Trout treat surprise at lagoon
Manawatu’s freshwater anglers paired up with eager young children to show them a trick or two about how to catch a big one.
Fish and Game’s annual Kids’ Fishing Day returned to the Hokowhitu Lagoon in Palmerston North at the weekend.
The event, which uses trout hatched in Ngongotaha in Rotorua and delivered especially for catching, has been held at Dudding Lake since the Wellington Anniversary Day earthquake that saw water levels in the lagoon drop dramatically.
There was no shortage of water or rain at the weekend, as children who had all pre-booked for their half-hour turn teamed up with one of Manawatu’s freshwater anglers.
Fish and Game Wellington region senior field officer Steve Pilkington said hundreds of rainbow trout were released into the lagoon on Friday, with all of the 300 children who booked in guaranteed a catch.
The goal was simply to provide children with an introduction to fishing in a relatively safe and accessible area.
However, the weekend’s weather turned it into more of a wet-weather-gear activity than a family picnic day.
All rods and gear were provided, with a team of adults lined up to show each child what to do, and to bang their catch on the head for them.
There were opportunities to learn how to gut and fillet the fish, and there were recipes available for those who wanted to try them.
With some of the fish weighing more than 2 kilograms, they promised a decent feed.
Trout that escaped the hooks at the weekend were being released from the netted area of the lagoon and would be available during the week for anyone with a licence to fish.
Licences could be issued for free for the under-12s.
‘‘We are hoping that more kids in particular will get out after school and give fishing a go. There will still be a good chance of hooking one.’’
Rangers would be patrolling the area to ensure anglers had licences and were sticking to the rules.
Pilkington said some very lucky trout might find their way to the outlet at the southern end of the lagoon and escape to the river.