West Coast fishing family

We love fishing in our family.  Our daughter Aru started fishing by the age of 2, her first fish was a baby flounder which looked like a leaf and she threw it back. 

She is now on her third fishing rod which is called Black Tiger and is meant to be unbreakable.  She would fish all day if we let her, she fishes for sea run trout in the estuary and a friend is making up a jig for her to fish for flounder at the river mouth. 

From the ocean side she fishes for three types of eating shark, rig, elephant fish or grey boy. This requires her to throw a surf caster into the sea, so we help her with that part and she wears her life jacket for safety. 

I learnt to fish as a young girl and I think I have passed on my enthusiasm to her.  Our neighbour next door just bought a boat and took her out the other day and I was grateful we have a shower in our shed because she came back grinning, covered in mud from head to toe!  We love to eat her catch but she is very mindful and puts a lot back so that they may grow bigger. 

We make all sorts of things from the fish, I often smoke the trout then take the bones out and make it into a mornay, which is delicious. 

We spend time catching whitebait together so we can offer you a sample on the boat tour, not everyone has tasted whitebait which is a tiny native trout and is considered a delicacy by us here in New Zealand and retails up to $180 a kilogram.  So we will keep up the fishing tradition and look forward to passing it down to Aru’s daughter.