Pair casting to hook world

Jeff Skafer, left, and Andrew Maeder used some lateral thinking to liven up the fishing scene. Picture / Simon Baker

South Island fishing pair Jeff Skafer and Andrew Maeder look like they've hooked themselves a winner creating a fishing reel that "gets more action".

Tapping one of the world's biggest recreational markets, their venture - Strike Technology - is testing an innovative fishing reel they say is just what the gamefish want.

With a pulsing action that makes the lure dart in the water while being retrieved, rather than a steady drag, they say the Pulse Reel will out-fish the retrieve action of standard reels.

The innovation comes down to an offset spool that creates erratic line retrieval and stimulates fish to attack.

Once a fish bites, the spool self centres and locks up, so the fisherman can reel it in normally.

Hunting & Fishing stores have snapped them up and most of the first order of 500 have been sold since the reels were launched two weeks ago.

Now the pair have their sights on building their own fishing brand, with a more robust sea-fishing version, sizes beyond the present 2500 model and a range of fishing rods are in the pipeline.

How they got to this point is a tale of Kiwi ingenuity at its finest.

Five years ago, the friends were reflecting on the day's fishing over a few drinks when their brains got ticking on fishing reel concepts.

Skafer, a fishing guide, had spent years teaching fishing rookies that regular winding and twitching the rod helped to stimulate fish to attack, but said people still tended to get lazy and hold their rods still.

They thought a fishing reel that pulsed automatically would make conventional trout lures more attractive to fish.

After a rummage through the garage, Maeder, a design engineer, got to work knocking one up with a piece of fuel hose taped to one side of a spinning reel spool.

It was tested on the kitchen floor where they sent items flicking as they reeled them in.

Maeder decided an off-centre spool would mimic that effect, and bought a small lathe and milling machine to make the prototypes.

As far he knows, no other fishing reel creates a pulse and retrieve action and it had possibly been considered too difficult to achieve.

He puts his success down to simple, lateral thinking.

The Pulse Reel is made with a two-piece composite spool that can be offset to the winding axis.

As the reel's arm rotates, the line accelerates and slows down, causing the lure to "swim" through the water realistically.

This is ideal for predatory fish as the sonic and visual stimulus entice them to the lure from further away.

A second feature is a speed-graduating clicker mechanism, which sounds only when a fish runs with the lure, giving the fish no warning it's been hooked.

Most clicker systems sound as soon as the fish bites, which can make it more likely that it will reject the lure.

Initially, the pair took the concept to international fishing tackle shows with the aim of licensing the product to industry giants such as Penn, Bass Pro, Zebco and Jarvis Walker.

Discussions were positive, but when it came down to financial arrangements nobody took the bait.

So the pair gave up trying to sell the idea to the big boys and built the reel themselves.

They called on their local West Coast Moana community to help raise capital, knocking on every door within a 30km radius of their homes, asking them to put up money and become shareholders.

So far the venture has cost about $400,000, with the biggest chunk spent on patent attorneys and research and development.

Spool components and clicker mechanisms are made here and the body of the reel is imported.

It retails for $99.95 and is exclusive to the 20 Hunting & Fishing stores throughout the country.

But the home market will be limited - New Zealand imports about 100,000 reels annually - so Strike Technology is casting for a global market.

In the 28 countries where it has a patent, the fishing reel industry is worth a combined $10 billion annually. In the US alone, it is worth $2.5 billion.

Strike is anticipating an initial order for 200,000 reels from a large US mail-order company. It also has distributors lined up there.

Canada and Europe will be the next targets.

Skafer said Pulse 2500 was not designed for commercial use, but was ideal for recreational fishers, particularly youth and retirement age.

"For the person who goes out five times a year, it allows them better action and to catch more fish.

"The bottom line is we can't emphatically say you will catch more fish with the Pulse reel than another product, but we can say it will make it easier to catch the fish you catch. It enhances your chances."

Reely clever

* An off-centre spool creates an erratic lure - more attractive to gamefish.
* When fish bite, it realigns automatically.
* Christchurch locals chipped in to help raise funds for the venture.