CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT If you live on the Chathams and you’re not a fisherman, you are likely a farmer, or a sheep. We rescued not one but two distressed ewes during our island escapades. Lucious lips, perfectly designed for sucking up crunchy critters from the seafloor, or in this case inhaling bonefish flies dangling over the jetty’s edge. Blue moki are largely bottom feeders and sustain themselves on small crabs and other invertebrates. I smelled them before I saw them and thought I had just stumbled upon a seal colony, but when I looked up, I quickly identified a dozen or so Pitt Island Shags quietly nesting in the nooks and crannies of a rocky alcove. I later learned this impressive-looking bird is critically endangered; such a close encounter was far rarer than I realized at the time. Directions listed in descending order of importance. Another surprise species we encountered in great numbers was the juvenile blue warehou. These fish are known to range to depths of 400 yards and grow to 30 inches at maturity. They kept us entertained during slow periods on the jetty. Photo: Nick Reygaert Double checking size on the pa ¯ ua haul after a short but sweet dive. Photo: Nick Reygaert THE FLYFISH JOURNAL 071
The Flyfish Journal The Flyfish Journal 13.4: Page 71
