Here's something I wish I knew about earlier

Here's something I wish I knew about a long time ago. See, I like to catch big fish, but to get an odds on chance of catching big fish you need to get onto a charter boat (unless you have your own boat, which I don't). The problem with charter boats is that they usually require you to charter the entire boat, and are very unhelpful to people like me who turn up at the last moment and want a place for just one person. See I don't book until the last moment because I get chronically seasick so I need to see the day is going to be as flat as a tack before I go out. In most charter locations, catering to 'casuals' or 'individuals' is just not done, with the exception of reef or bottom bouncing trips which just don't interest me. Anyway, a bit of web research turns up the fact that in the Bay of Islands (New Zealand) things are different - there is a small industry built up around taking casuals out on kingfish expeditions. Getting on a boat for an amazing (by Aus standards) mornings fishing is as easy as getting a cab in Sydney. Anyone who's familiar with sport fishing will know what a rare and wonderful opportunity this is.

So I went over to NZ in late March, and did 3 days kingfish fishing in the Bay, and 4 days fly-fishing for trout down-country.

Attached are three photos. The two fish held vertical were pretty standard size models for the Bay. I caught 5 fish like that on the first morning- 20 or so for the boat, then they went off the bite about 11:00am. The single fish held horizontal was from day 2. Day 2 was plagued by sharks - I lost several fish like that till we gave up. The photo of the single fish held vertical is from the last day. Again, that day was plagued by sharks and we were getting only the odd fish to the boat till in the last 40mins we moved to a reef inshore where the skipper said he couldn't guarantee fish but at least there would be no sharks. I got that fish and decided to give it up for the day due to chronic RSI, but the skipper baited my line up so I thought why not, dropped my line over the side and immediately hooked an identical model. Fun.

Next year, going back.
cheers
Arron
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:2tsup:

Put up a great fight and one of the best eating fish around :2tsup:

Beautiful fish.

But more importantly...how did you go with the fly fishing for trout?

Now THAT sounds like a good opportunity for some nice fishing.

Steven.

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Originally Posted by spokeshave

Beautiful fish.

But more importantly...how did you go with the fly fishing for trout?

Now THAT sounds like a good opportunity for some nice fishing.

Steven.

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Yep, never hard to get me talking about fishing. I choose to go spend a couple of days in the South Waikato and a day or so in the King Country. These might seem like pretty strange choices in a country with so many exceptional trout fishing venues - but I had personal reasons for going to these spots. I went to the Waikato because I used to fish there as a kid 40 or so years ago and I wanted to see how it had changed. Then I went to the King Country because I only had about a day and half so I wanted to go places with easy access and only a few hours away from Auckland airport - so I could fish till the last moment.

In the South Waikato I fished the upper Waihou - where its a dead-clear spring fed stream. My preferred way of fishing is to get in the river and wade slowly upstream casting a dry fly into the undisturbed water ahead of me. To do this you need a small river, easily wadeable, preferably without anyone else fishing and disturbing the water ahead of me. I stick to dry flies because they mean I can see everything as it happens - though it was about a month too late for dry fly and there was very little surface activity. Still, there were lots of small fish in the Waihou, and very willing. 9 or so fish for the day. I haven't had much chance to fish spring-fed, so it was a challenge. I think they might have preferred a nymph or a wet. Pictures of Waihou attached.

Then I fished the Waiomou. A stream of about the same size but rain-fed and flowing through dairy country so a bit dirty. I got a couple of medium sized fish - still very enjoyable.

Then it was over to the King Country, and first the Upper Waipa - just outside of Otarahunga. I didn't expect much as it was such an easily accessible and therefore overfished spot but I had a nice evening casting to fish under the willows. Caught several medium sized fish on big dry flies (stimulators) - guess they thought they were moths falling out of the willows.

Next day it was the Maungakewa. Nice little river. 6 or so small/medium sized fish, a couple of 3+ pounders and a big (for a small river, say 5-6lb) brown lost. All on big stimulator type dry flies - not sure what they think they were - some sort of terrestrial. Best of all, I saw a NZ falcon and a Nth Island robin while walking to/from the river. Photo attached.

Good fun, but I learnt a couple of things. Firstly, don't try to fish 4 rivers in 4 days. Without local knowledge you end up fishing in the easily-accessible touristy spots. Its only towards the end of the day that you learn enough about the river to know where you should be fishing -its kind of too late by then though. Second, get a campervan. I had a hire car, so had to spend the best part of the fishing day organising accommodation - which was near-impossible in the King Country due to some sort of shearing competition thing that was going on. With a campervan you can keep your itinerary flexible and not worry about where you are going to sleep.

In the King Country, I wanted to fish the Waimihia, the Ongarue or maybe the Awakino, all much higher rated rivers then the Waipa and the Maungakewa, but never got the time.

cheers
Arron

photos of Maungakewa and Waihou attached. Imagine having these in your back yard.
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Thanks for that Arron. Sounds fantastic.

This is one area that the kiwi's have it all over us in a big way (except maybe Tassie), and thats trout fishing.

Tha majority of N.E Victoria's rivers have gone to the crapper as far as trout fishing is concerned.

Steven.

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Originally Posted by spokeshave

Thanks for that Arron. Sounds fantastic.

This is one area that the kiwi's have it all over us in a big way (except maybe Tassie), and thats trout fishing.

Tha majority of N.E Victoria's rivers have gone to the crapper as far as trout fishing is concerned.

Steven.

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Same in NSW. Even the Snowys are not worth the gas money it takes to get there now.

Nz trout fishing is, I think, better then it was when I lived there many years ago. Both the number and size of fish, and the infrastructure - there are so many access points and riverside reserves and information and support for anglers.