A young angler has developed a taste for trout eyeballs.

Archie Senelale, 4, of Dunedin, is looking forward to returning to the Southern Reservoir this September for the annual Take A Kid Fishing event, where he hopes to land another catch.

His father, Corey Senelale, is bringing Archie and his younger brother, Oakly, 2, back to the free community gathering.

“Archie loves the whole process of fishing — catching the fish, gutting it, smoking it or baking it,” Mr Senelale said.

“He’s got a fascination with eating the eyeballs.

“They have no hesitation to eat the fish that we catch.

“You buy meat from the supermarket and have to encourage them to eat it.

“But when you go fishing and do the whole process, they want to eat the whole fish.”

The youth initiative runs over two weekends on September 19-20 and 26-27.

In a statement, Otago Fish & Game officer Steve Dixon said the gathering provided an accessible entry point into the sport.

“The reservoir is an ideal place for beginners because it’s easy to fish and we stock it with rainbow trout from the Macraes hatchery to give kids a genuine chance of catching one,” Mr Dixon said.

Registrations are open now at the Take A Kid Fishing link on the Fish & Game website.

Volunteers will be on hand to offer advice, untangle lines and clean fish.

A limited number of fishing rods and lures can be borrowed on the day, and there will be a sausage sizzle and coffee cart on site.

Fishing at Southern Reservoir will be closed to the public during September to support the children’s events as well as adult beginner fishing classes.

The new fishing season opens October 1.

 — Allied Media