I’m fairly sure that the year was 2000. It was the 25th anniversary of us gaining access to fish the Hautu and Rangipo prison farms near Turangi. Almost exactly two years after Mt Ruapehu erupted and belched ash and nutrients into Lake Taupo via the Tongariro River. Following the eruption two once in 100 year floods purged the river of silt and flushed the nutrients … Continue reading CARNAGE INSIDE THE HAUTU PRISON FARM
Treble hooks – do they do more damage to fish than singles? I’ve recently received a few adverse comments about my use of treble hooks on lures. I took this criticism to heart and set out to see if there was a sound scientific basis to the proposition that treble hooks cause more damage to fish than single hooks. I found the answer to this … Continue reading TREBLE V SINGLE HOOKS ON LURES
As the year flashes past and winter steadily progresses into spring it is time to start thinking about the fish that will be entering your favourite estuarine flat following whitebait. Kahawai and trevally make an early appearance but perhaps of more interest is the apex predator that shadows them, Seriola lalandi, the yellow-tailed king of fishes. Last year I started to hook kingfish in amongst … Continue reading SPRING KINGFISH
Text: Alan Bulmer Images: Paul Smith, Tim Bulmer I’ve written at length before about the things to consider when fishing in winter. Click on the following link for more information:- WINTER FISHING TIPS This is what happens when it all comes together in winter. “The day dawned clear, cold and crisp. Not a cloud in the sky. Mist draped the low lying areas in a … Continue reading WINTER SPINNING
I’ve just finished reading a fascinating biography by Tony Hayter entitled “GEM Skues – The Man of the Nymph” (ISBN 978-0-7198-1058-9). Most of you that fish with a nymph would probably have heard of George Edward MacKenzie Skues and how he almost single handedly developed the technique of below-surface fly fishing for sighted trout with nymphs. Such is his legacy. This excellent book is crammed … Continue reading GEM SKUES – THE MAN OF THE NYMPH
Most people tend to put away their fishing gear at the end of autumn or fish less frequently during the winter. Aside from the fact that the atmospheric conditions are often uncomfortable, people believe that it is more difficult to catch fish during winter with the same regularity as over the warmer months. Is this really the case? In my experience winter fishing in the … Continue reading WINTER FISHING TIPS
Active Angling New Zealand 