Graeme Christie | Tuesday, 17 March 2026
Thanks Paul for inviting me in.
I grew up in New Zealand. I have always loved fly fishing. I also always knew I could be a lot better at it. For years I was a typical fisherman. Out one to three times a year. Catch the odd fish. Have a good time.
Then Covid arrived and the world changed. I realised I genuinely loved fishing. In New Zealand there is no shortage of places to do it. So it seemed sensible to get better.
That eventually led me to Paul. When I started the Zoom lessons, my casting was basic, my haul was rudimentary, and I was getting by well enough to catch fish now and then. I considered myself lucky. At the time, that seemed enough.
Paul took me through the whole casting course and, from a fishing perspective, it changed everything. Suddenly I was not just catching the occasional fish. It became easier to catch fish in all sorts of situations. Distance casting was fun. Also presentation casts, spey and accuracy were probably even more important.
That was where the fishing changed. With a few more experiences, I also realised how much I enjoyed stillwater fishing. Lake and sea. Trout, snakehead, snapper, kahawai, kingfish. In those still-ish waters the takes are hard and they feel deserved.
Ronan and Paul also sold me on the boat idea.Something simple. Anything that floated. In the end, a 3.9m tinny did the job. That is another story, it's pretty useful.
Three weeks earlier we had tried this trip and the car broke down on the boat ramp. So this was a return to the Hauraki Gulf.
An attempt to break the curse. It was a beautiful day on the water. My wife and sister-in-law joined me. The sort of day that puts everyone in a good mood before much has happened. Of course, that guarantees nothing. Fish are not interested in your weather report. The sea is cooling. Some of the fish may already have moved on.
I had two rods rigged. One with a popper. One with a piper streamer. I cast at likely spots. Nothing. Then, after a an hour, bang. An attack. Missed it.Then I lost the fly on the structure. We backed off. Re-tied. Rested the spot for fifteen minutes. Went again - another attack, this time fish on.This one stayed deep and kept its distance. We could feel it, but we still had not really seen it. Plenty of tension there.
Then, in clearer water, things started to change. You could feel we were getting somewhere.
And when it finally showed itself, it looked good. Not huge. Just a solid fish. Strong, beautifully coloured, and in great condition. Then out came the tape, fifty-four centimetres. My instinct is usually to put fish back, whatever the size. The best part had already happened. The patience.The pressure. The uncertainty. Then that moment when the fish finally appeared and everything came together.
Not the biggest fish of all time. Still one of those days you remember. Auckland saltwater fly fishing? Not too bad