ON THE FLY DOWN UNDER FISHING IN NEW ZEALAND CAN BE A REAL ADVENTURE.Byline: Bill Becher Special to the Daily News NEW ZEALAND New Zealand (zē`lənd), island country (2005 est. pop. 4,035,000), 104,454 sq mi (270,534 sq km), in the S Pacific Ocean, over 1,000 mi (1,600 km) SE of Australia. The capital is Wellington; the largest city and leading port is Auckland. - It was the best of fishing; it was the worst of fishing. I looked forward to the trip to New Zealand, reputed to be the finest fly- fishing spot on earth. But it's different there, and the key to enjoying fly-fishing in New Zealand is, as guide Dean Bell says, ``to manage your expectations.'' We rented a car in Auckland on the North Island and drove south, taking the ferry to the South Island. We saw farmland, glaciers, mountains and lots of sheep, beautiful beaches and coastline. Along the way were ads for fly-fishing, scuba diving scuba diving Swimming done underwater with a self-contained underwater-breathing apparatus (scuba), as opposed to skin diving, which requires only a snorkel, goggles, and flippers. Scuba gear was invented by Jacques-Yves Cousteau and Émile Gagnan in 1943. , bungee jumping bungee jumping Sport in which the jumper falls from a high place with a rubber (“bungee”) cord attached both to his or her feet and to the jump site, and, after a period of headfirst free fall, is bounced partway back when the cord rebounds from its maximum , mountaineering, tramping (backpacking), skiing, kayaking, white water rafting . . . virtually every outdoor activity of which I've heard. We met fishing guide Pete Fordham at Carric, a delightful bed and breakfast in the Lake Taupo Lake Taupo is a lake situated in the North Island of New Zealand. It has a perimeter of approximately 193 kilometres, a deepest point of 186 metres and a surface area of 616 square kilometres. area where we were treated to rack of lamb Noun 1. rack of lamb - a roast of the rib section of lamb crown roast rack - rib section of a forequarter of veal or pork or especially lamb or mutton lamb roast, roast lamb - a cut of lamb suitable for roasting on the barbie. Lake Taupo harbors large trout, and there are many tributaries that fish well. Because we were after wild fish that spooked easily, we were instructed to wear drab clothing and no shiny objects that could flash. I had actually dyed my fly line a dull brown - or you can purchase a dark green stealth line. We headed toward Hawke's Bay
The next day we were due to hike in and fish a creek where our guide knew of a big brown trout brown trout Prized and wary European game fish (Salmo trutta, family Salmonidae) that is favoured for food. The species includes several varieties (e.g., the Loch Leven trout of Britain). The brown trout is recognized by the light-ringed black spots on its brown body. that lived in a pool below a waterfall. We spent 3 1/2 hours crashing through the semi-rain forest brush following a small creek. In the U.S., fishing guides tend to stand at your elbow. In New Zealand, they often walk ahead and spot fish. You then have to sneak up Verb 1. sneak up - advance stealthily or unnoticed; "Age creeps up on you" creep up advance, march on, move on, progress, pass on, go on - move forward, also in the metaphorical sense; "Time marches on" on the nervous wild fish the guide has found for you. Our guide spotted three fish - I managed to nick a small one, but that was it. Skunked. We spent some time at the pool at the bottom of the waterfall trying to catch the 10-pound brown trout clearly visible cruising his pool. Double hauling directly into the wind created by the fall was a reminder that I needed more casting practice. Fishing in New Zealand will definitely expose any defects in your technique. When we got back to the car we found that it had been broken into. The stereo was wrecked and the gear I'd left was gone. Apparently this is a common occurrence on the North Island near Taupo. Our guide's car had been broken into five times in five years; others at the tackle shop where we went to replace the stolen items had similar stories. One local had gone as far as to weld ammo boxes to the bed of his truck. We drove south to the Lake Brunner Lake Brunner is the largest lake in the northwestern South Island of New Zealand, covering an area of 40 km². The lake's outflow is the Arnold River, a tributary of the Grey River. The lake lies 31 kilometres to the southeast of Greymouth. Lodge where the fishing guides were all booked, which was probably a good thing as fishing was tough. The guided guests were averaging a quarter of a fish each per day. Despite this, one guest was on his 20th trip to New Zealand. Even though he lived in Montana - a great fishing territory - he preferred to hunt the big New Zealand trout. We tried the Grey River and the Crooked River Crooked River may refer to In New Zealand:
We had booked with guide Dean Bell for two days. When we met up with him, he suggested a helicopter fishing day because the weather was good, but was forecast to get rainy and blustery blus·ter v. blus·tered, blus·ter·ing, blus·ters v.intr. 1. To blow in loud, violent gusts, as the wind during a storm. 2. a. To speak in a loudly arrogant or bullying manner. the next day. I decided it was time to spend the money and give this a try. After a fairly long drive to the famous Milford Track The Milford Track is New Zealand's most famous tramping route and is one of the most famous walking tracks in the world. It is located in stunning scenery amidst mountains and temperate rain forest in Fiordland National Park in the southwest of the South Island. , we hopped aboard a helicopter, which took us into a beautiful valley. Large brown trout lurked in the runs and pools. I managed to spook the first few in a glassy smooth run. Fortunately, the water farther up was more riffled, and the fish less nervous. Our guide was walking ahead, fish spotting, while my wife and I tried not to get eaten by the sand flies. Bell pointed out a nice brown; I managed to cast a dry into his lane, and was rewarded with a take. If you are used to fishing where trout are seven or eight inches long, and a 12-inch fish is a good one, New Zealand will definitely surprise you. I lifted my rod and suddenly was attached to a living thing that ran and pulled and leapt in its efforts to escape. Our guide netted and weighed the fish - it was more than five pounds. We admired and photographed it and then released the trout. We carried a five-weight rod rigged for dry flies, and a six-weight set-up with indicator and heavily weighted nymph nymph, in Greek mythology nymph (nĭmf), in Greek mythology, female divinity associated with various natural objects. It is uncertain whether they were immortal or merely long-lived. There was an infinite variety of nymphs. . If the fish didn't take the dry after a decent presentation, we tried the nymph. I managed to land six browns out of eight or nine takes that day, all big fish in the five- to six-pound range, larger than anything I'd caught at home. All too soon (but not for my wife who was a tasty morsel mor·sel n. 1. A small piece of food. 2. A tasty delicacy; a tidbit. 3. A small amount; a piece: a morsel of gossip. 4. for the hard-bitting sand flies) the helicopter came to pick us up. Bell says the average catch rates per day for his clients peak at nine fish in November and drop to a low of three in February before climbing a bit toward the end of the season. (The antipodal an·tip·o·dal adj. 1. Of, relating to, or situated on the opposite side or sides of the earth: Australia and Great Britain occupy antipodal regions. 2. Diametrically opposed; exactly opposite. New Zealand fishing season runs from November to April, with November being the spring opener.) These numbers would panic a trout guide in the States, but the total weight of fish caught in New Zealand would be hard to beat anywhere. New Zealand is a tough place to fish on your own. The guides have an amazing ability to spot fish. About half the time I was able to see the fish, the other times it was a ``cast three feet to the right of the yellow stone.'' If two people are fishing, you need to take turns, as all presentations were upstream to avoid spooking fish. While it is possible to blind-fish the water, the classic fly-fishing adventure in New Zealand is to helicopter or hike into a remote area and wade quietly in clear green streams as your guide looks for fish. When one is spotted, you may only have one cast at it before it spooks. Matching the hatch with tiny flies that are exacting imitations of what trout are eating at the moment is not an issue in New Zealand. Stealth and patience (and good theft insurance) is what it takes. If you go with reasonable expectations, enjoy hunting for trout instead of just fishing for them, are a decent caster, are reasonably fit and have the time to hike into a remote, less pressured areas, can hire helicopters, and bring lots of bug repellent, this is trout-fishing heaven. IF YOU GO North Island Guide Peter Fordham P.O. Box 954, Taupo, New Zealand 2730 Fax 64-7-378-8494; Telephone: 64-7-378-8454 Email: pfordham@reap.org.nz Web site: http://www.reap.org.nz/[broken (vertical) bar]pfordham/ South Island Guide Dean Bell P.O. Box 198 Te Anau Fiordland, New Zealand Telephone: 64-3-249-8330 Email: deanbell@xtra.co.nz Web site: http://www.masterguides.co.nz Guidebooks We liked the Lonely Planet guide to New Zealand. Also the Friar's Guide to Nez Zealand Accommodations, which lists many nice bed and breakfasts and lodges. Available in NZ in printed form or on the Web at http://www.friars.co.nz/ The most comprehensive guides we found for fishing were the North and South Island Trout Fishing Guide(s) by John Kent. Gear Pete Fordham has a good Web page on what to bring at his site. Gortex waders, drab clothing, five-and six-weight floating and sink tip lines in stealthy stealth·y adj. stealth·i·er, stealth·i·est Marked by or acting with quiet, caution, and secrecy intended to avoid notice. See Synonyms at secret. colors, wading boots are the basics. A daypack day·pack n. A rather small, lightweight backpack for carrying articles such as books. to carry extra clothing against the changeable weather is a good idea. If you want to fish like a Kiwi, bring your boots and a pair of long polypro underwear and wet wade. Bring lots of insect repellent insect repellent, substance applied to the skin in order to provide protection against biting insects, primarily mosquitoes, ticks, chiggers, fleas, and certain flies. if you plan to fish on the West Coast, especially the southern part, because the sand flies are a plague. Don't leave anything visible in your car when you pack, lock it in the boot. On the North Island, especially around Lake Taupo, don't leave anything in the car. CAPTION(S): 3 photos, box Photo: (1 -- color) New Zealand has the reputation of offering some of the finest fly-fishing anywhere. (2 -- color) Helicopters are one way fly-fishermen can get to the remote spots. (3) A New Zealand guide shows off a trout. Bill Becher/Special to the Daily News Box: IF YOU GO (See text) |
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