Houseplant Posted June 13, 2019 Report Share Posted June 13, 2019 (edited) An update thread on what I've been getting up to in New Zealand 🇳🇿 Winter is here. It is cold in the mornings, but usually warms up as the sun comes up. Yesterday was a fishing trip. In Northland where I live, the fishing is very good and fish make up most of my family's protein intake. The remainder is meat from animals I shoot, usually goats and pigs, but occasionally deer and small game. Target species was snapper, a large predatory fish that will readily take artificial lures. Snapper are very good to eat! A jetski is my preferred vessel at the moment. It might seem strange, but a jetski has some advantages over a boat and jetski fishing has quite a large following in this part of the world. I launched at 0630, travelled 20km and was fishing by 0700. I dropped a metal jig down in to 50 metres of water and was rewarded by a decent snapper of around 10lb straight away. I repeated this process a further two times with the same result. In open water where there are no snags, I use very light gear, so it takes about 10 minutes to land a fish of this size. After a quiet spell, I landed a 3lb snapper which are great for cooking whole. With over 30lb of good eating fish on ice, there was no need to carry on fishing, so I packed up and went home. Edited September 16, 2019 by Houseplant Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
labstaff Posted June 14, 2019 Report Share Posted June 14, 2019 20km seems a bloody long way from land on a jet ski. You're a brave man than me. It's a cracking looking fish though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Houseplant Posted June 14, 2019 Author Report Share Posted June 14, 2019 Thanks for the comment labstaff. Most of that journey was through a natural harbour, so not that far offshore on this occasion, maybe 5km. Having said that, I regularly fish 20km offshore and even further in the summer months when chasing game fish. 80km rounds trips are the norm, including my local harbour run. 100km would not be exceptional. Fishing skis are big, stable and fast. Mine is equipped with two radios, GPS, flares and PLB. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marsh man Posted June 14, 2019 Report Share Posted June 14, 2019 We are now in the height of the Summer but if you would have been here this last week you would have thought we were back in the Winter as it have been cold and very wet , although today is a lot better and hopefully we are over the worse of the weather . THANKS for sharing your photo of your fishing trip and for the report , very interesting how they do it overseas . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Houseplant Posted June 14, 2019 Author Report Share Posted June 14, 2019 (edited) Edited June 14, 2019 by Houseplant Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
islandgun Posted June 14, 2019 Report Share Posted June 14, 2019 Nice one. hoping to get over there one day soon [before i get to old] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave at kelton Posted June 14, 2019 Report Share Posted June 14, 2019 you are braver than me. We had six weeks in NZ three years back and loved it. I hope to get back one day and to fish the rivers around lake Taupo again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Walker570 Posted June 14, 2019 Report Share Posted June 14, 2019 Slightly of the subject but last night watched a youtube vid of a tahr hunt the McCauley River and was astonished to see the new hut, amazing. I hunted out of the old hut in 1991 and it was very comfy but that new one is luxurious. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
markyboy07 Posted June 15, 2019 Report Share Posted June 15, 2019 That looks a lot of fun, i went to the bay of islands nearly twenty years ago now its an amazing place. Do you get to see any big stuff like sharks or whales? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Houseplant Posted June 15, 2019 Author Report Share Posted June 15, 2019 (edited) Dolphins are common, they bow ride the ski sometimes which is pretty cool. I see whales occasionally and have had a pod of four orca rush right up to the ski in attack mode! Luckily they were smart enough to realise I wasn't food. There are a lot of sharks, it's just part of life. They can be a pain because they will take hooked fish. I've seen 3 metre plus mako jump clear of the water. We have great whites as well, but they are generally well behaved. Sharks are viewed as a risk to manage, rather than something that causes panic. People swim, surf, dive and even spearfish without too much concern. Edited September 16, 2019 by Houseplant Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
markyboy07 Posted June 15, 2019 Report Share Posted June 15, 2019 Great photo, would luv to try something like this, and i get that sharks would be more curios than dangerous its just i think i would feel a little vulnerable on a jet ski. Like most things i'm sure your confidence grows the more you do it and the reward far out-ways the risk. more reports like this would be great Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve_b_wales Posted June 15, 2019 Report Share Posted June 15, 2019 I'm not in the slightest bit envious!!!!!!!😊 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fisheruk Posted June 15, 2019 Report Share Posted June 15, 2019 Yes, excellent fishing. i agree a jet bike is an ideal platform for fish. I have had three and probably caught more fish from those than anything else. I sold my fishing boat after the first year, because I could get to places on the jet bike where I just couldn’t take a boat. I use to motor out to the white water across the sand bar at the end of the estuary throw out a short anchor, step off and spin for bass in the surf. Fabulous fishing. As my old dad use to say “you don’t need to have fancy gear, you just need to be where the fish are.” 👍 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old farrier Posted June 15, 2019 Report Share Posted June 15, 2019 Hi houseplant nice little video and some cracking fish could you be kind enough to tell us a bit more about the jet ski and the gear you use thanks for posting a very interesting thread 😊👍 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Houseplant Posted June 15, 2019 Author Report Share Posted June 15, 2019 (edited) Thanks for the interest Old farrier. Hopefully, I'll get to post some more hunting-related stuff in due course which may be of more interest to PigeonWatch members. As for jetski fishing, I'll start by saying that jetski fishermen are a different species from the idiots that hoon around, tearing up swimming beaches, scaring boaters and wildlife alike. Those guys give us a bad name. As a demographic, we tend to be middle-aged and serious about fishing. Most "downgraded" from a boat, or as in my case, "upgraded" from a kayak. My jetski is a Yamaha Waverunner FX HO. It is 3.4 metres long and the engine is a 180HP four stroke. It stable, fast and reliable. Kawasaki and Sea-Doo make similar models. Sea-Doo recently produced the first dedicated fishing ski which has got people talking. Jetski fishing is big in New Zealand, Australia, South Africa and some parts of the USA. As a personal choice, I only use lures from the ski, mainly soft plastics and metal jigs. Bait fishing is just too messy within the confines of a ski (or kayak) for my liking. Fortunately, we have an abundance of big fish that are happy to jump on plastic and metal lures! I wrote a short article on the subject for a lifestyle magazine, so thought I'd post it as a general overview. Edited September 17, 2019 by Houseplant Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old farrier Posted June 15, 2019 Report Share Posted June 15, 2019 Wow that’s a fantastic reply and report sounds a good bit of kit the wave runner almost tempted to get one how things change kyack to 180 hp I bet it’s a fair adrenaline rush many thanks for your reply mall the best of Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mel b3 Posted June 16, 2019 Report Share Posted June 16, 2019 Absolutely fantastic Andrew , you're living very well down there mate. I was quite envious until you mentioned great white and orca 😆. Thank you for taking the time to start such a cracking thread. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrisjpainter Posted June 16, 2019 Report Share Posted June 16, 2019 On 15/06/2019 at 08:24, Houseplant said: Dolphins are common, they bow ride the ski sometimes which is pretty cool. I see whales occasionally and have had a pod of four orca rush right up to the ski in attack mode! Luckily they were smart enough to realise I wasn't food. There are a lot of sharks, it's just part of life. They can be a pain because they will take hooked fish. I've seen 3 metre plus mako jump clear of the water. We have great whites as well, but they are generally well behaved. Sharks are viewed as a risk to manage, rather than something that causes panic. People swim, surf, dive and even spearfish without too much concern. Good. Some great photos there. Such a shame it's a jet ski and not a yak Can't win 'em all, I guess. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Houseplant Posted June 16, 2019 Author Report Share Posted June 16, 2019 (edited) One from the archives, just for you Chris 😄 Edited September 16, 2019 by Houseplant Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrisjpainter Posted June 16, 2019 Report Share Posted June 16, 2019 1 hour ago, Houseplant said: One from the archives, just for you Chris 😄 Redemption. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Houseplant Posted June 22, 2019 Author Report Share Posted June 22, 2019 (edited) Today was another fishing trip. On my friend's boat this time. He has a 6.5 metre aluminium boat which is purpose designed and well kitted out for fishing. The plan was to catch live baits in the harbour before heading out to deepwater. Unfortunately, we couldn't catch anything small enough! Every time the bait went in the water, it was taken by kahawai of 1 - 2 lb. At this size, they make great baits for kingfish, but we weren't targeting those today, so released them. Kahawai are a sporting fish in their own right and not bad to eat if prepared correctly. In Australia, they are called "salmon". They are no relation, but fight just as hard and created havoc on our light bait-catching rods. After a little while, we gave up trying to beat the kahawai and went off to do some jigging. One of the lures that is commonly used in New Zealand is a Japanese-style slow jig called an inchiku. They are easy to fish, you drop them down to the sea bed and slowly wind back up. Admittedly they are weird-looking, but they work very well! The first fish aboard was yet another kahawai, but this time a 5lb version. It went like a steam train! It turned out that kahawai were hard to avoid today. We caught and released half a dozen, before moving on to catch something different. Next up was an old favourite, snapper. We caught quite a few, but nothing huge. We also caught some decent trevally. The are good fighters and make excellent sashimi. Other fish that came aboard included pink maomao, an exotic looking species, and terakihi, a smaller species famed for it's eating qualities. On the way home, we saw two enormous orca and seals in the harbour. Edited September 19, 2019 by Houseplant Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scouser Posted June 22, 2019 Report Share Posted June 22, 2019 Jealous, looks like your living the dream. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Houseplant Posted June 22, 2019 Author Report Share Posted June 22, 2019 (edited) Thanks Scouser. Fishing quality was way below average. Having said that, enough fish to feed two families and a nice morning out, so not complaining 😄 Edited September 17, 2019 by Houseplant Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Houseplant Posted June 23, 2019 Author Report Share Posted June 23, 2019 (edited) Chasing the big ones again today... Edited September 17, 2019 by Houseplant Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Houseplant Posted June 23, 2019 Author Report Share Posted June 23, 2019 (edited) I gave a mate a goat leg and a venison shoulder and he prepared this platter. It was amazing! Even Mrs Houseplant (who can be alarmingly vegetarian at times) went full carnivore! It pays to know a pit master 😀 Edited September 17, 2019 by Houseplant Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.