The Catch

April 2025

Fishing gear that multi-tasks

So many different fishing techniques are used on such a wide variety of fish species these days, that many of them require specialist rods and reels f...

1 April 2025

March 2025

BYO ‘super bungy lure rig’!

A home-made bungy trolling line is a great addition to any fisher's arsenal, whether chasing fresh bait or a feed.

11 March 2025

Article

January 2025

Pillie power!

What is it about pilchards that makes them irresistible to so many fish?

24 December 2024

News

Gettin’ jiggy with it!

Heavy metal should feature in every angler's bag of tricks, but there's a huge variety of jigs and jigging techniques. By Mark Kitteridge. One only h...

3 December 2024

The Catch

Yay for squid!

The most spectacular demonstration of how good a bait squid can be occurred on a trip to the King Bank, off the Three Kings Islands in the mid 1980s. ...

17 November 2024

News

Cover up, buddy!

In addition to the more common freckles, moles and age spots, there are also dry, scaly patches (actinic keratosis) and even a few basal cell carcinom...

6 October 2024

Sometimes it’s better to just hang on and wait for a gaffed fish to stop struggling! The gaff hook here is of the diamond design. PHOTO: NZ FISHING NEWS

September 2024

Just gaff it!

Last issue we looked at using landing nets, which requires less skill – even complete novices can be coached through the netting process by an experie...

8 September 2024

August 2024

Get The Net!

If the fish is quite modest in size and well hooked, it should be possible to lift it into the boat by holding the lure or trace. However, bigger fish...

1 August 2024

July 2024

Chilly fishing

The planet might be warming, but we can still expect several months of cooler weather.

31 July 2024

June 2024

What a drag!

Properly set, a reel's drag system prevents busted lines and lost fish, but too much drag can be hard on anglers.

15 July 2024

Fishing

Fishing smarter with lures

A typical day’s fishing can cost between $100–200 in bait – expensive when compared to a couple of $20–25 slow-jigs or $10–15 worth of soft-baits.

26 April 2024

April 2024

The Catch: Spare the rod

I have seen lots of rods broken in lots of different ways. The vast majority of breakages were preventable.

2 April 2024

March 2024

CYO mackerel

Skyrocketing bait prices could make justifying regular fishing trips more challenging for budget-conscious anglers. Perhaps it’s time to catch your ow...

27 March 2024

February 2024

Deploy the drogue

Dragging a reliable, suitably-sized drogue slows the boat’s drift, making lure presentation easier and much more effective. A drogue can also offer ad...

20 February 2024

January 2024

Go small and soft! (Part 2)

A finesse approach to fishing soft baits can pay dividends, especially in heavily-fished areas with educated fish.

20 January 2024

December 2023

Downsize for more fun

The day I chose to go smaller with my soft-baits turned out to be a turning point in my fishing life.

13 December 2023

May 2023

Leaders in their field Part 3: Rigging baits for Kingfish

Kingfish are an enigma. One day they smash anything remotely edible, baits and lures alike, the next they seem to have their mouths sewn shut. Unfortu...

25 May 2023

April 2023

Leaders for kingfish –Part II

Catching a decent kingfish is a dream for many anglers – and once you feel that immense power through the rod and line you’ll understand why!

10 May 2023

March 2023

Treats for kingfish

My intentions were good: to continue with my ‘Leaders in their field’ series, this time for catching kingfish. Then I realised I hadn’t yet covered th...

19 April 2023

February 2023

Leaders in their field (Part 2) Leaders for lures

Whether bait or lure fishing for snapper, a leader’s primary purpose is to protect against line damage.

25 February 2023

January 2023

Festive family fishing essentials

Mark takes a break from his ‘Leaders in their fields’ series to suggest fishing items and techniques that will help Christmas holiday success.

26 January 2023

December 2022

Leaders in their field (Part 1)

A leader might be just a relatively short length of line, but its diverse roles make leader use essential to most forms of fishing.

11 January 2023

November 2022

Carrots anyone?

Good looking and great in the pan, gurnard is a popular recreational catch.

15 November 2022

October 2022

Find those fish (Part 4): Work-ups – a wild gannet chase!

Hovering, fluttering and feeding seabirds often indicate feeding predators.

21 October 2022

September 2022

Find those fish (Part 3) Closer to home

Where to fish, when and why: reading the clues the inshore environment provides.

15 September 2022

July 2022

FIND THOSE FISH (PART 1): Current favourites

Oceanic currents, temperature breaks, structure and concentrations of baitfish are key factors when searching for pelagic gamefish.

29 July 2022

August 2022

Calamari time

The cooler months may not suit some anglers, but they signal productive and tasty times ahead for squid (egi) fishers!

27 July 2022

June 2022

More fish in the sea

Why aren’t we doing more to breed and release native fish? A simple question with complicated answers. Alex Stone looks at some of the issues surround...

28 June 2022

May 2022

Wrigglier rubber

My advancing years and a long-time passion for soft-plastic fishing probably qualify me as a ‘veteran’, but the challenge of bringing soft-baits to li...

25 May 2022

April 2022

The power of movement

Finally, an overall recommendation: don’t overdo the strength of your trace: the thinner the trace diameter, the better your lures’ natural action. Go...

22 April 2022

March 2022

KNOW YOUR BAITS PART 1 – You got to move it, move it!

Dead baits might not be quite as effective as live baits, but there are ways to impart an illusion of life to them that fish find hard to resist. Th...

25 March 2022

February 2022

Let’s stray-line!

Strayline fishing is perhaps the most effective bait fishing technique, especially for snapper. It’s essentially a simple fishing style, but taking th...

26 February 2022

Boat Business

The stray-line rig

Perhaps the simplest and probably the most effective rig for catching snapper, the stray-line rig benefits from a few subtleties. Last month we looke...

1 February 2022

Boat Business

Deadly dropper rigs

Novice anglers who read last month’s Boating NZ may now be the proud owners of a new spinning outfit and destined (hopefully) for ‘bait-fishing greatn...

20 December 2021

November 2021

Let’s get started!

Fishing success – or lack of it – is greatly influenced by an angler’s skill level and choice of fishing gear. Taking time to learn the basics can mak...

23 November 2021

October 2021

Better put a bib on!

Trolling bibbed minnows is arguably the easiest way to catch kingfish – if you know the basics! These essential elements include: using suitable tack...

5 October 2021

September 2021

Slip into a slider!

They may look more like Christmas Tree decorations than fishing lures, but kabura or slider jigs do the business on snapper – and a whole range of oth...

15 September 2021

August 2021

No limits to greed

Pink maomao. Chances are many Kiwis don’t even know what pink maomao are, but if you have dived/fished the waters of northern New Zealand, you have al...

6 August 2021

July 2021

Aquaculture concerns

Aquaculture is often touted as the future of seafood, but is it really? Scrolling through Facebook the other day, I stumbled across a discussion on t...

9 July 2021

June 2021

Bracing for winter

I always feel a little sad when the last vestiges of summer disappear and winter can no longer be denied.

28 June 2021

Weekly Newsletter

Stay up to date with the latest developments shaping New Zealand's Boating world.

Social Media

NZ Events Worth Adding to Your Calendar

Have an event you'd like to list on Boating New Zealand. Contact us with the details.

FISHING

Hook Me Up Fishing Competition - Matakana vs Hillside, 7 Mar 2025 in Whakatane

The Kubota Billfish Classic, 12 - 15 Mar 2025 in Mercury Bay, Whitianga

ITM Fishing Competition, 13 - 16 Mar 2025 in Whangaroa

NZ Lure Masters (Catch, Measure and Release competition), 3 & 4 Oct 2025, New Zealand wide

REGATTAS

Toyota Youth International Match Racing Cup, 26 Feb - 4 Mar 2025 in Auckland

PIC Harbour Classic, 28 Feb - 1 Mar 2025 in Auckland

Sydney to Auckland Ocean Race 2025, starting 11 Oct 2025 TBC from Sydney Harbour

PIC Insurance Brokers Coastal Classic, 24 Oct 2025 TBC from Auckland to Russell

Rolex Sydney to Hobart, 26 Dec 2025 starts in Sydney, Australia

HYDRO THUNDER

Lucas Oil Hydro Thunder Race - Lake Rotoiti, 8 - 9 Mar 2025 at Nelson Lakes

Lucas Oil Hydro Thunder Race - Lake Twizel, 29 - 30 Mar 2025 at Twizel

JET BOAT RACING

2024/25 NZ Jetsprint Championship R4, 23 Feb 2025 at Wanganui

2025 NZ Marathon Coast-to-Coast, 16 to 25 Mar 2025 starting at Greymouth ad finishing at Christchurch

WATERSPORTS

IWWF University Nationals (waterskiing), 26 February to 2 March Orakei Basin, Auckland

MEET UPS

Bay of Plenty Trailer Yacht Cruising Rally, Easter 2025 at Lake Rotoiti, BOP

SHOWS

Moana Auckland - New Zealand's Ocean Festival, 27 Jan to 9 Mar 2025 in Auckland

Auckland Boat Show, 6 - 9 Mar 2025 to be held at the Viaduct Events Centre and Jellicoe Harbour, Auckland

The Hutchwilco New Zealand Boat Show, 15-18 May 2025 to be held at the Viaduct Events Centre and Jellicoe Harbour, Auckland

NZ Boat, Fish and Dive Show, 30 & 31 Aug 2025 to be held at Mystery Creek Events Centre, Waipa

NEWS TIPS?
Send your photos, videos, stories, and tip-offs to ahoy@boatingnz.co.nz or call us on 022-023-7507.

The Catch

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Weekly Newsletter

Social Media

BYO ‘super bungy lure rig’!

Pillie power!

Gettin’ jiggy with it!

Yay for squid!

Cover up, buddy!

Just gaff it!

Get The Net!

Chilly fishing

What a drag!

Fishing smarter with lures

The Catch: Spare the rod

CYO mackerel

Deploy the drogue

Go small and soft! (Part 2)

Downsize for more fun

Leaders in their field Part 3: Rigging baits for Kingfish

Leaders for kingfish –Part II

Treats for kingfish

Leaders in their field (Part 2) Leaders for lures

Festive family fishing essentials

Leaders in their field (Part 1)

Carrots anyone?

Find those fish (Part 4): Work-ups – a wild gannet chase!

Find those fish (Part 3) Closer to home

FIND THOSE FISH (PART 1): Current favourites

Calamari time

More fish in the sea

Wrigglier rubber

The power of movement

KNOW YOUR BAITS PART 1 – You got to move it, move it!

Let’s stray-line!

The stray-line rig

Deadly dropper rigs

Let’s get started!

Better put a bib on!

Slip into a slider!

No limits to greed

Aquaculture concerns

Bracing for winter