January issue on sale now

Welcome to the January 2012 edition, our biggest magazine of the year.

For the second year in succession we have given readers a free 2012 fishing calendar, in conjunction with our good friends at Wave Dancer Charters. Hopefully you will find somewhere prominent to place it and find it useful for deciding tides and bite times.

Like the calendar, this month’s magazine is chocked full of fishing tips and stories, headed by Mark Kitteridge’s 100 Tips to Catch More Snapper’. Mark has condensed decades of fishing knowledge down into this 14 page mega-feature designed to help readers catch more of New Zealand’s iconic recreational species – snapper.

Mark also relates, with good humour, a recent two-boat battle between the country’s leading fishing magazines aboard the two Wave Dancer Charters boats. Identical tackle, techniques, fishing zones and boats – I wonder who comes out on top?

One of the things that keeps Mark ‘The Captain’ Phillips coming back to NZ from across the ditch is our amazing fishery. In his ‘Why I Like New Zealand’ feature, his first for the magazine. He looks at some of the people and places that have produced dome great fishing for him, particularly on snapper.

Another new contributor this issue is Andy Macleod. A Wellington based surfcaster and land based angler, Andy is a published author in his own right and has started his contributions with a piece on the capital’s moki fishery.

With the game season just around the corner there are a couple of articles of specific interest – Bonze Fleet looks at lure placement in the spread while Tony Orton explains how to go about targeting yellowfin on surface lures.

Charter skipper Ben Pokaia after a stint away helping to clean up the mess produced by the Rena disaster, with the fifth in his series on fishing surface lures for kingfish and the like.

Peter Langlands showcases some of the best saltwater fishing the South Island has on offer while saltfly exponent Craig Worthington explains the need to be in control of stripped line at all times.

For the divers there are three good stories this issue. Darren Shields explains the joys of taking young divers underwater while Steve Hathaway explores the life around arches. White island is a great place for spearfishing and that destination features in our third dive-related article.

While on destinations, Sam Mossman recently ‘discovered’ American Samoa and had a ball over there checking the latest pacific fishing hot spot out.

Kayak fishing is another topic that is given plenty of space this month. Herb Spannagl water tests the new Ocean Kayak 4.3 while Stephen Tapp offers some timely advice for those contemplating entering the Century batteries Beach and Boat’s Ocean kayaks Kayak World Cup out of Marsden Cove in February.

Editor Grant Dixon was impressed with the new Hobie tri-sailing ‘yak which contains a number of innovations. On board a craft of a different kind, the editor spent time aboard another well thought out vessel – this time the new Tristram 741 Offshore. This is a dedicated sportfishing boat, the first of its kind out of Tristram Marine’s Hamilton production facilities.

As well as all of the above there are the usual columnists – Blokes and Boats, Surfcasting for Bunnies, readers and divers’ pics, southern currents, fisheries commentaries, Spot X, Silver Flies, tackle tests, new products and many more. Now sit back, relax with your favourite tipple and enjoy a relaxing read.

- © Fairfax NZ News