Category: Spin Fishing

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Alan Bulmer, Fresh Water Fishing, Lure Fishing, Saltwater Fishing, Spin Fishing, Tackle, Technical

SPINNING REEL MAINTENANCE

It is very important to routinely maintain spinning reels when they are being used in saltwater in order to ensure optimum performance. The last thing that you need when fighting the fish of a lifetime is for the reel to fail due to poor maintenance. Recently I stumbled across an article on spinning reel maintenance while visiting the Alan Hawk website. The Alan Hawk website (www.alanhawk.com) is well worth … Continue reading SPINNING REEL MAINTENANCE

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Alan Bulmer, Blogs, Fly Fishing, Lure Fishing, Saltwater Fishing, Spin Fishing, Technical, Techniques

FINDING FISH ON THE FLATS

Images: Mark Hoffman & NZ Fishing World Recently I wrote an article which described in detail how to find suitable estuarine flats to fish using Google Earth and marine charts and the signs to look for once you are at your chosen spot which give away where the fish are probably holding. https://activeanglingnz.com/2014/04/21/stalking-the-flats-part-one-the-approach/ Despite what Google Earth and marine charts show estuarine channels are dynamic. They are … Continue reading FINDING FISH ON THE FLATS

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Alan Bulmer, Fly Fishing, Lure Fishing, Saltwater Fishing, Spin Fishing, Surfcasting, Technical, Techniques

TIDES AND SAFETY – THE RULE OF TWELFTHS

Lead image: Paul Smith One of the most important things to understand before venturing onto the rocks, flats or in a boat to go fishing is tidal movement. Many anglers, especially those with no marine background or those new to the sport, assume that the tide comes in and goes out at a constant rate. This is definitely not the case and it is very … Continue reading TIDES AND SAFETY – THE RULE OF TWELFTHS

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Alan Bulmer, Fish Species, Fresh Water Fishing, Light Tackle, Lure Fishing, Spin Fishing, Tackle

PIKE ON LIVEBAIT

Recently I was fortunate enough to accompany my wife on a business trip to Toronto. One of the items on my bucket list had always been to catch a pike so on a day when I was not required to carry luggage I arranged a fishing charter with Taro Murata of Fish City Tours to try and catch one. Taro and I corresponded before the … Continue reading PIKE ON LIVEBAIT

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Alan Bulmer, Fresh Water Fishing, Light Tackle, Lure Fishing, Saltwater Fishing, Spin Fishing, Tackle, Technical, Uncategorized

MATCHING SPINNING REELS TO RODS

Many fishing tackle retailers, especially those trying to move volume, seem to match spinning rods and reels based on achieving a particular price point rather than whether the two items of equipment are actually compatible. Some of the budget rod and reel pairings are very poorly matched and would underperform spectacularly on the water. These combinations would be either heavy to hold for long periods of time or cast … Continue reading MATCHING SPINNING REELS TO RODS

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Alan Bulmer, Fly Fishing, Lure Fishing, Saltwater Fishing, Spin Fishing, Tackle, Techniques

CRAFTING FLIES TO MIMIC SUCCESSFUL LURES

The advances in fly tying technology over the past 50 years is staggering. Whereas in the past flies were constructed from fur, feathers, wire and thread, nowadays there is a dizzying array of materials that are used in “crafting flies”. Foam, man made fibres and films, rubber legs, hot melt glue and UV epoxy in particular have revolutionised fly tying techniques. The possibilities to create … Continue reading CRAFTING FLIES TO MIMIC SUCCESSFUL LURES

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Alan Bulmer, Dr.Mike Ladle, Fish Species, Lure Fishing, Saltwater Fishing, Spin Fishing, Tackle, Technical, Techniques

UNDERSTANDING FLOUNDER AND OTHER FLATFISH

Text: Mike Ladle                        Lead image: http://www.fishcrack.com Around the world flatfish are regular targets for shore based anglers yet here in NZ they are largely ignored. However, rather than simply chase them after dark with a spear or net the opportunity exists to target them with a rod and line during the day. To do this it is important to understand how flatfish, and flounder in … Continue reading UNDERSTANDING FLOUNDER AND OTHER FLATFISH

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Alan Bulmer, Light Tackle, Lure Fishing, Saltwater Fishing, Spin Fishing, Tackle, Technical

CHOOSING THE RIGHT JIG HEAD

Featured image: Tim Angeli Arguably the most important factor in soft bodied lure fishing (soft plastics and soft baits) is selecting a jig head that best suits the conditions encountered. Much of what has been written on this subject is fairly generic and it often does not make much sense until you’ve experimented extensively and learned from experience what works best and when. Many people … Continue reading CHOOSING THE RIGHT JIG HEAD

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Alan Bulmer, Lure Fishing, Product Reviews, Saltwater Fishing, Spin Fishing, Tackle

ROD REVIEW – YAMAGA BLANKS BALLISTICK EVO 94/16

Text: Alan Bulmer                Featured image: Henry Gilbey Over the past few years I steadily have come to the realisation that long spinning rods, especially those over 2.6 metres in length, are ideal for shore based estuary fishing. The main reasons for this are explained in: – https://activeanglingnz.com/2015/09/24/are-longer-rods-better-on-the-flats/ In New Zealand the issue, especially when fishing small hard bodied lures and soft plastics, has always been finding … Continue reading ROD REVIEW – YAMAGA BLANKS BALLISTICK EVO 94/16

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Alan Bulmer, Lure Fishing, Saltwater Fishing, Spin Fishing, Tackle, Technical, Techniques

ARE SOFT BODIED LURES MORE EFFECTIVE THAN BAIT?

Featured image: NZ Fishing World Recently I wrote an article which described experiments conducted by Mike Ladle in the UK to compare the effectiveness of lure and bait fishing from the shore versus fishing from a dinghy.  These results clearly showed that, while the catch rate using bait and lures were similar from the shore, the frequency with which big fish were caught increased by nearly six fold with lures (34 … Continue reading ARE SOFT BODIED LURES MORE EFFECTIVE THAN BAIT?

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