Hook, Line and Thinker

Adventurer, thrill-seeker, conservationist and self-confessed mad fisherman, Matt Watson gives Waterfront an insight into how recreational fishing in New Zealand waters can continue to be fun, rewarding and most importantly – sustainable.

A day without fishing is unthinkable to high-profile Kiwi fisherman, Matt Watson. By his own admission Watson was born to fish, but even he could not have predicted the way life has hooked him up in adventures that have made him a household name in New Zealand and landed him on prime time American television.

Hailing from south Auckland, Watson’s family has had a long association with the sea and his earliest memories are of fishing with his father and grandfather. As a seven-year old, the enterprising young Watson was already captain of his own boat – a tin dinghy – which he’d haul back home up the hill from the boat ramp after solo fishing excursions on the Manukau harbour.

“Long story short, Watson progressed to working on his uncle’s commercial fishing boat and after accumulating enough sea hours, sat and passed his skipper’s exam before heading off on the obligatory Kiwi “OE” to Europe.

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