Fishing with Venturer Charters off Kawhia / Raglan

Since the introduction of jigging for trout, this fun and very fruitful method of fishing has made catching trout in lakes a lot more fun than dragging them in on heavy lead lines.

The Mokohinau Islands are a stunning fishery within fairly easy reach of Auckland for trailer boats. The fishing is (sometimes) amazing, and the scenery is always spectacular. Take a look at a bit of action fishing the Mokes for a day with the team from Roger's Boatshop in Albany.

Game season fever is well and truly on us, and the sensational, and very much welcome, yellowfin tuna run this year, has got trailer boat fishermen across the country dusting off the big gear to get into the action. When it comes to game fishing, you can either go the whole nine yards, with a mega launch equipped with riggers dripping with bling, or you can tow one lure behind your tinnie. As long as you can reach the fishing zone, and do around 7 knots all day, you are well in with a chance at anything this year. We’ve seen massive blue and even black marlin, bigeye tuna, tons of albacore, stripeys, mahi mahi, and in good numbers up both northern NZ coastlines. Incredibly, we spotted no less than nine marlin in two days north east of Barrier early January. Just amazing that these fish are out there in good numbers.

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.

Daiwa are arguably the world’s biggest banger in the fishing tackle market, so when they release a new top end product we expect it to be great. The Daiwa Certate spinning reel is well up the chain of ‘bling’ and will set you back in the neighbourhood of $800 give or take. Not their very top end, Branzino and Exist are there for the Rolex fans, but certainly as good a reel as you should ever need, and capable of handling some mega sized fish, and doing it smoothly with a dash of ‘mmmmm I love using this reel’.

Simple tip to keep your phone or camera secure on board

Fisheries New Zealand is seeking your ideas and feedback on proposed changes to the blue cod (rāwaru) seasonal closure in the Marlborough Sounds (Te Tauihu-o-te-waka) to reduce fishing pressure.

Explore innovative techniques for soft bait fishing and take advantage of quieter weather to refine your skills, as suggested by the latest updates and fishing conditions in the Hauraki Gulf.

Any day now the snapper work up season will be upon us. What condition is you line in?

New Zealand Food Safety has some fast facts to share about toxic shellfish poisoning and how to keep yourself, your whanau and friends safe.