Here in New Zealand we have just completed the annual Hutchwilco Boat Show and this is the first year that our New Zealand Jetskifishing Club had representation at the show. We had two member’s skis on the club display and bonus exposure with BRP getting behind the sport by having my own second ski on display at their main stand. After a few days working both stands, it was great hearing the growing interest from the public towards the sport. It sure was a great opportunity, with our rostered club members sharing their experience, inspiration and passion with others wanting to learn more about the sport.
As the show came to an end, I had talked so much Jetskifishing, I just wanted to get out there and do it!
The weather on Monday was one of those days, you should just clear the diary and take advantage of the freedom we have with Jetskifishing and not requiring a crew. I fully prepped for winter mode, wearing my first layer of the all proven thermal Sharkskin clothing and an upper wet weather layer to be ready for any unexpected salt spray and wind chill. The next accessory is a “don’t leave home without it” in my kit, which is the ultimate face protection... Jetskifisho’s who have experienced the benefits of a SavePhace Jetskifishing Mask will know what I’m talking about, no more uncomfortable wind chill or saltwater spray in your eyes! Exclusive in NZ to the Jetskifishing Store.
This day was what makes all the challenging days on the water worthwhile, where it is full speed spot to spot, enjoying every minute with the opportunity to head wide in search of a work-up!
That’s where I headed, out wide, to this following pictured area where the fish should be holding there for the next few weeks.
For those new to fishing the work-ups, it is what I call “not for the faint hearted” nor for inexperienced boaties or novices, being new Jetskifisho’s.
More often than not, the larger and intense work-ups with Dolphins, Whales and Gannets are further off shore therefore you require significant sea hour experience, a wing man, appropriate safety equipment, a reliable ski and your wits about you for the unexpected.
It is an amazing experience when you find them and if new to it, understand do not drive through the middle of the activity, as you risk dispersing the action and missing out on the potential of what acts as a giant burley trail. It is very frustrating to be enjoying some great fishing and see skippers drive right through the middle of the action...
On this adventure the fish were of a consistent size of 40cm plus Snapper, with nothing special but perfect for some dinners over the next few nights.
I got a little overexcited in all the action and started fishing two rods... After catching the first few fish on my favoured Gulp soft baits, I opted for the ever popular work-up slow jig lure of the Jitterbug. As expected I was soon on to another fish, this time a string pulling Kahawai to add to the New Zealand Jetskifishing Club – Leader Board.
In our all jet-ski fishing club with over 50 members there is plenty of fun and educational activities. We have regular seminars, social events, a members only comp and now the measure your fish to be added on the newly introduced annual leader board.
Many of you seasoned fisho’s will already know, fishing two rods has a risk of losing any good strikes which is what I was doing throughout this session...
Although I binned up and had a great time, a reminder again, to catch the solid fish put all your concentration into one rod and reel.
Another tip for soft baiting, I personally find my best success is with constantly feeling of the braid while soft baiting, rather than the visual. Example is, I will be scanning the surrounding area, looking for sign on the sounder/water for any potential fish activity. No need to be watching my rod tip as I am feeling for that important strike through the sensitivity of the braid, with the rod tip low enough so I can strike the fish at the necessary moment it hits the soft bait.
P.S. Breaking strength of braid is brutal, never risk fully restricting braid in any way with your fingers or hand, as it will slice faster than you can detach.
With enough fish it was time to head back home with a 60 mile an hour plus ride on flat waters, feeling how good we have it with Jetskifishing.
The ease of the sport has more than its share of boxes ticked as far as a practical fishing platform. A big bonus is the wash down process which is quick and convenient, being able to store the ski with minimal space required at home.
The hardest part of the day was all the fish filleting! Life is good if that’s the down side of Jetskifishing.
Here is another one of our fun social trips organised for friends and clients of the Jetskifishing Store. This adventure was back to the region of Port Charles, to a piece of paradise located in the native New Zealand bush of the Coromandel. These trips see Jetskifisho’s travelling throughout the North Island to meet up with other like minded fisho’s keen on enjoying the true lifestyle of our sport. One of the big attractions which got me started with Jetskifishing six years ago, is the skis are easy towing and launching, allowing you increased fishing opportunities at remote spots in New Zealand.
We had a group of twenty five booked and most timed to join our Jetskifishing convoy from as far away as New Plymouth. There were a few stops along the way, with this being our last stop at the Colville Cafe before heading to the more rugged part of the Coromandel.
Leaving Colville towards our stay at Port Charles.
Some of the group following.
After a further thirty minutes of gravel and scenic roads, we were not far from our base.
Always a great feeling arriving at Kiwi Retreat, with quality accommodation and meals catered for a Jetskifisherman’s appetite!
The pics tell the story, we had another brilliant trip with plenty of personal bests and a good time had by all.
Jason with a big snapper caught at Great Barrier Island, on the Gulp – Sardine.
We fished for the Kingies as well, but were limited to our disgust, with the commercial gill netter who now completely surrounds the structures we usually target at Curvier. One of the pins fortunately had some real bad boys on it that I was not so well prepared for and will be heading back there another day.
Some of the others in our group managed to get in to some smaller Kings closer to the island, making for a great day all round.
While most of the guys were of fishing the ladies were enjoying the opportunity of holding one of the sponsored Kiwis.
This was another great trip with a few good nights reflecting on our days on the water in some challenging conditions. The lodges are a great place to relax after a big day on the water, not a bad lifestyle we enjoy on these social trips.
There are plenty of pics from the start to finish of our trip uploaded on our Facebook Page. Check out some of the feedback from Jetskifisho’s who attend our social trips.
Iain Robertson
Andrew and Kristy, thanks from me.
Thoroughly enjoyed myself and well worth the haul from New Plymouth.
Stu Mcmillan Thanks Andrew Hill and Kristy for organising this great adventure.
Also a big thanks to everyone that took part in the four days of fishing.
What a great bunch of people, looking forward to the next one!
Rachel Young Thanks Andrew, was an amazing trip as always.
Wow what a place, beautiful. With amazing people. Thanks again!
Graham Wallace Thanks Andrew and Kristy what a trip.
If you haven't gone on this trip before you need to go!!!!
Lewis Beer Huge thanks to Andrew & Kristy...
What a seriously great four days away.
Awesome weather, accommodation and playground.
Sharing it with a bunch of fun jetskifisho’s adds the icing to the cake.
Memorable trip... Cheers Lewis & Nicole
Matt Wilmot Thanks for an awesome time! Had a blast! Having serious withdrawls :) Cheers Matt
Joe Holden Thanks Heaps Andrew & Kristy. We both loved our time away at such a special place. All the effort you put in is so much appreciated. Loved seeing you pulling in a fish today Kristy!
Keep an eye on our Facebook Page so you too can follow or be part of our fun social events (next Coromandel trip - October 17th 2013) that can help you improve your fishing skills and meet other Jetskifisho’s.
We are back into work mode now and available at the Jetskifishing Store to get anyone started with the sport or complete any winter upgrades for the Jetskifisho’s already enjoying the sport.
The day had come again to see who would earn the title of the newest King of Jetskifishing. With this bi-annual event and being the seventh King of Jetskifishing, it is always exciting to see who has entered. The summer format features our spectacular shotgun start leaving Eastern Beach. All entrants are required to make the early start with their skis around to the beach for registration. On registration at the Sea-Doo tent, they receive their complimentary King of Jetskifishing Tournament bag with our sponsor’s goodies.
We were fortunate with the weather and had great turnout with 78 registered anglers. The competition is continuing to attract nationwide interest with anglers travelling from as far as Whakatane and Taranaki, making the most of meeting others involved in the fun sport. After the early morning briefing, each Jetskifisho would set off and give it their best at the generous $6,000 prize pool.
Also up for grabs, the bragging rights for the Logitech “Mad Mile”, you can view this exciting aerial video footage by viewing at our Jetskifishing YouTube page.
After a few minutes of horsepower fueled adrenalin, we soon had new King of the Mad Mile, Lemar Patterson on his Sea-Doo RXT.
Here is the full video clip of the day’s action, including the winners of the major species categories.
It was another great event involving the whole family, with the BBQ and refreshments enjoyed at the end of the day. Plenty more photos are now loaded on our Facebook page, thanks very much too all our sponsors that continue making the event possible. Great to see another newbie to the sport taking out the King of Jetskifishing, just proves that all entrants have as good a chance as each other on the day.
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FULL RESULTS
LOL Heaviest KIDS Snapper
1st Cooper Hill (Yamaha FX HO Cruiser), Prize & Trophy – Daiwa rod & reel combo & LOL pack.
Weight - 1.00kg
2nd Matt Kemode (Yamaha FX HO), Prize – Sharkskin SPF50 Top & LOL pack. Weight - .75kg
3rd (Raffle Draw), Prize – Jetskifishing cap & LOL pack. Weight – n/a
JFK’s Jet-ski’s Heaviest Kahawai
1st Cooper Hill (Yamaha FX HO Cruiser), Prize & Trophy – Daiwa rod and reel combo.
Weight – 2.70kg
2nd Wayne Denby (Yamaha FX HO),Prize Sharkskin SPF50 Top. Weight – 2.55kg
3rd Joel Keen (Yamaha FX HO Cruiser), Prize – Cock & Bull Voucher. Weight - n/a
Top Catch Heaviest “other species”
1st Joel Groenewegen (Sea-Doo GTX), Prize & Trophy – Berkley soft bait rod and reel combo.
Weight – 4.25kg (Trevally)
2nd David Beasley (Yamaha VX), Prize – Sharkskin SPF50 Top. Weight – 1.80kg (John Dory)
3rd (Raffle Draw), Prize – Cock & Bull Voucher. Weight – n/a
Raymarine Heaviest Kingfish
1st Peter Todorov (Sea-Doo GTX), Prize – $500 Raymarine Voucher. Weight – 7.35kg
2nd Daniel Michev (Sea-Doo GTX), Prize – Sharkskin SPF50 Top. Weight – 6.50kg
3rd (Raffle draw), Prize – Cock & Bull Voucher. Weight - n/a
Attwoods packaging Average Snapper
1st Neil Inns (Sea-Doo RXT), Prize & Trophy - $500 CASH. Weight – 1.00kg
New Zealand Jetskifishing Club, Legend of Jetskifishing
1st Daniel Michev (Sea-Doo GTX), Prize & Trophy - $400 CASH from NZJSFC.
Weight – 10.10kg (3 species)
Rent a Dent and Jitterbug, Team of Jetskifishing
1st Daniel Michev and Steve Manuel THE TWO AMIGO’s
(Sea-Doo GTX’s)
Prize & Trophy - $200 CASH and 2 x Jitterbug Packs.
Weight – 10.10kg (Combined prize winning fish)
Sea-Doo King of Jetskifishing in association with Woodbine Marine
Heaviest Weight Snapper
1st Jarrod Langstone (Yamaha FX HO Cruiser), Prize & Trophy - $1,000 CASH. Weight – 4.35kg
2nd John Hickey (Yamaha FX HO), Prize – Daiwa rod and reel combo. Weight – 1.80kg
3rd James Johnston (Sea-Doo GTX Ltd), Prize – Berkley Tackle Bag. Weight – 1.70kg
4th Stefan Orzel (Yamaha FX HO), Prize – SavePhace Jetskifishing Mask. Weight – 1.65kg
5th Eddie Braun (Sea-Doo Wake), Prize – Cock & Bull Voucher. Weight – 1.60kg
With the weather in New Zealand gifting us with some late summer heat, it is encouraging us to spend our time enjoying Jetskifishing. This session, being a mid week fish between obligations of work and preparations for the Sea-Doo King of Jetskifishing. I invited one of our event sponsors to come out with me on his Sea-Doo GTX to see what we could find on local fishing adventure. Not much encouragement needed, Ian was all over it knowing he was in for the X factor of Jetskifishing!
We headed for our destination with my leisurely speed of fully tapped ;-) to Flat Rock area, with Ian eagerly keeping up with the pace. First stop was some Kingfish jigging which only raised some rats, for those new to fishing “rats” are undersized or close to legal Kingfish.
My wing man couldn’t complain, his first drop was the bonus of this nineteen pound Snapper on the jig!
The heat was getting the better of us on a glorious day on the Gulf so I opted for a cool down ride in search of work-ups. If you can find them, it is the most exciting atmosphere for Jetskifishing! The more intense work-ups involve, Gannets diving from above, while Dolphins are rounding the bait fish with other predators of the food chain beneath. All going well we usually find easy fishing amongst the work-up activity with good sized Snapper.
Lots of nice sized Snapper with the day finishing with another fish just over fifteen pounds after the cameras stopped.
The video link shows how great the day was and I am sure that those that have experienced it before can relate to our enjoyment.
Got to love days like this, with the fish hitting all we threw at them from the Gulp soft baits to the Jitterbug slow jig which caught all my fish on the day. This pic shows a new first for me, two Snapper on the one jig!
On this adventure we sure did hit the hot bite time and all came together perfectly to make one of those dream days on the water.
The wait was over and we had thirty eager Jetskifisho’s heading for four days at the beautiful Bay of Islands. Many of the Jetskifisho’s attending had been on this adventure before and with the event’s growing popularity we also had a few newbies joining in for the fun. On the Wednesday morning the majority of the group met for introductions at Dairy Flat Autobahn, where the anticipation builds of the good times ahead!
The drive north takes approximately three hours to our launching point, where we were greeted by the friendly team from Otehei Bay for our luggage service to the island.
It’s always an amazing spectacle at these trips seeing so many well equipped Jetskifishing skis in one place. After a quick safety briefing, giving all the new anglers an understanding of the experience and expected boating etiquette during their stay, we were heading over to the island.
The majority of our group were fitted out with Jetskifishing masks and they were a much appreciated accessory for what was four days of windy weather to come!
Arriving to the island’s clear water, intense summer heat and welcoming atmosphere is a great way to chill out for island time.
These over-night social trips are as much about off the water experiences, making friendships and plenty of fishing talk!
All were settled in with their cabin accommodation and the next few days saw plenty of fishing, followed with great meals to fill any fisherman’s appetite.
Fishing was however hard going with the challenging strong easterly winds. The key was to fish in the areas sheltered from the chop, while avoiding the plentiful number of juvenile Snappers. Five minutes from our location, I caught this beauty with a 5/0 1oz jig head and the Gulp – New Penny Grub striking again!
A few of our crew caught personal bests, including Brent landed this Snapper of his newly rigged ski from the Jetskifishing Store.
Another one of our newbies was living the dream, this time on to a Kingfish using the light gear.
A great reward, his patience paid off after the long battle, with the support of the cheering crowd from the one of the large tourist boats.
Here is another personal best, Ian Charlton will remember this one for years to come after catching this Snapper out by Hole in the Rock in some challenging conditions.
We have so many photos of the great trip, check them out at our very active Facebook Page and become a fan so you can be kept up to date with other exciting events.
Here is a peak at the on tour antics, all thinking safety first at the bar.
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