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The Kite Fishing Club held their annual Inventors Evening this
week. Members were competing for the Artie Miller Memorial Trophy.
The entries are awarded points in nine catagories including originality,
cost effectiveness, and simplicity.
There were six entries into the main competition and all entries
were of a very high standard.
Mal Riley won the Artie Miller Memorial Trophy for his Kite Launcher.
Although designed for use with the Flexiwing
Kite , it could be adapted to suit any size kite. It
is a wooden frame which can be secured into the sand and holds the
kite steady while you prepare your gear.
The kite dowel sits in a slot, when you are ready to launch it
is only a matter of pulling on the kiteline and the kite is launched
into the air. The frame is hinged so once the kite is released the
frame collapses onto the sand. An excellent example of kiwi ingenuity.
Other entries included a kite made out of a plastic rubbish bag,
a sea anchor for the longline, a holder for 30 spare traces, a new
tube float and a very simple idea for tacking a Skyhook. Tim Gerard
and Ross Savage both had ideas on how to prevent traces tangling
and had examples on display for people to try out.
Other Great Ideas
A bonus for club members was the presentation of several designs
not entered in the contest for the trophy, but worth looking at
anyway.
Kevin Griffiths brought along a torpedo which his father used to
set out longlines off Piha many years ago. Despite being 25 years
old, the ingenuity used in its design impressed everyone.
Jim Birch brought along two torpedos he has been working on. Both
operate as line haulers and Jim was happy to offer his advice to
those thinking of making their own.
Neville King and his neighbour Derek had their electric winches
on show and explained their operation. Both winches were set up
on stands and were powered by batteries. With 12 volt or 24 volt
options these rigs are capable of hauling in a longline at speed,
if required. The stands have a waist height bait board and manual
wind facility if the batteries fail.
Smart Lures
Tony Smart from Tauranga gave a presentation to the club on his
range of fishing lures. At this stage he is only making lures for
commercial and game fishing use. Recreational fishers have shown
so much interest for smaller lures that he is planning to have a
range of lures available in a few months time.
Tony is sure kitefishers will have success with the new lures as
they are designed to work at speeds between 2.5 and 12 knots. Ideal
for towing when kitefishing.
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