Species: Kahawai (Arripis trutta) Location: Kuaotunu River, Kuaotunu, Coromandel, New Zealand Date: February 25, 2014 After going it alone for weeks, my friend David Clarke and I decided to get a charter. We’d planned to chase tuna and kingfish and marlin off the coast with one of this friends, but when that fell through, we…
Species: Yelloweye Mullet (Aldrichetta forsteri) Location: Kuaotunu River, Kuaotunu, Coromandel, New Zealand Date: February 25, 2014 I’ve already told the story of this day in elaborate detail, so I won’t talk too much about this fish. I’ve since caught a lot of mullet (three species in three countries outside the United States), and one thing…
Species: Shortfin Eel (Anguilla australis) Location: Kuaotunu River, Kuaotunu, Coromandel, New Zealand Date: February 25, 2014 The Tunnifar is a mythical beast found in the waters of New Zealand. It is storied to be half-man, half-eel and comes out to feed when it feels so inclined. It is inspired by real monsters native to this…
Species:Northern Kahawai (Arripis xylabion) Location: Kuaotunu River, Kuaotunu, Coromandel, New Zealand Date: February 25, 2014 Fishing in New Zealand is all about trout. At least, that’s what we’re told. In reality, throughout most of the North Island, saltwater fishing is king. Snapper, Kingfish, and Kahawai are the big three for anglers in the brine, and…
Species: Estuarine Triplefin (Forsterygion nigripenne) Location: Kuaotunu River, Kuaotunu, Coromandel, New Zealand Date: February 25, 2014 Mystery is a genre I love to read but fail to write much of. Even investigative journalism is a reach for me, and I’ve spent five years as a journalist. The investigative process of which coffee shop makes the…
Species: Blue Cod (Parapercis colias) Location: Kuaotunu Coastline, Coromandel, New Zealand Date: February 24, 2014 Sometimes you luck into a wide variety of species early and catch lucky breaks with every cast. This is not one such tale. *** David Clarke and I had been plying the coastal waters of New Zealand for weeks before…
Species: Common Rudd (Scardinius erythrophthalmus) Location: Lake Pupuke, Auckland, New Zealand Date: February 19, 2014 There aren’t many native freshwater fish in New Zealand. There aren’t many non-native ones, either. Along with European Perch and Brown Trout, the Common Rudd is one of several species European settlers brought with them to the tiny island nation,…
Species: European Perch (Perca fluviatilis) Location: Lake Pupuke, Auckland, New Zealand Date: February 19, 2014 New Zealand is famous for its trout fishing. It’s also well-known for its freshwater eels. What it is not renowned for is perch. So when I caught a perch in the small, urban lake at the heart of Auckland, I…
Species: Jack Mackerel (Trachurus symmetricus) Location: Russell Municipal Wharf, Bay of Islands, Northland, New Zealand Date: February 19, 2014 New Zealand’s Bay of Islands was undoubtedly the coolest place I’d visited at the time — it remains one of the coolest to this day. After a solid first day of sea kayaking and getting the…
Species: Australasian Snapper (Pagrus auratus) Location: Paihia, Bay of Islands, Northland, New Zealand Date: February 14, 2014 Love was in the air. It was Valentine’s Day, and I was joined for the romantic holiday with the love of my life: fishing. To make the holiday even more romantic, I was living out a lifelong fantasy:…
