New Zealand fly fishing

Simon and Brian came over from Adelaide to the Fielddays - a big agricultural fair held each year in Hamilton, 2 hours north of Taupo. Since they were in the neighborhood, they decided to come on down to Taupo for 3 days of fly fishing.

Simon had fly-fished once previously, Brian never. The first day was a bit hard. Heavy rains the night prior had brought the river levels up, which certainly brings the trout into the rivers from the lake, but typically the fishing fires up a few days later. Net result (haha) was 1 fish for the day. That evening, we headed into town for dinner at Plateau Restaurant. They were serving wild venison, which all three of us ordered and enjoyed immensely. From there it was off to a bar to watch the All Blacks (NZ's national rugby team) take on France, and shame of all shames, we lost. Had fun at the bar though, and enjoyed some great live music following the game.. Day 2, it was back to the same river. Water had started to drop but still pretty high with strong flow. Morning was tough, but afternoon produced 3 fish. I decided to fix dinner that night: Lamb and chicken burritos - not what you'd expect in NZ, but then I spent 19 years in Texas. Day 3 was the real winner. The rivers had dropped further, Brian and Simon fished from about 9am until 1:30 and hooked a total of 9 fish, 6 landed. Until this point, Brian had been reticent about doing any more fly fishing, but at the end of this wonderful day he admitted, "I'm hooked."

Ask anyone who has fished in New Zealand how they got out into our pristine wilderness rivers and they will probably say "by helicopter." Helicopters are indeed a great way to access the wilderness, but obviously they come at a price which may very well be in the $NZ1500 - $2000 range.

So how do you get into the wilderness without spending this kind of money? There are three options:

1. Raft fishing. This is a fabulous option and is especially good for anyone who has mobility issues. The raft is used to transport you down the river from one fishing spot to the next. Generally you do not fish from the raft, you pull ashore, get out, and fish from the river bank or wade. Your guide does all the work as far as the raft goes, so you get to conserve all your energy for catching fish. You can go for a day trip, or better yet, do an overnight trip and camp out on the river bank. You will get into some water that is inaccessible to anyone on foot and therefore receives far less fishing pressure. Not to mention the scenery you'll experience along the way. Take a look at http://www.fishinginnewzealand.com/raft_fishing.htm
2. Find a private property through which a wilderness river flows, and which can be accessed by four-wheel drive. Here's an example: http://www.fishinginnewzealand.com/wilderness_fishing_trip.htm This 3000 acre property is owned by a Maori family (Maori are New Zealand's indigenous people) and the fishing and hunting on the property are guided by brothers Danny and Kelvin. You drive to the front gate, and from there hop in a short wheel base jeep for a one hour journey through spectacular bush terrain to arrive at the river cabins. You will feel like you've left the real world behind and entered a slice of paradise you never knew existed. Danny will take care of all the cooking, and will also take you horseback riding if you want, as well as hunting for those who choose (there are heaps of wild goats on the property). Kelvin is your fishing guide, and from the cabins you have wading access to about 4 miles of water which rarely sees other anglers. The river has a good mix of browns and rainbows, typically in the 2-4lb range but with the occasional 5-6 pounder.
3. Hike in. New Zealand's Department of Conservation (http://www.doc.govt.nz/explore/003~huts-cabins-and-campsites/index.asp) manages back-country huts all over the wilderness. If you're up for a few hours of hiking and don't mind multiple river crossings, you can hike into one of these huts and use it as a base for your fishing adventure. You will want to go in with a guide who has intimate knowledge of the area, and who will take care of cooking your meals as well as getting you onto the fish. The cabins are spartan - they have bunk beds, a fireplace, a few pots and pans and generally a long-drop outdoor toilet. But believe me, if you've got the time and the mobility, there is no better way to enjoy wilderness fishing.

 

Went fishing this past week on the Tauranga Taupo river in the Taupo fishery, which happens to offer year-round fishing. Have been on the river quite a lot over the past 2 months but there just haven't been a lot of fish in the river. Until now. At last it is starting to fire. Lots more visible fish, and between myself and my buddie, we had 10 hookups in a few hours, landing some nice fresh rainbows in the 3-5lb range. In another month, things will be really cooking. Can't wait to get back there. Fishing with a nymph rig - weighted nymph and small dropper using a 6 weight rod - pretty standard for this river. The Tongariro, just down the road from the Tauranga Taupo is a bigger river and requires a heavier rig as a rule - I generally take an 8 weight over the winter if I'm going to the Tongariro.

Had some guests here from Florida recently who have fished all over the US, and they said that winter fishing in New Zealand is warmer than summer fishing in Montana. So ... for what that's worth.