Great comment. I know what you are saying. That happens when you get a lot of anglers fishing very close together, especially when many fish are caught. No one wants to miss out. I remember years ago at the mouth of the Rakaia River one Waitangi Weekend (1995 I think). There were several hundred anglers fishing the surf, shoulder to shoulder, on the south side of the river mouth. Suddenly dozens of anglers hooked up all at once on salmon. Nobody wanted to stop casting for fear of missing out. There were salmon swimming between people's legs, crossed lines and massive tangles everywhere. Sportsmanship went out the window. Many people just "lost the plot".

Great to hear Caleb. The kahawai certainly seem to prefer smaller lures that look more like baitfish.

Thank you for your feedback, Sam. Sounds like those were great days. I've camped and fished at Goose Bay quite a few times myself. There is always something new to see there in that special place.

I appreciate your feedback.

The rod is a Shimano Catana 792 SP Line Weight 3-6kg. This is a really good light spinning rod at a low price. I extended the butt for improved casting distance with less effort.

Hi, that's a good question. The lower Waimakariri River near the mouth, as shown in the video, is relatively shallow. It is only 3-4 metres deep depending on the stage of the tide. Many kahawai are caught in just a metre or so of water. An important benefit of the light 18g jig is that it stays up off the bottom better and has a more life-like swimming action . Generally, I don't employ a jigging action with the rod. Kahawai are very fast swimmers that are used to chasing and catching elusive baitfish. You are best to wind flat-out as soon as your lure hits the water. If there are kahawai present a fast-moving baitfish "lure" will attract their attention and trigger a strike almost instantly. I usually fish a 2500 size reel spooled with braid and a monofilament shock-leader. No matter how fast you wind this sort of reel a kahawai will run down your lure no problem at all.

fishingmag.co.nz awesome info!! Thanks very much for your help, I’ll change my treble hooks and give it a go sometimes. Thanks for your help. Tight lines 👍

When the tide is on its way out.

Thank you, Noel. Those kahawai sure are a lot of fun!

You clean all your gear after salt water fishing anyway

Hi Russ, yours is a very good question. In my case, being right-handed I started out winding the reel handle with my right hand because it felt natural to do so. I have tried using my left hand and it feels way too awkward. It feels like trying to write left-handed. I note though that I know right-handed anglers who always wind their reel with their left hand. I guess it all comes down to personal preference!

Thank you.

Thanks, Greg, yes, dropping his rod and reel in the tide like that isn't something you see every day lol.

Hi Sean, the Shimano Catana 792 SP is one of the most widely available rods that you can get from just about any tackle store. From memory, I think I paid just NZ$99.00 for it.

Thanx mate awesome video sorry to be a pain but what kind of reel is that an what size is the braid lol cheers mate 👍

@@seanmaclean1013 Hi Sean, no problem at all. The reel is the Shimano Sienna 2500FD. I've written about it here: fishingmag.co.nz/fishing-tackle-rods-reels-lures-trout-spinners-ticers-minnows/shimano-sienna-2500fd The braid is 20 lb which is equivalent to the diameter of 6 lb monofilament. The light line makes a big improvement to casting distance. The whole setup works very well with light 15 and 18g lures. These smaller lures get heaps more hits from the kahawai.

That's a very good question. At the mouth of the Waimakariri River, shown in the video above, the water is very shallow and fairly slow moving. There is no bank from which to reach down to lift a fish. For these reasons, most anglers find a landing net unnecessary. That's not to say you shouldn't use a net if you prefer.

Hi Cayle, yes you are probably right. However, with a small 15g lure like this one with a single hook you will get far more takes and fewer fish will get off. I appreciate your comment.

Plenty of great fishing in New Zealand for sure!