Fishing Coastal » Sea Fishing

Fishing – How to Kill a Fish – Snapper

Korin Unka — Sat, 04 Feb 2017 22:05:29 +0000

How do you kill a Snapper effectively? Their shape means you cannot hit it on the head with a “fish donger”. We found this to be an issue when we caught our first Snapper. Luckily we were semi prepared with an iki spike. What is an iki spike? Well the best way to describe it is with a picture:

Basically you use it to spike the fish in the brain, killing it instantly. I have seen through our own hit and miss attempts really mess this up and miss the brain, only having to repeat the task over and over again until you see the fish suddenly stop moving. I am a huge fan of Killing a fish as quite as possible, in fact if I intend on keeping the fish I will kill it before any high fives or photos – this is just a mark of respect I have for fish. Due to vague write ups and “general” descriptions on how to kill a Snapper affectively, I have decided to do my own research and dissect a Snapper Head. To show exactly where the brain is located and what the size is. It wasn’t till I opened up the head that I relised just how off I was and also it gave me a very good precise area for the brain – dispelling a lot of what others had said.

Let’s get into it.

Below are photos I took of a Snapper I chopped open to show where its brain really is. I don’t apologies for the graphic nature of these photos as I know gutting and killing a fish is not a clean process and if you are only use to finished clean fillets – killing and eating your own fish is not for you. Please also note this fish is well dead before I attempted to chop it up and was killed very quickly, it did not suffer. This is a Smaller Pan size Snapper and the reason I chose this is that it is often the size people catch and keep (best eating in my opinion and they aren’t breeding stock).

Snapper Before Dissection

Cross Section Snapper Head Brain

Iki going straight through brain

Snapper – exact iki spot to hit brain

So from these pictures you should get a good idea of where the brain is located and how to hit the brain when you are faced with a Snapper. There is no need to put any angle on the iki spike as this may lead to you missing the brain and not killing the Snapper. If you don’t hit the brain there is a good chance the Snapper will take 20 – 30 mins to suffocate to death. This has issues other than the basic disrespect you have for what you eat. Leaving a fish to die this way causes the meat to degrade in a huge way. A build up of lactic acid and other chemicals the fish’s body releases in an effort to combat the effects of suffocation result in bad tasting fish, come meal time. This is the same for any fish. The best practice is to kill the fish as soon as you have decided you will keep it.

The best way to know if you have hit the brain is that the fish will stop moving straight away and may start to have tiny spasms. You will also see that its gills aren’t moving anymore, if there is still gill movement or it is still flapping then the Snapper is still alive and you need to spike it again till it stops. Sometimes after killing a Snapper they may still flap the odd time, this is just nerve activity.

South Coast Forum Mission – Ocean Beach

Rockfisher — Tue, 06 Sep 2011 02:55:20 +0000

Rockfisher, Jimijig, Jordan, The Hairyone and Andy did the South coast Saturday arvo and into the night, others were expected to show, but alas never appeared. We were greeted with clear sky above and fickle winds from all directions,but nothing which is typical of this area, a very good swell was pumping in which had us reading the beach like an instruction manual for a Korean watch, lots of confusion,but we settled in to a spot that we thought would suffice our needs. Gear was dispatched and rod spikes peppered along the beach.
Firewood was gathered by Andy and Dave as they had brought a Quad and small trailer

Andy and Dave had bought along a Kontiki, which in its self was a mission to launch in such narly conditions,this was deployed since the conditions were tough on any form of rod fishing. A long cast was needed as the steep drop off caused good swells to dump right on any short casts.

Tally of the mish
Scuzzy~Lost four ledger rigs
Jordan~0
Andy~Wet chest from wave hitting Quad incident
Dave~Lost one Surfcaster
FreeSpoool~ Found one Dive knife sheath, found one Surfcaster belonging to Dave three hours later,and caught one ledger rig lost by Scuzzy.

Great mish, even though the conditions didnt play ball, great to be out and about. Nice to meet others from here, look forward to the next mish. More than likely stuffed up the pics but not to worry, had a great time and was good to catch up with a few of the guys, we will do it again.

Te Horo Beach

Jimijig — Tue, 06 Sep 2011 02:39:14 +0000

After our mish to the south coast with big swells,it was good to settle into some smaller waves and favorable conditions at my local haunt.
Still lots of Spiny Dogs,Red Cod and plenty of little Tope around,the Kahawai are slowly showing themselves as the Whitebait are slowly making their way up Otakis mouth.
Hopefully the northerlies stay around,as this will bring in the warmer water and with it Snapper and Carrots,Kingies will also be around in numbers as will Albacore if last summer was any thing to go buy,last year i was catching Albies five hundred meters off the beach in the Spider Pig,and kingies were also hanging around the odd log/tree not far off the beach as well,so its quite achievable to snooker those two species.
Lots of little paddle crabs are now showing up and very easy to catch at your feet in the guts that run parallel to the beach,great baits for Snapper at night which is the best time to target these guys.
Also YEM’s and Jack Macs are also showing up as are sardines.

THAI STYLE FISH CAKES

Thehairyone — Mon, 05 Sep 2011 00:10:32 +0000

Great for using fish of lesser quality

Half kilo fish minced/ mouli’eed or otherwise mashed
1 stalk lemongrass finely chopped
2 birdseye chillies finely chopped
Handful of coriander roughly chopped
1 egg
1 cup mashed potato
1 cup breadcrumbs
Thai Fish sauce
Half teaspoon curry powder or paste equivalent

Mix together shape into fritters, pat into more breadcrumbs, shallow fry in quality oil

good with sweet chilli dipping sauce

Moki Fish – This Friday

Korin Unka — Tue, 01 Feb 2011 22:47:30 +0000

View the Moki Trip write up here

Fishing for Moki this Friday – 4th Feb 2011 – Meet at Owhiro Quarry

Here are some details:
Type of Fishing:Land Based
Target: Moki
Moki Size limit: min Size 40cm
Where to meet:Meet at the car park by the old owhiro quarry @ 6.30pm . 7.00pm will head around to long beach and fish till 10.30pm 11.00pm.
The drive around is by 4wd only, there maybe extra seats in people’s cars.
Gear:Gear wise just the normal kit needed: surf casters, headlight or a good torch, warm jacket / clothes, food/drink, something to put the fish in, standard tackle–hooks,sinkers trace(30-50 pound), GUMBOOTS (you don’t want wet feet),rod holders are a must, mussels, crab and cray would be the baits of choice – at least 1 doz mussels. Make sure you guys have sand grip sinkers—- either up side down pyramids or break-a-way sinkers 4 oz will do, RockFisher (Forum Admin) can supply if needed.
Notes:If its wet devils gate can be a right pain to get over as its a @35 degree rock face, so this will be a factor. If you want to come please leave a message on the Moki Fishing Forum Discussion.
Read latest Discussion on this here: Moki Fish Wellington, Kapiti Fishing Forum Discussion

wairaka rock

Rockfisher — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 08:52:23 +0000

THE SHERPPA CURSE
I have finally rejoined my old fishing club and for my first Fishing comp I decided to fish Wire Rock. I arrived at the car park approx 3pm got all my gear ready including the berley (with my secret ingredients) and off I went on the 30min walk, only to find a southerly blowing straight at me. No worries I thought, I can handle that wind not a problem. Along the walk I met a guy who lives locally and is a diver, he showed me some channels (big ones as well) all within casting range. He informed me that there is an abundance of copper and blue moki around in certain areas. One of these channels produced 2 x snapper up to 5.6 kg a day earlier for the one of the local water rats (good start). So thanks to local guy for this information. I continued on my way to the rock. Upon arriving I figured it was safer to climb over the rocks in 3 trips. First with my rods, then the pack and then the berley. What a mission that was, as the wind was so strong it was hard to stand up at times. So I finally get all my gear across the rock and set up.

Eventually I managed to catch a livey (yakka) so I put it on the LBG gear, not an easy thin g to do with a 20-30-knot southerly blowing in. The swell wasn’t great only 1-2 meters. The LBG gear is set-up, I am now waiting with anticipation. So I grab the surf rod with pillie on the hook…..and bang a yakka. In went more berley, the Yakkas were everywhere only they were too small. I ended up with 3 good size (approx 1-2kgs) and decided to sit back for 10 mins to have something to eat. Just as I sit down I hear a noise and look round to find a young guy turn up with his rod in hand. The cheeky bugger on his first cast lands a 2kg snapper (using salmon for bait). I was not happy although he didn’t stay long due to wind. So I settled back into fishing mode, cast another pillie and bang a conga 3-4kg, that’s a start. Then I land another conga roughly the same size. So at this stage I’ve bagged 3 yakkas and 3 congas, time to bring in the livey as dark was setting in. So I rigged the surf rod, sparked up the coleman, moved all the gear up the rock and waited. BANG the line took off, I’ve got a snapper about 2 kgs and am really happy. So out goes another bait, a skippy this time. Approx 1 hr goes by then I get another snapper approx 1kg. I thought the fishing was going to be good despite the wind which was swirling. Then the heavens opened up and the rain was driving straight in, not a problem I thought to myself I’ve fished in worse conditions.
At approx 11.30 pm I got a massive screamer and managed to strike the rod (bender). At the same time I heard a noise way out and as I lifted my head up I saw a set of waves breaking on the outer reef. I turned with my rod in hand and threw myself against the rock lying on top of my other rods and tackle bag. The waves hit with so much force I just lay there for approx 5 mins looking at my hands and the cuts from the rocks. Nothing worse than rock cuts, especially Wire Rock as they are like knifes. Once I got myself together and sorted out the head lamp torch that’s when it hit. Surfy no1 has 2 broken guides (can fix that) surfy no2 has a broken tip…..another $350 gone. Not a problem I’ve still got 1 LBG rod and 6 kg outfit. I started to get my gear ready only to find no berley bucket. No worries I’ll just use my bait only to find my 3kgs of pillies, fresh squid and 1.5 skippy’s gone. Now I’m really pissed at this stage, then I noticed something not right with my pack. I also lost my food and all the fish I caught along with my spare torch. I thought, that’s it going home, I’m majorly pissed off now. So packed up the gear I had left and left. Only to realize the tide was just about full. Man I’m out of practice. The swell was really pumping and with only a head lamp torch left getting off the rock was a mission. The surge between the rock and the beach was unreal at .5m -1 meter. It took me more than an 1 hour to get back to dry land. For those who have fished the rock they would know the gutter between rock and land is pretty deep at high tide. Finally I started the walk back to the carpark and that’s when my body started to hurt. My neck was out and my back was killing me…….I’m certainly not 25 anymore. This was my first comp in 11 years and it started so well. Despite losing some stuff it felt good to be back. The moral to this story is don’t fish rock ledges around wellington in a strong southerly and by yourself, especially after an 11 year break.

Tight lines and shall see you all at the next weigh in.

Sherppa

Raumati Beach surfcasting competition

Korin Unka — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 03:14:19 +0000

2012 Raumati Beach Surfcasting Competition Details found here

Just saw the sign for the annual Raumati Beach Surfcasting competition on the enterance of the Marine Gardens. Last year a record Snapper was caught, which I find an amazing effort especially surfcasting.

Here’s some details:
When: Sun 24 Jan 2010 at 06:00 AM – 04:00 PM
Location: Raumati Beach, Raumati. To get there take Raumati Road from the SH1, head all the way to the Raumati Village Shops and get to the beach from the Swimming Pool access.

Quick Details:

Prizes galore including kids’ prizes and $1,000 CASH for heaviest Kahawai.

Entry is on the day at the competition base and weigh station at Marine Gardens, Raumati Beach.

Registration from 6am. Fishing between 7am and 3pm The Prize Giving is at the Waterfront Bar & Kitchen from 4pm. Entry: Adults $20 per rod, Juniors $10 per rod. (Juniors defined as 14 years or younger on the day).

For more information contact Mike on 021 187 6618.

When the deeper water ain’t working try shallower.

Korin Unka — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 02:12:36 +0000

We went fishing on Saturday at Paraparaumu and although there was a nice southerly blowing through we still managed to get out. Launching the Zodiac from the beach can cause some issues even with the smaller wave – we don’t have a front cover on our boat to keep the water from splashing over the top. The tricky part is not the first set of waves but generally the ones which break on the sand bar, out a short distance. We find the motor can hit the ground making it very hard to get the nose up to prevent a wave from crashing over. Anyway we got through that without major issue and starting fishing at around 25m. It was fairly choppy out on the water however we were certain the wind would drop during the change to northwesterly. We were trying to target the incoming tide and although low tide was predicted around 11am’ish the current didn’t drop and change till about 2pm.

We did a lot of fishing without much luck at all (just some small sharks) and the hours seemed to just pass. The good thing was that for about 1 hour the wind did drop and it was really nice. But obviously as it did switch to Northwesterly the wind picked up and the sea got choppy again. It was around this time we decided to head in shallower, we saw some good bird activity up and down the beach. We anchored at about 13m of water and the fish finder showed a lot of activity – probably mainly bait fish, however where there are bait fish there are generally larger fish chasing them. In a very short time we started to get takes and wasn’t long before one held. It was a nice size Kahawai. A short time after that we got another Kahawai and as soon as I dropped my line in the water again, I caught a Gurnard. My brother caught a couple of smaller Kahawai, but just this small amount of activity really made the day. I guess the lesson learnt here is to not always rely on one depth to provide you with all your fish. We saw that there was a lot of bird activity in the shallower water and although we didn’t catch Snapper we still did catch Kahawai which I really rate as an eating fish. I guess in the future, if one spot isn’t producing fishing then we should move on… there are times however when a bit of patience is a good thing and sticking to one spot can bring results… this was just not one of those times

Minor Shark warning at Raumati South

Korin Unka — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 03:45:14 +0000

Though we all know there are plenty of sharks out in Kapiti and i would hate to see people move away from the beach however my brother went out surfing at Raumati South at the Esplande and a good size Shark finned beside him. Obviously he went straight in however this was only at waist deep water and although it was hard to determine the size of the shark (he only saw the fin ) it was obviously a good size. Most likely the shark is chasing the large amount of bait fish in the water and so I can’t imagine human would be on the menu, but worth keeping an eye out. At this time of the year it’s not uncommon to get more Shark activity with the increase in fish numbers closer to shore and warmer temperatures.

Though we have had many sightings of sharks such as the famious great whites a year back (i’m sure i caught one on my line earlier this year) I don’t think we have had a shark attack here at Kapiti – which must mean there’s plenty of fish around!!!

2 snapper 2 kahawai 1 gurnard and a thresher shark

Korin Unka — Mon, 28 Dec 2009 22:40:10 +0000

Well as the title says, we went out yesterday at Paraparaumu Beach and caught 2 Snapper, 2 Kahawai a Gurnard and a Thresher Shark (which got off). It was great conditions yesterday – no wind and overcast. We went out at about 11:30am with the tide going out. We were hoping to catch the tide change which we were expecting at about 1pm (though as we have found out here the tide can vary quite a bit). Anchoring at about 25m depth, straight away I caught a large Kahawai however bringing it to the boat we mis-netted it and it got off. We tend to let the larger Kahawai go as they are the breeding stock and also the smaller ones are better eating. For the next hour or so we didn’t get any bites and the sun started to come out. Our drift was south but using the anchor we fished stationary and with the large current, getting our bait to the bottom proved a bit of an issue.

We weren’t expecting much activity till the current dropped and sure enough when it did drop I hooked into a nice eating size Snapper. I caught it on my smaller rod which had a standard dropper rig, using small hooks and small strips of squid bait. Around this same time my brother caught a nice small size Kahawai, by accident, after leaving his hook just over the side of the boat. We didn’t catch anything when the current dropped completely however we did see lots of fish sign at around 12m and this looked like some sort of fish school, however when we did put our lines to this depth we never caught any fish nor did we get any bites. There were some very large trees in the water floating around so I wonder if maybe this was just larger sticks floating around at this depth.

Kapiti Snapper

Once the current started to head north, from the incoming tide, we got more activity. I caught another Snapper the same size as the last one and also I caught another Kahawai. The Snapper this time was caught on my larger rod, which was equip with a Snapper Rig with a large squid tentacle on it.

We didn’t get any action for another hour or so and our lines started to lift higher in the water due to the increase in current. My brother was dealing with one of his lines when suddenly his larger rod bent over quite dramatically. This line wasn’t hugely deep and so he saw that he had caught a Thresher Shark winding his line up a little. He could tell it was due to its large thresher tail. We had to pull in all our lines quickly and also take an ore off our small 8ft Zodiac Boat to prevent the shark from biting into a pontoon or its tail hitting us. Because my brother had 80lb line on he could fight it a little, however we weren’t too happy about bringing this shark too close to the boat so we didn’t try to land it. It wasn’t long before the shark wrapped itself around the anchor and it snapped the line. Unfortunately the camera didn’t take the photo early enough and therefore I couldn’t get a photo of the shark.

to slow to capture the shark

This wasn’t a huge shark, it probably would have gone 3 – 5 ft however its tail was quite a sight as it hit the water. We kept fishing here for a while however nothing more was caught and also there were quite a few boats starting to join this spot so we tried a little shallower at the 20m mark. We didn’t catch anything at this depth however there was again quite a bit of sign on the fish finder.

fish sign

Doing some more tests we went to a depth of 50m in the channel. However there was no sign at all on the fish finder at this depth and after about 30mins we gave up and went to a depth of 30m. At about this time the wind changed from calm southerly to a strengthening north westerly which chopped up the water. It didn’t take us long to catch a really large Kahawai (which we released) and straight after a nice size Gurnard (the first for this summer season). We decided to head in as the wind picked up and what was a nice day turned into a choppy mess (though the fish were still biting, we had enough fish for dinner).

So it was a good day fishing, some interesting things we found was that a good fishing depth was the 25m – 30m mark. We found that at 20m we didn’t catch anything though there was still quite a bit of sign around. At 25m we saw lots of fish sign at about 12m however we aren’t sure what this was, perhaps it was a shark? Or maybe just wood in the water? Either way it was a fun day and glad to catch a good range of fish…