Sam Boothroyd
Based in the South Island of New Zealand, Sam is regularly travelling its beautiful coastlines and rivers in search of his next fishing adventure. Sam is both a freshwater and saltwater angler, chasing everything from trout and salmon, to John Dory, snapper and kingfish.
WHEN AND HOW DID YOU GET INTO FISHING?
From the moment I could hold a fishing rod without throwing it over the side my dad had me out on the water chasing seabass, mackerel, pollock and a whole host of other species off the coast of Cornwall on our little tinny.
However, I only discovered my fishing addiction when I moved to New Zealand and discovered the massive opportunities lurking under the water for a persistent bugger with a rod.
SHARE A FAVOURITE FISHING MEMORY OR EXPERIENCE
My favourite fishing memories and experiences are more about the time and energy put into something and the moment it pays off rather than just epic days on the water although I’ve had my fair share of those too. But here are some of my top fishing experiences:
Chasing trout is a form of fishing that had taken up an entire year of my life without any success. Essentially I had spent an entire season fishing my heart out simply for disappointment so obviously getting my first trout was a big deal however having a day of consistently catching trout was an even bigger deal as it told me that I figured out how to catch these frustratingly picky fish. Myself and my good mate Dan had an incredible day on the river one day landing 12 trout with some good sized browns and rainbows amongst them.
I’ve had some incredible days on the water in Kaikoura (NZ) with epic fishing, catching big tarakihi and blue cod whilst watching dolphins, whales, seals, albatross and even a huge thresher shark all around us.
Catching an 11lb snapper off the rocks in Nelson has to be one of, if not my top highlight. After a whole season put into fishing every low tide I finally landed a good snapper which, in my opinion, for the South Island off the shore is a hell of a success and it was caught on a [Black Magic] 2/0 KS hook.
WHERE ARE YOUR FAVOURITE FISHING SPOTS?
My favourite fishing spot is something that is constantly changing as I discover new areas and techniques, however there are a number of spots off the shore around Nelson that hold a place in my heart.
The overwhelmingly productive waters of Kaikoura are definitely up there along with the Marlborough Sounds, which I hope to one day explore and fish all of its waters.
In the North Island, the Mahia Peninsula and East Cape are areas I want and need to explore further.
WHY DO YOU LOVE TO FISH?
I fish for many reasons.. Chasing fish for the table is only the catalyst I need for adventures to new areas and new waters. I fish for the thrill of casting into new waters, for the unknown result of what lurks beneath the surface, for the comradery and banter amongst fishing buddies and as a break from the stresses of life.
WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE STYLE OF FISHING?
My favourite style of fishing has to be bait fishing simply because there is something extremely satisfying about putting a perfect hunk of bait on your hook and knowing that something wants to eat it. I find it also allows you to encounter a wider variety of species who may not chase lures or have too small mouths. I prefer to use smaller hooks than most people would use because you can still catch big fish on small hooks but you often miss out on a lot of opportunities of smaller fish or different species you’re not necessarily targeting by using larger hooks.
In terms of rigs, I’m pretty indifferent and in my opinion each rig has its place, but you can’t really go past a ledger rig in some form. Recently I’ve found that [Black Magic] Snapper Snacks® are perfect for targeting most species off the shore and the boat.
WHAT'S YOUR FAVOURITE BLACK MAGIC PRODUCT?
It's got to be the range of hooks. The amount of times I’ve put up with crap hooks which easily break under pressure and extended use only to lose good fish due to gear failure is too much to think about.
Since I first started using Black Magic hooks ranging from the KL, KLT® and KS hooks, to the DX Point® hooks, I’ve never been let down. I’ve caught big fish on small hooks, in fact recently out at D’urville Island I pulled up a 17kg kingfish on a 3/0 KL hook.
The quality of Black Magic hooks makes them by far my favourite product and it’s why all of the pre-made rigs are so successful. Having a good hook is essential for chasing all species of fish.
WHAT ARE YOUR FISHING GOALS FOR THE NEXT 12 MONTHS?
I want to really refine my canal fishing to the point where I can regularly catch trout. In particular, I hope to land a 20-pound rainbow or brown.
Out in the salty stuff I really hope to have some good surfcasting sessions on the shingle beaches of Canterbury with the intention of landing my first elephant fish this year as well as a 20-pound rig shark.
If I get the chance over the salmon run period I'm definitely going to put some time into some of the famous braided salmon rivers in my area to attempt to catch my first river run salmon.
I'm also hoping to get back up to the top of the South Island to chase snapper and kingfish on the boat and off the bricks.
Regardless of whether I acheive these specific goals, I'm excited to keep chasing a huge variety of different species in both salt and fresh water.
WHAT WOULD BE YOUR DREAM CATCH OR FISHING ADVENTURE?
For me the mighty mahimahi has always been my number 1 bucket list fish. My obsession with these fish began when I had a mahimahi burger on a beach bar in Costa Rica and continued after I saw the beauty and power of these incredible fish through obsessive searching over the internet. I hope to one day catch and eat one of these awesome fish.
The Three Kings (off the coast of NZ) is definitely a place that is up there on my list of adventures I drive for, the stories and pictures out of that place simply boggle the mind.
WHAT TIPS WOULD YOU GIVE SOMEONE LEARNING TO FISH?
Fishing is about a huge range of skills, knowledge and technique but it’s also a massive game of luck. If you put in enough time, you’re bound to catch a fish. The trick to being a good fisherman is finding spots and using techniques so that you are constantly catching fish rather than random strokes of luck. This is something that takes time and my advice for someone getting into fishing is to spend as much time as possible on the water, studying techniques and tactics, watching other fishermen and exploring new areas.
Don’t always go where other fishermen are, more likely than not they are just following each other too. A massive game changer for me is studying your target species. Each fish is different but there are some common traits that fish have, they like food and they like areas where food is likely to be. Areas of current or areas which are significantly different in depth or structure tend to hold fish.
Another extremely useful tool I’ve discovered is either diving with your target species or watching underwater footage of them, this allows you to see where they sit in the water, how they feed and what kind of habitat to look for. This isn’t possible for all species but when possible do as much research as you can on your species and with the internet now and resources such as fishing magazines and forums you’ll most likely find you have too much information.
Something really important is to keep it simple to start with, use basic rigs and techniques and refine these as you progress but most important of all is being persistent and patient.
