Just Another Fisherman

Hear ye, hear ye.

His Majesty hath been known to dabble in the noble art of fly fishing. Whether he’s any good, we shan’t say.

What we will say is this. In his honour, 20% off all outerwear, knitwear and sweats begins tomorrow, 10AM. Online and in-store. By royal decree. Ours, mostly.

One must dress accordingly.

Born from the flames of the graft, trusted by boaties, deckies and weekend warriors, and set up for whatever you want to throw at it.

A must have staple for anyone looking for a shirt that looks the part, while doing all you want it to.

That’s the Boatyard Shirt in a nutshell.

Online and in-store now.

How to rig a Swordfish bait.

What you’ll need: Fresh squid, bait needle and waxed rigging thread, a skirt, 400 lb trace, two water reactive lights, a 32 oz sinker, a swivel and a 16/0 circle hook.

1. Start with a fresh squid and thread your bait needle through, sewing it up nice and tight
2. Stitch down through the body, side to side, then mirror it back up
3. Leave a tag end at the top to hitch onto your hook and trim it even
4. Feed the whole thing up through a skirt to hold it together and add a bit of colour down there
5. Run your 400 lb trace with two water reactive lights clipped on
6. Tape a 32 oz sinker onto the rig, not tied, so it doesn’t tangle on the way down
7. Connect everything back up through a swivel
8. Tie your 16/0 hook with a loop knot, lock the tag ends off and slide it tight
9. Lower it down slowly and let the weight do the work when it taps bottom, just let it bounce

Swordfish are one of the most prized deep water targets out there, powerful, fast and built for the depths. They’re typically found anywhere from 300 to 600m down, hunting squid and baitfish in the dark. They’re most active at night when they rise up through the water column to feed, which is why deep dropping after dark gives you the best shot. Although, daytime sword fishing can be productive too. A quality rig like this paired with fresh squid and those water reactive lights is exactly what gets their attention down there. When one finally bites, get ready to hold on. These fish are absolute brutes and will test every bit of your gear.

Some people are really into beanies.

So into them, they’ll do whatever it takes to get their grubby mitts on the good ones.

These are good ones. J.A.Fisherman Beanies.

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How to fillet a Bluenose:

1. Cut behind the pec fin down to the backbone, then run your knife along the spine shoulder to tail.
2. Peel the fillet away from the ribcage, leaving the belly flap on.
3. Skin the fillets in chunks rolling the knife out away from you to remove any bloodline.
4. Separate the collar and cut up through the throat.
5. Seperate the belly flap from the body, avoiding the guts.
6. Remove any cheeks worth eating and enjoy!

Bluenose don’t mess around. Thick-bodied, silver-blue and built for the deep. With a giveaway blue tinged snout that gives them their name. They school up around seamounts and deep structure, making them a targeted species for both commercial longliners and keen recreational anglers. The flesh is buttery, white and full of flavour. Arguably, one of the finest eating fish in New Zealand waters.

Filleted using the narrow filleting knife from the J.A.F x Victory Knives Bare Bones Knife Set, available for preorder through the link in bio now.

Follow for more fishing and filleting tips.

Sometime’s the fish just don’t want to be caught.

It’s important to remember that even a slow day’s a good day, and that it always beats working.

Shop our latest capsule collection A Slow Day’s A Good Day, online and in-store now.