Testimonials

Adrian Cox loves the water. He says the passion was born over a decade ago, wakeboarding. After moving from Auckland to Nelson, he got into fishing; snapper, kahawai, and spotties. (The spotties for bait). Adrian is also a bit of a dab hand at cooking as well; smoking, pan frying or oven baking his...

Adrian’s sashimi “I find the key to having a good sashimi fish is to leave it a day or two so the flesh tightens a bit. I think in Japan they age it for about a week, it’s not the freshest that is the best. Also we have a gas torch which I sear...

Rob Stevens’ love for the sea and boats was inherited. Though it took a bit of time to filter down. “My father was always into boating and fishing but back then I wasn’t so much,” Rob says. After his father died some 9 years ago, Rob, who is Auckland-based, got a place at the...

Whitebait has always been a bit of a Christmas tradition for us. OK, they’re frozen. But if we didn’t have them, my 80-year old father would feel like there is no Santa. My first memory of whitebait, aged around 3 or 4 years old, is of my grandfather bringing home a half-bucketful. Those were...

Sometimes it’s the surroundings and the people you meet who make the pleasure of eating fish really memorable. So, let’s go back to the 1980s. It was a warm evening in late summer on a beach in Lisbon, the picturesque capital of Portugal – a country probably best known for its sea-faring explorers and...

Dedicated Hawkes Bay farmer Mathew Barham still answers the call of the sea and the lure of stunning Opito Bay. “It’s a safe launching beach and good for kids.” While Mathew has had a couple of other boats including a Senator 690, his Rockboat was a new experience. “I’d never had an inflatable. But...

Russell MacKay is a fisherman with a big heart. He began trout and salmon fishing in 1996 after a neighbour at Pines Beach, Canterbury encouraged him to give it a try. “I did it to begin, mainly to keep him company.” Russell bought some gear, never looked back and you can’t fault his commitment....

Kyle Morris is a life-long passionate fisherman with ten years of diving under his belt. Sometimes, that means taking one for the team. He began fishing aged three or four at Great Barrier catching snapper with his father, and has been fishing at Motunau since he was around 17 years old. He says he...

I’m no Rick Stein. (Though I do enjoy the odd cold one.) But I’ve always thought that one of the great benefits of fishing is a good feed. And, if I can cook it anyone can. My very first experience of fishing and eating the catch goes way back. Growing-up, my grandfather lived by...