10 April 2023

Robert made these notes as a reminder of what he has learned over the last 7 weeks of fishing the North and South Islands. Some of his observations will be basic to those who fly fish serving as reminders of what they practice already. For Robert, it records his learning experience. He is still learning.

Big fish. It is not often in California that Robert hooks a trout over 1.5 pounds. Smaller trout do not have the weight, savvy, and muscle that Robert is experiencing in New Zealand. The guides lead you to trout of 2.5 to 3.5 pounds and hope for a 5 pounder or more. We ran into some fishermen who helicoptered into remote areas and caught trout in the 7 to 8 pound range, on average!

Fishing guides typically pick you up at 8:00 am, sometimes 7:30, and then drive a minimum of thirty minutes and sometimes an hour or more to the river of choice. They (or the lodge you are staying in) provide lunch. This time of year waders were the main choice of apparel. During the summer months, wet wading is more prevalent. You break around 1:00 pm for lunch and then fish until about 3:00 pm, usually returning at 4:00 pm. Some guides will keep you fishing later having you return to your hotel at 5 or even 6 pm.

Guide character and demeanors vary widely and wildly. Robert began each session with I am not experienced at fishing large fish and fishing with several weighted nymphs. If you see me doing something wrong, let me know. Instruction is welcome. Some guides are patient. Some can be bipolar, admonishing you about what you did and then seconds later complementing you on your casts. All are instructive although the delivery of some can get in the way. Remember that each guide’s experience, style, and instruction is based on their personality and the place they are fishing. Fishing techniques on the South Island and North Island are different. It’s up to you to figure out why they tell you to do some technique one way compared to another. Ask questions to understand.

When using dry flies, you need to land the dry fly almost on top of the fish’s nose without having them spooked by the fly line. That is why the guides on the South Island use 10-14 feet of leader and extended tippet—3 to 5 wt. strengths. You need to be that close to the fish to avoid a bad drift (dragging) of the fly plus you do not want to give the fish much time to discern that the bug is artificial.

When fishing with nymphs, you want to cast the flies about five feet from the fish to allow them to sink to a proper depth. You wait a few seconds to allow the fly to sink, then make several large “popping” mends. As the indicator approaches you, say about five feet from you, do a roll cast and immediately pick it up with one false cast before you cast it to the desired location. Sometimes you do not even need the false cast. This will prevent the nymphs from gliding to you and hooking in your waders. In all cases, take your time and deliberately prepare to cast. Do not try to cast a long line because this is hard to manage with an indicator and two weighted nymphs. This is all about line management.

In all cases, keep your rod low and parallel to the water, constantly stripping the line in to avoid any slack that will prevent you from setting the hook in a timely action. When you set the hook, do it firmly and deliberately, but not with a lot of force. As one South Island guide said, You are not hooking a tarpon. Robert lost a few fish this way. He also lost more than a few fish in the North Island by overcorrecting and setting the hook too slowly. When you are fortunate to have properly hooked a fish, start stripping in the line that is not on the reel. If the fish wants to run, let it by letting out the slack. Above all, do not stop the line from coming off the reel when the fish makes a run. It will break the leader/tippet. Keep your fingers or gloves away from the reel. An unwanted snag on the glove or a finger in the way might block the line and you will lose the fish. And don’t let the trout see you or your guide with the net immediately. The fish will freak out, make a run, and might break the line. It is freaked out enough already, fighting the tension on the line. The extra time can be useful to tire the fish a bit before they see you. If you are in a narrow slot of water, try keep the trout upstream so that you are not fighting the trout and the current. If there is a bend in the line and it is underwater, shift the rod position to move the bend out of the water. The extra pressure on the leader is not wanted. Finally, if the trout is likely headed downstream, let the trout see you so that it is dissuaded from going downstream where it will take advantage of the current. They will hopefully freak out more and move upstream. Play the trout toward shallow water away from vegetation or trees and toward the bank or shallow water to allow the guide to net it. Play the fish with the rod parallel to the ground/water and go high when most of your line is on the reel. Switching the rod position will keep the fish wary about where to go and will help tire it out. If all goes well, the guide will net the fish and you will have a photo for you to show off to your friends. Early on, one guide told Robert not to be afraid of playing large fish, saying Your instincts will kick in. They did.

Although we were told to bring only 6 wt. rods, we also brought 5 wts. Several guides suggested that we use the 5 wts. Turns out that Robert’s new 6 wt. is much faster and lighter than his old 5 wt. and is perhaps more useful. Time for new 5 wt? Probably not as the rod performed well. One guide rigged up both rods to be ready for different situations. One guide had Robert use a 7 wt. for the heavier nymph setups. We also learned that most guides or your lodge can supply all the equipment: rods, waders, boots, etc. Although Robert will continue to bring his own, he might not bring everything for Bonnie next time (except for rods, reels, and wet wading boots). Also, the guides prefer fly lines that are not light and bright. Some of the Rio lines have a duller leading section on their fly lines. For example, the Rio Perception Elite’s leading color is brighter than their Gold Elite. One guide switched an older line on Robert’s 5 wt. to a line he preferred that was deep olive green. Worked well in the water they were fishing.

Also, it is rare to see a New Zealand guide put on a flashy fly like the ones we often use in the US. They prefer natural looking flies, tied sparsely. No need to bring your own flies. The guides tie their own for their situations. We often saw the guide clipping off excess material to make the fly even sparser. Do bring an empty fly case for the flies you will acquire at the numerous fly shops you encounter.

Above all, the guides want you to catch fish, the larger the better. Trust where they take you and the instructions they give you. If at times, you sense a wee bit of disappointment in not living up to their instructions, don’t take it too personally.

You need three days with a guide. Four in some cases. The first day is for the guide to understand your abilities: what you do right; what you do wrong, and how to correct it. Gives the guide time to give you some instruction, which they are happy to do. It also allowed Robert to better understand the terrain and the guide’s character to see if there was a match for Bonnie to fish on day two.

Three days allows the guide and client to understand each other’s style of casting, which varies guide-to-guide. As an example, one guide had Robert turn his bent rod to horizontal to play a fish to shore. When Robert did this with another guide, the guide asked why Robert was not playing the fish with the rod vertical. Styles differ.

End of Fishing Notes to Self