Five Fishing Essentials

Hayden Speed shares five of the most important aspects of his fishing.

For most fishers, there are certain items that they consider ‘must-haves’. It is these items that they believe massively increase their catch rate, their enjoyment, or the overall outcome of the trip. My top five will no doubt differ from many others, but here they are, in no particular order a chartplotter, berley and a wobbly pot; a bait-catching set; a livebait tank; and ice and a good chillybin.

However, it has to be noted that your selection of safety gear trumps all of these other fishing items. Therefore, items such as flares, a working VHF radio, an EPIRB, spare petrol, lifejackets and good lighting on your boat are essential, but I have not included them in my top five as they should be a given.

Chartplotter: My first must-have is a chart plotter. Most sounders these days will have a chartplotter that can track exactly where the boat has travelled. This allows you to either drift or anchor the boat according to the structure you have just driven over. So, if you drift or have mis-anchored you can reposition the boat to correct its position.

Another good feature of a chartplotter is that it allows you to mark a spot. This might be somewhere where you’ve had a hit from a marlin or spotted some sign or structure that you want to come back and fish another day. Being able to retrace your steps when no landmarks are available is priceless. 

Having a chartplotter allows you to see exactly where the boat has previously been. This can be an extremely helpful tool for all forms of fishing.

Berley and Wobbly Pot: I consider berley almost crucial when straylining or trying to attract baitfish to catch and use as livebaits. Without berley, I’m entirely relying on a fish stumbling across my bait. The Wobbly Pot and a decent amount of rope allows me to position my berley where the current distributes it most effectively through the zone I intend to fish. 

A Wobbly Pot helps to position the berley much closer to where the fish are – increasing your chances of luring them in.

Bait Catching Tackle: My best bait-catching set is most often a soft-bait rod with a string of sabikis or a small surface lure attached. The soft-bait rod gives me the flexibility of either dropping sabikis down by the berley dispenser or casting or trolling a lure towards a surface school. And of course, baitfish don’t have to be kept alive; they can also be the best fresh dead baits that you could ever possibly wish for – think a butterflied jack mackerel! 

A soft-bait setup is the writer’s bait catching outfit. 

Bait Tank: My next must-have is along the same lines as the previous point, and that is a livebait tank to hold the livebaits. Having a tank of livies opens up many more opportunities to land that special fish. These can be used for targeting a variety of species, from kingfish and snapper to marlin and tuna. I’ve also found that livebaits tend to catch larger fish, making them an excellent option for those hunting trophies. Some species, such as john dory, will be far more likely to take a livebait, making the bycatch a particularly tasty addition!

Having a tank full of livies opens up so many more opportunities. Whether it’s targeting john dory, prospecting a deep reef or pitching to a pelagic species, they are a great way to catch fish!

Salt Ice and Bin: My final must-have is a plentiful supply of salt ice and a good quality chilly bin. To preserve the best eating quality, immediately bleed fish and place it on ice. Planning the amount of ice you will need is also essential, as a tiny bag of ice isn’t going to make much difference to a 50L bin full of fish. It has been suggested that a 5kg bag of ice per angler plus one ‘for the boat’ is the right amount to quickly chill down a decent catch.

Taking ample ice along with a good quality chilly bin/bag is crucial to preserve the eating quality of your catch.

My five must-haves massively improve all elements of my fishing. I’m sure these items will differ in some ways from what you believe your top five would be. However, as mentioned above, your safety gear should be regarded as the most important equipment onboard – don’t leave home without it. 

March 2023 - Hayden Speed
New Zealand Fishing News Magazine.
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