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
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
One of the most sought after estuarine flats targets is trevally. Nicknamed the “Silver Prince” they are a difficult fish to hook and often can be even harder to land. The larger specimens encountered in estuarine environments tend to hunt alone, unlike in the open ocean where schools of fish are common. Tagging studies by local fisheries scientists have shown that trevally are not a wide ranging … Continue reading TARGETING TREVALLY
The first thing I do when I first walk onto an estuarine flat is to take 10 – 15 minutes to look around through my polaroid’s and see what is happening. I’m looking for two things, fish movement and bird activity, and while I’m looking I try to keep my own movements as unobtrusive as possible. Checking for fish movement, especially in the shallow margins, … Continue reading FINDING FISH USING BIRDS
Text: Alan Bulmer Featured image: Wettie Several months ago I published an article called “Targeting Trevally” which looked at how to improve your success rate when chasing trevally. If you want to view this article then click on the following link:- https://activeanglingnz.com/2015/08/08/outsmarting-trevally-with-flies-and-lures/ Late autumn and early winter are prime times to target trevally. There are some things that you need to consider when fishing during the … Continue reading HARBOUR TREVALLY
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
Text: Alan Bulmer Featured image: Tim Angeli-Gordon By the time May rolls around kahawai and trevally have moved into most of the northern estuaries. The fishing in May – early June can be hectic with lots of work ups in close as these predators chase bait fish schools in the shallows, especially at the change of light. This carnage has already started in the Manukau … Continue reading MID WINTER KAHAWAI ON THE FLATS
Alan remembers an Autumn escape to Fiji back in 2011….. Our first stop after clearing customs at Nadi airport was the Radisson hotel on Denarau island. Despite the distance being a paltry 12.7 kilometres, it took 45 minutes to get to our accommodation due to the atrocious condition of the road and the inclement weather. The road was a sea of mud in places and … Continue reading SPIN FISHING IN FIJI
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