One of the most successful techniques for spin fishing on the flats is to “wet line” soft plastics. This technique works best if the spinning reel is spooled with braid. My preference is to use 7 kilogram Nanofil or Fireline and attach a 1.5 metre length of 7 kilogram Amnesia monofilament as a shock trace. Fly fishermen will probably understand the principles involved as they are almost identical … Continue reading “WETLINING” SOFT PLASTICS
Over the years I have read many articles on spin fishing and written down everything that was worth remembering. The following are my summary notes on bibbed minnows. It is a collection of other people’s work so I am not claiming ownership. Hopefully it is of some value. “Bibbed minnows have a tapered, streamlined shape reminiscent of a bait fish and a projecting lip (or bib … Continue reading HOW TO FISH HARD BODIED LURES
Due to low tide almost coinciding perfectly with dawn and dusk, I managed to get two fishing sessions in paradise yesterday. Excellent! The morning session fitted in with Paul Smith’s schedule so we arranged to rendezvous at 06.15 am at our normal parking spot. The drive to paradise is a long and winding one which our canine fishing companion Louis was no fan of. Whenever … Continue reading SNAPPER – DAWN AND DUSK
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
Text: Alan Bulmer Lead Image: George Turnbull Catching flats trevally on soft plastics can occasionally be a relatively straight forward exercise, especially during autumn and winter. There are some basic rules to follow and these are covered off in detail in the following articles:- https://activeanglingnz.com/2015/08/08/outsmarting-trevally-with-flies-and-lures/ and https://activeanglingnz.com/2015/07/25/wetlining-soft-plastics/ This article from the archives describes a two hour session on the flats and shows how easy it can be to connect … Continue reading FLATS TREVALLY
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 – SPINNING WITH SOFT PLASTICS
“Author Tony Bishop” link: http://www.bishfish.co.nz/main/about.htm “Many years ago we stumbled across Tony Bishop’s book “Fishing Smarter for Trout” and were really impressed at the systematic and scientific way that he approached fly fishing. All of his books are written in the same thoughtful and easy to read style. One of the things that Tony highlighted in his subsequent books was the importance of knots. He … Continue reading HOW TO TIE FISHING KNOTS PROPERLY AND SECURELY
Stalking the flats – Part 4 – Lure size and general comments on lures Before embarking on a discussion about the types of lures suitable for estuarine spinning and how to use them, I’d like to briefly discuss lure size. Over the past twenty years I’ve used lures of various sizes in my favourite estuary and meticulously recorded success. Based on an analysis of the … Continue reading FLATS LURES – THE BASICS
Heres “Part Three” of Sam Mossman’s “Lures” There are many ways to fish a lure and many different types of retrieve which can be used Surface fishing Floating lures, either poppers or sliders, are used for this type of fishing. These lures have flat, angled or concave faces and create a disturbance when worked across the surface with sideways sweeps of the rod. The idea … Continue reading Sam Mossman – Lures – Part Three
In Stalking the flats – Part 2, I discussed what to look for when walking across the flats. I mentioned that “I am always on the look-out for freshly dug depressions in the sand and shell, roughly 0.5 – 1 metre in diameter. These depressions are often easy to spot as entire areas will be pockmarked with them and they are surrounded by piles of … Continue reading STALKING THE FLATS FOR SNAPPER
Active Angling New Zealand 