About 30 years ago Sam Mossman wrote a seminal book on angling in New Zealand called Saltwater Sportfishing (ISBN #0 7900 0095 4). It was a ground breaking book that was years ahead of its time. Many of the things Sam discussed, and the techniques he suggested, are now common place whereas back in the day they were considered radical and innovative. He was a … Continue reading Sam Mossman – Lures – Part Two
This “tongue-in-cheek” article looks at one of the hidden dangers of fishing near rivers in New Zealand. It was late on a hot summer’s day in mid-February. The ground was still shimmering from the oppressive day time heat and everything was limply hanging out for the respite that would come with dusk. We were dressed in tee shirts and shorts but it made little difference. … Continue reading RIVER SIDE DANGERS – ELECTRIC FENCES
About 30 years ago Sam Mossman wrote a seminal book on angling in New Zealand called Saltwater Sportfishing (ISBN #0 7900 0095 4). It was a ground breaking book that was years ahead of its time. Many of the things Sam discussed, and the techniques he suggested, are now common place whereas back in the day they were considered radical and innovative. He was a … Continue reading Sam Mossman – Lures – Part One
The ideal spin fishing tackle for flats fishing is always going to come down to personal preference. You need to find a rod and reel combination that feels comfortable and suits your casting style as you will make a lot of casts in a two hour flats session. However, having said that, a safe starting outfit would be a 2.1 metre (7′) soft bait rod, … Continue reading SPINNING TACKLE FOR THE FLATS
Here’s a hard case tale from Alan Bulmers fishing diary… Cedric the Black backed gull – a fishing session with a difference! Yesterday’s fishing session on my favourite estuary was interesting. Low tide was at 2.00 pm so I timed my assault to be in the main channel fishing by 12.00 pm. It was an uncharacteristically warm, humid, overcast day. The moisture laden, concrete grey … Continue reading BEWARE OF BLACK BACKED GULLS
(Words – Alan Bulmer/ Images – Kiyoshi Nakagawa) The day dawned cool and clear in Auckland. I had slept fitfully as I always do before a serious fishing trip, scared to drop off unless I missed the alarm and excited about what the day would hold. I was already up when the alarmed sounded at 4.15 am, ready and breakfasted by the time that my … Continue reading NGONGOTAHA – TROPHY TROUT MECCA
Shortly after we received the article from Mike Ladle on his Mullet catching exploits in England (https://activeanglingnz.com/2014/04/21/dr-mike-ladle-mullet-fishing-for-new-zealand/) I received an email from Alan Bulmer, describing the flies that he tied for Mike Ladle to entice Mullet species in the UK….. The e-mail went:- “Hi Paul, First things first, the species of mullet that Mike Ladle catches in the UK is not identical to the NZ Grey … Continue reading MULLET – KIWI FLY CATCHES THEM IN UK
LIGHT TACKLE ADVANTAGES There are many advantages to fishing light tackle when spinning. I consider 1kg and 2 kg line to be light tackle. The first thing you will notice is that you can fit a lot of light line on your reel. This is a bit of a worry though. Light line under pressure easily digs in to the line below it on the … Continue reading GARY KEMSLEY ON LIGHT TACKLE
Mullet fishing for NZ Around every shoreline in the World you will find mullet. The sleek grey shapes will be ghosting in and out of harbours, grazing algae from the rocks, rooting in the gloopy mud of estuaries, skimming scum from the water surface or simply basking in the warm shallow water as the tide creeps in over your favourite beach. What you will rarely … Continue reading Dr. MIKE LADLE – MULLET FISHING FOR NEW ZEALAND
Stalking The Flats – “What to Look For” The most important skill to be learned in order to spin fish estuaries effectively is identifying where fish are likely to be located. This process starts well before you reach the water. In fact, it starts as soon as you get out of your vehicle. The first thing that I’m looking for are the channels which drain … Continue reading STALKING THE FLATS – “WHAT TO LOOK FOR”
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