Impressions of a Part - Time Kiwi, Part 3
Things we've learned from flyfishing in NZ
Humility is the most important lesson. You may be a great angler on many waters, but New Zealand is unique and can be challenging for even the most skilled. An 8-hour day without a fish landed is certainly possible, even when you get some good shots.
When we first started coming to the Land of the Long White Cloud, the Internet was searched for information about fishing techniques and spots to fish, and in the process we came upon the website of guide Tony Entwistle.
Tony kept very comprehensive records of his guiding days and stated that the average day in New Zealand with a guide was 3.5 fish landed. Since then we have kept pretty faithful records of number of hookups and number landed and always attempt to beat Tony's prediction, sometimes with successful years and others with a season that doesn't reach the goal.
It pays to expect low numbers in order to better enjoy the day if it turns out that way and really enjoy it if you do better, always remembering that a good day is a day with at least one fish. As Simon is fond of saying, one fish is infinitely better than no fish.
Tony's current website is www.strikeadventure.com
Spooking is easy; spotting is hard
Especially at first though blind fishing is possible in the South Island on rivers like the Mataura near Gore, the true joy of fishing here is sneaking along a river bank, spotting wily trout, making a good cast, and, if lucky, getting a strike and, if even luckier, landing a beautiful fish.
Another part of stalking New Zealand trout that we have grown fond of is fishing in pairs. Using a spotter to help guide your casts from a distance helps increase hook-up rate and the teamwork aspect is heaps of fun. Simon was instrumental in helping us develop skills and understand where fish would likely be in various parts of the river, thereby enhancing our spotting success.
We have found through the years that the easiest fish to spot are those swimming rapidly away from you. Unfortunately, these fish will not have the slightest interest in a fly thrown toward them after they have been frightened. Thus, our primary goal has been to spook less fish and spot more. These are the counts we tally through each day: spotted 9, spooked 5; spotted 6, spooked 2. We have also found that cows spook the trout, though perhaps not as readily as a clumsy angler who doesn't pay attention to his or her surroundings and stomps around like a bull in a china shop.
More on the spotting thing
It is amazing how rocks can look like fish and fish like rocks.
We have spent countless minutes casting, changing flies, casting again to a 'fish' and ignoring a 'rock' only to find that we had it backward.
When we gave up on what we thought was the fish and stood up, the fish we thought was a rock swam swiftly away. You begin to realise that if an object is easy to see it can≠t be a fish and only the dull gray shapes that can barely be made out are what you are after.
It pays to meet the right people to guide your fishing experiences
Stumbling upon someone like Simon who is as crazed as we are about flyfishing is always good. Because of Simon≠s nature, he also attracts other fishing luminaries. We have been able to wander around rivers with Tony Entwistle, Chris Dore, Stu T ripney and Rene Vas over the years; and though we never personally hired them due to having Simon as our teacher, these gents are recommended every time someone asks if we know a guide in New Zealand.
It would be hard to find more enthusiastic and talented folks than these to teach you the intricacies of New Zealand flyfishing.
Another bonus for us was joining Otago Anglers when we first arrived. Though the boys are very tight lipped about fishing spots, we have had great camaraderie through the years at the Wednesday night social/ meeting.
After about five years of attending sessions while in Dunedin we even began to get the occasional tip on a place to fish.
Wind is always bad
New Zealand has serious wind. We have been awakened in the night with the house rattling and threatening to blow away. These demonstrations of nature's power leave the poor angler with nothing to do but learn to hurl a fly low and short or just give up for the day. Though we still occasionally manage to catch fish in the gales, it is hard work and certainly ruins most chances at spotting fish.
One of the nice things about having so many rivers is the ability to have choices of some that might be somewhat shielded. It is critical to learn which rivers are better than others, depending on the wind direction.
Rain can be bad (river blowout) or good (hides you from the fish)
We tend to like Time Kiwi bad weather, as the fish don't usually seem to care.
Overcast skies are better for hiding the angler, but also good for hiding the fish. These balances must be contended with if you want to be an angler. When the rivers are too high and make crossing dangerous or they become the colour of a nice mocha latte, it is time to find something else to do.
Walking along a river for a long distance usually requires walking back that same distance
One of the challenges and joys of fishing here are the big fish that often inhabit the rivers, though they are often spread apart. It is pretty easy to walk several kilometres in search of trout and get knackered doing so.
It is also easy to use up your water supply on that leg of the trip. If you don't have another mode of transportation back and aren≠t willing to carry lots of heavy water containers, it can be a long and very dry trip back to the car.
Sheep are heavy when waterlogged
I learned this while fishing the Waipahi one day. An ewe had managed to fall in the water and its lamb was most distressed. Waders allowed me to get down in the stream to help the ewe out, or so I thought. After 20 minutes of attempting to lift and push the sheep up the bank, it was time for a new tack. I sought out the cockie, informed him of the dilemma and went back to fishing - good deed done for the day.
Some flies work everywhere
Though there are some killer New Zealand favourites (that also work in the US), Pheasant Tail and Copper John are dynamite on many of the rivers we fish.
There are days when the fish seem to want something very specific and changing about can be well worthwhile, but on others they will go for the standards if in the right size and presented well.
Choose the right gear
We are confident that fish could be caught with a stick, some string, and a fat earthworm, but flyfishing is our passion. Gear of choice for New Zealand tends to be 4 to 6 weight rods, a well-cleaned floating line that doesn≠t sink excessively, and a reel with a good drag system.
The leader and tippet are of great importance because it is most distressing to have either of these fail after you have finally hooked a beautiful New Zealand trout. Ross, Galvan, and A bel are our usual reels and rods tend to be Sage but, being gear junkies, we have quite a few others.
We like fluorocarbon tippet to try and gain any possible advantage over the trout, but plain old Maxima works great too.
Get a good map
Because many rivers are in the backcountry, and starting spots not always easy to recognise, it pays to have a good map. We purchased the New Zealand Atlas (all the official 1:250,000 Topomaps, published in hard back by Reed and available in most bookstores - Ed) on the first trip and have used it ever since without getting lost too often.
Ask to use the property
Kiwis are pretty amazing about the Queen≠s Chain and allowing folks to wander around their property. The first couple of years we kept waiting for an owner to come out with a shotgun on seeing us, as would occur throughout much of the US.
The common courtesy is to ask the owner for permission and it has always been given when we do so. On the other hand, when a river and farm have 10 houses in the vicinity, it is quite difficult to figure out whose door you should be approaching.
We must ALL protect this fishery
Though it can be a pain to come through customs in Auckland and get queried by the customs agents about your fishing gear and then have it taken away for a chemical wash, New Zealand fishing is too important to risk being further contaminated.
New Zealand snails have afflicted us in the US, so it is pretty easy to see that parasites are easily transmitted. Didymo wasn≠t even on the radar screen when we first started coming to this beautiful land, and now we have observed its curse on several of the rivers we like to fish. Another important aspect of New Zealand fishing is access to rivers. Though we have not had problems to date, there are reports of rivers being closed or privatised.
It would be a shame for New Zealand to become like many other places in the world, where fishing is restricted to those with the most money. It has been quite a love affair that we have had with New Zealand over the years. W e count ourselves among the very lucky few who have been able to sample its wonders on many occasions and plan to keep coming back as long as it is possible. Based on our review of the maps, there are still several thousands of kilometres of rivers left to fish, so it is time to stop this report and begin working on our next flight reservations.
