Wildside - Family Fishing

The family that fishes together

© Zane Mirfin, Wildside Column, The Family that Fishes Together, Nelson Mail, 11 October 2008

HOOKED ON FISHING: The Mirfins about to set off on another family adventure. Parents Zane and Aimee
are ankle-deep with Jake, 8, Ike, 6, Rosie, 4 and Charlotte, 3.

‘‘In our family there was no clear line between religion and fly fishing,’’ said Norman McLean in his epic book A River Runs Through It.

In the Mirfin family, fishing probably is our religion. It’s been a major part of my life for as long as I can remember, and I get great joy watching my kids developing an unhealthy  obsession in the fine art of fishing, too.

Being the spring school holidays, we like to get away and have fun together, and for the kids, that means doing some fishing together.

Getting away these days is always a mad panic of packing up, cleaning the house, finishing jobs in the office and just plain getting organised. This year, we’ve had to take two vehicles and a boat to fit two adults, four kids
and all the necessary gear in.

It’s a big job going on holiday because we like to be ready for any contingency or opportunity. This year, we’ve got the gear to handle floundering, whitebaiting, trout fishing, clothes for the theatre and feral pigeon and rabbit shooting.

As always, we never get as much done as planned, tiredness catches up with us, the weather doesn’t cooperate, the tides are wrong or, as in this holiday’s epic, we all fall victim to the plague.

Vomiting bugs all round and an ear infection for our younger daughter made for a fun holiday week.

Despite the drama, we managed a great few early days at Lake Rotoiti at the family bach before heading off to stay with Aimee’s family.

We got some trolling in despite rough, cold weather, with modest success on the local trout population. Trolling is where lines are towed behind the boat at varying depths in the hope of crossing the path of a trout.

We have most success in the alpine lakes of Rotoiti and Rotoroa with leadlines (lines with a lead core) that get the lure deep, a long 10-20m leader of 10lb maxima nylon, and the favoured Tassie Devil lure.

The boys particularly enjoyed the boating, and it was great to see them developing confidence in driving the boat and handling it at the ramp and on the trailer – I noted with satisfaction that it won’t be too many years before the boys are taking me out fishing.

Many of the waters we fish as a family are open year-round. While everyone is tripping over themselves on up-country waters, it is rare for us to see another angler.

Fishing from a boat is great way to go anyway – you keep your feet dry, keep the kids corralled and safe, and get to go where others have trouble getting to. There are virtually hundreds of places you can go in the northern South Island, and we’ve had a lot of fun as a family trying out differing locations.

It is true that it is getting harder for families to experience the great outdoors as the pressure on them continues to rachet up. Fishing opportunities close to major urban centres are becoming harder to find, people are busier and work harder, and many of the outdoor skills of generations ago have been lost.

To be successful on the fishing front, you need to be more savvy and, most of all, be prepared to put the time in to learn and adapt.  My parents Stuart and Sherry were always great believers that family fishing and hunting had to be fun.

Dad was always dreaming up ‘‘soft adventures’’ to take my brother and I on. He would never push us, and made the adventures progressively more demanding and exciting as we gained confidence and proficiency.

Dad told me recently that he believes parents should always try to be heroes to their children and lead by example. If I can be half the man my father was as a parent, I would be very proud.

Finally, the stars aligned on our family holiday and we were ready to go.

Three great evenings out fishing for big trout, with more yet to go. Evening one, No 2 son was insistent we go despite the strong cold southerly winds.

It worked a treat, and big, beautifully coloured brown trout came easily to the net. In the half-light as I trailered the aluminium boat, I was already being asked by an excited little boy about where we would go fishing the next day.

Evening two was a cracker. Warm evening sun and no one else around.

I was taking my father-in-law’s excellent GP and his two lovely daughters out on the girls’ first ever fishing trip.

Steve, Lucy and Katie weren’t quite sure what to expect, and couldn’t believe it when the rod tip bucked strongly and Lucy, 11, was into her first big brown trout.

The fish came stubbornly to the net and we all cheered as I hoisted 8lb of trout over the side of the boat. Katie, 9, managed another trout nearly as big soon after, and when the girls had caught another one each, we decided to head for home. Steve texted the same night to my mobile – ‘‘Bragging pix already in the UK. Awesome evening the girls will never forget’’.

Evening three was maybe even better. My brother Scott, his wife Kirstie and our nephews Lochy and Ryan were in town for the day to spend quality family time together. After a great day doing other things, we headed out for a family fishing effort with two small boats.  Shambolic is the word, as Aimee and Kirstie rugged up the kids with warm clothes and
lifejackets while Scott and I launched the boats and readied the equipment.

What fun we had for a couple of hours until the small children wore out and the tears began. By then, Lochy, 4, and Ryan, 2, had caught their first trout, among other fish landed, hooked and lost by our kids.

Ryan’s nearly 3kg trout was almost too much for him but with help from the other kids, it was safely netted. When rain threatened and we could feel the cold of the advancing southerly front, it was time to go.  But the special memories and photographic images obtained will probably last a lifetime.

Family fishing is fun and highly addictive.

Hey, it’s time to go – I’ve got a six-year-old
tugging on my arm telling me that his rod is
loaded in the truck and it is time to catch
another big trout.      

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