In the South Island we live in a very privileged location from the view point of flyfishng opportunities. Centrally located in the South Island, the remainder of the island offers an unsurprised range of flyfishng options. I would argue that no other place in the world has as many clear flowing streams and rivers in such a small space as the South Island. With numerous rivers and lakes with clean water we have some of the best trout fishing in the world. Both brown and rainbow trout where introduced here in the 19th centaury, and now the brown trout thrives, from the Heathcote River to the remotest high country river. Brown trout are an esteemed sportfish and when they go out into the sea to feed they can reach impressive sizes. Rainbow trout spice up the equation being found more in clear mountain streams.
Fly fishing, the ideal excuse to travel to some of the most scenic parts of our high country.
As a guide I have been privileged to see just what a special feature our trout fishery is, as seen through the eyes of visitors, and being increasingly ignored by local anglers. In the last year I have taken people from as far a field as Alaska, Norway, Japan , England, California and increasingly more and more visitors from across the ditch. So why not give it a go, people are flocking from around the world to fish here. Fortunately the waters in most areas are still not to crowded and it is easy to “disappear into the landscape“.
While many of our North Canterbury high country rivers offer challenging fishing, best suited to the experienced angler, there are many other rivers that are within a weekends travel of Christchurch that offer high numbers of trout which can be caught. Twizel is one base much favoured, bright sunlight and clear water here allows the trout rapid growth with the Tekapo River having literally hundreds of trout in it per kilometre. The arena of snow-capped mountains, in the Mackenzie Basin, gives the feeling of spaciousness, hard to describe. Once you start fly-fishing you become one, in a mediative way, with the landscape.
Recommended rivers for the beginner, location location, locatiion-
When starting out flyfishng ,blind fishing, ideally in a river with high numbers of trout is the best approach. Look for riffles where the waters’ surface is broken ,and trout feed. Use a floating indicator with a nymph attached. Blind fishing (when you simply cast your fly up the river without being able to see the trout) with indicators is ideal for the beginner, but you must choose a river that has a high trout population, some key rivers are the Clarence, Maruia, Arnold, Hurunui, Opihi, Twizel and Matuara. Lakes Brunner and Benmore are also good lakes for the beginner with their high trout populations offering the confidence boost and thrill of that first catch.
Eye to eye with giants
Clear water is favoured as it allows the angler an opportunity to sight fish to individual trout, undoubtedly one of the most exciting forms, and informative ways of fly fishing. With polarised glasses you peer into the water, another realm, a liquid , often gin clear world. The trout sits , or rhythmically sways , from side to side, head first into the current, on the look out for the tiniest of insects drifting down the river. For this reason the trout can see a high proportion of food in the river, and allows then to grow to considerable size compared to other countries. Indeed what we New Zealander consider commonplace- a trout anywhere from two to four pounds, which is a trophy sized fish in most other parts of the world.
For that reason, combined with the wilderness experience that is still readily available in our high country, anglers come here from all over the world on trips that are for many nothing less than a trip taken with the fever of a religious pilgrimage. For the new comer, or inexperienced angler I would recommended a day’s guided sight fishing to appreciate this part of the sport, it is only a small part, but sight fishing is a pinnacle experience. It turns fly-fishing from being more than mere fishing but into an active form of hunting.
Fly-casting
The art of fly casting is one, which like a golf swing, really needs to be taught, as it is not an intuitive thing for many people. Once the fundamentals are set you will then be on the gradual road towards improvement which each fishing trip. A flick of the twist, and a pause on the back cast, are terms that any experienced teacher will repeat to the point that it becomes like a mantra. The cast is a work of art and you will know once you have acquired if as the fly line will shoot out of the fly rod with little effort. The weighted line is used to propel the flies through the air, as the flies themselves often have very little weight. Once a proper cast is made the sound is also distinctive as you write your “signature” in the sky.
Several people run fly casting schools in Canterbury, the best known instructors are Malcolm Bell and Chappie Chapman. September to October is a good time to flick your fly rod skyward. The whole experience of fly fishing is an uplifting experience, trout often inhabit the most scenic parts of the country, they need clean, clear water, which bring associated with gives us a primal sense of relaxation. Fly fishing teaches us virtues which are quickly becoming dismissed by the fast pace of our society. It teaches us the virtues of patience and acceptance. But it is not a passive sport, requiring ever present vigilance, and once you tune into sight fishing is an active process of locating trout, not like the classical image of standing still at the waters edge for hours on end- far from it.
Setting up for flyfishng
Fly-fishing is not an overly expensive pursuit. I recommend that if you are keen on picking it up then Canterbury is a great place to learn. Malcolm Bell’s , of the Complete Angler, fly fishing school is a good start. Many guides also will offer tuition with September and October often being quite months and good time to learn fly fishing with a couple of friends and a guide ( to keeps costs down). For about $800 you can kit up for flyfishng with the fly rod ( the wizards wand) being the most expense item. A decent , graphite fly rod, will cost about $400, although you can bend most tackle retails around this one, no pun intended), the reel, about $60, fly line $100, nylon for tippets, $20 and have a selection of lies (say about 20) a few will be sacrificed to the riverside vegetation and with luck chewed up by a trout !. Polarised sunglasses are recommended and cost about $50. The flies and nylon need constant replacing, but a fly line will last three or four years, the rod and reel will last a decade. So once you get over the initial cost of setting up, after a few years you will look back and see that flyfishng is a relatively inexpensive sport.
Once you have the gear I can highly recommend one of three fishing clubs in Christchurch which have a range of fly fisherman in them. Hiring a guide at the start of the fishing season, with a friend or two, is often a great investment to learn, on the water, some of the refinements of fly fishing. But learn these basics first by yourself and through some outings with a club member before hiring a guide, as that will pick up on the subtleties that only an experienced guide can show you, from that most valuable ingredient of all with fishing, “time on the water“, so that you will learn the subtleties that give you the edge. It is often narrow line between success and failure with fly fishing. A season’s fishing licence (Fish and Game) will cost you $90 a year, but remains very cheap compared to overseas.
The feminine advantage.
It is the delicate , and intimate (with the environment) nature of fly fishing that gives it some appeal to woman. Increasingly each year more and more woman, in proportion to men , are participating in flyfishng in North America, a trend that I am sure will occur in New Zealand. I have no doubt that woman have a slight edge of picking up fly-fishing, compared to their male counter parts, remember those virtues of patience and acceptance ? Woman also have a finesse that blends to the refined nature of fly fishing.
Returning back to nature
While you look in the water for trout, or for fish sitting on the river’s edge your eyes sharpen up to the slightest movements. Terns flying over the water are often hard to ignore with their frenetic movement and squawking calls. Pipits flitter along the rivers edge with the sun lining their silver wings as they pursue insects such as mayflies on the waters’ edge. When the birds are active it often signals an insect hatch in which the trout also participate. That sudden ring of water as a trout rises on the surface quickens the angler’s heart like no other sight. A delicately placed dry fly will often entice the trout, which will rise in slow motion, as if time itself has suddenly become suspended, and the angler must wait, for what seems like an eternity before lifting the rod to set the hook (known as striking).
Often after hooking the trout it will either jump skyward in an eruption of white water, or bolt in the shallows , sending of a “V’ of water as it races off to seek refuge. Quick relaxes are something that can only really be acquired with time and the “school of hard knocks“. Once you experience striking a rising fish in the high country, on a river, with no one else, except perhaps valued friend on the landscape, you have reached a pinnacle and the questions suddenly arises, can life get any better ?
Blending flyfishng with other outdoor activities.
It would certainly be a crime not to combine flyfishng with photography, tramping, kayaking, even mountain biking- it can easily be combined with a range of other outdoor activates. In some cases even with a helicopter or jet boat trip- forget the cliques of standing still at the waters edge with a tweed hat on while smoking a pipe ( although fortunately a few people are still around to keep this quintessential image alive and well).
End game
Forget the clique remarks that trout have a muddy taste ! Catch a well conditioned trout and it’s taste will rival that of the finest salmon. Trout are ideal for smoking, and when smoked with manuka wood, are a uniquely New Zealand statement that will leave your tastebuds tingling. Nowadays many people choose “catch and release” as the sport in catching the fish itself is reward enough.
Some final thoughts
Flyfishng is filled with improbabilities, but when it all comes together in that moment of revelation, it is like magic which we are privileged to have on our doorstep. With the new season about to arrive, why not give it a go ?. Cast your signature in the sky and keep the heritage alive. Fly fishing is basically a simple pursuit, but with the luxury and allowing you to make it as complex as you like !
