Current caught species list stands at
Whiting (bucket loads)
Swallowtail Dart
Bream
Tarwhine (Bream have pointy mouths, Tarwhine are curved...)
Flathead
Moses Perch
Tailor
Toadfish :P
All your 'Bread and Butter' fish really. I have eaten Whiting, Dart and Bream so far.
I have also learned to catch Beach Worms - now that is an interesting excercise... I started off by approaching Rob, a local guy who I saw pulling heaps of worms out of the sand (big suckers too) and I wanted to know how... Rob uses a pair of brass pliers with stainless pins in it, that way they grip the worms head rather than squash it. Rob has a stingray with a bit of rope through it, and a steel spike on the other end of the rope. Apparently oily fish and shark/ray species are the go for berleying up worms. Rob uses a piece of squid to entice the worms out of the sand before grabbing them with the pliers and pulling them out of the sand.
I tore a lot of worms heads off that afternoon...
Following day I met Paul, who was throwing spoons into the surf after Tailor or Salmon. I mentioned to Paul that I was having trouble catching worms and so he said he'd show me. Paul uses his fingers. Using the same method of swoshing the berley in the water and waiting for it to recede and looking for the worms to poke their heads out he approaches and then uses a pipi as bait to further entice the worms out of their hiding. Paul pushes his thumb and forefinger into the sand either side of the worm before picking his time to grab the worms head - he missed more than he caught...
I followed Pauls lead and use Pipi as bait, and my fingers to do the pulling. Everyone says that you can't touch the worm - that is BS, I have touched every worm I have pulled out of the sand now. My method is to hold the pipi to the worm and let it have a bite. When worms eat they arch their backs up out of the sand and then pull really hard to rip the flesh away. After it has a bite, and is going back for more I curl my forefinger into the sand and under the head of the worm. Nearly every time the worm will stop eating the pipi and try to bite my finger - they don't bite hard (doesn't hurt at all) anyway, with my finger under its head it soon realises it isn't getting anything to eat off my finger so goes back for the pipi. Because my finger is in the way it now needs to come out of the sand a heap more to get to the pipi which is held above my finger. I then slowly bring my thumb over until I am lightly touching the back of the worm (the whole time the worm is draped over my finger trying to eat pipi) When the worm arches to pull back on the pipi, it can't because your thumb is there, so they use their masses of intellect and come out of the sand even more - then you grab em and pull them out of the sand. Pull them out as soon as you get hold and do it in one smooth pull - any pause and they will lock themselves into the sand and you will break the worm. I have now caught about 30 worms using this method.
Here's a photo of whats in my fridge at the moment (I ate the dart for tea tonight though - sensational eating fish they are
i am not aware of anything like this in NZ (not to say their isn't)
