Fly Fishing in the Wairarapa

One of the greatest lessons I ever learnt as a budding young fisherman on the lakes and rivers was that in order to become as successful at fishing as possible, you must continually adapt and become versatile in order to consistently deceive trout in a variety of situations. To improve in these areas I have challenged myself to fish as many different types of water as possible so I force myself to learn new skills on every piece of water I encounter.

The Rotorua region is largely perceived by the angling community as a lake fishing destination, and for good reason – the city of Rotorua is surrounded by thirteen lakes, all within half to three quarters of an hour’s drive of the main street in the CBD.

Many people, when first considering the possibility of taking up flyfishing, naturally see it as a tranquil, poetic sport that is done in beautiful surroundings. There’s one hiccup though - most newcomers perceive flyfishing to be a difficult sport that is hard to learn.

There are a surprising number of winter options for the angler, Mike Davis gives us the game plan on how to bag some prime winter trout.

Nymph fishing is an effective method of catching trout but dry fly fishing offers some of the most visually rewarding and satisfying action available to the trout angler. In the sport of fly-fishing, the use of the dry fly is possibly the least understood technique.

For fly fishers, the purchase of a new fly rod will be the single most expensive acquisition in their fishing arsenal. The perfect fly rod is a complicated question and seldom produces a definitive answer, even when the query is pitched to an expert.

If you're familiar with vertical, or 'mechanical' jigging for kingfish, did you know that the same technique can be applied to working mechanical jigs both from a boat or from shore? Here's a quick breakdown on how it works from the Aussie boys at AdriftByNature...

The Deep V is a versatile lure for catching kingfish, XXL snapper and many other species. It combines several design features to present a lure that is irresistible.Here's a slow pitch jig that can either be mechanically jigged or slow pitch fished to save your energy. Check out the new Catch Deep V

To hell with the diet, there are times when fresh fish just screams for a light, crunchy beer batter. If you are looking for a fool-proof, instant, mouth-watering golden batter that cracks like a potato chip, makes you look like a master chef and pleases any crowd, then get yourself down to your nearest supermarket and pick up a packet of Fogdog.

Is it a bird, is it a plane? No, it is the newest addition to the Catch Fishing ‘Livies’ stable of TPE (thermoplastic elastomer) wriggling goodies.

There’s been a real growth in the stick bait and surface lure department this year, with so many anglers enjoying great action getting ripped by the local kingfish population. Fishing sticks around opportunistic boilups, reef structure, or marker buoys etc, is without doubt totally thrilling to see, and the gear is so much fun to fight fish on.

If throwing soft baits, saltwater flies, or stick baits is your bag, then take a second look at this. NZ Fishing World recently spent a bit of time with fledgeling boat manufacturer Innovision, based in Whangarei, filming and enjoying a day on board a couple of their smaller model offerings, including the very handy 515 centre console.