KEY POINTS:
It looks like an impromptu religious gathering.
Well over 100 people are wedged into the small mezzanine theatre area, their attention focused on a couple of blokes making frequent references to the impressive slideshow behind them.
Malcolm Dawson and Brett Rathe are talking about fishing.
But, to the punters at the last of 14 packed-out seminars at last week's New Zealand Boat Show in Auckland, the pair are disciples.
It seems the face of recreational fishing is changing forever, and Mr Dawson and Mr Rathe are in town to show and tell us how.
The days of attaching bait to hook, line and sinker in the hope of catching a live fish is under threat. Technology is taking over.
Scent-impregnated biodegradable lures could well be the way of the future. They catch more and bigger fish, says Mr Dawson, who promotes the American-made Berkley Gulp! range in New Zealand.
They don't smell and they don't get blood and guts all over your boat. What's more, they really work, he insists.
And Mr Dawson says the new baits have opened up a whole new market to the tackle industry: women.
"I think this is offering the industry a phenomenal amount of growth. Mum and the kids, who have often stayed at home and don't like the smell of bait and the macho image of fishing, suddenly they are getting involved.
Soft "plastic" lure fishing has been around for about 30 years. But the million-dollar "phenomenon' that is sweeping the country is driven by new-generation technology.
The market leader by a considerable distance, Berkley's Gulp! baits are the culmination of 25 years of research and development.
Fish City's showroom manager Greg McKinney says: "Some of the fishing I've had has just blown me off the planet."
Given his store shifts 200-300 packets of the $10-$11 Gulp! a week, his enthusiasm is understandable. Even more so when you consider that, to fish the baits successfully, most anglers will need to invest in a new lightweight rod and reel and comparatively expensive braided line and fluorocarbon trace. The total package typically costs from $300 to $1000.
But not everyone has fallen under the soft-bait spell.
Murray Randell, of Hokianga-based bait supplier Salty Dog, laughs at the thought the writing is on the wall for his industry. "I was going to put an ad in the paper: 'Real fishermen don't use rubbers'. But I thought I better not - I might get into trouble."
Salty Dog's million dollar-plus turnover of pilchards, squid and berley was up 20 per cent last year. "
Taking the bait
Berkley Gulp! range: $9.90 (number of baits per pack depends on size and type).
1kg frozen NZ pilchards: $5.
1kg frozen squid: $5.50.
1 frozen whole bonito: $6.
1kg slated mullet fillets: $8.
3kg berley bomb: $5.
Soft bait tackle
Shimano rod & reel $200
Berkley Fireline$36
Vanish Fluorocarbon trace$18
Source: www.fishcity.co.nz
