Thousands of keen kids and their parents turned up to Take a Kid Fishing Day in Christchurch on Sunday.
Parents hooked on fishing showed up to lure their kids into the sport - but the little learners are facing an uncertain future, with some fish stocks hugely depleted.
The kids just love the fishy business... aside from the smell.
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Over 800 salmon and trout were deposited into the lakes on Wednesday, ripe for the plucking. The big idea behind the event was to get more kids away from the telly and into their wellies.
"[It's] so they can have a day out and potentially, if they enjoy it, foster their fishing and may want to take it up as a hobby in the future," said Fred Van Slooten from the Kids' Fishing Charitable Trust.
They were taught about casting, knots, floats and filleting - but what most of them don't know yet is the abnormality of Sunday's catch rate.
Dirty waterways have majorly affected some fisheries, particularly salmon.
"We've been really concerned about our sea-run salmon fishery for a number of years," Fish and Game's Richard Cosgrove told Newshub.
"Water quality always comes up as a big one," said Van Slooten.
This year, Fish and Game has halved the salmon catch in rivers to just one per person.
"Short-term pain for long-term gain," said Cosgrove.
Many organisations have been trying to turn the tide and reverse the population declines - but on Sunday, the catch was plentiful, leading to one good lunch.
And for not-so-gifted fisherpeople, there's always cans.
Newshub.
