Wildside- Lures, Braid and Fishing Innovation

The hi-tech approach

© Zane Mirfin, Wildside Column, The hi-tech approach, Nelson Mail, 4 December 2010

Lure of trout: Chris Parkinson of Ballarat, left, and Bill Classon of Melbourne during a day out rafting for trout.

Since I was a boy I’ve loved trout fishing. I’ve caught trout by just about every method known to man, and although I prefer to fly fish, I’m open and agreeable to every legal method in the pursuit of trout.

I started off as an eight-year old using a fibreglass rod, 8lb monofilament line and a black and gold toby lure, but in the intervening 35 years, the fishing resource, technology and techniques have changed considerably and lure fishing has now gone hi-tech.

High modulus carbon fibre rods, superior reels, braided gelspun lines, fluorocarbon leaders and life-like designer lures have revolutionised how anglers choose to light-tackle sportfish.

Braided fishing line has been one of the greatest revolutions in lure fishing, as the small-diameter, non-stretch lines give amazing sensitivity and bite-detection, allowing longer casts and far more hook-ups.

The lures, too, are amazing, and while most Kiwi anglers balk at using $20 lures, it makes a massive difference to the fishing results.  Many of these lures are made of balsa wood and are painted and lacquered in realistic colours, with scales, eyes, gills, spots, internal rattles and chemically sharpened hooks.

Last week, I was out on the water with fishing media mogul Bill Classon of the Australian Fishing Network, publisher of Freshwater Fishing, Sportfishing Australia, Yak Fisher, Flyfisher, Fishing Gear Guide and Sportfish DVD Magazine.

Bill has been in the publishing game for more than 30 years and we first met at the Melbourne 4WD and Fishing show in 2008. Two years later, Bill and his friend and cameraman, Chris Parkinson, were here to test the New Zealand trout with their hi-tech lure gear.

Our plan was simple: meet on the West Coast and raft the big water in pursuit of trout.

The guys had all the latest technology and really knew how to fish, plopping lures within centimetres of the bank, trees and logs before retrieving the lures fast while also working the rod tip to impart more action into their lures. It wasn’t long before the first few trout were in the net.

Throughout the day we tried a variety of lures and soft plastics, floating and sinking, large and small, depending on water type, nature, and depth. The speed of lure retrieve was also important and sometimes faster can be better. When an aggressive trout is chasing a lure it is almost impossible to retrieve it faster than a trout can chase, grab and gobble it.

The guys were impressed with our rivers and the raft rig and by day’s end we’d nailed many trout and got some good footage. Most trout weren’t big with many in the 1-2kg bracket.

That night we got back to our motel to learn breaking news on TV, an explosion at Pike River Mine, just down the road, had trapped 29 miners in the shaft.

Dinner was subdued as we talked with locals at the pub while the drama unfolded before us, and indeed dominated our fishing trip for the next few days. Being of West Coast stock, having fished the Pike River area since boyhood, and knowing many people in the local community, it was a sobering experience.

Fishing the really big water the next day was the plan, and we were joined by guiding buddy Dave Heine of Dobson. With two rafts, the plan was to get some different camera angles and have a lot of fun. It was another brooding and misty Paparoa day, luckily with plenty of fish.

On Day three, Bill, Chris and I were after more footage to fill in the gaps in the filming and to give the film editors more choice in the final cut.

By the time we got on the water, westerly gales had the whole river stirred-up with large whitecaps. So far the rafting had been benign on the gentle Class 1 waters, but it was comforting in tough conditions to be carrying full safety gear, including epirb and satellite phone.

We tried to row downstream, but it was a futile mission.

Accepting the need to bail out fast we allowed ourselves to be blown back upstream a short distance to the put-in point. By relocating to calmer waters, although still windy and difficult to control the raft, we still caught fish.

Our last morning dawned clear and fine and we got away early, deciding to fish a lake, to have a new experience but also mix up the filming.

Bill rigged up with scented softplastic lures, and was soon showing me some innovative techniques, that I mentally noted would come in handy some time.  Fishing toward the kahikatea and flax-lined shores, our lures ran through tannin tea-stained waters stocked with leopard-spotted brown trout.

Catching just four trout, the boys were happy and we had video footage of lake fishing action.

Racing back to the launching spot, we threw the raft frame on the trailer, before the boys had to beat a hasty retreat over Arthur’s Pass for Christchurch.

Securing my load and packing the truck, I ate lunch on the lakeshore as, ironically, the trout started to rise all around. But hey, that’s fishing.