Reel Life October 2021

Celebrate the opener

The excitement of hooking a fish on opening morning never gets old; that rewarding feeling of taking the hook out to watch them swim away can change your entire mindset.

Not all of us will be able to go out on opening day but planning something to look forward to (when travel restrictions ease) is a great way to keep positive for when you can hook your first fish of the season.

Above Right: Harry Malcolm releasing his first trout of the season.

You have all year to enjoy your licence so that that opening day could be October 1st or November 1st; the river and your first fish of the season will still be there.

If you are at home on opening day, this is a great time to prepare for the season ahead by getting your gear together, planning your bucket list of fishing trips and buying a licence.

If you need help planning your trip, remember your licence is a free pass to talk to our staff, consider them your own private fishing consultants.

Make sure you take some time for yourself on October 1st, and at the very least, you can watch a fishing movie.

Fishing is all in your head.

Fishing is a great mind-body experience for people who would prefer hiking up a stream instead of sitting on a stinky yoga mat.

We don’t talk about it much, but fishing encompasses most of the beneficial experiences of mind-body activities without the lycra stretch pants.

Nothing against yoga and meditation, but the value of “nature therapy” is an enormous benefit of angling most of us take for granted.

Having a hobby you do daily is extremely good for you and likely to extend your life; unplugging from technology, getting some exercise, and spending time outside is the next level in terms of improving your overall wellbeing.

Ideally, lockdowns provide us with the opportunity to rethink how we spend our free time so we can focus on purpose instead of productivity.

Unfortunately, far too many of us have been wasting our time listening to the news and thinking about what we can’t do instead of what we will soon be able to do.

After months of restricted movements and a good stretch at home, a breakout is probably more front of your mind than a good break.

The lockdown is coming to an end, and the weather is improving, so make sure you make time for yourself this spring to do the things you enjoy; it may be more important this year than ever.   

Tight Lines

Dr Adam Daniel, Auckland Waikato Fish & Game