Much of my time as of late has been helping others learn and enjoy this growing sport. Some of the many activities I donate my time to:
King of Jetskifishing
NZJSF Club evenings and events
Social trips introducing anglers to each other so they can learn more about the sport
Continual social media promotion of the sport
Radio interviews
Magazine features
Plus recent inclusion of in store seminars educating anglers on rigging their ski, to catching fish
Leading in to the seminars I had taken for granted that for even those who have been enjoying the sport for years, there is still plenty of opportunity to learn from my experience. Here are some key tips I found well received in the latest seminar which the majority who attended werent familar with:
Reel Covers protect your reels from saltwater damage and secure rods in the rod holder.
Personal Locator Beacons are not owned by many ski owners, personally for me this is a priority in my necessary saftey equipment. I wear this at all times, as it is no good to you if it is left on the ski, as the time you need it will be when you are in the water.
Coastguard membership is a top priority for safety. I have found only a small percentage of people have subscribed to this amazing service.
Jetskifishing Masks are proving very popular with the community and many say it is a 'must have' in their kit.
Only a few people knew about the Coastguard Northern Region APP. I use this to analyse real time wind direction while planning fishing trips with other weather forecast apps such as Swellmap.
Anglers have been struggling to get the soft baits to the bottom depths and since the seminars, are only now learning about my favoured rig the Berkley 2oz Elevator Rigs.
Knot options - not many were confident with knots and welcomed what works for me. As I Soft bait, I use 15lbs & 20lbs J Braid on my Daiwa set ups, firstly with a doubled section of braid using a spider hitch before tieing my Daiwa 30lbs Saltiga Fluro Carbon with a back to back uni-knot, then finishing with a uni-knot at a Berkley Genie clip which allows me easy changes of my jig head weights.
I use the custom length Ultimate Jet-ski Net, with a easily replaceable rubber mesh basket if ever damaged. The net is the perfect length to easily retrieve a decent size Snapper out of the water with one hand and being a rubber basket will not have you tangling your hook barb in the net.
A small tackle assortment is all that is required on the ski, in a soft pouch of some sort. Any loose tackle in large plastic tackle boxes will only get damaged in transit.
It was surprising at the amount of new anglers struggling for comfort and warmth, not aware of the thermal clothing options. Having a two piece Sharkskin top and bottoms, also makes for easy toilet breaks on the water. Sharkskin has superior warmth vs wetsuits out of the water and eliminates uncomfortable chafing and rashes caused by wetsuits whilst riding.
There are so many tips to be learnt at my seminars, above is just a glimpse to what I received feedback on from guests. They really enjoyed seeing the whole Daiwa Sea-Doo kitted to the next level with dual battery system, nav lights etc. and valued the more detailed tips I discussed about my personal softbaiting techniques.
Last week I experienced one of my most exciting adventures yet, I travelled to Great Barrier Island with 9 of our New Zealand Jetskifishing Club members to learn more about the island. The trip was a huge success, a few personal bests caught by my guests and just as many fun times off the water. One of the highlights of the trip was visiting Mulberry Grove School. After a short visit introducing the school to Jetskifishing, the kids were so excited! Enjoy the video and share this with your friends so they too can see how exciting the lifestyle of Jetskifishing is.
My next Great Barrier Island social trip is May 2017, bookings are open, anyone attending would require at least two previous social trips experience. Also required is an all wheel drive vehicle to take advantage of the various launch options I have researched, the trip is limited to 12 people.
Andrew Hill
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