We landed, we slept, now we are going on our first adventure.
Off up to the northlands with our friends for a few days. Hopefully get some fishing in between all the relaxing and BBQ's! Many more updates to follow, with much more detail, with photo's and more interest!
Keep on checking back and hopefully see me with my first NZ fish!
Here's to fishing!!
Saturday, 31 December 2011
Tuesday, 27 December 2011
The night before tomorrow.
Well...
Twelve hours until we head for the airport, fortythree(ish) hours until we land in New Zealand. Bags packed, fishing gear sorted, lets just hope the man on the phone at BA was correct in what he said was allowed!
A 20lb uptide rod, spinner and fly rod. Multiplier, fixed spool and fly reels. A (very) small selection of some essential tackle, enough to get started anyway!
The last minute packing is pretty much nearly finished, there is always going to be something we forget, but New Zealand will have what I have forgotten.
All that is left to say is bon voyage and, try, to sleep!
Bon voyage!
Twelve hours until we head for the airport, fortythree(ish) hours until we land in New Zealand. Bags packed, fishing gear sorted, lets just hope the man on the phone at BA was correct in what he said was allowed!
A 20lb uptide rod, spinner and fly rod. Multiplier, fixed spool and fly reels. A (very) small selection of some essential tackle, enough to get started anyway!
The last minute packing is pretty much nearly finished, there is always going to be something we forget, but New Zealand will have what I have forgotten.
All that is left to say is bon voyage and, try, to sleep!
Bon voyage!
Wednesday, 21 December 2011
7 days to go!!
A week from now, the adventure begins!
We're now into the final stages of trying to get everything sorted. Leaving drinks, Christmas with family, a day and a half to pack before being driven to the airport ready for departure.
Its all becoming very real!
Monday, 19 December 2011
Making a list and checking it twice, three, four, five...
Lists, lists, lists...
With the departure date edging ever nearer, I have found myself questioning my absolute resolution on the items I'm taking. The original plan to take reels and buy rods in NZ has gone up in smoke, so now I'm trying to work my fishing gear into my 20kg baggage allowance, I don't need clothes if I have rods after all eh?!
Has anyone any advice on the essential, must take items? All help will be gladly received!
Back to refining the lists...
With the departure date edging ever nearer, I have found myself questioning my absolute resolution on the items I'm taking. The original plan to take reels and buy rods in NZ has gone up in smoke, so now I'm trying to work my fishing gear into my 20kg baggage allowance, I don't need clothes if I have rods after all eh?!
Has anyone any advice on the essential, must take items? All help will be gladly received!
Back to refining the lists...
Tuesday, 13 December 2011
Guest post on fishing-blog.co.uk!
I was very kindly asked to write a guest blog by Jamie at fishing-blog.co.uk about the New Zealand trip and plans during and after. Apparently it should be going live tomorrow! Very much looking forward to reading it online, hopefully gain some more readers and interest in the upcoming project.
Now all that's left to do is get that Robson Green hooked...
South Island
Confirmation is confirmed!
After a few stressful hours of waiting for an alternative campervan to be arranged, my nerves have calmed. Phew! We have the camper, satnav and BBQ in our name, ready to be picked up and driven around the south island. 2500ish km, from Christchurch to Milford Sound, heading then towards Fox glacier, up to Able Tasman and skirting the coast back down to Christchurch. Now all we have to do is make our minds up on where we definitely want to see. Let the route planning commence.
Treks and adventure abound.
Thursday, 8 December 2011
So. Right. Here's the plan...
Exciting times ahead!
The planning has started. Contacts have been made. I now have a rough idea of where I'll be heading and whom I'll be meeting. After watching several videos of the type of fishing, the species of fish, the gear needed and the techniques I will have to employ, I feel confident in the plan that is formulating. But... the proof will be in the pudding. Or, in this case, the fish pie.
Having spent over twenty years fishing in many areas on both shore and boat in the UK, its easy to think of our fishing lives as the norm. Spending hours waiting for a bite in the bitter cold and driving rain only to have a momentary lack of concentration and miss the one good rattle of the day, finishing with a blank. Was that a bite? Was it the wind? I'll strike anyway in some vain hope that maybe, just maybe, it was. Turns out, it was just the wind. Infuriating days when everything should point to a bumper catch but no, not today.
For many years I've dreamt of travelling abroad. Australia being the first on the list. Having had friends who've been and come back with stories of endless sun and opportunities, my imagination has run amok. The seas are always bluer on the other side. I've worked with Australians and Kiwis and, to be honest, I think New Zealand is in the lead by a mile. No deadly creatures, more greenery, hills, forests and coastlines all within easy reach. Yup, New Zealand it is.
Both my partner and I have friends who live there now, giving up the big smoke here for a change of lifestyle and scenery. This being a large contributing factor to taking the plunge and actually getting out there. Escaping the cold, rain, low temperatures and snow for new year. All being well, it will be hot and sunny. This, for someone acclimatised to the usual UK weather will be a huge departure from the norm! Spending the first five or so days getting over jet lag and, no doubt, a new years eve hangover in Auckland, we'll then be flying to Christchurch and tour the south island for two weeks in January in our rented camper. Taking in the major sights, spending time exploring what this place has to offer. Mountains, fjords, whales, penguins, wine and beauty. There's more I'm sure, but for the sake of an elongated sentence, I'll keep it short. Starting and ending our trip with friends in Auckland and the surrounding beaches, I will then start the month on my own.
Having had a few months since booking flights to mull over the month I have there I thought to myself; how can I make this trip more than just a holiday? What can I do to make this experience last a life time?
This was the fundamental question that opened the slew gates to thoughts that encompass the past, present and future. What if I could use this trip as a fact finding mission enabling the start up of a company offering bespoke, tailor made guided tours doing something I love? What if I can take my experience of fishing in this country, explore and catch in New Zealand and then bring people to experience the same thing? What if?
It seems the 'what if?' will become 'when will?' and I for one, am damn excited!
The planning has started. Contacts have been made. I now have a rough idea of where I'll be heading and whom I'll be meeting. After watching several videos of the type of fishing, the species of fish, the gear needed and the techniques I will have to employ, I feel confident in the plan that is formulating. But... the proof will be in the pudding. Or, in this case, the fish pie.
Having spent over twenty years fishing in many areas on both shore and boat in the UK, its easy to think of our fishing lives as the norm. Spending hours waiting for a bite in the bitter cold and driving rain only to have a momentary lack of concentration and miss the one good rattle of the day, finishing with a blank. Was that a bite? Was it the wind? I'll strike anyway in some vain hope that maybe, just maybe, it was. Turns out, it was just the wind. Infuriating days when everything should point to a bumper catch but no, not today.
For many years I've dreamt of travelling abroad. Australia being the first on the list. Having had friends who've been and come back with stories of endless sun and opportunities, my imagination has run amok. The seas are always bluer on the other side. I've worked with Australians and Kiwis and, to be honest, I think New Zealand is in the lead by a mile. No deadly creatures, more greenery, hills, forests and coastlines all within easy reach. Yup, New Zealand it is.
Both my partner and I have friends who live there now, giving up the big smoke here for a change of lifestyle and scenery. This being a large contributing factor to taking the plunge and actually getting out there. Escaping the cold, rain, low temperatures and snow for new year. All being well, it will be hot and sunny. This, for someone acclimatised to the usual UK weather will be a huge departure from the norm! Spending the first five or so days getting over jet lag and, no doubt, a new years eve hangover in Auckland, we'll then be flying to Christchurch and tour the south island for two weeks in January in our rented camper. Taking in the major sights, spending time exploring what this place has to offer. Mountains, fjords, whales, penguins, wine and beauty. There's more I'm sure, but for the sake of an elongated sentence, I'll keep it short. Starting and ending our trip with friends in Auckland and the surrounding beaches, I will then start the month on my own.
Having had a few months since booking flights to mull over the month I have there I thought to myself; how can I make this trip more than just a holiday? What can I do to make this experience last a life time?
This was the fundamental question that opened the slew gates to thoughts that encompass the past, present and future. What if I could use this trip as a fact finding mission enabling the start up of a company offering bespoke, tailor made guided tours doing something I love? What if I can take my experience of fishing in this country, explore and catch in New Zealand and then bring people to experience the same thing? What if?
It seems the 'what if?' will become 'when will?' and I for one, am damn excited!
Thursday, 1 December 2011
The background.
Where do I start?
A long, long time ago, my father introduced me to fishing. Through him I discovered a passion for sea fishing both on land and at sea. As luck would have it, I turned out to be quite proficient at the sport! We fished with a local boat club who followed the usual summer and winter series format with the odd special outing here and there. Over the years I collected many a trophy for my summer and winter league wins, slowly filling up my Nain's (grandmother in Welsh) sideboards and dressers with faux gold statuettes of tight lines and leaping fish. This was a fruitful time for myself, twice a month regularly winning more than the standard child's pocket money for the time (1991-1999). Alas came the late teens, with it parties, pubs, beer and girls. Unsurprisingly my interest in fishing waned, I found new exciting sports where scars were a happy by product of pushing myself to the limit.
A few years went by where fishing didn't really feature in my life. Every now and again I'd go mackerel bashing off the rocks of Anglesey for some BBQ delights but never anything serious. I did have the occasional hankering for solitude, peace and quiet, on these occasions though, I would find myself going for a drive and never really feeling like I got my quiet.
Over the last couple of years I have rekindled my passion for the sport, especially this last summer. I've become more determined to catch my quarry and more jubilant when everything has gone to plan. Being able to provide food for a loved one is an immensely satisfying primaeval feeling. I AM MAN, I BRING FOOD. This being one of the fundamental reasons I enjoy the sport, I like to eat what I catch!
The turning point this year for me was a trip by canoe, to an area I had never been before but had passed many times on a boat. There were about sixteen friends, acquaintances and friends to be, camping in one of the best kept secret spots on Anglesey. We paddled for about an hour, canadian canoe laden with all that we would need, including my spinning rod and bait rod! Having done the boring bit of setting up, I decided it was my time to fish. This, coincidently, was now the perfect time, tide and conditions for bass. I had the long sandy beach to myself. The incoming tide slowly making its way up the expanse of sand towards a gully that I knew I wanted to be casting into, this is where the bass would make their way up the shoreline. With the warm summer sun setting on my right shoulder, I gently strolled up the beach, casting the four inch white sandeel as far as I could, reeling it in at pace with, the now, ripping tide. I decided to head back towards my starting point. BANG! First cast on the way back and I landed the first bass, a little under size but what a fight! With schoolie number one safely returned, I quickened my pace to the favoured spot. Five minutes went by and nothing, maybe the little one was a rogue, maybe I got lucky. BANG! Nope, it was the start of the run. Three more schoolies later, this now already becoming the best bass fishing trip I've ever had, I hooked into something much bigger. Fighting against the current and power of the best fighting fish we get here, my heart sank when I saw the biggest clump of floating weed hit my line and like that, the fish was gone. Damn. With that, it was time to open a beer and sit, basking in the fading sunlight, contemplating my next move. Only having twenty minutes of light left, I made my final assault, moving to the deepest part of the channel. One, two, three casts and nothing. Maybe I'd left it too late. Looking back up the beach, into the now almost set sun at the man length shadow cast by the stubby beer bottle, I realised why I love fishing. It brings you close to nature, lets you experience the beautiful moments that you would otherwise miss. If it wasn't for fishing, I wouldn't have been there. BANG!! Another one hooked and brought to shore, this time big enough to take to the BBQ. And so ended my most favourite fishing experience of my life.
Back to camp, fish to cook, a story to tell.
A long, long time ago, my father introduced me to fishing. Through him I discovered a passion for sea fishing both on land and at sea. As luck would have it, I turned out to be quite proficient at the sport! We fished with a local boat club who followed the usual summer and winter series format with the odd special outing here and there. Over the years I collected many a trophy for my summer and winter league wins, slowly filling up my Nain's (grandmother in Welsh) sideboards and dressers with faux gold statuettes of tight lines and leaping fish. This was a fruitful time for myself, twice a month regularly winning more than the standard child's pocket money for the time (1991-1999). Alas came the late teens, with it parties, pubs, beer and girls. Unsurprisingly my interest in fishing waned, I found new exciting sports where scars were a happy by product of pushing myself to the limit.
A few years went by where fishing didn't really feature in my life. Every now and again I'd go mackerel bashing off the rocks of Anglesey for some BBQ delights but never anything serious. I did have the occasional hankering for solitude, peace and quiet, on these occasions though, I would find myself going for a drive and never really feeling like I got my quiet.
Over the last couple of years I have rekindled my passion for the sport, especially this last summer. I've become more determined to catch my quarry and more jubilant when everything has gone to plan. Being able to provide food for a loved one is an immensely satisfying primaeval feeling. I AM MAN, I BRING FOOD. This being one of the fundamental reasons I enjoy the sport, I like to eat what I catch!
The turning point this year for me was a trip by canoe, to an area I had never been before but had passed many times on a boat. There were about sixteen friends, acquaintances and friends to be, camping in one of the best kept secret spots on Anglesey. We paddled for about an hour, canadian canoe laden with all that we would need, including my spinning rod and bait rod! Having done the boring bit of setting up, I decided it was my time to fish. This, coincidently, was now the perfect time, tide and conditions for bass. I had the long sandy beach to myself. The incoming tide slowly making its way up the expanse of sand towards a gully that I knew I wanted to be casting into, this is where the bass would make their way up the shoreline. With the warm summer sun setting on my right shoulder, I gently strolled up the beach, casting the four inch white sandeel as far as I could, reeling it in at pace with, the now, ripping tide. I decided to head back towards my starting point. BANG! First cast on the way back and I landed the first bass, a little under size but what a fight! With schoolie number one safely returned, I quickened my pace to the favoured spot. Five minutes went by and nothing, maybe the little one was a rogue, maybe I got lucky. BANG! Nope, it was the start of the run. Three more schoolies later, this now already becoming the best bass fishing trip I've ever had, I hooked into something much bigger. Fighting against the current and power of the best fighting fish we get here, my heart sank when I saw the biggest clump of floating weed hit my line and like that, the fish was gone. Damn. With that, it was time to open a beer and sit, basking in the fading sunlight, contemplating my next move. Only having twenty minutes of light left, I made my final assault, moving to the deepest part of the channel. One, two, three casts and nothing. Maybe I'd left it too late. Looking back up the beach, into the now almost set sun at the man length shadow cast by the stubby beer bottle, I realised why I love fishing. It brings you close to nature, lets you experience the beautiful moments that you would otherwise miss. If it wasn't for fishing, I wouldn't have been there. BANG!! Another one hooked and brought to shore, this time big enough to take to the BBQ. And so ended my most favourite fishing experience of my life.
Back to camp, fish to cook, a story to tell.
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