A Salmond College fresher successfully caught (and released) a massie trout in the Leith River a couple weeks ago. Johan Lokman, the resident who made the catch, reported the joys of his new-found hall clout in an interview with Critic Te Ārohi.
Johan had been walking back to Salmond from his lectures for the day. Mid-walk, he spotted the trout, a fish that Johan reckoned had been eyeing him up for over two weeks prior to the catch. “It wasn't my first time seeing it,” said Johan, “so I had my togs in my bag, ready.”
Well prepared, Johan waited until the moment was right before “jumping in” and catching the trout with his bare hands – our very own campus Bear Grylls. The euphoria was unreal, he said: “I didn't expect to catch it!” After taking a quick snap of his catch, Johan released the fish back into the waters of Leith before changing and heading on his merry way.
Questioned about his unusual fishing methods, Johan shrugged and said, “My rod is at home.” Turns out it wasn’t his first rodeo, either: “I've been fishing before in the Leith, mostly towards the stadium but this was my first time down the other side. There were some big ones down there as well.”
After catching the fish “pretty easily” and releasing it, Johan made his way back to Salmond to spread the gospel of Leith fishing. “I came back to the hall in my togs, quite drenched. They first thought it was raining and that I was just some dumb uni student. Then they realised after I showed them the photo that I wasn’t just some dumb uni student. Everyone was incredibly interested and surprised.” Who would've thought uni students have basic survival skills other than warming their hands on a couch fire?
In a 2022 Critic article, veteran Leith fisher Kyan told Critic Te Ārohi that there was a “group of regular Leith fishers out there.” Despite this, Kyan reported that he had never seen any big trout, yet Johan’s catch was, he guessed, “About 4-5kg.” Both Kyan and Johan were clear that they did not recommend eating fish from the Leith, with Johan citing “duck shit” as an infectant and Kyan stating that you should only indulge “if you wanted to catch some diseases.” Critic Te Ārohi does not condone Leith fishing as a cheap alternative to flat meals – no matter how they’re ranked in our food review.