Early Season Fishing is as good as they say!

By Mike McClelland

Almost without exception the New Zealand fishing guides and lodge owners have told me for years that some of the best fishing in New Zealand is in the early season after the streams have been closed for five months.

To make sure the successful early season fishing I experienced in October 2005 was not a fluke, I returned to New Zealand in late October 2007 to give it another go. After an easy overnight flight in a flat bed seat on Air New Zealand, I arrived Auckland in the early morning and connected with the new “in transit” flight to Christchurch where I cleared Immigration and Customs. Our flight was the only one arriving at the International section and clearing the Customs/bio-security was quick and easy. Biosecurity looked at my Simms waders, which I thought I had cleaned, and determined they needed to be dipped in disinfectant and given back to me --elapsed time: two minutes.

I met my friend and business partner (fly tying operation& archery equipment distribution) from the Kingdom of Bhutan, Ugyen Rinzin. I have fished with Ugyen a number of times in Bhutan, Montana & Wyoming, but this was his first visit to New Zealand.

Psssst ... 2009/2010 will be another Year of the Mouse.

As Ugyen and I drove to Riverview Lodge in Hanmer Springs the weather was sketchy at best. It had been raining for a few days and the rivers were all quite high and dirty. We enjoyed a lovely dinner & some New Zealand wine with our hosts John & Robin Gemmell --both of whom questioned Ugyen about the Kingdom of Bhutan as we sat before a roaring fire in their fireplace after dinner.

The next morning after breakfast we took off with John in his 4WD dressed for cold weather. We met John’s friend, a local farmer with a small jet boat. The river was too high to cross as would normally be done in the 4WD so off we raced in the jet boat screaming over the top of the water until we reached the confluence of a small stream flowing into the larger one we had just navigated in the jet boat. We put on our waders and hiked along the stream with John leading the way and looking for fish. The small stream became clearer as we hiked. Challenging – but, with John’s expert ablility to spot fish, Ugyen and I were able to land a few (Ugyen more than me). Satisfied with the day’s fishing we hiked back to the jet boat and enjoyed the cold bottles of Speights beer we had left chilling in the stream.

The next day the weather was continuing to improve and after another hearty breakfast we departed with John in his 4WD. We fished a delightful Spring Creek with much clear-
er water --and maybe smarter fish. Again -challenging, but we were both rewarded for our efforts with some beautiful large New Zealand Brown Trout.

Ugyen and I departed the next morning and drove over Lewis Pass to Murchison and on to Lake Rotoroa Lodge, managed by Brent & Sharleen Hyde (see Bhutan fishing article). A great dinner, more wine, and after a good night’s sleep I woke to a beautiful sunny day. Our guide, Scott Murray, suggested it might be perfect conditions to helicopter into the Karamea wilderness area of the Kahurangi National Park.

That Special Early Season Day!!

After a fifteen minute scenic flight past Mount Owen (where much of The Lord of the Rings was filmed) we landed next to a pristine stream in a setting that was as pretty as it gets. We had a spectacular day --my best ever in New Zealand. The water was clear and the fish were feeding aggressively. As Ugyen and I took turns casting to the fish that Scott continued to spot, we caught and landed fish on nymphs and dries. In several cases we took three to four fish from the same pool (not usual in New Zealand). All of the fish were New Zealand Brown Trout averaging 4 lbs. Space, and perhaps a sense of your tolerance, has only allowed me to include photos of six fish that Ugyen caught (left column) and six fish that I caught (right column) – but we did catch more on this very magical day.

I am convinced — fishing in the early season is as good as it gets — IF the weather cooperates.