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  1. Allan Burgess says:
    27/09/2017 at 12:02 am

    The Tasmanian Devil is a very good still water lure for use on lakes. Try casting out and then waiting for 20 or 30 seconds for the lure to sink before starting a slow retrieve. At 13.5g Tasmanian Devils can be cast a long way out to where the fish could be schooling. They work very well in the Stilling Basin at the western end of the Tekapo Canal.

  2. John Barnes says:
    24/02/2017 at 6:54 pm

    Great info on sea-run trout.

  3. John Barnes says:
    23/02/2017 at 5:59 pm

    Cool article about salmon fishing.

  4. sea-angler77 says:
    26/01/2017 at 2:44 pm

    Thanks for that info

  5. Allan Burgess says:
    29/06/2016 at 12:41 am

    Great update Burkefish. Thanks for that. The salmon do seem to be waiting that extra bit longer before running the river. The end of March and beginning of April was certainly the best time to fish McIntosh’s last season!

  6. burkefish says:
    26/06/2016 at 9:23 pm

    an update on the waimak. the first week of April 2016 saw 40 salmon taken at mcintoshs which gave a total for the season there of about 300. silverstream hatchery had 114 fish return from which 200,000 eggs were harvested,some of these fish would have been over 20lb when entering the rive. the other interesting thing is that not all the returning fish were finclipped. salmon also spawned below the hatchery some of those were also finclipped. while the numberes weren’t great there was a reasonable spawning up the top of the waimak but it was later than usual being at the end of May. seems in the last few years the salmon are not running as early as they use to probably one of the factors is that the river flow is getting lower each year which is a big problem especially when more water is being taken than should be by consent holders. this is being monitored by salmon anglers and edcan have admitted mistakes. low water flows also seems to be contributing to smaller size fish, there is some evidence that this happens.

  7. Allan Burgess says:
    25/06/2016 at 8:07 pm

    Sadly, it was bulldozed. What a waste I reckon!

  8. Allan Burgess says:
    23/03/2016 at 9:15 pm

    Several subscribers have contacted me asking, “do Fish & Game check licences at McIntosh’s.” I’m told they have been checking them there almost every day this season. I did see them myself checking licences several times this month at McIntosh’s. I’m not sure they go down the bait anglers end though.
    I gave a talk some years ago at the Canterbury Anglers Club to about 70 members. I asked for a show of hands to the question; “how many of you fish over winter?” Only about three people put their hands up!

  9. Allan Burgess says:
    02/11/2015 at 9:29 am

    Hi Paul,
    Our Fishingmag forum membership login is the same login you used to become a member of the site.
    The forum had well over a 1,000 members and for over a decade was very active. In the past year most prefer to post on facebook instead – a trend worldwide. However site membership is growing steadily and many view the forums without posting. If you do post questions on our Fishingmag forum I’m sure we’ll be able to help you. Best wishes Allan Burgess

  10. Paul Copeland says:
    01/11/2015 at 10:34 pm

    Hey Alan

    I have just come across your website and would like to know how to join the forums. I have only recently started to Flyfish and have planned a trip to New Zealand next Oct 2016. I live Ln Perth Western Australia.

    Cheer

    Paul

  11. Allan Burgess says:
    26/10/2015 at 2:21 am

    Thanks for that. Bottled kahawai is actually very good. The bottling process seems to improve the taste quite a lot.

  12. Awhina Allen says:
    22/10/2015 at 5:33 pm

    Thanks for the info, a friend gave me a bottle of preserved kahawai and I have always wanted to preserve kahawai for the whanau.

  13. sara paisley says:
    12/10/2015 at 4:44 am

    Hi im looking forward to this years open day comp at Coleridge .Its my first fishing there and my first fishing comp and it is my birthday on the 7th and couldn’t think of a better thing to do on my birthday.and where are you aloud to camp ?

  14. Larry Brown says:
    10/10/2015 at 9:39 pm

    I so enjoyed your Lake Coleridge article,it brought back memories of my Feb.1970 visit with Ted and Grace porter(just before his death)Ted was about to finish his book”under the nor’west arch”,we discussed his and my trip to Antarctica and many stories of his adventures.The lake was pretty remote in those days,but worth the trip.I now live in Panama City,Florida and enjoy surf fishing in the Gulf of Mexico.Thank you for reminding me of those times.

  15. Allan Burgess says:
    06/10/2015 at 10:48 am

    Hi Jim, The Complete Angler tackle store in Christchurch will have cicada patterns for sure. This is a “must have” in any trout angler’s fly-box so any good tackle store should stock cicada patterns.

  16. Jim Othrow says:
    05/10/2015 at 11:17 pm

    Where can I buy the cicada shown above?

  17. Johnny T says:
    30/09/2015 at 4:05 am

    I agree, 15-20 minutes bait change. Also, i believe if you cast out and retrieve your line and find your bait still on the hook, regardless if its been out for 5 minutes or 15 minutes, chuck it and re bait your hooks to fresh bait.

  18. Graham Bell says:
    28/08/2015 at 7:02 pm

    Just to say it worked a treat all four sections are fitting nice and snug now thanks for the tip

  19. Allan Burgess says:
    27/08/2015 at 1:48 pm

    Candle wax not only helps to keep the sections together; it also makes it easier to twist the sections apart. Multi section 3 and 4 piece rods are more prone to coming apart during casting. Good luck with that.

  20. Graham Bell says:
    27/08/2015 at 12:11 pm

    Thanks for that I had a tight joint and decided to sand it down a little and like most heavy handed blokes did it a little too much so it can be loose unless I push it together like there is no tomorrow. I will try this tip here hoping at my Blackrock Helboy 4 piece spinning rod is great for just walking along the back casting here and there for trout, chubb or perch

  21. Allan Burgess says:
    24/08/2015 at 2:02 pm

    Many people have been complaining to the city council about the mess and rubbish anglers leave behind and the difficulty they have in walking past all the fishing rods and crab pot lines. I just hope this doesn’t eventually lead to fishing being banned on the pier.
    Salmon anglers often fish at river-mouths in close proximity with one another. At times almost touching shoulders. There is a certain unspoken etiquette which involves mutual respect for one another. Disputes are very rare. Sadly, some who fish from the New Brighton Pier seem to have never heard of this!

  22. Allan Burgess says:
    22/08/2015 at 7:13 am

    I agree that 15 minutes sounds about right. On occasion I have fished several rods and been spin fishing with a third. Generally I’ll have a cast and wait about five minutes the first time, before winding in to check the bait is still there, and that the sinker isn’t being buried – as can happen on a shingle beach. If the bait is untouched I’ll cast it back out then proceed to setting out a second rod. Squid is a surprisingly good bait. I note that the guys fishing the Ninety Mile Beach in the far north skin it first.

  23. Dallas McKenzie says:
    22/08/2015 at 6:58 am

    When Surf-casting what approx length of time should one keep line out ….I personally prefer 15 min spells as mentioned in your article, and rebaite my squid as mentioned every 15 min.

  24. Allan Burgess says:
    15/08/2015 at 2:54 am

    Hi Roger, I’m glad you enjoyed it.

  25. Roger Jones says:
    15/08/2015 at 2:46 am

    great reading

  26. Allan Burgess says:
    04/08/2015 at 11:23 pm

    Hi Bob, I think you have nailed it. That is exactly how I cast and retrieve Tasmanian Devils. It pays to watch the lure coming in as fish will sometimes follow it all the way to your feet, at times striking at the last moment. Tasmanian Devils have sufficient weight in a compact package to cast very well. I have had great success with them on winter rainbows by motoring up wind into the lake shallows, switching off the motor, and casting over the weed, as the boat drifts downwind. On the Otago Lakes like Benmore, Ohau, and so on, a rainbow will often take the Tassie on the first or second cast with this method. They are also very popular for lake trolling, especially in Lake Taupo and the other Central North Island Lakes, and in Lake Wanaka, Dunstan, and the others in the south.

  27. bob says:
    04/08/2015 at 6:19 pm

    hi was wondering how are the 13.5 devils used? cast, wait, retrieve, twitch the rod and continue retrieving? or is there a different more productive way?

  28. Allan Burgess says:
    04/08/2015 at 2:06 pm

    Hi Shane, I can’t agree with you more about this. I used to go fishing on the old breakwater down past the container area. We would catch a lot of fish off there back-in-the-day! That was blocked-off years ago. It is a shame that the whole port has been closed off to fishing and has been for a few years now.

  29. Shane stringer says:
    04/08/2015 at 7:00 am

    Hi i am not to happy about not been able to fish over at lyttelton i use to go over all the time to catch sprat and at the same time set up a rig to do my salmon float fishing there are a lot of salmon over there and now i cant get to them i have court them up to 25kg most about 15kg mark just as well i can at lest still catch them on the sumner Break water i have been catching them for a few years now not a lot of people now of them as most of the time i catch them at night a well lit fishing warf just for fishing night our day over at lyttelton would be wonderful as the solmon come round well lit places as t do the sprat eney way just thourt i would share this

    Thanks
    S A Stringer

  30. Allan Burgess says:
    26/07/2015 at 11:44 am

    Most anglers will be fishing a couple of metres of flurocarbon as a leader at the end of their braided line. The flurocarbon sinks well and is very hard for fish to see. As to the weight of the flurocarbon it depends on the area you are fishing and the likelihood of snags and sharp rocks. Many will fish for trout with a leader of say 8lb flurocarbon tied to the end of their braid with a surgeon’s knot. They will then tie a softbait to the end with a uni-knot. This works fine most of the time. Next comes tying a dropper and adding a nymph further up the line above the softbait. The softbait at the bottom supplies the casting weight. Tying a dropper with a blood knot, or double surgeon’s knot, in the leader will weaken it for certain no matter how good a job you do tying the dropper in the leader.

    Any weakness becomes critical when you hook a much bigger fish than expected. A fifteen pound trout or salmon in the canals for example will really test this light-weight leader and dropper setup. The fish could be on the line for an hour before coming to the bank. You have to really nurse the fish and not be tempted to tighten the drag resulting in loosing it for sure. Some very good anglers are successful tying the nymph to the main line and then tying the softbait to the hook bend. In both cases using a uni-knot. One answer is to fish with heavier flurocarbon 15 or 17lb test. This make the rig stronger. However I have witnessed plenty big fish lost in the canals on this heavier flurocarbon. You still have to take your time and not try to force the issue. The argument is heavier line might result in fewer takes versus having a rig strong enough to land most fish you might encounter. Personally I mostly use monofilament leaders and they work fine for me.

    Sorry not selling nymphs at the moment. They are very easy to tie yourself for about 30 cents each.

  31. Dave hampton says:
    26/07/2015 at 10:42 am

    Hi Allan, love your website am new to fishing have done some soft baiting at the canals with not much success. Like your idea of trailing a softbait minnow off a nymph hook.Will the fish still hook up on the nymph or be put off by the monofilament. What sort of knot would you tie and is that off the actual hook itself.. Sorry for all the questions. Ps do you sell these nymphs they look great!

  32. Allan Burgess says:
    11/07/2015 at 12:41 pm

    Good spotting. Have changed that now. I don’t know if you can get mentholated spirits – funny!

  33. Dude says:
    11/07/2015 at 12:07 pm

    Mentholated spirits. LOL

  34. Allan Burgess says:
    26/06/2015 at 8:56 am

    Hi Michael, You are very welcome. Regards Allan Burgess

  35. Michael Murphy says:
    26/06/2015 at 8:14 am

    Thank you for the download

  36. Allan Burgess says:
    25/06/2015 at 3:17 am

    Well Capt Justin, You are quite correct the Shimano TR200G isn’t a level drag, or at least my one isn’t. That was obviously a mistake which I have now corrected. Thank you for pointing that out! I have gotten it a bit mixed up with the similar looking Shimano Charter Special TR2000 .Cheers Allan Burgess

  37. capt Justin says:
    25/06/2015 at 2:30 am

    How is this reel a lever drag? Am I missing something?

  38. Allan Burgess says:
    10/06/2015 at 1:35 pm

    Years ago I remember campers down at the Rangitata River mouth boiling up jars of salmon next to their caravans to take back home. Great if you are away for weeks because you don’t have to worry about refrigeration.

  39. bearclaw says:
    10/06/2015 at 6:39 am

    Great article, thanks Allen, hopefully I will use it by December this year, might test it out on kahawai

  40. Allan Burgess says:
    07/06/2015 at 7:40 am

    Great to hear from you Clive. Seventy years is a long time! Three fish last year is still pretty good going. More pictures would be great. Best wishes Allan Burgess

  41. Clive Morriss says:
    07/06/2015 at 5:19 am

    Hi Allan, 50 years of salmon fishing. Wow!! A good article. I’m still alive and up to 70 years of chasing salmon. Not so many fish in the Rakaia and I’m not spending too much time chasing them. Only caught three last year. Can send some more photos if you want them. Clive Morriss.

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