It is that time of the year again… 

 

We had a similar request last summer.

 

We were recently interviewed by a prospective fisho inmate.  It was more like an interrogation. He did not care about the accommodation, numbers of beds, full size ovens, fridge-freezer units, didn’t even care about the rod racks.  He did not even ask about the room rates. 

 

SWMBO really admires such gentlemen with their priorities in order but She was not here to answer his questions.  All he cared about was the TRM smoker. 

 

Is it free? How big is it?  Can it handle 15 trout?  Do we provide brown sugar and salt.  He has promised to take back to Auckland (where else?) a truck load of smoked trout for a function. It must have been his passport for special leave to come down fishing – only providing he returned with the dinner for everyone. 

 

So we offered to send him some photo evidence.  I hope it is adequate to convince him.  Of course he has to catch them first.

 

I was hesitant to remind him of the present Daily Limit of three keepers as I am concerned his (“three times daily catch” x three nights accommodation) arithmetic to arrive at 15 was suspect and he might have cancelled… 

 

Or perhaps he knows something we don’t – that the daily limit is being increased and he has allowed for that already?

 

I’d better make sure we have enough dried Manuka.

 

His concerns have been shared by many other anglers ever since the other commercial smoke-houses in Turangi closed.  Most anglers (unless they are TRM inmates) now have to take their trout up to Taupo where we recommend Bob Dailey at Farmers Discount Meats butcher shop in the Paetiki Shopping Centre – corner of Rifle Range Road and Taharepa Roads.  They vacuum pack the smoked trout fillets with suitable documentation for export certification.