"I've been fishing for about two years now. I caught that first fish and it was pretty exciting to get," he said.
The lure of catching a big fish brings anglers back to their favourite fishing haunts year after year, but this season a bout of "`great holiday weather" is being touted as one reason behind a surge in trout fishing licence sales.
Fish and Game Otago operations manager Ian Hadland said the demand for licences left a number of agents struggling to keep up with supplies.
A recent spell of "great weather" appeared to be a factor, sending many families out to the region's lakes and rivers.
"There appears to be a swing back to some of the more traditional Kiwi pastimes and fishing is one of them," Mr Hadland said.
Family fishing outings are certainly the main attraction of the pastime for the Clark family, of Milton.
However, the thrill of catching a fish is something Cody's mother, Sue Clark, has yet to experience - despite taking up the pursuit about the same time as her son.
"I got into fishing around the same time as the boys, but I still haven't caught one yet. It's something we like to do altogether as a family,"
Ross Clark, who said he had fished for most of his life, revealed the family's favourite places were on the Clutha River and the Loganburn, and the "great moss swamp" dam further inland from Clarks Junction.
"It's good to hear there has been an increase in fishing licence sales. You've got to have them and it puts something back into the coffers for Fish and Game," Mr Clark said.
My Hadland said typically fishing licence sales dipped during recessions, but Otago anglers had bucked that trend in the past couple of years.
"It may be a cost thing, but it seems to be a growing preference for local outdoor activities. We hear camping ground numbers are up, walking tracks are busy and people are heading to the river to catch a trout, which was "great to see".
