“This is an absolutely stunning place to boat,” said my 16-year-old son Will.
He wasn’t wrong, of course. The sun was receding over the tranquil, tannin-stained waters while cicadas chirped loudly, and native birds called from the ancient podocarp forest. We were fishing a small part of a lake renowned for its exceptional brown trout – an equally popular boating destination for West Coasters, Cantabrians and those from further afield.
Will was flicking small lures on a spinning rod from his jetski, casting across the weed beds and beginning a slow retrieve back towards the ski. Fifty metres away I stood off the back of the boat and used a fly rod to work the shallow water,
