Families' fishing friendship spans generations

Forty years after Dunedin holidaymakers Jim Booth and Graham Godby and their friends reeled in 32 fish weighing over 50lb (22.73kg) in a single weekend, three generations of their families are still casting their lines in Luggate's annual social fishing competition.

The Godbys and Booths owned holiday cribs in Reid Ave in the 1960s and their families become fast friends over four decades of fishing in the Upper Clutha district.

When Luggate's Ironside team, led by John ("Tinny") Ironside, joined in 25 years ago, the BIG Fishing Challenge Trophy was born (standing for Booth, Ironside and Godby).

"We all used to drink at the local. Of course, I'm keen on fishing so I put a challenge in. They had a big meeting and so on, and sussed me out," Mr Ironside recalled yesterday.

Yesterday, "Godby's Squad" won the BIG trophy again - something it seems to do fairly frequently - with 35 fish.

"Tinny's Tiddlers" caught 31 and the Booth team offered up 25 fish.

In total, 91 fish were caught.

The largest was a 3lb 8oz trout caught by Nick Booth of Dunedin.

But for the first year ever, co-founder Graham Godby was bereft of fish.

"Saturday was a bit dead. But I can't really say that because other people got fish. There was a fellow who got six. It must be just me," Mr Godby said yesterday, laughing.

Mr Godby left Dunedin long ago and now lives in his Luggate crib.

He has kept all records of the competition since 1969 in a book, including letters from bureaucrats, officials and politicians regarding catch numbers, competition licences and other red-tape concerns.

Mr Godby's diligence in organisation, record-keeping and encouraging young children to fish has earned him widespread praise from Luggate Trouters.

Whenever a question is asked that cannot be immediately answered, "the book" is always on hand.

Mr Godby has also collected the orders of service from the funerals of former trouters who have passed away.

Among those are the services for co-founder Jim Booth of Dunedin, who died of cancer 14 years ago, and his son Brendon, who died in a road accident 10 years ago aged 29 during a Luggate Trouters weekend.

Jim Booth's widow Vera (78) is still a keen participant as are their surviving children, Cheryl McLeod of Dunedin (57), Debbie Harwood of Timaru (53) and Greg Booth of Dunedin (46).

Another son, Chris, also died young, from an aneurism while playing rugby aged 21.

Competition "original" Dick Davey (80), who now lives at Lake Hawea, is also a regular participant and was back again this year, although without a fishing rod this time.

Mrs Booth recalled the year her husband died, the fishing competition went ahead regardless and anglers phoned in their catch reports to Mr Booth's bedside.

While the competition holds poignant memories, nothing can take away the pleasure she and her extended family has had in fishing and spinning yarns with close friends.

"Jim died when he was 64 and I sold the crib. But we still holiday at Lake Hawea . . . It is lovely. I look forward to every year. I have never missed one yet, except the year Jim died," Mrs Booth said.

The competition attracted 50 anglers this year, who were divided into three teams of equal numbers.

Competition rules prohibit fishing from boats, and anglers must be back for the weigh-in at Sunday midday or they miss out.

The competition is privately run so the organisers can keep it small and discourage pillaging.

Competition catch records show this year's total catch was on a par with recent years but up from 10 years ago when 64 fish were caught at the 30th anniversary.