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Weather

The high pressure system that has affected the country for the last week will be pushed away by a front approaching the country from the Tasman Sea.

There is some great weather coming for all those kitefishers who have not been able to get out due to the light winds.

On Saturday the North Island is forecast to have moderate to strong northwesterly winds. The wind will go more to the west during the day. The South Island will have strong south to southwesterly winds during the day.

On Sunday the forecast for the North Island is moderate southwesterly winds. The wind could be more westerly in the northern half of the North Island. The South Island is forecast to have strong southerlies with the winds being lighter further up the island.

Another big high pressure system is approaching with very little wind associated with it for next week, so this weekend is definitely the time to get out kitefishing and catch some fish.

Hutch's important questions relating to kite safety are so important we have published both the questions and answers for the benefit of subscribers.

Hi,

I have a couple of interesting questions, but first I must explain the circumstances. On the weekend I was fishing the Nighthawk Kite with a large Skyhook attached, the wind was quite strong and very unpredictable with the occasional strong gust. The set required about a forty-five degree tack, which I was able to do very easily.

I set the gear out a full kilometre and waited for an hour to retrieve. I had only pulled in about one hundred metres when the end gear took a majestic dive (earning a perfect row of tens), into the briny. This was the first time I have experienced a nose dive, but it had to happen one day.

After retrieving around fifty metres, which required very hard work, everything started to come in quite easily. I should add I was fishing a Bottom Longline Rig.

When the end gear arrived on the shore both the safety traces had parted as they are supposed to, also the spar on the Skyhook had broken in half, there was a knot in the wood.

Now for the questions. In your video Geoff Thomas clearly states that the wooden spar is a safety feature and if the kite dunks it is supposed to break. Then Paul mentions it's the safety trace that is supposed to break. If the trace breaking is all that is required to enable an easy retrieve through the water, then is it possible to purchase fiberglass or carbon fibre spars to lighten the Kite and Skyhook thereby improving light wind performance?

Secondly, what breaking strain nylon do you recommend for the safety trace on the Nighthawk Kite and the Skyhook?

I fully appreciate your technology has improved vastly since the video was made, but I was pleasantly surprised at how little it took to get the kite to tack. Even a very small plastic bag proved to be too much and had to be cut back to a piece only 75mm wide, this proved to be ample in moving the kite many degrees off the wind.

Since buying the Kite from you my catches have been unbelievable. The local Whakatane fishing writer has complained that for the past three months fishing from the shore has been very slow, not so say I.

Using the Kite - in four trips to the beach, my wife and I have landed forty-five fish, twenty-one snapper, fifteen gurnard and nine kahawhai. If that is fishing when it's slow, then at my age I don't think I will manage it when things get good!!!

Best Wishes.

"HUTCH."

Hi. Glad to hear your fishing is going well.

Regarding your query about carbon or fibreglass rods versus the dowel.

Fibreglass is heavier than dowel so light wind performance would be adversely affected. Fibreglass also has a tendency to bow out the back of the kite in moderate to strong winds which will decrease the wing span of the kite and thus make the kite unstable.

Carbon fibre is close to the same weight as the dowel but obviously much more rigid. Carbon fibre will improve light wind performance. Using either fibreglass or carbon fibre requires rubber stoppers to be inserted into the cross spar locators. If this is not done then the fibreglass or carbon rod will eat into the wing spars on the kite or leading edge spar on the Skyhook and the spars will eventually break.

Fibreglass or carbon fibre cross spars may not break if a downed Kite is caught in big surf. Dumping surf can break anything that can be used as a Kite spar.

Consequently if fibreglass or carbon fibre is used for all the spars then the kitefisher has no contol over which one will break. Having the wooden dowel as the cross spar builds in a weak point so the main spars in the Kite are protected from damage. Also, instead of having to stock every type of spar for your kite using hardwood dowels means only having to take a couple of spare dowels to the beach.

Don't use pine or beech dowels, they are too soft and flexible and will make the Kite too unstable in moderate to fresh winds. Make sure you use hardwood dowels such as tawa, bluegum or kwila for the best Kite performance.

The need for a safety trace on the Kites.

Safety traces on Kites are really there for another purpose. If the Kite goes down way offshore it can be very difficult to snap the dowel, but as you found out, if the safety trace snaps the Kite comes in very easily. If you do not use a safety trace then the Kite material can become stretched out of shape with the immense loads that can be applied to it. The optimum safety trace is 5 to 8 kilos breaking strain for Flexiwing Kites, 10 to 15 kilos for Super Kites and Nighthawk Kites and 15 to 20 kilos for Delta Force Kites and Power Chutes. A 20 kilo safety trace is required for the Mega Mouth Kite. Both the Large Skyhook and Flexiwing Skyhook safety trace should be 3 to 4 kilos.

For maximum kite security we recommend kitefishers use both a safety trace AND hardwood dowel, if one doesn't break the other one will.

In 1988 when we introduced kitefishing we were using no safety system. We have found using both the above systems greatly assists in the prevention of damage to the Kites and has reduced Kite loses by over 90%.

It is much cheaper to replace a safety trace and/or length of dowel than a Kite.

PS. Some kitefishers use soluble sweets like barley sugar instead of a safety trace very successfully!

Yours Truly

Peggy Barnes