiting, chainsaws, generators illegal in national parks by DOC NZ The coastal boundary of Fiordland National Park is the mean high water mark: whitebaiting is not permitted on rivers above this point. Similarly, the use of generators and chainsaws within the park is not permitted other than for Department of Conservation (DOC) management purposes. DOC’s Southland rangers will be stepping up their compliance patrols this whitebaiting season within Fiordland National Park. DOC’s Conservation Services Manager in Fiordland, Lindsay Wilson, said that the majority of whitebaiters follow the rules because they know they’re in place to protect the fishery. “Whitebait are iconic and fascinating and many New Zealanders enjoy whitebait fishing as a recreational activity. However, most people agree that whitebait numbers have declined over the years.” “The fishers who follow the rules are great – but the ones who don’t spoil the fun. Everyone who fishes for whitebait needs to make an effort to check it’s legal on their chosen river – ignorance is no excuse,” Lindsay Wilson said. DOC has recently engaged a surveyor to define the National Park boundary on the ground at major river mouths along the south coast; this makes the location of the park boundary clear at these sites. DOC rangers will be out patrolling fishing sites, checking fishers are abiding with National Park regulations. This will include checks on chainsaw and generator use. “Anyone caught committing an offence under the National Parks Act may be fined up to $100,000 or a term of imprisonment up to two years, or both,” Lindsay Wilson said. DOC administers whitebait regulations regarding fishing methods, timing, location and net size to ensure enough young fish get upstream to mature and subsequently create new whitebait for the future. Mr Wilson said regulations were put in place to allow fishing but also as a conservation measure to protect the five species whose juveniles contribute to the fishery. Pamphlets about the regulations can be obtained from DOC offices, sports shops and on the DOC website. Further information Whitebait are the young of native fish such as giant kokopu, shortjaw kokopu, banded kokopu, koaro and inanga, collectively known as galaxiids. They are a variety of native fish species that spend six months at sea and then make their way up rivers and streams. NEWS “Bag Your Cell” - Safer Boating Week, BOATING 13 Ute seized in fisheries bust Three men had their utility vehicle seized by the Ministry for Primary Industries this morning (10 July) after being caught with 1500 shellfish at a beach in Blockhouse Bay, West Auckland. Two Honorary Fisheries Officers (HFOs) were patrolling at Waikowhai Reserve and saw a group of three men gathering shellfish from the rocks with their vehicle parked on the beach nearby. The men loaded bags of shellfish into the vehicle and drove off the beach where they were stopped by the officers. The men denied there were any shellfish in the vehicle. The officers conducted an inspection of the vehicle and located 1541 whelks and cats eyes in three bags in the vehicle. The daily combined limit for whelks and cats eyes is 50 per gatherer per day. Due to the excess number of shellfish the vehicle, a by MPI 2008 Nissan Navara double cab utility was immediately seized. MPI North Harbour, District Compliance Manager, Mike Simmons, says these three men took the equivalent of the daily allowance for 30 people. “This is complete disregard for the fishery regulations, which are in place to ensure sustainability for future generations. This was a great catch by our honorary staff. These dedicated and committed staff are vital to maintain the fishery resource for everyone.” Two of the men live in central Auckland and the third was visiting from overseas. The men will be facing charges and if convicted, the Nissan Navara Double Cab utility may be forfeited to the Crown. Honorary Fishery Officers are highly trained volunteers who carry out patrols in their own time, enforcing the fishing regulations for the benefit of the community. BOATING 14 Boat Profiles Pontoon 4-5m Profile 465C The Profile 465c is easily managed and often beach launched by a quad bike. It has a ride that will surprise you and offers a spacious deck for a vessel of this size. A very capable small craft, the Profile 465c is often chosen as an entry level boat or when upgrading from a dinghy. A very safe and stable craft that is easy to handle. Scorpion 500 Pontoon Specifications Overall length 4.65m (excl. bow sprit) Beam external 1.8m Beam internal 1.38m Pontoon thickness 3.0mm Hull thickness 4.0mm Transom dead-rise 17 degrees Transom height 508mm (20 inch) Approximate hull weight 360KG Approximate towing weight 700KG HP rating 40-75 HP Height on trailer 1.82m Width on trailer 2.05m Length on trailer 5.9m Maximum safe loading 4 Adults Specifications Make : Bluefin Model : 420APB Style : Aluminium Engine details : Mercury 15hp 2 Stroke Length (ft) : 13.6 Engine year : 2015 Constuction : Aluminium Exterior : Unpainted Trailer : Sportline Single Axle Hull type : Pontoon The Scorpion 500 Pontoon is great for the divers in the family and is a bigger cousin to the 455. A bit bigger engine and extra water line length to take you that little bit further. Senator RC480 Specifications Overall Length 5.04m Hull Length 4.97m Beam External 1.87m Beam Internal 1.39m Pontoon Thickness 3mm Hull Thickness 4mm Treadplate Floor 4mm Floor to Gunwale Height 620mm Transom Deadrise 18degrees Transom Pod Height 20” Height on Trailer 1.87m Length on Trailer 6.0m The RC 480 is the largest of the Senator small boat range. It has all the advantages of the RC 450 but with a lot more space where it counts, in the deck! Add to this the higher sides and perspex windscreens and you get an awesome family fishing platform that is easy to tow, easy to launch and a breeze to store. Frewza 3.4m Specifications Hull thickness 3mm Tube thickness 2.5mm Transom 4mm Internal Beam 1200 External Beam 1750 Deadrise 16 degrees at transom LOA 4.4m Safe Loading 4 adults Recommended 40hp ​Marine Grade Alloy The FREWZA F14 Fisher is proving very popular. Like its Dinghy counterpart the FREWZA F14 Fisher has take the The FREWZA F14 has proven to be the choice of serious boaties, fisherman, divers and also with boating families where safety is paramount. Blackdog Cat 4.5SS Cuddy Specifications Length 4.5m Max capacity 4 people Recommended HP 70-115hp Transom Height 20in External Beam 2150mm Internal Beam 1820mm Pontoon thickness 4.0mm Hull thickness 4.0mm 7 Floatation Chambers 1700L Dry Hull weight 340kg Tow weight 760kg Trailer length 5.8m Trailer width 2.50m Overall Trailer height 2.0m Easy access through the walk-through cuddy is an awesome feature that you will appreciate when anchoring and rock hopping. Unbelievable space with an internal beam of 1820mm to create loads of fishing room and storage area for chilly bins and dive gear. DNA 420 HSD Positive bouyancy pontoons and sealed treadplate floor make this boat virtually unsinkable. we run a nice 1300mm internal beam which makes this boat great for up to three adults and gear. Such a versatile boat can easily be beach launched and handled by one person. Features 2 x relocatable internal bench seats for the best load confutation or can simply be taken out all together. Specifications Length: 4.5m Height on Trailer (Approx) 1.73m Recommended HP: 40 Maximum HP: 60 Leg Length: 20in Length on Trailer: 5.4 m External Beam: 1.71m Internal Beam : 1.3m Deadrise (measured at transom)16 Tube Thickness: 2.5mm Hull Thickness: 4mm Reserve Buoyancy (Approx) 670L Dry Hull Weight (Approx) 235kg Tow Weight (Approx) 490kg BOAT SHOW 15 Boats galore at Auckland On Water Boat Show Big and small, motor and sail, dozens of boats of all sizes will grace Auckland’s Viaduct Harbour during September’s Auckland On Water Boat Show. With more than 20 Kiwi trailer boat manufacturers and retailers, and over 70 large sailing yachts and motor launches, the unique mix of boats alongside a huge array of the latest inboard and outboard engines, marine electronics, fishing gear, kayaks, jetskis and safety equipment is what sets New Zealand’s largest on-water boat show running 24 to 27 September apart from all others. Michelle Khan, CEO of the Auckland On Water Boat Show CEO, says: “We’ve had tremendous support from our exhibitors this year, and the show is going to be jam-packed with all kinds and sizes of dinghies and inflatables, alloy and composite trailer boats, New Zealand-made and imported launches and yachts, as well marine-oriented products and services. We’ve created a new kayak and jetski fishing zone on level three of the Viaduct Events Centre and are confirming participants in a fishing area in pavilion three.” Being able to go aboard the larger craft like the new Coastguard rescue vessel, Lion, or the recently-imported game fishing boat, Charlie, moored on the specially-built marina is a key feature of the show, says Ms Khan. Vantage running-46 “We’ve got an array of local companies showcasing their craftsmanship and design including Papakura, Auckland-based Scott Lane Boat Builders with their latest custom-build, the 13m Elite sedan called Vantage, Tauranga’s Pachoud Yachts with a recently completed 20m power-cat, and Hawke’s Bay boatbuilders Dickey Boats are launching their new 17.6m Long Range Cruiser (LRC). Commissioned by a customer in bare aluminium, this vessel is at the show for people to see before it heads offshore to Fiji, America and the Caribbean. Among the LRC’s many features are its efficient running – one tank of fuel can take the LRC a third of the way around the world – and its self-righting hull.” Several offshore marques like Sun Odyssey sailing yachts from Orakei Yacht Sales and motor yachts from Maritimo and Riviera will also feature, as well as more than 20 of New Zealand’s award-winning trailer boat manufacturers and retailers include White Pointer, Fyran on the Rogers Boatshop site, Stabicraft via the Gulfland Marine team, Senator from Auckland Marine, Surtees from Fishing Boats NZ, Tristram Marine, Seacraft’s Haines Hunter and Southern Boats and Lazercraft from Family Boats. Export success story Sealegs International will again demonstrate their award-winning amphibious technology. A greater array of fishing gear is on show this year with game fishing poles from Tenob, seats and retrofit fish tank holders from HiTech Plastics, and dive and fishing gear from West Shell Fishing, as well as the stunningly hand-crafted Maven fishing rods. ENL showcases their latest Furuno TZ Touch 2 with a built-in, dual-frequency fish finder. Its proprietary RezBoost technology produces fish targets and images 4-8 times sharper than a conventional fish finder. “Show visitors can also see the latest technology from Raymarine from Lusty and Blundell, Garmin from Nav Station, and BEP’s Master- BOATING volt,” says Ms Khan. Tickets for this year’s Auckland On Water Boat Show go on sale online via iTicket on 1 August, with show visitors who buy their tickets online going in the draw to win one of eight prize packages each worth at least $1,000. Two prize packages will be drawn each day of the show and Family Boats new model Lazercraft 580 brighter the choices for the winners include: · A Mercury 3.3hp 2-stroke outboard engine (RRP · Fusion Entertainment UD-750 marine stereo (RRP $1,256) $1,000) · A Coastguard Education family package: 4 x Day · Hempel paint voucher (value $1,000) Skipper online course, 4 x Maritime VHF Radio Opera· Hutchwilco lifejacket and safety pack (RRP $1,000+) tor Certificate online course, call sign, 2 x Hutchwilco · Barz Optics sunglasses for the family (RRP $1,000) lifejackets (RRP $1,091) More information is available on the show’s website · A Dometic Waeco CFX40 40-litre fridge-freezer and www.auckland-boatshow.com with regular updates Dometic vacuum sealer (RRP $1,750) on the show’s Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram · From ENL, a Furuno GP1870F chart-plotter/sounder and YouTube pages. (RRP $1,000+) BOATING Adventure KIDS 16 WIN THIS Brought to you by Fullon Fishing www.fullonfishing.co.nz ER N N I W Finlay Lyon with a tusky Coromandel Boar Danielle Yorke with a pig that she caught with dad, first pig that Danielle stuck and carried. Ben Willis with his first legal Kingfish he caught fishing out from Long Bay at Coromandel. WIN A Disco Stix valued at $50 Sponsored by Fullon Fishing 5 year old Nikau after a hunt in the school holidays Charlie Taylor with her rabbit she got while out hunting with dad Nice Snapper caught surfcasting at Matata Send in your kids adventure photo’s and they could win a Kilwell LED Disco Stix Spinning Rod valued at $49.99 thanks to FULLON FISHING! Post them to our Facebook page www. facebook.com/theadventurerpaper or email [email protected]. Charter Directory Coromandel Bay of Plenty Bay of Islands Coromandel Display your charter here for just $45+gst Auckland HUNTING competitions 17 Katch 4 kidz Whangamata’s inaugural Katch 4 Kids hunting and fishing competition kicked off in July with 79 budding hunters aged between 1 - 17 singing up for a weekend of hunting. possums, magpie, eel, kahawai and snapper, after children had spent time around the district hunting with their mums and dads. The stormy weather on Saturday did not put off any of the hunters said organiser Jessica Neels. Kaleb Murray caught a 2.05kg rabbit and 3.20kg hare in the 5-10 age group. “The weather didn’t stop any of the kids, they were happy at the weigh in we held on Saturday. Most of them said they were going straight back out for more. “ “The most rewarding thing about this competition for me was seeing the excitement on the kids faces as they brought up their catch. Their spirits were high and just loving being out there. I have had a lot of feedback from parents saying it was a great excuse to get out as a family,” said Neels. Shannon Hughes caught the biggest possum weighing in at 3.75kg in the 11-17 age group. Beginner hunter Ryder Hayward caught a 1.75kg rabbit and a 3.90kg possum in the 0-4 age group. The event held in Whangamata was organised to raise money for the Whangamata COZ ladies team, to get them to a competition in Rotorua. A range of critters were caught from rabbits, hares, Results: 0-4 years Snapper - Tyson Pearce 0.80kg, Kahawai - Scarlett Gee 0.90kg, Magpie - Kobe Mulrennan, Possum - Ryder Hayward 3.90kg, Rabbit - Isaac Thomsen 1.75kg & Ryder Hayward 1.75kg 5-10 years Snapper - Caitlin Tilsley, Kahawai - Cameron 1.45kg Possum Phoenix Mabbot 4.15kg, Rabbit - Kaleb Murray 2.05kg, Hare - Kaleb Murray 3.20kg 11-17 years Kahawai Leonard Porter 0.90kg, Magpie - Paepa Tohaia, Possum - Shannon Hughes 3.75kg, Rabbit Jayden Murray 1.70kg, Hare - Jayden Murray 3.55kg Surf n Turf competition July the 10th saw the start of annual Surf and Turf hunting and fishing competition held by the Whangamata Ocean Sports Club, the competition was run over the 2 days Friday and Saturday. The chilli conditions didn’t dampen the ticket sales, with a record number of entrants! The objective of comp was to catch a pig, aswell as a snapper to be in the running for the major prizes, aswell as individual prizes for the heaviest of each species. There were over 16 pigs weighed in, and although the fishing was tough this time of the year and the cold southerlies didn’t help, there were some nice snapper brought to the weigh station. Thanks to the major sponsor Kilwell there was some great prizes to be won, and the winners walked away with arms full of awesome prizes. We are all looking forward to next year and hope to see you all there again. Competition results below: 1st team overall Overall team prize: 1st - Team 20 Paddy McGuire, Nathan Cordes, Robert Neill, Bonanza Pts; 76.02 2nd - Team 9 Rodney Thomsen, Luke Hayward, James Higgs, Olivia Jack Pts; 69.4 3rd - Team 15 Paul Mack, Dave Mack, Loraine Mack, Ray Gauge Pts; 69.02 Heaviest Pig - Paul Carsen 59.5kg Heaviest Snapper - Nathan Cordes 6.082kg 2nd team overall Mekhi and Cotter Jensen with their massive eel!! Pigs getting weighed Nicole Hall Glen Afton Citizen & Sports club in Huntly held there annual Pig hunting & eel competition on 24th to 26th July. It was another successful competition, with over 30 pig hunters and many kids in the eel competition. Jaxon Henderson, Leo Henderson and Lachie Ashford Many thanks to all the sponsors that helped make the competition possible! Hope to see you all next year! Campbell and Ross Diprose took out the largest boar 89kg &Logan Bradbury managed to get the largest eel 4.71 kg Team 20 with there snapper GPS TRACKING HUNTING 18 It’s arrived! The New Legal GPS Dog Tracking TT15 Track N Train. Last month we showcased the article “The Truth about GPS Dog Tracking in NZ”. If you missed the article, here is a shortened version that covers everything we touched on. Over the years there have been so many rumours & half truths floating around the camp fires of hunters up and down the country around what has happened or is currently happening in New Zealand in regards to GPS dog tracking gear including the new released TT15 Track n Train. New legal Garmin Alpha Dog Tracking GPS So when the notice was published by RSM in 2009 we went to work in the background to find a legal option for New Zealand hunters. We flew to America and sat down with Radio Systems Corporation who owns the SportDog, Petsafe & Innotek brands. Due to our technical background and our business experience we were able to persuade them to modify the US version of the SportDog TEK. It took around 10 months before we had a prototype to work with. This prototype was meant to work in both Australia & New Zealand. But due to a small mistake in power output this prototype was not going to work in New Zealand but would work in Australia, so back to the drawing board. It was around another 8 months before we had the prototype for NZ. We took this prototype and we field tested it in Northland, Gisborne, Waikato, Wairarapa, Nelson & Canterbury. Five out of our six testers had at the time access to the illegal Garmin gear, so as a result we were able to run direct head to head comparisons with the dogs wearing both the modified TEK and the Garmin’s. We were getting the same range but under certain conditions the Garmin would drop signal where as the TEK did not. After two years effort, travel time and expenses we were about ready to launch the SportDog TEK as the main distributor for New Zealand. We had priced the new TEK as closely as possible to the cost of the illegally imported Garmin products so as to make it a viable option for hunters; even if it didn’t have topo maps. If it’s legal you can get it serviced in NZ. Any misunderstandings you have surrounding dog tracking collars will be cleared up and you’ll realise the extensive process DogMaster Trainers has gone through in order to get the new legal Garmin Alpha Dog Tracking GPS into the hands of New Zealand hunters. It covers interference issues, exactly who is responsible for getting Garmin to agree to modify their gear to a legal frequency, and the burning question on a lot of hunters lips at the moment “is the new legal Garmin Alpha really as good as they say it is?” Now it’s worth pointing out that we were not the only ones working quietly in the back ground to ensure we had a legal GPS tracking solution for NZ hunters. The New Zealand Pig Hunting Association (NZPHA) was also working diligently at their own cost not to mention the hundreds of hours of time they invested in reviewing and field testing a Spanish product called the Teleseguidor. We would also like to thank the NZPHA for inviting us to inspect this product and we also congratulate them for their efforts. Roll the clock back to 2007 when the Astro 220 GPS from Garmin hit the market. This particular Garmin gear was never legal from the very beginning. By 2009 it seemed that every man and his dog were using the Garmin GPS and it was at this time that Radio Systems Management (RSM) posted a notice on the 5th of November 2009. Prohibited Equipment – Dog Tracking Devices was a notice advising the general public that use of such devices was prohibited under the regulations that they have to work with. We estimate that there is easily upwards of 25,000+ illegal Garmin GPS be they Astro 220 or 320’s running around New Zealand along with the different collars from the old DC20’s through to the DC50’s (or discontinued DC40’s) and the newer T5 collars. RSM role in NZ is simply to ensure that equipment being used here abides by a set of rules and that equipment must operate within designated bands or frequencies. The frequencies the Garmin gear runs on were assigned to land mobile services here in New Zealand way back in the 1970s, decades before their use in the United States for dog-tracking devices. The RSM was starting to receive complaints of interference from some of the operators of land based mobile services (radio communications) and this prompted RSM to take action. USA versions of Garmin and SportDog TEK operate on the same radio frequencies as some of the equipment used by people travelling and working in rural areas, such as forestry workers, DOC & Railways. Search and rescue radios can be affected due to the VHF band they operate on, and that compromises the functionality and execution of such services. VHF has been chosen as it has the best foliage penetration abilities; this is exactly why DOC and Forestry use the same band. No matter which of the 5 channels you choose you have the potential to cause significant interference out there in the bush if you’re in range of other operators, and therefore the safety of people working in these industries becomes compromised. We had to wait at least an extra 12 months before approaching Garmin about getting the Garmin’s modified. We would have loved to do this sooner but felt we needed to prove to Garmin what we could do with their range of Garmin e-collars, from anti-bark to remote training collars throughout New Zealand and Australia. Walk the talk so to speak. Once we achieved this we set off to America to sit down face to face across the boardroom table with the right Garmin executives who could make the decision to say “yes”. What we had going for us was the bunch of crazed passionate hunters all across NZ who already loved their products. Add to that our technical understanding we have in the area of modifying tracking gear (some 11+ years) and our business case for the “hell yes this needs to be done” combined with the fact we weren’t afraid to put our b*##s on the line as Garmin agents. It was an uphill battle even for us. But one that was most certainly worth fighting for considering what was going on here in New Zealand. Hunters were receiving instant fines, houses raided, gear being seized and tracking data downloaded off collars and people having to appear in court. Not to mention security guards patrolling certain forest blocks, police searching vehicles or turning up undercover at pig hunting comps and gear being confiscated at the boarder by customs. Now if you didn’t already know it, if you get caught with the illegal gear in NZ you can receive an instant fine of $250 as an individual (there has been a large number of these issued) plus $1250 for an organisation if you get caught using the illegal gear as part of your day job. Not to mention having your gear confiscated. Now if you end up being taken to court the courts can impose fines of up to $30,000 for an individual and $200,000 for an organisation. DogMaster Trainers could service all the gear that is out there but we won’t for two reasons. Firstly, all the gear we have for sale is certified legal to use in New Zealand for its frequency and power supplies, our gear is what we call c-ticked and has a government registered supplier number. Secondly if we did and we got caught with the illegal gear on our premises we could be fined up to $200k per item if we ended up in court. Mr Adams a pig hunter who uses, repairs, supplies & was importing the prohibited Garmin tracking devices was sentenced on Monday 08 September 2014 to a $30,000 fine. The owners of the collars that were in getting repaired at the time had them confiscated. The judge determined the appropriate starting point for Mr Adams was $37,500 which, after a discount for plea & previous good character of 20%, resulted in convictions and an end sentence of $30,000. Here is a list of products that when bought directly into New Zealand from the United States or out of Australia fall into the illegal category: - Garmin Astro 220 system - Garmin Astro 320 system - Garmin Alpha 100 system - Garmin DC 20 collar - Garmin DC 30 collar - Garmin DC 40 collar - Garmin DC 50 collar - Garmin T5 + TT 10 & Garmin TT 15 collar (American or Australian Versions) - SportDOG TEK equipment - Garmin PRO Trashbreaker (remote trainer same as old Tri-Tronics Trashbreaker). This is why it’s important to deal with companies who know what they’re doing with this frequency stuff and ones that have certified gear. The New Legal Garmin Alpha It was “DogMaster Trainers” who organised the meeting with Garmin & the executives in the United States. The new fully certified and legal Garmin Alpha tracking arrived in New Zealand in September 2014. DogMaster Trainers returned to Garmin USA in January 2015 to finalise the Alpha TT15 Track n Train collars which are available in New Zealand now! NZ Regions used for field tests Yes the new latest greatest Garmin gear is good and has a great number of advantages with fast refresh rates, better battery life, bigger glove friendly touch screen, geo-fencing (damn handy if you hunt in certain blocks, where there is an unfriendly farmer next door who doesn’t take kindly to hunting dogs wandering onto his farm), LED beacon lights and the ability for you to track up to 20 dogs. If you fall over a cliff for example and are injured there is the emergency broadcast feature which notifies all hunters within range that you need assistance along with your GPS coordinates. Did I mention you now have the ability to track your mate/s that have the T100 hand piece along with their dogs? This improved safety feature alone may one of these days save a hunter or two from being accidently shot. Just remember if the better half has a handset and you decide to head off to the pub don’t forget to turn yours off as there will be no point in trying to deny you were at the pub. So what’s going to happen now? The Garmin Alpha’s are now in New Zealand. The collars that have been modified first are the T5’s which are GPS tracking only. It’s at this point that I should mention that none of the illegal collars i.e. the USA or Australian versions will work with the new legal Garmin Alpha T100 hand piece because it simply uses a different frequency. Add to this that during our discussions with Garmin about the retail price Garmin decided to make the cost of buying a set of the new legal Garmin Alpha’s & T5 collars cheaper especially with the falling NZ dollar than it would be if you attempted to buy the “illegal” gamins’ from either the States or Australia. Let’s be honest why would you want to risk bringing in gear that has a good chance of being confiscated at the border? Models you have to sneak around with so as not to get caught with them to avoid fines or worse and that you can’t get repaired or serviced here in NZ? Doesn’t make sense right? Plus it’s really important that all the hunters out there that like the Garmin GPS tracking gear consider this: This is our window of opportunity to keep the legal Garmin GPS tracking gear here in NZ. If the new legal version is not supported significantly in both New Zealand & Australia by hunters, you have to appreciate that there is a risk that Garmin as part of their review process may decide to cut their losses. We sincerely hope that our fellow hunters join the fight and do their bit to keep it here along with future models. We fought hard to make it happen and we will fight hard alongside you to keep it here. Who are we? We are DogMaster Trainers based right here in Hamilton, Waikato; specialist in Tracking and E-collars. The reason most people are choosing DogMaster Trainers over other retailers for all their tracking needs is because of the following reasons: The smart hunters buy from DogMaster Trainers because: • DogMaster Trainers are specialists in Tracking gear & e-collars. • Only company in NZ with its own in-house SERVICE DEPT with trained technicians. • DogMaster Garmin Armour Protective Kit. We protect and armour up all our tracking gear for good reasons - ask us! • The largest independent retailer of Garmin tracking gear in NZ. • Exclusive distributor for Garmin Alpha tracking gear for all off Australia. • Technical no how to provide enhanced tracking performance • Endorsed by the NZPHA (New Zealand Pig Hunting Association) & individual hunting magazine editors. • Authorised Garmin agents in New Zealand & Australia for E-collars. DogMaster Trainers is not like other super market type hunting stores who retail everything from fishing lines to bullets. DogMaster Trainers specialises in just tracking gear & e-collars. Add in exclusive extras only available at DogMaster Trainers that improves the tracking range of your Alpha gear. The only retailer with its own in-house service department with experienced technicians situated in Hamilton New Zealand. “Dog Collars Only Bin” at Customs in Auckland with an estimated $100,000+ of seized GPS. 19 FISHING general HUNTING to be. 20 Why we hang our meat by Kerry Adams - thebloke.co.nz “I had really just committed a basic but common mistake...” Glycogen, Lactic Acid, Rigour Mortis & You. Aging Meat. Hanging Meat. The treatment and timing of working with a fresh kill is yet another subject that sparks many varying opinions and ultimately disagreements. I guess it’s similar in the way that some people still believe that the majority of game meat is always going to be strong flavoured and tough. It certainly doesn’t have The first venison I was given I totally ruined in the preparation and cooking - more correctly, I took it home and cooked it within ten  hours of the animal being killed - it was tough. However, a quick look online revealed I had really just committed a basic but common mistake - I had cooked it bang in the middle of the process of rigour mortis. When meat is prob- Processing the meat ably at its toughest. But what exactly is rigor mortis, what causes it and how do we manage it to ensure we get the best out of our meat? In its simplest form, we can consider oxygen to be responsible for muscles being able to relax. Specifically, Oxygen is required for the production of Adenosine triphosphate, which causes the myosin (thick filament) to release the actin (thin filament) of a muscle, allowing the muscles to separate and ‘relax’ or expand. No Oxygen (as in, no longer breathing) means the chain of events required to allow a muscle to relax disappear and the muscles start to bind and stiffen. The time it takes the body to lose the last of its oxygen stores is the time it take for rigour mortis to set in. Once set in, it requires another chemical reaction to take place to release again. At the same time a chemical process is causing the body to stiffen, a secondary process is underway. Glucose in the muscle starts turning into lactic acid. This results in a change in internal pH levels and in turn affects the speed of tissue breakdown. The speed of this process directly affects the resulting meat. Too much lactic acid (generally caused by a high stress death - for example a long chase or a long track after a wound) and you can end up with pale, soft meat, too much and you get darkened, firm and dry meat (long term stress - i.e. poor condition animals). The goal then, from both a moral and quality standpoint? A quick, unexpected death. This results in a controlled and gradual breakdown. Ngatea Hunting and Fishing Club Celebrates Another Successful Year. As the 2014/15 year comes to an end at Ngatea Hunting and Fishing club we look back at all of the hunter-gatherer fun that we have had. As a family club we have held plenty of events for all of our members young and old as well as some open competitions where we open our fun and prizes to all those keen fisher men and women from around our region. As well as our monthly prizes for a range of species throughout the year we have also enjoyed great events such as our annual ‘Mermaids’ Ladies fishing competition were we gave away thousands of dollars worth of prizes and the evening and live band was enjoyed by all. We also held a two day open snapper and kingfish competition this year and some whopping fish including a 26kg Kingie were weighed in. Again prize giving was a great social evening at our club venue the Ngatea Hotel. A number of member only smaller competitions were also incorporated into monthly prize giving events with winners taking away some great prizes. The younger members of our club are integral to our family environment and we ran a little tykes fishing competition that was well attended and every little face left with smiles and fun prizes. They also enjoyed our hotly contended snail race as well Santa visiting our Christmas party. Also they have their very own species section to compete in each month and the eel challenge continues to be hotly contested. With all of this fun and adventures in the great outdoors done for another year we are really looking forward to all the great things our new committee has planned for us in the upcoming 2015/16 year. Memberships are being called for now with an amazing Kingfishing charter trip aboard Epic Adventures up for grabs as our earlybird draw to all members who join up before 3rd of August. Come along and join the good times and celebration of all things hunting and fishing in our area with the chance of winning fantastic prizes. Membership forms are available from Ngatea Hotel or email [email protected] or Check us out on facebook @ Ngatea Hunting And Fishing Club for more details. The breakdown is also what ultimately ‘releases’ rigour mortis. The myosin starts getting broken down in turn releasing its grip on the actin and therefore letting the muscles expand again, ‘relaxing’ the muscles. They key then, is to find the point where the muscles have relaxed, but the decomposition of the body isn’t at the point where health or taste concerns kick in. It’s all about timing. In a deer, dependant on temperature (warmer can speed up the process), size and general condition of the animal, rigour mortis is expected to set in with six to twelve hours - and will be gone within twenty four. Everyone has their own rules on this one - but one seems fairly constant - butchering your animal while it is in the process of rigor mortis will result in tougher meat. It’s generally considered better to wait until after - also known as letting the animal ‘set’. The ideal situation would be to field dress the animal immediately, removing the internal organs and starting the process of cooling the meat down. This is because, as above - temperature effects decomposition rates - the warmer the faster - and we don’t want the animal starting to decompose in a negative way, especially when only certain parts of the animal are doing so. Then, skinning the animal before too much cooling (generally easier to do) and then hanging the animal to allow it to completely cool and set. In an ideal world - this would be in a temperature and humidity cooled chill room. Though this obviously isn’t going to be practical in the back country. Once the meat is set - you can decide to either let the carcass hang to allow the flesh to further tenderise as the enzymes further break down the bonds within the muscle, or you can butcher and store the meat. Hang or Freeze? In an ideal world, we would all have chillers out the back of our places.  In the real world, particularly for urban hunters like myself, we don’t have somewhere we can leave an animal hang for a couple of days. Ideally, consensus is, would be to leave the animal hanging for around a full week before processing. The goal being to find that sweet spot between stiff and pongy. ‘Aging’ an animal this way helps with tenderness and improvement of flavour. Yes, we want our meat in an initial state of decomposition. But not what we would generally consider ‘rotting’. Some people get themselves an older standing fridge - pull the insides out and use it as a mini-chill room. If you do this - make sure the fridge doesn’t have a ‘defrost’ mode - as this will not do the meat any favours. Finally. If all else fails - you can resort to simply processing the meat, cutting it into steaks/roasts, and letting it age in the freezer. Yes. Meat will age in the freezer. I know of one guy who all but rotates his meat seasonally. What is in the fridge now, won’t be even looked at for at least six months. Interested in learning more? Come visit the site – thebloke. co.nz – it’s full of useful resources for the hunter, shooter and general outdoorsman. Scan the QR code for The Bloke NZ website Sneaky pine boar with a surprise! – By Rachael Blackie NZ Woman Hunters It had been a big week. Stacey, Bryar, Melanie and I had all had our chance at stardom and had just waved the Hunting Aotearoa boys off on their way. They managed to get a bit of action here and there, but nothing amazing due to the weather, and no big boars wanting to be caught on camera. We were all still buzzing though, as it’s not every day you get the chance to appear on TV!! The four of us were hunting for the Big Four competition held in Tauranga every year. It was our second year at entering and the aim was to shoot a pheasant and a stag, as well as catch a boar and a trout. The previous year had gone surprisingly well with our team, ‘No Nutts’, taking out the overall prize for average weight and winning a Polaris Ranger! That’s a story for another day though, as it gained lots of publicity (for the girls who won that hunting comp), and I’m sure most of you have heard it already!! We had been hunting for the last few days in the block we had access to in Gisborne. The filming crew had just left, along with a bucket load of pressure and expectations. We split back into our groups of two and buddied up with our partners. Mel and I teamed up How is that for a kidney stone! HUNTING 21 Scan the QR code for the NZ Woman Hunters facebook page with my boyfriend, Ben, while Stacey and Bryar went the other way with their partners, Pauli and Ben #2. We had one more day until weigh-in, and all we needed to finish was a decent-sized boar. We had our six dogs with us – the two old girls, Flurt and May, with their new apprentices, Wish and Sting, who are both Flurt’s pups from different litters. Dux, the black lab, was also tagging along but she wasn’t considered much of an asset to this serious pig-hunting team (this week Dux decided she was going to be a deer and pheasant dog). It was getting late into the afternoon and Mel when I had run out of things to chat about. We had snapped some awesome photos of wild horses, hand-caught a piglet for a photo shot then released it, and taken some sweet selfies. It was nap time for Mel, and I was just changing the batteries in my GPS when I looked up and noticed the dogs were getting keen!! Noses into the air, they jumped off the bonnet and took off down to the right into the 3m-high pines. Turning on my GPS, I quickly picked up the dogs and yelled at Mel to wake up and follow me – Flurt, May and Wish were heading quickly to a track below us and had completed some tell-tale ‘boar loops’. I quietly let Dux and Sting out of the dog box and we headed in the direction of the dogs. We had not made it more than 20m before we heard the sweet, sweet sound of bailing – they had caught up with it!! Dux and Sting shot off like rockets, and Mel and I quickly caught up with Ben who was already watching the bail up. The dogs had him bailed on an old logging track, and boy, it was a good boar!! We watched as Ben snuck in and dropped him with one shot from his trusty 30-30. High fives were exchanged and the dogs were patted and checked over for rips. After a quick photo, the boar was gutted, and a kidney stone the size of an egg was discovered – ouch!! Mel & I dragged the boar up the track to the Hilux. We hardly had to strain a muscle; he was caught in such a handy location!! We had just got him to the track when Bryar and Stacey came around the corner. They were as stoked as we were – the pressure was off; we had now completed the Big Four and had a 117lb boar to show for our long week of hunting!! Rach, Mel & Dux with their 117lb boar These 2 lovely lady hunters receive a prize from Game Gear, check out NZ Woman Hunters Facebook page for more photos Tessa & a 90lb Boar Nita with a nice Fallow Stag shot with her 25-06 Hunters beware The department of conversation is undertaking pest control on 25,500 hectares in the southern Coromandel. Cereal pellets containing bio-degradable sodium fluoroacetate (known as 1080) are being used to control pests. Helicopters are being used to distribute the pellets through the operational area. The operational area consists of the following blocks: • Kauaeranga • Waiomu • Waiwawa • Kapowai • Whenuakite • Mataora The approved operation timeframe is between 4 August 2015 and 15 November 2015. The exact timing of the operation will be weather dependent and will consist of a non-toxic pre-feed, followed by a toxin drop. Auckland Council are also undertaking pest control using 1080 in the Hunua Ranges, as well as two DOC reserves around the same time frame. Pest operations are timed for late winter and early spring when food sources for target pests are at their lowest. This increases the take up of bait and the success of the operation. In addition hitting predators at this time reduces predation on native species through at least one and possibly two breeding seasons to improve nesting survival and increase populations. The pesticides being used are poisonous to most animals, including to humans and domestic animals. Poisoning can occur through eating baits or poisoned animals. The risk to dogs with pesticide in carcasses will remain until they have decomposed, which can take from four to nine months. DOC use a standard operating process to monitor bait and carcass breakdown to determine when the risk of exposure to dogs has been removed. Once the monitored baits and carcasses indicate there is no longer any risk of poisoning, the warning signs are removed and pesticide summaries updated. Remember, poison baits or carcasses are DEADLY to DOGS. Observe these rules whenever you see warning signs about pesticides. Warning signs indicate pesticide residue may still be present in baits or animals. If you value you hunting dogs I would suggest to stay well clear of these areas until decomposed completely. Share your adventure photos and stories on facebook.com/ TheAdventurerPaper or email [email protected] www.theadventurer.co.nz HUNTING 22 Second-hand goods FOR SALE - send in your free classified’s to [email protected] Fisherman/woman Hunter Boats Outboards Sea Nymph 14.6, 2000 70Hp Johnson, serviced 3 months back, motor is immaculate condition, done 400 hours, road cover bimini top and engine cover, Lawrence HDS 5 with the bigger p66 Transducer, 9K ONO Auckland Location 0210749228, 1988 MARINER 40HP $650. REMOTES AND CABLES INCLUDED, AUCKLAND Ph, 0274580858 9.9 4 stroke Yamaha, awesome motor for very tidy $1500 firm ph 0274137480. Mt Maunganui 2000 Mariner 15hp, serviced, in good condition, $2000, ph 0272986379 14.6 ft Fyran brand new trailor 60 hp mercury, two tote tanks, anchor, vhf, fish finder, under floor storage, offers, txt 0211553708, Pukekohe 525 Arco, 90hp evinrude etec serviced regularly. fibreglass very stable, VHF, sounder, tuna tube, stainless steel rod holders, new carpet, $11,000, phone txt 0272986379 Ali Craft jet boat, 2stage unit and a fresh reconditioned Chevy v8 awesome boat for skiing or whatever selling due to lack of use comes with clip on road cover, located manawatu but can be brought to auckland txt me on 0174509054 10k Ono Rods/reels - 1 x Daiwa cross fire reel 5000 with 25lbs line spooled.Reel in very good condition. Some scratchers only.Nice and smooth reel. Can be used for either Boat or Surfcasting. 02108256334, Manurewa Shimano Tiagra 80w, Only one season old. 3 available. If interested txt me on 0272291994, Auckland Shimano Tiagra 80W - Spooled with new 700m of Dacron and 300m of mono, well looked after, Ph 0272986379 Fish Harvester Kontiki Long line fish harvester great toy but must sell. Call/txt for more info 0221353261 $4200ono, Te Awamutu Tackle - Seahorse Kontiki, battery’s, trace board, few traces, electric winch with line, light etc contact Lyn on 0226711836 $2500ono Longline set, backbone, 25 hooks, 2 bouys, and 2 anchors, used condition Phone ot text 0272 986 379 Near New Chilly bin 111ltrs / Waeco CoolIce, $280 used once only selling as I have bigger one. I can have this picked up in Auckland or dropped off from Whakatane to Auckland otherwise pickup in Whakatane. 0279766422 SITUATION VACANT Position available for an experienced marine mechanic to join the team at Peninsula Marine in the Coromandel Peninsula, preferred experience with Evinrude & Mercury outboards, The candidate should have, strong work ethic, own tools, respectful & reliable, drivers license essential, if this sounds like you call 07 8689066 for more details. Toyota hilux 1993 2.8D, 336kz, New WOF , Rego and kz uptodate, Runs perfect no noises etc, contact me on 0278584703, Kawerau 1996 Isuzu Mu, 3.1 manual needs ball joint fitted for wof and speed sensor.few dents no carpet good hunting truck $2500 ph/txt 0275435740, Putaruru South Waikato 2009 2wd hilux 132000 kms at the moment, Wof reg ruc, Lowered 2” on 19x10 tbc rims with good tires, nice tidy ute goes real well, $22000 ono, Taupo, Txt 0273667535 Izuzu Mu flatdeck, 2.8 turbo diesel, 3 inch exhaust, tjm bullbar , 6500lb winch, warrant and rego, Lsd in the back, been certed for 60ml suspension lift and 3 inch body lift, $6,000 — Bay of plenty, Ring me for more info.0278741955 Toyota Prado land cruiser tz, wof reg, 307ks, Sun roof, Leather $8,000 — Auckland, Phone 0220155623 Toyota Hiace Van 1994, Petrol, warrant and rego, blown head gasket, $1000, Thames, Ph 0274986379 Motorbikes Tidy 2004 honda trx350fm bear claw tyres, $2,600 call txt 0279223027, Raetihi 2010 Honda crf250r with approx 90 hrs total, Full rebuild at around 60 hrs with reciepts, Few aftermarket parts, Only been trail ridden and never raced, $5000 Ono, Taupo, Txt 0273667535 Honda Big Red 300, Runs good, 2wd. Everything working on it, new battery, back tyres lacking in tread. Frame is in mint condition, $1,300 — Taranaki, call or text 027 742 1309 Ride the wave! Share your adventure pictures and stories on 5 Dura fuel tank 23ltr for sale $45 for each tank. All in working condition. Text me 02108256334, Auckland facebook.com/TheAdventurerPaper BUSINESS Directory Painting/Plumbing Trucks Bow Hunting Bait/Tackle Tyres Tyres/Accessories 4x4 tyres, 225/75/15 heaps of tread, Gt radials. $400 Rotorua, Ph 0273411591 Looking for a set of 16inch rims for a 1992 3 door Suzuki Escudo and a tow bar bop area, Ph 0273411591 Stainless steel nudge bar off a Surf, offers, Ph 0210310833, Waikato Solid, well-made flatdeck. Surplus to requirements now only as we are having a customised deck manufactured for our work purposes.currently on a 2005 SR5 $1500. Waikato, txt 027 6550031 Flat deck dog box, wanting $400 or swaps for a plywood dog box text if your keen 0277497024, Te awamutu Crossbow - X force 350 crossbow, Brand new opened but never used crossbow+3 bolt quiver+4×32 scope+3 bolts. Extras Include a 6 bolt quiver+3bolts+broadheads for hunting. Asking $850ono, Contact Dan 02102540635 Auckland. Collars - tek 0.1 with one collar In good working order $200 need gone, I have new gear now. Text on 0274956680, $200 — marton LiveStock - Animals for sale, moving off our block so need to sell. Saddleback sow empty - $250, Saddleback sow pregnant (last litter 14) - $300, 8 weaner piglets - $90 each from 20th August, Lamb (Brax) thinks hes a dog - $60, Ewe with lamb at foot - $150, Ram - $100, Chickens x10 $20 each, Kunekunes x2 - $100 (to approved home as pets only), 2 baconer piglets - $120 each, ROTORUA, 0278624412 Lambs for sale, ready to kill, $100, Thames, ph 07 8687857 Weaner pigs, Duroc X, $90ea, Phone 0272986379 Engineer Kumo tyres Tairua Plastering & Painting Heli Accommodation Coromandel Town Ph: +64 7 866 8888 www.tidewater.co.nz Signage BOAT DECALS [email protected] Ph: 0272 986 379 Insurance Other HUNTING BUTCHERS’ CORNER By Arthur Olsen 1 2 23 How to bone and roll your wild pork shoulder. 3 1. This month we are going to be boning and rolling a wild 2. We now need 3. Now starting from the brisket we need pork shoulder, firstly we need to cut 2-3 inches up from the to mark down the to follow the ribcage around until we meet armpit to separate the shoulder from the rest of the carcass. backbone. our mark that runs down the backbone. 6 6. You will have to clear the meat from the bottom of the shoulder blade. Once that has been done we can now start to remove the shoulder blade by cutting through the white patch of fat in the middle of the shoulder and into the joint. 11 11. I really enjoy rolling roasts with stuffing. I like to use and highly recommend the sage and onion stuffing from Dunninghams, just add water and you’re ready to go. 7 7. From here we need to mark down the side of the shoulder blade closest to the elbow and remove the meat from the top of the shoulder blade. Next we need to mark the other side and if possible mark under the edges of the shoulder blade. 12 12. Use as much stuffing as necessary. Be sure to have a big chunk of pipe around so it makes putting the roasts into netting easy. 4 5 4. This should leave your 5. From here we need to cut towards the top of the shoulder completely sepa- shoulder and remove the scotch from the shoulder rate from the carcass. blade by following the seam that runs between them. 8 9 10 8. Now we can cut under the joint of the 9. Once we have removed the shoulder blade we 10. We should end up with a shoulder blade and we should be able to need to clear the meat from around the front leg completely boneless shoulder. pull the shoulder blade off the shoulder. bones and removing them from the shoulder. 13 13. Roll up your shoulder and cut into portion sizes if necessary. Cut as much netting of the roll as you need for the amount of roasts you have and place the netting over the pipe. You can get this netting from Dunninghams also. Tie off the end using the elastic and we are ready to go. 1414 14. Put your roast through the pipe into the netting, making sure to keep the roast tight in the netting. Once through, cut the netting and tie it off using the elastic. If the roast gets stuck try lining the pipe with water to make it easier to go through. STIHL SHOP THAMES 317 Pollen Street, THAMES Phone: 07 868 8730 Email: [email protected] 15 15. There we have it; beauty rolled and stuffed wild pork roasts ready to go in the freezer for a cold winter’s night. Enjoy! 24 HUNTING