Fishing: Tips for the old man and the sea

You're a family man on holiday with your kids. You've rented a bach or house somewhere around the coast and the owner says you are welcome to use the fishing rods, dinghy and outboard out in the garage.

You're keen to have a go - the kids are even keener - but you don't know much about fishing and you don't know the area. What to do? You certainly want to avoid the sort of comment often directed at the inexperienced and fishless father at this time of year: "Hey dad! We're not catching anything! This is boring!"

Fishing expert Geoff Thomas says first check that the weather and sea conditions are safe and that everybody has lifejackets.

"Then scout around and talk to the locals. Go down to the boat-ramp and have a chat about where to go, or to the local fishing club or tackle shop. They'll be only too pleased to help. And you could invite a local to go out with you to show you the ropes."

Next, says Thomas, you work on the tides and time of day. In the summer holidays the boat traffic builds up in the popular fishing areas along with water-skiers and jet-skis. As a result the fish become wary.

"You can get around this by going out at first light - that's your best chance. You need a running tide with the wind and tide running together in the same direction if possible so the lines will go straight out from the back of the boat. Usually there's no wind first thing in the morning and that makes things easier.

"The optimum time is when you get a low tide turning, say, at 4am, an hour before dawn. By the time you get out at 5am, or as soon as you are able to see, the tide will be running and you'll get in three or four hours of hopefully good fishing and return with some snapper for breakfast."

Thomas points out that at night the fish come into the shallower water, where they feed into the early morning before heading back out to deeper water a couple of hours after sunrise. Last thing in the evening can also be a good bite time, but you have to return in the dark through unfamiliar territory. He says fresh bait rather than frozen is good if you can get it, and to attract fish you need berley, which is available at bait shops, service stations and elsewhere. In shallower water the berley-bomb can simply be hung over the back of the boat, or tied to the anchor chain in deeper areas. Or you can smash up mussels in an onion bag and tie it to the chain.

"At low tide around the beaches you can get pipis and tuatuas, or mussels off the rocks, all of which are good bait and fun for the kids to gather. Or they can go to the local wharf to catch baitfish such as little yellowtail or piper. Sprats are okay, but not so good.

"Soft shellfish can be more firmly attached to the hooks with cotton or bait-elastic bought from the local tackle shop. Just wind it around the baited hook a few times. You don't need to tie it."

The easiest rig for beginners to use, says Thomas, is a flasher-rig, which you can buy pre-tied from a tackle shop. You just add baits and a sinker, which needs to be heavy enough to reach the bottom in the running tide.

In rocky areas you could try for a granddad snapper using a bigger hook and bait, without a sinker, and let it slowly drift down and around. Release the drag on the reel so that if a granddad grabs it he can swim off with the bait, pulling out line without any tension. When he stops to eat it, instantly apply the drag, strike hard and be ready to do battle - a big snapper has plenty of grunt.

Good luck.


START-UP KIT

If you want to buy your boy or girl a fishing outfit, Geoff Thomas recommends sticking to recognised brands at tackle shops, which have special all-in-one deals including rod, reel and line.

* Rod, reel and 7kg/8kg line: $100-$150.

* Two flasher rigs: about $4 each.

* Packet of assorted hooks and swivels: about $5.

* Packet of assorted sinkers: about $5.

* Geoff Thomas has just released four DVDs containing the best from three years of his television show, plus unscreened footage. They include all the tips the holidaying beginner could ever want.