OKUMA Inspired Fishing
NZACA NEWSLETTER
Hi everyone,
What!!! You ask, who is this guy that we haven’t heard from in a long while?
I am going to pass on apologies as they would be long winded and boring. What I can tell you all is we haven’t been idle and ignoring our valuable membership. So here goes in bringing you all up to date with what has been happening in the big world of fisheries, achievements and Nationals.
OKUMA NATIONALS:
Held during May and hosted by the New Plymouth Surfcasting Club, these Okuma Nationals were in place of the 2020 event that we cancelled because of Covid.
The AGM saw some changes to the Constitution. These will be distributed with the Minutes once our re-registration is sorted. Also the Committee has a good number and is representative of the whole of the north Island. I am looking for some representation from the South Island still. A huge thank you to Carey Johns, Allan Simons and the members of the New Plymouth SCC for a great effort in the smooth running and simplicity of this event. Also I cannot speak highly enough of the Sponsors and especially our Major Sponsor “OKUMA” for their solid and ongoing support.
We had 50 participants from across and the top and bottom of the country. It was also great to have 5 members of the South Wairarapa SCC join in the comp. Casting was a challenge as the court was set up in accordance of the wise Allan Simons who was sure the prevailing wind would come from the south. Sure as eggs, when casting was about to begin, the wind gusted a nice 20 knots BUT!!!! From the north East. This made the Accuracy rather tricky and Distances were well down.
In the face of a dreadful weather forecast and sea conditions we all headed to our specific and well planned fishing spots. This turned out to be the complete opposite of the Casting. We were met with great weather and impressive seas. The fish were biting and nearly everyone caught. One of the best stories was that of Craig Boyes from the Wellington Club who had some Snapper and Gurnard but needed some Kahawai so was sent to the Motu river mouth, renowned as the Kahawai mecca. Craig returned with 6 rather nice Snapper.
Congratulations to :
Gary Whitaker- Casting Champion
Alan Simmons- Fishing Champion and Champion Surfcaster
New Plymouth SCC Top Club
Our 2022 Nationals are to be held in Hawkes Bay, during the second week in May. Details to follow.
FISHERIES:
There is much happening within our fisheries. The NZ Angling & Casting Assoc has worked directly with our peers, the NZ Sport Fishing Council, in placing our submissions.
Snapper 8 which runs almost the entire west coast of the North Island has been a fairy story with a great ending except that ending is being challenged by Commercial Industry. This fishery has gone from a sad very low biomass some fifteen years ago to and accepted 53% biomass today.
Because of this the Minister has been challenged to raise the TACC. All Clubs around NZ have been given the opportunity to speak to this. I hope you have taken the chance, especially those of you on the east coast. Stepping up for your fellow fisher. I must commend the New Plymouth Boating Club for drawing all fishing clubs on the west coast, both boating and surfcasting, together in fighting this issue. The next challenge will be the appalling biomass of Snapper within the Bay of Empty (Plenty). At the moment sitting at approx. 6-8% Biomass. A sad indictment of those who manage (or not) our resources.
Tarakihi has been in the limelight for almost two years now. Ever since Fisheries NZ (MPI) actually realised the demise of this fish stock. There has been many meetings NZ wide and several that I have attended on your behalf. Having been involved in many discussions involving Minister Nash (at the time) I have to say I am not surprised that he failed to deliver and has since been held to account through the Courts by Fish & Game. You simply cannot ignore the law no matter who you are. I actually emailed Minister Nash and advised him that sometimes you need to look beyond the hurt. The NZACA have placed a submission along with the NZSFC.
The next issue that we are working on is the demise of the Hapuku/Bass stock. Believe it or not this species was once a shore caught fish. Back in the early 1950’s to be exact. Now, what is left of them are only found in deep water in amongst the foul.
AWARDS AND RECORDS:
Amazingly I have signed off on twelve NZ Record Certificates to date this year and they are from all around the country. Remember too, that the NZACA is now recognising Length Records.
It is official. Our Patron, Life Member and long time member of the Association, Gordon Jones finally caught that elusive fish, a Kingfish over 8kgs of all things, that gained him his Masters Award. At 84 years of age, what a Legend. Huge congratulations Gordy, this is well deserved and testament to your tenacity and longevity.
I want to see more attempts at Fishing Records, applications for National Awards/Trophies and attempts at achieving a Masters Award. All relevant details are on the Website. www.nzaca.co.nz (Records)
AAA:
The Australian Angling Association (AAA) Nationals Competition. I would love to have representation at this competition. I will be presenting the requirements once I have the details of the next event. I make no bones about the fact that it involves two weeks away, accommodation, food and fishing costs. The Association will cover entry fees only at this point. I will be looking for some Sponsorship to assist.
CASTING:
We finally managed to get a casting weekend done and dusted at the Rotorua Racecourse this month. Another good turnout and it was also nice to have 5 new people come along for some tuition and to test their abilities. No Records this time but certainly some great distances were posted. Several beyond the 220m. There was a definite drop off in effort as fatigue set in late on Saturday afternoon and Sunday saw many wayward casts and break offs. Our next event will be in October. Keep an eye on the Facebook page for details.
Welcome back to the Gisborne Surfcasting Club. This long serving member of the Association has been in limbo since the loss of Karla Tardieu in 2016. I had the pleasure of speaking to them at their first AGM since then and it was great to get a unanimous vote from them to rejoin the NZACA. Look out for them as they have some very formidable fishers in their ranks.
Well as we head into the next round of Club Comps and those luring Surfcasting Competitions get those rods and reels out of the cupboard. Check all those guides out, respool reels, replace your hooks and get prepared for another great season. Good luck, tight lines, stay safe.
Jim Yeoman
President NZACA
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