Deep-water

A user review of Tasline Elite Braid, a top choice for anglers seeking more line capacity and reliability for catching a wide range of fish, from kingfish, to hapuka and marlin.

We are all familiar with the application of braid line for deep water fishing and for casting soft baits and jigs. But this unique line has the potential to revolutionise our approach in many more areas, from live baiting for kingfish to straylining for snapper.

Here's an excellent 'how-to' video from Japan (with subtitles) showing the full detail of Tip Run Eging, or deep-water eging. Apply this in NZ waters for sure, in the peak squid seasons early winter and spring.

Night jigging for bluefin has been a successful method for catching these fish when they are feeding down deeper at night, and gives you the option to double your opportunities once you've travelled all the way to the tuna, or when they are just not coming up to hit trolled lures. Here's a few tips on how they rig and the lures used overseas, that will absolutely work here in NZ, as proven by young angler Flyn Jack recently.

Here is an absolute game changer technology advance from Yamaha that will hold your boat, single or twin outboards, over your fishing spot all by itself, letting you concentrate on the fishing. At does much more than that too, but take a look at the results we got on a great day out with Gene Denton 'Whitiangler' and the team from Yamaha.

Check out the deluxe groper rigs full how-to video from Mark Cotton.

Big, fat fish that are awesome to eat! Deepwater species make up a staple target for fishermen all over New Zealand, particularly in the colder months when snapper and game fish take a winter break.

The mighty bluefin run that we are lucky enough to get off Waihau Bay each year was an absolute cracker this year. Check out a bit of footage we put together on board Coastal Charters with young Flyn Jack on the fish.

Well here's something to really occupy the bored fisho in lockdown or when the weather is driving you crazy. Environmentally, aesthetically pleasing, super-camo fishing sinkers made from river stones.

Check out some amazing Milford Sound scenery with the crew from Limitless Fishing NZ.

Check out a little video log we made a few years ago featuring Edward Uhai Lee landing his first sword. Drop number 1 on a picture perfect day out off the mighty Manukau a few clicks. These are definitely strong beasts, and took a bit of grunting to get this one on deck.

Assist rigs and your choice of hook can often make a big difference when you do connect with a decent fish. Here's Tony Orton showing us how to make your own rigs allowing a tailored hook size and assist length.

Master fisho Matt Watson has some great tips here for identifying and targeting bluenose, a very tasty deep water species that melt in the pan.

Watch now: Grant 'Espresso' Bittle and Catch pro angler Edward Uhai Lee share some expert knowledge with hints, tips and technique advice to help you with your artificial bait game. Recorded live at the 2019 Hutchwilco Boat Show. Enjoy.

Should you buy a specialist casting braid? Cut to the chase…yes, you should, and here’s why.

Finding deep-water targets is the first challenge but then bridging the great chasm of water between you and the bottom is the next, here's how.

The ultimate fishing destination for many, the famous Three Kings Islands and its associated banks, represent the pinnacle of recreational fishing in New Zealand. Trophy sized striped marlin, blue marlin, and swordfish are all caught routinely, as are comparatively oversized kingfish, hapuka and bluenose. Black marlin, yellowfin tuna, big eye tuna and bluefin tuna all show up frequently enough to be considered a realistic prospect on the right day.

The Bay of Plenty is an angler's and seafood lover's paradise. Here you will find big game fishing, pipi and mussels, flounder in the estuaries, whitebait at the river mouths and large schools of kahawai chasing them as well as snapper easily caught from the beach.

Live baiting has turned around many a bad day’s fishing

Here in Auckland we are blessed with the Hauraki Gulf, giving us a huge area of reasonably protected water to play in. But for those looking for a bit of adventure there is a group of islands out beyond this protective ring and, like the Greek sirens of old, the Mokohinau Islands beckon. The fishing here can be exceptional, with a mix of deep pinnacles and reefs along with a lot of shallow foul ground and deep weedy gutters.

Proving the best trips come at short notice, Aaron’s crew race to the Ranfurly for an epic day to remember

Our coastal seas are teeming with sharks but very few fishers see them as a sport fish. Paul Walker looks at our most common species and how we can target them.

Another "epic" trip to White Island with Jason Nuete.

Mike Davis with a simple guide for anyone thinking about going on a live on-board charter. Have you ever looked through fishing magazines and websites and seen the array of huge catches and wondered; how do I catch a fish like that?

EPIC fishing action from Fiorldland, New Zealand. Awesome puka and crayfish!

Daytime swordfishing is becoming increasingly popular and effective. Here's a good video to help you get set up and have a crack

Don’t let wind and weather scare you – with the right gear and a bit of patience, the West Coast delivers big time. Big snapper, kingfish, tuna, marlin, swordfish, and even tropical species such as mahi mahi can be readily found out in the 'wild wild west'.

Check out this awesome jigging action on board Epic Charters in the magnificent Coromandel. Using new products from Catch Fishing (a prototype spin-jig rod and 300 gram Double Trouble jigs) Jigging maestro Edward Uhai Lee shows off the best speed jigging technique we have seen anywhere.

There are few fish that taste as good and yield so much flaky fillet as the Hapuka (That's groper anywhere outside New Zealand) They are a challenge to target but can provide great reward and certainly a serious workout if you don’t have the inclination to use electric reels. One of the best things about Hapuka fishing, is that you can guarantee it is worth a go anywhere in New Zealand, at any time of year.

Targeting Hapuka, bluenose, bass, gemfish and other deep water species traditionally means plunging a big dropper rig loaded, with various lumps of squid or bait fillets, into anywhere from 100 to 500 metres attempting to hit sign identified on the trusty sounder. More often than not these days, with an electric reel (see powered winch) of some sort. It’s a reasonably effective way to fish, with good results common to those that know what they are doing.

Hapuka is an amazing table fish, but it is a big flakey lump of flesh that can easily be over cooked and become rather tough if you don't get it right.