The Introduction: New Zealand's Brown Trout Story

Fly fisherman and historian Jack Kós delves into the backcountry and the archives as he explores the introduction of brown trout to New Zealand. One hundred and fifty years since the first ova was hatched out near the Avon River, The Introduction reveals the efforts that brought trout to New Zealand and the challenges faced moving forward.

[@philgriffiths5514]

Great insight Jack. Some amazing photography of that precious resource. Good to see Tony Entwistle in there. It was a video and book by John Kent that got me down there back in early to mid nineties on a tight budget and explored some amazing rivers and nature. Even got my second visit published in NZ trout fisherman. Hardest part was choosing the next location to put your limited time into. Totally right about seeing a lump of a fish in front of you and suddenly loosing the ability to cast properly.

[@96GQ]

Great story, I have never guided for Brown in the South but used to for Rainbows in the Rotorua region for our Hotel guests, I loved it and so miss the fishing in NZ, you make me want to come back again, just no comparison to Australia, the water here is not as clear unless in the Snowy Mountains region. Good Job...

[@danfloros4267]

Thanks for the inights Jack...South Island browns.... what dreams are made of

[@batzenlippel15]

What a beautiful work! I was able to experience New Zealand's backcountry fishery this year! Cheers from a 19 year old fella from Germany😊 Let's hope our future children will experience the same!

[@Pete_Fazzini]

Cheers, guys. A very moving short film on incredible fish in their incredible fishery!

[@robertofusca1394]

Excelente todo !!!! Saludos desde la Patagonia !!!

[@struck2soon]

Beautifully produced short film, really tells the story well.

[@fftc.club-theflyfishertrav4403]

Wow, very interesting. Thank you for this great education film, Jack. I love to share this video with the FFTC.club - The FlyFisher Traveller Club - Community. Keep on going. Many thanks for this short piece of history.

[@AustinLWright]

An absolutely incredible piece of historical research and contemporary videography. Wish I could join for the “field research”.

[@BasicFishingNZ]

amazing documentary lol really gr8 to watch. managed to hook onto my 1st wild brown trout this year and feels great to have a taste for that haha. never thought that the introduction of the brown trout would have been something like this though

[@offthescalemagazine8599]

Great film man! Saw a link on your Insta the other day and really glad I got time to watch it. Very well shot, well narrated and very interesting. Dream trout fishing in NZ for sure, hopefully it gets the protection it needs to preserve it. All the best, Bill Brazier, OtS editor

[@badgerfishing]

Thanks Bill. Really glad you enjoyed it.

[@imissmypeep2209]

Fishing in NZ like this is absolutely on my bucket list ! I live in the Pacific Northwest and we have amazing fishing hit I'd love to go to NZ. Great video . Some of that footage alone awesome.

[@malcolmbiddle2681]

Be quick the intensive dairy farming is have a nasty impact on NZ waters...big difference from 10 years ago already. Some rivers are cactus.

[@lambertsaldi1550]

Jack Awesome introduction and thank you for sharing this piece of history Awesome fellow fly fisher 👍👍🛶 Good Luck too all on the water !! The Vermonter

[@gregoryroyack9931]

Got here by a recommendation from Dave Garst. Exceptional piece of work with a unique depth of history and amazing historical footage. Thanks for sharing this story. Have enjoyed a few of your tying presentations as well.

[@badgerfishing]

Cheers, Gregory!

[@Jadesfishing]

This is a great story and interesting info. I’d love to travel there one day. Great job on the video!

[@flyrisefishing8138]

Love the video! A lot of work was put in and it really shows. Thanks for sharing with us.

[@humphlc4]

Hey Thanks great information on the History. (my sister lives there so Ive visited and fished) Ive often wondered how the trout managed to populated the river systems WOW

[@AdriftFishing]

Great video man! Ive liked and subscribed. Keep it up ! Look forward to more. Most of my trout fishing videos are all from the central north island, need to head south one day!!

[@banditoo7]

Excellent production. Very well researched and presented.

[@frankiedoesoz]

Amasing story! Well done!

[@ericyamashita7273]

Incredible history lesson. Thank you so much for sharing this for everyone to appreciate.

[@branonpsu]

Thank you! I never fly fished until my cousin in law brought my wife and I to New Zealand and said you werent allowed to spinfish in NZ :) I had to learn quick. Now I fly fish and tye flies religiously.

[@Expeditom]

Great video! Awesome you put this story out there and especially for free. Just sent it to my fishing buddies. Btw. The t-shirt you wore in the archives made me laugh pretty hard😉 Cheers and all the best Tom

[@badgerfishing]

Ha, that's a favourite of mine - from Toronado in San Francisco (undoubtedly the best bar I've ever been to). Cheers Tom!

[@23v0lv32]

Wow this is a brilliant video! Amazing work.

[@johanmatthee2891]

Mate what a video! Well done and thank you for the research.

[@michaelfogarty6772]

I literally have a pain in my heart after watch this. Congrats that was epic. Maybe some day I will get the chance to cast a dry at a big new Zealand brown trout.

[@angelannan4515]

We, as Kiwi's are very privileged! Amazing film/story

[@82mcuz]

Lovely story. Thanks ever so much for sharing

[@thomastometich6767]

Outstanding work, thank you

[@vitali-opal-and-gem]

Beautiful video. Great work

[@BronxFishing]

Piękny film gratulację 👍👊

[@Marcel843]

Awesome work! 🤙 Hopefully more vids in future 😉👍

[@co.antrimangler6977]

Awesome story ,told very well . Greetings from Ireland 🇮🇪.

[@sidechannelproductions]

Cheers! How's the brown trout fishing there?

[@co.antrimangler6977]

Side Channel Productions Unfortunately we can relate to the issues raised at the end of this videos . Over fishing , pollution and a lack of awareness or knowledge from most people of the need to protect the environment as a whole .videos like this help to remind everyone about how special fishing can be . Hope to see your channel grow .

[@big1dog23]

Nice. Been a dream og mine for 50 years. I guess I had better not wait too much longer.

[@jessicahaydahlrichardson7951]

So incredibly interesting. Love the filming and story line.

[@sidechannelproductions]

Thanks Jessica!

[@flying1695]

love your work.

[@Broteese]

Pretty damn cool. Thank you, Sir.

[@oldsmugglerflyfishing]

Awesome video!

[@ronaldsamudio6403]

Thank you for this video

[@jaysonwarren4250]

great story thanks Jack

[@davidramsay2173]

Great story well told. Maybe someday ....

[@dominicgibbings4243]

Fantastic story

[@FishingTheOdds]

great film man

[@donlundy6291]

Well done.

[@pierevojzola9737]

Hi, great footage and a grand story. I see that it was written by Jack Kos, any relation to Paul Kos?

[@23v0lv32]

Amazing

[@patricknoveski6409]

Well done brother!

[@stef3309]

Is there any documentation from where the Tazmanian trout originated from? Just wondering if it was from Loch Leven as the Victorians used to use Leven stock to populate other countries.

[@nicachar8806]

Interesting. Angkimg bucket biology has happened in Scotland too, including rainbows, brook trout, American shrimps, and even coarse fish - since the 1800s.

[@dobs862]

Were they originally Loch Leven trout ?

[@jonahex8463]

Awesome.😊👍🏻

[@OptiRsa]

Tooooooo coool!

[@Lordofthefield]

Very nice, really enjoyed this. The interviews seemed a bit staged/artificial as if he wasn’t talking to a person at all. The angle (looking down) added to that. Anyways, great film, story and videography.

[@geoffbeavis6426]

👏

[@GeorgeSemel]

Well, they were the Victorians, and to them, the thing to do was to Make the World England. They took the trout and the Red Deer with them. I don't think NZ would be as famous or as prosperous as it is without the trout. And to the Rainbow Trout that found their way to what is maybe the Greatest Trout fishery in the world.

[@goldsharktooth]

Great vid shame you missed Celtic NZ history pre Maori. Cool song at end of video too.

[@travis5481]

Why would a video solely talking about the origins on brown trout in New Zealand bring that up when it hardly mentions anything about native peoples or even native fish? Besides it being pure bullshit.

[@goldsharktooth]

Because of the incorrect introduction given partly true.

[@richardhowitt4467]

Well done. So, the "story" that the two escapees returned the following year is a rumour? And that they ended up on platters at Lord Jellicoe's banquet years later?

[@cyrussnyder2882]

Wow nice video and interesting story. Quick question. What is your biggest brown trout from over there? Thanks

[@sidechannelproductions]

During filming, somewhere in the 9-pound range, though there are certainly bigger fish to be found.

[@cyrussnyder2882]

Awesome thats cool! Hopefully I can come out there some day. It seems so beautiful there too

[@basitali6122]

i m in Pakistan i catch trout fish i like trout fish

[@uncutfishing]

Watched from start to finish hoping for any sort of explanation as to why having the invasive species replace natural ones is good (except for the recreational reasons, which are clear). It never came. It's all snow white as if there were no other side to the story.

[@tobiaswatson3604]

Thank you I was thinking the same

[@AlphaAscentMotivation]

If you look on DOC's website or Fish and Game it states that trout are protected in New Zealand, so they are not considered invasive, though introduced. Yes, you acknowledge the recreational value but not only that, there is very large value to our economy as he did actually partly mention, especially in Taupo, it contributes roughly 30 million they say every year, Taupo wouldn't be what it is and Turangi probably wouldn't exist without the trout fishing. Trout around the world before they got to New Zealand, would probably be actually the same size as the Giant Kokopu or the Koaro! That's why New Zealand is well known for it, they grow way larger here. So it was funny they thought those fish were small, the biggest Giant Kokopu on record was 6 pounds, nothing a trout would ever grow to where they were native. But to answer your questiom better, as was said in the film there weren't many fish of recreational value in the streams, therefore they introduce something else.

[@davidboulton5793]

Could have watched for hours it’s too short a film. Go get some backing from Nz tv and make a full documentary...... series!

[@badgerfishing]

Ha, we'll screenshot your comment and show it to them if we put something bigger together! Cheers, Jack.

[@outsidersmv4867]

Pliny the Elder,

[@ahti29]

"...wriggle throu the scate and ascape in to the aven.." WTF?Suddenly i dont understand english.

[@sgandwjmwood9859]

It's video like this that is killing NZ fisheries. Too many anglers and the fishery is suffering - especially the back country experience. You just need to shake a bush and a Dane or Swede will fallout - been there for weeks, hammering the river.

[@malcolmbiddle2681]

Yes it is true that pressure is high. Too many foreign guides. Some chance certain things might change after the covid 19 pandemic. Lets hope the Kiwis do not go overboard. Mind you the drawing of water for the inefficient dairy industry is having a much bigger impact. Big topic beyond here.

[@nakedlakedip57]

Doing my PhD on motorbike oil changes

[@adambamf9365]

My PHD is on waxing surfboards and perving hot chicks

[@imissmypeep2209]

@@adambamf9365 LOL. Not exactly the kind of comments I expected on a video like this haha.

[@JimBob-ri6xq]

Sorry bro there were people here well before the Maori

[@jeremyatkinson4976]

Did a brief interweb search , came up with zilch. However a New Zealander told me the Maoris had eaten them....

[@jaxonnolen3165]

White river is better

[@Piscatorialveteran]

Can’t stand the accents

[@tobiaswatson3604]

New Zealand waters aren't all that clean

[@AlphaAscentMotivation]

Ofcourse there's shit water anywhere, but there's lots of glacial or spring fed streams which are very clear out in remote areas where the trout are he is reffering to.