Lake Brunner and Nelson

14 – 22 March 2023

A few more observations about fishing guides in New Zealand. They tend to repeat themselves, often in whole sentences once or twice. They have also been known to spell out words. All of this is in response to Robert saying: Say again please. Or, How do you spell that? We obviously need more time to hone in on the Kiwi accent!

Some guides (not Charles) assume you know much more than you do. One guide would point to a spot in the water and then admonish you for going directly to it without going quite a bit downstream first to stay out of the line of sight of the fish. Trout have a 280 degree cone of vision. Once you have gone far enough to be beyond their vision, you slowly make your way forward to a distance where you can comfortably cast to the trout. Noise or ripples in the water can alert the fish of your presence. If you are using a wading staff, use one with a rubber tip. Some guides (not Charles) remind Robert of the nuns who taught at St. Matthew grammar school. All of the nuns shared common goals for teaching, but their methods varied wildly. Some would gently guide you in spelling. Others would go to great lengths to show their disappointment and sometimes anger at how you behaved in class. Some combined the two. Very confusing to a kid of ten. Very confusing to a guy of seventy-three.

Lake Brunner

14 – 16 March 2023

Our guide at Lake Brunner was Charles Smith. He came from the east coast of the South Island—about a four-hour trip. Charles was scouting a deer hunt for some clients but broke out to spend three days to guide us. He stayed at the Lake Brunner Lodge for two nights. While not fishing, he hunts and guides hunting trips, many using helicopters for multiple day excursions in the bush. He also helps a friend prepare videos for his YouTube series Gin-Clear Travel. His mom is Filipino and he and Robert talked a lot about foods their families favor. Charles also likes his coffee. So much so that he packs a stove, a pot, and coffee for one or two stops during the fishing day. That worked out great for Robert too. Salami and cheese seem to be his go-to lunch. He was very patient and encouraging, and guided Robert to his first four-pound brown trout ever! He was Bonnie’s favorite guide so far. He was very attentive to Bonnie’s unsteady footing when wading through the water, and after nearly every cast she made he exclaimed “Perfect.” At thirty-three years old, he has decades of great guiding ahead of him.

Lower Crooked River – Day One

Good day. 3.0, 3.5, and 4.0 pound brown trout. Two on a dry and one on a nymph. Used the new 6 wt. rod. Walked about 5.4 miles.

Haupiri River – Day Two Morning – Robert’s Birthday!

Beautiful river. Gin-clear water. Reminded Robert of some rivers in the lower Sierra. No fish

Lake Brunner – Day Two Afternoon

We split the day and returned to the lodge for lunch with Bonnie who then joined Robert and Charles in the afternoon to fish Lake Brunner. We entered the lake from the shore and worked our away around the lake edge. Did not spot many fish. Bonnie returned to the lodge after a couple of hours, while Robert and Charles continued around the bank and stayed out late. Perseverance paid off with a 2.75 pound brown trout. Beautiful colors.

Arnold River – Day Three

Good day fishing. Four out of the five strikes landed. All in the 2.5-pound range. All blind casting with a dry and one or two nymphs/midges; bottom of the two unweighted.

Nelson

20 – 22 March 2023

Our guide in Nelson was Aaron Ford. He has been guiding for sixteen years, here in New Zealand, in Mexico, and in Alaska. Self taught and ruthless when it comes to getting to a better lie for trout. He will work his way through overgrown vegetation and cross rivers as he pursues his trout. To say he is passionate that Robert do things right is an understatement. He is avid that Robert take a trout on a dry fly but is known to go to nymphs if the weather and the hatches don’t provide the right conditions. When not fishing, he works for a native plant company.

Aaron is a strong believer in New Zealand with a bit of Kiwi skepticism about government and big business—something we have heard throughout our travels. Robert brought up the inconsistency of New Zealand promoting itself as a green country but still spraying for weed control. Aaron became quite emotionally defensive about how the US goes about it compared to New Zealand. His perspective is that while NZ uses a Monsanto chemical for controlling weeds, they do it selectively and not in concert with genetically modified plants. He believes that the US has completely depleted any nutrients from the soil because it has been too dependent on chemical interventions. So much so, that he thinks any produce from a supermarket in the US has no nutritional value whatsoever. Robert decided not to debate the issue. Aaron also does not believe that girardia can be spread by domestic and wild animals. He drank directly from the river and claims he has never been sick. Robert passed on this debate too.

Motueka River – Day One

Mixed weather today. The clouds came in and out making it difficult to sight fish. We did see a few. Spooked one, lost another on a slow strike, and landed two—one at 2.5 pounds and the other at 1.5. The smaller one was landed on a very slow retrieve when Robert thought the indicator had hit a rock. Aaron knew otherwise and was amused to see Robert realizing he actually had a fish. Turns out the midge had hooked the fish’s fin after the fish ejected it from its mouth. Robert got a lot more instruction on casting. Learning more and more with each guide.

Riuwaka River – Day Two

The weather cooperated more today. A bit more sunshine. Robert and the guide fished one river today on its upper, middle, and lower reaches. The river flows behind properties filled with kiwis and apples along with some private homes. This river is much more reminiscent of waters Robert has fished in California and Oregon. We sighted a few fish but did not land much until later in the day. Had four fish strike on midges and dries. One lost because Robert did not strip in the line fast enough. The other lost because Robert was too slow at setting the hook. The two that made it to the net were about 2.75 and 5 pounds, the largest to date! Unfortunately, the last fish cost Robert his new 6 wt. rod when it broke at the tip.

Riuwaka River – Day Three

Because we had some luck on this river yesterday, we decided to return to the spot and work upriver. It was slow in the morning as we bushwhacked our way through the overgrown vegetation. By doing so, we accessed areas that had not been fished for a while. Robert fished his 5 wt rod. By the end of the day, Robert and Aaron did very well. Out of seven strikes, Robert landed four brown trout: 3, 4, 5 , and 6 pounds. By far the largest trout Robert has caught to date! Aaron said it was a good day. All caught on dry flies tied by Aaron-CDCs. He cut one of them back after he observed the fish weren’t taking the fuller version. Robert is still intrigued that these large fish will be in just two feet of water gently slurping flies that float by.

Postscript

23 March 2023

Robert went to the NZ Post to ship his broken rod back to the US for repair plus to get an additional rod tip. The gentleman at the counter was extremely helpful.

Next Fishing Stop – North Island!