Hauraki gulf musings

7 from the helm

At a time when we’re staring down the barrel of declining inshore fish stocks and increased marine protected areas, it’s nice for recreational fishers to chalk up a rare win. The win comes in a delicious form, too – the southern bluefin tuna (sbt).

Sitting on the back of ultimate lady in the far north sorting out a tangled mess of lures, matt watson had a lightbulb moment that saw his life make a u-turn.

Matt watson started fishing as most of us do with his father and grandfather as a three-year-old. The manukau harbour was matt’s first stomping ground where at just seven years old he became the skipper of his own dinghy and started to terrorise the local snapper, flounder, and mullet on the muddy flats around his hometown of weymouth. As soon as he was old enough (or rather able to haul nets and gut fish) he began to work weekends and school holidays for his uncle as a comme

The hauraki gulf is famous for its birds – and for good reason. Come late october, they’re almost impossible to miss between kawau and the thames. And if you don’t see the birds, you will see the hundreds of boats (quite literally) stampeding towards the slightest sign of a diving gannet. When you do find yourself in the action, birds plunging like white spears in all directions, you’ll typically also be surrounded by countless boats, all fighting for their small pocket of sp

Charter fishing was a part of my angling education from a young age.

Auckland angler richard bathurst has had a long association with this magazine and for a period he contributed the hauraki gulf area report as well as charter reviews.

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

Fisheries new zealand is seeking your views on proposed bottom fishing restrictions in the hauraki gulf (tikapa moana/te moananui-ā-toi).

One world angling record is beyond most anglers, but to land four potential igfa world saltfly records in a 24-hour period from a three-metre boat is something special.

Fishing on a boat isn’t often considered a sport that people with disabilities can enjoy, but a non-profit charity based in tauranga is trying to change that.

If you’ve been holding your breath since last season, then i’ve got some good news… the wait is almost over!

A wairoa man, john nohotima (60) who poached crayfish under a falsified customary permit that had a commercial value of nearly $300,000 has been jailed for two years and two and a half months.

Look out. Caulerpa may be coming to a bay near you this summer. It’s an invasive seaweed species that may stop you from fishing or anchoring in your favourite place. Underwater, it looks like a green carpet of kikuyu grass and it’s already infesting the seabed in some areas at aotea great barrier island, kawau island and bay of islands.

In good faith over the past decade, we have engaged in discussions about improving the hauraki gulf marine park environment. We’ve advocated for a ban on bottom trawling, dredging, and seining. The park also needs to be designated as a separate fisheries management area so fish populations can be restored to more natural levels.

It’s almost a year since the high court declared the minister’s 2021 and 2022 decisions for the future management of northland crayfish (cra 1) unlawful. The court directed the minister to review cra 1 again. That review occurred earlier this year and the outcome was underwhelming.

As advocates for change, it’s concerning that officials recently admitted they dismiss form submissions if they say the same thing. Most of the submissions that legasea receives from passionate people have personal comments added to their submission and this feedback must not be ignored. Firstly, because these are grunty, heartfelt messages from people who care. People who want to have a say on the future management of our marine environment. Kiwis who want a thriving fishery

Tairua-based charter fisher carl muir is gobsmacked at the bureaucratic process that has surrounded the hauraki gulf and tikapa moana protection bill that has been introduced to parliament.

Whangarei schoolteacher eric hansen has been an honorary fishery officer (hfo) since 2017.

A 45-year-old hastings man was ordered to do 150 hours community service and banned from fishing for one year. The man was sentenced in the napier district court for taking 52 undersized pāua – more than five times the daily catch limit of pāua at the time. The man was stopped at waipatiki beach in november 2021 by a fishery officer. He refused to have his bag searched and was arrested with the back-up of police. The man was banned from fishing for one year because of previou

Angler paul alexander has scaled his way to the top of the snapper leaderboard with his monster snapper entry, measuring in at 86.0cm. This is one of the many large specimens caught in northland this season. With paul’s snapper, he is now the current furuno snapper world cup leader. Well done, paul!

The three kings

Serves 4

The kai ika project is a non-profit initiative bringing communities together to share previously underutilised fish parts to reduce waste and feed the community while conserving fish for future generations.

Sitting proudly in its spot at the most northern point of hawkes bay, the mahia peninsula is a place of deep-rooted connection between the land, sea, and the heart of its people. Here, where the sun farewells each day across the ocean horizon – the only place on the east coast of new zealand where this occurs – atimeless bond between tangata and moana thrives. For the locals, this relationship transcends generations, intertwining their identity and sustenance like the ebb and

Recipe by: grace ormond

Bluefin tuna are a prized sport fish by many anglers across new zealand and over recent years there has been a lot of excitement amongst the fishing community to get out and chase these amazing fish. This excitement is not only for the fight they provide or their fantastic eating qualities but also for the unique experience of catching gamefish in the middle of winter.

No, not christmas, but the anticipation of heading to a favourite stream on october the 1st that’s been untouched for six months makes december 25th seem almost mundane in comparison! However, i’ve come to the realisation that early season, where i live in wellington anyway, is usually utterly poop! The reality is that it’s always freezing cold, windy, and wet, and the fish generally aren’t feeding due to said temperatures. And to make matters worse, after a long hiatus of si

The opening of a new trout fishing season is always looked on with anticipation. However, there is one factor that can make the fishing much more challenging than you expected. Too much water can literally sink your aspirations for the day.

Bright fights of the city

One of sam mossman’s favourite nz fish to catch (and eat) is trevally. In nz waters the white or silver trevally is the only species encountered. But there are a great many members of the carangidae – around 150 worldwide – the family which includes trevally, jacks, and mackerels. Here sam details a few of his favourite tropical trevally species.

Part 2

The hull

Legacy marine l70

Fantastic plastic

All eyes were focussed on the garmin screen as it showed a bunch of snapper rising up from their reefy lairs towards a descending softbait 30 metres ahead of us, all in real-time. We were off the back of kawau island on wayne downer’s boat pannie slayer with warwick pilcher from garmin nz, testing garmin’s newest release of livescope – the xr.

Slow-pitch combo

New artificial bait in town

Covering the bases

Must have tools & accessories

Paulpasisicharters@gmail.com

Greg@troppofishing.com www.fishsamoa.com

Crusoe@vanuatu.com.vu

The hauraki gulf and tikapa moana protection bill will not make it through the parliamentary process until after the election, giving some hope to recreational fishers who oppose it strongly in its current form.