Josh James - Profile

I recently embarked on a journey down south courtesy of my mates at M2 Overland, who had lent me a decked-out 79 series Land Cruiser for the trip. The 79 series is the “creme de la creme” for off-roading and living off the land. Its one-of-a-kind Trek-R Tray System allows you to have your home away from home – on four wheels. I received more head turns driving that beast than have ever graced my direction (before or since).

Part of the plan for the trip was to link up with Kiwi icon and YouTube sensation Josh James, aka ‘The Kiwi Bushman’. If you are an outdoor enthusiast who strives to live off the land, enjoys the feeling of terra firma between your toes, and can usually be found wearing a Swandri top in everyday life, then Josh James is probably a mate of yours already. Josh has it all: the yarns, the bush ‘sixth sense’, the humour, the raw chat, and the swagger that’ll keep you entertained for hours.

It was an honour to meet the ‘cowboy of the west’, as well as his son Charlie (who hands down is the most well-mannered kid I have ever met!). Maybe homeschooling in the bush, like the good old days, is really the way forward?

The assignment was simple. Head out of Jackson’s Bay on Josh’s DNA boat, drop some defrosted baits to 400m, and see if we can skull-drag a few bluenose or hapuku from the dark depths. Josh was on the electric reel, while I was on a classic heavy-duty rod (the things you do to prove a point). After only a couple of minutes, the gents were hooked up and started the tedious process of grinding the bulky, dead weights up from the trenches. There is nothing more rewarding after a tough 10-minute egg-beating session than seeing the blue colour of a fish floating and spinning its way slowly up to the boat, while you’re simultaneously sweating and lubricating the reel. Bluenose was on the menu this time around, and I reckon it’s safe to say (in a deeply biased statement) that it’s the best eating fish in New Zealand.

After an hour of filling the chilly bin, we stormed off to try our luck with tarakihi and to pull the craypots. Success on both fronts. We were happier than a dog with two tails, but we had to beat a nasty storm that was brewing back to Jackson’s Bay so we didn’t cause ourselves a mischief.

The buys knew they'd be eating well after this double of bluenose.

We set up camp and decided to connect our awnings together given the heavy precipitation. Josh set about gathering some old flax branches from the forest floor, then he peeled them back with his machete and created fire from out of nothing. The ‘bushman’ was living up to his name. He showed me how linseed oil is obtained from the seed of the linseed-flax plant, which makes a great fire starter – especially in bad weather. Couple that with the fact that he doused the flames in kerosine, and we soon had a roaring fire and a snug set up. Next up was dinner where Josh showcased his superior chef skills by throwing a whole fish into the ashes – guts and all. Then, he just sat back and had a beer nonchalantly, like nothing was out of the ordinary. Later on, as I was chewing on ash-laden fish and listening to the pouring rain, I started grinning like a Cheshire cat – this was living. We spent the night under the stars, our senses in overdrive. It felt like we were being swallowed by the galaxy above. We shared stories of triumphs and disasters, and delved deep into what we both value in life. Josh is a reflective, authentic, smart man, and I sat there soaking it all in.

The guys set up for the night.

Unfortunately, the weather didn’t let up and ultimately put a dampener on our trip, but the boys shook hands and penciled in a later date to try our luck for tuna.

Fast-forward a few months and we found ourselves in the same boat, on that same stretch of salty H20, this time towing plastics for the illusive southern bluefin tuna. Within an hour, the screaming of our shotgun lure tickled our eardrums. Both Josh and Jack Daniels (a Hokitika local with a seriously thirsty name) pulled in the other lures while I brought the fish to the side. At first glance, it looked like a bluefin. The boys started “chahooing” and back slapping. We eventually got the leader up to the boat and were blown away by the mass – it was a fat albacore. This barrel was the biggest albacore that either of us had ever laid eyes on – first estimates were around 25kg. Hell of a fish, but not the target species, so we carried on towing and ended up pulling in more albacore willy-nilly. The lads were not struggling, and we filled the fridge with the chicken of the sea.

When it reached 2.00pm we decided we’d pull-pin and go elsewhere for a crayfish dive. But then something lurking underneath us smoked the “Ice Maiden” KM lure, which caused some cool, calm, collected, chaos to erupt on the boat. It was a different fight this one – a genuine arm wrestle. Our curiosity peaked, given how it was behaving. It just wouldn’t give up! Eventually, after a good scrap, we had a beautiful bullet-like creature next to the boat. Josh gasped as he realized it was a southern bluefin tuna, but we could see that the hook was wearing a hole in its jaw. If it went on one more run, we were toast. Without a gaff, the boys were struggling to contain the fish. Josh held the leader tight while I reached over, still holding the rod in one hand, grabbed the tail of the fish and launched it into the boat. That was the first SBT blood for Josh’s boat The Dog Box.

This bluefin was the first for Josh's boat, and produced a round of 'John Key' handshakes.

Awkward celebrations erupted, with our handshake synchronicity resembling John Key’s at the Rugby World Cup final with Richie McCaw. Stoked! It was the only bluefin caught that weekend on the coast.

We bathed in our own glory, then bled the fish and iced it out. Once home, we wasted no time sorting fresh sashimi for the crew to sink their fangs into. It’s true what they say: “West is best”.

April 2022 - Anthony Nietrl
New Zealand Fishing News Magazine.
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