Salt fly New Zealand – Saltwater Fly Fishing guide. Tauranga, Bay of Plenty

King Tide 19/20 Season recap

New Zealand salt water fly fishing guide Lucas Allen gives an insight on the previous season. Plus a few tips and pointers to help you get the most out of your next salt fly trip.

The 19/20 flats season here in Tauranga was a script so well written no one really saw the twists and turns right up until the final act.

We started out as any season does with some nice warm water pushing down from the tropics and things kicking off nicely, with the last of the blustery spring westerlies abating to a more manageable breeze in time for the pre Christmas rush. By the time the Pohutukawas were flowering we had ticked off a number of kingfish firsts for clients and seen the first waves of repeat customers. Some of these fish were a class above the previous year and things were shaping up quite nicely, albeit with a few tears from snapped leaders after tangling with some big resident fish around structure. These fish know the harbour better than anybody and it’s as if sometimes the eats were just to mess with you as they promptly destroyed lines on the nearest object. It’s this attitude that I love about them, the take no shit, hold no prisoners approach. Something you need to throw straight back at them in spades to have some kind of dominance over their physicality.

We tend to leave the Christmas period alone on the harbour, it’s not for the fact it fishes hard, it’s the commotion and general mayhem that I prefer to do without, plus a welcome break with our busy family is a must. Once that’s all out of the way we were back to full swing. The long days with optimum sunlight are what flats fisherman dream of, throw in a warm westerly to put a ripple on the water and you have some of the best factors going for you.

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This season the flats fired nicely, with some areas far more productive than others. Bigger groups of fish, some of which were well over the magic meter mark (that’s to the inside of the fork for all you Aussies reading). For a few short weeks we followed one group of kingfish around that were hounding mullet in the shallows. The pack so big and black it was hard to miss them and the shadows of tightly packed mullet schools.

Another hot favorite of mine (purely for the chaos that goes down after getting an eat) was the nav marker fishing. With the bow mounted Humminbird Solix 12 MEGA+ Side Imaging providing some inspiration to those upfront fishing a little deeper. Seeing a gang on screen then rocket out of the depths after your fly is sure to get the heart rate up, even for those not on the other end of the line. Split second judgements on how to handle the fish after hook up will either be your undoing or result in a nice new profile picture so it pays to have a battle plan. If fish are rejecting your offering mix up the retrieve on the following cast before changing to a fly with a totally different profile. Think big to small, natural to bright, quiet to loud and if using a popper don’t be afraid to let it sit for a few seconds between big chugs. I find a lot of time it’s not what you’re feeding them it’s HOW you are feeding it to them. If you keep them guessing you may just turn a curious fish into a stupid fish.

With the peak of the season just starting to taper off the unseen announcement of a full blown lockdown loomed rather suddenly. This was a bitter pill to swallow especially for the fact the fish are very obliging and rather active around this time, plus the pristine autumnal conditions that presented themselves were looking very glamour while on our local daily wander with the kids. This was made slightly better knowing I could walk 150m from my front door and watch kingfish do their thing uninterrupted, believe me the temptation sure was there after 40 years of taking any opportunity to go fishing whenever I wanted.

Prior to lockdown I threw local guru Dick Marquand onboard for a bash at the local reefs, we felt it might have been our last fish for a while so armed ourselves to the teeth with all manor of fly gear. After what felt like a few thousand casts I gave up on the kingfish playing friendly. The session that transpired afterward was pure class as Dick and I used a 3wt glass rod with 3lb test on big kahawai, koheru and blue maomao, I didn’t anticipate putting the 12wt away to replace it with a #3 but it was well worth it. Trying to put some hurt on a deep diving fish with a bit of swell makes for some entertainment, especially when you can feel the light line bouncing off the tightly packed school below. It was part luck, a shit load of skill and something Dick has fine tuned to make a fine alternative to hustling kingfish.

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After what now seems like a short lockdown we had a few weeks of harbour fishing that saw plenty of kahawai caught on 4-6wt set ups, often with tiny anchovy flies or size 2 poppers – the excited school and consequent detonation on the surface ensures a lot of yelling and cheering. We had good shots at ray riders but as with late season flats fishing the sun was often low and spotting conditions tricky. A few adaptations to approaching each situation will give an upper hand but it sure pays to slow right down and hang around in hot spot areas for longer than you think possible. Be super prepared for a quick shot at something that probably isn’t a fish but you wish was and you might just come tight.

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I’m not sure what next season holds as far as international guests go, fingers crossed New Zealand is still Covid free and our borders are holding it at bay. This gives a lot of opportunity for domestic guests to line up some of the best dates and tides over the season. One thing I am certain of is that the fish will be there and I’ll be making the most of every opportunity to get into them. Perhaps I might get a few more shots at them for myself this coming season, that’s provided my son doesn’t develop into a full blown kingfish fiend as he’s starting to demonstrate a bit of a knack to them!

Quinn’s first kingfish that he did all the work on. From cast to fight he dealt to it with a little bit of family encouragement.

Exciting Autumn fishing coming right up

Autumn salt water fly fishing in New Zealand.

We’re expecting to see some more great fishing coming over the Autumn months if the last few years are anything to go by. The water is staying very stable and shouldn’t drop out any time soon. With this the baitfish are prolific and well spread from offshore right through to the inner harbour. Predatory action has been pretty good as kingfish, kahawai and snapper tune into some of the anchovy action currently present.

We have slots available late March, select dates over April and early May, if you want to come and chase some fish around in classic New Zealand Indian summer conditions the next few months are the time to do it. Flick us a message at lucas@kingtidesaltfly.com for more info.

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The link below is from late May a few years back but the message remains the same… don’t hang up the tools just yet.

https://kingtidesaltfly.com/2016/05/09/super-moon-super-fishing/

The silly season – Catch and Release

The silly season is upon us and there’s no turning back. With that it’s fair time to remind people of a few basic things, most of all the practice of catch and release. So, here’s a few key things to take into consideration to ensure a strong healthy release if that’s what you intend to do.

Fighting the fish

Fight hard, the quicker you bring it in the better chance it will have to swim off strong.
Use gear that is up to the task, no point being a hero with that butter knife at a gun fight.
Go barbless, you won’t lose fish because of it, trust me.

Handling

Use a soft rubberised knotless net
Have everything ready to go for release – camera, tag kit etc
When lifting fish for pictures etc get a good grip around the tail and support under the pectoral fins with the other hand – avoid the gills.
Keep the fish in the water as much as possible, you try holding your breath after running a marathon. If it means you dunk it back in the water for a breather then do it.
Don’t drag them over the rocks or sand. Saying “they’re pretty tough” doesn’t cut it.
Wait until the fish is upright and able to swim off on its own.
Only spear them into deep water if there s a risk from sharks
If sharks are present either race away from them in the boat and release, or throw a bucket of water in one direction followed soon after by the fish in the other direction – the sharks should respond to the first commotion and hopefully miss the fish release.
If you’re getting sharked there’s no point catching more fish. You may as well keep undersized fish and not worry about limits, plus you’re just educating the sharks for future easy meals.

There’s also this thing called etiquette… If someone’s fishing a flat drop in behind them and give them heaps of room. Same goes for fishing the navigation markers – there’s a load of them, go to a different one if there’s someone already there. Assessing the action of people fishing before rushing in goes a long way, having a friendly chat also helps if its a busy area.

Lastly, learn the basic navigation rules for when on the water. There are day skipper courses that cost less than the price of a standard tank of fuel, this should avoid any of those potentially ugly situations arising.

Have a safe and enjoyable festive season on the water.

Summer is knocking on the door.

This season kicked off with good spikes in water temperature only to quickly shoot back down with the onset of the next cold front. The typical unsettled spring activity we experienced has now passed and we have good temps holding throughout the harbour. Loads of baitfish are prominent around key points with piper being the real standout – given these are regarded as kingfish candy it’s no surprise to see big sprays of bait getting chased around.

Scott sector, fly rod, fishing, salt water fly, guide, New Zealand, Tauranga, collingwood — The new Scott Fly Rods Sector is living up to its award winning label.

kingfish, flats, salt water fly, nz, Tauranga, ray riders — A nicely conditioned Kingfish that fell victim to a large well placed fly.

Stingrays are settling into their flats and the subsequent Ray riders are hanging on for the ride around the harbour. Whether they’re busting bait, snacking on flounder or sniffing about diggings they’ll take anything thrown at them currently, provided the presentation is on the money and the dreaded trout strike doesn’t creep in. Spending time staked out on the flats with the aid of the Minn Kota Talon has been great when you’re sitting in prime kingfish real estate, something I’m definately doing a lot when you feel it’s worth hanging about for some action to cruise past.

Minn Kota Talon, kingfish, flats, salt fly, fishing, boat, guide, charter, sea — Parked up waiting for the party to arrive.

Lamson Cobalt, Scott sector, kingfish, salt water fly, charter, guide, boat, flats, fly rod, fly reel, New Zealand, harbour — The Lamson Cobalt and Scott Sector are no match for the New Zealand Kingfish.

The entrance has seen some really good fishing also, with sessions of multiple fish coming to the boat, most of them making it into the net but some being just to smart or strong to make the full trip alongside. This bodes well for the next few months as fish transition into the harbour to cause havoc amongst the baitfish. There’s some big fish among them, so we’ve had the Scott Sector 10 and 12’s rigged for the chance of a bigger model.

King fish, snapper, fishing, fly rod, New Zealand, salt water, guide, charter boat, sea fishing — Putting the hurt on a good fish trying to hit some structure nearby.

Speaking of bigger fish there’s a few groups about the harbour that tend to follow the mullet schools around, it would seem they only eat once every day or three but when they do it’s pandemonium. It’s either a case of a big 6/0 semper styled fly on the 12 or a small snack on the 10 weight depending on the feeding vibe present. These fish are smart and really frustrating but the action they’ve provided over the years has been nothing short of heart stopping.

Kingfish, yellowtail, amberjack, permit, bonefish, salt water fly fishing, New Zealand — Even the smaller specimens will grab a bigger offering, often beating the bigger fish to the fly.

With all this life firing up it’s the perfect time to be chasing kingfish in the shallows, soon the Pohutukawa flowers will bloom and provide some of the most stunning backdrops the harbour has. We have dates available for December so if you want to come and tussle with some thugs drop us a line now. lucas@kingtidesaltfly.com

King Tide – A year on

It’s been a solid year since we put our latest boat on the water last December, there have been numerous voyages with clients, family and friends all enjoying the fit out during that time. What strikes me the most is how little I have done to change it, all the hard work and planning over the years showing just what is needed, or in a few cases, not needed onboard. The boys at FC Boats have done a great job on all the custom items, in particular the casting deck. Their ability to turn an idea into a functional item and work within restrictions and other curve balls showcase just how dedicated they are to their craft, the fact that no major work has been needed after purchase highlights this point. As expected with lots of custom work a few required tweaks here and there are always going to show up in the first few runs, thankfully these were facilitated within a tight timeframe.

Since I hate unboxing reviews here’s a quick take on how things have performed over the year to this point.

Mercury 115 CT – this has been a solid workhorse, easily passing 200 hours of service without fault. Often pushing along some bigger loads with more gear and anglers I doubt I’ve heard it complain, it probably just growls a little more.

Minn Kota Talon – I was more than impressed from the minute this was added and have used it far more than I originally thought. Often clients don’t even know it’s deployed, neither do the fish. Being able to pull up to a dead stop at the push of a button is invaluable, especially for novice salt fly anglers trying to work out distance perception on moving targets.

Minn Kota – really glad I went and slightly overspec’d this as we charge around the flats often and the current when fishing markers makes it work that bit harder than most other users in a day. Battery usage has never gone below half the supply voltage and recharge time is negligible between trips.

Humminbird Solix12 – Coming from a background of visually spotting fish these units have lit up my underwater surroundings. Infact they’re so good we put the original one on the bow and added a new Solix12 G2 with MEGA+ imaging to the console then networked them together. Having the bow mounted screen now gives me an extra vantage point and recently highlighted how allowing clients to visualise what they have on offer gives them the extra motivation to keep casting.

The “One Boat Network” that Humminbird is now rolling out is phenomenal, having the ability to control multiple facets of electronics from the screen is huge. Whether I want to operate the Minn Kota from the virtual remote (even steering it with your toes from the bow screen) , deploy/retrieve the Talon, plus the whole host of other compatible components that can be added into the mix.

U-Dek – A year on and it’s still looking good, despite the constant foot traffic its holding up really well. This is probably because its so easy to clean and can take a bit of punishment day in, day out.

JBL stereo – We had wired the boat for sound and only just recently completed this part It’s not only good for cruising and beach parties but will get some serious use alongside the Ocean Led underwater lights to help raise those inquisitive reef dwelling Kingfish to the surface.

FC Boats – this hull is a proven winner, it’s remarkably dry for an open boat, rides exceptionally well in all manor of sea states and has the stability to rival any alloy pontoon boat in the NZ market – with an 8 degree heel test and a survey tolerance of 15 it breezes through MNZ requirements.

Click here to read the original King Tide on water article.

If you would like to be a part of the fishing this Summer now is the time to get out there and into the action, simply drop us a line to secure your spot before Christmas. lucas@kingtidesaltfly.com