🎣 Get the Net – Tight Lines, Loose Lips! 🎙️

Nick Hoyle

Welcome to Get the Net, the Kiwi fishing podcast where the yarns are as wild as the waters we fish! Hosted by Nick, a self-confessed multiple-time member of the Caught Bugger All Fishing Club*, this show dives into epic stories, top tactics, and must-have gear from NZ’s best anglers. From offshore Marlin to soft baits in the shallows, we’re all about real fishing talk—no gatekeeping, just good banter, expert tips, and the odd fishing fail.

  1. Jul 27

    $497,000 on the Other Side of Three-Meter Seas Mark Phillips + Jason van Esch

    Part 2 picks up where the action is — sounder marks, Rays Bream bars, throwaway waypoints, and the discipline to ditch a predetermined plan the moment something better appears on screen. The conversation turns to the pre-fishing mission that set up the biggest result of their careers: bait stacked at Whale Rock, a fish spotted off Cuvier, and a weather window that most boats decided to sit out. The conditions were brutal — three-and-a-half metre seas, wet weather gear purchased the morning of, and Cor (Jason's dad) calling it off the moment he saw what they were heading into. Mark and Jason went anyway. What happened next is the kind of story that gets told at prize-givings for years. A 384 kilo black marlin. Three hours on the rod. A trailer boat, two blokes, and a fish that took everything they had. The chaos around the weigh-in is worth the price of admission alone — Scott from Rayglass tying off the bill, Cor somewhere between 8 and 16 beers deep, and Mark parking the boat and walking off it because he was completely done. Second place overall, the heaviest billfish in the competition, and $497,000 split three ways. 🎧 Watch on YouTube — Search Get The Net 📱 @getthenet_nz on Instagram, TikTok & Facebook 🎵 Music: Proctor (Topher Mohr & Alex Elena) | Satellites (Swello) | Momentum (Zplit) | Source — YouTube Audio Library 🎥 Shot on Sony A7iii + Sennheiser Mics | Edited in Adobe Premiere Pro | Shot, Edited & Produced by Nick Hoyle

    $497,000 on the Other Side of Three-Meter Seas Mark Phillips + Jason van Esch
  2. Jul 20

    $70K, Three Swords, and a Chip on Their Shoulder Mark Phillips + Jason van Esch

    Mark Phillips grew up in Whitianga casting hand lines with Mum and Dad before discovering soft baiting and slowly working his way into competition fishing. Jason van Esch, a builder and tiler from Auckland, found his way back to fishing through camping trips, trailer boat comps, and a burning desire to be the guy walking away with the reels. A bromance forged on a building site and sealed somewhere out past Cuvier. Part 1 is a front-to-back masterclass in what it takes to compete at the Kubota level — from the early trailer boat days chasing snapper prizes, to the first Kubota entry in 2021 where a tagged stripy and a stranger calling them "little bitches" at prize-giving lit a fire that's been burning ever since. The stories you won't forget: Mark's first blue marlin on a broken rod at 500 metres. Jason's first blue, lost after an hour with no gimbal. Kylie's five-and-a-half-hour sword battle. Thirteen winds from a monster they never got. Part 1 ends with three swords tagged, $70,000 in the pocket, and a chip on their shoulder the size of a black marlin. 🎧 Watch on YouTube — Search Get The Net 📱 @getthenet_nz on Instagram, TikTok & Facebook 🎵 Music: Proctor (Topher Mohr & Alex Elena) | Satellites (Swello) | Momentum (Zplit) | Source — YouTube Audio Library 🎥 Shot on Sony A7iii + Sennheiser Mics | Edited in Adobe Premiere Pro | Shot, Edited & Produced by Nick Hoyle

    $70K, Three Swords, and a Chip on Their Shoulder Mark Phillips + Jason van Esch
  3. Jul 6

    Why You're NOT Finding the Bluefin!! Ocean Intelligence Secrets | Matt Shuker

    Matt Shuker built a business tracking the ocean so Marine Intel members never fish blind. Marine Intel started with a marlin trip to Westport and a mates group chat. Now he’s directing triple marlin strikes from a garden centre car parkMarine Intel delivers custom daily ocean reports to game fishermen across the country, decoding satellite data, sea surface temperatures, subsurface thermoclines, and chlorophyll blooms into plain English: here's where the fish should be, here's why. Eighteen months in, it's his full-time life — and it all started because a trip to Westport didn't go the way it was supposed to. In this episode Nick and Matt go deep on the science of finding fish. What does a game fisherman actually need to look at on a chart? Why do bluefin behave like long-haul truckers — pulling off at the same productive stops year after year? How does the green-to-blue edge rule work, and when does the biggest fish of the year completely ignore it? Matt breaks down both winter and summer oceanography, the South Island bluefin migration window, and why checking the wind map isn't enough — you need to know what the water was doing before the window opened. There's a full breakdown of the tools and software he uses, plus the story of directing a client onto a triple Marlin strike from a garden centre, just by pulling up charts on his phone. There's also a safety conversation that every NZ game fisherman needs to hear. Matt was 18 miles away when a father and son's trailer boat was caught in a factory trawler's rope off Greymouth — in the middle of the night, in cold South Island water, with no coastguard and no helicopter within range. Their Mayday call was two words. The boat sank. They survived — rescued by Valhalla, who were cooking a roast when the call came in. This episode is bluefin season listening. Listen on Spotify and Apple Podcasts | Watch on YouTube — Search Get The Net Matt Shucker @marinaintel_nzMarine Intel marinaintel.co.nz GET THE NETYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@getthenet_nzInstagram: @getthenet_nzTikTok: @getthenet_nzFacebook: @getthenet_nz MUSICProctor — Topher Mohr and Alex ElenaSatellites — SwelloMomentum — ZplitSource: YouTube Audio Library Shot, Edited and Produced by Nick Hoyle

    Why You're NOT Finding the Bluefin!! Ocean Intelligence Secrets | Matt Shuker
  4. Jun 22

    He broke his back for a fish | 4x NZ Surfcasting Champion | Chad Prentice

    Chad Prentice is a four-time New Zealand Surfcasting Champion and Shimano representative who has spent his life finding the most inaccessible stretches of coastline in the country and figuring out how to fish them. From skipping school in Wairoa to hitch a ride to the beach with cat's meat for bait, to swimming rivers in the dark at 3am with a full pack to win national titles, Chad's approach to land-based fishing is as hard out as it gets. In this episode, Nick and Chad break down the full art of reading a surf beach — water colour, wave period, sand ridges, tide, moon phase, and why where you plant your rod stand is the single most important decision you'll make. Chad also gets into slide baiting for kingfish in the surf, why going as light as possible creates the most opportunities, and how the same principles that apply to boat fishing apply just as much when your feet are planted on the sand. The stories are something else. Two national title campaigns that involved 3am river crossings, pterodactyl-sized mozzies on 90 Mile Beach, and carrying a full load of competition fish out on foot across some of the most rugged coastline in New Zealand. Then there's the time at Cape Maria van Diemen where a collapsing volcanic rock sent Chad fifteen metres onto his back, broke his neck and spine in three places, and put a knife through his bag into his back — and he still looked at the conditions and thought they were good. A roosterfish in Puerto Rico is still on the bucket list. Everything else, he's pretty much done. 🎧 Listen on Spotify & Apple Podcasts | Watch on YouTube — Search Get The Net ✅ Chad Prentice: https://www.facebook.com/hardcoreoutdoorsnz ⏱️ Chapters: 0:00 Meet Chad 15:00 Winning the Nationals 30:00 Reading a Surf Beach 45:00 The Fall at Cape Maria 1:00:00 Slide Baiting & Kingfish in the Surf 1:15:00 Gear, Line Diameter & Going Light 🔗 Links & Socials: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@getthenet_nz Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/id1824558692 ✅ Follow Us: Instagram: @getthenet_nz | TikTok: @getthenet_nz | Facebook: @getthenet_nz 🎵 Music: Proctor - Topher Mohr & Alex Elena | Satellites - Swello | Momentum - Zplit | Source: YouTube Audio Library

    He broke his back for a fish | 4x NZ Surfcasting Champion | Chad Prentice
  5. Jun 8

    The Man Who Always Finds the Fish — Roy Pulvers

    Roy Pulvers is one of Auckland's most recognised charter skippers — more than a decade on the Hauraki Gulf, running Fish 'N Dips Charters and now Triton Charters, and one of the first operators in New Zealand to run lure-only charters. Originally from overseas and self-taught through sheer time on the water, Roy has built a reputation for simply finding fish. If you see his boat heading somewhere with purpose, you follow it. In this episode, Nick and Roy cover the full picture of what it takes to fish the Gulf at the highest level — reading workups, understanding bird behaviour, using technology such as BirdRadar to cut search time and maximise action, and why slowing down sometimes means finding more. Roy breaks down his approach to lure selection, kingfish behaviour, why barometric pressure matters more than most people realise, and the art of teaching complete beginners to catch fish on lures from day one. There are some brilliant stories along the way — a striped marlin fixated on a snapper caught inside the Gulf while jigging with 400mm jigs, wrapping itself around its bill and fins three times in a row; a 2nd kingfish of a lifetime, finally caught after years of chasing it in the same place; and a yellowfin session with clients between Rakino and the Noises that produced 21 fish in a single day. Roy also discusses the state of the Gulf, why he thinks there's more of everything out there right now, and why pelagics pushing inside the harbour is something he hasn't seen in 23 years until recently. His worst day on the water? Any day he's stuck on land. Listen on Spotify & Apple Podcasts | Watch on YouTube — Search Get The Net Roy Pulvers @Triton_Charters (IG)Roy Pulvers @Fishndipscharters (IG)https://www.facebook.com/FishnDipsChartershttps://www.facebook.com/TritonChartersNZwww.youtube.com/@fishndipschartersltd3358 Chapters:00:00 Meet Roy00:15 The State of the Hauraki Gulf00:30 Finding the Fish00:45 Kingfish — The Smart Fish01:00 Marlin in the Gulf & The 40kg King01:15 Gear, Lures & Teaching Beginners Links & Socials:YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@getthenet_nzApple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/get-the-net/id1824558692Instagram: @getthenet_nzTikTok: @getthenet_nzFacebook: @getthenet_nz Music Used:Proctor, Topher Mohr & Alex ElenaSatellites, SwelloMomentum, ZplitSource (YouTube Audio Library) Production Notes:Shot on: Sony A7iii + Sennheiser MicsEdited in: Adobe Premiere ProShot, Edited & Produced by Nick Hoyle

    The Man Who Always Finds the Fish — Roy Pulvers
  6. May 25

    The Trophy Snapper Equation | Stray lining Secrets Revealed | Connor Scott

    Connor Scott is a career skipper out of West Haven,Auckland, and when it comes to stray lining for trophy snapper, he's built a system that's as dialled as it gets. Growing up fishing with his dad from the rocks at a spot they called Broken Ankle Point, Connor has spent his whole lifechasing snapper — and after years on the water professionally, he's broken down exactly what separates the people who consistently find big fish from the oneswho don't. In this episode, Nick and Connor go deep on the art of straylining — reading current, presenting bait naturally, understanding how snapper relate to structure, and why most people are fishing the wrong spots for the wrong reasons. Connor talks through his entire system, from finding the mark to keeping fish coming once you're on them, and why the small details that most anglers overlook are actually the difference between a feed and a trophy. There's plenty of texture along the way — Connor'sbackground running charter boats and ferries, what fatigue management looks like as a professional skipper, and some cracking yarns about big sessions and the ones that nearly got away. But the real gold in this episode is in thedetail — the kind of hard-won knowledge that only comes from putting in serious time on the water with clients who are paying to catch fish. Bait over lures. Pan-fried snapper. No fuss. Connor's a manwho knows what works. 🎧 Listen on Spotify &Apple Podcasts | Watch on YouTube — Search Get The Net ✅ Connor Scott @new_zealand_outdoors ✅ www.youtube.com   ⏱️ Chapters /Segments 📝 SHOW NOTES / CHAPTERBREAKDOWN (00:00) Meet Connor Career skipper out of West Haven, grewup fishing with his dad from the rocks at a place they called Broken AnklePoint. (07:00)The Professional Edge What years of putting clientson fish teaches you that recreational fishing never will. (00:15) Reading Current & Finding the Mark How Connorlocates trophy snapper and why most people are fishing the wrong spots. (00:30) The Straylining System Burley patience, big baits,and the details that separate a feed from a trophy. (00:45) Staying On the Fish Why sitting on a quiet markfor hours is one of the most underrated skills in fishing. (00:60) Bait vs Lures & The Equation Connor's take on thegreat debate — and the formula that equals big snapper every time.   🌟 Links & Socials - YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/@getthenet_nz] - Apple Podcasts: [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/🎣-get-the-net-–-tight-lines-loose-lips🎙️/id1824558692]   ✅ Follow Us - Instagram: @getthenet_nz - TikTok:@getthenet_nz - Facebook @getthenet_nz   🎵 Music Used ✅ Proctor, Topher Mohr & Alex Elena ✅ Satellites, Swello ✅ Momentum, Zplit ✅ Source (YouTube Audio Library)   🎥 Production Notes ✅ Shot on: Sony A7iii + Sennheiser Mics ✅ Edited in: Adobe Premiere Pro ✅ Shot, Edited & Produced by Nick Hoyle

    The Trophy Snapper Equation | Stray lining Secrets Revealed | Connor Scott
  7. May 11

    Cast Until It Hurts - Trophy Kings Off the Rocks | Gene Bryant, Strictly Landbased

    Gene Bryant is New Zealand's only land-based fishing charter skipper — a Whitianga local who grew up watching his dad pioneer the land-based scene in the early '90s, and never looked back. Gene runs Strictly Land Based, taking clients to the remote rocks and ledges that most fishermen only dream about, chasing trophy snapper and kingfish with stickbaits and topwater lures off the kind of coastline that'll make your knees shake. In this episode, Nick and Gene dive deep into what it actually takes to fish off the rocks — the big walk-ins with a pack full of gear, the boat runs to spots you can't reach any other way, and why casting when you're tired is exactly when the fish show up. Gene shares the tactics behind reading structure, rigging for kingy and snapper off the rocks, and why topwater will always be his first love. Then there's the stories. A 20kg kingy on the second cast. A yellowfin tuna that went absolutely ballistic just around the corner from Whitianga. Six trips chasing GTs in Rarotonga — and one fish lost to the coral that still haunts him. Gene also brings out his dad's old fishing DVDs from the late '90s, proof of a land-based legacy that's been passed down through the generations — and is now being handed on to his own kids. A land-based marlin is still on the bucket list — and when it happens, he'll be back. ✅Gene Bryant @strictlylandbased (IG) ✅YouTube  @strictlylandbased123  ✅ Book a chater +64224778157 (00:00) [The Land-Based Legacy] Gene's dad pioneered it in the '90s — DVDs, sponsors, and all. (00:10) [Spots Nobody Else Can Reach] Boat runs and big walk-ins to Whitianga's most remote coastline. (00:20) [20kg Kingy Then a Yellowfin] A boys' trip that turned into one of Gene's best ever sessions off the rocks. (00:30) [Six Trips Chasing Rarotonga GTs] Why he keeps going back, and eight days of casting with absolutely nothing. (00:40) [Rigging & Reading Structure] The tactics Gene uses to put clients on trophy snapper and kings from remote ledges. (00:50) [Saltiga, Lures & the Bucket List] The rapid fire — plus the one species Gene is still hunting. 🌟 Links & Socials - YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/@getthenet_nz] - Apple Podcasts: [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/🎣-get-the-net-–-tight-lines-loose-lips🎙️/id1824558692]   ✅ Follow Us - Instagram: @getthenet_nz - TikTok:@getthenet_nz - Facebook @getthenet_nz   🎵 Music Used ✅ Proctor, Topher Mohr & Alex Elena ✅ Satellites, Swello ✅ Momentum, Zplit ✅ Source (YouTube Audio Library)   🎥 Production Notes ✅ Shot on: Sony A7iii + Sennheiser Mics ✅ Edited in: Adobe Premiere Pro ✅ Shot, Edited & Produced by Nick Hoyle

    Cast Until It Hurts - Trophy Kings Off the Rocks | Gene Bryant, Strictly Landbased
  8. Apr 27

    3 Kings in a 3 6m Inflatable Tasman from NZ Wild Adventures Pushes the Boundaries of What's Possible

    3 Kings in a 3.6m Inflatable | Tasman from NZ Wild Adventures Pushes the Boundaries of What's Possible Tasman grew up on Arapawa Island in the Marlborough Sounds, homeschooled, self-sufficient, and fishing before he could drive. These days he documents some of the most audacious solo fishing and hunting adventures in New Zealand on his YouTube channel NZ Wild Adventures — mostly from the deck of a 3.6 metre inflatable. Three Kings solo. Fiordland for a month. Around Stewart Island. Sleeping in a hammock strung across the boat 35 kilometres offshore. Hunting the Hokitika Trench for Pacific bluefin tuna in winter. In this episode we get into the safety gear and planning that makes these missions possible, what a month alone in Fiordland actually looks like, the time the boat started filling with water at the start of the Three Kings crossing, and why Tasman would be doing all of this with or without a camera rolling. This is the guy doing 30-mile offshore crossings in a boat most people wouldn't take past the harbour entrance — and somehow making it look completely normal. ✅ Tasman Denize @nz_wild_adventures ✅ www.youtube.com/@NZWildAdventures ⏱️ Chapters /Segments (00:00) Meet Tasman He grew up on Arapawa Island — homeschooled, no neighbours for 9km, hunting and fishing from day one. (10:00) The 3.6m Inflatable — Is It Actually Safe? Backup motor, PLB, VHF, satellite comms, and a strict check-in plan with family. More thought-out than it looks. (20:00) Three Kings Solo Launched from Taputaputa, blue cod on the reef, a possible Pacific bluefin while diving — and a great white in the same spot two hours after he left. (30:00) Fiordland — A Month Alone Four weeks solo, no comms, sleeping on the boat or ashore, eating almost entirely what he caught. (40:00) The Hokitika Trench & Chasing Bluefin 35km offshore in winter, hammock on the boat, 400lb leader — and a very Tasman answer to what happens if a 150kg fish actually eats. (50:00) Rapid Fire + Listener Questions Handline over rod and reel. Bait. Bucket list: big Pacific bluefin solo on the 3.6m. Favourite feed: kahawai in butter. 🌟 Links & Socials- YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/@getthenet_nz] - Apple Podcasts: [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/🎣-get-the-net-–-tight-lines-loose-lips🎙️/id1824558692] ✅ Follow Us - Instagram: @getthenet_nz - TikTok:@getthenet_nz - Facebook @getthenet_nz 🎵 Music Used ✅ Proctor, Topher Mohr & Alex Elena ✅ Satellites, Swello ✅ Momentum, Zplit ✅ Source (YouTube Audio Library) 🎥 Production Notes ✅ Shot on: Sony A7iii + Sennheiser Mics ✅ Edited in: Adobe Premiere Pro ✅ Shot, Edited & Produced by Nick Hoyle

    3 Kings in a 3 6m Inflatable Tasman from NZ Wild Adventures Pushes the Boundaries of What's Possible

About

Welcome to Get the Net, the Kiwi fishing podcast where the yarns are as wild as the waters we fish! Hosted by Nick, a self-confessed multiple-time member of the Caught Bugger All Fishing Club*, this show dives into epic stories, top tactics, and must-have gear from NZ’s best anglers. From offshore Marlin to soft baits in the shallows, we’re all about real fishing talk—no gatekeeping, just good banter, expert tips, and the odd fishing fail.

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