www.nzfisher.co.nz 1

ISSUE 44 February 2015

www.nzfisher.co.nz

Yellow Fin On!

Tired of Catching Small

Getting sorted for offshore Yakking

facebook.com/borntofishnz

introducing the brand new metaloid reel• 6061-T6 Machined aluminium frame and sideplates• CRC - Corrosion Resistant Coating process• Cold forged, Type-II anodized, machined aluminium spool• 4 BB corrosion resistant stainless steel bearings• Ergo grip handle knob with anodized aluminium handle arm• Rigid 1 pc frame and left sideplate construction

- cedros and metaloid -

The andros series features• 2 speed, 6:4:1 High / 3:8:1 Low• 6-pcs ABEC 5 rated EZO Japanese Ball Bearings• External Adjustable Casting Control System• Ratcheting Lever Drag for precise settings• Carbonite drag system with Cal’s drag grease• Integrated recessed reel foot for low profile rod fit

• Max drag at Full with complete freespool is 24lbs• Max drag at strike with complete freespool is 15lb• 17-4 grade stainless steel helical cut gearing• One screw right sideplate for external access• Ergo grip handle knob with anodized handle arm

the ANDROS series keeps growing!

FULL CATALOGUE ONLINE NOW!www.cdrods.co.nz

cedros - cutting edge star drag reels at new lower prices!• 6061-T6 Machined aluminium frame with forged side-plates• 17-4 grade precision helical cut stainless steel gearing• CRC - Corrosion Resistant Coating process• Carbonite dual force drag system featuring Cal’s universal drag grease• Custom designed thrust bearing alleviating side load on heavy drag settings• 4 pcs ABEC-5 precision Sapporo stainless steel rubber sealed ball bearings

Two years ago we introduced the Andros 5II speed with huge success. And last year we saw the new 5NS and narrow reels being single speed but of the same construction. This year another new one is out, being the bigger brother Andros 12S - larger capacity (510 of .42, 380 of .48, 290 of .55), up to 13 kgs of drag, TDC drag cam for gradual drag curves and high speed gears at 6.4 to 1.g

FULL CATALOGUE

Andros 5NS Andros 5II Andros 12S

New

NewNew15 High speed

model

Models available:Cedros 10 high speed 6.1, Cedros 12 high speed 6.1, Cedros 15 high speed 6.1

Models available:Metaloid 5and Metaloid5 Narrow

$299.99RRP

www.nzfisher.co.nz 3

Contents

6.. The Mercurial Yellowfin Tuna

8.. Legasea Update February

10.. Great Barrier Island Kingfish Off the Rocks

16.. The NZACA - A strength in numbers

18.. 2015 SFFNZ Rod & Reel Manawatu Regional Championships

20.. Reader Pics

22.. New Products

26.. Competition

ABOUT /Short and sharp, NZ Fisher is a free

e-magazine delivering thought provoking and enlightening articles, and industry news and information

to forward-thinking fisher people.

EDITOR / Derrick Paull

GROUP EDITOR / Richard Liew

ART DIRECTOR / Jodi Olsson

CONTENT ENQUIRIES /

Phone Derrick on 021 629 327

or email derrickp@NZ Fisher.co.nz

ADVERTISING ENQUIRIES /

Phone Jennifer on 09 522 7257

or email jenniferl@espiremedia.com

ADDRESS / NZ Fisher,

C/- Espire Media, PO Box 137162, Parnell,

Auckland 1151, NZ

WEBSITE / www.NZFisher.co.nz

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

you print. Thank you!

facebook.com/borntofishnz

introducing the brand new metaloid reel• 6061-T6 Machined aluminium frame and sideplates• CRC - Corrosion Resistant Coating process• Cold forged, Type-II anodized, machined aluminium spool• 4 BB corrosion resistant stainless steel bearings• Ergo grip handle knob with anodized aluminium handle arm• Rigid 1 pc frame and left sideplate construction

- cedros and metaloid -

The andros series features• 2 speed, 6:4:1 High / 3:8:1 Low• 6-pcs ABEC 5 rated EZO Japanese Ball Bearings• External Adjustable Casting Control System• Ratcheting Lever Drag for precise settings• Carbonite drag system with Cal’s drag grease• Integrated recessed reel foot for low profile rod fit

• Max drag at Full with complete freespool is 24lbs• Max drag at strike with complete freespool is 15lb• 17-4 grade stainless steel helical cut gearing• One screw right sideplate for external access• Ergo grip handle knob with anodized handle arm

the ANDROS series keeps growing!

FULL CATALOGUE ONLINE NOW!www.cdrods.co.nz

cedros - cutting edge star drag reels at new lower prices!• 6061-T6 Machined aluminium frame with forged side-plates• 17-4 grade precision helical cut stainless steel gearing• CRC - Corrosion Resistant Coating process• Carbonite dual force drag system featuring Cal’s universal drag grease• Custom designed thrust bearing alleviating side load on heavy drag settings• 4 pcs ABEC-5 precision Sapporo stainless steel rubber sealed ball bearings

Two years ago we introduced the Andros 5II speed with huge success. And last year we saw the new 5NS and narrow reels being single speed but of the same construction. This year another new one is out, being the bigger brother Andros 12S - larger capacity (510 of .42, 380 of .48, 290 of .55), up to 13 kgs of drag, TDC drag cam for gradual drag curves and high speed gears at 6.4 to 1.g

FULL CATALOGUE

Andros 5NS Andros 5II Andros 12S

New

NewNew15 High speed

model

Models available:Cedros 10 high speed 6.1, Cedros 12 high speed 6.1, Cedros 15 high speed 6.1

Models available:Metaloid 5and Metaloid5 Narrow

$299.99RRP

Cover Image: Steve Futter with a chunky YFT from the

mighty Highlander skippered by Aaron mcDonald

Know whatyou’re doing

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

Core Courses Specialty Courses RYA Courses

Wide range of courses for all types of boating available nationwide

Ocean Yachtmaster

Day Skipper

Boatmaster

Maritime VHF Operator Certificate

Coastal Skipper

Radar

GPS Operator

Engine Maintenance

Marine Medic

Sea Survival

Sea Kayak and Waka Ama

Club Safety Boat Operator

Bar Crossing

PWC

Powerboating

Sail Cruising

Motor Cruising

www.nzfisher.co.nz 5

EditorialWOW! I’VE HARPED on about the weather

being rubbish for so long, I’m embarrassed

to admit I had started to look longingly at

my family’s photos from the Gold Coast,

luring me across the ditch! Thankfully the

wind died and the sun came out and ye gods

has it been hot, hot, hot, and I’m not just

talking about the weather.

The floodgates opened from the tropics,

from the days before Christmas there were

shortbill spearfish, mahi-mahi and yellowfin

tuna – YES, yellowfin tuna are back! We’ve

been lucky to get a look into these mercurial

fish from Blue Water Marine Research’s

John Holdsworth, on behalf of the NZ Sport

Fishing Council. While it’s not an indication of

their permanent return, it sure is nice to see

them around again – and in good numbers!

Fingers crossed that they continue to return

again, and again…

Last month I wrote that I’ll be attending the

Beach and Boat, especially due to the change

in rules encouraging catch and release. This

stance drew a bit of flack, but more so in

relation to the catch & release aspect of the

competition. There have been a fair few calls

online recently form anglers who feel that

we should only catch and keep legal fish for

food; disregarding the sport aspect of our

pastime and strongly advocating for keeping

fish you catch if they’re legal, and no longer

releasing fish. I’m not sure what the angle

is, but I’m pretty sure this is the wrong

message to be sending. I’d like to state

publicly, I’m a staunch supporter of catch &

release fishing, providing the angler treats

the fish with respect. It seems absurd that

anyone would be so short-sighted on this

issue. Yes, fish are great food, but to suggest

that it is wrong and you should not return

fish if they are legal. I bet the commercial

fishing industry would love for us all to fall

into that line of thinking too.

See you at the Beach & Boat! We’re still giving

away a $150 Okuma tackle voucher every

month to the best of our readers pix sent in

each month. This month’s winner is a young

lady, Jamie Corkill,who spent a week aboard

a friend’s Southern Boat, Highlander. Jamie

landed her Bluenose in the pic but also a

few kings, gemfish and other goodies. Her

skipper, Aaron McDonald, raved about her

skills and she seemed like an obvious choice

and got drawn from the hat. Send us your

pix, big or small and be in the draw.

Take advantage of the great weather, enjoy

your fishing and keep safe.

Tight lines!

Derrick

6 www.nzfisher.co.nz

The Mercurial Yellowfin

SPO

RTS

FISH

ING

TunaIT HAS BEEN A while since yellowfin tuna

were available in any numbers in New

Zealand waters. In the first two weeks of

2015 more yellowfin have been caught by

NZSFC club members than in the last four

full years combined (48 yellowfin recorded

in the Council yearbooks). Will they stay for

long and will they be back next year? It is

encouraging to see the small and medium size

fish (10 to 30 kg) return.

These are mostly one to two year olds,

and if conditions are favourable some may

return next year as two and three year olds.

There is evidence from the NZ gamefish

tagging programme and the NSW Fisheries

tagging programme of yellowfin returning

to areas where they had been tagged in

previous seasons. So, is it better international

management, increased spawning success

or favourable oceanographic conditions

that have helped yellowfin reappear in

New Zealand waters? It is probably too

early to speculate on the reasons for their

reappearance, but in reality it is probably a

combination of all three factors.

MANAGEMENT: Since 2009 the Western

and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission

have banned the use of Fish Aggregation

Devices (FADs) by purse seine vessels for

three or four months a year in international

waters to help protect the juvenile bigeye

and yellowfin tuna from being taken as

bycatch in the skipjack fishery.

Also, some of the distant water fishing

nations have reduced the number of

longline vessels fishing for bigeye.

Commercial catch in the SW Pacific, south

of 10 ° S Latitude, has been stable, without

the large increases seen in other areas. The

New Zealand commercial catch of yellowfin

was never large and it collapsed at the same

time as the recreational fishery.

By John Holdwsworth, Bluewater Marine Research on behalf of the NZ Sport Fishing Council

www.nzfisher.co.nz 7

RECRUITMENT: Yellowfin are a remarkably

productive species. Most yellowfin are

mature by the time they are two or three

years old and seem to spawn whenever the

water temperature is above 26°C. In tropical

waters yellowfin spawn year round. Nature

has a way of making the most of favourable

conditions and we may be benefiting

from a year or two of good recruitment.

A new stock assessment for yellowfin was

completed in 2014. It shows the spawning

stock biomass of about 40% of the unfished

biomass and current catches (600,000

tonnes) are about the level of the maximum

sustainable yield (MSY).

Most of that catch is taken in the western

equatorial Pacific, thousands of miles away

from New Zealand. Oceanographics: There

have been good patches of oceanic water and

catches in January 2015. So far this season

there has also been some small marlin (60

to 80 kg) and small bigeye tuna caught by

recreational fishers. It seems that these fish

are venturing further south than usual this

season. Certainly they are not here every year.

Maybe this year we will see the occasional

wahoo or even the first sailfish taken on rod

and reel in New Zealand waters. Now that

would be exceptional.

HISTORICAL CATCHES: For 30 years

yellowfin tuna was an important target

and bycatch species for recreational fishers.

Particularly in East Northland, Bay of Plenty

and occasionally as far south as Hawke Bay

on the North Island east coast and Kawhia on

the west coast. Yellowfin size and abundance

used to fluctuate from year to year. The

NZSFC produces a yearbook with New

Zealand line class records and catch tallies for

their 56 affiliated clubs. These national tallies

show trends in catch by season.

Combined catch records of clubs affiliated to

NZSFC recorded more than 1000 yellowfin for

12 out of 13 seasons between 1987–88 and

2000–01. Over 2000 yellowfin were landed in

the three seasons from 1994–95 to 1996–97

(Figure 1). Anecdotal information suggests

that many more yellowfin are landed but not

recorded in good seasons. Many of these

would be under 25 kg and considered small.

Recreational catch hit an historic low in

2008–09 and got progressively worse over

the next five years.

This led some fishers to doubt if we would

ever see a yellowfin fishery in New Zealand

again. Recommendation: If yellowfin turn up

in reasonable numbers in 2015 fishers should

consider tag and release for fish in good

condition, to help scientists and managers

keep track of where they go and who is

catching them when they are leave here.

Figure 1: The annual landed catch of yellowfin

and albacore tuna by NZ Sport Fishing Council

clubs from 1994 to 2014.

8 www.nzfisher.co.nz

www.legasea.co.nz

LegaSea FI

SHER

IESM

AN

AG

EMEN

T

CRAYFISH MANAGEMENT UNDER

THE SPOTLIGHTCRAYFISH ARE A PRIZED catch and

important ecologically so it is critical

we protect the fishery from over-

exploitation. The Ministry for Primary

Industries has just issued proposals

for the future management of several

fisheries, including the northern crayfish

stock called CRA1. LegaSea again objects

short consultation timeframes, this time

we only have 18 working days to review

the proposals and submit. Despite the

tight deadline we will be responding.

If you want to be kept informed of the

latest developments please register

online at www.legasea.co.nz.

CRA1 extends from north of the Kaipara

Harbour out west, to around Waipu on the

east coast. Commercial catch is recorded

and attributed to sub-management

areas so localised abundance can be

monitored. Compared to other stock

around the country CRA1 is in relatively

healthy condition. A recent study reveals

the best size and numbers of crayfish

caught commercially were taken at the

Three Kings Islands and North-Western

coast. Most recreational catch is taken

in the Whangarei region and Bay of

Islands. Overall, recreational catch for

the 2013-14 year was estimated to be

around 41 tonnes.The Ministry propose to

either retain the current total allowable

commercial catch (TACC) of 131 tonnes,

or increase it by 6.6 tonnes. This review

obliges the Minister to set aside an

Update February 2015

www.nzfisher.co.nz 9

annual, overall allowance for customary

and recreational fishing interests, that’s us.

They propose a customary allowance of

either 10 or 20 tonnes and a recreational

allowance of 50 tonnes. Any new

allowance made for non-commercial

interests needs to take into account

current catch trends and allow for future

growth. Past management of our North

Island crayfish fisheries has caused

unnecessary controversy and conflict in

coastal communities.

For example, short-term concessions

allowing commercial fishers to take

undersize crayfish around Gisborne are

still in place after 22 years! A submission

from you describing your family’s

collective interests in having an abundant

crayfish will help ensure the interests of

recreational fishers are taken into account.

Most of the advice the Minister receives is

focused on maximising commercial returns

so it up to us to provide some balance.

We need to have a say now so future

generations can access fresh crayfish.

Over the holiday period there has been

positive feedback of crayfish catches

from some northern areas. Maintaining

and increasing abundance is important

because the retail price of crayfish is

already beyond many families’ budget.

And, in future it is inevitable that more

people will seek to catch their own

crayfish for that special occasion.

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

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

Call 0800 LEGASEA (534 273)

Email us info@legasea.co.nz

Subscribe at www.legasea.co.nz

Read more at www.facebook.com/legasea

10 www.nzfisher.co.nz

Great Barrier Island Kingfish Off the Rocks

IN MY YOUTH, I aspired to be great at

table tennis, arguably the sport they play in

heaven, but ultimately, I spent heaps of time

in gymnasiums. I only thought about my

choice of sport more consciously (years after

playing actively) when a flatmate asked why

anyone would want to spend a lot of time in

a closed, unnatural environment and chase

a ball with a racket? Duh, it’s the sport they

play in heaven, do I need say anything more?

Imagine, however, mixing some of the

things you enjoy most (nature, fresh

air, the sea, walking, fresh food), spicing

them up with adventure, excitement, and

if you like, danger, the unknown factor,

physical activity and, wait for it, yes, to

make it a sport, discipline. One of the most

sustainable forms of fishing is of course

land-based and fortunately, we are still able

in New Zealand to catch a feed from the

rocks. However, this article is not about

just catching a feed, it is about walking

the extra mile so to say, to target not only

big, high quality, hard-fighting fish, but

his majesty himself, the, at times, elusive

yellowtail kingfish (Haku). Is there a more

adventurous way to target kingfish?

There is a sense of feeling mesmerised

when hiking down toward a suitable

ledge on a good day, the combination

of vast and beautiful coastlines, the

uninterrupted views, the warmth of the

sun, the salty sea breeze, they all lead to

a pleasant anticipation.

LAN

DB

ASE

DFI

SHIN

G

About 30 pound. We did everything right that day. Well, mainly get up early and fish the low tide with a live kahawai under a balloon.

www.nzfisher.co.nz 11

My friend Paul might have a different take

on this though – he is old and not that fit

any more – but the important thing is that

he is a dedicated land based game-fisherman.

Here are some links on his achievements

on Great Barrier Island (Great Barrier Island

Kingfish – Rock fishing, Kingfish Off The

Rocks Part II, Part III). Finding new fishing

spots should be an integral part of landbased

fishing. After all, once you get serious about

your fishing, you can never have too many

accessible spots. However, finding new spots

can be difficult sometimes.

Unless you are introduced to a spot in some

way or another by another fisho, the only

option you have is to hike into the area you

want to fish and give it a go. However, there is

the obvious question, do you walk in with or

without your fishing gear? The next question

is: How many rods should you take?

I remember looking for a new spot last year

with my mate Paul. He chose to take no

gear at all, I had a small pack with frozen

pilchards, three to four pre-tied rigs, a rod

and small reel. We found an accessible

spot and I landed a five pound snapper

that day. A couple of weeks ago, we drove

to Harataonga and went for a coastal hike

carrying heaps of gear, including kingi gear,

in search for a new land based fishing spot.

New to me that is.

On top of the first hill, I walked to the

end of the peninsular to take pictures. It

seemed to me from there that we won’t be

able to access the ledges on the southern

side of the peninsula ahead. We walked

to the next peninsula, enjoying the views

thoroughly, and et voilà, there was a paper

track which seemed to lead to the end

of it. The confidence I was feeling gave

me a burst. After about half an hour of

battling the bush in a fruitless effort to

find a route or any way to reach the end of

the peninsula and how to get down; the

aforementioned confidence transformed

into disbelief. There must be a way down!

I’ve fished that area once and keen to do it again

12 www.nzfisher.co.nz

The bush was so dense that you just could

not look ahead, let alone battle your way

through it with a big pack. We decided to

head back, perhaps we missed another

path that forked off this one. Another

disappointment, we hadn’t missed anything.

I took some more pictures… Reluctantly,

I followed my mate heading for the next

peninsula, the one who’s ledges looked the

most promising.

There was no evident track on the ridge

at all, very dense bush again, but we

managed through the less dense tea tree

forest. Well, up to a point that is. The ridge

became very narrow, no more walking

along-side it, and neither of us enjoyed

scraping our way through the bush. We

arrived at an opening on the ridge and

what I saw ahead was not assuring. Denser

bush combined with loose, small rocks

and a large decline. Paul decided to go a

bit further and have a look, I stayed back,

being pissed off with the day so far.

I could have packed heavy and walked up

the hills on BENIsLAND at home with my

fishing rods. So I decided to enjoy the rest of

the day, especially when not many people

have been sitting here enjoying these views

lately. I was also exhausted and didn’t feel

comfortable going further. I mean, this is not

a frequented area, certainly no one can hear

you if you yell out, there is no cell phone

coverage, even a sprained ankle could lead

to drastic consequences.

LAN

DB

ASE

DFI

SHIN

G

We wanted to get down to this ledge, but just couldn’t find any useful access

I’ve fished that area once and keen to do it again

Looks like an awesome ledge to fish.

www.nzfisher.co.nz 13

A land based fisho knows or will learn to

know that conditions change, the question

is as always, how well are you prepared for

challenging circumstances?

Anyway, Paul was somewhat adamant that

we could have climbed down to the ledges

on the other side of the peninsula, then

again it wasn’t that trivial, other wise he

would have persuaded me to follow. We

headed back, carrying our bags, defeated

and disappointed.

Of course, we still had bait and burley and

we certainly wouldn’t go back home without

at least having a go at catching a feed. Two

thirds back on the coastal track we headed

to a bay that seemed accessible; this too was

hard going and the closer we got the beach

the more it dawned on us, it will just be

freaking vertical at the end.

Long story short, we found a way down

and after a few more compromises based

on the terrain, we fished probably the least

productive area of that bay, but managed to

land a feed.

The day after, we went to an easily

accessible spot on the East Coast. A very

dangerous spot in any swell though. It

was early in the morning, there was half a

metre of swell out there, too much wind,

and it wasn’t comfortable at all. Then

it began to rain, Paul was not in a good

mood. We fished a ledge, where it was

virtually impossible to land a kingi and had

to relocate.

However, my mate’s mood changed

dramatically after being presented with a

very lively kahawai, which went out under a

balloon as a live bait. Less than an hour later,

we watched a kingi trying for a long time

(about 5 minutes) to eat the kahawai. The

live bait jumped out of the water, pretending

to being a flying fish. Paul remained very

calm though: “Aah, let’s just wait, it’ll find a

way to swallow that fish.”

There is a white man on the cliff, hoping to get down onto the rocks…

14 www.nzfisher.co.nz

A small consolation for all of the hiking and beating in the bush, but I do like the fact that I catch fish more than most of the times.

LAN

DB

ASE

DFI

SHIN

G

Boooooom, moments later, and he was

on. I thought about getting the camera,

but watched Paul instead. The kingi wasn’t

getting much line out, so I decided to grab

the gaff and be ready. It didn’t even take

5 minutes and a very green fish was in

gaffable reach, so I went for it and secured

the fish further up on the rocks. Yeeeehah!

It was about 1000 in the morning, just after

low tide and I was preparing to go back

home, but Paul had another idea: “Hey,

we’ve got those other kahawai in the rock

pool, I’ll send another one out.” Hmmm,

okay, why not?

Another 10 minutes, and yet another

strike. This kingi fought a bit harder, but

was unfortunately gut-hooked and so we

took it as well.

Paul with two nice kingfish caught off the rocks on Great Barrier Island

www.nzfisher.co.nz 15

Two kingis in one morning. Paul was

pleased and after taking a shot of him

holding both fish, he was extremely

pleased. Now, he had a picture of himself

with two nice Great Barrier Island kingfish,

just like a famous picture of John Lennan

with his two fish.

P.S. I advise anyone to trust their gut-feeling

when it comes to new fishing spots. Your

buddy might say that it is really easy to get

down there, but same buddy might opt out

in a different spot that you find very easy

to climb. Don’t get yourself into a situation

where you can’t climb up nor down…

16 www.nzfisher.co.nz

FISH

ING

OR

GA

NIS

ATIO

NS

I SPEND QUITE a few years on the board of

the NZACA (New Zealand Angling and Casting

Association), years spent either banging my

head against the wall or causing others to do

so. I joined the board as a young, green and

idealistic fisho who wanted to do his bit for

his sport. I came across an organisation in

what felt like deaths throes.

That’s not to say it wasn’t functioning or not

well loved, but the management structure

belonged in the previous century and few of

the old salts wished to make changes; “It’s

how we’ve always done it and its worked for

40 years, so way change?” could be heard

just about every time a new idea was tabled.

I cannot say I was the most constructive

member, by bringing new ideas I often came

up against a wall of objections; some so

objectionable the motions were withdrawn in

a flurry of sour words and pointless debates.

In 2012 there were a few new faces on the

ACA exec, notably Karla Tardeiu, Jim Yeoman

and James Benge who joined myself, Brent

Rolston and a few others. What changed

though was a level of professionalism,

passion and desire to bring relevance to the

organisation through positive change.

Later in 2012 there was a catalyst for change

thrust upon the executive by way of a

challenge to change or fail, and a pathway to

do so, from Chad Prentice. Chad proposed a

stark and sweeping change to the way the

executive did business, but most importantly

how the NZACA National Championships are

run. Chad’s proposal was comprehensive and

well thought out.

He’d garnered good support online, utilising

the NZACA Facebook page and his own, NZ

Surfcasting, page to build support, accept

advice and debate the best format to run

the competition. A change of the Nationals

cannot be the reason why the organisation

has regained their relevance. They’ve done so

in such good time, but it can be seen as the

point where the younger generation (and

by younger we mean those under 50!) make

The first national fishing organisation has revamped, reassessed and revived – their strengths in catering for the smaller clubs may well see the become the

glue that holds our regional clubs together

The NZACA A strength in numbers

www.nzfisher.co.nz 17

their intentions known and had the numbers

to make changes necessary to keep the

organisation first afloat, then on the mend.

Since then, the first National Champs have

been successfully held in the Bay of Plenty.

The executive have solidified further

and the future looks somewhat rosier.

Current President, Jim Yeoman, took over

the reins last year and has begun a well-

received pilgrimage travelling around the

North Island meeting with association

clubs, former clubs, prospective cubs and

individuals who you would call detractors

or even enemies of the former ACA board.

It takes a lot of determination, conviction

and patience to engage individuals and clubs

who have built such resentment and distrust

over such a long time.

By fronting up, Jim is confronting the issues,

answering the questions, and making those

detractors often reconsider their position.

He often ensures the clubs they represent

are actually informed about the actions and

decisions made by their executive.

All too often a club secretary who doesn’t

like what they’re being told doesn’t pass

on the info to the membership and the

communications become unnecessarily

laboured, causing more misgivings between

clubs and the association. Among recent

changes there has been the adoption of the

International Casting Federation rules, voted

in at the 2012 Feilding Nationals.

The rules are now standardised, all members

at all clubs have a standard to cast against

and the result is a better structured

organisation (Casting is a major sport

internationally and growing strongly in

NZ again). This change concerned a few

clubs and individuals, but Jim Yeoman’s

efforts to get around the clubs has had a

great effect on informing, (re)opening the

communication channels and educating

about the reasons and why they will work.

There’s been a lot of hard work by a good

number of executive members just to get

to this point. The NZACA released their

strategic plan in late 2014 and it’s ambitious,

but well grounded. The Strategic plan can be

viewed here.

From what I can see, it’s Jim’s drive

and passion that is engaging the clubs,

building trust and bringing more on board.

Jim recently confided his goal is to triple

the current membership by the end of

the year, but even a doubling would be

sensational. The detractors can hardly

argue with the results Jims already bought

to the association; a doubling of last year’s

membership, a successful (and profitable

Nationals), a stable executive and more

clubs lined up to join or re-join. ●

18 www.nzfisher.co.nz

CHEERS FOR THE REPORT and pics Cory and

well done on another win mate! This past

weekend saw the latest Sport Fly Fishing

New Zealand competition on our calendar go

down on a very low and hot Manawatu River.

Reports prior to the comp pointed toward

tough fishing and this became evident after

session 1 with many fish showing no interest

in feeding with fish absent from the glides

and all sitting nose down in the riffles or deep

holes. Cory Scott won session 1 followed by

Mark Clasper in second and Tim Rich in third.

After initiating a ‘Dry Fly Only’ session last

year in an effort to build our anglers’ dry

fly skills and become competitive in this

discipline internationally it was decided to

stick with the format after much discussion.

This 2nd session was super tough with

many unresponsive fish letting the dries

pass by without a thought, yet three anglers

managed to pull up a few browns.

Lloyd Struthers won this dry fly session

with two fish, followed by Craig Anderson

with one and Cory Scott with one. Sunday

dawned another hot day with next to no wind

and Session 3 kicked off, with a little early

morning cloud cover there were a few browns

seen cruising the glides that had not been

there the day before.

Once the sun hit the water they disappeared

into the shade of the willows; several anglers

made use of their appearance, sight fishing

them with tiny nymphs before they headed

for cover. Session 3 was won by Cory Scott

followed by Paul Baker in second and Steve

Brown in Third.

FLY

FISH

ING

2015 SFFNZ Rod & Reel Manawatu Regional Championships

Manawatu River

www.nzfisher.co.nz 19

Podium honours went to Gisborne’s Cory

Scott in first defending his 2014 title,

Hawkes Bay’s LLoyd Struthers in second and

Wellington’s Paul Baker in third.

Many thanks must go out to sponsors Rod

and Reel for once again supporting this

event, to the controllers who gave up their

valuable time to help out, to local angler and

event organiser Craig Anderson for all your

time and efforts, and to the local fisherman

for allowing us to fish your river over the

weekend. Also to Brendon Lyon for tabulating

the scoring in between competing time and

time again, and to all the competitors in

attendance. Many thanks! ●

The Manuwatu in all it’s glory, even if running a little low.

20 www.nzfisher.co.nz

REA

DER

PICS

Aaron Mcdonalds boat mate, Brendan, with a horse of a Gemfish from the Garden Patch in January.

Barry Corkill with a decent Bluenose aboard Highlander.

JPG

www.nzfisher.co.nz 21

Highlander Skipper Aaron McDonald and his best Bluenose for the day. Jamie Corkill aboard highlander with a huge Bluenose

Safia Sabbir with his new PB Snapper of

15lbs, landed at Kawau Island in January

Winner!

22 www.nzfisher.co.nz

We loved the F16 side console so much there was little need to convince us the new 18 foot

Hard-top F18 would be right up our alley.

NEW

PRO

DU

CTS

The all new Frewza F18

- NZFisher Boat

By Derrick Paull, Editor purchased the Frewza F18 & was not paid to review this boat.

www.nzfisher.co.nz 23

THE F18 IS BUILT ON Frewza’s proven hull

design; solid, dry riding and soft riding,

especially designed for rugged south Island

waters. There’s simplicity that we find

other manufacturers have continued to

look past in search of more features and

gimmicks to lure their clients with. I don’t

want to suggest the Frewza is Spartan, it’s

still nicely appointed, but there’s no chaff –

nothing that isn’t necessary.

A prime example is the dash. The set-up is

slim, easy to access (both front and back) but

doesn’t take up half the cockpit; leaving more

room for the more important stuff. The cabin

(which is something of an overstatement)

can come fitted out with ‘bunks’ but we

again went with the naked hull which offers

flexibility to throw some squabs in for the

kids or stack it with gear on big trips.

Already we’ve tucked two sets of dive gear

and jigging/top water gear for four anglers up

there and there’s more room if needed. The

side rod pockets accommodate rods to seven

foot and about six each side. That paired with

the optional Nacsan rocket-launcher, we’re

good for 18 rods, which should prove to be

plenty (but I’m willing to push it!).

Another change we made was to leave out

the factory pedestal seats. We want room

for anglers, gear and fish-bins so it was an

easy decision. We’ve been securing a 100L

Icey-Tek on the passenger’s side to serve as a

seat when fishing but is movable depending

where it’s needed. With the seats removed

and the nature of the dash/cock-pit layout

we’ve got more fishing deck than the

competitors 6 and 6.5m rigs, from a 5.7m.

As always, we’ve powered the rig with a

Honda, this time running with the new-

in-2015 BF100 (1.5L 4 cylinder). It’s still new,

and really just running in, but we’re already

getting superb economy in the region of 14

litres per hour at 20 knots and under four

litres an hour at trolling speeds.

The all new Frewza F18

24 www.nzfisher.co.nz

We went for hydraulic steering this time

and it’s been a dream. I was expecting heavy

set-up times and a few refills to get it right

but the systems been fine from day one

and was surprisingly easy to install with the

experience of Honda’s Steve Johnson on

hand to keep me on track. The Honda guys

have been brilliant, especially considering we

turned up the week before Christmas to get

the rig fitted up!

The electronics were a bit more of a talking

point. While we’ve gone with Lowrance once

again, it was the model and extras that caused

come consternation. There’s such an offering

of product out there and the move is towards

bigger, brighter and better definition. I’m

probably a bit behind the times so I wasn’t

too sure what CHIRP actually was, or why for

that matter do I need it?

Liam, my contact at distributor Navico, put

me on the right track. So, what is CHIRP

and why did we want it? The word itself is

an acronym for Compressed High-Intensity First Blood

Pimped

www.nzfisher.co.nz 25

Radiated Pulse –so what? Instead of

sending just one single frequency, CHIRP

sends a continuous sweep of frequencies

ranging from low to high. CHIRP sonar

technology then interprets frequencies

individually upon their return. Since this

continuous sweep of frequencies provides

CHIRP with a much wider range of

information, CHIRP sonar is able to create

a much clearer, higher resolution image.

This means to you and I that we see more

detail, better definition and a cleared picture

of what is beneath us. So we went with a bit

of a hybrid system running the HDS-9 Gen II

Touch which drives an Airmar 1kW standard

transducer as well as the Lowrance Structure

Scan HD transducer. The system isn’t CHIRP

native so via a sonar Hub we’ll input a CHIRP

signal from a third 600w transducer. The

transom is PIMPED!

The first trip out was meant to be a quick

tester, but my ever keen boy, Oscar, wouldn’t

have a bar of it. This is a fishing boat, so we

go fishing! If you can remember back to

before the great January weather, the end of

December was a bit rugged so we headed out

to the Navy base on the Waitemata Harbour

– just a few minutes across from where we

launched at the Westhaven marina.

The weather was average but I was extremely

pleased the boat went well, getting up on

the plane quickly, riding the chop well and

keeping us dry – after an open boat for years

the hard-top is such a pleasure. We look

forward to reporting more back as we put her

through her paces. ●

Rigging the donkey

26 www.nzfisher.co.nz

Com

posite D

evelopments

(NZ) Ltd

3 Piermark Drive, Albany Industrial Estate,

Auckland 0751, New Zealand

PO Box 302 363, NHPC, Albany,

Auckland 0751, New Zealand

P +64 9 415 9915 F +64 9 415 9965

Freefax 0800 SKIN FISH E sales@cdrods.co.nz

www.cdrods.co.nz

Like us on Facebook!

www.cdrods.co.nz

2015catalogue

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Composite Developments (NZ) Ltd

CompositeDevelopments

(NZ)Ltd

Share an Awesome Photo and Be in to Win!

Share an awesome photo this month andbe in to WIN a $150 Composite Developments Voucher!Share an awesome photo of you with a

fish to our Facebook page, or email it to

derrickp@nzfisher.co.nz by 15 March and

you’ll be in to win an $150 voucher from

Composite Developments to spend on

anything you like from their 2015

catalogue - click here

to view.

This months winner is Jamie Corkill aboard

highlander with a huge Bluenose. She has

won a $150 Composite Developments

voucher, happy spending Jamie ●

CO

MPE

TITI

ON

S Competition!

www.nzfisher.co.nz 27

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