Despite the fact that the advances in ‘nylon’
line manufacture over the last twenty years the old (too old) advice to
wet your knot before tightening is still prevalent today.
Way back when, ‘nylon’ fishing line was first made, the surface
was quite rough. Wetting the line was necessary to avoid heat build-up
when the line was drawn up tight. In addition old lines were very stiff.
In order to effectively pull all the twists and turns in a tight up tight
a good hard pull was required.
Now days line is much thinner, smoother, and much more supple. Wetting
the knot and then pulling up hard to ‘seat’ the knot is actually
likely to cause a knot failure.
Wetting the knot can lead to the much more supple line of today actually
crossing over itself and forming what is called a ‘liar’ knot
– that is a knot that disguises where a turn of nylon crosses over another.
When this crossover is pulled tight it can actually scythe through the
line below it.
Jerking the knot up tight to ‘seat’ the knot is bad practice
as well – especially when it is combined with wetting the knot. The jerking
is more likely to produce crossovers in the line and weaken the knot.
The best method of tying a knot is to tie it slowly and carefully, ensuring
that all the loops and turns lie neatly up against each other. Then slowly
pull the knot up tight allowing the knot to form under even pressure.
For more on knots
Got a Problem With Your Tackle But Not Sure What It Is?
Sometimes you know something may be wrong with your tackle but you are
not sure what it is. Here are some hints to reveal hidden problems.
A common hidden rod fault can often lead to bust offs for no apparent
reason. Your line just seems to snap in mid-fight. Very often the fault is a crack in the inner ring in a guide. Sometimes
these cracks are virtually impossible to see, especially when the rod
is not under load. These cracks are lethal on line.
A quick and easy method of finding if there are cracks is to pull a stocking
or panty hose through the guide – any crack will instantly snag the stocking.
Cotton wool does a good job too.
Another problem that can lead to bust-offs is a sticky drag.
The best way of detecting a sticky drag is to put the reel on a rod, thread
the line through the guides and have a friend pull off line while walking
away. If the rod tip ‘nods’ as line is pulled off against the
drag, you’ve got a problem.
Fortunately both problems are an easy fix, a quick trip to the tackle
shop will have the rod or reel back up to speed real soon.
Fly Fishing Taupo in Winter
If Your Fly Is Not On The Bottom You Are Not Fishing
To consistently catch trout over the winter, in the central North Island,
your flies, wet or nymph, must be consistently on or very near the bottom.
Trout moving up river during winter have just one thing on their mind
– a spot of naughty bits on a nice gravel bed up the river. To catch these
trout means placing your fly right in front of their nose.
When nymphing or using Glo-Bugs it is vital that the nymph spends as much
time on the bottom as possible. Heavy nymphs cast well above the probable
lie, with a no-drag drift are essential if you are to catch fish.
Your indicator must be bobbing up and down during the drift to show that
the nymphs are hitting the bottom. Frequent hook-ups on the bottom are
another good indicator that your fly is where it should be. If you are
scared of losing flies, then you should expect to catch less fish.
Wet fly fishermen need to ensure that as soon as the cast hits the water,
they toss in a big upstream mend to ensure the fly has time to fully sink
by the time it reaches the lie. As the fly begins its swing, you should
be able to feel the fly bumping and sticking on the bottom.
Most anglers who are having trouble catching fish over winter in the central
North Island would increase their catch rates if more concentration was
put on where the fly is, rather than what the fly is. For more on fishing Taupo in the central
North Island of New Zealand
Catching Big Kingis Is Made For Winter Fishing and You
May not Have to Travel Far to Catch Them
Sure the hotspots like Whakatane, the Coromandel and the Bay of Islands
will produce plenty of big fish but a big fish may be closer than you
think.
Many of our harbours, estuaries and rocky points will attract kingis over
winter. Small boat anglers should have plenty of opportunities to catch
a big kingi with some planning.
There may not be as many kingis about over winter but those that are tend
to be big. Around half of the World Records for kingfish, virtually all
held in New Zealand, are for fish taken in winter. If you consider that
there are far less people who fish over winter, then the ratio of big
fish caught per angler over winter is way ahead of the fish caught per
angler over summer.
So are there any special techniques required for fishing kingis over winter?
Not really. The same techniques that work over summer, work over winter.
Live baits will catch the biggest kingis. Because there are less numbers
of fish around getting a good berley trail going is essential, to attract
the fish and hold them. A good berley technique is to set up a double
trail.
Set up a trail from the berley bucket off the back of the boat, but double
up the efficacy by also setting up a bottom trail using a ‘Berley
Mate’ or other bottom berley dispenser. Live baits can then be set
out with one near the surface and one down deep. Once fish are located,
all baits can be set at much the same depth. But if your berley proves
unattractive get on the move.
Jigging is a good way to get some action going or to confirm what the
sounder is telling you, but once you have located a school of kingis,
if you really want to target a big one, drop a live bait down amongst
the pack.(It is a very good idea to have a live bait already rigged up
ready to go swimming in the bait tank or bucket. Just a quick tip here
– if you want the live bait to tend to swim deep fix the hook near the
anal fin, to swim shallow fix the hook ahead of the dorsal fin.)
Most kingi jig design seems to concentrate on making sure the jig will
move at high speed without tying itself in knots. So narrow profile jigs
can be the go. But pop a couple of wide, flat sided jigs in your tackle
box, especially jigs that can be bent a bit. Sometimes over winter, especially
if water temperature are very cold, an exaggerated slow flutter will turn
kingis on when speed does not.
Often during Winter it can be hard to turn kingis into feeding mode. They
just seem to loll about, disinterested in baits. Try to excite them by
spraying water from a deck hose onto the water around the boat. Throwing
buckets of water over the water surface can turn them on too. So can a
rod tip slashed through the water in figure eights.
Pulling a live bait onto the surface of the water so it splashes about
as it struggles can provoke some action. Casting poppers around the general
area can also turn the fish on, and often get the poppers hit.
Too often winter is the time many of us put away the
game gear and dream about next summer, ignoring the kind of kingi fishing
most of the rest of the world only dreams about.