7 from the helm

The nz fishing news team recently had the pleasure of exhibiting at the hutchwilco new zealand boat show 2023 (‘the show’). Although we worked all weekend, lost our voices, and flooded our bodily systems with coffee, white lady burgers, and beer, i don’t use the term ‘pleasure’ in jest.

There’s something epic about heading miles offshore, beyond the sight of land, and sending your line down into the abyss in the hopes of snagging a deepwater monster. It’s not for the faint-hearted, but with the right preparation and the right conditions, you can catch these denizens of the deep with a run-ofthe-mill trailer boat.

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When you go fishing with george bourke, there are three certainties:

Dispatches is where we showcase stunning, fishy imagery from the best photographers in the country.

The hutchwilco new zealand boat show 2023 (‘the show’) saw hundreds of exhibitors overcome severe wind gusts and heavy rain to deliver an exciting event for 31,939 patrons.

Offshore boats is the supreme winner of the hutchwilco nz boat show for the second year running.

In late april, 70-odd keen anglers converged at rangiputa in the far north for a few days of fishing and socialising.

After two years of select committee deliberation, a report has been released by the environment select committee on the petition to review the recreational fishing prohibition on the reefs around mōtītī island.

Coastguard nz is the charity that helps keep kiwis safe on the water – whatever your waka. They’re the ones at the end of line when things come a cropper, and who keep an ear out to make sure you’ve got across the bar safely. And they need your support.

After a two-year covidinduced hiatus, the 2023 vava’u international has been set for october 20-28 2023, which incorporates nz’s labour weekend holiday.

In the past, te aroha’s hazelton family have had to go boat fishing in relays due to the limited capacity of their 4.4 metre fyran. That ended on thursday, june 8, when they were presented a turnkey extreme 545 sportfisher – the grand prize in the export nz fishing competition.

The 2022-23 season of the competition has now concluded, and what a record season it was! A huge congratulations to stuart hazelton from tauranga, who is the winner of the 2022-23 season ultimate prize boat package, worth $85,000, which he won by catching a 46.5cm trevally out of whangamata. This just goes to show that you don’t have to catch and submit the biggest fish to have a chance to win!

When i hark back to some of my fondest fishing memories, at the forefront is heading down the eastern bay of plenty coast for a surfcast. In my childhood days, i would regularly jump into the back of a tan 90s hilux with my old man rod styles and renowned surfcaster vaughan craven. The scenes from these adventures are ingrained in my memory: the crackling beach fires, our rabbit-hounding jack russell, and the lion red spilling from the cup holders of the bouncing truck.

With lime crema

Although we’re entering the colder months, hot smoked fish is amazing all year round. This is a simple recipe and you can adapt it to suit whatever type of smoking chamber you have mounted on your smokai

Recipe by: smokai

When it comes to marine protection the debate quickly descends into the black hole of marine reserves versus fisheries management. This suits officials who, for years, have sat on the side-lines while advocates for reserves, māori customary tools, or fishing controls slug it out. This is not sustainable or productive.

We’re still miles away from positive change for our fish populations, as officials release a new fisheries plan that does not commit to addressing ongoing depletion and biodiversity loss.

Flounder are a common fish species throughout new zealand, yet they are rarely targeted by anglers here. Over the last few years of exploration and learning, i’ve picked up a few tips that i’ll be sharing in this article, particularly for catching the most prolific flounder species in nz, the yellowbelly, on softbaits.

Keen anglers are always searching for moments of magic. This is why we often have the mindset of one more bait, one more cast, one more drop, or one more pass. It’s these magic moments that keep you up at night rigging gear and preparing the boat, have you jumping out of bed at 4am when you normally struggle to wake at 6am, and will talk about for the rest of your life.

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Polyethylene braid lines have resulted in big advances in rod and reel technology to handle the increased pressure these lines can apply. Sam mossman explains how to up-spec lure hardware to cope with the strain.

Upgrading your catch by encouraging bigger fish to bite is a useful tactic on many fishing days. Little fish can be a pain. They’re always stripping your bait or grabbing your lure or fly. There can be so many of them that bigger fish are totally crowded out. Changing up to a bigger or tougher bait, lure, or fly, can slow down the little guys and give the bigger fish a chance to find the hook.

When you think of the south island, what’s the first thing that comes to mind? Perhaps it’s the abundant marine life that surrounds the kaikoura peninsula? Or maybe it’s the tourist magnet queenstown, with all of its thrill-seeking, instagram-worthy activities? While these destinations are great, there’s a closely guarded secret in the mighty south that rivals, if not surpasses them. But word has been getting out over the last few years, so it’s time to make sure you’re equip

Finely chop half a cup of macadamia nuts and add them to a pan with 1 tablespoon of white sesame seeds. Toast on low heat in a tablespoon of sesame oil until they begin to change colour. Remove from heat and spread out on a dish to cool.

Dawn is a favourite time for fishing on lakes, and as the sun peeps over the horizon the water comes alive with rising trout. This country is blessed with a variety of lakes offering different angling experiences, and we will look at the key methods to employ.

The main trout season is closed now; the weather is getting colder and winter heralds spawning rainbow action on those waters that are open all year. The most famous location is of course the mackenzie country canals, but there are also rivers, lakes, and dams that can be targeted.

The lake taupō fishery consists of two components: an abundance of spawning streams producing an abundance of trout, and the lake which provides the smelt on which trout feed and grow. Each one fluctuates independently. If too much recruitment from the spawning streams coincides with a poor smelt year, then trout growth will suffer. The reverse can also happen. In reality, there are so many combinations of this relationship that it makes predicting this fishery a bit of an an

Where two hulls are better than one

Perfect for freshwater fisheries, the shimano sephia fluorocarbon leader comes in a lightweight, small, compact, soft spool that is great for easily storing away in pockets or vests. The ex 3 layer construction means that this leader has a soft inner core for improved knot tying and a hard outer layer for maximum abrasion resistance. Finishing off with a hyper repel coating for increased slickness which means this allows for improved casting ability. Now available in four new

It’s always exciting as the whales begin to arrive, not only because of their majestic beauty but also because it is a surefire indicator that more wahoo are about.

As we head into our dry season and the big fish that accompany the cooler water that comes with it, there is no better time to do a quick report on samoa’s most prestigious fishing event the sigfa samoa international game fishing tournament.

Senior fishery officer allan gilmour patrols a wide area throughout the wellington region, including the south coast, kapiti coast, and horowhenua coast.

The transport accident investigation commission recently released its findings into a triple boating fatality on the manukau bar way back in 2021. Among the commission’s findings was that new zealand needs to require boats to be registered and that we need to assess skipper’s minimum standards of knowledge and boat handling.