Most of the fish caught will be small ones, and this presents the perfect opportunity for teaching how to handle and release fish.
If they can be shaken off the hook without touching the fish that is the best method, but they can be grasped with a wet towel or rag. Dry hands will damage the slimy coating on every fish, and like everything in nature, it is there for a reason. The slime protects the scales and skin from bacterial infections. Hold fish from under the belly, not on top, as the sharp dorsal spines will penetrate a rag.
Whether dropping baits over the side of a wharf or a boat, most fish are hooked on the bottom, so the sinker should touch the bottom, keeping tension on the line. Moving it up and down will often stimulate a bait from nearby fish, as moving baits work better than static ones.
If tangling with large fish like kahawai, a whole set of dynamics are involved.
A good-sized kahawai will swim all around the place, tangling other lines and wrapping the line around obstacles like wharf piles. It becomes a lesson in how to use the rod and reel to try and control the fish. The tension on the reel should be set so that the fish can pull out line under strain, but it is a fine balance. Too loose and the fish has total control; too tight and the tackle might break.
If in doubt, it is better to err on the tight side. Then the rod should be used like a large spring. It must be held up at about 45 degrees, and used to put pressure on the fish by pulling directly away from the direction it is trying to swim. Short strokes where the rod is dropped only a few centimetres and a couple of winds of the handle gains some line are better than large sweeps of the rod which allow slack line on the drop as the handle can't be spun fast enough to keep tension on the line.
One fish that can be caught from many wharves like those at Whangamata, Tauranga, Mangonui and Houhora is the john dory. These strange-looking fish prey on small fish, and will usually refuse any bait which is not alive and swimming.
Their slim contour is hard to detect from head on and they sidle up to an unsuspecting fish and, when in range, the mouth telescopes out sucking in a mouthful of water - and the hapless dinner.
They like to hang around wharf piles, as the structure offers hiding places to ambush the many different fish which are also attracted to the piles which provide food and shelter. Fish like little brown cockabullies, sprats and yellowtails (jack mackerel) are favourites of the john dory.
They are easily caught on tiny sprat hooks and a scrap of bait, and can be dropped back down on a heavier rod. A large sinker is needed to anchor the bait, or it will swim around and tangle the line in other lines or around piles.
A hook on a loop about 25cm above the sinker is pushed through the skin in front of the dorsal fin of the bait fish, and when a johnny takes the bait the rod will bend and it can be slowly brought in.
The best hooks for this type of fishing are recurved hooks, and once embedded in the corner of the mouth they rarely fall out.
The dory can often be seen drifting around the wharf piles like ghostly shadows, and in some places can be speared.
We sometimes forget that the most important gift one can give to children is your time, and the summer holidays offer the perfect opportunity.
Don't forget the check list for youngsters: Hats, sunglasses, sun screen, drinks, lunch.
Freshwater
Going deep is the key to fishing on the deep lakes during the day, with 30 metres the mark to aim at on Lake Tarawera. Downriggers are the most efficient method of deep trolling, but jigging will also cover the same depths. Top trolling lures include black toby and traffic light Tassy devil or cobra. With little moon at night, fly fishing will also pick up at cold water stream mouths.
