How to catch Groper,Bass,Hapuku & Bluenose

Strictly speaking this article isn’t just about catching groper (or hapuku/’puka, if you hail from more northern climes).
More accurately, if they are predominantly grey in colour, bulky of body and possess large mouths, we’re trying to catch them. This enables us to also cover the similar-looking bass (called wreckfish in the record books) and hard-fighting bluenose. And should a big trumpeter, gemfish or tarakihi grab our bait instead, we’ll just have to grin and bear it.
Whatever you call them, hapuku/groper/‘puka and bass/wreckfish are bold and voracious feeders – which probably explains why they’ve been largely cleaned out of our shallower, more accessible locations. To find them these days, you generally need to fish water 100 metres deep or deeper, with 200-350m being more usual. The latter’s where you’ll usually find the bluenose, too. However, during winter in northern waters, and conversely, during summer in the south, hapuku move into much shallower water, perhaps triggered by water temperature changes, returning to the same pins, caves and grottos each year.
Growing to an impressive 90 kilos, I view bass as the lumbering elephants of New Zealand’s underwater world, while hapuku and bluenose are perhaps the rhino and hippo equivalents (very tasty elephants and hippos they are, too!). Unfortunately though, such analogies also make me feel increasingly guilty about targeting them. As these are indeed big, slow-growing wild animals that are extremely susceptible to over-hunting/fishing, we should never take them for granted or waste them. Consequently, it is our responsibility to use strong tackle to minimise break-offs, and to continually appraise what’s been caught to determine when it’s time to stop fishing. With groper it’s very easy to catch more than you need, especially when the next fish could weigh anything between 4 and 80kg!

The tackle

The emphasis should be on structural strength. We want really powerful, tough equipment and lots of strong line.
I use a short, potent rod capable of handling 37kg braided line – anything from a stand-up game rod to a grunty mechanical-jigging ‘stick’. As for the reel, I look for a reasonable quality lever-drag reel around 30W or narrow 50 in size, ideally with some graphite in its housing construction, producing a relatively light and compact outfit than can be held for long periods of time.
Otherwise, consider one of the excellent electric reels on offer, as they certainly make the whole process really easy. (While some people are very disparaging about such products, after they actually use them, it’s interesting to see how many become firm converts!)
Whatever the reel, it should be loaded with 37-45kg superbraid, as there is nothing better for this task. It’s thin for its breaking strain, so less affected by water resistance, resulting in much less bowing in the current in comparison to the much thicker nylon of a similar breaking strain. And as superbraid also stretches very little, it’s very good at transmitting any contact to the angler (the seafloor, bites etc) through a taut line, which it tends to be with a 24-32oz ‘puka bomb’ tied to the end.
You’ll need at least 500m of braid; 600m-plus is even better. After all, you could be fishing in 350 metres, and another 80 metres may be needed to reach the bottom due to the line angle (thanks to a strong current or quick drift). Then there’s the quarry: a big bass can definitely bulldoze away for 100 metres when hooked. So it’s certainly possible to require 530 metres or more (and that’s without taking into account being cut off by other lines or losing line to snags!). Consequently, a spare spool of heavy braid can often become very valuable on long or species-specific trips.
Now for the terminal tackle. Whatever rig you make or buy, it shouldn’t incorporate nylon of less than 200lb (90kg) breaking strain, as a double of hooked fish can easily blow lighter trace material apart. It also needs to cope with potential damage from reef and sharks.
When fishing exotic locations such as the Ranfurly Banks or the Three Kings Island’s offshore banks, King and Middlesex, I opt for 250-300lb trace and heavy-duty circle hooks of between 11/0-14/0, depending on the hook brand (sizes often vary) and the size of fish I expect to encounter. However, when targeting bluenose, the circle-hook’s circumference should be no bigger than a squash ball, because not only is this species generally smaller than hapuku or bass on average, its mouth is not as big either.
I only use black, medium-sized ball-bearing swivels on my ‘puka rigs, as they are less likely to attract toothy bites and won’t fail in the way some low quality barrel swivels do.
When it comes to sinkers, I find the 32oz ‘Bomb’ is perfect for most situations. Long, slim and streamlined, it slips through the water more easily, so drops faster, getting the rig down smartly (reducing the incidence of attacks by gemfish and barracouta in the process), so less line is out and a more vertical line angle achieved after touchdown. Better still, a slim sinker is less likely to snag up afterwards, while its hefty weight helps the rig to hold position and hook biting fish. (Try holding a circle hook and lifting a 32oz sinker off the floor...)

Rig specifics

Small aspects of a ‘puka rig can combine to make a big difference to your overall fishing success. Here are a few you might like to consider:
Allow quite a bit of distance between the rig’s lower branching dropper and the sinker to reduce the chance of snagging the bottom. I find around a metre is good, although this will make controlling the rig harder when moving around the boat (hold the sinker in your hand to prevent it bashing the boat’s sides).
Droppers should not hang down and wrap around the backbone. To avoid this, tie very short, stiff droppers – around 7-8cm long is fine – perhaps introducing twists into the dropper loop or covering it with a length of lumo tubing to make them more rigid. Crane swivels on pre-made rigs can work pretty well, but make sure they look strong and that the droppers stick out and away from the backbone – often they don’t.
It is unwise to have more than two hooks per rig, especially in more remote areas where very big fish are possible. Busted traces don’t do the fish any favours, especially when they end up dragging a big sinker around. The only exception is when targeting bluenose: three hooks are often used to cover more of the water column, as bluenose can be quite a way up off the bottom.
Use dropper loop knots to create the droppers, rather than surgeons or double/treble overhand knots, which are very weak structurally.
Don’t tie your droppers too close to each other. You want to allow fish access to both your baits at once so that a double hook-up is a realistic possibility. A gregarious creature, hapuku are often found in schools.
Be sure to attach the hooks to the droppers by threading the loop in through the FRONT of the hook eye, not the back. You’ll hook more fish this way. (If in doubt, the hook’s circular form should be accentuated by the attached trace.)
Two droppers allow different types/sizes of baits to be deployed, catering for different tastes and species.
The addition of luminous squid, tubing and/or beads to the hooks and trace is recommended. Anything that makes the rig stand out in the inky-black depths and invites the curious ‘puka in for a closer look is a big advantage. However, I’m not a fan of big Cyalume sticks – they’re almost too bright.
Finally, while braid is much tougher than nylon of the same circumference, it’s still bloody thin, meaning it’s susceptible to damage when dragged over the reef – especially when under pressure, as happens when you’re attached to a big, powerful fish. Consequently, I tie around five or six metres of 60-70kg nylon to the end of my braided line using an FG or mid knot, then connect this to the dropper rig with a uni knot or crimp. The heavy nylon has saved me from busting off on numerous occasions, especially when fishing with quite a bit of line angle for whatever reason.
If a bit freaked-out by all this information, don’t be. Instead, try to remember the key points and simply buy three or four pre-made ‘puka rigs, as there are some excellent ones available.

Puka catching tips

Look for pins, gutters, sea mounts and banks in depths from 100-350 metres. Places where the current hits structure are always the most productive, although the wind may mean adjusting your drift angle to take advantage of this fact. In all cases do a ‘dummy drift’ first – unless you don’t like your anglers, or want to tire them out so they don’t misbehave later that night. And be sure to factor in the ‘drop time’ when planning the drift, as it can take quite a while for rigs to get down two or three hundred metres.
Make sure the rig’s circle hooks are sticky-sharp. Yes, the design’s very effective, but they still work better when properly sharpened.
When slicing fillets into baits, make them long and slim. Slim baits are less likely to spin and won’t excessively slow the rig’s descent. They are also easier for a fish to inhale.
It’s usually best to push the hook’s point and barb through just one end of the bait – twice if you must.
While ‘puka can be garbage-guts fish and take anything when hungry, fresh bait is still best. Live fish baits send out irresistible vibrations and pheromones, and can be more attractive than dead or cut bait. Species such as mackerel, maomao and just-legal tarakihi are ideal, but sometimes anything that wriggles will do.
Put your harness and rod bucket on before you start fishing. A harness and bucket makes dealing with a hooked fish or retrieving your gear at the drift’s end much easier. The Black Magic harness system is the best I have come across.
Wearing a pair of tight-fitting fishing gloves is advantageous, as braid can be very hard on fingers over time, especially when whizzing out at speed under pressure. (I have a pair of specialist Smiths gloves, which are fantastic, but a pair of the cheap-as-chips linen gloves from Bunnings or Mitre 10 will do the job.)
While it is tempting to clip your harness to the outfit pre hook-up, I find this means fewer bites; as you’re ‘locked into position’, any big swells can see your baits regularly and abruptly whipped up and away from any inquisitive fish. So instead, by holding the outfit under your arm, try to negate the swell’s rise and fall by lifting and dropping the rod’s tip as necessary, allowing the baits to remain in a much more confined area.
Regularly put your reel into freespool and let more line out (re-position), because the current/boat’s drift and/or changes in depth can soon see your baits well up off the bottom. (That said, if it’s bluenose you’re after, you may still be in the strike zone here, so experiment with depths a little.) Then, as soon as the line suddenly slackens, signifying your sinker has reached the bottom, quickly wind the slack out, and you’re back in action. However, this is where ‘puka folk have different ideas: some like to take a few more turns on the reel handle, lifting the rig just out of snagging reach, while others will actually introduce a little slack line so the sinker sits on the sea floor and the baits wash around, looking more natural. I often take the latter, more risky, approach on hard days, particularly early in the drift when my rig is relatively vertical and less likely to snag, as it can make a surprising difference to your bite rate.
When a ‘puka bites, don’t immediately heave on your rod or you’ll simply bounce the hook out. Rather, a slow, steady lift usually results in the ‘puka clamping down firmly on the bait (perhaps it believes the bait is trying to escape), which allows the hook to slide naturally into the jaw hinge and hook-up.
Don’t muck around at this point, especially with the harness. Your big fish will be doing its best to reach a ledge, grotto or gully, with potentially disastrous consequences for your line, so concentrate instead on trying to drag your quarry as far away from the bottom as possible. More fish are lost at this point than at any other time. Only when you are confident your fish is well out of danger should you pause to slip the butt into the rod bucket, clip your harness to the reel lugs, and begin to enjoy the fight. Despite what some people might say, a decent ‘puka DOES put up a reasonable tussle, especially on braid line!


Full Article:   Fishing Net.NZ
More Stories:  www.GoFishTalk.com