Beer Battered Fish Fillets

Before you start, drink one beer to check for quality. Good, isn’t it? Now go ahead.

Ingredients

1 case beer
1 cups flour
2 large eggs
1 onion
salt and pepper
fish
deep fryer
oil

Method

Get a shallow bowl, fork, salt, pepper, etc. Drink another beer. It must be just right. To be sure beer is of the highest quality, drink another beer as fast as you can. Repeat.

With fork, mix flour in a large fluffy bowl. Add 1 seaspoon of satl and imx again. Meanwhile, make sure that the beer is of the finest quality– drink another one. Add 2 arge leggs, 2 pinchers of epperp and mix till high. If yeg golk gets stuck in fork, just scrape it loose with a drewscriver. Drink another beer, checking for tonscisticity.

Next sift 3 cups of pepper or salt (it really doesn’t matter which). Drink antoher reeb. Sift 1/2. Fold in chopped oninions and one babblespoon of bree, or whatever liquid you can find if you don’t want to waste beer. Wix mell. Have another beeber.

Pour oil in turn and fry deep fater to higher. Dump ifsh into miexd tabber. Now dropped fillettettes into feep dat rfyer and kooc. Drink the rest of the beer, plug unfry ther and bo to ged.

The first time I saw this impressive distance roll casting was on the pre-flood Boulder Pool. While I was fishing with long overhead casts on the town side, one of the locals was roll casting from the steep boulder bank opposite me. Nothing unusual in that as dedicated shortline nymphers inhabit this spot on a regular basis. But this guy was different. He never lifted his line into a back cast the whole time I was there. From his perch on a big boulder he roll cast his gear into a good holding seam that was coming off protruding rocks further upstream.

From where I was I could see from the way the line lifted and the nymphs plopped into the fast current that at least one of his bombs was super heavy. Yet with his ‘new’ technique (I hasten to say that it was new to me) the heavy nymphs rose from the water and turned over at the end of the skilfully executed delivery roll. As if that was not enough, the distance the cast went out and up was truly amazing for a roll cast. I watched his performance to the point where I almost forgot to concentrate on my own fishing.

What was so different with this roll cast was that, prior to the big delivery roll, the angler always threw a smaller, horizontal loop onto the water surface. At first I thought this was some directional adjustment for a better angle but I soon realised that the water loop was an integral part of this advanced roll cast. Well, whatever the contributing factor of the little loop, it worked like magic. Like most anglers I am somewhat self conscious when it comes to trying out something new in front of a critical audience. Reluctantly I suppressed the urge to copy my model who repeatedly demonstrated his every move just metres away. I vowed to get into this in earnest in a more private setting but after a day or two of non-stop fishing forgot all about it.

A couple of months later we were fishing the Silly Pool and had just sat down for a well-earned cuppa when a new guy arrived via the hatchery track. His face looked familiar, like that of many people one has met over the years. We exchanged notes on the day’s fishing, the gear and of course the big flood. When the talk turned to rods he casually mentioned that he preferred his old Sage RPIII because he did a lot of roll casting. As it turned out, that was an understatement because during the time he fished with us he never made a single overhead cast. He roll cast even when the bankside vegetation permitted a conventional delivery. With this cast he covered the water as well as any of us. Soon he was into his first and minutes later his second fish. He fished through the pool and moved on upriver before I had a chance to discuss his roll casting technique. That was the second time that I had seen someone use the horizontal water loop before the big roll. Not since I saw the double haul for the first time has a casting feat impressed me so much. I was now more than ever determined to add this cast to my repertoire.

As by lunch time we still had the pool to ourselves, I decided to practice while the various actions of this roll cast remained fresh in my memory. I dug out a heavy bugeye, broke off the point and attached it to my normal leader. Then I positioned myself at the tail of the pool. When I had enough long belly line on the water, I started rolling. Not surprisingly, what had looked so simple in the hands of an expert soon had me floundering. Even the horizontal loop did not come easy. It was either too small or so powerful that it started to roll the entire line. What’s more, when I did get it right the oncoming current was carrying the loop so close to my body that I had trouble rolling the line without the nymph hitting the rod from underneath. Everything about this cast was new, even getting the line into the right position to start a new casting cycle. Doggedly, I boxed on.

During many failed attempts I was rewarded with an occasional winner that went further than I have ever roll cast before. At least it showed me that I was on the right track even though I was still battling with the basics. l am not kidding myself — refinements without a good tutor will take time, lots of time. In an odd sort of way I am looking forwar Sd to that because to me half the fun of fly fishing is learning new things.

Since I have returned to the more contemplative home environment I have tried to analyse the preliminary horizontal water loop in more detail. It is now clear to me that it combines two important functions.

Firstly, to greatly enlarge the power loop (more line in motion) of the final delivery roll. This generates greater momentum and increases the lifting power of the rolling line. Secondly, to make it easier to flatten the power loop during it’s forward roll. A flat or elliptical roll can be driven forward while a round one often collapses onto itself. Now let me describe for you how to put this theory into practice.

Like any roll cast it can be done to your right and to your left, though it is much easier to execute it on your rod arm side. This is the side from which I shall carry out the sequence of movements to perform the advanced roll cast.

i) Select a floating line with a long belly or a double taper of at least 8 weight. Silicone the line to reduce water adhesion. Use the rod you have got but if you have a choice try a slower action one first.

ii) Practice on stillwater and pick a site where you have water not only in front and to your side but also a little bit behind you. Your best position is standing in shallow water.

iii) The ideal conditions are calm weather with no audience in sight.

iv) Strip off enough line and lay it out making sure it stays well to your right.

What follows now is an almost continuous process: With a sidearm roll casting movement throw a small horizontal loop (1.5-2m diameter — more as you get better) onto the water. Not ahead but directly to the side of your rod hand.

Now slip a little more line so that you can start a proper roll cast with a raised rod without initially affecting the water loop.

As the power roll takes off you will see that it picks up and integrates the slack line of the water loop. This aerial loop is so large that instead of rising into a round hoop it becomes flattened and rolls forward — rather like the movement of a bulldozer track. Done well this entire line will straighten to greatly increase the distance of the cast.

When you think about what dynamics are involved it becomes clear that the moving mass of additional line plus the forward movement of the enlarged loop generate the power to turn over a heavy nymph.

It goes without saying that the secret behind this entire operation lies in the smooth execution of all the individual movements. The less time is wasted the less the water loop can deform and the less the heavy nymphs have a chance to sink.

It’s not easy to perfect and takes hours of practice but what better way to spend your weekends!

While the line is sinking, it is necessary to prevent slack line from forming a bow between the rod and the fly. This bow will be seized by the current and drag your fly downstream faster than is natural. That might fool a juvenile fish but an experienced trout will recognise there is something awry here and have nothing to do with this unnaturally-moving item. As the line sinks in the water and passes you, then the rod can be lowered to lengthen the drag-free drift. Additional line can be fed out to further lengthen the drift.

A few twitches or wriggles of the line can be tried at this point to catch a trout’s attention. As the fly reaches the bottom point of its traverse, the fly should be allowed to swing round and start to rise as the taut line pulls up the fly. Imparting a few movements to the fly at this point is often very productive. As the fly drifts in towards the bank, a few twist retrieves may then be worthwhile to check that there is not a big brown lying quietly in the shallows. A roll cast will then clear the line from the clutch of the water and a single false cast will have the fly back in the river. No matter how good an angler you are, if the other guy has his fly in the water 50% more of the time, he is going to catch more fish. Just remember that when you roll cast, you should make sure the line lands on ‘dead’ water and not on water where the fish may be lying. And hopefully, when you do land that big brown using the above technique, you will return it to the river, even if it is not from a mandatory catch and release zone.

Riffles – these are usually the prime lies in any river as they provide both shelter and a food source for the trout. Fortunately for anglers, they are easy to fish as drag is not a problem and the fish take freely. So the angler can get quite close to the likely holding lies and fish with a reasonably short line. Likewise the leader can be kept to no more than 3 m to make it easy to guide the fly through the joggly water. An indicator is essential and the leader should not be less than 2.5 kg. The most successful flies are a choice between attractor nymphs or dry flies. The nymphs should be medium-weighted with a bit of a flash like a beadhead. Attractor dries need to be large and bushy like Wulffs or terrestrial patterns.

Runs – also prime lies as the depth gives trout some sense of security. Food is brought down at a more leisurely pace so the fish have more time to inspect it than in a riffle. This means drag will see a refusal and good mending skills are important. The angler needs to be more cautious as the water surface is usually quite calm and the trout’s window is very effective. Reasonably long casts are required, as long as the mending can still be carried out. Leaders should suit the depth of water but around 3 m is usually about right. Indicators are optional but should be dispensed with if the water is less than 2 m deep. Nymphs are usually the best choice unless the fish are feeding on the surface. Usually a double nymph rig will work best, with a smaller tail fly more likely to be taken than the weighted one. Close imitative nymphs like the old faithful Pheasant Tail nymph are hard to beat.

Pools – can be divided into three main sections:

Head of pool – a lie favoured by large trout, especially in the ‘eye’ of the pool. In this position, a trout can see every morsel of food coming into the pool, yet lie just off the main current. A backswirl can make for difficult fishing and ability to control drag is critical. Anglers are easily seen by the trout, as usually the casting position will be from the open shingle bank so long casts are an advantage. Similarly, a reasonably long leader is useful to avoid lining the fish. If the trout is lying just over the lip, then it is necessary to get down fast or the fly will be swept over their heads. In many places, use of a sinking line and fishing down to the fish from the safety of the rapid above is a good ploy. Soft-bodied wet flies work best in that case. Otherwise, a well-weighted sinker nymph with a small tail fly will get down to the fish quickly. Beadheads work well in the strong-flowing water, with a small mayfly nymph at the tail.

Body of pool – can hold good fish if reasonable cover available. Otherwise, medium-size trout frequent such lies. The water has lost momentum and the fish have a lot of time to inspect their food. Long casts and long leaders are essential, as the line must be kept well away from the trout. A low profile is also worth remembering, especially when casting from a bank. Often the best approach is to fish the far bank where fish are less likely to be disturbed by the fall of the line as it will be falling on the faster centre current. Flies need to closely imitate whatever is coming down the river. This is the time to have a look under the rocks or scoop insects from the surface and match the natural as best you can. Small nymphs and dries work best in the delicate water.

Tail of pool – tough fishing position. Often holds the odd good fish in the morning but they will move up to the security of deeper water when the light hits the water. The best position to cast from is down in the rapids below so that only a long, fine leader is landing on the smooth water. A small light nymph is best, as trout don’t often rise that early in the morning. Something sparse like a Willow Grub or small Caddis can work well. The other good approach is the fish a small wet fly across and down the tail of the pool, as there is less danger of ‘lining’ the fish.

Plunge pool – this is pool formed where a torrent of water pours down a small rockfall into a large pool. This is a lie favoured by large trout as they can lie to the side of the main current and feed leisurely. They may also lie in the cave that is often formed under the rockfall by the backwash water. These pools are difficult to fish as the fish can lie quite close to the waterfall. It is hard to get a fly down to them if they are lying deep. A sinking line, short one metre leader and a weighted nymph is worth trying. Otherwise a heavy nymph on a strong 3 m leader is the best bet. Where it is legal, a split shot or two clamped on one metre above the fly can prove very deadly. An indicator would be essential to keep the line floating. Big Hare’n’Coppers or large nymphs like a Bitch Creek work well.

Glides – extreme fishing! Avoid them unless you are desperate or an expert as they are too frustrating for us ordinary anglers, even though you will often see several fish lying there. The problem is the smoothness of the water and the open nature of a glide. The fish lie out in the open but are extremely wary, as they know they are exposed to predators. Any unnatural event will see them scurry for the deeper water. This may be the line falling on the water, the drag of the fly, or movement by the angler. If you must fish them, stay down and well back. Fish a long line with a long, fine leader, maybe down to 1.5 kg. Five metre leader lengths are normally the minimum. It is hard to get drag free drifts as mending can often scare the fish. Better to use an ‘S’ cast and don’t mend at all. It is best to avoid putting the fly close to the fish, as they will move some distance to seize a fly. Very small imitative dries and nymphs will work best. Often trout will rise strongly in glides during hatches. Fly sizes down to 18 might be necessary in tough situations. If you enjoy testing your trout fishing skills, this is the water to try.

The above guidelines are only general as each pool has its own specific characteristics that make it different to any other pool in the river. But it does show how you must vary your tactics to suit the water. If you think about what will best suit the water in front of you and then change your rig to suit, you will have a good day on the river.

Having said that, I well remember the struggle I had to land my first trout on the dry fly. Surrounded by the ethereal woodlands of Lake Daniells I broke off several rainbow through striking too hard, and mistimed others. Finally, on attempt number 22 the jaws of a 3-pound jack plucked my Love’s Lure from the surface. This time my strike was ‘just right’. After a couple of searing runs the fish was safely in the net.

But why start with the difficult? The dry fly is easier to use in streams. For a start, there is the force of the current to supplement the pumping action of the gills as the fly is taken. The jaws close sooner to prevent the current washing the fly away. And a trout will most likely be facing away from you, so the fly is likely to end up safely in the back of the mouth. I once caught a one-eyed rainbow in a Hawkes Bay stream (surprisingly not in Canterbury!). It seemed to have no trouble in locating and snatching my dry fly in a bumpy flow. Maybe there is some kind of sonar involved here.

When spotting fish, it is important to observe how high a trout is sitting in the water. If it is close to the surface, it’s a safe bet your fish is either looking for emergers or floating insects in the surface film.

A couple of weekends back, a beginner fly fisherman accessed the lower Hurunui at a place I’d suggested to him. He walked upstream to a pool where he spotted four trout rising to insects on the surface. After trying a nymph without success he changed to a brown hackle dry fly and proceeded to hook four browns, landing three in the five- to six-pound category. The last one took a Humphrey Blowfly. He was buzzing with excitement when he rang me early that afternoon.

Living for more than three years in Harihari, within ten minutes of three world-class streams, I learned that you didn’t have to wait for trout to rise before you could use the dry fly. An attractor pattern such as a Royal Wulff will raise trout not feeding on the surface. At other times a trout will continue to feed selectively while you drift a whole range of dries and nymphs past it. Success in those circumstances is sweet indeed.

It was also in South Westland that I began using the combo: a dry fly tied on a short ledger with a triple surgeons knot about eighteen inches above a trailing nymph. This covers all eventualities. If the nymph is taken, the pause in the dry indicates when to strike. If the dry is taken, care must be taken not to snag the nymph on the net before the fish is safely inside. The weight of the nymph can be an asset when punching your dry fly into a head wind.

Sometimes, when trout are selectively feeding on surface insects, a small trailing nymph will take trout when your attempt to ‘match the hatch’ fails to deliver.

It isn’t necessary to wait for summer months before using a dry fly. I had a trout take my dry fly in South Westland’s Wanganui River in June. However, summer months are better because of the greater frequency of insect hatches and the greater abundance of terrestrials such as cicadas. Great sport can be had in January in the streams of the Ruahines when cicadas abound. The rainbows aren’t too bothered about the exact pattern. Anything like a size 8 or 10 Royal Wulff does the trick.

Deep water can be difficult to fish, but if trout are on the surface, there is a good chance they can be taken with the dry fly. Last February I spent a weekend in Omarama. On the Sunday morning Murray and I headed for the upper Ahuriri. I was to learn a lesson about the kind of river bottom trout will lie over when taking flies off the surface. I crossed while Murray opted for the near bank. I lost a small fish on the nymph, then Murray lost a bigger one after a long fight. I blind fished an area with just the kind of rocky base that would suggest fish, but it wasn’t until I came across a bottom of grey silt that I spotted my first trout.

Further upstream, Murray spotted trout rises on my side of the river. They were feeding on the inside of a bend. Here the water was deep with a silty bottom. Soon I’d landed a couple of two-pound browns on a Size 12 Peacock Humpy. Then I made my way upstream to a shallower section of river, also with a silty bottom. I cast into the lower section. A fish rose to the fly, but it didn’t hook up. Next cast a fish zoomed out from the bank and quaffed the fly. That one was 5 pounds. Next cast: same thing. This fish tore upstream onto backing. I lost that when the leader knot unravelled.

Four casts, four rises. Something has to be happening on the surface for that kind of action. But why were the fish in that area? There were mayflies about, and cicadas. If they were on mayflies, were there more hatching above the silt than above the stones? Did the light grey reflection of the bottom on the surface allow the darker coloured flies to be seen more easily? Was it because the surface was smoother above the silt?

Further upstream I tried to coax a trout to take my fly, yelling, ‘Take it! Take it!’ at the top of my voice. ‘Take it!’ echoed Murray from the far bank. But to no avail.

Later a 2-pound brown caught on the blind with a Humphrey blowfly topped a great morning of dry fly fishing.

Sometimes, because of cloud cover, the colour of the water, or surface turbulence, it is impossible to spot trout. This is where an eye for holding water comes in handy. Last September I made a mid-afternoon sortie to the lower Hurunui to test stories that abundant trout could be had there on the dry fly.

I forded the river to a section that looked like it would hold trout. There was a section of slow water on my side of the main flow. And just enough depth to hold trout. The surface was turbulent which, along with the cloud cover, made spotting unlikely. But the fish wouldn’t spook as easily, either.

Starting with a combo, I had a take close to the edge — and missed it. However, I didn’t miss the next six trout that took the same size 10 Peacock Humpy in the same stretch of water.

When fishing turbulent water it is essential that you keep your eye on the fly. Takes can be very subtle; sometimes just like a small wave covering the fly. With each of these fish I struck as soon as I saw the take, and landed each of them. They were all taken close to the edge, inside the main flow.

Next time I fished this water, I was accompanied by my optician and optometrist. I decided to help the latter as she had yet to catch a trout on a dry fly. I saw her fly disappear and yelled ‘Strike!’ repeatedly until she lifted the rod. Amazingly the trout was still there. She hadn’t seen the fly taken, having thought I was telling the optician, further downstream, to strike. After a strong fight, a nice brown was safely brought to the net.

Nothing beats fishing the dry fly to sighted fish. Towards the end of a hard day on the Upper Waimakariri last I sighted a brown feeding on my side of a large rock. When I covered it with a Royal Wulff it turned and followed. Down, down, down. And right when it seemed too late, it took. I just managed to get the hook in the 5 pound brown with an ungainly sweep of the rod.

I tie a close relative of the Royal Wulff called the Royal Fontaine using Tiemco 900BL barbless hooks. These are so sharp and the shafts so long that they tend to stay in as well as any barbed hook. Dry flies need to be dressed with a water repellent to make them float. They can be soaked in solutions such as Loon’s ‘Hydrostop’ and left to dry overnight or treated on the spot with Aquel or Gink. A little high-speed false casting aids buoyancy.

Back to lakes. Well, the break-offs encountered with the four-pound line I used to use are less frequent now. With a fluorocarbon line such as Deceiver it is possible to get away with a heavier line. And as far as timing the take is concerned, it depends upon the type of take. A sucking rise, evidenced by a swirl, usually requires the count of 1,2,3. However, if you see a top jaw emerge, you can usually judge when the jaws will close without having to count.

I have a lot to learn about how to fish the dry fly on lakes, but experience success when green manuka beetles or dragonflies are on the wing. My favourite lake dry fly is the Love’s Lure, which will attract trout feeding on either insect.

So, don’t subscribe to any of that elitist rubbish. Grab some dry flies. Find a likely piece of water, and go for it.

A. Your first step is to consider the line weight or AFTMA weight you will need. For New Zealand freshwater conditions, rods for a 5 line are considered light and 8′s and 9′s are heavy. If you’re mostly going to fish small streams a 5 or 6 weight will be your choice. 8 and 9 weight rods are suitable for the Taupo district or areas where long casts in windy conditions are common. If you are unsure, speak to an experienced fly fisherman in a tackle store where you will be fishing mostly.

Q. I’ve seen American fly rods costing two and sometimes three times as much as the equivalent Kilwell rods, I’m serious about my fly fishing but are they worth the money?

A. The performance and quality of Kilwell rods stack up with the best in the world, there’s no doubt about it! Much of the time we use near identical types of carbon fibre and hardware as US rod companies, only with design features specific to our testing New Zealand conditions and large trout.

Q. I’ve read a lot about the different `modulus’ of graphite fly rod materials. What modulus do Kilwell use and which is the best?

A. We use a combination of what is termed ‘Standard’ and `Intermediate’ modulus graphites in most of our rods although to be honest it means little! Despite what the marketing arm of some companies will tell you, modulus or stiffness simply isn’t a measure of quality and performance. In our opinion many of today’s super stiff rods are becoming so at the detriment of castability. Actually the taper design, ‘cut of the cloth’, fibre strength, hoop reinforcement, the components and the modulus are all factors which effect how a rod performs. End result – good fly rod manufacture isn’t ‘design by numbers’!

Q. Can I use a heavier or lighter line then suggested by the rod’s rating?

A. We design our rods with careful consideration to balancing the line weight used with blank stiffness and recommend you chose the line weight suggested on the rod. However, fly fishing is all about individual interpretation and personal preference (although not too many rod companies will tell you that) so whatever works for you is good. If you want the rod to load quickly at shorter distances ‘up line’ by one weight and reverse that for false casting long lines. If you are new to fly casting try ‘up lining’ one or two weights to start with until you feel the rod ‘loading’ and responding to your casting stroke.

Q. What difference does rod length make?

A. Length is not absolutely critical. Line weight is more important. 9’0″ rods are a good place to start for New Zealand fishing. Longer rods are better for mending line (moving it on the water), roll casting and wading deep. They also give you a little extra ‘reach’ with the tip when wet lining which can enable you to get the line into a lie better. The down side of a longer rod is that the Swing Weight (the weight of moving the rod back and fourth in the casting motion) is greatly increased, so they can feel much heavier. Rods that are shorter than 8’6″ or 9′ have limited use unless you fish tight corners and need to tuck the tip in under overhanging bushes etc.

Q, What Guarantee do your Kilwell fly rods come with?

A. All New Zealand made Kilwell rod craft rods are backed by our Unconditional 5-year warranty against accidental breakage and limited lifetime warranty against faulty materials and workmanship. Even our inexpensive models! Fill out the warranty registration at time of purchase and Retain your copy. So if the kids slammed the car door on it or the Labrador pup ate it (don’t laugh, it actually happened) then relax – you’re covered!

Q. What is the purpose of the ferrule wax that came with my Kilwell rod craft fly rod?

A. The wax is a lubricant and binding agent. It helps the ferrules bind firmly in place and prevents them coming apart while casting and fishing. It also prevents the ferrules becoming permanently stuck. Keep it in your vest and rub a little on once the ferrule starts to feels dry. Remember to use a twisting and pulling (or pushing) action when assembling the rod.

Some thoughts on test casting our Kilwell rods: A. Once you’ve got over that Male ‘testosterone’ competition `Thing’ and cast the whole line plus some backing. Settle down to some realistic length casts. Sure, chucking the whole line is impressive, but you don’t usually need to do it with a #5 or #6 so calm down, please!

Think about how far you will cast, in what conditions and with what sort of terminal tackle when fishing and try to duplicate it in the tests. Try some roll casts if you are testing on water (you won’t be able to roll cast on ­dry land) or a reach mend, whatever you would normally do when fishing your favorite water. Try a few line combinations (floaters, sinkers etc) and in the end go with something that feels comfortable for you!

The Nelson–Marlborough region, at the top of New Zealand’s spectacular South Island has a worldwide reputation as the best of New Zealand’s summertime river fishing. Lake Rotoroa Lodge holds pride of place as the region’s premier fly fishing destination and one of the best fishing lodges in New Zealand. Sitch and Gleisner crossed Lake Rotoroa to wander up the D’Urville River in their acclaimed television series A River Somewhere. Terry Duval’s annual ‘One Fly’ event is Nelson based, obviously for good reason, and names like Tony Entwistle and Craig Simpson hark back to the pioneering days of professional guiding in the South Island.

Yet despite all this, and possibly because of it, in all my visits to the South Island I had never fished the district, drawn instead by lesser known waters in the west and south of the island. Why follow the American led path to Nelson and write stories about rivers and guides, lodges and helicopter trips that have been done to death in so many overseas publications?

Eventually it was an Australian connection, an offer from new lodge owner Felix Borenstein and a trip organised by Millbrook based guide Mark Weigall, that tempted me to Murchison and to Felix’s impressive new establishment on the banks of the Owen River. Mark’s trips are legendary, and this one was no exception, but as you all know, there is an unwritten code of ethics which strictly confines my account to the fishing!

RAIN DELAY
Ably led by local guide Craig Simpson, we scoured the district for fishable water after heavy rain put a dent in our schedule. Mark and I muddled on essentially unguided although Craig directed us to suitable water each day. The others in our group took it turn about to fish with Craig with one drawing the short straw each day to fish with Mark and me.

Even with famous rivers like the Buller running high and dirty we were able to find some marvellous side-streams and smaller waters where 1 to 2 kg trout responded generously to various combinations of dry fly and nymph, even to the sloppy mends and presentations sent down by those who have spent too much time on dopey stillwater trout.

At higher river levels deeper runs required an indicator and weighted nymph to hit the spot, something that Nelson guides are sometimes criticised for in purist circles. Whilst I have an attention span of an hour at best when it comes to blind indicator nymphing, others in our group blooded on this style of fishing on Victorian tailrace fisheries invariably caught fish and were more than happy doing it for as long as it took.

Although the rivers around Murchison are relatively popular, we managed to spread out and find water for five of us to fish without getting in the way of others. The selection narrows when the main rivers become unfishable after a heavy downpour, but even then, with dozens of rivers nearby, the options seemed endless.

When the rain did stop and the waters began to clear and settle we headed into the mountains led by our Hobbit of a guide, to seek out those rivers (all too common in NZ) where, although there are less trout per kilometre there are more kilograms per trout! Browns of around 2–3 kg are described as ‘average’ in such places with the bigger fish of ten pounds and over being the real draw card. Whilst we didn’t land anything much over 3 kilos we saw and hooked bigger fish but fell short of gaining photographic evidence. To land a fish of this size on 2 kg tippet in heavy water amongst big rocks and snags demands an element of good fortune—everything has to go just right.

FINDING FISH
Although hatches can be expected in favourable weather our mid January week coincided with very few rising fish. This throws the emphasis on reading the water and fishing the likely places, or actually spotting the fish. When sight-fishing, knowing where to look is of immeasurable benefit as it allows fast progress with only scant attention to the unproductive 90% of water, and painstaking scrutiny of the remaining productive water. This is where a guide can be of truly great assistance.

For the unfamiliar visitor it may take a few days to recognise where the fish, nearly all browns in this part of the country, are most likely to be holding. For the most part the bigger rivers are open and shingly and in places split into several braids. The best holding water invariably seems to be along the more stable banks with fixed boulders, logs and/or bankside vegetation, which together with depth provide the cover and stability that trout need to survive the inevitable scouring floods. The shallower, more braided, less stable, shingly water can be passed without too much delay, but not always! So still keep a sharp eye out.

As stated, using a guide can be a tremendous benefit. They spot fish well, but more importantly they know the water and can predict exactly where the next fish is likely to be. This saves a lot of tired eyed and aimless wandering (Mark and me).

Expect to cover several kilometres of water in a day if you are seeking those sparsely populated, larger trout. But be aware that those stable banks and deeper runs are often home to more than one fish—find one and there may be others close by.

SPOOK LOGIC
Generally the trout were reasonably accommodating although a few demanded repeated presentations and fly changes down to much smaller nymphs. Weight and size, to suit water and fish, seem more critical than the exact pattern of nymph used. As anywhere that first presentation is critical—if the fly lands upstream by just the right measure and drifts down right in the slot, there is every chance a take will result.

Nigel Birt’s spooked fish article (FL #33) is well worth a second look as the trout do seem to be ‘spooked’ by degrees. After disturbing a fish and its nearby companion with a missed strike, I was able to sit out and wait for about 20 minutes (absolute limit of sandfly tolerance in any one spot), by which time they had settled back down and the fish I had missed readily accepted a different nymph.

Be aware that double-figure fish are a bit of a preoccupation amongst the local guiding fraternity with the ten-pound trout worn like a badge of honour, and fish of half that size dismissed as small. If you just want to enjoy a day out on a South Island river and are happy to get stuck into a bunch of 1–2 kg trout then say so before you end up on a futile ten-pound mission. If size isn’t everything, then nobody has told the local guides.

LAKE FIX
Despite everyone dismissing the fly fishing merits of Lake Rotoroa itself in favour of the much bigger trout found in many of the district’s rivers (the opposite of most Australian situations) I did manage to escape for half an hour and get my fix of lake fishing while the others were playing around in a discoloured river mouth. As in most NZ lakes I’ve fished, good trout cruise the crystal clear shallows adjacent to the deep drop-offs.

Several cruising browns I encountered readily accepted a weighted nymph fished in combination with an indicator dry (rigged to fish the in-flowing rivers). And yes, the fish were ‘small’, only 1.5 kilos or so! Imagine spending a day on that lake, fishing from a decent fly fishing platform, just sneaking along the edges on the electric motor . . .

FLY FIX
There are few real secrets about fly selection. Mark’s standbys from northeastern Victoria performed as well as any. Just make sure you include a selection of small tungsten nymphs, plenty of 2 kg tippet, and some dries including the locally popular Adams, Royal Wulff and a few of your favourite caddis, grasshopper and cicada patterns just in case.

Reserve the double nymph and indicator rig for dirty days and bigger rivers. Shallower runs can be fished with a single weighted nymph, or follow the modern trend of a small bead-head nymph under a buoyant dry fly —a parachute Adams proved easy to see and was sometimes taken in preference to the nymph. Local guides seem to frown on the Royal Wulff—popular elsewhere in the South Island—preferring the Adams as an indicator fly.

With sunny conditions and lower, clearer rivers a small dry can be fished alone to sighted fish. We only had a brief taste of this, but enough to get me back to the region a month later to have another go. Imagine drifting a #14 Adams over a visibly feeding trophy brown and watching it rise to the surface to snatch the fly with that peculiar beak-like South Island take, simultaneously poking out both top and bottom jaws in the fast moving current. Then it’s hang on and go with the fish as it spears off downstream with the heavy flow and flings itself awkwardly into the air. Maybe this river fishing isn’t so bad after all?

ACCESS
Fish and Game pamphlets provide detailed maps and access points for various catchments including the Buller and Motueka. Most are marked by obvious signs and have convenient fence stiles. Access rights are well respected in New Zealand and although these paths may seem well trodden the fishing can still be first class.

Guides generally have better access through private tracks on rural properties and, if you have a deep pocket, will use helicopters to fly in to the remote back country. However, a reasonable level of fitness will get you far enough off the beaten track to feel that real sense of undisturbed South Island fishing.

The season on most waters runs from October to April and the better streams have a 2 fish bag limit (with only one of more than 50 cm).

Camouflage fly lines are recommended, along with felt sole boots—(preferably with studs—for slippery rocks. Oh, and don’t forget the repellent in case those pesky sandflies get you.

Australian salmon and kingfish are two of the east coast’s most sought-after pelagics. They are among the toughest fighters in the sea, conveniently lack spikes and sharp teeth, and are distributed widely enough to be accessible to most saltwater fly fishers.

Recently I spent some time fishing with friend and fellow guide Justin Duggan, who operates in Sydney waters. This gave me an opportunity to compare the feeding behaviour, diet and habitats of the salmon and kingfish around Sydney with those of my home base at Merimbula on the far south coast of New South Wales.

SYDNEY KINGFISH

On my first day Justin took me to the popular Pittwater area and we were on the water around daybreak. The boat ride lasted merely minutes before we encountered our first schools of kingfish, bait and birds. We didn’t have to move off this school all day! The kingies had pushed the bait right up hard inside a cove and were feeding in a way I’d never seen before. I was interested to watch them just ‘push’ across the surface without any real urgency. They had the baitfish where they wanted them and were feeding so gently it was like they were sipping large mayflies off the surface.

Justin handed me a fly tied to imitate micro-bait around 25 mm long, which I tied to the 6 kg point of my 12 foot leader. I was sure a result would be almost instantaneous, but repeatedly cast the fly into the frenzy without success. Then Justin showed me the retrieve that works best when fishing to micro-bait feeders. Basically it was long, slow and steady, but the real key was to pinch the line as it landed and commence the retrieve the instant the fly hit the water. Justin said nearly all hook-ups occur in the first three strips, with the first giving the greatest chance. He was right, and once I got the hang of the pinch and slow retrieve technique I had some success.

Like all kingfish, the first I hooked went straight down to do battle well below the surface. We were using both 8 and 9-weight outfits and my 9 seemed perfect; great to cast a long line all day and with enough wood to turn a big kingie if need be. Once I had beaten my first Pittwater king and he was circling boatside, Justin took a purchase around his tail-wrist and hoisted him on board. A modest king of around 70–75 cm, but long enough to develop a bit of muscle and shoulder, and in any case I was delighted with our first fish of the day. Shortly after my first fish there was another brief encounter that lasted only a second before the hook pulled.

Well into the morning, the kingfish kept feeding off the surface and were unfazed by the three boats that were present. The baitfish must have been super-abundant, because although we were constantly getting our flies into the right place, there were fish gulping and splashing all around with only a handful of takes. Justin hooked a king at least 30 metres from a mooring buoy. The fish seemed to be clear of trouble and halfway to the boat, but in one very powerful and stubborn attempt, he made it back to the cover that would grant his freedom—kingfish never cease to amaze.

We had our flies in the feeding frenzy throughout the morning and early afternoon for just half a dozen hook-ups. Yet even though they were hard to deceive, casting to surface feeding kingfish in perfectly flat calm water all day long was absolutely brilliant. What really surprised me was the way the kingfish fed on the surface, so freely and for so long.

SOUTH COAST KINGFISH

At home, on the south coast of NSW, the kings feed totally differently. I basically have two approaches that produce results. The first is to target large marker buoys in the bays with either intermediate or fast sinking fly lines. I find that typically smaller ‘rat’ kingfish live under these buoys, and the most effective technique I’ve found so far is to cast a hookless popper around the buoy whilst fly fishers cast ‘Thing’ flies or Deceivers to fish originally attracted to the popper. Fish on these buoys are usually very consistent and more than willing to eat a fly but rarely exceed 60 cm. I know that many fly fishers, including Justin, target the buoys throughout Sydney Harbour too.

The other technique that has really come along for me over recent years is fly fishing a patch of reef in 20 to 60 metres of water off a local point. Here the kings are much larger and are typically between 60 and 80 cm, with many fish up around the metre mark. Anglers using conventional tackle often jig for them. However, I have had lots of success by counting down a fast sinking fly line to around 10 metres and commencing a fast retrieve. Berley trails are another way to get the kings up, but I prefer a daisy chain of 10 reflector floats spaced 30 cm apart. I can troll this daisy chain, then cast to following fish, or I can tie a brick on the end and let it hang below the boat whilst drifting over the area. Either way, kingfish seem to go crazy about any reflection and will most times come up to the boat.

Every now and then on this patch of reef, currents and bait unite and kingfish come up and feed on the surface. Unlike Sydney’s gentle sippers, these kings are going hell-for-leather on top and will eat anything that is cast into the foaming water. However, this frenzied surface action occurs very infrequently.

SYDNEY SALMON

On my second day fly fishing with Justin, we decided to target salmon in Sydney Harbour.

At sunrise we approached what looked like a massive school of busting salmon between North and South Head, silhouetted by the crimson morning sky. I was armed with a 9-weight rod and a tiny Gummy Minnow fly, and my first cast was nailed as soon as I pinched the line and began the slow retrieve. As I fought the fish, commuters watched from a Manly fast-cat. To my right were the Centrepoint Tower and other city landmarks, the Opera House and the big ‘coat hanger’—a lot to take in whilst fighting a well-proportioned Aussie salmon!

Like the kingfish of the day before, this enormous salmon school fed on micro-bait on the surface for hours on end. Even thoughtless anglers trolling lures through the middle of the school couldn’t dampen the action for too long. Like the kingies in Pittwater, the Harbour salmon were sticklers for the right fly and the right retrieve, with strikes coming on the first to third strips. But they were much more willing to feed on our flies and we had a field day catching and releasing countless salmon between three and six pounds. I personally thought that these salmon fought harder than their kingfish neighbours, and each battle would last between five and ten minutes. Like giant trevally, the harder you pull on salmon, the harder they resist.

SOUTH COAST SALMON

The salmon fishing at home on the south coast, and in most other places I have experienced, is a little different. Here salmon are found in a variety of locations, but they feed on top only 10% of the time. Instead, I have to search wash zones, bomboras, productive bays and current lines.

At some times of year I find salmon in a local estuary system schooled in huge numbers, in only three metres of crystal clear water. These are suckers for the fly and provide a great sight fishing opportunity. Whenever I do find salmon here, I never have a problem hooking up, even with the large flies I mostly use.

LASTING IMPRESSIONS

All things considered, I believe the Sydney and Pittwater fisheries are in fantastic shape considering the surrounding population density. There is no doubt that this area offers some of the best fly fishing for inshore pelagics in the country—particularly for kingfish and salmon.

From my experience and from what I’m told by many Sydney anglers, it is more often than not a surface-feeding affair. This is a huge advantage as finding the fish on the day is a simple task. However, they are much harder to convince to eat flies than those in my home waters on the south coast.

Probably the most notable difference between the two fisheries is the bait on which the fish are feeding. Inside a school of millions, a fly an inch long is going to be less obvious, though I still can’t explain why we got so few hits after the third strip.

KINGFISH/SALMON TACKLE

To successfully target kingfish and salmon you could easily get away with just the one fly outfit. I would choose either an 8 or 9-weight rod, preferably a 9, with a good quality reel and an intermediate line.

I used a Loomis Crosscurrent GLX rod and Scientific Anglers Bonefish Taper line. If I were to enlarge this arsenal, I would add a Type IV fast sinking line like a Uniform Sink or Wet Tip Express.

Flies are simple—a collection of Deceivers, Pink Things, Blue Things, Clousers, poppers and of course some micro-flies. And I would carry spools of 6, 10 and 15 kg fluorocarbon tippet.