Fishing News index > January 2007

Boat Fishing Seminars Popular

The recent boat fishing seminars run by Fish & Game in Te Anau, Wanaka and Omarama in early January 2007 were very popular with around 300 people turning out. Coordinator and Fish & Game Officer Ian Hadland said that many of the people were current licenceholders just looking for that gem of information that might convert them from an average angler into a good one. And they were not disappointed. Invited guest Iain Maxwell, a Fish & Game Officer from the Central North Island who is himself an expert boat angler presented the largest parts of the two hour seminars to enthusiastic crowds.

“There was a lot of interest in his demonstrations of the various methods and gear setups which people really enjoyed and this generated a healthy number of questions afterwards” Mr Hadland said.

Other areas covered in the seminar included handling fish for the table or release, trout lifecycles and local tips and hotspots from local Fish & Game Officers. The casual atmosphere was a hit too with many following the advice to bring a deck chair to the largely outdoor seminars.

“People were relaxed and really interested and we reckon they all took something useful away from the seminar” Mr Hadland said.

The project will be reviewed shortly and a decision made about whether it will be run again next season but feedback suggests that the format may be popular in other locations like Queenstown or Twizel.