Red Tag: Fishing

TRIP REPORT: NEW ZEALAND

CRAIG BOLCH

After a delay of eight months the time had finally come around for our NZ fishing trip, hosted by Gavin Hurley. is was a seven day trip with six full days fishing in Southland around Lumsden, aboutonehundredkilometressouthofQueenstown

We flew into Queenstown on a direct flight from Melbourne and unfortunately, we had an hour and a half delay, they had a flat tyre on the aircraft which is just what you need when you are keen to start a fishing trip. Landing in Queenstown was amazing, descending through the mountain valleys you got a perspective of the area, the scenery is breathtaking We were picked up at the airport by Trevor and Gavin and travelled to Lumsden We settled into our accommodation each of us having our own room, in what I found out was originally an aged care facility that Gavin had renovated. e accommodation was very modern and comfortable.

GavinandhiswifeDebrahostedus,andeverything was laid on Deb cooked an amazing two course meal, apart from one night, Gavin’s birthday when they had the night off. On this night Scott, one of the guides, supplied home caught and prepared smoked salmon, venison steaks and lamb sausages so we did not go hungry Gavin was the entertainer with great impressions of how a trout reacted to a fly and also our angling styles

It was great to get to know Gavin, he is a genuine guy who likes a beer and a yarn with a very dry sense of humour.

He is a natural sledger, must have got it from his cricketing days and lets you know what he thinks of your fishing skills

Don’t take it personally, it just his way of having a laugh and once you get his sense of humour and have at laugh at your own expense and give some back you will have a great time.

Gavin got into flyfishing in his early twenties and became obsessed, after cricket it became his passion, and he was smart enough to make a career out of fly fishing. He has fished the area for over twenty five years.