I would suggest Mr Hardy do some research before he writes such inflammatory posts. The owners of this site are agents for two brands of motorised torpedoes and all the accessories that go with them. There is a full and very comprehensive page on the website, Mr Hardy may care to visit.

http://www.tackletactics.co.nz/longline-equipment.html

Speaking only for myself, I am getting sick to death of this continual whining of what is another arm of our sport. I am constantly reading about huge catches of snapper on torpedoes, yet in my fishing career I have yet to see this happen, but I did see an elderly gentleman land one snapper off Marine Parade two weeks ago, his other twenty-four hooks, apart from two tiny sharks, were empty.

I am constantly reading messages about 'Snapper Thieves' (utter crap) but I read no condemnation of boat owners who are bringing home limit catches on very frequent occasions. Try watching the Saturday fishing shows for verification. Why is there this quite ridiculous moaning about the use of alternative methods: kites, bags, kontikis and torpedoes? They are being operated by guys, girls and their families to have a day on the beach having fun.

I run some of the best surfcasting gear available, I also run a motorised torpedo. The cost of the torpedo outfit was $4000.00 and I am fully aware of the amount of fish I could purchase with that money, just eighty kilos at today's snapper price of $40.00 a kilo. However, I don't measure my success in fish, I measure my day by enjoyment, which at seventy years of age I think I am entitled. Using your measure of value for money, there wouldn't be a single fishing boat in Napier harbour, they cost a damn site more to purchase and run that a torpedo.

Sorry, Hardy, you really need to chill out and learn to respect what others do for their enjoyment. It's messages such as yours that turn people away from this site believing it to be elitist, personally, and I don't blame them.

Footnote: For goodness sake don't look at the numbers of snapper those guys who fish from kayaks are taking, you'll be on blood pressure tablets ... just like me!