trout fisher magazine

MOMENTS

LAKE LYNDON

A TYPICAL OUTING$9.90

Issue 175, Summer 2020/2021

TROUT FISHERNew Zealand's dedicated trout fishing magazine

2 MomentsBy Hannah Waghorn

6 Conservation IssuesA letter from John Kent

8 DUH!Deep Lake Flyfishing with Peter Storey

12 NEW PRODUCTSFrom ILFF, Kilwell and Manic

16 A Good Evening & Contrasting MethodsEpisode 9; Stories from the Bach by The Lake, by Peter Gould

20 Braised Trout, Singapore-styleWild to the Table with Tony Smith

24 A Typical OutingBy Les Hill

30 Keep LearningCruising The Mainland with Zane Mirfin

36 Avoiding BOOT PRINTSBy Tony Orman

40 Lake LyndonThe closest High Country lake fishery to Christchurch, profiled by Nick Moody

46 Asking The Right QuestionsSouthern Waters with Mike Weddell

48 Trouting VignettesBy Garrett Evans

Issue 175, Summer 2020/2021

TROUT FISHERNew Zealand's dedicated trout fishing magazine

CoverSharing a day's fly fishing with a good mate is a great experience (Andrew Harding)

HereSpring Creek Magic (Zane Mirfin)

Issue 175 ~ Summer 2020/2021 1

CopyrightNo part of this magazine, in either ISSN 1173-1761 PRINT or ISSN 2230-6420 DIGITAL (available via zinio.com and magzter.com) form, may be reproduced in any way without prior permission of the publisher.All enquires to: Peter Storey PO Box 10105 Rotorua Mail Centre Rotorua 3046 [email protected] 07 (+647) 3628 9140274844494 (text works best around here) www.nztroutfisher.co.nz@TroutFisherMagazine

2 TROUT FISHER New Zealand's dedicated trout fishing magazine

It has been about two years since I first took up Fly Fishing. Dad has been fishing for centuries, and seeing that my younger brother Finn took it up, was a natural and quickly became known as the annoying kid who catches all the fish, I decided to give it a crack. I have no idea how Dad put up with all my grizzling, but after catching my first trout on a fly I was immediately hooked and have been spending most of my spare time on the water since. With intentions of becoming a Fly Fishing Guide some day, I would like to share one of my successful fishing trips with you guys . . .

MOMENTSBy Hannah Waghorn

It was a mild winter’s afternoon, the river was low, the clouds were high, and the stags were roaring. Only, stags were not what we were after. This evening my Dad, brother, and I were targeting the elusive and cunning Rainbow Trout. I lowered my foot into

the crystal-clear water, the sudden temperature change sent a shiver up my spine. I’ve been in this river countless times but am always shocked how cold it is. Staring into the rapids, I half expected to see blocks of ice drift past me.

Trudging on up the winding riverbed towards the ranges, fly-rod in hand, we spotted numerous trout. Resting in eddies, sipping Mayflies from the fringes of the rapids, or residing under the shadows of overhanging ferns and occasionally darting out to snatch a drifting nymph. The fish were in good numbers, but to our misfortune, we had no luck getting one to close its hooked jaw around our delicate, precisely positioned flies. Trout can be so difficult on dull, cloudy days!

Nearing the end of the session, we trudged up a widened portion of the riverbed. Head hanging low, I watched my sodden boots crunch the gravel while splats of water stained the small stones amongst it. We passed by where the river diminished into the vast field of gravel, leaving a small trickle of water running against the cliff. I had never spotted a fish in there before, so when my brother froze and waved at us to move back, I was caught completely by surprise. Finn had his eyes trained on a dark shape in the water, I had to look closely to realise it was a trout.

The river

Drink bottle top-up stop

Another fly change

Issue 175 ~ Summer 2020/2021 3


McLean’s new foldable weigh net (M115) ·Calibrated weigh scale ·Belt attachment ·High grade spring stainless steel frame

More portable than ever

Mclean Angling Ltd – New ZealandFor more info go to www.mcleanangling.co.nz

Hovering on the bottom of the 3-foot-deep pool, the Rainbow could be seen actively feeding. Strewn throughout the flow, sticks protruded from the water, quivering incongruously like spines on a monster’s back. These obstructions were a real problem, unacceptable snags for my flies to catch on. A variety of plants suspended over the body of water, dangling and drooping at head height, they were exactly where my flies would go if I didn’t perform my cast precisely.

Steadying my breathing and relaxing my heartbeat, I stripped line from my reel and raised my rod into the air like a lightning conductor. I brought my arm back, then forward again in one quick, swift motion, propelling my flies through the air and onto the surface of the water upstream of my target.

The dry fly landed precisely and delicately, the trailing dropper making a slight splash as it entered the water. My muscles tensed and I poised to strike as I focused on the dry fly gracefully drifting over the trout. Suddenly, the dark mass bolted upstream, leaving my size 10 imitation of a Mayfly Dun bobbing sadly on the current. Every brain cell in my skull was positive that the fish was spooked. I had to look twice when I saw it drifting back down towards its resting spot. Turns out it was my lucky day. One flick and my flies were thrust through the air and placed on the water, causing a slight ripple to disturb the natural flow.

The next few moments my head played in slow motion; the moment my dry fly bobbed over the trout, the moment the fish’s mouth flashed white as it enclosed around

my lightly weighted Hare and Copper nymph, the moment my dry halted, and the moment it took for me to strike.

My rod tip strained under the pressure of the hook up, my 9ft 6wt Airflo Pursuit bending dangerously. Thrashing and wildly shaking its head, the fish fought against me. Using the current to its advantage, my trout tore up stream as fast as his tail could propel him. I found myself clumsily stumbling as I followed, one hand on my rod, one hand desperately fumbling for the drag on my Behemoth reel. Keeping my line tight, a sharp jolt of adrenaline coursed through me as I realised what my trout was up to. Under those dangling snags he went. Both of us desperately struggled on either end, one using its cunning instincts to try to outwit the predator hungry for adrenaline, the other keeping her weapon of choice as low to the ground as the rocky river bed would let her. Under two more snags, and the trout was in open water once more. I saw this as my opportunity and focused on pulling him into the shallows, urging him to lift his head out of the water. I prayed the knots in my 8lb tippet would hold as Finn approached my now thrashing fish. One quick scoop of the net and the fight was all over.

A few moments of joy and shouts of happiness later, I raised my prize 5.5lb Rainbow Trout to the camera, but before my brother could snap a decent picture, my trout squirmed out of my grip with a sudden wriggle of his streamlined, slippery body. Back into the river he swam, unharmed. You would never know that he had ever been caught by a curious, adventurous, fly fisher like me.

The fish that didn't want its photo taken

Issue 175 ~ Summer 2020/2021 5


LETTERSCONSERVATION ISSUESIn the Spring issue of Trout Fisher I was delighted that Mel Hollis wrote about conservation issues, especially in Canterbury.

About 25 years ago, Dr Wayne McCallum then of North Canterbury Fish and Game, took me on a tour to show me some of the pollution of Canterbury Streams. Then the Irwell River ran dry from aquifer over-extraction for irrigation and I became very angry. Twelve months previously, I had taken world famous American angler Mel Kreiger to fish the Irwell at Brookside. He could not believe we had such a wonderful spring creek so close to Christchurch. So I wrote an article titled Death Of The Irwell for the Christchurch Press and sent copies to Fish and Game NZ, Trout Fisher magazine and various government ministers. As a result Wayne and I appeared on the Holmes Show showing the drying and pollution of the Selwyn River. Bryce Johnson then began his 'Dirty Dairying' campaign.

I then spoke to various Rotary Clubs, two Canterbury fishing clubs, Federated Farmers, a number of conservation minded groups, the Green Party and on two occasions, the Environment Canterbury Council, at that stage dominated by farmers. I have lost count of the number of letters I have sent to prime ministers, and a succession of conservation and environment ministers.

As a result of two conservation minded councillors being newly elected to ECan, John Key's National Government decided the Council was dysfunctional and would be unlikely to support their unsustainable introduction of irrigated dairy farming on the alluvial Canterbury Plains. The council was dismissed and replaced by commissioners. I joined a group of democracy supporters and followed an empty coffin into the last ECan council meeting.

Then I joined the late Murray Rogers and a group of concerned anglers who formed the Water Rights Trust. Murray wrote frequent articles for The Press, Murray Lane attended most ECan Council meetings and we tried very hard for about 20 years to inform decision makers and persuade them to alter their policies. The Trust wound up a few years ago and although we heard we had ably informed the general public, we failed to make any worthwhile changes.

About 3 years ago, my youngest grandchild, Jeremy, then aged 12, wrote to Prime Minister John Key and asked why his grandfather could catch a trout within a half hour's drive from Christchurch when he was a boy whereas now we need to travel at least an hour to the mountains. I knew nothing about his letter as he had never mentioned it. However, he showed me the reply and I saw red! The letter stated that it was all due to global warming.

My reply stated that I have now held a trout fishing licence for over 70 years and written guide books describing 700 rivers and streams and 150 lakes, 90% of which I have fished. I described most of the fishable rivers and streams in Canterbury and how 90% have either become polluted or dried from uncontrolled water extraction. I sent this letter to John Key and was told it was passed to Nick Smith for comment. I am still waiting for his reply!

I also sent copies of this letter to the Labour Party and the Green Party. As a result, I was invited to a Labour Party meeting in East Christchurch to hear Environment Minister David Parker talk on water. I have never been very political in the past and have voted National, Labour and the Greens depending on their policies. I chose an empty seat and found I was sitting next to ECan Commissioner David Caygill. I introduced myself as the writer of some 'shitty' letters to him in the past but befriended him by telling him we had both been to ChCh Boys High. I told him that many of us believed the commissioners were simply agents of Key's National Government. He looked me straight in the eye and said, "you are correct." David Parker's speech was superb. He knew virtually all the problems and was himself a keen fly fisher with a love for the Mataura River.

The present coalition government appear to be addressing some of the environmental problems but now with the rampant spread of dairy farming it is difficult to reverse the trends, especially when banks and high finance are heavily involved. However, in future another far more serious issue will need to be addressed. When dairy farming began, I asked a very well qualified hydrologist whether bacteria could possible pollute the aquifers. He thought the superficial aquifers were in danger but not the deep aquifers. However, his main concern was the contamination of the deep aquifers by soluble nitrates from both fertiliser and cow urine.

Issue 175 ~ Summer 2020/2021 7

Scientific evidence reveals that nitrates in drinking water are carcinogenic for bowel cancer. We already have one of the highest rates of bowel cancer in the western world, possibly from a high meat intake. Christchurch water is extracted from a deep aquifer but a number of smaller country towns utilise superficial aquifers for the same purpose and some of these already show nitrate contamination. In the future we may have to deal with a major public health problem.

Lastly, there are no trout streams on Mars. We have dismally failed to care for our remarkably diverse planet. GDP measures the economic health of a country but this relies on constant growth and development. Never is quality of life considered. We cannot continue to constantly grow and develop as in the process our fragile environment will be destroyed. That's why a mandatory regime for disclosing climate-related financial risk is needed. If those lending money to and underwriting future development have to report the risk it poses to the environment, that development will either have to become more environmentally-friendly or at the least, attract greater cost.

John Kent.

Top left: the Irwell, as it was in 2000; others 1 year later. Cattle have been in the stream and the electric fence is a joke!

Location is Brookside, on George Boughton's farm. He told me the stream had never run dry during his father's time nor his. He is over 90 years old. When the irrigators start upstream he has watched the water level in his well drop.

ECan told me it was due to a drought!


With a sciatic-related back injury since early August, I've not been on a river yet and with limited flat bed wading locally, have spent most of the season so far out on the lake. Any forced change of habit creates opportunities to assess success and this one has made me realise that, when water temperature would normally have me fishing the shoreline and upper water column, full stop, I've been missing out by doing so . . .

DUH!By Peter Storey

Odds are you too have sat amongst feeding trout, fishing to a logical plan, yet touching nothing. Without question this is – in my 40-odd years' Central North

Island Lakes experience anyway – an all-too-common scenario when fishing the deeper ones at any time of year. When the fish are fully on the feed there's little trouble catching them but fishing within the regulations, it seems to me those days can be counted on one hand each month. At all other times these lake-resident Rainbow Trout, so easy to catch in rivers, will be on the guard most of the day, apart from a few short bursts that I for one still cannot predict with reasonable accuracy. Fishing a shoreline, you simply move position until it's obvious that you're flogging the proverbial and stop. Out on the lake, however, when fishing an the upper water column in fickle feeding conditions, it's finally occurred to me that, rather than simply heading back disillusioned you've actually got another option of targeting deeper, darker water and especially, on the lake bed.

Doing this has proven something of a revelation. One calm morning out over the reef, with fish feeding all around me, touching nothing but with time on my hands for once, rather than pack up I moved to equally calm deeper water, began fishing progressively deeper. In the process, I suddenly started hitting fish on the lake bed, around my normal, line-marked Summer thermocline drifting depth of 20 metres. Not only was it darker down there, the temperature was still close to Winter temperature, where the surface was at my normal smelting trigger of 16 degrees. This made me think hard about why those fish were there and why they were clearly less alert than those in the upper water column. I reached two conclusions. First:-

They were there because (DUH!) there was plenty to eat . . .

That rather-too-obvious brainstorm led me straight to the second and frankly, I'm amazed it's taken me so long to realise! I guess the reason is simply because I'm a sight-orientated flyfisher; so when fishing the lake at this time of year my preference is to target shallow water and fish that are feeding on breeding smelt, both of which I can see. This injury to my back has made me fish a totally different way and in that process, I'm learning new skills and revisiting others I've not used for decades. In this deeper water the main item on the menu in Spring are Koura – and I know this because I'm 'landing' nearly as many with this particular lure as trout – they frequently hang onto it until they reach the surface – feeling, incidentally, very much like mussel shells on the way up. Anyway, what I finally remembered that day was that Koura and Rainbow Trout share a common survival instinct: neither will stay exposed in shallow water during daylight without good reason. You'll find Koura at pretty much any depth in the lake during daytime where there's cover but logically, Rainbows need to be able to physically see them in order to feed on them and there was my second answer:-

The lake bed at that depth (DUH!) would be similar to the open lake shore at first light . . .

Issue 175 ~ Summer 2020/2021 9

Subsequent trips have produced similar results and as the pattern stabilised, confidence grew. In a nutshell, I'm now confident the sub-optimum Rainbow Trout feeding water temperature and lack of thermocline are irrelevant. It was simply light-and-well-oxygenated-enough down there for Rainbow Trout to hunt effectively, yet dark enough to prevent photosynthesis and so, expose Koura that also felt confident enough to walk around the open bed. Where both feel exposed in the upper water column and react accordingly, down there it's still first light and all on. Where those fish still on or near the surface in good light are picky, these are hunting a favoured food source with purpose.

UP THE ANTEWhile the light level at that depth may be poor, I'm doing everything possible to lower odds that still seem heavily stacked against me. We're talking artificial lure, after all.

Starting at the terminal end that means keeping my hook as well hidden as possible inside the lure (and yet, with Rainbows, adding triggers to the tie), and taking the surface (manufacturing process) shine off my tippets.

That leads directly into the next weak link in the system, line sensitivity. As many of you will already know, I'm fishing strongly weight forward at this depth, with an extra super fast polyltip pulling a standard medium sink fly line down tip first. That polytip is pulled down too, by the 3.5mm tungsten gold bead attractor set into the lure head and connected to the polyleader with – in this case 2x/8lb – fluorocarbon, for its extra stiffness. I certainly do not land everything hooked at this depth, fishing, basically, with no idea from what angle the hook is hit, but miss few takes with this point-first set up – Rainbow Trout or Koura!

All that aside, equally, perhaps even more important, is your interaction with the water column between you and that lake bed. Basically, there's nothing more alarming to a creature that at this depth must rely almost entirely on the built-in security sensor along its flanks for safety, than noise and disturbance around and above it. Stealth is definitely one of the main reasons I use a Canadian Canoe when out on the lake before sunrise.

Summer's coming and with it thermocline lake fishing, full stop. This issue will see the best of it and

I'm thankful to have found reasons to get used to its demands before that time. There's still smelting to come, of course, and with Lake Rotorua warming steadily day by day, another favourite seasonal distraction isn't far away. (Yes, it's a hard life down here in Te Arawa Lakes country, trying to keep up with so many sporting opportunities.)

Tight Lines and overleaf . . .

A 2020 Autumn-released rainbow, one of two hooked on the lake bed at 20 metres' depth, late October, on a plenty-of-surface-activity-but-no-response morning.


The LureNothing like a Koura but both they and Rainbows seem to want it . . .

Shank bound, thread returned to eye, bead slid on indent side forward, thread passed over, stabilising collar built behind and whip-locked (whip-locking each stage is integral to hand tying – especially on the bank and over water!)

(Less obvious: Turkey cock marabou; 3.5mm tungsten bead; kevlar thread)

Issue 175 ~ Summer 2020/2021 11

Marabou tail tied in and locked

A final collar of whip finishes

Seal fur clumps from tail to bead, forward ends pushed back then centrally locked


SKAFARS NEON WAX High Visibility Indicator for Euro NymphingSkafars Neon waxes have to be the most innovative addition to 'indication' when Czech/Euro nymphing. Under all light spectrums, these 'waxes' are the ultimate in seeing your leader or tippet and connecting directly to that strike. This keeps you in constant contact with your fly, in the strike zone, with no extra knots in your system.

Neon Wax is so easy to apply. Use it at various intervals to code your tippet/leader. It doesn’t stain your line or create any residue. To remove, just simply wipe off with a paper tissue. It doesn't add any extra weight nor affect the performance of your fishing or line.

Skafars Neon Wax comes in a variety of hot colour options: White, Neon Yellow, Neon Orange, Neon Red, Neon Pink, Neon Green, BlackSkafars Neon Wax can be purchased from www.iloveflyfishing.kiwi for $12.99 (+ 10% credit on your next order)

STONE CREEK FLOATANTS AND ACCESSORIESThe fish are starting to look up and Stone Creek have a variety of quality products to keep your flies riding high and dry this Summer. With silicon and non-silicon based floatants as well as fly powders to shake that sunken dry fly back to life, they’ve got you covered.

The Stone Creek DryFly Patch™ gets your fly back on the surface of the water in a jiffy. This 7 x 3 Microfiber Patch dries water soaked flies in seconds.

The Shake n' Dry Powdered Floatant removes moisture from your fly & treats it with dry floatant. Simply drop the fly in the bottle, close the lid & shake. Ideal for reconditioning drowned flies and indicators.

The Hygel floatant offers a non-silicone based floatant floats flies longer than silicone based gels. It liquefies at body temperature and becomes semi-solid again when immersed in cold water, repelling moisture from your flies. Hygel has a human odour scent mask, is environmentally safe and leaves no oil slick. Stone Creek Floatants and Accessories can be purchased from www.iloveflyfishing.kiwi starting at $9.50 (+ 10% credit on your next order)

OPST RAINFOREST WATERPROOF WAIST PACKConvenient and Dry in OPST Quality and Style!OPST recently updated their roll-top waist pack and they have kept it cool, literally. The pure black attracted too much sun and so the call was made to balance this out.

This sturdy waist/sling pack has a roll top, avoiding the inevitable leakage that occurs with zippers. The side straps are adjustable so you can choose how tightly the bag is closed and make sure water stays out. The waist is fully adjustable and features a UTX buckle for added durability. A padded insert keeps your tools and boxes organized and also protects the bag from the inside. The front zippered pocket has drain holes to keep your tools and tippet from soaking for long periods.

The pack can be worn with or without the removable sling, making it a perfect crossover hip pack/sling pack.OPST Rainforest Waterproof Waist Pack can be purchased from www.iloveflyfishing.kiwi for $159.00 (+ 10% credit on your next order)

NEW PRODUCTS

Issue 175 ~ Summer 2020/2021 13

SA AMPLITUDE SMOOTH ANADRO INDICATOR FLY LINEFor big rivers and long line nymphing, the new SA Amplitude Smooth Anadro Indicator fly line will shoot farther and last longer than any other line on the market. Designed with line control in mind, its extended rear taper allows you to cast a mile, mend with authority, and turn over nearly any rig imaginable. The indicator tip features short alternating hi viz colours, so you can easily see where your line is sitting. Trout won’t know what hit them and a perfect line for nymphing in the Tongariro. Meet your new best friend. Available in: WF5F – WF8FBuy online at www.kilwell.co.nz and have it shipped freight free to your favourite Kilwell dealer. RRP $179.99

SCIENTIFIC ANGLERS SWITCH TIPPET HOLDERScientific Anglers Switch Tippet Holder keeps your tippet spools organized and ready to go at a moment’s notice. The Switch Holder's unique design lets you choose either a horizontal or vertical orientation on your sling pack or vest. Made from powder coated aluminium construction it holds up to 8 spools of tippet and can be used vertically or horizontally. Available in black on its own, or red pre-loaded with Absolute tippet.Buy online at www.kilwell.co.nz and have it shipped freight free to your favourite Kilwell dealer. From RRP $39.99

ORVIS CLEARWATER FLY-FISHING WADERThis new Orvis Clearwater fly-fishing wader is feature rich and built with a modern fit to eliminate traditional bulk. Four-layer waterproof breathable nylon fabric is light yet durable, with a 30K Waterproofness / 8K Breathability rating. Opposing side-release buckles allow for waist-high conversion on warm days. External storage pocket plus a kangaroo-style handwarmer pocket on the front chest. Updated anatomical neoprene booties with integrated neoprene gravel guards to reduce water drag and collection. Check out the Orvis waders fitting chart and buy online at www.kilwell.co.nz – you can have them delivered freight free, for you to collect from your favourite Kilwell dealer. RRP $429.99

ORVIS RECON RODSMaps Not Included – the Orvis Recon is the rod designed for the anglers who chase blue lines on topomaps and spend their nights bent over maps, plotting the next day’s adventures. For anglers who would rather spend the day on the river than behind a desk, we’ve created a rod ready to work as hard as you do in the pursuit of fish. Recon teams high-performance feel with lightness in hand. With close-in loading ability and the power for longer reach, the rods feature a modern shadow green blank and covert black nickel hardware. Orvis Recon rods are proudly made in Manchester, Vermont, USA, by people who love fishing as much as you do, and have a 25-year guarantee to repair or replace, no matter the reason.Buy online at www.kilwell.co.nz and have it delivered freight free for you to collect from your favourite Kilwell dealer. From RRP $899.99


Gubba.co.nz - Large range of premium garden tools & accessories | Weathervanes

Our weathervanes are made from sand-cast aluminium & brass, using traditional methods & powder coated in black for long-lasting colour.

THE NEW CENTRIC FRESHWATER FLY ROD FROM SCOTT FLY RODSIntroducing the new Scott Centric series of fly rods. Scott put the feel in fast action rods. Now we’re taking it to the next level. Cutting edge Centric series fly rods deliver new levels of stability, recovery speed, and range, while giving anglers tons of feedback through the easy flexing tip sections and highly transmissive blanks.

These are the most efficient rods Scott has ever created. High line speed, flat, stable loops are easily generated at any distance with minimal effort from the caster.

Apparent to anglers of any skill level, these rods feel very light in the hand, are insanely accurate, and are simply a joy to fish at any distance. Ease of roll casts and mends is next level. The ability to control loop shape and line speed at any distance give anglers wide ranging versatility.

Centric rods combine new tapers and multi-modulus lay ups with a new resin system to increase fibre density and reduce weight, and they feature our new generation ARC reinforcement for greater stability along multiple axes. New custom rolling equipment allows us to control fibre placement and density with new levels of precision.

And just to top it all off, we designed new standard-setting componentry for Centric rods that redefine functionality, durability, and beauty.

Scott Centric rods are fit with Flor grade cork, new titanium stripping guides with super slick zirconia inserts, new low glare Snakebrand Universal snake guides, and a new fully milled reel seat featuring speed threads, easy grip knurling, self-indexing hoods, micarta inserts, a special Delrin lock washer, and type 3 flat black hard coat.

Fast, fresh and unfiltered.See more at www.manictackleproject.com

NEW LITESPEED F RANGE FROM WATERWORKS LAMSONWhat can be said about larger but lighter, lighter but stronger? Of course, it can be done. We’ve done it over and over again, but does there come a time when the bar can’t be raised? No, there are always improvements to be made, new ways of thinking, new materials, and processes to exploit. As we’ve said—the performance benchmark for a fly reel is retrieve rate per ounce. If you haven’t thought about it before, think about it now: there’s no downside to high retrieve rate other than extra weight. As an example, consider the 2021 Gen 6 Litespeed: CNC machined with material distributed artfully along critical load paths, stable and strong, so light you might forget it’s there, but beautiful enough to make you remember it is. The art of the fly reel derives from the science of the fly reel, but at the end of the day both art and science, when held in balance, serve to make us smile.

Available in Fuego or Whisky finishes and line weights #2-#8.

Litespeed F, the next evolution.See more at www.manictackleproject.com

Issue 175 ~ Summer 2020/2021 15

Gubba.co.nz - Large range of premium garden tools & accessories | Weathervanes

Our weathervanes are made from sand-cast aluminium & brass, using traditional methods & powder coated in black for long-lasting colour.

The Centric and Litespeed, paired


STORIES FROM THE BACH BY THE LAKEFishing and other outdoor adventures from paradise; Episode 9

A GOOD EVENING & CONTRASTING METHODSBy Peter Gould

Late one evening in winter I slipped down to the local stream mouth from the bach, just a few minutes away. Although it was well known now that the mouths were fishing and there had been a bit of pressure, there was

not another person in sight! It was glassy calm right out to the island, with just little wisps of wind scalloping the lake surface here and there, but far out. To the southwest the sun had just gone over the horizon, etching the mountain range in the clearest pale light. Soon the red glow of the sun setting on the other side started to percolate the sky, tinging it with soft red hues. I knew I would have about 40 minutes of fishing.

I waded right across the channel and underwater bar to the far side of the rip, positioned myself near a white pumice stone marker on the bottom that I knew I could use to locate myself, both safely back from the lip and as a starting point to move left or right as the current swung with any coming wind. There was just a wide, slow but steady pull of current across a broad arc, without any wind to concentrate it. I swung into the casting and retrieving habits that were so familiar and had been so productive this year. Working the shooting head out through the rings of the rod with a couple of gentle casts, and once clear of the top ring by a metre giving the line the final heave that sent the line whistling out of the shooting basket to align well out in the lake, along the edge of the current which was slowly boring straight out. Giving the line a few minutes to sink, and then commencing the slow and steady hand twist retrieve, the stop-start motion that would hopefully tease the fish in to biting either of the attractive morsels the flies on the line represented. Why change a proven method? I was fishing the same two fly patterns that had worked so well all year. They were attractor patterns, one an orange blob half way up the trace and on the end a white one with a tantalizing tail action. These flies have built in buoyancy to let them float up off the bottom and I was fishing them on a shortish tippet around 7 feet long. No need to change any aspect of the rig, just to be there, at the right time, working the flies well and being in the current.

And so I fished on as the light slowly faded and little ruffles of the lightest wind started to come and go. Conditions were just ideal. After several casts a fish hit just over the lip and tore off towards the far off cliff ramparts. It then moved to the north, out of the current and then back into the river flow and up past me through the mouth. These fish were ready to run. I eased back to the pumice bar, landed it after a dogged battle from the bank and went back out. Two casts later another hit, with a similar feisty fight. Magic all around, still without a soul in sight, with the pale light glow slowly fading and the quiet swirling, rippling water holding so much promise. I eased back in the current again, found my white pumice marker and eased out another cast. Light was diminishing rapidly all around me, creating that ethereal space only anglers who fish through such times can know. The very next cast another fish hit, and the familiar process started; playing the fish, getting line on the reel and getting it under control, while easing back to the bank. After landing, it at first seemed far too dark to fish on, with just the faintest glimmer of light showing, but with fish about, I thought one last attempt was indicated. And was it worth it! The very next cast another fish took, with a similar result to the others. After landing it I left. It was almost pitch dark now and I relied on familiarity to

Issue 175 ~ Summer 2020/2021 17

Another great fish from the mouth


safely guide me back across the mouth. As I eased back through the river current, across the deeper trough to the pumice bar, I thought, what an evening! 4 fish landed in about 40 minutes of fishing. I had enjoyed utter peace and solitude on a night offering perfect conditions. And I was lucky enough to fish a mouth where finally everything was right. No snags, good wading, plenty of current, access to the lip and fish gathering. It had been quite a while since the last flood and run. With the fish numbers obviously building up there, the next run looked as if it would be a beauty.

I could thank my wife for the experience, for last night when we had arrived at the bach quite late, with a myriad of tasks to do to get set up for our stay, including the usual tidy up of grounds, she had encouraged me to go out for a brief look to test the water at our local stream mouth. After all, I could be there in a couple of minutes. And although that exploratory trip wasn’t that productive, just landing one nice fish, it had set me up for tonight. I knew it was fishable, knew the wading, that fish were there and the flies and technique to catch them. It all came together tonight and paid off handsomely. And after all, when the fish are on, the bach jobs can always wait. Home at the bach everything just felt right. As I had turned in the usual rabbits ran off the lawn. I quickly tidied up the gear and went inside. The fire was glowing, dinner bubbling away and drinks soon poured.

The next day our neighbour had suggested we go out in the boat after the frost had lifted. He had been out recently and took 8 good fish deep trolling, just keeping

the best one, and felt ideal weather conditions predicted for the day would give us every chance. And so when the boat pulled up at the front door the next morning I was ready. The fly rods and waders were parked. Instead I had a deep trolling rig, with my usual long tailed smelt pattern fly dropper and plastic wobbler on the end. A thermos of coffee, a packet of biscuits, warm clothes and tackle box complemented our trip. Such a contrast in styles, but so much part of the magical spread of fishing opportunity that our great lake offers.

At the marina there were few boats out. We buzzed out across a glassy lake and around the headland into the bay to the south. My friend had previously been fishing successfully in 90 to 120 feet for his fish, so we started there. We had hardly got past around the headland when a fish hit my line. A long lean fish, it was just a distraction and quickly released. We started the slow run up the side of the headland, to the point where we would turn and head down the long sweep of bay to the south. A beat of water with one of the best views I know, offering a clear look at some of our majestic mountains and plenty of time to look at them, with a run of up to several kilometres on offer. It wasn’t until we reached a spot a kilometre down the bay when the fish started to come. We ran past a sandy promontory where the water shallowed noticeably several times and took a number of smaller fish. We decided to

fish a little shallower, in 50 to 90 feet of water, just over the drop-off and a better fish took. We repeated the run and a real hit came, with screaming line and a fish splashing far astern. It fought and fought, indicating strength and size, for this rig does limit the fighting abilities of the fish. A beautiful jack came in, a fish later weighed at 5.5lbs.

The best fish of our day

The headland

Issue 175 ~ Summer 2020/2021 19

We fished on, but things had slowed and so we commenced the slow trolling trek home, passing a sole boat on the journey. As we moved around the towering headland past a little reef, another strong hit came, right under the shadow of the high cliff ramparts. After a protracted strong fight, a 4lb fish came in, this time on the fly. So we motored home, having landed 8 again, keeping the 2 best for the smoker. A real contrast in style to the fly fishing of the previous evening, but just another of the myriad of fishing opportunities that surround us at the bach. Anything that takes you out on our beautiful lake, where we follow pristine lake shores, overhung by high cliffs, with bush vistas and mountains and sandy beaches all about, is worthwhile.

This boat fishing is an art too. For previous months it had been quite hard, but as is often the case, in August it looks up and so it was on this day. The technique of deep trolling can be very productive. We use a very long trace with a fly tied on above a swivel, with a metre to the bottom lure. The long tailed, gold bodied smelt fly tie we use can be irresistible to trout at certain times of the year and the colours of the plastic wobbler that we have identified over time prove so productive I never change them, beyond the 4 colours and varieties that I know work so well. Running the boat at a slow speed just off the drop-off with this rig has worked so well for so many years.

Back at the bach, soon the smoker was going, tendrils of smoke from the oak sawdust indicating that soon the golden slabs of prime smoked trout would emerge and be distributed down the street to the other bach owners to share.

This year I have enjoyed consistent quality stream mouth fishing at our local mouths. It has been great to feel so confident each trip that with the right rig and technique there has been every chance of success. All the stars have aligned this year with the nature of our local deep water mouths and it has been great to be able to avail ourselves of this quality fishing. It is unlikely to last, for lake levels, storms, wind direction, prevalence of flood changes and snags can all have a major effect on them. So good to see it however. I reflect on the stream mouth far to the north where our fishing odyssey first started and how this mouth is now just a travesty of what it was. Many obstacles would have to be overcome for it to return to the marvellous fishery of old, but one hopes that the ever changing nature of this fishery will one day bring back what was once the most productive mouth fishery of all.

This is the nature of our lake, constantly changing and that is what makes it such a renowned fishery, one that constantly surprises and one you have to keep relearning. Yes, this season will see me continue to migrate to the bach and to fish our local waterways, lake and stream mouths with passion and pleasure. Maybe I will see you out there somewhere?

Magic all round


GibbyBy Tony Smith

Over the years I have read many obituaries of people who have

had wonderful years on the river and these are always warming to read. I wrote a small one myself a few years back about Temuka fisherman Noel Thomas, who influenced so many in my time growing up in South Canterbury.

Recently I lost a close friend, out of the blue, unexpectedly. Andy ‘Gibby’ was not a man who fished a lot, but he wanted to. He was working as a Chef Tutor at the highest level in Singapore and that took up his last decade of time along with his wife Fiona. Andy and Fiona had two lads in Christchurch, one still at school, the other commencing his University studies. While I was up there in Singapore working for six months, Gibby and I developed a wonderful friendship. We had worked in Christchurch together several times over the years when I helped make up his staff numbers working on large events that Gibby oversaw, in his role as executive chef at the Christchurch Convention Centre.

Our Fathers had toured the world together as part of the 1962 National Band of New Zealand, they were world champions. In Singapore Gibby gifted me a photograph of his and my father having a drink on the ship deck, a time when travel was a lot slower. We had so much in common.

Fiona and Andy were coming home in a couple of years and one of my tasks when he returned was to introduce and teach him fly-fishing. No worries I told him, you will love it and I will love sharing the time. Writing this is now my only way of making that connection, part of our passion.

Gibby had developed a great knowledge of Singapore cuisine and to follow here is a Singapore-style dish I designed and cooked up at my son's house in Wellington, using a lovely Turangi trout, one of a few my boys and I managed to land on our annual excursion up there in August.

It's dedicated to a wonderful mate.

Issue 175 ~ Summer 2020/2021 21


BRAISED TROUT OR SALMON WITH VEGETABLE GREENS AND MUSHROOMS, SINGAPORE-STYLEWith oyster, ginger and mushroom sauce

To serve Four

4 TROUT OR SALMON FILLETS 150-180GS EACH

1 SMALL RED ONION FINELY SLICED

1 CUP WATER

A LITTLE SALT AND GROUND WHITE PEPPER TO SEASON

1 HEAD BROCCOLI CUT INTO SMALL FLORETS,

4 SMALL BOK-CHOY

SAUCE15G DRIED CHINESE OR SHITAKE MUSHROOMS REHYDRATED AND SLICED

20G FRESH GINGER FINELY GRATED

1 GARLIC CLOVE CRUSHED AND CHOPPED

A SMALL PIECE RED CHILLI FINELY SLICED

5 ML SESAME OIL

2 TABLESPOON OYSTER SAUCE

3 TEASPOONS SOY SAUCE

20 ML LIME JUICE.

2 TSP CORNFLOUR MIXED WITH A TABLESPOON OF COLD WATER

SOME FRESH PICKED CORIANDER, FINELY SLICED RED CHILLI (OPTIONAL) AND SLICED SPRING ONION GREENS TO GARNISH

Season the salmon fillets with a little salt and pepper, place the sliced onion in a braising dish or small roasting pan.

Place the fillets on top, add the garlic and ginger to the cup of water and pour over the fillets. Cover with kitchen paper and foil, bake for 15-20 minutes at 180˚C. Pour off the cooking juices and keep warm.

Heat a wok, add the sunflower oil, wok fry the bok choy and broccoli, keep warm along with the salmon.

Re-heat the wok adding a little more oil if necessary. Fry the shitake and chilli a little then add oyster, soy sauce and sesame oil.

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A RIVER RULES MY KITCHEN by Tony SmithFood styling and photography by Deborah Aspray, Motif Photography, www.motif.co.nz

Tony Smith was born in Dunedin, educated in Temuka, Alexandra and Gore, and has been a chef for more than 40 years. He is a keen outdoorsman and conservationist, who loves trout fishing and small game hunting, and sees himself as a typical Kiwi bloke – a fan of rugby, BBQs, beer and wine, with a penchant for NZ’s Pinot Noirs.

RRP $59.99 | Hardback and full colour throughout Published by HarperCollins NZ www.harpercollins.co.nz

Pour in the cooking liquor from the braising dish. Thicken just a little with the cornflour. Arrange the fillets onto a serving dish, place the broccoli and bok choy around, spoon over the sauce, sprinkle over the spring onions and coriander.

Serve with a side of steamed jasmine rice.


A TYPICAL OUTINGChapter 1 of HOOKED FOR LIFE: A CELEBRATION OF FLY FISHING, by Les Hill

My old Nissan truck never let me down. When asked, it clawed its way through deep mud, was never hindered by rough, boulder-strewn river beds and crossed sizeable rivers and streams with ease. Starting on cold, frosty

mornings was never a problem either. Turn the key, pause for a few seconds for the frost plugs to warm, then one more click of the key – and boom, it always fired instantly. Late April each year I visit the Mackenzie Country and when the weather is favourable I often set out before daylight to go fishing. Despite the mercury sitting at -5°C one morning last autumn, the truck fired obediently and we were off. At 6am the village of Tekapo lay lifeless under a heavy frost. We climbed out of town, driving south past the airport on the left, then we took the first right, heading cross country for Lake Pukaki. The footing of the bridge across Forks Stream glistened with ice. I gripped the steering wheel a little more firmly, eased off on the accelerator and steered straight ahead. Safely over, we headed uphill, beginning the climb of the saddle separating Lakes Tekapo and Pukaki. As we ascended I looked over my right shoulder, towards the head of Lake Tekapo. The faint glow of a new day was creeping over the horizon. We’d have to keep moving.

Closer to the crest of the divide between the two lakes we passed one of the entrances to a tract of army land. I’d driven this road many times and was always amused by one of a plethora of signs posted there. It read, ‘No admittance. Do not touch anything – it may blow up and kill you.’ Another sign not far away said, ‘Army land. No shooting.’ I often chuckled at the irony of that one, particularly as it sported a few bullet holes.

Issue 175 ~ Summer 2020/2021 25

A TYPICAL OUTINGChapter 1 of HOOKED FOR LIFE: A CELEBRATION OF FLY FISHING, by Les Hill

We pushed on and soon the vague outline of Lake Pukaki came into view. The basin it occupied lay cloud free, just as we had hoped. However, on mornings like this, fog could form right around you within moments. Fingers crossed, we descended towards the lake shore then turned right, heading closer to the lake head. We stopped right on the water’s edge, where the expanse of the lake and mountains beyond opened impressively. The outline of the mountains was beginning to show against a brightening sky. We dived into the back of my truck for our gear – not fishing tackle, but camera gear – cameras and tripods. These were assembled hastily ready to capture the first rays of sun on Mount Cook, one of New Zealand’s finest views.

For two or three hours my fishing mate, John Cornish, and I lingered. We watched in awe as the pre-sunrise shades of blue and magenta succumbed to an orange hue, and then came the ‘coup de grace’ as the orange turned yellow on the eastern face of Cook. The spectacle gradually waned with sunlight spreading inexorably across the valley floor and the scene becoming awash with daylight whites.

Being fed by the silt-laden snow melt from the Tasman Glacier, the waters at the head of Lake Pukaki are frequently discoloured and any trout lurking there are rarely revealed. However, closer to the southern end of the lake, where the water’s colour morphs from grey to turquoise, visibility into the water improves. Early morning light photographed, we headed that way hoping to intercept an unwary trout cruising along the edge. Fishing was now the focus.


After bumping its way down a narrow track, the Nissan took us close to the lake edge where a high bank afforded us a clear view down into the water. While

John threaded up, I scanned the water below, camera ever ready. Lake Pukaki is a great place to fish without having great fishing. It doesn’t teem with trout, so I had to search for a long time before one appeared. It cruised unhurriedly not far from shore, weaving its way slowly but deliberately just beneath the water’s surface. As it passed directly below me, it tilted on its tail and sucked a fly down – a hint for John to fish a dry fly.

By the time he was prepared for action the fish had pushed on, along the shore-line and out of sight. This gave us a moment to plan our approach. With no need for haste we sat down on the bank, waiting and watching, assuming that the fish would return. A movement caught the corner of my eye. I turned to see a tiny fantail ducking and diving, plucking insects skilfully mid-flight. Quite unafraid of us, it flew very close and settled on a nearby fence. I swivelled my camera around and fired off a volley of pictures. Fantails rarely sit still for more than a second or two and are quite difficult to photograph. I was thrilled to be given such a rare opportunity. Moments later the little bird took to the air again, swooped down towards

Issue 175 ~ Summer 2020/2021 27

the lake, snatched two more flies in quick succession, and then flitted away searching elsewhere. While brief, the distraction was nonetheless delightful.

My attention returned to the water. We'd had a long vigil and were about to move elsewhere when the fish suddenly appeared again, retracing its former beat. It was heading our way. We were perched on an elevated bank and any movement now would undoubtedly be seen so John would have to wait again until the fish passed, then assume that it would return to patrolling its territory.

When the trout faded from sight John raised himself onto his knees, lifted his fly deftly into the air and dropped it over to where the fish had been moments earlier. With only a zephyr brushing the water’s surface the fly sat motionless. The trap was set.

The length of time it took for the trout to return suggested it enjoyed a large territory with little competition, but return it did. Closer and closer it came, not quite in line with the fly but near enough for the fly to be seen. Half a metre away the fish turned in the direction we hoped. We sat, equally tense: John waiting to set the hook and me with camera focussed on the fly hoping to capture the take.

Lake Pukaki, later in the day

The fantail


I acted first, depressed the shutter release button and held my finger down. Click, click, click, click, click, five frames per second. The fish showed no haste yet its intention seemed clear. Up, up it rose. Its nose broke the surface then the fly disappeared. John whipped his rod tip skywards. Moments later the water below erupted. The fish was on.

John slid down the bank, net in hand, ready to complete the landing. However, at the base of the bank his foot caught on a large boulder, tripping him awkwardly. As he struggled to regain his balance his rod arm shot backwards, the line tightened alarmingly and in an instant the fish was gone. ‘Was a good one,’ said John.

‘Was,’ I said.Catching a trout is undoubtedly a highlight of any fisher’s day. After all, that’s the over-

riding focus that draws us to rivers and lakes. But it is little more than a bonus. Sharing the moment with a mate doubles the fun, and being surrounded by rugged mountain peaks soothes the soul. Riverbank distractions like little fantails sharing their space do the same.

Sometimes a typical outing for me might be to a beautiful lake like Pukaki but equally it may be a stroll up a pastoral stream hoping for a mayfly hatch in the next ripple. Or it may be a stalk along the banks of a spring creek, trying to distinguish between gently waving weed beds and the sweep of the tail of a partially concealed trout. Wherever it may be, I find it totally engrossing and all consuming. It is an experience summed up concisely and eloquently by Roland Pertwee in his short story ‘The River God’ when he wrote:

‘What do you want to do this afternoon, old man?' he asked.‘Fish,’ I said.‘But you can’t always fish,’ he said.I told him I could and I was right and have proved it for 30 years or more.‘Well, well,’ he said, ‘please yourself, but isn’t it dull not catching anything?’And I said, as I’ve said a thousand times since, ‘As if it could be.’

Issue 175 ~ Summer 2020/2021 29

HOOKED FOR LIFE: A celebration of fly fishing, is published by Quentin Wilson Publishing. It is available from all good book shops and online, through: http://www.quentinwilsonpublishing.com

Please note this chapter is set differently in the book


Cameron Reid & Andrew Burden with a Motupiko dry fly sipper

Issue 175 ~ Summer 2020/2021 31

Keep LearningCruising THE MAINLAND with Zane Mirfin

Early season is always a great time to fish, with the excitement of a new season and new angling horizons. Angling contacts report good fishing so far, although the weather (as always) has been dodgy at times and the rivers down here have been pretty full, with big

flows. The fishing will only get better as summer progresses.The good news is that there are still some big trout around from last season’s mouse-

fuelled frenzy. Many of these trout have held most of their body condition over winter and a number of double-figure trout have been landed already. Often the season after a mouse plague is the best time to catch big trout as they resume insect feeding and are more vulnerable to a flyfisher’s wares. A trout that is hungry during the daytime hours is going to present more angling opportunity for most anglers, so get out there and get into it!

Best of all this season there will be minimal commercial activity out there on our rivers. So make the most of those increasing sunshine hours, lower river flows, and increased trout feeding tempo as water temperatures warm.

GO LONGER – GO HARDERRecently, I had a few hours on the local Opouri Stream enroute to Blenheim, to talk to the Marlborough Anglers Club at the request of Tony Orman. The Opouri was pretty disappointing, especially compared to my boyhood memories, and by lunchtime I’d had enough and was walking back down the road to escape to Blenheim and salvage the day. On the walk back to the Hilux, I resolved to do fewer local day fishing trips and endeavour to undertake more 3-5 day road fishing trips, to target more stellar locations. Time is valuable and fishing the last best water, the new fishing reality.

EURO-NYMPHINGMy favourite day so far was spent fishing with Cameron Reid of Nelson, and Andrew Burden, Turangi Angling Personality and FlyTackle NZ Team Member, on the Motupiko River. The three of us had an awesome day out, with plenty of laughs and fun. Andrew is a talented angler and I especially enjoyed observing his euro-nymphing gear and technique. The Motupiko is a smaller river but on this day while still clear, was running a good flow. Cam’s nymph and indicator rig was working okay and we did get a few trout up on dry fly, but the standout rig was the euro-setup with a 4 weight 11’ foot Hydrogen Rod. Andrew was pulling trout of places that would never have been caught on a conventional fly rig. With a double fly rig using tungsten jig nymphs, light 5x tippet, and a variegated indicator section, he caught trout out of deep slots with difficult currents. Key to the whole operation was Andrew’s physical body positioning for an across-stream cast to get the best drift possible. It worked like magic and I learnt some new tricks to try out myself.

Euro-nymphing has many sub-techniques developed throughout Europe by the Czechs, Poles, French, Spanish, etc. Perfected in the world of competition angling, generic euro-nymphing has been adopted around the world. It is only another way to catch a trout but it adds another string to your angling bow that allows you to successfully fish water you may have always walked past. There is a huge body of material about euro-nymphing on Uncle Google and You Tube that you can check out but the English magazine Fly Fishing & Fly Tying has also taught me a lot about the intricacies of this technique as well.

DOUBLE HANDED FLY FISHINGAndrew Burden is also a master on the two handed rods, and it was great to be invited for some lessons on the Waimea river with my 3 weight 11’3” trout spey rod by angling maestros Tony Entwistle and Andrew Burden. Casting a double handed rod is not for the faint hearted and I’d have to say, given the choice I’d probably prefer casting a lure rod or soft-bait rig but Andrew & Tony taught me some good basic starting tips. Once Andrew got me to put a heavy sinking tip onto my Skagit line, my anchor points got better and while not pretty, I was getting some casts out across the river.

Swinging flies may not be the most successful fly fishing technique out there, but I understand the art and history of the method, and look forward to tackling some big water


Perfect Euro Nymph water on Tasman's Motupiko River

Issue 175 ~ Summer 2020/2021 33

over the season ahead either swinging a bugger on the Skagit head or soft-hackle wetflies on the gentler Scandi line.

COLORADO LESSONSFishing and casting with Andrew reminded me of many of the techniques we used to fish back in the 1990’s, when I was guiding the US summers in Colorado. We were big on high-stick nymphing with short range casts into tight pockets. We used lots of lead weight and bright strike indicators to fish up and across into deep, fast, and often highly discoloured water for bright-sided rainbows. Slightly different to euro-nymphing, it was a highly efficient method to catch trout. US guiding mentors like the late John High taught me to add plenty of weight to the tippet (either lead strips or heavy lead shot) above the flies and heavy 2-3x tippet. “If they don’t eat it, they wear it”, John would laugh.

Steve Avery showed me how to fish dirty high snow run-off in the nearby Roaring Fork River to great effect. Having the ability to fish high dirty water has caught me lots of trout in New Zealand over the years when most other anglers choose to walk away. Steve taught me to “fish pussy water like a man” using large flies to catch trout and was a great fan of the Prince Nymph in #6-8 for dirty water use.

The late Kea Hause was a gentleman guide of the river, honing my clear water deep-nymphing techniques on the smaller Frying Pan tailwater fishery with 7x and #22-24 PT’s and Brassie nymphs. One great thing about all of these techniques is that you can use combinations of one or the other and tailor them to the conditions and trout species. My advice is to keep learning and innovating and never be afraid to combine fly fishing techniques, to increase angling efficiency and satisfaction this season.

Utah Provo tailwater fishery, where “high sticking” - deep nymphing with split shot, long 6x fluorocarbon tippet, and tiny nymphs - was king. Angler Craig Adamson of Salt Lake City.

Double Hander master class on the Waimea River - Tony Entwistle in action


FLY FISHING BOOKS – BOOK FAIR & SECOND HAND SHOPSLike many anglers, I’m always reading books and magazines because I always like to learn. Some of the best books are the older ones because there isn’t too much in fly fishing that hasn’t been done before. I also have a big collection of overseas fly fishing books because of new techniques, new strategies, and innovative fly patterns. Buying new books can become expensive but what I’ve found is that some of the best are cheaply available at fishing club auctions, second hand book shops, and book fairs.

At the recent Nelson Founders Park Book Fair held over 10 days, I again obtained many fine books for my $5 pass. I went back several times as more pre-loved books were added to the stacks of hunting and fishing books piled high on trestle tables. Many of these books cost me two for a dollar. Some of my books this year included Kiwi authors such as John McInnes, Temple Sutherland, John Parsons, and Bob South. I’ll be sure to be back at the Book Fair next Labour Weekend, and next time I’ll take a cardboard box to carry home whatever fly fishing treasures I discover.

NZ GAME BIRDS FOR FLY TYINGNot much fishing happened at Labour Weekend but I did manage some evening goose shooting with my father Stuart and son Jake, near Lake Rotoiti, Nelson Lakes National Park. Canada geese are magnificent game birds and it is always special to be hiding horizontally in camouflaged layout blinds as incoming honkers fly overhead and are silhouetted against the darkening sky.

NZ gamebirds have some great applications in fly tying and it’s a real shame that most of them get thrown into offal pits, unappreciated by Kiwi fly tyers. If you’re a bird hunter, winter is a great time to harvest feathers for the fly tying year ahead. If you don’t hunt yourself, make friends with someone who does. They’ll be only too pleased to let you harvest all the feathers you want after a successful hunt. There are all sorts of gamebirds and other species to collects feathers, capes, and hackle off. I’ve used mallards, greys, parries, geese, black swan, pukeko, pheasant, California quail, turkeys, blackbirds and starlings, but this is just a start.

I’m a great fan of the natural grey / dun CDC feathers from around the preen gland of mallard ducks. Paradise Shelducks and Canada geese have some very usuable CDC feathers too. From the latest honker hunt, I harvested CDC, grey goose shoulder feathers for thorax-style dry flies, white phosphorescent rump feathers for parachute wingposts and indicator tags on big terrestrial dries. I also took some primary wing feathers for nymph wing cases and to strip goose biots off the leading edges. Goose biots are a mainstream tying material in the USA, being used for nymph tails and legs. You can buy them pre-packaged and dyed many colours but the natural grey colour from Canada geese work a treat on Kiwi trout.

Issue 175 ~ Summer 2020/2021 35

THE MAGIC OF PEACOCK HERLWhile I was doing a spot of fly tying, I used some of the Grey goose biots in a variation of the USA Prince Nymph (originally called the Brown Forked Tail) which was a favourite fly back in my Colorado guiding days. We always fished the original version that was lead weighted only, but here in NZ I usually only see the bead-headed version which is a popular rainbow trout fly at Turangi.

Randall Kaufman in American Nymph Fly Tying Manual, 1975, says that, “In larger sizes it is deadly on large rainbows and ranks as a national favourite. It’s sparse dressing allows it to sink down into deep, dark pockets and it should be stocked in assorted sizes.”

HERE’S THE DRESSING FOR THE KIWI PRINCE NYMPH:Hook: Long heavy shank hook like Kamasan B300; Thread: Black; Tail: Grey natural stripped goose biot tied in a “V”; Rib: Gold wire; Underbody: Lead Wire; Body: Peacock Herl; Hackle 2-4 turns of brown / dark brown hackle; Wing: Grey stripped goose biot tied in a “V” over the top of the body so the tips flare up/

Most of the success of the Prince Nymph is the buggy peacock herl body. Peacock herl really is a magic fly tying material and the key ingredient in many top trout flies like the Coch y Bondhu, Brassie, American Pheasant Tail, Black & Peacock, and Prince Nymph. Peacock herl can be bulked up by adding an underbody first or as I do, by adding a generous amount of lead wire onto the hook shank.

Use plenty of peacock herl in your flies and be prepared to catch trout.

Zane Mirfin is a Nelson based recreational angler and guide who can be contacted at www.strikeadventure.com

Kiwi Prince Nymphs


How do you cope? You can make an extra effort to reach them.

That might mean an hour or two tramp from the road end up into a wilderness venue. But even that's a gamble. Ever had a guide and clients helicopter in just 400 metres above you? Making that extra effort can pay off, however. I recall one trip to a stream with a friend who we'll call D. It was down in the

In the "crocodile stream", the trout were impressive rainbows.

Trout, particularly brown trout, don't like continual disturbance

Avoiding BOOT PRINTSBy Tony Orman

It's a growing problem for trout fishers today, to find trout that haven't been fished over.

There may be some respite this summer as Covid19 has put the brakes on the flow of international anglers into New Zealand, but once those restrictions relax, the challenge can be to find a river that hasn't some one else on it – ahead of you.

40 years ago there was no problem. New Zealand operated on a five day working week with weekends closed up. Monday to Friday, rivers and streams only saw the occasional angler, trout were undisturbed and fed freely. Then about 1984 – ironically, the title of George Orwell's prophetic famous novel – the Lange Labour government came to power with Roger Douglas at the financial helm. Suddenly the free market was in. Gone was the Kiwi weekend and working week. Money had become God and with it came four wheel drive vehicles, opening up places that previously most anglers had to tramp to.

Not surprisingly, fishing guides prospered and with them, competition for water between guides with clients and local recreational anglers. On the Travers River, for instance, a guide promised us he'd walk up to a tributary stream an hour upstream before his client fished. We had a cuppa at the Coldwater Hut at the river mouth before starting and then, couldn't make out why the fish were so spooky. The guide never kept his promise. We saw fresh boot marks and then ahead, well before the tributary he had promised to start at, we saw the guide and guest fly fisher. Well "when in Rome do as the Romans do" goes the saying. We slipped back out of sight and skirted across the grassy flats and did a big arc, unseen, to come out 500 metres ahead of him.

Issue 175 ~ Summer 2020/2021 37

Mackenzie Country. Two of us, Nubs being the other, were taken by D to a back country stream. D warned us there was one stream crossing in a gorgy piece which was deep.

"It's a steep drop down and the first crossing is a bit deep but once you get through you're right."

A "bit deep" was an understatement for a chap who is 20 cms shorter than D. At the

head of the pool there was a chest-deep crossing; that is, for D.

"This deters other anglers," he grinned.He crossed first. Almost two metres in

height, he was immersed to his lower chest. When I went, the shortest of the trio, the water rose almost to my neck as I put my pack on my head. D laughed as he cruelly took a photo.


Hook into the issues that matter by going to the NZ Federation of Freshwater Anglers' Website www.nzffa.org.nz and Facebook

And cast into the Council of Outdoor Recreation Associations of NZ (CORANZ): www.coranz.org.nz

"Never smile at a crocodile," I spluttered recalling an old pop song.But that extra effort was worth it – spectacular scenery, no boot prints in the shingle and

some excellent rainbow trout, the biggest about 2 kgs.

Today you can't always find a stream like that and wherever you go, the chances are you will have to compete with other anglers. The Upper Wairau, for

instance, a wilderness river, has remarkably easy access with the Rainbow Station to Hanmer, 4 WD road running along almost all of it. One lodge has a ludicrous number of about a dozen guides operating. Consequently the trout get assailed constantly by anglers, local and guided ones, up the banks. And they become so spooky!

Over a period of time, however, they'll instinctively adapt. That was driven home to me when I took a friend up there, who cast an unbelievably impeccable line. His presentation was flawless. I offered to "guide" him, spotting and taking photos. I spotted eight good, hefty trout up to 4 kgs in weight and John put a range of nymphs to them with exquisite casting. A pattern emerged in the trouts' behaviour. First cast, sometimes second, and as the nymph came by, they looked edgy. Next cast, the trout would "stiffen" and on a subsequent cast, just slide off disdainfully into deeper water. If anyone was going to catch a trout, it was John such was his skill. But it was not to be.

One obvious solution is to get to water that doesn't get so much pressure. Try to pick a reach on the opposite bank from the usual access – in the Wairau's case, the road. That may involve an awkward crossing. If any part of a river is awkward to get to, it's odds on you find much less disturbed trout there.

A friend fishing another "pressured" wilderness water found the trout too spooky. So he walked downstream away from the road and crossed over to the other bank, a jumble of boulders and overhanging scrub. By dint of short side casts he fished up that awkward bank, taking and releasing four lovely browns. I did similar on the Wangapeka River one morning.

Another point I've noticed is that trout will adapt to angling pressure. They instinctively change their time of feeding to avoid constant disturbance. I discovered that if angler traffic was heavy day in and day out, early evening was likely to be best. The guides and their clients had departed to sip on a gin and tonic or two or three before dinner. I don't care for gin and tonic anyhow. Nor do trout. I stayed and had some delightful fishing for actively feeding trout.

Upper Wairau - trout adapt to heavy, continuous pressure

Issue 175 ~ Summer 2020/2021 39

Issue 175 ~ Summer 2020/2021 41

Nick Moody profiles the closest high country lake to Christchurch, an excellent place for beginner anglers

Lake LyndonFIRST DAY OF SUMMERThe lake water shimmers, and becomes a mirror. The white wings of your Bluebottle Humpy stand out brightly, as you watch it bobbing, trying to keep the line straight. The clarity of the water is matched by the clarity of the air. You are very present, focused on that fly – and as the minutes slip away, so do your troubles.

When you’re paying attention to the fly, you aren’t paying attention to your problems, and you may find that some of them are resolved after a day’s fishing. You weren’t thinking about them, but your unconscious mind was still processing them in the background.

Suddenly you see a good fish chomp down your fly. But it is swimming straight towards you! You pause for the fish to turn down, and suddenly find your fly-line has caught around a tag on your waist pack! Striking, you hook the fish firmly, and it rolls around on the surface as you tug desperately to free the fly-line before the fish can run. You’re pulling the fish towards you, and the fish is wallowing in the opposite direction. Next minute, the fly pulls free. Disappointed, you strip it in, only to discover that the hook bend has straightened open! That shouldn’t happen, especially on a #12 hook, and a 2 pound trout. But this is Lake Lyndon, where the rainbows are fuelled by cold, oxygen-rich water.

My father first took me fishing here as lad, and it is one of his, and now my favourite little lakes. We know that getting a take can be the easy part, and that these fight hard and escape more often than you’d expect. So I tie on a fresh Bluebottle Humpy and cast out again, hoping to land the next fish. But what kind of fish?

THE FISH – EELS AND TROUTThe rainbows are beautiful. Small and fat, with perfect fins. In summer they are silver and pink. In Autumn they turn a rich green colour, with a myriad of spots which extend right down onto their tails. They are also free-rising.

There are no brown trout and no eels. Before global warming the water levels were higher and Lake Lyndon used to drain at its southern end into the Acheron River, which flows to the Rakaia River. And yet even then there were no eels in the lake, so there must be a formidable natural barrier to their upstream migration.

There are a handful of intermittent streams entering the lake, but the rainbows mostly spawn along the lake edge. However the success of natural lake edge spawning is affected by weather conditions. Strong Nor-West winds during the breeding season can create powerful waves which crash on the shore. This wave action in the shallows adversely disturbs the ova and alevins living in their gravel protected redds and can result in low recruitment.

So each year the population is topped up with 1500 juvenile rainbows. These one-year-old fish come from the Montrose hatchery on the Rakaia River. So although the eels cannot travel from the Rakaia River to the lake, some lucky rainbows can, thanks to North Canterbury F&G.

Eels eat young trout, so normally they keep the numbers of trout in a lake in check. As there are no eels in Lyndon more juveniles can reach adulthood. Sounds good, right? But, with many mouths to feed, each trout gets less, so they can’t grow as big as they do in the other lakes in the area. However the lake maintains an abundant population of nice small rainbows, generally only a pound or two, which are quite catchable.

Thus it is popular with beginner and junior anglers, of which there can never be too many, and the fellow anglers they’ll meet here are usually friendly and happy to help. It’s a place that you can take the whole family, and there’s good facilities like picnic tables, a modern public toilet, and sometimes even a coffee cart.

There are a handful of intermittent streams entering the lake, but the rainbows mostly spawn in the lake. Until this season the population was topped up with 1500 juvenile rainbows each year. These one-year-old fish came from the Montrose hatchery on the Rakaia River. So although the eels cannot travel from the Rakaia River to the lake, some lucky rainbows could, thanks to North Canterbury Fish and Game. There has just been a change in the management of the lake, however, and stocking has been stopped in Lyndon and all the other


North Canterbury high country lakes. This may mean less fish in this lake, which could result in bigger fish. Time will tell!

But this is not being left to chance. North Canterbury Fish and Game is undertaking investigations on Lyndon and other lake fisheries to better understand their wild trout population age structures, growth rates, diet and spawning. This will help them understand how the trout population responds to this new management. This means Lyndon will once again become a completely wild trout fishery.

HISTORY, GEOGRAPHY AND WEATHERLyndon is the closest high country lake to Christchurch City. It rests in an open valley at the top of Porters Pass, at a respectable altitude of 843 meters, surrounded and protected by the Korowai/Torlesse Tussocklands Park. The lake is in open tussock country, with matagouri bushes and a couple of stands of beech forest on the far side.

The Maori name for the lake is Te Hāpua waikawa. Hāpua means lagoon, and it was an important mahinga kai, or food gathering place for the Ngāi tahu tribe, who travelled up from the Christchurch area to fish and hunt in the lake. In those times it took days to walk up to the lake, however today fishermen can make the journey from Christchurch in just over an hour on Highway 73. You can turn off the highway, and onto a gravel road that runs along the eastern side of the lake and provides excellent fishing access.

With rich weed beds, shallow sloping bays and steep rocky shores Lake Lyndon has all the elements of a classic trout fishing lake, but in miniature. This small size gives the lake a certain friendliness and approachability. However as it is lying at the point where three valleys join, the wind can come from all directions. This means that a warm jacket and hat are almost always needed. The predominant wind is a Nor-wester, which is a backwind at the highway end of the lake.

THE WEED BEDSThere are weed beds around most of the lake which begin about 20-40 feet out from the shore. Here the fish predominantly feed on snails, cased caddis and bullies. As the season progresses the fishing improves through a positive cycle. Weed grows, bugs breed, and fish feed. The fish become ever easier to catch. However, this process is self-regulating, and you can have too much of a good thing.

By mid-Summer the weed reaches the surface and forms a protective green ring around the lake just off-shore. It’s very hard to fish in or over this wall of floating plants without getting hooked up. It is a natural corral. The hungry fish are protected on the inside of the corral, and the hungry anglers kept out!

Lyndon is not generally a sight fishing lake, but in these conditions you can spot fish patrolling the edges of the weed beds with their fins right out of the water. There is just time for a quick shot before they disappear again.

THREE FLIES AND HOW TO FISH THEMYou only need three flies. A #14 Blowfly Humpy dry fly, a #12 Green Nymph, and some sort of a streamer for fishing at dusk, like a Muddler Minnow or Hamills Killer. Sure, you could catch the fish on any number of other patterns, like dragon-fly or damsel nymphs, snail and midge pupae patterns, green manuka beetle drys in the Summer, and trout egg patterns in the spring. But, the trout don’t really mind. They just love dark dry flies and fast moving wet flies.

I fish the dry when they’ll rise, the nymph when they won’t, and the streamer when it’s getting too dark to do either. They’re all fun in their own way.

DRY FLYMy favourite method is to cast out a bushy dry fly and watch it bouncing on the surface. When the fish are on, you don’t have to wait for long. Generally the first or second cast will do it. If they don’t bite soon, it may be better to move on to the next spot.

Even though there are no cattle or sheep here, there are still some blow-flies around, and the trout will take a large Bluebottle Humpy dry fly with gusto. With its shiny blue abdomen below and white wings above this pattern is easy for both the fish and the fisherman to see. However, the heavy hackle can reduce your hook-up rate on these small mouthed fish. So I will often trim the hackle away from in front of the hook point to improve my success rate.

NYMPHI am not the family expert at the wet-fly fishing on the lake, but my father is. A slow sinking line, and a #10 scruffy Green Nymph seems to be the answer. He casts out as far as he can,

Issue 175 ~ Summer 2020/2021 43

Deadly flies from The Fisherman's Loft

The lake, from the summit of Trig M

Great flats at the highway end


counts down to twenty, and then strips the fly back with twitches and pauses. Dad will often out fish me in the mornings, when the fish are looking down, and then I will catch up around mid-day, when the fish are looking up for terrestrials. It takes a sinking line to get the nymphs down, but I need a floating line to fish the dries, so lately I’ve taken to carrying two rods as part of the friendly competition.

STREAMERAt dusk the trout come into shallow water to feed on cock-y-bullies and dragon-fly nymphs. Regular feathered lures like the Hamills Killer catch fish, but also catch the bottom. Muddler Minnows have buoyant deer-hair heads which mean they sink very slowly, staying above the weed and rocks. In a size 8 they can be deadly. We retrieve them slowly, almost waking and bulging in the surface film, until a trout intercepts the muddler, sometimes with just a gentle pluck, other times with a hard, tippet-snapping hit.

WINTER FISHINGThe lake is now open year round. In winter snow frequently falls to the water’s edge. Parts of the lake freeze over and people ice skate on the adjoining ‘Little Lake Lyndon’. The days are shorter, and once the sun goes behind the hills it gets very cold. On the plus side, the lake is likely to be quiet and free of the strong winds and speed boats of summer.

The fish will generally be feeding on snails with their noses down in the weed beds. But even in these conditions they can still be caught by the patient angler using egg patterns, nymphs and streamers. The best fishing will be during mid-afternoon when the aquatic insects start moving. Happily this is also the most pleasant time of day for the fisherman.

Issue 175 ~ Summer 2020/2021 45

FIRST DAY OF SUMMER CONTINUED…I had been fishing a Green Nymph for some time without success. As the sun dipped below Mt Lyndon, the air cooled and long shadows enveloped the land. I cast out to the weed beds, let the fly sink, and then began to wind it in quickly to leave. Bam! A feisty rainbow hit. It was a beautifully coloured fish of 17 inches. I smiled. Lake Lyndon had delivered again.

Nick works in river conservation in Christchurch and fly-fishes both fresh and salt water.

Connect with him on Facebook or email him at [email protected] .

TACKLELyndon’s the kind of water where you would want a 3 weight for the size of the fish, but a 7 weight to deal with the wind! A lovely light #6 Sage with a progressive action, paired with a Rio floating line is my usual solution, with a second rod rigged up with a slow sinking line as a Plan B.

MAXIMISING THE EXPERIENCE . . .In recent years Lyndon has become popular with speed boats and jet skis, and although the trout are used to them and feed on regardless, they can really put a damper on the fishing experience. The whole lake is classified a ‘speed uplifted zone’. This means that the usual safety and erosion control rule, that you can’t exceed five knots within 200 metres of the shore, does not apply and people can drive fast all over the lake. For this reason I tend to avoid the lake in December and January as these are peak boat traffic months. However, I’ll still go if there is a cold rainy southerly weather pattern passing over Christchurch. These are not great conditions for watersports; so it’s great weather for the angler seeking silence. These can be calm days in the mountains. Soft grey clouds roll in to obscure the landscape, and peace and quiet returns to the lake.


Website: www.mikeweddellflyfishing.co.nz Email: [email protected]

Asking The Right QuestionsSouthern Waters with Mike Weddell

When fly fishing, the burning question is “what fly should I tie on?” Experienced fishers ask themselves that question, while those who are less experienced ask someone else they think knows

more than they do. If there is no one else to ask they probably guess, or use a fly that caught fish the last time they fished that particular water.

It is a good start to ask that question but there are other questions that are just as important. One is, how should I fish that fly and another, where should I fish it. It is possible to fish the “right” fly for the day but not catch fish on it as it may be fished the wrong way or in the wrong place, or both. If no fish are being caught the nagging doubt creeps in, that the wrong fly has been chosen. Then the whole process starts again with a newly selected fly.

The choices of right fly, right method and right place was illustrated in the first week of the season when I fished Mathias’ Dam on the Maniototo Plain. I started with two flies, a longshank #10 Olive Damselfly Nymph on the point with a #14 Water Boatman on a dropper about 70cm above it. My leader was about 4 metres long tapering to 2.5kg breaking strain. I have fished this dam many times over the years and these patterns have accounted for a lot of fish. Damsel nymphs and water boatmen are present throughout the year so there would br a good chance that trout were feeding on them. Fly selection sorted.

The how was dependent on the where on this occasion. There are both browns and rainbows in the dam but the different species favour different areas of the water. The rainbows like deeper water; browns can be caught in deep water too but often prefer shallower areas. On this particular occasion I was targeting a deeper area whereas my fishing mate for the day, Trevor, was fishing close by but in much shallower water. Where I was fishing the deeper water was well out, where the old creek used to flow before the dam was built. There were no fish rising; in fact we saw no rises at all for the day.

This lack of surface activity was a good clue as to how to fish. I usually start off with a cast that will reach the desired area, let the flies sink a little, then start a slowish retrieve. At this time of year the water is cold, which means both trout and the creatures they fed on are sluggish; hence the slow retrieve. There were no takes in the first ten minutes or so. I then gave the flies a bit longer to sink, gradually waiting longer and longer until I started to pick up weed. Then I knew I was close to the lake bed, so reducing the sink time a little meant I could fish close to the bottom without hooking weed. The slow rate of retrieve is maintained, as speeding up would cause the fly to be pulled up in the water. I then settled in to covering the water at that depth. To add interest, I cover an arc of about 45 degrees although theoretically it should not make much difference as the trout will be moving about as they feed. I plugged away, hooked three rainbows in about half an hour and then had lunch. After lunch I hooked another four. Out of the seven hook ups all were rainbows and I landed four of them. Meanwhile Trevor hooked four and they were all browns.

Asking the right questions at the start of the day increases the chance of catching fish.

Issue 175 ~ Summer 2020/2021 47


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Trouting VignettesBy Garrett Evans

It's the pleasant moments that count, those small pictures, or vignettes, one recalls most vividly.

When it rains and Moley, my bird dog and I listen to it on the bach roof, I often think of a little house I’ve always wanted in Warren County, Virginia, on Jeremy's, or Jeremiah's Run. The mountain stream there is full of Brook Trout and always holds its level and clarity in that beautiful area of the world, a world of Humming Birds, Ruffed Grouse, Wild Turkeys and Black Bear.

After a month or so I'd usually return to Cumbre House in Devon to work on my Byron thesis and fish the Teign, Dart or Exe. Cumbre was a research hall and the big leaden windows opened in the evenings to fill the place with the scent of flowers. There I would work over Byron's verse with my small black Devon barn cat, Choosey, lying there among my books and papers.

There were a lot of Sea Trout, locally called Peal, in those rivers and lots of Brown Trout up to about a pound. My Morgan +4 was usually there, dappled by the sun coming down through the trees. One afternoon I used a landing net to swat flies and those hit would float downstream to be taken by trout. The dry Pheasant Tail seemed the best artificial fly just then.

Here, so many years later, I recall watching a Song Thrush bathing in the shallows of the Taieri at the end of a pebble bar where, if a Hare's Ear were cast downstream in the rapids, a plump trout was often put in the bag. One day I had a fine 7-pound Brown; it's as well I was using my 8' Hardy's Perfection, rather than my usual little 6' 3” Midge.

I worry about the excess of cattle along the stream; this was always a country for sheep and it would be better if it were again.

And so Terrence Sterling, Mel Hollis and I, hobble along like the old buffers in those fine cheese ads recalling halcyon days.

I'm so grateful to the Old Man, my father, not only for my constant education which resulted in my becoming a Professor of English and Dean of Arts but, perhaps more importantly, for putting me onto shooting and fishing which have provided me with the fondest moments of a long, largely idyllic, outdoors life.

Issue 175 ~ Summer 2020/2021 49

ACCOMMODATIONKAKAHI ADVENTURE LODGEDrive just 2k to the Whakapapa and Whanganui rivers. Excellent base for world class fishing! 1970's style comfortable, spacious, private 3 bedroom house with a man cave, in the sleepy village of Kakahi. Step back in time, leave your devices behind and simply enjoy fishing bliss. Always a happy fisherman, and the local store sells fishing supplies, beer, and chocolate!Find us on Facebook, read our reviews and see our photos of great, drive to fishing spots. Contact Maxine 0278781813 or email [email protected]

WILDERNESS FISHING CABINThe only river-side cabin on the remote head-waters of the Whanganui River, Central North Island. Rustic built accommodation with all amenities. Main cabin plus double sleep-out with ensuite. 4 x 4 access only (provided self drive Suzuki jeeps) Self guided or guide available on request.Contact: Danny Hemopo Ph: (07) 896 6884, email: [email protected] Web: www.gobush.co.nz

RUAKITURI RIVER, WAIROA, 'THE HUT'Anglers accommodation on the river bank. Hard fighting Rainbow and Brown Trout. Sleeps 4 comfortably. Easy car access. Guide available. Contact: Davis Canning 4 Kentia Place Havelock North 4135 Ph/Fax 06 877 1696; Email: [email protected]

RANGITIKEI TARATA FISHAWAY ACCOMMO�DATION & GUIDED OR UNGUIDED FISHINGSituated in the remote Mokai Valley where the picturesque Rangitikei River meets the rugged Ruahines. Unique trout fishing right at our doorstep. River Retreat, Spa Bath, Rafting, Spotlight Safaris, Clay Bird Shooting.Your hosts: Trudi & Stephen Mattock. Ph: (06) 388 0354; Fax: (06) 3880954. Email: [email protected]; Web Site: www.tarata.co.nz

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