Stalking and Spotting Trout in New Zealand
Fishing for New Zealand's trout often requires skills and techniques unfamiliar to most visitors. It is Sight Fishing at its best, even more so than on the bonefish flats of Florida, Belize or Christmas Island. It requires adaptation: changing your clothes and altering your line color; pacing like a heron along the river's edge visually searching water as clear as crystal for tell-tale hints of a trout's presence; sneaking and sometimes bellying up behind fish to gain the best position for a cast; changing flies in a quick rotation that would do justice to any spring creek 'Match the Hatcher.' All just to hook the fish!Yes, fishing for trout in New Zealand takes some adjusting.
In many waters where the bigger trout hang out, there are relatively few fish. Obviously, this means a lot of barren water to blind fish if you are thinking of covering every available inch. However, the trout often lie out in shallow water, well away from covered banks and trees, preferring the camouflage of rippled water and dappled stones. Polarized fishing glasses to minimize glare are, therefore, 'de rigeur.'
Carefully stalking, mostly from the banks but sometimes while wading, the guides search for `keys' to a trout's existence. Maybe a head on a light rock, a movement or flash, a shadow out of place or a color variation or maybe the dark line of a tail. Spotting takes a practiced eye and the eyes of your local guide are invaluable.
The advantage of clear water, which makes spotting a possibility, is also a major handicap. Dispense with the light colored vest, the white hat and the bright yellow and orange lines. Light and bright should be replaced by dull and unobtrusive. Wear a wide brimmed green hat and green vest and use only dull colored lines.
Careful wading is another key to improved success. By moving behind or slightly to the side of a spotted trout, and taking care not to make unnecessary noise or movement, it is possible to get within thirty to forty feet of most of them. Trout which at first seem unapproachable, let alone catchable, are actually suckers for a good first cast. Your success rate will sky-rocket if you force yourself to drop that first cast ahead of the fish.
Stalking trout is a practical and expedient way to fish water with small populations of relatively undisturbed large trout. It works best on bright sunny days on smaller streams with brush or high bank backgrounds. While it occasionally means walking long distances, it regularly produces the maximum result from a minimum of water. It requires patience and skill, but it is a truly fascinating and fun way to fish.
