Angler Profile - Neil Hirtzel

James Fuller talks to experienced angler, Neil Hirtzel...

A trim figure bedecked in waders, waterproofs, and a wide-brimmed hat, with a yellow boat box and measuring tray in one hand, a rod and spare rod tube in the other, walks down to a waiting flotilla of boats at the lake edge. It’s competition day, and Neil Hirtzel is rigged up and ready to go as he seeks out his boat partner for the opening session.

It’s a familiar scene for Sports Fly Fishing New Zealand (SFFNZ) members, one that has been repeated dozens of times over the last 30 years. Many competitors have come and gone in that time, but 81-year-old Neil remains ever-present, with more podium finishes this season, showing his skills are undiminished despite his age.

At the latest Taupō Regional Championship on Lake Kuratau, where Neil placed third, multiple national champion Cory Scott began his victory speech by recognising his long-time adversary.

“I really can’t say enough about Neil, I mean to be doing what he’s doing in his 80s is simply incredible. I’m just hoping I’ll still be able to stand up at that age and he’s out there slaying it.”

At last year’s Lake Nationals, Neil was the subject of a heartfelt ovation from the assembled anglers at the prizegiving ceremony. The ovation was no valedictory wave-off but rather a mark of respect and admiration for his continued participation and his many achievements to date.

Neil with the SFFNZ life membership, which was awarded to him in recognition of his service over many years, and his Master Fly Award (given when an angler competes 10 times for New Zealand). Behind him are the national pins and memorabilia accumulated during international competition.

Those achievements include representing New Zealand 13 times between 2005 and 2018 at Oceania, Commonwealth, and World Championship tournaments.

“Representing your country abroad, there’s nothing like it,” says Neil. “When I went to my first Worlds, I just thought, man this is great; I’ve got to do this again. The places you go, like Portugal, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Wales, Australia, Canada, Northern Ireland, and the areas you visit, you wouldn’t necessarily go there if it wasn’t for fishing. I’ve got friends all over the world because of fishing.

“I’ve always loved sport, and like many kiwi kids, I wanted to represent New Zealand in something. But I wasn’t quick enough or big enough for rugby or league, and I’ve got an eye defect, so cricket was out too (I couldn’t see the bloody ball), so fishing was it.”

Neil’s best international results were Team Oceania’s gold in Tasmania in 2007, Team Bronze in the 2008 Commonwealths in New Zealand, and a Commonwealth Individual silver in Wales in 2010. These days though, as he enters his ninth decade, Neil’s motivation has moved away from out-and-out competition, and he recognises the impact fishing has on his life holistically.

“My philosophy is every day’s a good day above ground,” he laughs. “When you’re retired, you can’t just sit around doing nothing; you have to keep your mind and body active. Mental fitness is just as important as physical fitness. You have to have a positive mindset and keep giving things a go. I still enjoy competing, but now if I do well, I do well; if I don’t, I don’t.”

The famous Hirtzel Bugger.

Fellow SFFNZ veteran Peter Scott, a mere whipper-snapper at 70 years of age, says it’s great for the New Zealand competition scene that Neil’s still involved.

“Having Neil there competing in his 80s is pretty special, even if I do think sometimes ‘that old bugger’s kicked my arse again’,” he jokes. “The depth and breadth it gives us is fantastic, especially when you think that at the other end of the scale, we have 18-year-olds competing. Then there’s Neil at 81, and he’s still handing out a hiding to most of us.

“I can tell you he’s a legend in the Czech Republic, they think he’s amazing. I’ve got a lot of friends there, and they’re always looking out for Neil’s results.”

Outside of competitions, Neil has been a respected guide for over 20 years; he’s an accomplished fly-tier, being the creator of the Hirtzel Bugger (one of the most successful lake flies on the competition circuit); and is also a highly-skilled and entirely self-taught rod maker, turning out beautiful bespoke rods for customers. And the farm boy has never shied away from getting his hands dirty either, adds Peter.

“Neil is someone who gets stuck in with the hard graft stuff. When we held the Worlds here in New Zealand in 2008 and I was doing the venues, he was a big help with marking the beats especially. He’s always been good like that.”

Neil Raymond Hirtzel was born into a dairy farming family in Whangārei, in New Zealand’s rural north, on Boxing Day 1941. He was one of four children to Dad, Melchior, and Mum, Phyllis, alongside his sister, Erin, and brothers Malcolm and Michael.

Young Neil with his dad, Melchior, in Whangārei circa 1950.

“I was always interested in fishing but never really got much opportunity being on the farm,” says Neil. That changed somewhat when, as a 15-year-old, he showed characteristic country boy endeavour to take on a boat rebuild.

“The neighbour had an old clinker-built boat which I paid $25 for, then refurbished it and made it seaworthy. She was heavy as hell but I was able to get out on the salt with her. Even while I was sea fishing, though, I would always think about fly fishing; it fascinated me. But I remember my dad would say, ‘that’s expensive stuff,’ if I ever mentioned it too much,” Neil says with a smile.

Country boy he may have been, but Neil had his eyes set on the wider world from a young age.

“Some of my high school mates stayed in the same town their whole lives, but that wasn’t for me. I’d been stuck out in the wop-wops on the farm since I was a young fella, and as I got older, I really wanted to go and see the world. I knew what I wanted to do and the countries I wanted to see.”

As anyone who has grown up in a family business will tell you, the pay isn’t great, and Neil needed an alternative means to finance his dreams. So he headed for the South Island and the Alliance Freezing Company meat processing plant in Lorneville, near Invercargill, for a season.

Now with a few dollars under his belt, Neil was off. He would be gone for eight-and-a-half years, touring through Europe before heading to Canada, the USA, and Mexico. The freezer works money lasted until England, where he embarked on a succession of short-term jobs: chauffeur for Lever Brothers in London, handyman in a lead mine, labourer on a natural gas plant in Canada, car salesman in San Jose, and shipyard pipefitter in San Francisco.

The period in San Francisco even saw a stint working on a US Navy ship. “It wouldn’t happen today. There I was, an illegal working on a US Navy ship that was still in service,” says Neil. “I’m sure the foreman knew I wasn’t kosher, but I did my job, turned up every day, and I think that’s all he was worried about.”

The year was 1968 and the sports-mad kiwi decided the opportunity to head down to Mexico City to watch that year’s Olympics was too good to pass up.

“I spent most of my time inside the Olympic village,” laughs Neil wholeheartedly. “The rumour was that an Aussie had got into the Olympic Village, so I said anything an Aussie can do, I can do. I had a jacket with a Canadian flag on it, so I walked up to the security guard, who stopped me, and I pointed to the Canadian flag, and he let me in. Every time I went in or out, I’d just tap the Canadian flag. I ate in the village, hung out in the village, went to all the events, all the parties; it was great!”

At one of those events, the black-haired, blue-eyed Neil met a beautiful local girl, Maria de Lourdes Perez Camacho – known as Marilu – and a whirlwind romance began. It wasn’t without its complications, however. Marilu didn’t speak English at first, and Neil barely spoke any Spanish. And then there was the issue of chaperones. Marilu, the second eldest of 13 siblings and from a traditional background, was expected to be chaperoned on dates.

Neil and Marilu’s wedding day on January 11, 1970, in the Nuestra Senora del Carmen Church, Mexico City.

There is a family story that follows that one of these early chaperones was a male cousin, who Neil rather felt was going to cramp his style. Using some good old kiwi ingenuity, he gave him the slip early in the evening, and the couple headed out on the town unencumbered. Within a year, Neil had proposed, on top of a pyramid outside Mexico City. And shortly after marrying, the newlyweds were on a ship bound for New Zealand.

Three children would soon follow – two daughters and a son: Natasha, Galina, and Zane (named after legendary fisherman and author Zane Grey, who wrote Tales of the Angler’s Eldorado: New Zealand). Neil did all he could to keep the children connected with their mother’s family and culture, saving up to send them back to Mexico whenever possible.

Now back in New Zealand, Neil finally had the opportunity to pursue flyfishing, which had so fascinated him as a youngster. He joined the Auckland Flyfishing Anglers Club in 1972, attended club trips, learning all the time, and became a Tongariro regular.

The spark for Neil’s journey into competitions came when he volunteered as a controller at the 1991 World Championships in New Zealand. It was a while before he could fully commit to sports fly fishing, though, says his daughter Galina.

“That came once we were all grown up, and he could really throw himself into it,” she says. “And when he made his first team, well, that was huge for us as a family. That really lit something in him; it was his passion.”

That first team appearance was at the 2005 Oceania Championships in Rotorua, and from there, Neil never looked back.

“Dad has the view that you should take opportunities and experiences, throw everything into them, and learn from them,” says Galina. “He’s a pretty uncomplicated guy, keeps things simple, makes a plan and then goes for it. He doesn’t make a big fuss about things.”

Life changed suddenly and heartbreakingly in 2015, though, when Neil’s beloved wife Marilu passed away from renal cancer. Though devastated, he found the resolve to give his partner of nearly half a century the send-off she would have wanted, with her funeral being a vibrant celebration of life heavily reflective of her Mexican heritage.

Six months later, with the family home now an empty place, Neil made the decision to move into the Ryman Healthcare Bruce McClaren Retirement Village in Howick. He has handled a challenging time in characteristic fashion.

“He’s totally embraced it, takes part in everything, whether it’s the walking challenge, the trivia night, or whatever, and has made heaps of friends,” says Galina. “We don’t have to worry about him, dad’s 100% fine, and that’s a lovely feeling for Natasha, Zane, and me.

“As a family, we’re all incredibly proud of him, always have been. He does things many people his age wouldn’t dream of. He’s still very fit and healthy. He looks after himself. So why not carry on competition fishing? Long may it continue.”

Neil in a boat with Brent Quin at National paris on Lake Rerewhakaaitu, in 2020.

Neil still enjoys other forms of fishing as well. The grandfather-of-three, who is a qualified carpenter and architectural draftsman and worked at Air New Zealand before retiring, co-owns a boat with long-time fishing buddy Colin Shepherd. Most weeks will see the pair heading out on Auckland’s Waitematā Harbour, and, weather dependent, they might even sneak in a couple of trips further afield.

“We do a lot of saltwater fly fishing for kingfish and kahawai; we enjoy that,” says Colin, who used to host a long-running radio show called ‘Hooked on Flyfishing’. “We chuck a couple of saltwater fly rods onboard, and if we see a workup, we head over to it; either that or we get them around the buoys and the structure.

“We’ve had some nice kingies on the fly, and last summer Neil got a 13kg one. We went all over the harbour trying to get that thing in! We never use bait, so if it’s not flies, it’s usually metal jigs, micro jigs, or sliders. We enjoy our fishing and always raise a glass of red wine at the end of a trip to another good day.”

The pair have been firm fishing friends for three decades, and Colin gives an uncomplicated assessment of his mate.

“Neil’s not one to sit at home. Unless it’s sports, he doesn’t watch television; he prefers to remain active. He’s not a talker. He’s a doer. Many people say, ‘I should’ve done this, I would’ve, I could’ve’, but Neil just gets on and does it. And you won’t hear him bragging about his achievements either; he’s just a nice guy who’s doing what he enjoys doing.”

February 2023 - James Fuller
New Zealand Fishing News Magazine.
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