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Love fishing? Read NZ Fisher, the fresh new digital mag for Kiwi fishing enthusiasts
Citation preview
www.nzfisher.co.nz 1
ISSUE 31 December 2013
www.nzfisher.co.nzCongratulations to our Hooked Up prize winner for Issue #31!
From Fly to Micro-Jigs
Honda Marine IceyTek & Torpedo7 Competitions inside
Kingfish are on fire!
ALLNEW
GREENMACHINE
Honda’s brand new BF60 four-stroke EFI outboard engine combines exclusive Honda technologies in a lightest-weight-in-class package that delivers best-in-class performance.
The newly-designed, water-cooled, three-cylinder engine incorporates electronic fuel injection, Honda’s revolutionary Boosted Low Speed Torque (BLAST™) air/fuel ratio and ignition-timing technology, and lean burn control to deliver powerful start-up and acceleration together with outstanding fuel economy during cruising (ECOmo). NMEA2000 compatibility allows the BF60 to communicate with onboard marine electronics, while ultra-smooth operation and world-leading environmental performance combine to crown the new BF60: ‘Green Machine’.
BF60
www.hondamarine.co.nz0800 4 STROKE (787 653)
Honda_BF60_BC_FP.indd 1 18/6/2013 8:58:44 AM
ALLNEW
GREENMACHINE
Honda’s brand new BF60 four-stroke EFI outboard engine combines exclusive Honda technologies in a lightest-weight-in-class package that delivers best-in-class performance.
The newly-designed, water-cooled, three-cylinder engine incorporates electronic fuel injection, Honda’s revolutionary Boosted Low Speed Torque (BLAST™) air/fuel ratio and ignition-timing technology, and lean burn control to deliver powerful start-up and acceleration together with outstanding fuel economy during cruising (ECOmo). NMEA2000 compatibility allows the BF60 to communicate with onboard marine electronics, while ultra-smooth operation and world-leading environmental performance combine to crown the new BF60: ‘Green Machine’.
BF60
www.hondamarine.co.nz0800 4 STROKE (787 653)
Honda_BF60_BC_FP.indd 1 18/6/2013 8:58:44 AM
www.nzfisher.co.nz 3
Pg 6
16
20
Pg 32
CONTENTS
editorial
LANDBASEDFISHING6 Barrier Kings
HUNTING10 NZFisher goes Hunting COOLGEAR16 Torpedo7
SEAFOOD COOKERY18 Bradley Smoker Christmas Ham
FRESHBOAT20 The NZFisher Frewza gets a Makeover
NEWPRODUCTS20 The New Honda 250hp – Silver Bullet
HOLIDAYFISHING26 Christmas is coming!
28 Reader Pics 30 Competition31 Video of the month
NEWTACKLE 32 Microjigging
• Forged aluminum, 2 tone anodized side plates• ALC: Rigid 1-pcs anodized aluminium frame• Aluminium left & right side plates• Machined aluminium star• Multi-disc Carbonite drag system• 4BB + 1RB Stainless steel bearing system• Quick-set anti-reverse roller bearing• Precision cut brass main and pinion gear• Adjustable 6-pin velocity control system• Aluminium twin paddle handle with oversized knobs• Available in both left and right hand models
ISIS
• ALC: Rigid 1-pcs anodized aluminium frame• Aluminium left & right side plates• Machined aluminium, gold anodized spool• Multi-disc Carbonite drag system• 5BB + 1RB Stainless steel bearing system• Quick-set anti-reverse roller bearing• Precision cut brass main and pinion gear• Adjustable 6-pin velocity control system
AKENA
CITRIX
SERRANO
For news, advice, offers & a good old laugh, visit us at facebook.com/borntofishnz
Akena
Citrix
NEWMODEL!
for 2014HOT!
Isis
Serrano
• ALC: Rigid diecast aluminium frame• A6061-T6 machined aluminium, anodized V-shaped spool• External adjustable centrifugal cast control system• Multi-disc Carbonite drag system• 7BB+1RB bearing drive system• Micro-click drag star for precise drag settings• Quick-set anti-reverse roller bearing• Graphite sideplates• Available in both left and right hand models
www.cdrods.co.nz
• ALC: Rigid diecast aluminum frame• CRC: Corrosion Resistant Coating process• Aluminum right side plate holds gears in perfect alignment• A6061-T6 machined aluminum, anodized spool• Magnum light spool on SR-200W for reduced weight• Heavy duty, machine cut, Dura brass gearing• Multi-disc Carbonite drag system• Micro-click drag star for precise drag settings• 10BB+1RB stainless steel bearing drive system
www.nzfisher.co.nz 5
MERRY FISHMAS! OK, it’s a tired
line, but despite the history of poor
fishing over the Christmas break, I
hope you all experience some great
fishing moments in your holidays
and days off. Neil has come up with
a few new species to chase over the
break – if you’re not making headway
against the normal ‘target species’ his
tips are worth considering.
In my case I’ve loaned the boat to
my mate Brendan who’ll be up at
Doubtless Bay trying his luck – be
sure to say ‘Gidday’ should you
see him out there. I’ll be staying
in Auckland this year, spending
time and banking brownie points
for a bumper game season (fingers
crossed!) and enjoying some time on
mate’s boats.
If you do manage a feed (and we
hope you do!) don’t forget about
utilising the whole fish. As a kid
I grew up thinking the only part
of a fish we could eat was the
fillet – slipped off the bones with
the deft flit of the knife. As times
have gotten tougher and fish more
precious we’ve been educated,
and learned the best parts of the
fish are the bits we used to throw
awayIf you have any questions,
check out this video on utilising the
entire fish by Matt Watson and the
Freefishheads.co.nz team.
We’re stoked to be introducing two
great competitions in this month’s
issue thanks to both Honda Marine
and Torpedo7, you are some very
lucky readers! You can only be in to
win if you are a NZFisher subscriber,
so we suggest you subscribe now if
you haven’t already. If you’ve got any
questions, check out our Facebook
page for more info.
Whatever your plans and where
ever you find yourself, have a great,
relaxing and safe Christmas. May the
FISH be with you!
Tight lines,
Derrick
//From the EDITOR
editorial
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 PaullART DIRECTOR / Jodi OlssonCONTENT ENQUIRIES / Phone Derrick on 021 629 327or email derrickp@NZ Fisher.co.nzADVERTISING ENQUIRIES /Phone Richard on 09 522 7257 or email [email protected] / NZ Fisher, C/- Espire Media, PO Box 137162, Parnell, Auckland 1151, NZWEBSITE / www.NZFisher.co.nz
Cover: Tom Lusk’s landbased Fly caught kingfish from north of Auckland
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!
Barrier Kings - from the Rocks
FINALLY, I GET A chance to write in more detail about our
recent land based fishing adventures. Regular visitors to
www.benisland.co.nz know that I’m into land based fishing,
and as any keen angler, I also enjoy putting the few friends
that come and visit me onto the fish. At times this can prove
difficult, mostly because fishing is not their highest priority,
but it certainly is easy with my mate from England. Paul is an
expert on catching kingfish from the rocks. He’s dedicated,
very experienced and most of the time, well prepared. He
uses the word ‘kingi’ a lot during a day.
As in most things in life, the key characteristics needed to
be a successful land-based kingfish angler are preparation,
timing, dedication and skill. Luck is of course more than
helpful. After three ‘pleasure fishing sessions’, meaning
stray-lining dead baits for a couple of hours without using any
burley to catch a feed of snapper and kahawai, it was time to
take Paul to a spot on the east coast to target kingfish.
Our timing was great, the big swell that had pounded
the coastline for a hand full of days had receded to half
a meter, and the low tide was due early in the morning.
We left BENIsLAND at 0530 and it was still dark when we
parked the car and walked on the beach. After a bit of a
hike and climb we reached the ledge and started prepping
our gear. We set the kingfish rod, the stray-lining rod and
the bait rod. Paul also has a rod dedicated for popper
fishing only and we finally deployed the berley. I think it
was about seven in the morning, the sun was just coming
up and I had the first bait in the water. My next words
to Paul, who was prepping yet another rod (the fly rod)
were: “There’s snapper in the berley trail.” Indeed, it was a
pleasure to watch legal-sized snapper right by my feet.
While 30-ish centimetre snapper were cruising up to the
surface, swallowing bits and pieces coming off the berley,
before swimming back into the deep, a solid snapper
appeared and just cruised right by the ledge. That was
certainly exciting and I tried a few tricks to hook it. It wasn’t
actively feeding, wasn’t shy at all and, unfortunately, wasn’t
keen on the baits I cast. I tried getting it more excited
throwing pieces of pilchards at it, but that was all moot.
We estimated it at about five pounds and since it just hung
6 www.nzfisher.co.nz
The hard part
landbasedFISHING
www.nzfisher.co.nz 7
around there, I cast pilchards a bit further away; perhaps
there were even bigger snapper in the deep.
The rod bent immediately, something was pulling line and
was swimming sideways. Hmm, perhaps a kahawai? It turned
out to be an almost 30 cm long trevally. Being a good host
and knowing that Paul will gladly send it back into the ocean
with a solid hook in its back, I offered the trevally to him.
I kept landing trevally, they were really hungry and took every
bait. We had been fishing for an hour and a half, still no sign
of any kahawai. The big snapper had cruised off but watched
us land a few of his mates. The fishing was so productive
that we just kept one good trevally in a bucket with water,
releasing the rest, knowing that there are good and hungry
fish at our disposal.
While Paul was sharing a story with me, line started peeling
off his reel and making that unmistakable sound. He looked
out to the balloon, which had popped by now, then to his
rod. Yes, something is going on mate, go to your rod! A
few seconds later and he had the rod butt in the gimbal,
the line tight and striking.
It appeared as if there was no solid hook-up, he struck
again, wound some more line in, but wasn’t sure if there
was a fish at the end of the line. Once the rod started
bending (Paul likes to fish a lot of drag) he couldn’t keep
it up. All doubts were gone, a big fish was hooked and it
wasn’t happy about that at all.
The fight was intense, the kingi tried different angles,
going left, going right, going deep. Paul tried to keep the
rod tip high, but with so much drag, he was essentially
muscling the fish just on the drag. So it only took about 2-3
minutes until I could see the colour. Shimmering silver with
some green and yellow.
I had the gaff, and we mentioned to each other almost
simultaneously that it is longer than a metre (75 cm is the
size-limit for kingfish), before I gaffed it unprofessionally in the
belly region. The fish was secure on the gaff and although it
hadn’t gained much line, it seemed to be somewhat powered
out when we secured him higher on the ledge.
What a great morning, great snapper and trevally action.
A decent 25 pound plus kingfish landed. Time to pack in
and enjoy the rest of the day I was thinking to myself. Paul
was thinking: “Nice kingfish, I bet there is a bigger one out
there.” When I suggested releasing the big trevally we had
in the bucket, I heard: “Noooo, we’ll put that out and catch
a bigger kingi.” So we kept on fishing, I stray-lined (a bit
half-arsed) and Paul had a 35 cm trevally out there.
By 11 o’clock the sun was pretty high and
it was getting hot; really time to leave!
We packed in and climbed out, sweating
under the sun.
We ended up fishing the same spot on
the next day, something Paul really didn’t
fancy. “I never fish the same spot two
days in a row,” he said. “Hmmm, Beni,
I don’t know.” We discussed at length
other places we could potentially fish,
but there was really only one alternative
The sideline sport
Livebaiting Trevalley
landbasedFISHING
8 www.nzfisher.co.nz
which I didn’t fancy because you get caught out there by
the tide.
Well, Paul was (kind of) right. The same spot, similar
conditions, no snapper in the burley trail, no trevally, no
kahawai, no piper, actually there wasn’t much happening at
all. We spotted a kingfish cruising by but he didn’t respond
to the popper Paul cast and it certainly wasn’t interested in
what I was doing.
I really tried hard to catch a kahawai or other fish I could
use as live bait to no avail, and didn’t help that Paul was
constantly repeating that nothing was going to happen
today. “Too calm mate, same spot, too.” “Nah, we should
have stayed at home.” “Shouldn’t be here.” “Nothing’s
going to happen mate…”
So what does a good host do? Yes, I green-berleyed
while he was eating his chips. Green berleying is a special
technique which involves a bit of praying, a bit of patience
and a homage to the (fishing)-Gods. What do you know,
the bites got stronger - at least it felt like big fish taking
bait, and out of nowhere comes a kingi which cruises past
the ledge.
I might add, exactly as I had told Paul, close in, from right
to left. Believe in the green-berley. This time he cast close
to the rocks, the kingi turned around, followed it frantically
and got hooked on its first attempt to bite it.
It looked bigger than 75cm in the water to me, but I
suggested we try to land it without gaffing it. The fish had
a good go at getting away and was tired, we managed to
lift it out of the water by the tail and the leader.
On the rocks it still looked bigger than 75cm, but we had
plenty of kingfish on ice at home. Giving it away was an
option but instead of measuring it we just deployed it
gently back into the water.
I managed to get some of the action of the second fish on
video. See Ben’s video here.
Text reproduced with the permission of Ben Assado.
Ben Island lives permanently in the hills of Tryphena, in a
rugged and stunning bush block and pursues his dream
of living in harmony and sustainably from the land.
Land based fishing and blogging about the simple, yet
utterly fulfilling life on Great Barrier Island are his favourite
pastimes. Follow his fishing adventures for big snapper and
kingfish off the rocks on www.BENIsLAND.co.nz.
landbasedFISHING
belt protector pouch to keep them
safe on your hip.
Click to check the specs! >>> [Link
http://www.torpedo7.co.nz/division/
fishing/picklist/nzfisher ]
10 www.nzfisher.co.nz
hunting
NZFisher goes Hunting
A fisher out of water
GETTING INTO DEER STALKING has always been
something I have wanted to do. Unlike fishing I have
found the entry into hunting much more difficult. Having
some friends with experience is the best way of getting
over that first hurdle. For me that meant choppering into
the Kaimanawas and chasing sika deer with three seasoned
hunters. Not a bad entry point for a beginner, so as you can
imagine I was brimming with anticipation when we loaded
up the chopper at Helisika.
After just fifteen minutes we were there. One thousand
metres altitude, a mixture of tussock, scrub and mature
beech forest and an eternity away from civilisation;
but hopefully a whole lot closer to my first deer. Other
than that we had a small, but well equipped hut and a
crisscrossed matrix of clear streams that had carved their
way into the pumice filled hillside. An amazing vista that
was all ours for the next five days. Oh, and I neglected to
mention the trout. After all, this is a fishing magazine.
By Darren Parsons
www.nzfisher.co.nz 11
hunting
Looking out of the hut, the open door framed a
picturesque pool with the familiar shadow of a trout finning
into the current. This was a post card, not a hunting block.
With the trout grinning at us from the river and still plenty
of daylight left before primetime hunting, we set off for a
casual stroll up the river with rod in hand. The trout in the
pool next to the hut was actively feeding, darting back and
forth across the pool. It didn’t take long for him to take a
fly either; but he fell off after a short battle. We headed
upstream and the next pool had four large trout in it. This
place was paradise.
Standing on a bank directly above the pool I was able to
guide the angler’s casts to the four fish as they moved
around the pool. The water being so clear, however, it
was all too easy to spook the trout just by passing the fly
line over the top of them. This was at a different level to
anything I had encountered before. This situation was soon
resolved by the next pool upstream, which hosted two
nice trout. Brent cautiously presented his nymphs without
passing the fly line over the fish and he was soon hooked
up. Not the most energetic of fights ensued (on the fish’s
part that is), and with a couple of quick photos the trip was
off to a successful start.
As evening ensued we hoped this meant the deer would
come out into the open. Being November, conditions were
warm, but not yet dry, so there were pockets of green
grass that might entice our four legged friends out. Well
that was the plan. So that first evening Brent set off with
me under his wing. I was bubbling with enthusiasm but
watching my feet to make sure I didn’t make too much
12 www.nzfisher.co.nz
Great Kingfish country
noise (apparently the deer don’t like that).
As we walked, Brent pointed out the signs; how to tell
the difference between old and fresh deer poo and
tracks. Clearings amongst the scrub that were likely
to hold deer were also highlighted. After walking for
an hour and then glassing a likely looking slope for
another hour we hadn’t seen any deer and dusk was
fast approaching. We pushed along the edge of a
scrub line and as we came over a rise we spooked a
hind that was only about 30 metres away. It darted
off into the bush. My first encounter with a deer and I
didn’t see it.
Our first day’s activities soon came to form somewhat
of a routine. Upon rising we had the option of a
morning hunt. The rest of the day would be filled with
eating, reading, and a stroll up the river in search of
trout. Every evening we would all take to the hillside
with our binoculars in search of deer. On the second
evening I even managed to spot one too. Well, it did
take about five minutes of Cam pointing it out with the
binoculars for me to actually see it. It was an important
lesson though, as the image I eventually tuned in on was
very different to what I had been expecting to see.
So on the third evening after we had done the hard
hunting
www.nzfisher.co.nz 13
My senses were so highly tuned I could hear the blood surging through my head.
yards and crashed through to the very back of our block,
I knew what I was looking for. Scanning what was a very
large valley with the binoculars, I soon locked in on two
small, grey and stationary shapes. I paused my gaze on the
shapes for at least ten seconds and eventually one of them
moved, its bright white tail confirming that I wasn’t seeing
things. Two more deer came out of the bush and joined
them, including a nice six pointer stag that proceeded to
clash antlers with a spiker.
This was like watching Discovery Channel, but I was keen
to get within firing range. It’s fair to say I may have been
a little excited, but we kept low and used cover to move
closer to the deer. I had convinced myself that this stag was
going to be it.
With only twenty minutes until it was dark, and about 700m
of scrubby hillside between us and the deer it just wasn’t
going to happen. Brent made the very prudent suggestion
to just watch them and come back the next day. After all,
deer are creatures of habit.
hunting
14 www.nzfisher.co.nz
hunting
The next day was one of anticipation. As evening
approached I became increasingly anxious that the deer
wouldn’t be present due to a change in the weather
conditions or because of hunting disturbance from the
adjacent block. We made our approach up a different ridge
line to ensure we were pushing into the wind.
As we stuck our heads up above the ridge, Brent spotted
five deer amongst the scrub in front of us. Slightly out
of range for a good shot at about 300 metres, but a lot
closer than the day before. We didn’t have much option
but to descend the hillside, which was directly in their
line of sight. They must have noticed some movement as
this made them move across the hill, not fully spooked,
but at a canter.
We were hoping that they were merely returning to the
good patch of grazing we had seen them on the day
before. So walking into the wind we stalked slowly around
the scrub, rifle at the ready. With each carefully placed step
I was anticipating seeing a deer. My senses were so highly
tuned I could hear the blood surging through my head. But
when we eventually came to the grassy slope where we
thought the deer may be there was no sign of them.
We sat down and glassed the valley below us hoping our
mob of deer would re-emerge. Within five minutes Brent
had spotted two more deer and we made the decision to
have a crack at them rather than wait for the original mob to
reappear. We stalked up on them using a bush line as cover.
Brent took time to clean the rain from our scopes and we
both adjusted our eyes to the view through the scope in
the light conditions that we were experiencing. Poking
our heads into the open I soon spotted one of the deer,
about 120 metres away. I tried to take a standing shot,
but a combination of weak arms from holding the rifle
and adrenalin meant that I couldn’t keep the rifle steady
in this position.
Shooting prone wasn’t an option, so I sat down and used
my knees as a rest. At this angle the deer were obscured,
but eventually one stuck its head up and looked directly
at us. I placed the crosshairs and took a deep breath. With
an echoing boom four days of stalking, whispering and
anticipation came to a sudden and very loud end. “I think
you got him” Brent said. After about 5 seconds a deer
stuck its head up.
A crescendo of shots rang out as Brent unloaded his
magazine and bambi bounced across the hillside jumping on
all fours. “I’m out of ammo, no here’s one”, you take a shot….
shoot in front of it…”. While disappointed that I had missed
my chance, we were left laughing as the small deer escaped
unscathed despite bullets smattering the hillside all around it.
Nothing like a good turkey shoot. Brent suggested that
we have a look to see if we had hit anything, this seemed
strange to me as we had clearly seen the deer escape. But,
there laying exactly where I had aimed the first shot was a
small hind. A shot through the neck, heart and lungs had
poleaxed the deer instantaneously.
The deer was gutted and strung across my shoulders. While
the walk home was long and a bit sore on the shoulders,
we were upbeat, and made it back to the hut just on dark.
Cam had shot a much larger hind earlier that day, so we had
plenty of meat to take home. I couldn’t have hoped for more
out of a first hunting trip. Thanks to Brent, Cam, Martin and
Jackson for showing me what to do.
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16 www.nzfisher.co.nz
COOLgear
The Summer Shopping List with Torpedo7Who doesn’t want an excuse to get some new fishing gear? Here are some of the hot summer picks from the team at Torpedo7. Check ‘em out and get special promo prices just for NZ Fisher subscribers!
The ultimate man powered fishing craft! Experience the thrill
and excitement of landing that big
one off this massive 365cm Fishing
Kayak with rudder. This vessel
features rod holders to significantly
help keep your kayak clutter free
during travel and comes equipped
with a tackle/utility hutch that also
doubles as a fish ruler.
The contoured seat also gives you
the option of attaching a kayak
chair for added comfort during
those long fishing endeavours,
while the rudder offers greater
manoeuvrability when paddling/
fishing. Click to check the specs!
Stealthy Fishing Kayak – $799.99
Throw away your rusted and heavy pliers. Constructed from
aircraft grade aluminium, these
Saltura pliers have been anodised
for absolute corrosion resistance.
The tough Tungsten carbide cutter
jaws will take care of braid, heavy
mono and wire while the main jaws
are engineered from hardened, high
carbon steel for rugged strength
and reliability. Slip one of these
lightweight pliers into your lure bag,
tool box or tackle bag. Comes with
belt protector pouch to keep them
safe on your hip.
Click to check the specs!
Saltura Multi-function Fishing Pliers - $49.99
www.nzfisher.co.nz 17
COOLgear
These deluxe ice boxes are built to last. They use a Heavy
Duty polyethylene construction and
featuring heavy duty non corrosive
double lid hinges and side handles
to avoid the harsh salt eating away at
them. It is insulated with high pressure
polyurethane which helps to keep
temperatures lower for longer, keeping
your salt ice frozen for up to 5 days.
If space is an issue on your boat- these
work perfect when doubled as a
seat because of their durability and
comfortable sitting height. Available
in 50L, 70L, 100L and 150L models.
Click to check the specs!
Keep it cold all Day - From $189.99
Tackle bags are a good option for people wanting all their gear in a single bag. With zip access to the internal compartments you can
easily get to the bottom of the bag without having to sift through hooks.
The comfortable shoulder strap proves priceless if you have to walk out
to your favourite fishing spot. Front and side exterior zip pockets are ideal
for keeping all your new flasher rigs or your items that you want to keep
separate and easily accessible.
Relix tackle bags use the Relix 2200 clear plastic dividers to keep all your
tackle together and organized. Each of these come customizable to your
specific needs which is handy when wanting to divide up hooks, swivels,
sinkers etc. These internal compartments are made of heavy duty durable
plastic that is 100% worm proof. Click to check the specs!The Fisherman’s Bag - $49.99
Win a $150 Gift Voucher with NZ Fisher and Torpedo7!To celebrate the summer season we’re giving away a $150 voucher to spend at www.torpedo7.co.nz in each of our summer issues.
Competition open only to NZ Fisher subscribers. Head to www.nzfisher.co.nz to subscribe for free!
1-2-3 Easy Steps to Enter!
Head to the1. Torpedo7 website to decide what you would spend the voucher on if you win
Read this issue of NZ Fisher and answer this question...2.
“In our Christmas fishing article, how many types of shellfish are mentioned?” Go to our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/NZFisherMagazine and tell us your answer and what gear you would choose 3.
by leaving a comment on the special Torpedo7 post.
Entries close 15 January 2014 and winner named in our January issue!
18 www.nzfisher.co.nz
seafoodCOOKERY
THIS IS AN ESSENTIAL RECIPE for every smoke-loving
BBQ and fishing fanatic. The Christmas ham is as much a
part of our annual holidays as rain on Christmas day! Here’s
a pretty simple and very tasty way to experience your own,
homemade, Christmas Ham!
CURE MIX FOR 5 LBS. (2.25 KG) OF PORK
3 Tbsp (45 ml) Bradley Maple Cure (Do not use more than
this amount.)
1 tsp. (5 ml) teaspoons onion granules or onion powder
1 tsp. (5 ml) garlic granules or garlic powder
1 tsp. (5 ml) white pepper
honey (optional) 1 to 3 Tbsp.
Note: If the meat weighs either more or less than 5
pounds (2.25 kg), the amount of cure mix applied must be
proportional to that weight. For example, if the weight of
the meat is 2 1/2 pounds (1.15 kg), then each ingredient,
including the Bradley Cure, needs to be cut in half.
Blending and applying the curing mix:
Weigh the pork. If more than one curing container will be
used, calculate separately the total weight of the meat that
will be placed in each container. Refrigerate the meat while
the cure mix is being prepared. (Any plastic food container
with a tight-fitting lid — or a strong plastic bag — can be
used as a curing container.)
Prepare, calculate, and measure the required amount of
curing mixture for each container. Mix this curing blend
until it is uniform.
Place the meat in the curing container(s). Rub the cure
mix on all surfaces evenly. Cover, and refrigerate. The
refrigerator temperature should be set between 34°F and
40°F (2.2°C to 4.4°C).
Bradley Smoker Christmas Ham
www.nzfisher.co.nz 19
seafoodCOOKERY
Overhaul the pieces of meat after about 12 hours of
curing. (Overhaul means to rub the surfaces of the meat
to redistribute the cure.) Be sure to wet the meat with any
liquid that may have accumulated in the bottom of the
curing container.
Overhaul the meat every other day until the required
curing time has elapsed. (Cure one week per inch: If the
thickest piece is 1 inch, cure 1 week; if the thickest piece is
two inches, cure the whole batch 2 weeks.)
Assuming the maximum thickness of the pork is 2 inches (5
cm), the pork will be fully cured at the end of two weeks. When
the curing is finished, rinse each piece of pork well in lukewarm
water. Drain in a colander, and blot with a paper towel.
Wrap each piece of pork in a paper towel, and then wrap
again with newspaper. Refrigerate overnight.
Smoking the ham
The next morning, remove the paper and dry the surface
of the meat in front of an electric fan or inside of a smoker
heated to about 140°F (60°C). If a smoker is used, make
sure that the damper is fully open. Do not use smoke.
Drying the surface will require one or two hours.
When the surface is dry, cold smoke the pork for 3 hours.
If your smoke chamber temperature is higher than 85°F
(about 30°C), the smoking time might have to shortened to
prevent excessive drying.
Raise the smoke chamber temperature to about 150°F
(65°C).
Smoke about 2 or 3 hours more until the surface of the
ham takes on an attractive reddish-brown colour. Remove
the meat from the smoke chamber.
Cooking the ham
After removing the ham from the smoker, it may be cooked
using one of several methods, or it may be refrigerated
or frozen and cooked later. If it is to be refrigerated or
frozen, cool it at room temperature for an hour or so and
refrigerate it – uncovered – overnight; the next morning it
may be wrapped and, if you desire, frozen.
Suggestions for cooking the ham.
(Ham is fully cooked when the internal temperature is at
least 160°F (71.1°C).
Leave the meat in the smoker and hot smoke it until it is done.
Wrap each piece of ham in plastic food wrap and cook
in a steamer. This is an excellent method to cook the
ham; the juices are retained by the plastic wrap. (A
steamer may be improvised by using a large pan with an
elevated rack inside; cover with a lid.)
Bake it in an oven.
Slice it and fry it.
Note: If the salt taste is too mild, add about 1 teaspoon
of salt to the ingredients list the next time you make
this product. If the salt taste is too strong, reduce the
amount of Bradley Cure by about 1 teaspoon.
For more information on Bradley Smokers and a heaps
more recipes then visit: www.bradleysmoker.co.nz
20 www.nzfisher.co.nz
TRUE, MAKEOVER’S ARE usually the domain of women’s
mags and trashy fashion shows on late night TV – but we
thought we’d spruce her up and make sure you can see us
out there doing it!
If you do see us on the water or at the ramp, come and say
Gidday. We’re always keen to get to know the readers and
to know what you think of what we do. If the fishing’s hot
– show us your catch – if it’s tough, we’d love to see if we
can help. Wherever we are, make sure you let us know, you
know who we are!
The boat graphics were designed by Strip Strike Fly Fishing
club founder Brent Condon, Brent‘s been a Conceptual
Graphic Designer and Digital Illustrator for almost 20
years under the name of ARTTANK illustration and has
a passion for customised one-off fly fishing illustrations
for boats/boat signage/decals. If you’d like a similar look
for your boat, drop Brent a line on 0210713214 or at
The NZFisher Frewza gets a Makeover 1
2
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5 simple rulesto help you stay safe:
Life jacketsTake them – Wear them.
Boats, especially ones under 6m in length, can sink very quickly. Wearing a life jacket increases your survival time in the water.
Skipper responsibilityThe skipper is responsible for the safety of everyone on board and for the safe operation of the boat. Stay within the limits of your vessel and your experience.
CommunicationsTake two separate waterproof ways of communicating so we can help you if you get into difficulties.
Marine weather New Zealand’s weather can be highly unpredictable. Check the local marine weather forecast before you go and expect both weather and sea state changes.
Avoid alcohol Safe boating and alcohol do not mix. Things can change quickly on the water. You need to stay alert and aware.
For more information about safe boating education and how to prepare for your boating activity, visit www.adventuresmart.org.nz
KNOW BEFORE YOU GO
The Boating Safety
Before you go boating on our seas, lakes and rivers, get familiar with New Zealand’s Boating Safety Code, no matter what kind of boat you use.
CODE
www.adventuresmart.org.nz
The Water Safety The Outdoor Safety
CODE CODE
Also available:
FreshBOAT
www.nzfisher.co.nz 21
1
2
3
4
5
5 simple rulesto help you stay safe:
Life jacketsTake them – Wear them.
Boats, especially ones under 6m in length, can sink very quickly. Wearing a life jacket increases your survival time in the water.
Skipper responsibilityThe skipper is responsible for the safety of everyone on board and for the safe operation of the boat. Stay within the limits of your vessel and your experience.
CommunicationsTake two separate waterproof ways of communicating so we can help you if you get into difficulties.
Marine weather New Zealand’s weather can be highly unpredictable. Check the local marine weather forecast before you go and expect both weather and sea state changes.
Avoid alcohol Safe boating and alcohol do not mix. Things can change quickly on the water. You need to stay alert and aware.
For more information about safe boating education and how to prepare for your boating activity, visit www.adventuresmart.org.nz
KNOW BEFORE YOU GO
The Boating Safety
Before you go boating on our seas, lakes and rivers, get familiar with New Zealand’s Boating Safety Code, no matter what kind of boat you use.
CODE
www.adventuresmart.org.nz
The Water Safety The Outdoor Safety
CODE CODE
Also available:
22 www.nzfisher.co.nz
NEWProducts
The New Honda 250hp – Silver BulletReel Life Adventures’ get repowered
www.nzfisher.co.nz 23
AS WE TOUCHED ON in last month’s issue, Capt. Phil of
Reel Life Experiences has refitted his White Pointer with
the new Honda BF250. In an effort to show it off, we were
invited to experience Phil’s hospitality and check out how
the Honda performs in everyday use.
As many readers will know, I’m traditionally a rock fisher
who has migrated to kayaks and more recently a five
metre boat, so the pattern of always wanting something
bigger has been set. There’s no doubting a launch will
be fun, but at present I’m eyeing up a 6m – 8m boat as
the next NZFisher boat, should NZFisher ever grow up
we’ll need a bigger boat right? Getting a chance to ride
on different rigs like Reel Life is a real pleasure – it’s not
only the fishing, but experiencing the ride and the new
territory that matters.
I’ve fished a fair bit of the southern side of Bay of Islands;
mostly from the kayak but a few long days have been spent
traipsing around the hills of Cape Brett in search of rocky
ledges too. I’d paddled as far as the Twins, but not out
to the Hole in the Rock, so when Captain Phil advised the
weather was against us and we were to be fishing the Bay
of Islands instead of Whangaroa, I was keen to see some
new water.
On the boat for this trip was Ian Biddick, of Honda NZ and
Brett Patterson of Fishing News. The goal? To get Captain
Phil to give up some secrets – be it fishing or the low down
on the Honda.
The weather preceding our trip had been outrageous – 50
Knot easterlies off shore had developed huge swells the week
NEWProducts
24 www.nzfisher.co.nz
before and cancelled my previous weekend’s fishing in the
Reel Rods comp out of Whatuwhiwhi. We were desperate
for a fish and the pressure was on our skipper.
First stop were live-baits where Brett proved a fine foil
for the crafty yellowtails – little did they know their fate
was to be far worse than the drop from the Sabiki to
the floor, before finally slipping into the bait tank.
With 25 baits in the tank we headed out of Te Puna
inlet and were met with scattered flocks of Gannets,
lazily dropping from the sky on patchy schools of bait.
Showing potential but no rewards, these pockets of
bait kept us interested but fish-less for an hour before
we made the call to head out to Bird Rock for some
kingfish action.
During this quick burst across the Bay it became really
apparent how quiet the Honda really was. I run the
Honda 60hp on the NZFisher Frewza and know how
quiet the Hondas run, but you expect the 250 horses
of the BF250 to be so much louder. It was Brett who
bought it up, but in the open cabin of Reel Life we
were just talking like we were in the pub – no need to
shout as the outboard just doesn’t get that loud.
At Bird Rock we were met by schools of trevally and
kahawai busting up and chasing whitebait in the currents.
The kingfish signs were good and we soon latched onto
NEWProducts
www.nzfisher.co.nz 25
a couple of legal, but rat kings. Once we determined the size
of fish on hand was small, we reverted to plastics and micro-
jigging gear to at least make a fight of it!
We landed a number of small kings and after a while I started
flicking a new Hitter Aurora on a heavier stick-bait set. I didn’t
get any follows, but Capt. Phil was pretty keen for a go – the
new Hitter lures are making quite an impression!
Phil didn’t get any action for the first few casts but on
cast three, while luckily the camera was rolling; there was
a very visual – brutal strike! Sadly however within a few
seconds it was all over – broken at a wind knot (not the
knot I blamed Capt. Phil for in the video!) This was not to
be our day! Check the video here – its work a look for a
chuckle anyways.
We had a few more casts and headed back to some in-
shore reefs for a bit of a bait fish. The weather was building
and despite some bust-offs, it wasn’t until we revisited the
mid-water work-ups of the morning that we landed any
memorable fish. I ended the day with a 12lb snapper to my
name – definitely the best of a very hard day!
On the way in we had a chance to really quiz Phil on the
boat setup and the new Honda. For those that know
Capt. Phil he’s a bit of a hard nut. A fishing nut and hard
to get to share secrets. When discussing the Honda
though, he was an open book. He’s got a Garmin GMi10
set up to help monitor the engine, and it was set to fuel
consumption specifically.
Phil reckons he’s burning about two thirds of the gas
he was previously and the benefits have been more
than just financial. Instead of filling the tank every trip,
Phil’s only filling every second day – it just doesn’t burn
enough fuel to justify it!
An average day out of Whangaroa is only using 50 litres or
about 5 litres an hour on average. The motor runs once a
day, usually from 7am through till 5pm. Keeping punters on
the fish all the way in all sorts of weather takes 50 odd gear
shifts a day – 3000 already and it’ll be a whole lot more the
way the fishing is up there right now (it’s definitely come on
since we visited!)
Our day ended up in the Italians, a very Italian restaurant
in Kerikeri. It was definitely my day when César the Chef’s
served me the special Russian Roulette pizza with the
hottest chillis in the north – small price to pay for landing
the fish of the day!
NEWProducts
26 www.nzfisher.co.nz
HOT SUN AND STILL AIR – perfect for a beachside
bonfire but not great in the middle of the day while
you’re trying to catch a Christmas holiday feed.
Last month we looked at where and when to find
Christmas snapper & kings, but what else can you chase
over the holidays to fill the fish bin?
If you’re the diving or snorkelling type, the ocean is
overwhelmingly bountiful. Think beyond just scallops
and crayfish – there’s so much more! In 2011 the rules on
mussels were relaxed and now you can collect mussels on
snorkel and scuba. Mussels are a juicy, delicious and they
don’t fight back!
Most rocky bays around the coast have mussels somewhere
– and they’re often able to be found just walking around
reefs at low tide or in tidal rock pools near headlands in
good current.
Mussels are easy to collect, you just need to wrench them
from the rocks and keep them cool and dry before cooking.
Unlike sand dwelling shellfish, mussels do not require time
to spit out sand and grit after capture so they can be eaten
almost immediately - some people do have them raw!
The easiest and often considered the best way, to cook
them is gently steaming them in their shells over a smoky
flame. Mussels don’t require much cooking and are
definitely better on the side of undercooked than over,
when they become tough & a bit chewy. The daily limit
in most of our waters is 50 per person per day, but check
local limits to be sure! (10 per person is plenty and they
don’t run away, so be smart and leave a few for next week!)
For those more suited to simpler things, traditional ‘pipi
hunting’ is still alive and well in New Zealand. While a
lot of our beaches are not loaded with pipis specifically,
there’s almost always cockles and tuatua’s to fill the creel.
As a kid I remember walking what seemed like miles across
sun-drenched mud flats at Whangateau to the edge of the
deepest channels that wind across the flats. Where the
So where do the fish party?By Neil Wagener
holidayFISHING
Christmas is coming!
Mussels
www.nzfisher.co.nz 27
lowest tides rest between flows the pipis and cockles are
the largest and most prevalent. That means twice a day
you can wander out with bucket in hand & dig a few inches
below the sand/mud surface and find plump, salty tuatua
and cockles.
Sadly, many of our best ‘beds’ have been decimated
through poor management and greed. While the daily limit
in many areas is 150 shellfish per person per day, 20 or 30
per person is plenty - I cannot think how terrible it would
be for us to lose these amazing coastal resources – please
be respectful.
Pipi, cockle & tuatua are very similar in flavour and their
preparation can be treated as if they are the same. All
three filter sand loaded water and remove the nutrients.
This means there’s often a lot of sand inside them when
you dig them up. I’ve heard lots of opinions on how to
get the sand out, but my preference is simply to leave
them over night in a cool place in a bucket with salt water
(from the sea) and a teaspoon of flour or corn-flour – which
annoys them and makes them spit out their sand loads.
Whether you give them time to spit their sand or not,
cooking is very simple and can be varied depending on
how you want to serve them. All these shellfish need is
heat, whether its from steam, boiling or on the grill, they
steam in their own juices – salty, sweet and a flavour
reminiscent of the sea itself! Try mixing them into pasta
(alla Rick Stein) or something more interesting – like this!
Once again, if you can get yourself below the surface, paua
are a real delicacy worth searching for. In the North (North
of Auckland anyway), legal paua are a rare and prized find
but anywhere rocky south of Opotiki on the East Coast will
often offer up legal paua in good numbers. There’s a few
things to bear in mind when hunting them out, but there’s
no real ‘rules’.
Paua generally like to be on the sheltered side of rocks that
are themselves amongst larger rocks and boulders that
break up the surf and waves. Paua eat algae that grow on
rocks. They often end up covered in algae themselves & are
hard to see, but once you’ve found one, you’ll find a bunch!
The minimum legal size is 125mm across the longest part
of the shell in all of NZ, except the Taranaki area – but
check local rules. You’re only allowed 10 each, but in all
honesty you’ll only need one each at most.
Correctly cooking paua is a question for the ages. I like
them as fresh as possible, shelled and knocked hard once
with something very heavy. We then slice them and very
quickly fry them with a bit of butter & garlic – Mmmm – I’m
salivating just thinking of them! However you cook them,
enjoy the flavour. Paua are subtle but tasty, don’t go too
heavy on other flavours.
Hopefully you’ll find some tasty treats on your summer
breaks – good luck & Merry Christmas!
holidayFISHING
Mussels galore!
Paua & Crays
28 www.nzfisher.co.nz
READERpics
Reader Pics
Barry Williams showing off a well conditioned spring snap from a rough Coromandel Day.
Denis Railey & his new PB, a stonking 26lb, 93cm Snapper FROM THE KAYAK!!!!.
Dominic Ryan with his new PB, a 5kg snapper caught ont he first drop with his new Powerflex rod.
Peter Whig & a very tasty looking JD caught in Whangaroa Harbour
www.nzfisher.co.nz 29
READERpics
Tom Lusks Landbased King on fly - stunning!
Stephanie Ryan with a 12lb Kawau Trevally caught on her Dad, Chris’ boat.
Dave Brown with a fatty snapper landed mid winter on a Trigger-X softbait
Hibiscus Kayak Fishing Club member Steve with a nice Rawhiti Snapper (Thanks Dave Brown)
Michelle MacKinven with a 68cm spring schoolie caught about Alan ‘Alanimal’ McKinven’s new Rayglass 850 Legend.
WINNER
30 www.nzfisher.co.nz
Win a Trip on Board Diversity with Tackle-It & NZFisher!
JUST POST A PIC of you with a fish to
our Facebook page and you’re in the
draw to win day trip aboard Diversity
care of Damo and the team at Tackle-It.
Every image you enter has a chance
to win the big prize. The more and
sooner you enter, the better your
chances so get fishing and posting
those images to Facebook!
WINNER: Stephanie Ryan with a
12lb Kawau Trevally caught on her
Dad, Chris’ boat.
COMPETITION
www.nzfisher.co.nz 31
There’s no doubting the Epic team based from
Tairua and Whitianga are at the top of the kingfish
charter business here in New Zealand, but in these
two videos you get to see it all from the anglers
perspective. It’s not just kingfish featuring here either!
First off there’s a day aboard Sanity with Tobes
where there are over 20 kings landed with the best
three going over 20kgs!
Day two was landbased with Owen ‘Bush Billy’ up
the Coromandel coast – check out the fish landed &
try to guess the weight of the one lost!
VIDEO
Fishing Video of the MonthWe often hear anglers refer to their trips as ‘Epic’ but that phrase can only really be attributed to one trip – the one you take on Epic Adventures. There’s three boats and a landbased charter in the ‘fleet’ now so who’d be surprised to find so many great videos from the Epic stable online.
32 www.nzfisher.co.nz
NEWtackle
AFTER SEEING GREG’S intro to micro-jigging last month
we thought we’d give it a go and also try a few of the
micro stickbaits we’re seeing appear in a few tackle shops.
In both cases we were pretty impressed with the results as
both stickbaits & the little jigs out-fished not only soft-
baits, but also bait.
What we found was using such small jigs we started using
even lighter tackle – you need to stay in touch with the jig.
I was lucky enough to have a 4kg Hearty Rise / Ducro 10
set up with 10lb line – perfect for twitching jigs and flicking
the stickbaits. We didn’t encounter any big fish, but the
micro jigs in particular elicited bites when nothing else was
working. We were fishing 10-28gram Zetz Boggie, Asari
Mah & Maria mico-jigs; all fitted with factory assist or
treble hooks.
What was really interesting was the species that hit the
these new jigs. Typically flicking around the inner gulf we
hook snapper and the odd kahawai, but with the micro-jigs
we landed gurnard, yellowtail (Mackerel), snapper, kahawai
and kingfish – all the while we only hooked a couple of
snapper n soft baits. OK, so its early days and we don’t
want to get carried away, but the early results have been
really encouraging.
Don’t be fooled by their size – these jigs get hit and hit
hard by most species. I’m very keen to get them in front of
some tuna this summer – they’ll be deadly!
To date we’ve only lost one micro-jig, and that’s very good
as the lowest cost one we could find was $13.50 – not
cheap, but very effective!
My new favourite lure is the Little Jack Sayoris – it’s best
described as the closest thing I’ve ever found to a real
piper in the water.
They’re weighted almost perfectly to just sink a tiny bit,
allowing them to be fished in reefy areas where you want
the bait below the surface, but not sinking into the weed
and getting tangled. I’ve now had snapper, kahawai,
trevally, goatfish (I know!?!?!) and kings on these little baits.
I definitely recommend changing out the trebles for single
hooks and even reducing them to two instead of three –
fish hit them hard as it is, so there’s not much need for the
trebles and you’ll be much safer without them!
We’re planning a few Far North missions in the next little
while, so all going well we’ll have some more feedback on
both the micro-jigs (what works best, where, and when)
and some more of the ever increasing list of small stickbaits
on the market.
Micro-jigging; the next big thing
Sayoris
Sayoris got bit
Perfect imitators
www.nzfisher.co.nz 33
GIVEAWAY
Be in to win these awesome prizes from Honda Marine - just for subscribing to NZ Fisher!
HUGE NZFisher Subscriber Giveaway!BOY, ARE WE excited about this one! Thanks
to the good people at Honda Marine we’ve
got this awesome 70L Icey-Tek chilly bin and
two Hutchwilco inflatable lifejackets to give
away to one lucky NZ Fisher subscriber.
We’ll be drawing the winner of this huge value prize in our
February issue and entering couldn’t be easier - simply
subscribe to NZ Fisher and you’re in the draw!
How to enter:If you’re not already an NZ Fisher subscriber, simply head
to www.nzfisher.co.nz and subscribe - it’s free! If you
already an NZ Fisher subscriber, you’re already in the draw!
Entries close 19 Feb 2014. To be eligible you must be
an NZ Fisher subscriber and a New Zealand resident as
at 19th February 2014. Winner will be announced in the
February issue of NZ Fisher on 26th February 2014.
f sher
34 www.nzfisher.co.nz
COULD IT BE YOU?
Congratulations to our Hooked Up prize winner for Issue #31!
HOOKED UP! Every issue, all NZ Fisher subscribers*
go in the draw to get hooked up with some fantastic prizes courtesy of generous NZ Fisher supporters. To find out if you’ve won simply check this section in each issue to see if your name has been drawn and then email us before the deadline to claim your prize. Sweet as!!!
*To be eligible to win stuff in the Hooked Up section you need to be a confirmed email subscriber to NZ Fisher e-Magazine and be a resident of New Zealand at the time of the draw. A big thanks to our Hooked Up sponsors! Please support them!
Braiden Keen is the winnerYou’ve won this month’s awesome Hooked Up prize pack including:
Your choice of mens or womens ReelWear T courtesy of • Reel Adventures
A $50 voucher to spend online or instore from • GoFish.co.nz
A super tough 3-tray tackle box from • Flambeau (contents not included)
Plus two 500ml bottles of • Tackle-It Odour Eliminator from PureAir to keep those fishy smells at bay!
To claim your prize you simply need to email [email protected] before 5pm Wednesday 20th December, 2013. Easy!
HOOKEDUP!
www.nzfisher.co.nz 35
COULD IT BE YOU?
Congratulations to our Hooked Up prize winner for Issue #31!
Have you subscribed to NZ Fisher? It’s free!Simply visit www.nzfisher.co.nz to get a copy of NZ Fisher
delivered straight to your inbox every month!
regionalREVIEWSNEXTmonth
Coming up in our January issue:- Land based kingfish on fly- West Coast snapper fishery hammered- We test out some traditional Maori fish hooks And heaps more!