Issuu

• Closure for the Kaik ura rock lobster fishery pg 9 Crystal Gaigers’ john dory may not have been a competition species entrant but it was a new PB for her pg 3

• The honeymoon continues pg 5

• Norm continues to express his opinions about Fisheries Reforms pg 6

Hey, does everyone know of my fondness for desserts? Of all the blocks for the Marlborough NZDA ﬂy-in trip, I’ve received an email allocating me ‘Pudding’.

I must share Pudding with strangers, divvy it into quarters, but I’m sweet with that.

Some of the other block names are not nearly as enticing. Grey - visions of drab landscapes and dull skies ﬂash before me. Horrible – well that sounds just, horrible. And Jack – I’m familiar with Jack, he can be moody and cold, so yeah nah

My essentials list grows ever-longer in the lead up to D Day. The resulting pile on the lounge ﬂoor becomes Must-Have Mountain.

I get permission to take Kip the kelpie, she needs her own DoC permit, as do I. Winter solstice loomsthe shortest day followed by the longest night. What does one do on an isolated mountain top on long cold nights. Four long colds nights in succession are a daunting prospect.

Once in a Blue Moon

Kim Swan

One could talk to three strangers around a shared campﬁre after dinner and a beer. That might get us to 7pm, but then it’s a long time till daybreak and a great escape.

The more I think about four boring nights conﬁned to a tiny solo tent the more I fret about the decision to do the trip. I hang in there, just. But when the weather forecast goes all awry and the call is made to postpone the ﬂights, I am delighted not disappointed. Must-Have Mountain shrinks to Mainstay Molehill in no-time. Just the essentials for a day trip remain, and there they lay waiting for an opportunity to get busy and bushy. They wait, and they wait, but the adverse weather it takes its sweet time to disperse.

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In all honesty I have cabin fever by day two and I’m at home, not stuck in a tiny tent. There is a real bed here, with Dearly Beloved in it. There is electricity, internet, artiﬁcial light. There’s an oven and stove-top, so there are dinners, desserts, and dishes. And still, I pace and frown and sigh.

Day three - I’m bitchin’ and itchin’ to go hunting.

Day four - Let. Me. Outta. Here. The break comes that evening –a lengthening between showers and gaps in the cloud cover. I cannot wait till sparrow fart tomorrow. Instead, I dissemble Mainstay Molehill and rebuild it. I charge the thermal binoculars, head torch, and scope light. I rethink my clothing choices and my destination.

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let her walk, this time. Way up, on a huge outcrop treed with gnarled old broadleaf’s I can see a mob of goats. They are agitated; their body language suggests that they too have caught a whi of me and don’t like it. Don’t believe that goats spend all their nights sleeping – in moonlight they can and will travel.

On and on I go but to no avail.

On and on until the moon’s light begins to dull. Black shadows become gray. The sky stars seem to shrink, and the ground stars no longer twinkle. On until my options are culled, my willpower diminished and my body begins to hurt.

The thermal reckons there’s only me and the goats left out here. They have indeed shifted camp. They’ve climbed higher before settling down and waiting for dawn and the warming sun. After days of rain, they crave warmth and an opportunity to dry their bedraggled coats.

I log a route plan, then, after midnight I set-o on foot after parking at the toe of moody Mount Jack. The moon is waning. Just nights ago, it was something remarkable and gazed upon by astrologists the world over. At its peak it was a Micro-Blue Moon. There won’t be another like it till 2053.

The micro moon may appear smaller and dimmer than usual, but it is a magical balm for nocturnal me.

Lunar beams refract o droplets beaded on the vegetation; they twinkle now, like ground-stars. Puddles and fresh slips glisten. Shadows lurk like cat burglars. My own lengthy shadow proceeds me. Unfortunately, so does the merest waft of westerly wind. No matter how far I walk, and walk I most certainly do, I cannot outrun it nor outwit it. Wind and dark clouds meander back and forward, up and down like puppets on strings.

The thermal lights up the mountain in a whole other dimension. Way up high, asleep on a grassy knoll is a lone deer. Lower, within rifle range, is another deer. A red hind. She has winded me and stands in heavy cover, skinny neck and ears erect. Her eyes reflect the scopelight but don’t enable a positive identification or kill-zone target. I

Dammit methinks, ‘I’m gonna climb up there. I’ll time my arrival so I’m on-site with su cient light to shoot’. I cast o my jacket and my woolly hat with its encircling head torch. I ditch the thermal, the scope-light, the backpack. I stash the lot, then, with a pocketful of ammo clips and a quiet determination I start to climb on the downwind side of the distant mob. Its steep. Spiderman steep. There’s matagouri thickets, loose rocks, shale slides and every manner of impediment. That’s all good as its still dark so I must go slow anyways. Pu and pant and sweat. Pull myself bodily up rock faces. Relish the challenge. Gray turns to brown. A bellbird chimes. Outlines become deﬁned and shadows disappear.

A contoured creep, quiet and catlike. Riﬂe loaded, a clip of bullets in either bra cup ready for quick collection. A sighting of goats yawning and stretching, peeing and shaking nighttime from their beings. An ambush so perfect I am surprised by it myself. Eventually just two goats remain. The kid is suckered within range by my nanny calls. The billy hiding deep within a thicket eventually lifts his head and looks around. Job done. I may have missed out on Pudding but I’ve had a cracker on the back of Jack!

Dawnbreakers Members Competition Delivers PBs, Big Fish and Plenty of Good Times

After a weather-enforced extension, the Dawnbreakers Members Competition ﬁnally wrapped up at the end of April, and it was well worth the wait.

Originally scheduled for mid-April, the measure competition was extended by an extra week when the weather didn’t quite play ball. As it turned out, the extension was a blessing, giving more members the opportunity to get out on the water and enjoy some fantastic ﬁshing.

Members spread themselves far and wide across Tasman Bay, Golden Bay, the Marlborough Sounds and D’Urville Island, chasing snapper, kahawai, gurnard, trevally, kingﬁsh and blue cod. While there were certainly some impressive ﬁsh caught, the competition was about much more than just the leaderboard.

A large group of members headed up to D’Urville Island for a few days, making the most of some absolutely magic conditions. Calm seas, stunning sunrises, glowing sunsets and plenty of ﬁsh made for a pretty hard-to-beat weekend.

Several boats overnighted around the island, with many rafting up together at Port Hardy on the ﬁrst night before moving around to Catherine Cove on the second. The days were spent ﬁshing hard and trying to tick o as many competition species as possible, while the evenings were all about relaxing, sharing stories and enjoying good company.

Steve and Roz had five club members aboard Rozzy and enjoyed some fantastic fishing throughout the trip. Their evenings were spent enjoying a cooked lamb dinner, a wine or two and soaking up the spectacular surroundings of D’Urville Island. Boat camping at its absolute finest!

For Brent and myself, the adventure started with a 4am launch from Okiwi Bay aboard Reel Addiction. We headed straight across to the western side of D’Urville to target tarakihi, john dory and snapper before the sun came up. On the subject of john dory, although not a competition species, I was stoked with my new personal best measuring 53cm.

As daylight arrived, we worked our way through the Passage and

Crystal Gaiger

managed some nice blue cod, although unfortunately not quite big enough to knock Trey Styles o the top spot with his competitionwinning 54.5cm ﬁsh. We then headed out past Stephens Island to try our luck for groper. After plenty of drifts, countless drops and what felt like a lifetime of winding, the groper remained elusive. That’s ﬁshing!

Not to be beaten, we switched our attention to kingﬁsh and the elusive D’Urville trevally before ﬁnally calling it a day and heading into Port Hardy.

The following evening we made our way into Catherine Cove and joined a number of other Dawnbreakers members at the D’Urville Island Wilderness Resort.

The ﬁre was going, the drinks were cold, the food was great and, as always, the ﬁshing stories got bigger as the night went on.

Of course, the adventure wasn’t quite over. Before calling it a night, a group of us headed into Cherry Tree Bay to try and catch a few squid for Species of the Month and score some valuable double competition points. Turns out squid are a lot harder to catch than they look, but they are certainly fun to chase!

The Booker family spent a couple of nights boat camping out from Okiwi Bay with the kids onboard, creating some incredible family memories along the way. Exploring new bays, ﬁshing together and sleeping aboard the boat is what

these trips are all about. Hayden topped o a great weekend by landing the third biggest snapper of the competition with a cracker measuring 77.5cm.

There were plenty of standout catches throughout the competition.

Club Captain Lisa Lamb landed a personal best kingﬁsh measuring an impressive 122.5cm, taking out the longest kingﬁsh category and also walking away with the major draw prize.

Anne Dickinson also celebrated a personal best when she landed an absolute horse of a snapper measuring 80cm while fishing aboard Steve’s boat during the final weekend of the competition. It was her first snapper over 80cm and a fish she’ll be talking about for years to come.

Trey Styles, ﬁshing aboard Knot at Work alongside Competition Master Karl Puklowski, landed the longest blue cod of the competition at 54.5cm.

Meanwhile, Club President Gareth Nicholson proved you don’t need a big boat to catch good ﬁsh, paddling around Golden Bay in his kayak to secure the longest kahawai with a ﬁsh measuring 57.5cm. Razel Parsons, gets a well deserved honorable mention with a 109cm kingi o a kayak too.

Brad Eggers claimed the longest trevally title with a 50.5cm ﬁsh and also secured second place in the snapper section with a 78.5cm ﬁsh. Other winners included James

Plunkett with the longest senior gurnard at 49.5cm.

Our junior anglers also put in some fantastic e orts, with Retief Beukes taking out the junior kahawai category with a 53cm fish, Raikkon Lamb winning the junior gurnard category with a 39.5cm fish, and Ella Bilderbeck claiming the junior snapper title with a 66.5cm fish.

Mystery length prizes were also awarded to Fred Ludik (gurnard), Corey Parsons (kahawai) and Dennis Beukes (snapper).

The celebrations wrapped up at McCashin’s Brewery Tap Room, where more than 80 members packed the venue for an afternoon of prizegiving, giveaways and plenty more ﬁshing stories. It was fantastic to see such a great turnout and a real reminder of how much the club has grown over recent years.

A huge thank you goes to our sponsors McCashin’s Tap Room, Hunting & Fishing Nelson, Daiwa, YETI, DNA Boats, Smokai and Nelson Marine Centre for their ongoing support.

At the end of the day, competitions like this aren’t really about who catches the biggest ﬁsh. They’re about the adventures, the early starts, the raft-ups, the sunsets, the family memories and the stories that get retold every time we catch up. Bring on next season and the 2026 Snapper Cup in November!

Razel Parsons with her 109 cm kingﬁsh

Poetic Justice Coastlines

Ivan Wilson

Golden yellow blazing red, Autumn came

In it’s place Winter drear, but westward ho not often here.

There now, I’ve at least satisﬁed the title of this wee tale. For as long as I can remember, The Coast has had rather a misguided reputation of being rainy at all times. Now you’ll understand there can’t be a rainforest without a modicum of wet stu , but, and in my opinion, this attitude toward my chosen region is somewhat inaccurate, because many people have visited during school holidays, which have traditionally happened around Autumn and Spring when the rain forest gets it’s drink. The rest of the year is surprisingly (for non locals) pleasant. I might just hazard a guess that many who decry our weather know little about our favoured location having never been here. Does that sound a bit parochial? Well yes I do work part time at the PRO!

Winter is so good over here, I can take the 4 metre Silver Frog out to Lake Brunner and enjoy the warmth across the middle of the day and have quite good fishing. I mentioned this to a mate, who was enthusiastic enough to join me on an expedition recently. This chap emanated from an island right the way across the other side of the world and in his earlier years took the adventurous choice to HITCH HIKE to New Zealand in order to seek his fortune, find a wife and go a-fishing. The West Coast is a great place to achieve all 3 of those intentions and while he achieved them, there are a number of other objectives he’s also notched up. Now if you’re of sound mind and body, want to be employed and have no intentions of taking over and converting us to some “ism” or other, come one, come all. Matey managed to hitch rides as far as Singapore, but as he said, New Zealand happens to be an island, so he had to take alternative means to complete his epic undertaking. We’re pleased he did, as he’s added much to our region, while selectively subtracting from our extensive trout population. So back to Winter fishing. Lake fish typically will head towards inflowing rivers and streams in

preparation for spawning and I’ve seen good numbers of fish grouped around the mouths of creeks ready for the o . However at this stage they’re not that interested in a fly, unless you’re a bit lucky. But not all trout head away from the lake into the rivers to spawn and if you like what I call a floating stalk, good sport can be had in the Winter months, particularly after a frost when we get blue and gold days, with warmth from about 10.00am until around 3 in the arvo. After that the sun dips out west and the colder temperatures make themselves felt.

On this particular day we decided to arrive lakeside when the sun had warmed things somewhat, so set out at 0800 hrs, driving up the valley and into the thickest fog I’ve seen for a long time. This didn’t worry us as it’s more often than not, the harbinger of a very nice day out on the lake and so it proved to be. Yes it was cold for a start but as the sun crept higher, the temperatures followed suit and the mercury slowly rose. Even though the Yarmy had not been out of the shed for far too long, it ﬁred up after a couple of attempts and we chugged away to investigate some interesting backwaters. The lake was up a bit, which allowed us access into areas we’d normally ignore for fear of grounding, but it had been even higher judging by the water marks

on the reeds.

The first fish slunk away on being sighted, so we carried on poking about in nooks and crannies until we were back out on the lake proper. We saw another one but it rushed o as it had something important to do elsewhere, then suddenly the indicator disappeared and it was fish on, then after some vigorous zooming around it was fish o . Such is life-for that trout anyway and you’ll know it’s called “fishing” not “catching” and so your honour I rest my case! I was happy to row and get Matey into good spots and although there wasn’t a mass of fish about being Winter and many were away chasing their partners, there were enough to pique our interest every now and again.

Conversation ﬂowed as you’d expect and the topics ranged widely, but the old rule applies, what’s said in the boat stays in the boat. Anyway if I divulged some of the stu we’d probably be sued.

On we went, at times blind casting, then targeting a rise, or a fish we could see, but the low sun made conditions a bit awkward for sight fishing and then our persistence was rewarded when the hare and copper nymph was taken, the indicator went under and it was game on again. I netted it for him and it was photographed and after hands were wetted it was released to fight

another day. All up we probably saw 8 or 9 trout and hooking up twice kept us both happy and that is what fishing is all about, because you don’t have to kill and eat everything you catch do you. Lunch was enjoyed in a quiet corner and true to tradition a fish appeared when we’d started eating. Yes it did a magical disappearing act. So we had a most enjoyable day out on the lake in Winter sunshine and only 1 other fisho trolling about and not near us as we haunted the edges and sedges.

I was born in Canterbury but we chose to live this side of the Alps and in my very young years in Christchurch, experienced plenty of cold winds and rain, especially when getting about on the pushbike. Plenty of people on The Plains said “It rains all the time on The Coast.” That is of course quite the misconception, as while those on the eastern side of the island labour under cold southerly quarter winds and rain that can mizzle for weeks on end, by the time said draughts climb the Southern Alps, they’ve shed their moisture, lost their pu completely and the western skies are blue with sunshine aplenty.

You could describe those misguided people as being under a meteorological misunderstanding, or maybe, after their uninformed comments, it’s just poetic justice.

Just Married Part Two

We pick up where we left o on day 6 of our Chew tobacco honeymoon down on Stewart Island. There isn’t too much to report from the next couple of days, morning rain encouraged most of us to partake hut bound mornings, indulging in the café luxuries (thanks to our baristas Cody and Goose), and a spot of reading followed by afternoon missions in the search for more rut pads and of course the grey ghosts.

Ben and I were running turn for turn so he was up if we spotted anything; unless it was a buck, then it was ladies ﬁrst. We had a few encounters with whitetail on these days and found an interesting line of rut pads, but found we were never quite being in the right position at the right time. On one of these days Ben decided to suit up and get in the water for a dive despite our worries of old Merve (the angry sea lion) and had a great time, bringing home some delicious paūa and butterﬁsh for quite the feast.

Day 9 arrived with wind, rain and hail and to my surprise we were still heading out. In fact, it was “couples’ day” and the spouses were all hunting together. The others had been hunting on their own until this point but sooky me (with a lot less bush hunting experience) was too scared of getting lost to brave it alone. We rugged up and o we went. Under the canopy was rather sheltered from the wind and only the heavier hail and rain managed to reach us; but underfoot was quiet with the ground being so damp and it made for some much easier stalking. Not too far from where I shot my deer, we came across some fresh sign so slowed our pace and went on high alert. Ben and I had become quite in sync with our stalking so when he stopped suddenly, I knew we were on. A doe was feeding out on a grassy ﬂat no more than 25 yards away, but with a broken o punga tree covering her chest. These deer really do know how to protect their vitals! With some patience, she stepped out and provided Ben with a slightly quartering on shot but he was conﬁdent and sent it (the arrow) hitting exactly where he was aiming. She crashed o and went down in the crown fern. Bugger, this could take some scouting. While we were looking for Ben’s doe, I had a gut feeling it would be a good idea to have my wits about me just in case. Good thing too as a yearling doe stepped on the clearing 10 yards from us. As turn for turn rules go, this should have been my turn but with Ben in front and having the better shot I

said for Ben to take it. She knew to be weary but not sure of what and as Ben came to full draw, she stepped behind a fallen punga and once again covered her vitals. With all of us participating in a 3-way staring competition, Bens only option was to stay at full draw or risk spooking her as he let down. For one whole minute (and probably some) Ben stayed at full draw until ﬁnally she took a step up onto the punga to get

Libby Cooper

another area in our section that we hadn’t made it to before and straight away found more sign, pausing in areas that felt particularly promising hoping to catch one out bush stalking. It was my turn, and I got to knock an arrow a couple of exciting times, but the deer were back to ghosting us. On one occasion we were standing watch on the edge of a patch of crown fern after hearing some hefty rustling noises. Thinking it was go time we were on high alert only to have a kiwi just about run into Ben’s boot! The kiwis were a real highlight on this trip as I didn’t get to see any on our previous one. We were lucky to see kiwi most days, but my favourite encounter was watching a big female approach us and start feeding around a tree, she was driving her beak into the ground in search of worms, and I was fascinated to see when she opened and shut her beak

a better look at us. That was all Ben needed, pulling o a hard but fatal quartering on shot. She disappeared out of sight but with a moments tracking we found her no more than 20 meters from where she was standing. What a day, two deer in less than an hour! With both deer recovered we thought maybe there’s something to hunting in these conditions! However, we were getting cold, so it was back to the hut to warm up and swap stories from couples’ day.

Over the next couple of days, we resumed the pattern of cafes, reading and hunting. We explored

it sounded like chopsticks! We also got to witness the same kiwi sneeze after having a good scratch, and then promptly stumble o a log. Thankfully she recovered her stride quickly and it was obvious she “meant to do that!” It truly was the most magical experience getting to see these creatures in the wild.

On our second to last day, we were greeted with stunning weather and millpond seas so Goose, Donna, Ben and I took the dingy out for a spot of ﬁshing while Ben suited up and went for his second dive of the trip. With the conﬁdence of us being close,

Ben ventured out a bit deeper, and the visibility was incredible, over 12m deep and you could see the fish attacking your hook on the bottom. Ben said it was the best dive he had ever had! More butterfish, more paūa, but with the blue cod being a bit small we loaded Ben back in the boat and headed out further to try our luck with the rods. The fishing was much better, and we quickly found out the mollymawks knew the benefits of having boaties around. We took great pleasure in throwing them parrotfish which we learnt were their favourite, and we roared with laughter when one accidentally slapped Donna in its haste to catch the fish before it got away.

When we got back into the bay we decided to try our luck at paddle crabbing. Well, who knew that was so much fun! Picture 4 adults leaning over the side of the dingy, pointing out the crabs heading towards the net and cheering when a big one was landed on the boat and safely in the bucket. We were honestly like a bunch of kids. It quickly became a competition of who could catch the most crabs on one drop, I believe the record was 8 (well done Goose). Suddenly 1 hour turned into 4 and we needed to head in to start dealing with our catch.

Before we knew it, it was our last day on the island. Ben and I were feeling the fatigue of 13 days straight of hunting and ﬁshing but felt it would be rude to not head out for one last hurrah. We decided to head back to where I had shot my doe and climb the tree once more just in case. No luck, so we ventured back but made sure to stop by Greg’s tree one last time to say goodbye. We walked past this tree most days and felt a sense of camaraderie knowing he had been here before us. Once everyone was back at the hut, we popped some bubbles to celebrate an awesome trip. We awoke on the last day feeling sad to be leaving and wondering how 15 days had gone so fast. We had been lucky with stunning weather the entire trip and very little rain for Stewart Island in May. Once we were all packed and ready to go we waved goodbye to Chew Tobacco, while Merve felt it appropriate to scare me one last time and share his sentiments! On reﬂection we really did have the best island ‘honeymoon’ shared with some of our favourite humans despite it not being 36 degrees! It’s safe to say the plans are already in the pipeline for our next Stewart Island adventure… Berp…

The Fisheries Act Reform Debacle

Retired Fisherman Norm Hawler comments on Fisheries Act Reform

Winter is upon us down in the Bay. Not too demanding for the time being – just some hard frosts and a pervasive dampness anywhere that is shaded by beach houses or vegetation. I have the wood ﬁre spluttering around the clock, so I stay dry and warm in my little cottage. Outside and across the beach the sea has been wild – persistent swells from the southern quarters and the early season rock lobster vessels have been untangling and panel beating gear almost weekly.

I like the coast during the Autumn to Winter transition – the air is clear and crisp, the sea goes to a steel grey – and the whales put on a show as they cruise past. This year the kahawai have been putting on a show too – best one for ages.

Kahawai – allegedly ‘the people’s ﬁsh’ as a consequence of a very well-run publicity campaign back in the day. And we saw another one this year – the campaign to scrap the proposed Fisheries Reforms which in my view were so poorly promoted and clumsily justiﬁed by the Minister, Shane Jones.

LegaSea/Option 4 and kindred groups are killing fishing industry ambitions and innovations in the inshore fisheries space. They have politicised fisheries issues

to the point where social media scores and selective public opinion surveys have trumped good science as a foundation for Ministerial and agency decisionmaking.

Jones was not much help to the cause – several times I wondered if he had even read and understood the reforms that he was championing. The very persistent critics of reform might have read the papers but clearly did not understand the context or the strategic intent. For my money it all came down to opportunity lost. Opponents may well gloat on social media but in reality they have torpedoed changes that would be to the beneﬁt of stock abundance, more timely management interventions and greater accountability for catches taken.

It’s no secret that I have a commercial fishing background or that even in retirement I maintain a steady interest in fisheries management so I am confident that I don’t express uninformed or ill-informed opinions. There is a massive challenge and a critical responsibility for politicians to accept that the public policy issues in the inshore fisheries spaces need to be urgently addressed because the long term cost to New Zealand – economic, social including cultural; and reputational – will be significant if the QMS is left to drift as it has

been for a decade or more. The anti-Reform lobby e ectively ‘bullied’ their way to recent success. From them only exaggeration and criticism - no concessions to fisheries management, no negotiated outcomes, no voluntary harvest constraints – all of which have been hallmarks of commercial and customary user groups for decades. I did not see any reference to the wider use of property rights to resolve contemporary competing interests in relation to spatial separation/ commercial exclusion and/or method preferences. It seems to me that the ‘tools’ for adjusting access and utilisation opportunities in the sea fisheries are there to be used in a process of negotiation and agreed settlement. The use of ITQs as the currency of the Treaty settlement established the precedent. Unfortunately there remains a strong belief (and still amongst some o cials within Government agencies) that the ‘QMS’ only applies to commercial fishing.

The SNA 1 (Auckland/Northland snapper stock) catch history now being created by the recreational ﬁshing industry (and it clearly is an industry as evidenced by the sponsorships in support of the Reform protests) has come from the stock abundance that was intended to accumulate as a consequence of a sequence of TAC/TACC decisions and adjustments to input controls. In my view all of the catch in excess of the speciﬁed allowances

within the overall TAC rightfully belonged to the fish stock; all extractive users would have accrued benefits of greater stock abundance by way of improved CPUE. But so what? When confronted by evidence of mismanagement (or more properly, failure to manage) the Minister will again be sensitive to political pressures from a ‘virtual’ and unaccountable recreational lobby and (again) use his/her discretion to adjust the recreational allowance to new heights based on ‘best available information’. Only a Government with big balls is going to deal with those issues. So it seems to me that the challenge for the commercial sector is to make it worthwhile for a Government to do so by demonstrating what is lost if they do not. Not the potential loss, but the actual cost to the nation. Finally for now and whilst I am in a cantankerous mood – I will not use the term ‘fisher’ or the plural in anything that comes from my desk. In its apparent gender ‘neutrality’ it actually depersonalises the industry and its participants. Which makes it easier to dismiss the social and economic losses being inflicted upon them by poor decisionmaking. I was a fisherman – they are fishermen or fisher women. Call us by our names.

Yours faithfully, Spiny Norman.

Cable Bay Pistol Club fundraiser

On Saturday, 30 May, the Cable Bay Pistol Club held a fundraiser in support of Nelson Tasman Hospice.

I had been wanting to do something along these lines for some time and had been looking for the right organisation to support.

Pistol clubs, and shooting clubs in general, often get a hard time, which is unfair. Our members are no di erent from any other group of people, they come from all walks of life and a wide range of occupations.

When the idea was raised, members were very keen to help and see what we could achieve. Hospice is one of those organisations that helps so many people when they are at their most vulnerable and in greatest need. Added to that, most people have had some interaction with Hospice at some level, either directly or through family and

friends, so this was a personal opportunity to give something back and say thank you for the work they do.

The plan was to hold an open day and give members of the public the chance to come along and have a go. The ﬁrst step was to contact Hospice, explain who we were and what we wanted to do, and seek their approval. Thankfully, they were happy to come on board.

The event had to be held at the end of the month, as several of us were in Christchurch for the Quake City Shoot earlier on. By Friday, I had the beginnings of a plan for how I thought the day would work. I wanted to give people the opportunity to try a variety of pistols, as choice helps keep things interesting. We had also received questions about age groups and who could participate, so I wasn’t sure who would turn up.

As it turned out, we had a wide range of ages attend. While there

First Date

were more men than women, plenty of ladies came along and everyone had a great time. We ran .22s, 9mm pistols, .38 Specials, and .44 Magnums for those keen to try something with a bit more kick. Karl brought along his Contender .30-30 and gave some participants a bonus shot.

The .22 AR-15 and pistol carbine proved popular, but the semiautomatics and revolvers were deﬁnitely the crowd favourites. The turnout of club members was what made the day run so smoothly.

We operated three lanes, each sta ed by trained range o cers, with additional backup available. There was plenty of supervision, guidance, and advice on hand throughout the day. Participants were able to shoot both steel and paper targets, and they could take their paper targets home as a souvenir if they wished.

The ﬁnal result was $1,155 raised. This was before ammunition costs were taken into account, however

PISTOL SHOOTING

the club decided to cover those costs ourselves, for this worthy cause. We are only a small club of 25 members, so I think we did very well.

Here is my challenge to every other club: ﬁnd a group or organisation in your area and give them some support. I have already been asked by several people who missed the day whether we will run another one. The answer is deﬁnitely yes, I just haven’t told the others yet!

The nerves were running high, here I was a good ﬁve minutes in, talking to this cool hot girl, trying to crack jokes and spin yarns.

She is telling me about her interest in the outdoors and adventures. Then things descend into the dreaded weather chat. Knowing I would be kicking myself if I didn't try, I summon up the courage "looks like this weekend is going to be really nice out on the water, do you want to come out ﬁshing with me?"

She hesitates, as if she is trying to think of some excuse, but not this time, it's my lucky day and she says "yeah, I'm keen, Saturday?'

I am doing back-ﬂips in my mind and I stop myself from punching the air. I give her a smile and calmly reply "cool, let's do it". After the excitement of getting her number dies down, I am back to being an anxious mess.

What have I done? My boat is no 7 metre stabicraft, in fact it is a 4 metre rubber ducky , and now the weather isn't looking too great. I spend the next couple of days running scenarios in my head of engine failure, choppy seas and no ﬁsh to go in the bin. Why couldn't I be like a normal bloke and ask if she wanted to go for a co ee ? or take the dog for a walk?

Saturday rolls around, the glassy seas and blue skies have become a thing of the working week and

now it is looking a bit rolly and grey overhead. I ﬁnd a bit of comfort telling myself she probably won't show up anyway. I will just go on my own and see if there are any snapper left in the bay and maybe send her a picture of my catch.

Okay, wow, there she is waiting for me as I pull up to the meeting spot. This chick is cool, she is driving a 4X4 and sporting a grin like an excited ﬁsherman, We load up and I manage to back

the trailer down the ramp in one go. The 40 HP motor spits in to life, things are looking up. "Where are we heading?" she asks, "Spot X but don't tell anyone okay", the jokes are working and I start to relax. The benefits of a small boat in the autumn are becoming apparent, as she fires me another smile and finds the seat next to me and shu es closer. We boost out into the bay until it seems fishy enough.

The assortment of fancy snacks

seems to be my saving grace as 30 minutes of bobbing about without a bite stretch on.

The chat moves on to how nice it is to just get out on the water and how lucky we are. "We will give it another 10 minutes aye?" the backup plan of exploring a nearby secluded beach enters my thoughts.

Then, it happens, she gets a bite and I can tell this isn't just a nibble, when her fishing rod starts to bend over. Relief and excitement flood in as she battles to get line on the reel. I am fairly confident that she is onto a decent snapper but it does tend to get pretty sharky around here at this time of the year so I just keep my cool.

Whatever it is, it isn’t easily joining us on our little date, taking line o the reel in bursts, and she is half laughing and half grimacing. I stop myself from starting to give fishing instructions and let he keep battling and reeling in the fish. I grab the net, peer into the deep and yes, you bloody ripper, the familiar white and red colour flashes below.

The heart rate spikes as I fumble with the landing, and we ﬁnally manage to haul aboard "the biggest ﬁsh I have ever caught" . I dispatch the catch and suggest that we will have to share it for dinner.

Now we need a photo as well, "for my tinder proﬁle she jokes?" no, I say "for the cover of the ﬁshing paper".

Brian Bishop

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Three month closure for Kaik ura rock lobster

A three-month closure for rock lobster ﬁshing in the Kaikōura Marine Area to support sustainability in the ﬁshery will come into e ect from 1 July, says Allen Frazer, Manager Inshore Fisheries South, Fisheries New Zealand.

“The temporary closure of the Kaikōura rock lobster ﬁshery was requested by the Kaikōura Marine Guardians and Te Rūnanga o Kaikōura, who are concerned about reduced numbers of large rock lobster in the area,” says Mr Frazer.

“The temporary closure prevents recreational and commercial ﬁshing, and Te Rūnanga is putting a rāhui on customary take.”

The closed period is intended to improve the ﬁshery’s resilience for the peak ﬁshing season over spring and summer.

“The closure will reduce disruption to rock lobster below minimum legal size and females that are carrying eggs,” says Mr Frazer.

“This helps the next generation of rock lobster to get to legal size, and the current generation to spawn.”

A stock assessment is planned for the Kaikōura rock lobster ﬁshery later this year. Depending on the outcome of this

From the July 2026 issue we will be ONLINE ONLY during the winter months - so there will not be a paper available at your local supplier - the only way to access the Fishing Paper will be online.

The July, August and September issues will be online only.

We will use those month to continue seeking out new advertisers su cient to allow us to return to an "in print" paper.

If we can't secure su cient advertising revenue then we will make a call on staying online, or on closing down the paper.

I can assure you that closing down the paper will be the absolutely last option and is not one I want to have to take.

Please reach out if you have ideas as to who we can approach for additional support through advertising or sponsorship.

Thanks for your ongoing support

Nicola admin@theﬁshingpaper.co.nz

assessment catch settings for the wider ﬁshery may be reviewed.

The closure follows a public consultation on the closure by Fisheries New Zealand in April this year.

“We received a good response to the consultation, and there was

strong support for the closure. We thank everyone who took the time to make their views on the closure known,” says Mr Frazer.

The closure will be in place from 1 July to 30 September 2026.

•

“People who choose to ignore the ﬁshing rules need to know there will be consequences. Our job is to protect ﬁshing resources so that everyone can enjoy the opportunity to put fresh kaimoana on the dinner the table,” says Fisheries New Zealand’s Director of Fisheries Compliance, Steve Ham. The following cases were before the courts over the past month.

Three Masterton men were fined in the Masterton District Court for taking too many pāua. The daily limit for taking pāua in this area is 5 per person, with a minimum size of 125mm. The men had their catch inspected by a Fishery O cer at Ngawi in December last year. They included: a 25-year-old man fined $500 for taking 24 pāua; a 32-yearold man fined $700 for taking 31 pāua; and a 35-year-old man fined $650 for taking 19 pāua.

A 33-year-old Whanganui man was fined $1850 in the Masterton District Court for pāua and crayfish o ences. The man had his catch inspected by a Fishery O cer in October last year. He had been fishing at Tora/Te Awaiti in the Wairarapa and had 33 pāua of which 28 were undersize. He also had 2 undersize crayfish. The daily

limit for taking pāua in the area is 5 per person at a minimum size of 125mm. The daily limit for taking crayﬁsh in the area is 3 per person with a minimum tail width of 54mm for male crayﬁsh and 60mm for female.

A 54-year-old Whanganui man was fined $900 in the Porirua District Court for his part in taking 130 pāua from Makara near Wellington. Another man, aged 54, also from Whanganui was also fined $900 for his part in taking the pāua. 108 of the pāua were undersize. The daily limit per person for taking pāua in this area is five per person with a legal minimum of size of 125mm. The men had their catch inspected by Fishery O cers in February last year.

A 44-year-old and 45-year-old couple from Auckland have each been ﬁned $900 in the Papakura District Court for taking 684 cockles from Kawakawa Bay. They had their catch inspected by Honorary Fishery O cers in October last year. The daily limit per person for taking cockles at that bay is 50 per person.

A 46-year-old Northland man was ﬁned $2000 in the Dargaville District Court for his part in taking 200 undersize pāua. Two other

people involved are still before the court. The man and two others were stopped by Fishery O cers in October 2024. The daily legal limit per person for taking pāua in that area is 10 at a minimum legal size of 125mm. All pāua taken ranged in size from 70 mm to 114mm.

A 56-year-old Christchurch man was ﬁned $1200 in the Christchurch District Court for taking 180 mussels from Taylors Mistake. The daily limit per person is 50. He had his catch inspected by Fishery O cers in September last year.

A 54-year-old Auckland man was ﬁned $3000 in the Papakura District Court for taking 1,415 cockles from Kawakawa Bay in January this year. The man had his catch inspected by Fishery O cers. The daily limit for taking cockles in that area is 50 per person.

A 25-year-old Wellington man was fined $1200 in the Wellington District Court for taking 24 pāua of which 23 were undersize. The man had been diving at Breaker Bay in November last year and his catch was inspected by a fishery o cer. The daily limit per person for taking pāua in this area is five at a minimum size limit of 125mm.

“If you’re unsure of the fishing rules in the area you plan to fish, get the most up-to-date fishing rules by downloading the free NZ Fishing Rules mobile app. It will also work if you are fishing in an area with limited mobile coverage,” says Mr Ham.

We encourage people to report any suspected illegal activity through the Ministry for Primary Industries’ 0800 4 POACHER line (0800 476 224).

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