Fishing Line by Greg Smeal
The
Moment has Arrived
Well, we’ll kick off this week’s column with a note from the Whakatane
Trout Fishing Club. Their A.G.M. is
on Tuesday the 30th September at Trident High School at 7.30 p.m.
Guest speaker will be David Moate from Fish and Game and he will speak on
salt-water fly-fishing in the Bahamas.
All anglers are invited to attend.
The Whakatane Surfcasting Club has a contest this Saturday, one
kilometre either side of Golf Links Road, 10.00 a.m. start time through to 4.00
p.m. with a final weigh-in at 4.30 p.m. at The Gate, Golf Links Road.
This is a great opportunity for those wishing to learn some skills to get
out and fish amongst a successful small club.
Next news item: This is a note to all businesses in the Whakatane area.
Shortly you will be approached in regard to advertising and sponsorship
of the Ryoshi New Zealand Angling and Casting Association National Championships
to be held in Whakatane from the 11th to the 14th March
2004. Close to one thousand people
will be present in the Whakatane area for up to ten days, four of which will be
the beach, land-based, boat and long-distance casting championships.
Time has been given to competitors and families to shop and partake in
the sensational Whakatane atmosphere. Please
consider the approaches made to your business carefully and if you have any, and
I mean any, enquiries you can contact me on 021 277 5172 or email guidingline@xtra.co.nz.
Now, what this column is all about.
Dramatic improvements in air temperature have seen a rise in the catch
rate of snapper. All beaches are
starting to fire up and if only anglers can be given a chance weather wise to
have a crack at the beach fishing good catches will be recorded.
A recent sojourn to Matata in really not favourable conditions saw a
modest return but it was just a pleasure to be in the warmth on the beach.
Large pilchards are securing better fish than smaller baits and by all
accounts the fish are hungry and biting well giving anglers a good workout.
Drag settings often cause anglers confusion and there are two lines of
thought. A. Have the drag set loosely after casting so that the fish can
pick up the bait, run freely feeling no resistance and by pulling hard back on
the rod the angler sets the hook into the fish’s jaw. B. The other
method is to have a slightly firmer drag so that a biting fish, when it turns
quickly to swim away with the bait, the hook sets itself.
Both methods are successful and variations on these two methods are as
different as there are types and sizes of hooks. I personally prefer a softer drag and setting the hook myself
but will change as anglers around me start catching fish and I don’t.
Finally this week: Dotterels
at Drummonds on the Matata Straits and the right hand side of the river at
Tarawera. Please do not drive on
the beach.
Tight
lines