IMP clips and
GULP baits
by Mark Roberts
Unfortunately, knowing where
fish are feeding at a particular
time tends to be either dead easy
(everyone knows) or bloody hard (no one
Tackle Tactics Ltd. knows). The trick is to be the first to know—
www.tackletactics.co.nz and maybe keep it quiet so it’s all over before
L
anyone else catches on. To be that person, I
ooking back, the spring believe you must look to seasonal trends, the
of 2006 was not a good interpretation of weather, the accumulation of
knowledge on locations that produce fish and
one for surfcasters. Rain, approximately when. I believe this strategy is
wind and big seas battered the good, because I’ve learned it the wrong way
west coast for much of October- too many times. That is, scenarios repeat from
one season to another and I’ve failed to see
December. The east coast got off them coming. These scenarios may not oc-
lightly by comparison but while cur every season or in consecutive seasons
which frustrates the process of learning. You
a westerly airflow produces need a long memory or a good diary.
negligible rain and a flat sea in
Hawke’s Bay, those conditions While knowing where fish are is arguably the
most important factor in surfcasting success,
seem not to induce snapper it’s also true that preparation and attention to
to feed along the shoreline. detail make a big difference. The man who
has a pristine bait in the water at all times will
Hawke’s Bay snapper do that be the one who picks up an odd fish on the
when there’s a wind from east hard days and a maximum bag on the good
or northeast and a bit of a chop days. It’s difficult to gauge the effect of luck,
but in times past I have been out-fished by
on the water. Such conditions people who were better organised.
seldom prevailed during late
2006. If it wasn’t blowing from Breakaway IMP
the west or northwest, there was In respect to being well organised, I’m al-
a cold blast from the south. Bay ways looking for the next thing in rig design.
This brings me to the new Breakaway IMP,
of Plenty surfcasters also had a a bait clip with some advantages over my
dismal spring. Again, too many old favourite, the Breakaway Impact Shield.
southerlies and by December the The IMP is a plastic device that fits inside a
Breakaway Fastlink.
water temperature struggled to
reach 15ºC. Springtime catches
in the BOP were down compared Breakaway IMP clip with hook attached. Tension on the trace keeps
to previous years. Late summer the hook + bait in place during the cast. On impact, the clip flips over
and autumn can only be better and spits the bait.
for everyone.
Looking ahead
The critical thing is to know when and where
fish are feeding. That may seem a ridiculously
obvious thing to say but an occasional re-
minder is necessary because when surfcast-
ers have a lucky run from time to time (every
dog has his day) they are apt to believe their
successes are due in no small part to inspired
bait selection and/or rig design and because
that is true the successes can be repeated at
The GULP peeler crab photographed before the cast. An
will and regardless of location. Such misplaced
optimism will always lead to disappointment. IMP clip holds a 4/0 circle hook secured with a snell knot.
And to add insult to injury, some rank amateur Trevally are reputedly a spooky fish, but Black Amnesia
is liable to do something truly unique, like lob trace didn’t frighten this one. Or was the crab just too
a shoddily tied dropper rig into the local river
convincing?
mouth and catch a 12kg snapper.
88 Fishing Coast to Coast NZ
Tackle Tactics Ltd.
Cnr.Main & Cook Street
Foxton
06 363 5957
Fax: 06 363 5958
www.tackletactics.co.nz sales@tackletactics.co.nz
www.tackletactics.co.nz
In a previous issue if this magazine, I de- as natural baits, their other
scribed a pulley rig that incorporated the Im- advantages make them
pact Shield. I would now recommend the IMP well worth your consid-
for this rig for the following reasons: eration. They create
no mess, take up
• A Breakaway Fastlink was always required minimal space in
to hold the sinker. The IMP inside that Fastlink your tackle bag
adds minimal cost and bulk. The completed and don’t require
rig is simple and easy to make. refrigeration.
• An IMP will hold big baits in flight better than They hang onto
an Impact Shield. a hook well. I’ve
• An IMP doesn't wear out, whereas the tub- left them in the
ing on an Impact Shield will lose its grip with water on a surf
use. beach for up
• An IMP releases a bait as readily as an to forty minutes
Impact Shield. and they’ve come
back in perfect
Anyone who sells the Breakaway IMP will condition. They are
(or should) know how to make a simple pul- absolutely brilliant
ley rig. Several are illustrated on the Tackle for distance cast-
Tactics website (http://www.tackletactics. ing, because they are
co.nz/Pulley_Rigs.html). small, light and generally
aerodynamic.
Berkley Gulp Baits
My first significant success with
Evaluating Berkeley GULP baits for surfcast- GULP came on 15 January 2007 when
ing is a current project for me. I saw them I caught a 2.2kg trevally just south of Cape
work brilliantly from a mussel barge in the Kidnappers. It took a GULP peeler crab. Prior effective. One of the more interesting variants
Coromandel last November. The baits were to Christmas, Chad Prentice of the Pania is the float worm. As the name suggests, they
retrieved in a way that imitated a wounded Surfcasting Club caught snapper, kahawai, float. I haven’t had a chance to try these on
baitfish and in that situation they caught five gurnard and smoothhounds on GULP baits a beach where fish are known to be present,
to ten times as many snapper as conven- at Mahanga (just north of Mahia Peninsula). but they are certainly wonderful to cast. At-
tional baits. Gary Kemsley has recently caught blue moki tach one to an IMP and you’d swear you were
with the peeler crabs. It’s early days, but casting only a sinker.
I would not expect GULP baits to show that the indications are that GULP will catch all
sort of advantage when anchored with a species of interest to surfcasters. It’s now a Raw Trevally Salad
surfcasting rig but if they are merely as good matter of working out which ones are most
Trevally flesh does not keep well, which is
why it became the original frozen bait and
why you rarely see it in fish shops or super-
markets. However, fresh trevally is fine to eat
and some people appreciate its stronger fla-
vour. The fish in the photograph was in good
condition and you will note it was placed in
ice the night it was caught. When filleted next
morning, the flesh was firm and had a nice
translucent look. I gave it to my neighbour,
Hilda Meier, to make her raw fish salad.
Hilda’s raw fish salad — recommended
• One trevally of about 2kg. Cut the
flesh into cubes.
• The juice of three lemons (or
limes if you have them)
• One 700g can of coconut cream
• Half teaspoon of turmeric
• Pinch of salt
• Allow this to marinate in the fridge
up to 24 hours and then add the
following:
• Chopped cucumber
• Chopped tomato
• Chopped spring onion
2.2kg trevally caught on Berkley GULP peeler crab on 15 January 2007.
Fishing Coast to Coast NZ 89