Video: Paul Smith Lead Image: Stuff.co.nz Check out this cool little underwater clip showing the amazing amount of fish activity in a well constructed berley trail. Myriads of small bait fish, piper and even a stingray all enjoying the bounty. It concludes with a small snapper getting hooked, played and landed by a salt water fly fisherman. Continue reading VIDEO – BERLEY TRAIL MAGIC
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Research undertaken by NIWA scientists, Dr Mark Morrison and Dr Glen Carbines, using towed underwater cameras has clearly shown that some snapper sleep at night. Check out the video below and see how some of the snapper barely move until they are almost hit by the camera. A fascinating insight into snapper behaviour. Continue reading VIDEO SHOWING SNAPPER SLEEPING
Going bibless – Why should you? There are many different types of lures available to shore based, saltwater spin fishermen. In New Zealand, metal spinners and bibbed lures are by far the most commonly used. Blade spinners (Mepps type) and weighted metal blades have historically been used in freshwater but they are steadily growing in popularity in the salt. Trout fishermen, in particular, find it … Continue reading USING BIBLESS LURES
Article by: Alan Bulmer Photos: Paul Smith Recently I read an excellent article by Neil Wagener in NZ Fisher # 50 entitled “Are we training fish to avoid lures”. Click on the following link to view it:- http://www.nzfisher.co.nz/ The basic premise of the article is that fish become conditioned to lures the more they see them and if they are hooked, landed and released during … Continue reading DO FISH LEARN TO AVOID LURES?
In “Stalking the Flats – What to look for” I listed some of the things to look out for which give a clue as to where fish will be holding in estuarine flats. Check it out: http://-https://activeanglingnz.com/2014/04/21/stalking-the-flats-part-2-what-to-look-for/ Over the weekend I happened upon a publication from Mark Morrison et al entitled “Linking marine fisheries species to biogenic habitats in New Zealand: a review and synthesis of … Continue reading WHERE TO FIND FISH IN HARBOURS
Written By: Alan Bulmer Photos: Paul Smith & Mark Hoffman Recently I received a fascinating e-mail from Dr Mike Ladle in the UK describing his experiment to see whether fish activity increased around dawn. Mike is convinced that fishing at the change of light at dawn is the most productive time of day and designed an experiment to try and prove this. Mike actually recorded the number of … Continue reading IS DAWN THE BEST TIME TO FISH?
Words Alan Bulmer , Photo’s & Video Mark Hoffman Mark Hoffman and I have been planning for weeks to fly fish a shallow flat we’d discovered on Google Earth close to central Auckland. Our plan was to hit the spot when the weather was settled and a high tide next coincided with dawn. All the stars aligned this Saturday. The weather was perfect. Fine and sunny with a westerly … Continue reading EARLY MORNING MAYHEM ON THE FLATS
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Waiheke Island is located in Auckland’s Hauraki Gulf. A short ferry ride from downtown Auckland it is arguably the jewel in the crown when it comes to saltwater fly fishing around Auckland. If you want a better idea of how good it can be click on the following video from Paul Smith to see local fishing legends, Adam Clancey and Tom Lusk, getting up close and … Continue reading WAIHEKE ISLAND – SALT FLY NIRVANA?
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
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
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