Trout Fishing

Trout Fishing 08/03/2008

Trout - fishing Canterbury in winter Email to a friend While the main trout fishing season has just ended (30th April), it's definitely not time for the keen trout angler to put away his, or her, trout fishing tackle. Winter fishing offers the chance to escape the crowds. Sometimes fishing is as much about getting out into the outdoors and simply relaxing.

The weather is more settled and allows you to stalk trout along the lake edge, without worrying about gale force nor'-westers which persistently blow across our high-country lakes over the spring and summer.

In some cases there are fishing opportunities that are only available over the winter months: such as targeting trophy-sized rainbows using luminous flies around Lake Coleridge's stream mouths. Just lighting a fire on the lakeshore and cooking a hot meal or smoking a trout, accompanied by a hot cup of coffee, can be a magical experience.

Learn and experiment

Winter is a great time to learn fly fishing skills in preparation for the upcoming season, and the more experienced anglers can take time-out to experiment with new techniques. (Personally, I will be experimenting with fishing lures on various sinking lines so that I can put these new skills to good effect over the main season.)

Winter is also a great time to explore new locations and check them out prior to the main season. Low flows in winter allow you to get a good look at the streambed and any potential fish-holding lies.
Before you head out winter fishing, it is important to consider the method you are going to use and have some knowledge of the fishes' behaviour at that location.

Firstly, there are a few cold facts that you need to be aware of. In particular, the resident brown trout in our lakes become relatively inactive in the middle of winter. Therefore the opportunities for catching browns in late June until mid -August are quite limited. If it is a mild winter (such as those we've experienced in recent years), then it can be possible to stalk cruising browns and sight-fish them on a calm winter's day.

Presentations need to be made delicately with light leaders (say 6x) and small flies (#14-#18). The trout are not going to waste a lot of energy looking at the fly, so accurate presentations on the fish's 'nose' are important. You may see a hundred trout, but only catch one or two. Still, the challenge is there and it keeps you in practice for the main fishing season.

Rainbow trout are a lot more active in our lakes over the winter months compared to browns, and are a better candidate for the lake angler. Also, unlike browns, which spawn in winter, rainbows spawn later on in spring, so they still tend to actively feed over the winter. Landlocked salmon are also a late winter fishing option, especially in August on lakes such as Coleridge as the fish move into shallower water.

As far as the rivers are concerned, most of the ones open during the winter season in Canterbury are brown trout rivers. While most browns will be away spawning, pre-spawning or 'maiden' fish are still actively feeding, especially around the river mouths, so become a likely target. The mid- and lower reaches of the Waitaki and Waimakariri river also offer the opportunity of chasing small rainbows over the colder months.

Winter Tips

Some of the more successful winter techniques and tips are as follows: Tasmanian Devil spinners can be very effective at river mouths for maiden brown trout. Traffic Light and yellow/black patterns are effective.
Sometimes a little extra weight is needed to place the lure into the strike zone. Look for an area where a pocket of slack water joins the river current, and retrieve your lure just on the edge of the slack water, letting the lure drift through the faster water at the end of the swing. Soft rubber lures could also be worth a go.
As the winter ends in late August, the streamer-type patterns (such as Parson's Glory, Jack Sprat and Grey Ghost lures) are effective when fished on a sinking line around river mouths. Browns will be chasing the whitebait and 'silveries' in to river mouths in late winter.

The start of the outgoing tide from the high tide offers the best time for fishing lures. Further up the river, red and silver Veltic spinners get the trout excited and can be weighted with split shot to get them in the strike zone.

Upstream nymphing can also be successful. Use 'attracter' nymph patterns such as gold bead-heads.
As far as lake fishing goes, the number 10 King Cobra is a great rainbow trout lure, especially when fished through shallow water. While trolling can be successful, I have had more success casting a spinner from a drifting boat. The King Cobra and Tasmanian Devil lures are effective on rainbows in Lakes Pearson, Lyndon, Coleridge, Selfe, Alexandrina and Bemnore over the winter. Brightly coloured bibbed lures, such as Rapalas, are also highly effective for rainbows when trolling deeper water such as Coleridge. The fluorescent Rapala sinking lures (green, yellow or pink) also account for many landlocked salmon over the late winter and early spring on Coleridge.

For those who enjoy flyfishing, lure-type flies tend to be the best approach over winter. Hamill's Killer, Mrs Simpson, Woolly Buggers and Rabbits are all successful winter patterns. Lures can be cast over the lake shallows with a floating line, or harled behind the boat on a slow sinking line. If you are fishing lures, it is important to make sure that the lure is taken down close to the lake bed where most of the trout will be holding and feeding.

Casting lures from a drifting boat can be very effective and allows you to cover lots of water. Lake Alexandrina especially, has a reputation for large rainbows (and browns to a lesser extent) which are caught by anglers harling feathered lures from a boat. Yellow Rabbit lures are favoured when fishing for rainbows at locations such as the Ahuriri arm on Lake Benmore.

Personally, my favourite winter fishing is done with a Woolly Bugger (with a luminous bead placed near the tail for added effect) around the river mouths of Lake Coleridge at night. If it is calm you can use a floating line and long trace to place the lure in the strike zone, but if the wind is blowing strongly then a Type-II sinking line helps to get the lure down.

You really have to be on the ball with this type of fishing as the rainbows often gently pluck the lure. You may only get one to two hits a night, but the fish can be trophies. Rainbows from 3 to 9-pounds are taken regularly by anglers fishing the Ryton and Harper rivermouths on Lake Coleridge.

Many rainbows are taken on luminous fly patterns. The largest rainbows are generally taken in the middle of winter as they mill around the river mouths prior to their upstream spawning runs.

The following locations are just some of the options that anglers have available to them over the winter months in Canterbury.

Lake Options

Lake Taylor has a good population of brown trout which can be caught on dragonfly patterns and small feathered lures over the winter. Browns can also be stalked along the lake edge.

Lake Lyndon provides good winter fishing, especially in late August as the rainbows move close into the lake edge prior to spawning. Lake Pearson offers great sight fishing along the edges on a calm winter's day for brown trout. Water Boatman patterns or a small Hamill's Killer are deadly.

Lake Coleridge would have to be my favourite location. Watching the shooting stars reflecting off the lake's waters while fishing lures at night for trophy rainbows makes Lake Coleridge a real wilderness fishing experience - and it's only one and a half hours' drive from town, too.

Lake Alexandrina offers outstanding fishing for large browns and rainbows. Harling and fishing small, feathered lures from a dinghy over the deep holes on the northern part of the lake is effective. Lake Benmore offers both outstanding boat fishing for rainbows (off the Ahuriri rivermouth) and for browns (sight fishing along the edges using water boatman or snail patterns).

River options

The lower reaches of the Clarence, Waimakariri, Rakaia and Waitaki Rivers all offer great spin fishing for small trout (1 to 3-pounds) over the winter. Spin fishing, upstream nymphing and fishing wet fly lures down and across on a sinking line are all proven winter techniques.

At the end of the day, fishing is all about an enjoyable outdoor experience. Make sure that you take lots of warm clothing, a pair of neoprene waders, lots of hot food and a thermos of hot drink. Taking time to prepare all the comforts will not only add to your enjoyment, it will also allow you to have better concentration while fishing - and that's important.

Comments

Kerry

08/04/2008 00:05

Wet Fly Fishing by Ron Giles

The Woolly Bugger and its mate, the Woolly Worm, would probably be the most common flies used in fast, deep runs. They are generalist patterns, designed to attract fish from their movement, rather than being an exact interpretation of a specific trout food. So they have to be fished with a technique that gives them some movement that will catch the attention of the fish. In cold weather, any wet fly or weighted nymph should be fished dead-drift close to the bottom, as fish will only move a few centimetres to intercept food. They are conserving energy, as they would not be energy-efficient if they were swimming around chasing food when they are using a lot of energy to fight the cold. So the best technique is to cast across and slightly upstream. This will give the sinking line time enough to drag the unweighted fly to the bottom where the trout will be lying to gain shelter from the heavy current. If you happen to be in a part of the river where spinning is permitted, then you can use a weighted wet fly to get down quicker. But in fly only water where flyfishers prefer to fish, you will have to give the line time to get your fly down to the bottom of the run.

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.

kerry A

08/04/2008 00:09

Advice & Info: Flyfishing - preparing for your next trip
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The key to successful fly fishing is comprised of two abilities:
Firstly, an intuitive feel for the areas where trout are found and an understanding of their feeding behaviour and secondly, being prepared mentally and having the right equipment and fly selection to catch the trout.

Visualise yourself on the river bank organising your gear and preparing to cast; this will help you immensely. Also, having your gear well organised will free-up some mental space and allow you to concentrate on observing your immediate environment. Chance favours the prepared angler. So if you want to become one of the 20% who catches 80% of the fish, read on... I have learned many lessons the hard way about preparation over the last three summers. I consider myself to have been chronically hopeless at organising my fishing tackle and have frequently been shown up by my friends. In addition, I caused them much frustration while fumbling around. At best, being poorly prepared will involve watching other people catch fish while you miss out. At worst, it can mean becoming lost in the back country.

Maps

Maps are extremely important for finding good fishing water. The NZMS map series (1:50 000 scale) made between 1982 and 1989 is especially detailed. Spend some time looking over maps. This will help immensely in finding new fishing locations. Since maps are expensive it is worth getting a photocopy of the appropriate section of the map and placing it in a plastic bag in the pocket of your tackle vest. There are some great fishing guide books available. Read fishing guides but remember that they aren't the last word and be open minded

Rod Selection

Throughout New Zealand a 6-weight rod will be suitable for 95% of the fishing. Yet after experiencing the El Nino summer of strong nor-westers, a 7-weight rod is highly desirable, especially when nymphing in headwater streams. There are a few situations where a heavier 8- or 9-weight rod will prove useful. I primarily brought a 9-weight rod for winter fishing at the Tongariro, but have found the rod to be useful in Canterbury when fishing Tongariro-style on the larger stony rivers such as the Hurunui or when lure fishing for sea-run trout.

Heavy gear is needed to control large fish! If fishing with a friend on a river then tie up different rigs on each rod. For example, have a tapered leader and dry fly set-up on one rod and an indicator and nymph set-up on the other. Share rods according to the situation and this will save a lot of chopping and changing of rigs and increase your fishing time. It also pays to have two fishing rods in the car or at the bach in case one gets broken. I have already broken two fly rods this season so I appreciate the importance of having a spare.

If you were to buy a third rod it would be worth looking at a four-piece packaway rod - especially if you are keen on exploratory fishing. The four-piece rod can also be discretely taken with you as a backup rod.

Reels

It is especially useful if you can buy spare spools for your fly reel as you can pack a floating line, sinking line and shooting head all using the same reel. Sometimes you can expect to fish all three types of line in a day, especially if you are fishing on lakes. Many people make the mistake of not getting deep enough when fishing lakes. It is impractical to carry three reels. Avoid reels with a flashy metallic appearance. Also, buy a reel with a reasonable drag system.

Flylines

A selection of fly lines is required. The most frequently used line is the floating line. A weight forward line is best, especially when casting into the wind, and has pretty much become accepted as a necessity in Canterbury (remember the nor-wester?). When buying a floating line avoid bright colours, dull green, grey or light brown is more appropriate. This is especially so for spooky brown trout in headwater streams and trout cruising the edges of lakes.

A second line is a Type 11 sinking line which is useful for lure fishing at night in the streams flowing into Lake Ellesmere and for night fishing over deep weedbeds on our high country lakes. A deep presentation of a large nymph or lure is often the difference between success and failure. Type 11 sinking lines are useful for lure fishing in lakes and slow moving rivers where the fly has to be presented close to the bottom in either deep water or slow flowing water.

A third type of line is a shooting head. A shooting head is useful for fishing for sea-run fish at rivermouths such as the Hurunui, Rakaia and Waitaki. Fly fishing for sea-runs is great fun and the possibility of hooking a salmon shouldn't be overlooked.

Remember to regularly clean grit of your flyline and to stretch it out before the season begins. There is nothing worse than loo

Smoking fish Tip

08/09/2008 18:59

When using a hot fish smoker, instead of a handfull of manuka sawdust put a desert spoonful on the bottom then cover with tinfoil, this uses a lot less sawdust.

It also gives a beautiful flavour and colour to the fish and prevents the juice from the cooking process burning and giving a bitter taste to the fish, enjoy.... peter

Doug (Fishing the upper grey river)

08/10/2008 19:43

The Blue Grey starts its life at Lake Christabel in the hills behind Springs Junction at the northern end of the Lewis Pass. The river flows very swiftly from the lake down to where it joins the Brown Grey. The smaller Brown Grey may hold fish during spawning season but generally is rather too small to afford the cover needed by decent size trout. The Blue Grey River is much larger, being sourced from Lake Christabel, so there is plenty of holding water for trout all the way from the lake down. Trout were released in the lake years ago but locals insist that there are no longer fish in there. Fishing spots are hard to find in the headwaters as a large volume of lake-fed water pours down a narrow gully. It is a matter of hiking up the track to the lake and peering through the trees to see if you can spy some small pockets where the river momentarily slows its headlong charge down the valley. There are only a few such pools to be found in the hour or so walk to the lake and they are easy to miss. When you find one, it will be short and fast so it is necessary to fish the quieter water at the edges. If you manage to hook a fish, your problems will have only just started, as they will be off downstream as soon as the hook is set.

The better fishing water is found down from the bridge at the farm on Palmer Road opposite the start of the track up to the lake. The river meanders its way through farmland for a kilometre or so down to its junction with the Brown Grey. From here to the Robinson confluence the river is known as the Upper Grey River. On the corner just below the junction is a deep pool that always harbours some big trout. However it is fished regularly by the locals so any trout in the pool are very wary; even by South Island brown trout standards! Further down the river enters the bush section. As long as the water level is normal, you can edge your way up either bank with only the occasional bit of bushbashing needed. There are some classic pools and a lot of riffly water and most of the fish will be found along the edges of the secondary channels.

Palmer Road continues to follow the river for several kilometres, finishing at a farm gate marked ‘Private Property’. It is necessary to call in at the farmhouse to gain permission to travel through the farm. From the end of the farm road, it is a short walk to the confluence of the Blue Grey and the Robinson Rivers, where the Grey River proper can be said to start. From here, it is 13 km through some rugged country down to the next access. This is one of the most beautiful rivers in New Zealand, crystal clear water flowing over clean river stones and big boulders.

The stretch above the Robinson confluence offers delightful fishing in a beech-flanked gorge. It is quite possible to work right through the gorge up to the start of the farm. Although the water flow is strong, there are plenty of obstructions to give shelter to the hardy browns. There are riffles, runs, deep pools and many secondary flows where the fish tend to hold. From the junction up is as good as South Island fishing gets – good fish in crystal clear water, with beech forest for a backdrop. However the Upper Grey is coming under increasing angling pressure, especially from the professional guides who obviously find it a good river to give their clients the real Kiwi outdoor experience without the cost of a helicopter or the inconvenience of tramping in. This makes it very favoured by professional guides. One suspects it cannot be far off when the local farmer closes off access in a deal with a guide, as is happening in many North Island rivers.

Compared to a few years ago, there are a lot more anglers and the days of having the river to yourself are long gone. This means spooky fish needing careful approaches and delicate presentations, especially if they are lying shallow. It is also not the river it used to be, having been severely affected by the huge flood in February 1997. This changed the river drastically and ruined some lovely pools and riffles. One riffle in particular always will stay in my memory – a 500 m long run that you could wade up quite easily casting to rises left and right. One hot February afternoon saw me spot over 20 fish up this riffly run, about half of them on the rise. They were taking freely and it took me 3 hours to do the 500 m with 10 fish being hooked. You tend to treasure magic days like that – they are becoming scarcer.

I usually start fishing around the area called Cattle Flat as this area is popular with the local guides. That is usually a good sign, as those guys have to produce fish for the paying customers. There is a copse of big beech trees that leads to a pool that is the first big pool before the gorge that goes all the way down to the Robinson River junction. If you creep up to the edge of the trees and stare intently into the greeny-blue pool, you will usually see a gray smudge

Yakkaman

03/25/2009 19:04

WET FLY FISHING.

The Woolly Bugger and its mate, the Woolly Worm, would probably be the most common flies used in fast, deep runs. They are generalist patterns, designed to attract fish from their movement, rather than being an exact interpretation of a specific trout food. So they have to be fished with a technique that gives them some movement that will catch the attention of the fish. In cold weather, any wet fly or weighted nymph should be fished dead-drift close to the bottom, as fish will only move a few centimetres to intercept food. They are conserving energy, as they would not be energy-efficient if they were swimming around chasing food when they are using a lot of energy to fight the cold. So the best technique is to cast across and slightly upstream. This will give the sinking line time enough to drag the unweighted fly to the bottom where the trout will be lying to gain shelter from the heavy current. If you happen to be in a part of the river where spinning is permitted, then you can use a weighted wet fly to get down quicker. But in fly only water where flyfishers prefer to fish, you will have to give the line time to get your fly down to the bottom of the run.

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.

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