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Lead image: Game Fishing Asia One of the most frustrating things that an angler using lures can experience is losing a solid fish due to a hook breaking or pulling out. Why do hooks break and is there anything that can be done to reduce the likelihood of hooks breaking? Aside from casting damage, the two most common reasons that hooks break are work hardening or stress corrosion … Continue reading HOW TO STOP HOOKS BREAKING
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Lead image: Rob Wilson (https://www.ghostfishing.co.nz/) One of the biggest issues facing anglers spin fishing from the shore is snagging and losing lures. If you are fishing an area for the first time or using lures not suited to the terrain that you are fishing then losses can be significant and expensive. There is a fine balance between getting your lure close to the bottom where … Continue reading HOW TO STOP LOSING LURES
Video: Paul Smith Lead image: Henry Gilbey (https://www.henry-gilbey.com/) This 40 second video shows the power and finesse that can be achieved when side casting lures correctly. Check out how close the lure goes to the hull of the moored boat in the last sequence. The billowing of the shirt sleeve shows how windy it was. It is at technique worth mastering, especially for use in … Continue reading VIDEO – SKILFUL SIDE CASTING
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This easy to tie fly is constructed from a foam ear plug. The type of plug used in noise attenuation. TYING MATERIALS Hook: Daiichi 2546 Saltwater hook. Size: 2/0. Tail: Three layers. Bottom layer is red Hareline Dubbin Fishair. FH310. Middle layer is pink DNA Frosty Fish Fiber. Top layer is Pearl Hareline Dubbin Krystal flash. Body: Orange foam ear plug. 1″ in length. TYING … Continue reading EAR PLUG POPPER
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Images: Mark Hoffman and Alan Ang Several times recently I’ve ventured out onto the flats at dawn and encountered foggy conditions. On the first occasion it was a thick “pea souper” with low visibility and two of us only hooked one fish in the entire session. Interestingly the fish took as the fog was finally starting to lift but it was an isolated incident as … Continue reading UNDERSTANDING FOG AND HOW IT AFFECTS FISHING
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Text: Mike Ladle Lead image: Paul Smith The tides, the weather, and the manner in which these effect the sea are crucial to understanding the behaviour and feeding patterns of sea fishes. The tides are due to a double bulge of water, on either side of the earth, caused by the attraction of the moon. If the moon was stationary in relation to the rotation of … Continue reading USING TIDES TO PREDICT WHEN TO FISH
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Lead image: Henry Gilbey (www.henry-gilbey.com) When using braid it is critical to spool spinning reels properly to avoid wind knots. Most manufacturers of spinning reels made for use with braid are aware of the importance of line lay and have designed the rotor and line roller to fill the spool evenly from top to bottom with braid of a specified diameter. If you use the correct diameter … Continue reading SPOOLING BRAID PROPERLY
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The iridescent green beetle is a excellent imitation of the Manuka beetle. These beetles hatch over summer (November – February) and trout feed actively on them. They are widespread across New Zealand and are an important favourite forage species for trout, especially in the central North Island area. Unlike the Brown Beetle, the Manuka Beetle is active during day light hours when the wind will blow them … Continue reading TYING THE IRIDESCENT MANUKA BEETLE
Text: Mike Ladle Featured image: GT with Lure (Al McGlashan – http://www.sportsfishingmag.com) Mike Ladle has visited the tropics many times on fishing holidays and written at length about his tropical fishing adventures on his Operation Sea Angler blog. By comparison, I’ve only been fortunate enough to visit Fiji a handful of times and written a solitary article on the experience. https://activeanglingnz.com/2014/05/25/fishing-in-fiji/ Fishing in the Tropics is undoubtedly different to fishing in … Continue reading TROPICAL FISHING TACKLE
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Several years ago I began to experiment tying flies with combinations of rubber bodies and more traditional synthetic and natural fly tying materials. The initial aim was to craft hybrid flies which mimicked successful lures. The technique worked so I wrote an article on hybrid lures last year. Click on the following link to read it: – https://activeanglingnz.com/2016/08/28/crafting-flies-to-mimic-successful-lures/ Earlier in the year when researching an … Continue reading HYBRID FLIES USING RUBBER TAILS AND MYLAR TUBE
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