FISHING TRIP REPORT: New Zealand, April
1999.
By Steve Starling
In late April, 1999, I travelled to the North Island of New Zealand to
fish the Air New Zealand International Saltfly Tournament out of Waitangi,
on the Bay of Islands. My fellow team members in the Carpentaria Seafari's
Team were Capt. Greg Bethune from Cape York, Ernie Allen from Sydney and
Powell Blue from Los Angeles. (By the way, Powell formerly lived in Sydney
for 12 years, so we regard him as an 'Honorary Aussie'!)
A fly casting distance competition
was staged immediately prior to the Saltfly Tournament, and I'm rather
chuffed to report that I was able to win this event, narrowly beating
fellow team-member, Greg Bethune. Considering that the event attracted 44
competitors from all over the world (including a famous
Florida
tarpon/bonefish guide), Greg and I were both amazed and rather pleased to
top the field!
On day one of the two day tournament, out team drew a rock
fishing
location, which we were transferred to via rubber ducky from one of the
game boats (a rather precarious process, I might add!). After berleying
for almost an hour, our rock spot came to life and we began hooking
kahawai (Australian salmon) in the one to three kilogram class on our four
kilo tippets. These fish are fantastic fighters, and they came past us in
wave after green-backed wave. When fishing stopped at 4.30PM, our four-man
team had caught and released an astounding 223 fish, consisting of one or
two
silver trevally, a trio of
snapper and more than 215
kahawai! This was
a record-breaking catch by a land-based team in the history of the Saltfly
and, I might add, one of the hardest, most physical days I've ever spent
with a fly rod in my hand!
Our efforts on day one saw us in
second place that night behind the Northern Ireland team (who had fished
from a boat that day and caught in excess of 300 fish!). Also, Greg
Bethune's individual catch of 67 fish for the day made him "top rod" for
the first session, while my 60 fish had me in third or fourth slot.
Unfortunately, the weather went to pieces that night, with a fierce
easterly front and heavy rain hitting the Bay of Islands. All teams were
forced to boat fish on the second day, as land transfers were impossible.
In most cases, this meant two teams (eight anglers) per boat, with each
team rotating every half hour. Also, the hours of the event were curtailed
and the fishing limited to sheltered bays. Nonetheless, lots of fish were
still caught, and our team managed 104 (almost all kahawai), despite a run
of bad luck involving pulled anchors, disrupted berley trails and broken
rods.
The Kingfish Lodge (NZ) team were fortunate enough to have a boat to
themselves that second day, fishing two-on, two-off and working their
collective butts off to claw past us into second place, behind the
unassailable Northern Ireland contingent, who still managed 200 odd fish
on day two, despite the weather and all other handicaps. However, in my
mind, the stand-out captures of the tournament were definitely the pair of
massive
snapper
taken on fly by the Day Family Team from the USA. The
largest of these weighed 29 pounds on the old scale and was beaten on a
four kilo tippet in a little over half an hour - truly an amazing piece of
angling!
Overall, we were quite happy with our third-place final
position and regard the experience as a definite learning process. If we
ever go back, we'll certainly have a few tricks up our sleeve - especially
in order to match the Kiwis, who've clearly learnt a thing or two from
their involvement in the America's Cup over recent years!
All-in-all, the Saltfly was a well-run and very enjoyable affair staged in
beautiful, fish-rich waters. It is helping to put New Zealand (already
famous for its trout) on the piscatorial map as a world-class saltwater
fly fishing destination.
Following the Saltfly, we spent a relaxing few days at Turangi, on the
shores of Lake Taupo, chasing rainbow trout on fly. The fishing was rather
slow, but none of us particularly cared after the highly competitive
frenzy of the Saltfly. For me, the high point of this final session was a
lovely three kilo rainbow taken in fast water on a light tippet and tiny
nymph - certainly a contrast to the rip-tear-bust of the saltwater scene!
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SEE ALSO: |
|
Recreational Fishing Guidelines Queensland
Australia |
|
Size & Bag Limits |
|
Anatomy of a Fish, Fish Terminology, FAQ about Fish |
|
What Bait to Use A list of types of baits and the fish
species you can catch with them |
|
Fish Length-to-Weight Calculator |
|
Seafood Preparation - Handling your catch, including Seafood Storage |
|
Fish Names - Here
you will find English names of fish and their equivalent in
Japanese, Swedish, Hawaiian, French, Dutch, German, Spanish,
Italian, Danish, Norwegian, Russian. |
| Fish Photos
& Information |
