Media release from Wellington Fish & Game

Monster fish hooks young angler for life

Fellow anglers and onlookers couldn’t believe their eyes when ten year-old Tom Weeks landed a whopping 7.7kg (17pound) rainbow at Wellington’s Capital Trout Centre on Sunday.

The monster rainbow was part of a consignment of 1000 trout recently delivered to the Happy Valley pond. They were from Fish & Game’s Ngongataha hatchery near Rotorua, sent down for the children’s open days held by the Wellington Flyfishers Club each year.

Club spokesman Strato Cotsilinis says the trout released in the pond are generally significantly smaller, around the 0.5kg mark.

“I think the guys from Fish & Game slipped a surprise in this year to add to the kids’ excitement. It certainly achieved that – most adult anglers would class Tom’s trout as a fish of a lifetime - going over the 17 pound (7.7kg) - mark!”

Mr Cotsilinis says the 7.7kg trout caught by Tom (from Miramar, Wellington) is the largest fish caught in the 14 years the club has been running the open days at the centre.

“Once all the club members present realised that Tom had a big fish on, there was much excitement, and then of course a variety of estimates once it had been landed. In any angler’s terms this is a giant fish.”

Tom’s twin brother Ben also landed a trout, with his around 0.5kg, a point of difference for the twin boys. Tom’s father Gary Weeks says “it was a fantastic start to Father’s Day” to see both his sons hook fish, and thanked the angling club volunteers for their help.

Wellington Fish & Game manager Phil Teal says there are still plenty of trout to be caught at the centre with a further five open days scheduled.

“These open days are a fantastic service the club runs for kids – club members invest a lot of their own time and effort for the enjoyment of the wider community, and I know many kids have an awesome time when they visit.”

The Capital Trout Centre at Happy Valley is funded by Wellington Fish & Game, Wellington City Council, local businesses and organisations, and is supported by DOC Turangi.

To manage the large number of children keen to have a crack at catching a fish, a booking system has been set up with places reserved through Steve’s Fishing Shop (Wellington), Hamills (Thorndon) or Hunting and Fishing (Lower Hutt).

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