How to fish soft baits with Rob Fort

Here's a complete step-by-step guide to using micro jigs. Learn the techniques to be successful at catching fish with four methods explained in detail including easy to follow instructional diagrams.

The Japanese invented micro jigs, and have also developed some specific techniques for fishing them. These little lures are deadly in NZ waters, particularly on snapper. Check out this great technique instruction, it's in Japanese but has full subtitles.

Join Adan Clancy from Fishy Business and Ben Pokaia for top tips for jigging and top water fishing for Bay Of Plenty Kingfish.

It was chaos! the pack of Kingfish erupted on the surface splaying froth and panicking baitfish in every direction. Words can’t even describe the sight as I grabbed my topwater gear and belted a quick cast into the riot. Fish were flying all over the surface and after a couple of winds ‘booom’! As line peeled off the wailing Stella all I could do was watch and hang on. With 15kgs of drag locked on it was one of those moments where the sheer excitement was overriding the pain of every muscle screaming to hold fast. After a tough, twenty-minute tug-o-war the fish finally turned, and I was able to coax him up. Kingfish are brutal on any gear, but on the longer topwater rods they have a leverage advantage and as an angler, you get to feel every bit of the fight even more than on normal jigging gear. When the fish appeared it was as much a relief as anything, and I knew this was around a 30kg PB straight away. Such a magnificent fish deserved to go back to get even bigger, so after a few snaps he was back over the side leaving me with that exhausted and elated feeling. Did that really happen?

Watch now: Grant 'Espresso' Bittle and Catch pro angler Edward Uhai Lee share some expert knowledge with hints, tips and technique advice to help you with your artificial bait game. Recorded live at the 2019 Hutchwilco Boat Show. Enjoy.

Slide baiting is an awesome way to target big predatory species such as kingfish and snapper from shore. Beach, rocks or even from the wharf, this is a very effective and clever way to get you live bait out way further than you could normally cast. Check out our Aussie mates for a few pointers.

Next time you're thinking of exploring a few trout rivers, and wondering how to access some new ground, check out this app. Pocket Maps is a mobile mapping app for the outdoors. Find out what publicly accessible areas are local to you and explore somewhere new. Download Pocket Maps now via the Apple and android app stores.

After an epic trip last time round, all the boys want to do is go back out wide and repeat the process. This time around, Andrei is keen-as to catch a big king and tags along. An epic day's fishing was had.

Say you were having a nightmare where you could only have one jig to use for the rest of your days (Heaven forbid!) After waking up in a cold sweat, you might just get to thinking if that really WAS the case, what lure would I choose? Based on the results I’ve seen over the last few years. It would be hard to go past the Catch Double Trouble as the most effective and versatile jig out there. This initially angular looking pattern comes in a pretty wide variety of sizes from 100 grams to 300 grams, and I have personally used, and watched it in action, catching darn near everything out there that hits a lure.

VERITAS = VERI TASTY! There are just some products that I know I’m going to buy the moment I see them. As a massive soft bait and lure fishing fan, I love catching decent fish on relatively light weight spinning gear, and when the opportunity arises to upgrade or replace broken gear, it’s a no brainer.

The cuffs have come off. The weather is perfect and the top water fishing season has just kicked off in New Zealand. The plan is to head wide to an off shore island that is surround by big fish habitat. Wash rocks, step drop offs and tonnes of current. Big stick baiting rods and reels are rig and ready to do tangle with the the Yellow Tail King Fish.

When you are fishing or boating, there’s one thing that is for sure. Salt is going to get into your gear and cause havoc to expensive fishing rods, reels, boat engines, fittings, trailers, you name it. Here’s a great new product to the NZ market, developed and formulated here in New Zealand by Campbell Banks and Sam Johnston.