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Trout Fisher
Issue 153
December 2015/January 2016
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Trout Fisher 153 December 2015/Janu
NZ's only dedicated trout fishing magazine promotes the sport in the spirit of public ownership
uary 2016
CONTENTS
STRATEGY . . . 2
By Peter Storey
MY AUSTRALIA TRIP . . . 3
By Todd Storey
SUMMERTIME, AND THE FISHIN' IS EASY . . . 4
Behind the Tying Vice with Russell McKendry
LETTERS . . . 7
James Morrison on Tongariro Etiquette
TAUPO a 30 year reunion . . . 12
Part of the series by Garry Scrimgeour
MY 'MUST HAVE' FLIES . . . 16
Chapter 10 of An Angler's Chronicles by John Giacon
TALKING TAUPO . . . 18
With Andrew Christmas
SIGNIFICANTLY BROADER . . . 22
Jarred Martin discusses fishing from kayaks
EARLY SUMMER FOAM . . . 28
David Lambroughton shows us 3 of his favourite patterns
THE FURTHER THE BETTER . . . 34
By Peter Garaway
THE FLY FISHING ARMOURY . . . 36
Part 3 from John Gummer
A STEP BACK IN TIME . . . 40
Andrew Hearne discusses fibreglass
SUMMER TROUT WILD FRUITS . . . 42
Wild to the Table with Tony Smith
MEMORIES OF ABERFELDY . . . 44
Garrett Evans winds this issue up
COVER
Hold on . . . David Lamboughton
HERE
Sunset Leaper . . . Russell McKendry
PRODUCTION
All enquires to the publisher:
Peter Storey 1 Ronald Road RD 5 Rotorua 3076 NZ
peter@nztroutfisher.co.nz 07 (+647) 3628 914
ISSN 1173-1761 (PRINT) ISSN 2230-6420 (DIGITAL)
No part of this magazine may be reproduced in any way
without prior permission of the publisher. Any item bearing (©)
also require permission of the author.
www.nztroutfisher.co.nz
1
The combined availability of freshwater and geothermal resources also
provides potential for landbased freshwater aquaculture in the Taupo
region, primarily trout farming. Trout farming is currently prohibited in
New Zealand. Interested parties, including iwi, need to demonstrate the
commercial potential of trout farming and how concerns that led to the
ban will be addressed.
(Toi Moana Bay of Plenty Growth Study, Ministry of Primary Industries, 2015.)
Strategy
By Peter Storey
H
ere's an average 2 year old maiden 2015 Tarawera
rainbow. It's 50cm/1.2kg and as you can see,
poorly conditioned. 30+ years' experience tells
me it should be around 60cm/2.5kg and that it's mainly
smaller because the food chain in this lake, especially
smelt, seems far less than it was 10-15 years ago.
In those years local and regional government have
imposed legal measures on residential and commercial
land use within the immediate catchment to raise water
quality, yet nutrient levels continue to rise in the lake
from other sources. Logically, then, despite an ostensibly
beneficial environment the smelt population in this lake is
out of balance with the current trout population, 60-70%
of which can be adjusted at will.
One reason this fish is smaller therefore relates directly
to the policy, 'maximising angler opportunity'. Simply
put, 20% more fish have been released in recent years
because anglers want to catch something, in a lake that
produces highly unpredictable trout fishing.
Maximising angler opportunity is a directive that
began driving Fish & Game operations soon after central
government created the organisation in 1990. We make
much of trout fishing's democratic history in this country
but politicians actually control our sport. Fish & Game
expertise – and we have some of the best here in Eastern
– is shackled to Ministry of Conservation direction.
Why does central government want to maximise angler
opportunity? The given reason is to get more people
fishing. Yet all resources involved are interdependent
and those who formulated this policy must therefore have
2
Trout Fisher
Issue 153 December 2015/January 2016
concluded the increased angling pressure would also
devalue the resource, by depleting wild breeding stock
and, where possible, increasing supplementary releases.
Possibly then, the actual aim was to reduce angler
numbers and if so, it has worked.
Why would government want that? If your strategy
is to industrialise more of this country, that's much easier
to achieve with the public on your side. Tactically then,
being public resources you must stealthily weaken public
perception of them, a process made much simpler if you
reduce the numbers of those most dependent on high
water quality. Anglers.
In sport the cost of participation typically covers
the cost of maintenance. This sport's does not. Its
maintenance is also intrinsically linked to an environment
that's being constantly eroded, under leadership of
politicians who encourage anglers to fish more and pay
less for it, undermining the ability of those they expect to
maintain the quality of the sport. A generation later, Fish
& Game operates on a shoestring budget while angler
numbers fall every time the cost of a licence rises.
It's no surprise trout farming is being promoted here in
the Bay of Plenty, home of hatchery-based trout fishing,
the 8 fish bag limit and the catch rate mentality. Unless
WE change how we fish, public opinion will likely make
trout farming reality. Strategy achieved.
T
his is the last issue to include Rod & Reel advertising
and I thank them for their support over the past year.
If you like what you read and generally buy a retail copy,
please consider taking out a subscription.
My Australia
Trip
By Todd Storey
A
combined U12 junior rugby team from the Marist St Michael's
club, Rotorua, went to Australia for five days, from July 10-15.
We played three Gold Coast teams Wollongbar Alstonville,
Ipswich Rangers and a representative group of combined union and
league players from Logan. We won all three games.
Our second game against Ipswich was the best because we got to
sing the national anthem and perform the haka before the start and the
score was posted on an electronic scoreboard. Ipswich played really
hard and in the end the result was very tight, 19-17 to us actually. After
the game we had a presentation and were handed a gift bag with an
Ipswich Rangers T-Shirt, drink bottle and pen.
The resort we stayed in was the best ever. It had a little lake full of
fish and my teammates caught a stingray. In between the games, the
best part was going to Whitewater World and Dreamworld. The wildlife
park on the way back to Brisbane Airport was really good too.
I would like to thank our coaches and managers Bruce Ross and
Maree McKenzie, Kyle and Philippa Fraser for setting the trip up, my
Dad and everyone from the magazine who helped me out, because if it
wasn't for you we wouldn't have had this great opportunity to play rugby
in Oz and have so much fun. Thanks too to all the parents who came
along and supported us during the trip.
Although I found the heat really hard to cope with, I would definitely
like to do it all again!
Thank you all; have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
info@nztroutfisher.co.nz
3
“BEHIND THE TYING VICE” with RUSSELL MCKENDRY
This is the last in a series of four insect selections for the seasons. Here’s another opportunity to
enhance your fly boxes with unique ideas that are all your own ...
Summertime,
- AND THE FISHIN’ IS EASY...
W
ell, maybe it’s not always so, but for trout the
livin’ is certainly easy as they make the most
of summer. Insects of course are making the
most of it too and the fish are spoiled for choice. The
fishing is easy because fish will feed heavily to regain
good condition and to boost growth – and it’s difficult
because they will often focus on one particular food item
and prove quite hard to please. So can we match their
choice? And can we do it with our own designs? ...
To gain the satisfaction that comes from taking fish
with our own designs, it won’t hurt to include these steps:
• Look carefully again at the naturals
• Sketch them to help focus on their prime features
• Write down ideas as they come to mind
• Measure insects to carefully get the size of your copies
correct
• Make your choice of hook accordingly
• Choose materials so as to get the right colour, bulk and
texture
• Consider accents of added colour, flash or sparkle
• Decide about density, so as to achieve the best rate of
sinking or the ideal style of floating in or upon the surface
• Make your first attempt
If you’re anything like me you will probably want to
bin that first attempt. It will look scruffy and not what you
set out to do – and it would no doubt be accepted quite
happily by a fish! However we set ourselves a higher
standard than ‘near enough”, don’t we? A few more
tries and we find the techniques we need to get all the
materials to sit just the way we want them...
4
Trout Fisher
T
he first of my choices for this summer is the water
boatman. About five to eight millimetres long, they
swim with a series of short, darting kicks and, when they
become abundant in the backwaters of rivers and margins
of lakes, they are sucked in by trout in large numbers. At
certain times the boatman will be first choice on the menu
and at others they seem to be inhaled almost absentmindedly just because they are there! Here’s a case
where some flash or sparkle is valuable. The shine that
comes from tiny bubbles of air trapped by the boatman’s
hairy legs is well worth representing.
I never fish with a water boatman without
remembering the time that a fish took my nymph three
times before it hooked up. The first time it closed its
mouth over the nymph and I managed to pull the nymph
out again. The fish kept following. When it overtook the
nymph again and opened its mouth over it, I watched
carefully to see the jaws close. Tightened up again. No
contact! “What the heck?”, thought the fish, “Whenever
I try to suck this thing in, it won’t come back!”. That
fish was reading my mind. Yes, it needed to be able to
suck it back and I was holding a tight line. So another
twitch, another gulp, another pause – a hook-up! There
must have been enough slack in the tippet that time.
We sometimes blame fish for ‘taking short’ when a fish
‘misses’ the hook, maybe right under the rod tip. What if
it was just trying to suck in a fly that couldn’t come back
to it?...
hat do I want for Christmas? That’s easy. Big
hatches of ‘Christmas beetles’! The manuka
beetle is also known as just ‘the green beetle’, but the
entomologist who chose its taxonomic name gave it the
poetic, the quite celebratory name of ‘Pyronota festiva’.
The scarab beetle was sacred to the ancient Egyptians
and, although our green beetle is unique to New Zealand,
it’s a member of the same chafer family and is just as
beautiful. It should be on our flag.
The metallic sheen has been imitated with many
things found in Christmas decorations, flower arranging
materials and even car paint. They’re all legal! At about
ten millimetres in length, they make a very attractive and
distinctive item of trout prey. The vast majority are taken
as they float on the surface but I was once astonished
when my guiding friend gave me a weighted green beetle
to offer to a mid-water fish. Although I felt pretty sceptical
I did what I was told. The thing sank to the sandy bottom,
just in front of the fish, which smartly pounced on it!
Maybe there’s more of a case than I thought for fishing a
drowned beetle?
W
5
6
Trout Fisher
I
t would be just wrong to exclude cicadas from
any short list for the trout’s summer menu.
When they become abundant even sparrows
go for their share and trout in particular lose all
inhibition when they mop them up as a special
treat. Most of the forty or so species of NZ
cicadas emerge in January and February, with
the high-country types going late into March.
They vary in size above and below twenty five
millimetres in body length. The dark clapping
cicada is very common throughout the country
and covers many cases but the smaller green one
is a ‘must-have’ when they emerge from highcountry grasses. Usually about twenty millimetres
in body length, with wings extending to about
thirty millimetres. Here it is...
I would never be without a little green cicada
on Lake Otamangakau or indeed any of the
high-country lakes. Even though I remember
pulling the fly out of the mouth of a huge fish that
levitated majestically from the depths and, in slow
motion, lifted its whole head out of the water to
take the fly. Even when I snatched the fly away
and saw that roll of the eye which implied “Are
you serious?” Even when I answered, less than
cogently, “Duh”...
A cicada will draw a fish to chase it quite
some distance down a fast run and wolf it in the
tail-out. A cicada, even when stuck in the surface
of a calm lake, will draw a fish into a thrashing,
summersault of a rise, either in the act of beating
another fish to it or simply out of the summer
joy of life. It pays to tie a good selection of this
wonderful insect.
ere’s where I apologise for not including
a particular insect in this short series that
might reliably work the oracle for you. Unless,
by chance, your remaining ‘must-have’ for
summer is the ‘willow grub’? The Department of
Conservation is in the process of trying to remove
willows from many waterways but lots remain to
act as host to the redgall sawfly which lays its eggs
in the leaves. By high summer the larvae start to
eat their way out of the galls and let themselves
down to the ground on threads – so sometimes
that leaves them floating over the heads of trout.
These little darlings are not more than five
millimetres long but there are so many that
trout will start to browse on them, often to the
exclusion of all else. When the rivers are low and
uncomfortably warm and the fish seem to have
gone to sleep, the mass emergence of willow
grubs can often save the day.
The thing is to have a tiny copy on hand that
will stick in the surface film.
It will disappear in a little vortex and you will
lift and feel the weight of a slowly-reacting fish.
Just then it thinks “Whattt?”...
Just then it plunges for the willow roots and
the surface explodes...
Just then you remember that it’s time you
inhaled..
H
Letters
TONGARIRO ETIQUETTE
The Tongariro River is widely considered one of the best trout
fishing rivers in the world and because of this, it can also be
fairly busy, particularly in pools closest to Turangi. There are
also two different methods used on the Tongariro – nymphers
using floating lines and fishing upstream, and wet-fly anglers
using sinking lines and fishing downstream. The presence of
these different anglers and styles, not always compatible with
each other, makes it vital for all to be considerate and follow the
established etiquette for fishing.
Unfortunately, some anglers seem to have convinced
themselves that fishing etiquette is something which no longer
applies. Some of the worst offenders in this case are guides, who
definitely should know better. They are introducing new anglers
to the Tongariro and are thus responsible for making sure the rules
are understood.
I have been fishing on the Tongariro for nearly 40 years. Last
weekend I took my 14 y.o. daughter to a pool suitable for her to
wade and wet-fly. When we arrived, there was a guide (called
Tim) with a couple of clients fishing. They were at the bottom
of the pool nymphing. And not moving. After nearly an hour –
they still hadn’t moved, I’d fished the next pool downstream – I
approached the female client who had now hooked a further two
fish out of the top of the rapids. Turns out they had been there
for a number of hours before we arrived and caught seven fish
between them. She had no idea of the etiquette and Tim hadn’t
mentioned it. So after a word with Tim he agreed to move on.
However, he’d already got away with dominating the pool for
several hours while other fisherman moved on without getting a
shot at the prime water.
This followed an experience the previous day in a different
pool. On this occasion a couple of blokes with nymphing gear
attempted to enter the water directly below my daughter who
was moving downstream with a wet fly. They did this without
even saying hello. Before the first angler stepped in I told him our
direction but he was still undeterred. So I spelt out for him that
he was not to enter the water below us. It probably helped that
with my brother also present we outnumbered them. They simply
didn’t seem to know or understand the rules, let alone the simple
courtesy of acknowledging the anglers already fishing in the pool.
These two instances are different sides of the same coin.
Guides who wilfully ignore the rules; anglers who either don’t
know them, or don’t believe they apply. It is becoming endemic.
River etiquette is not some antiquated idea that harks from a
bygone era when the Admiral would ask the Major if he would
“possibly mind sharing his pool, old chap”. In those days there
was no real crowding. In modern times, there are more anglers
and far greater need for everyone to show consideration on the
river. Fishing guides should consider that not only their own
reputations, but also that of their very livelihood is on the line.
The Tongariro is a public resource, not a private estate for fishing
guides to exploit.
I have a suggestion. Next time you see a guide, ask his clients
if he’s explained the etiquette to them. If he hasn’t then let them
know that he should, and post his name on social media. And if
the guide’s name is Tim, then let him know you’ve already heard
of him.
Regards,
James Morrison.
7
Okataina Opening
Talking Plenty with James Fuller
A
fter three hours preparing your gear on the night
before Opening Day your wife calls from the living
room: “What are you doing?” When the alarm
clock starts its 4am dance you ask yourself ‘What am I
doing?” And as you flick the kitchen light on the dog
seems to be thinking something a bit stronger. But the
preparation, early start, the drive to the lake are all part of
what makes a tradition, and this is Opening Day.
Heading for Rotorua I pass trailer boats being filled
up in brightly-lit gas stations their destination, like mine,
one of ‘the big three’ Okataina, Tarawera or Rotoiti; the
district’s trophy lakes. During July, August and September
these jewels of the Rotorua fishing crown fall silent to boat
fishermen but that all changes on October 1st.
The most lightly fished and remote of this trio is
Okataina. It will not be lightly fished today, with a bumper
crowd expected for the start of a two-day competition
boasting $10,000 in prizes.
Following SH30 towards Whakatane along the shores
of Lake Rotoiti I turn off at Ruato Bay onto a narrow
and winding 7km-long road with dense forest rising
up on either side. It is the only access in and out of
Okataina, leading to the sole lakeside building – Okataina
Lodge. The flickering radio and cell reception add to the
8
Trout Fisher
wilderness feel as my snaking progress ends with being
spat out into the lodge’s grounds and a view of the main
beach and Lake Okataina opening up before me.
As I stroll along the beach in fuzzy pre-dawn light an
angler is readying his boat for the off. Colin Greenslade
is originally from Auckland but loves the Rotorua lakes so
much, and Okataina in particular, he moved to fish them.
“Someone said to me ‘you’re down there so often you
might as well move down there’, so I did,” he laughs. “I
used to come down every couple of weeks anyway.”
Colin has been fishing Okataina for over 30 years and
says it is a special place.
“Look at it,” he says in a manner suggesting no further
explanation is required. “There are no houses around
it, it’s beautiful, and quiet compared to a lot of the other
lakes. I can come here during the week outside of
holidays and have the lake to myself. Then there’s the
quality of the fish, and the water. You could drink the
water; in fact I did a while back on a stinking hot day
when I forgot my water bottle.”
Colin is waiting for his mate Kerry Morley and is telling
me about a 10.5lbs rainbow he caught here three seasons
ago on an olive-green Booby when a commotion breaks
out at the boat ramp.
Colin and Kerry, ready to go
Looking down the lake with Mount Tarawera beyond
All manner of craft take to the water
“If you ever need some laughs just go down to your
local boat ramp,” says Colin.
A novice is having issues reversing his trailer and
advice is being offered, progressively more assertively, by
those waiting. But they are tinged with a discernible new
season bonhomie until finally: ‘Do you want me to do it
for you bro?” An offer gleefully accepted.
As Kerry arrives and the two friends set off other
engines are firing into life; though some require a bit more
perseverance to coax them from their off-season slumber.
Along the shoreline, at the ramp and by vehicles, guys
wait for fishing buddies who have overslept, checking
their watches, positioning and repositioning, loading and
reloading gear. All manner of craft are taking to the water
from kayaks, to puttering tinnies, to altogether gruntier
8-man vessels. Gentle wash Vees spread out as they
negotiate the speed-limited area and set course for their
favourite possies. Some open up with more purpose as
they head for distant locations far up the lake.
Fish and Game Officer Lloyd Gledhill is on opening
day duty and is expecting big crowds.
“Normally on opening day there’s around 100-120
anglers but there will be significantly more than that today.
Today’s not really about checking licences for us, this is
a fish information gathering day. We take details of the
methods used, how long each method was fished, the
success, fish kept and ones put back, lengths, weights,
fin clips and tags which gives information on their age
and when they were released. We’ve been doing this
every year for a long time and it builds up that database
of information. That way you have an expectation and if
the results vary greatly from that you know something is
happening with the fishery. The fish are the canary in the
mine, they tell you if something is wrong.”
Whispy clouds drift across the tops of the forested
mountainsides which cup this picturesque lake like
the palm of a hand, and a chorus of Tuis echoes out
to welcome in the day. Their fluid songs mingle with
laughter and voices carrying across the water as anglers
get stuck into the serious business of enjoying their day.
By 9am another tradition is being readied; breakfast
on the lake. Okataina Lodge owner Nick Berryman and
his staff have moored up their pontoon boat by the Log
Pool and anglers from all across the lake are now heading
purposefully in their direction, drawn in on the heavenly
scent of a fry-up.
Above the sizzling and spitting of cooking eggs, bacon
and sausages and the clanking of spoons on coffee mugs
9
Lance waits anxiously as his prize winner is measured
Good coffee and a hearty morning feed
Graeme, Amelia and Todd
the conversation is of what’s been caught, what’s been
lost, and Fish and Game’s contest to catch a red-tagged
fish worth $25,000.
“I caught a tagged fish, not the right tag though?”
“Didn’t you bring your red marker pen?”
As with all anglers some are cagey about their catches,
others more forthcoming, but all methods, trolling, harling,
jigging and fly-fishing have been successful to varying
degrees. Fly-fishing at Rayners 1 and 2 (where two small
streams enter the lake) in particular has yielded good
results early on. Most have caught - including Mark and
Quinn Bowie, from Waikite Valley, Rotorua – who had
three fish with the biggest at 1.8kgs. Quinn is showing the
old man how it’s done having caught all three.
“Yeah I pretty much get to drive the boat these days,”
laughs Mark.
Rotorua MP Todd McClay is fishing with TV personality
Graeme Sinclair, his wife Sandy and daughter, Amelia. By
breakfast they already have six fish on the boat, Sandy
accounting for four of those, and all have been returned.
But the catch of the morning has gone to Wellington
angler Lance Peacock. Having travelled up with a mate
and joining a Rotorua-based friend for the two-day
contest, the long trip has proved well worth it.
10
Trout Fisher
“It’s only the second time I’ve fished Okataina, and this
is my first year in the competition. I came up five years
ago and didn’t catch anything.”
That changed at 8am when a 7lbs rainbow smashed
his trolled traffic light lure. Some heart stopping moments
followed as the fish erupted from the water and the three
mates realised they were into a good one.
“Yeah it came out of the water a fair few times
actually,” said Lance, whose previous best was 5.5lbs.
“Once I’d seen it I was just thinking ‘don’t lose it’. It was
such a great fight; took about 15 minutes to bring it in.
Then I lost another big one just before breakfast. That was
a huge hit so you knew it was big but then it got snagged
up on something and that was that unfortunately.”
Lance is enthused, not just about his fish, but the day
and the event.
“It’s such a fantastic place. To come out and fish in
these surroundings and catch a fish like this has been
awesome: lovely place, good company, beautiful fish, well
organised comp, breakfast on the lake, what more could
you want? Everyone you speak to is having a great time. I
feel very lucky to be a part of it all.”
y the day’s end dozens of well-sunned fishermen
return to the ramp ready for a well-earned beer and
B
Quinn and Mark at the Log Pool
Lloyd and Terry Wood, collecting data at the weigh in
the tension of the weigh-in. The hubbub increases in the
line-up for the scales as stories are exchanged; necks are
craned as people check weights and sideways glances
thrown as they mentally measure up what others have
in their coolers. Everyone has fish to weigh in and some
good quality ones at that, these fish grow fat on a plentiful
diet of smelt, bullies and koura.
Lance's fish proves to be the day's biggest, at an official
weight was 3.2kgs (7lbs) and wins him a Lowrance Elite 7
HDI Fishfinder valued at $1299. (The biggest trout over
the two days was a 3.52kgs (7 ¾lbs) rainbow caught by
Craig McEwen; this fish also won Craig a Lowrance Elite 7
HDI Fishfinder, as well as a $460 cash sweepstake and the
Lakes Lodge Trophy.)
“It’s been a good start,” says Okataina Lodge owner
Nick Berryman. “Everyone’s had a good day and we had
30 boats lined up for breakfast which I’ve never seen
before. 100 breakfasts in two hours was going some in
the kitchen,” he adds puffing his cheeks out. “Fish-wise it’s
been a bit of a mixed bag. We’ve had some around the
7lbs mark but we usually get bigger than that.”
Nick inaugurated the two-day competition when he
took over the lodge six years ago. 90 anglers took part
in the first year and it has been growing in popularity
ever since. As well as the prizes for the top 6-8 fish each
day there are spot prizes, evening events such as BBQs
and carveries as well as special guests, which this year
included motivational speaker Tony Christiansen.
“We had 136 anglers enter this year but we’ve had to
turn 50 away and I know the local shops have also had to
do that. It’s definitely getting more and more popular.”
Those who enter get first refusal on entering again the
following year and a hardcore of 80 anglers fish the event
annually.
“We wanted to create an unique, prestigious
competition and I think we’ve done that. We’ve got some
great sponsors and $10,000 in prizes but we’ve closed it
off at that level. We don’t really want the prizes to be the
main motivator; we want it to be the whole experience.
But the prizes are pretty cool as well,” he smiles.
“At the end of the day everyone has busy lives and
they don’t get a chance to get away and do this sort of
thing very often. It’s something they look forward to.
They come here and they don’t have to worry about
anything, we do everything for them, you walk out of your
room and onto the boat.”
11
As a Kiwi living abroad in Canada and after a 30
year absence, I began a 3 week reunion with the
Taupo trout fishery in March and April 2015. In
this my final article, I recount two excursions to
the Western Bay where three school chums and I
were tormented by magnificent wily brown trout.
TAUPO a 30 year reunio
By GARRY SCRIMGEOUR
O
ne of my favourite memories of fishing Lake
Taupo back in the 1980’s was harling along the
Western Bays with a short length of lead line,
and a 15 foot leader that presented a size 6 Taupo Tiger.
Back then I would also stop and fish the small streams
that flowed into the lake with the hope of enticing a big
brown. And I had success. My 30 year reunion had to
include this adventure and I did it with three university
chums: Rob Davidson, Rob Moffat (both ardent anglers),
and Kevin Collier (our official photographer and purveyor
of beverages). Departing the Kinloch Marina we headed
west to the first stream located in Kawakawa Bay, and
then to Waihora Bay before progressing south to Waihora,
and beyond. Over two days we fished many inlet streams,
some of which represented appreciable flows into the
lake, whereas others were little more than a trickle.
Success at stream inlets is strongly influenced by
many factors including lake water level, air and water
temperatures, wind direction and speed, and whether
other anglers have beaten you to the spot. In the latter
case, the stream inlet looks “very fishy” but fish are
nowhere to be found as they have been recently caught
12
Trout Fisher
or spooked by anglers. Although we found both browns
and rainbows, it was the browns and their wiles that
would both excite and torment us for hours.
Fishing small inlet streams in Lake Taupo requires
strategy and patience. Because we had fished these areas
before, we knew that a silent approach was the first key
strategy for success. We beached our Sea Doo typically
75 m from the inlet stream and then walked and surveyed
the inlet before casting. This takes great patience,
which my school chums have in varying but consistently
low amounts. On many occasions we would see dark
shadows lying immediately below the drop-off where
streams entered the lake. These were a mix of browns
and rainbows, but we also saw rainbows rising to insects,
especially along the margins of underwater sandstone
terraces that are present along many sections of the
Western Bays.
Using floating, sink tip and slow sinking lines we
typically caught 2 to 3 lb rainbows on Woolly Buggers
and medium-sized Glo Bugs. But it was the presence of
large browns at one of the stream inlets that caught our
full and undivided attention. We knew that these were
Small streams even those that offer only a trickle of
water attract Western Bay browns in the autumn.
on
The author with a 6 lb brown from the Western Bay of
Lake Taupo in 1984.
PART 3: WESTERN BAYS &
WILY BROWNS
WILE – DEFINITION
DEVIOUS OR CUNNING STRATAGEMS EMPLOYED
IN MANIPULATING OR PERSUADING SOMEONE TO
DO WHAT ONE WANTS. (DEFINITIONS.COM)
appreciable fish of at least 6 lbs. However, they weren’t
going to be easy to catch as they were in water that was
only 15 to 30 cm deep and that meant that they were
going to be easily spooked. In fact, we initially thought
that their dark backs and fins were rocks protruding above
the water surface. These were the magnificent browns,
distant relatives of those that I encountered back in the
eighties and those that we had hoped to encounter in the
Western Bays. As many anglers can attest, these browns
are wary and it was tough for us to fight the urge to cast
at them right away. This is what they want us to do—this is
their wile.
At the beginning of the day one school chum was
magnanimously (defined as showing or suggesting nobility
of feeling and generosity of mind) given the sole privilege
of casting for these big browns first, should we encounter
them. The remaining chums would stand idle with rods
in hand until the first brown was hooked. Naively, we
thought that this privilege would be short lived and within
just a few minutes of arriving at stream inlet we would all
be casting to these behemoths. Only later did we fully
appreciate the folly of this agreement and that it would
be sorely tested. Working the margins of these schooling
fish, Rob (surname deliberately withheld) carefully
presented small and then intermediate-sized Glo Bugs,
followed by an arsenal of minimally-weighted nymphs.
Pheasant Tails, Hair & Coppers, dragonfly and damselfly
nymphs were all presented, sometimes accompanied
with a small dry fly as a strike indicator. Short 10 to 20
foot casts were all that was required but the presentation
had to be gentle so that the fish would not be spooked.
Nail knots were frantically tied and re-tied and we ripped
through tippet material. Presentations of small and then
larger dries followed. We went through the fly box with
voracity, all the time wary not to put the line over the fish
and only cast to fish at the margins. Rob carefully cast
for these browns for 10 minutes, and then another 10
minutes and then another 10 minutes. I knew that he was
trying to hook one of these fish but I am sure that he was
taking a little too much pleasure from the fact that the
remaining chums were standing by our agreement and
that he was the only one fishing. The remaining school
chums looked on longingly like a dog with full bladder
looks for a fire hydrant. We had to be patient.
13
“There are only two types of
anglers of brown trout. Those that
have been tormented by them and
those that are about to be!”
The offerings of flies were plentiful and only exceeded
by the number of helpful hints given to Rob as we school
chums, rods idle at our sides, respected our decision to let
him hook the first fish before we started to fish. There was
a discernible transition as the waiting school chums began
to seriously question prior commitment. The torment had
begun! Cast after cast, after cast was presented. “For the
love of Mike let the torment end!”
And then it did. Hallelujah! Rob lifted the tip of his
Fenwick and a large brown surfaced. I still recall the
massive bow wave as the fish broke across the shallow
cobbles and sandstone terraces headed for deeper water,
its huge large tail thrashing like a propeller through the
waters’ surface, and Rob’s cheer of glee. Indeed, the dog
had found the fire hydrant! A small non-weighted #12
Glo Bug had done its job once again. And this fish had
shoulders! It gained deeper water and then waltzed us
up and down the shore. Back and forth we went. We all
knew that it was a big brown and if landed would likely
be Rob’s largest. Helpful, mostly constructive advice
was directed at Rob: “Keep your rod up”, “Apply side
pressure”, “Be gentle on the fish” and “Show him who the
boss is!” As you can imagine, Rob was very receptive to
all our spectacular advice! Landing this brown required
that it had to be brought across the shallow sandstone
shelf and then an extensive area of shallow (< 30 cm
water) cobble and that was going to be difficult. Browns
love to roll around in this shallow stuff and if allowed
to do so can throw the hook easily. When fighting
browns I have found that an angler will often get an early
chance to land them and if not taken the re-energized
14
Trout Fisher
fish takes twice the time to get to the shore. Despite
our extensive advice, this is what happened with Rob’s
brown. After he had steered the fish I had the first chance
of ushering it to shore. While recognizing the United
States 5th Amendment, I cannot confess to missing the
first opportunity to land the fish. It headed back out
into deeper water. These browns were living up to their
reputation. This one had been difficult to entice and was
now being difficult to land. Then after 25 minutes, the
big brown came to shore and we looked at what was
one of the best proportioned large browns that we had
collectively seen. While we did not have a scale, it was
clearly in excess of 8lb but would it go 9lb or better?
Now that the first brown had been hooked we were
all able to set forth and chase them. They continued to
excite and torment us as they had done for the previous
hour. I was fortunate to land one, probably in the 6-7 lb
range. The small school of browns eventually dispersed
and we focussed our efforts on rainbows cruising the
edges of the underwater sandstone terraces. After a
couple of hours we decided to call our fishing day to an
end. It had been a memorable experience and we were
keen to get back to Kinloch to weigh our two browns.
fter returning to the Kinloch Marina and trailering
the Sea Doo, we moved to Tipsy’s for a celebratory
beverage. But we still did not know the weight of the two
browns. As a longshot we asked the bar manager if they
had a fish scale that we could borrow. You know that
you are in fishing country when the local watering hole
has a fish scale and are more than happy to let you use it.
Simone - you are awesome! Robs’ brown came in at 9 lbs
A
and mine at 7. Looking at the photographs of Rob’s fish I
just can’t help but feel a little disappointment as they just
did not do this fish justice! His brown had shoulders and
was thick across the back and it was indeed his personal
best.
We ended the day recounting our views of two epic
fishing days. We revisited the merits of our strategies to
not spook the schooling browns, how small Glo Bugs can
float rather than sink, bent hooks and who was to blame
for them, how our agreement to not fish until Rob had
hooked a fish had been tested, and how these magnificent
browns had tormented us. Raising our glasses we toasted
the Western Bays of Lake Taupo – home to big browns
and to another component of my 30 year reunion with
the Lake Taupo fishery.
Photos, in sequence:School chum Rob Davidson with his magnificent 9 lb
brown.
School chum Rob Moffat with a 4 lb silver bullet
enticed from a sandstone terrace refuge.
Undercut sandstone terraces provide trout with shelter
and opportunities to ambush their prey.
My 7 lb brown – the grin says it all.
15
AN ANGLER'S CHRONICLES, CHAPTER 11
My 'MUST HAVE' flies
If it works for you it's the best fly in the world . . .
By JOHN GIACON
I
t’s a long time since I last counted the flies in my fly
boxes. Notice I said fly boxes; of course I have a lot of
fly boxes, don’t you? If not then you should have, and
I bet that somewhere down the course of your fly-fishing
life you will have. I have 14, eight for freshwater and six
for saltwater.
When I go fishing, depending on the location, and
delving deep into my recollections of past trips to those
locations, I spend some time selecting the flies I believe
will most likely catch fish. My final selections go into two
fly boxes that are carried in my vest pockets. These I call
my working boxes. Mind you, all my other fly boxes are
stored in my main bag – just in case! But my discipline
here is that if the flies in my workboxes don’t do the job
for me – too bad.
So I go fishing with about 90 flies I have preselected,
and usually have about three of any different pattern,
in three different sizes – #6, #8 & #10. Importantly, I
nearly always have 10 patterns, which I call my all time
10 favourites. Why? Because these patterns I am about
to reveal to you have been the most consistent for me,
proven fish takers. I am so confident about them I call
them 'My must have flies'.
1. Red Fuzzy Wuzzy This sentimental selection was
the very first fly I ever tied and it so happens, the first I
ever caught a fish on (apart from harling). But forget the
sentimentality, this fly is an excellent killer.
Besides red it can be tied in all colours. It is particularly
good with a green body fished before dawn or at dusk
into the night hours.
Fred Fletcher of Waihatanui originated the Fuzzy
Wuzzy pattern, and simply because it is a style of tying
common to many great flies it may be assumed that it
is this which does the job. It was designed as a Koura
imitation and is usually fished deep and slow. Nearly 90
years old the Fuzzy Wuzzy is still a top fly.
2. Red Setter Originated by Geoff Sanderson, another
renowned Taupo-Turangi man, and based on the Fuzzy
Wuzzy, this fly has an orange body with two brown
hackles. It is deadly on fresh run spawning trout, the body
being the colour of their roe. It is fished as a wet fly and
for winter fishing it would be my first choice. I like to tie it
on a #8 hook, but I also have some on #6 and #4.
The reason I have a size #4 is for when the water is
discoloured as it often is in winter, particularly after rain.
The large sized fly is purely a visibility factor.
3. La Giaconda Yes, the fly I originated one cold winter
morning as I sat at my bench tying up a few replacements
for future trips. Lying about on the bench were scraps of
materials and as I started to tidy up, a tangle of olive and
16
Trout Fisher
brown chenille caught my eye. I thought to myself they
make a good camouflage colour, so I tied a short brown
squirrel tail onto a #8 hook, tied on quite a bulky olive
body on and wrapped around a brown rib. I added a
ginger hackle finished it off with a black head and found
I had a handsome looking fly. I was so pleased with my
creation that I tied up half a dozen.
The as yet unnamed fly had its first swim in Lake
Rotoaira. Noel, Cedric and I had fished all morning
without a touch, so after lunch I decided to give my
unnamed fly a swim. Blow me down, I caught five fish –
one after another! I gave Noel and Cedric a fly each and
they too were immediately into fish.
Driving back to our motel we discussed the new fly
and agreed that when wet it looked like a dragon fly
nymph, the colours blended well and it was the right
size. We argued about a name for the new fly, but as the
originator I felt I had the final say. Noel made a remark
about the fly being ‘enigmatic’ and I immediately burst
forth with the name “La Giaconda”.
“What kind of name is that for a fly?” asked my mates.
I was only too pleased to advise them that a famous work
of art was the ‘Mona Lisa’ and her smile was described
as being ‘enigmatic’. They both concurred. I then asked
them if they knew who the model for the work was and
neither of them did. Quite triumphantly I told them she
was known as ‘La Giaconda’. So there you have it dear
readers. A case of a fitting title for a fly and one in which I
was able to incorporate my family name.
La Giaconda is a great fish catcher – it really is.
One day at Lake Aniwhenua I caught 67 fish including
a 14.1-pound trophy. Noel who was with me that
day caught 48. The greatest day fishing I have ever
experienced. Between us we took six fish home.
The La Giaconda is another Fuzzy Wuzzy-style pattern,
except instead of two body hackles – one in the centre
and one at the head, my fly only has one hackle at the
head. It is best used when dragon fly nymphs are active
and fished deep and slow around weed beds. You'll find
a photo of it on my website and variants on many others,
including Umpqua Feather Merchants.
When smelt are active and trout are rounding them
up and attacking them, I do have a couple of smelt
patterns in my fly box. In my opinion smelt patterns
need to be tied long and slim with quite a bit of silver
tinsel incorporated to provide that sparkle and flash as
they are retrieved through the water.
4. Jack Sprat Yet another famous Turangi pattern
originated by Jack England who had a tackle shop in
Turangi. It has two badger hackles, one on each side tied
John's latest book is now available on his website:
www.johngiacon.com
KAHAWAI STRONG IN THE WATER
NEW ZEALAND
over a silver body. It is very flashy and I prefer to use it
on sunny days in lakes.
5. Green Rabbit There is some debate over who
originated rabbit fur flies with the most popular choice
being a Napier man, an Alan Duncum, way back in 1932.
I like the green chenille body best with a wide silver tinsel
rib. I add a longish thick natural rabbit fur on top held
in place by the tinsel. I have grey head hackle and as a
whisk, I use either a red or yellow feather hackles tied in a
small bunch.
The whisks tied in under the rabbit wing represent a
smelt’s egg sag. Yellow when it is carrying eggs, and red
when it has been injured. And of course the rabbit’s fur
undulates in the water to represent a swimming motion.
You can tie just about any body colour you like, but green
is my favourite.
I have to admit that I do not do much dry fly fishing
at all. I suppose this is because over the years those
places I have fished the most do not lend themselves
to this style of fishing. Mind you, quite often when I see
a fish rising persistently I will put on a floating line and
try a dry fly. Since I met the famous USA Maestro Doug
Swisher, I have always kept his creation in my box.
6. Madam X This fly of Doug Swisher's can represent
many insects. Tied with deer hair it has excellent floating
properties, and its light colouring makes it readily visible. I
tie it in several sizes, as quite often you need to match the
hatch, particularly in size. When I see ‘bulges’ happening
on the water surface I will often tie on my biggest
Madam X and hang a nymph dropper under it. A great
grasshopper and cicada pattern.
I do enjoy nymph fishing in both rivers and lakes.
Here again the location I am fishing determines which
nymphs I will place in my fly box. Normally I have three
favourite selections.
7. Hare & Copper What else? A great nymph, which
I understand, had its origins in England, possibly in the
Skues era. Again I tie it in three sizes – #'s14, 12 & 10 –
and over the last few years I have incorporated a copper
bead for extra weight.
8. Bloodworm I fish the Bloodworm quite a lot in the
Central North Island and it is particularly effective in Flaxy
and Aniwhenua lakes. I like to incorporate a gold bead
at the head, and my favourite fishing method is to use a
floating line, especially in windy weather conditions, a
leader just long enough to keep the nymph off the bottom
and let the wind blow the line along with the bloodworm
tagging along. It works – try it!
So now I am at the end of my ‘Must Have’ list and the
next choice is what I call and ‘Exotic Fly’. And the last
SALT WATER
FLY FISHING
AN EARLY HISTORY
HOW IT STARTED
HOW IT DEVELOPED
COMPILED BY AUTHORS
JOHN GIACON
GRAHAM HALL
EB LEARY
The Clousers Minnow
choice is a saltwater fly – in my opinion the best there
is!
9. Woolly Bugger My favourite version is tied with a
dark olive body, a considerable amount of black marabou
feather tail and topped off with a stiff black hackle. I first
came across this pattern drift fishing at a very fast pace on
an American river. You cast towards the shoreline using
a fast sinking line, and the moment it hit the water you
stripped in line fast. The hits we got were amazing. Our
hosts told us the fly represented a leech.
There are leeches in most NZ waters and the fly works
well. However, I prefer to use it at night on a fast sinking
line retrieved slowly along the bottom. It is a great Koura
imitation, and fished as described at most Rotorua river
mouths it is a great fish producer.
10. Clouser Minnow Yes, a saltwater fly and in my
opinion it is ‘An all time great' fly. And yes, I have tried it
in smaller sizes on the trout – no luck yet!
f course I do have other flies – literally hundreds of
them. But with the flies I have listed I have a high
degree of confidence. That is an important element to
have in your ability.
I would love to see some bright student do a thesis
on New Zealand fly patterns, each pattern with its history
and a colour plate and dates of origination. I reckon a
twenty year old could do a proper job by the time he or
she was forty!
O
17
Talking Taupo
With Andrew Christmas
M
any kiwis are avid outdoorsman and the
spring leading into summer time is an exciting
period for most with many fishing, hunting and
exploring options throughout our country. The Central
North Island in my opinion is a mecca for the outdoors
and I quite often find myself on my free days deciding
what activity might be best. With water slowly warming
up and our days becoming longer trout are on the hunt
for food, especially concentrating on the increase in insect
life on both the surface and water columns. Hunters will
be enjoying spring hunting while trying to catch out an
unwary deer making the most of the spring grass after
a relatively tough cold winter. Bike riders, dog walkers,
bird watchers, boaties and of course BBQ Chefs will all
be making the most of later warmer evenings leading into
what I think may be a hot summer. Generally, this is a
very cool time of year.
18
Trout Fisher
Already we are seeing many traits of summer while
fishing locally here in Taupo, on both our rivers and lake.
Some anglers have taken their first fish on the dry fly and
many boaties have seen a solid increase in activity of
smelt, which means better catches while harling at first
and last light but also jigging on drop offs leading into
deeper water. Currently water levels are already low,
especially on smaller rivers such as the TT and the Hine.
This is not unusual but if we don't get much rain in the
next few months we may be looking at very skinny water
over summer. A good layer of summer slime coats all
rivers and spawning beds and indeed, spawning fish are
obvious through most waters.
Guiding over the past few months has been a lot of
fun. Plenty of fish both fresh from the lake and mending
but also quite settled weather has made teaching and
getting clients hooked into trout relatively easy. Fishing
Full and half day adventures
www.taupotroutguide.com
E: andrew@taupotroutguide.com
Mob: 021 116 2752
Spring fish for Calvin Chinn (left) and Jason Culpert
pressure over winter was hectic but as usual it's now
slowed to a manageable level. Large portions of all rivers
can be enjoyed at ease, not fearing all your lucky water
has been taken.
My concentration locally has gone away from the
smaller rivers. Now you will find me on the Tongariro on
most occasions as it the best river to fish over summer
with the odd lost fresh trout sneaking through and plenty
of mending but also plenty of spawning fish, for anglers to
see and learn just what trout do when they run up rivers.
Trout are hungry at this time of year and I find this some
of the easiest fishing for clients throughout the season.
Fly selection and methods should not be complicated,
while lighter leaders, slightly longer and small indicators
will increase your hook up rate. White and Green Caddis,
Quasimodos, gold beads fished in tandem will all be easy
fish-catchers, but we have stepped away from the Glo
Bug on most occasions. The evening rise will see many
anglers sneaking around in hope of seeing that trade mark
sluuuurp of a trout taking from the top, we all love it. I
find it quite amazing that we can fish a pool for an hour
without a touch but as soon as some insect life emerges
the pool can literally bubble with excitement. Breathless
nights are perfect as this will ensure a good long lasting
hatch right until dark. Skating an Elk Hair Caddis after
dark is quite often the most exciting thing for me.
Last but not least the magical brown trout has started
to enter rivers such as the Tongariro and Waitahanui and
will be a big draw card for many anglers. Brown trout will
pile into the rivers over the next few months and will be
seen and caught in excess of 10lbs regularly. Not every
brown trout season is quite the same but last year was
a standout for me when I landed a fish of 14lb, a client
landed a fish of 11 and I think we caught over 50 fish for
19
the summer period. A different mind set is needed if you
are going to target these guys and sometimes you will
surely be getting a fishless day because of it. Most browns
are 4 pounds plus as these trout keep growing after
maturing, where rainbows mostly do not. Many but not
all of my browns are caught in large slow pools or along
the edges of feed lines. Nymphing or wet lining coloured
water after a flood can be killer but if not, nymphing rough
tied patterns such as Hare & Copper and Pheasant Tail will
work well. In the height of summer browns will actively
feed in bubble lines or hunt down large terrestrials, giving
the angler option to fish surface patterns and suspend a
weighted nymph below it. This dry-nymph set-up is very
effective in most rivers over summer.
s always in the Taupo district certain dates mean
the start of new adventures and 1 December is
one pencilled into many anglers' diaries. I for one look
forward to it because it means the upper section of the
A
20
Trout Fisher
Hine opens. It's always good for fish which have called
the upper river home.
1 December also marks the opening of the upper
Tongariro, which means all day rafting. The rafting trip we
run down this piece of water has to be one of the best day
or overnight trips available to the kiwi angler. It boasts
over 14 km of river with endless sets of rapids running
into splendid stretches and glides of river, all of it home
to literally thousands of trout. Every season I have the
same clients book the same day for the same experience
and it's on many anglers bucket list. Despite every pool
having some sort of population of trout this section is one
of the prettiest rivers I have had the pleasure of visiting.
Pockets of native forest, stunning clear water, gravely river
bed and boulder-strewn edges are all common sights,
not to speak of the endless native bird life which call this
home. In terms of angling pressure it is some of the best
in the country. Despite being fished by a few boats for
the opening week, there is plenty of water for everyone to
experience a fresh hole most of the day. Access on foot
can be hard but is achievable in the topmost section, for
about 500 metres to the first good rapid. This section of
the river is loaded with fish in December but many are
spawning and can be hard to catch. A deep crossing is
needed but fit strong men will manage this without too
many problems.
With so much to look forward to it makes one realise
how lucky as kiwis we really are. So many options,
relatively close to home, all of which can be achieved on
varying budgets.
Be lucky, be safe.
21
Significantly Broade
By Jarred Martin
F
ly rods, reels and lines, dry flies and nymphs are
things that every trout fisher is familiar with. Whether
standing on the banks of an English chalk stream or
on a back-country river in New Zealand this equipment
falls into the realm of the familiar. Most decent kiwi
anglers would, for example, be able to borrow a fly fishing
outfit and catch a trout anywhere in the world.
22
Trout Fisher
Something you do not find in many trout fisherman’s
arsenal however is a fishing kayak; at least down this
way. Ask anyone to close their eyes and imagine a trout
fisher and most will describe a traditional scene involving
a man standing on the side of a stream holding a fly rod.
Definitely no kayak in their picture. For places where
trout are limited to streams or smaller rivers this picture
er
makes perfect sense. New Zealand trout fishing however
has much more to offer than this. Whether you live on
the north or south island there are many still-waters and
estuaries that are full of trout. Waters brimming with
kayak fishing potential.
A fishing kayak has allowed me to significantly broaden
my trout fishing opportunities here in Southland. It allows
me to access seldom-fished locations without the hassle
of boats, engines and trailers. My kayak also never runs
out of fuel, doesn’t take up the whole garage and seems
significantly less offensive than a boat to my dear partner!
23
BOAT VS KAYAK?
From my perspective there a number of advantages that
kayaks have over boats, the biggest being cost. A top
of the range fishing kayak will cost significantly less than
even a basic boat setup. Add to that servicing costs, boat
fuel, a decent sized vehicle to tow the boat and the odds
tip even more in favour of a kayak.
Kayaks also are far more suitable to quick fishes, after
work for example. No need to tow the boat into work,
just pop the kayak on your roof rack and away you go!
You also don’t need to have a mate to help you launch a
kayak. I used to own a boat and lost count of the number
of times I couldn’t find experienced crew for a day's
fishing. This inevitably led to Plan B Crew, after which
much of the day was spent untangling birds-nests and
“when can we go home” type questions. Not ideal.
The independence a kayak offers is what I value most
of all. Solitude is an incredibly valuable thing these days,
keeping insanity at bay in crazy times.
With free time in such demand a kayak is also a great
way to integrate exercise and fishing. Kayaking not only
is great for the arms, shoulders and back, but also makes
use of core and leg muscles for stability. It is also no
prerequisite to be covered from head to toe in lyrca (like
some other weekend activities) when kayaking, allowing
you to hold on to your dignity for a bit longer as the hair
starts to grey.
The one clear advantage boats have over kayaks is
the ability to travel longer distances easily. There is no
disputing this but with a little thought this disadvantage
can be easily managed. Kayaks, for example can be
launched in locations where a boat never could. I try and
play to this strength and often fish wetlands, small bushlined lakes and areas with road access but no ramps. Last
season a mate and I fished a small wetland in Southland
off our kayaks. This involved carrying them along a short
footpath and an easy launch into the weedy shallows.
What followed was some great fishing for rainbows and
browns that were largely inaccessible from the shore or
from a boat.
CHOOSING A FISHING KAYAK
With the large selection of kayaks on the market today
choosing one can get rather confusing.
When it comes to a fishing platform I have always
preferred a sit-on-top kayak to a sit-inside. The sit-on-top
allows for much more mobility whilst on the water. If you
want to stick your legs over the side for a stretch you can;
it's also possible to sit sideways or back-to-front and fish
(this will be discussed at a later stage). Getting on and off
a sit-on-top is also significantly easier, which is great when
you are paddling from location to location.
Well-built sit-on-tops also have safety benefits such as
integrated buoyancy and sealed hatches. If you happen
to capsize you are also free of the kayak, which I find very
comforting. It is easy enough to right the capsized kayak
and climb back on—yes you will be wet and cold, but you
will be alive and on a kayak that will get you back to land
safely without sinking.
There is a direct relationship between the length of a
kayak and its speed through the water. Longer kayaks
glide better thus requiring less effort from the kayaker.
On the other side of the coin however added length
24
Trout Fisher
Significantly
means reduced manoeuvrability. This relationship can
be clarified by comparing a short white-water kayak with
Lisa Carringtons “toothpick”. The whitewater kayak can
turn on a dime, but is very slow in flatter waters. The
toothpick-shaped kayak is really quick in a straight line but
has a comparatively large turning circle.
When looking for the ideal fishing kayak I prefer
something between these two extremes; something
relatively quick with decent manoeuvrability. My ideal
length kayak for trout fishing in NZ would be between
4 and 5m and would have a rudder to assist turning. It
would also be wide enough (65cm +) to provide the
required stability for fishing.
PLASTIC OR FIBREGLASS?
I have always been a fan of fibreglass fishing kayaks as
they tend be lighter and stiffer, which both make for a
faster kayak. The trade-off however is that they are more
fragile than plastics and may break in situations where
plastic would bend. Most of my trout fishing is done on
relatively flat water, so fibreglass makes sense in my case.
Fibreglass is also relatively easy to work with allowing
repairs or modifications such as additional rod holders to
be done at home.
ADDITIONAL CONSIDERATIONS
Depending on what you intend to use the kayak for it
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may be worth considering hatch space. If, for example,
you are considering overnight trips then the hatches will
need to be large enough to fit camping necessities inside.
Rod holders are another essential on a fishing kayak.
The ideal is two rod holders behind the seat (for trolling)
and another in front of the seat for rigging or storage.
These can be installed at home without too much hassle.
An elasticised paddle strap on the front deck of the kayak
is also very useful for storing the paddle while you are
fishing or changing lures.
ACCESSORIES
Paddles are generally either made out of fibre-glass or
carbon fibre, with the latter preferable due to rigidity and
decreased weight. Blades are either flat or wing-shaped,
the latter being the more efficient. If the distances you
intend to paddle are minimal then the type of paddle you
use makes little difference. However a carbon fibre wing
paddle is definitely the way to go for distance.
Floatation aids/Lifejackets are a must-have. It is not
advisable to paddle anywhere without one, regardless
of how small or shallow the piece of water is. I would
recommend getting one specifically designed for
kayaking as they allow for better movement and are
really comfortable. They’ll also provide another layer of
insulation on chilly days!
CLOTHING
No matter how flat the water is I always seem to end up
with a wet bum. In cooler temperatures a pair of waders
can be used to alleviate this problem—a lifejacket must be
worn as swimming in waders is challenging. In summer
quick-dry shorts and leggings are my first choice.
A long sleeve thermal top, fleece layer and a
waterproof outer shell makes sure my upper body stays
warm and dry—very important when you have a wet bum.
A good hat, polarised sunnies and a buff then round things
off. If I’m planning to get out of the kayak, to fish a nice
shallow bay for example, I’ll pack my fishing boots into a
hatch and put them on when I’ve reached my destination.
KAYAK FISHING
Kayaks can provide numerous opportunities when it
comes to trout fishing, both as a fishing platform and a
means of accessing otherwise inaccessible locations. A
trip I did into Fiordland last year is a great example of how
adaptable these craft can be.
A friend and I arrived at a small Fiordland lake in the
evening and set up camp while it was still light. The
weather outlook for the next 24 hours was perfect, not a
breath of wind nor any chance of rain—very rare for the
area. That was why we’d made the call to make the long
drive and things were looking promising.
25
As the light started to fade midge started to hatch in
the calm bay in front of our camp and soon a few trout
were sipping hatching pupae from just under the surface.
Having spent most of the day fishing a river on the way
up we were content to sit on the beach and just admire
them in the dwindling light.
As darkness fell it was time to put the first part of our
plan into motion—mousing off a kayak. Kayaks and fly
rods were readied and we headed out onto the dark still
waters. Once on the water a few things became evident;
the Fiordland night is very dark, so dark in fact that we
could not see where the lake ended and where the
heavily vegetated shores began! This became clear when
a little way into one of my retrieves my line started lifting
off the water, which in the dark was rather unnerving. I
had unknowingly landed my mouse high in the branches
of a beech tree—not ideal trout habitat.
Eventually we accepted defeat and headed back to the
faint light that was our camp. Kayak mousing would have
to wait, maybe for an evening with a little moonlight to
help us. On a more positive note, I did feel that mousing
off a kayak was still viable. Casting, line control and
retrieving were achievable after a little bit of practice.
In terms of safety I would however recommend the
following: having a buddy with you on the water is a good
idea; making sure you are comfortable on your kayak in
the day; knowing the water on which you are kayaking is
essential; choosing a night with some moonlight; wearing
your lifejacket and a waterproof headlamp.
The next morning we woke at sunrise and paddled
across a glassy lake to some flats at the mouth of a stream
on the opposite shore. We noticed a few fish feeding on
midges out in the deeper water, but chose to make use of
the calm conditions to look for cruisers in the shallows.
We spotted a number of good browns moving on
the sandy flats, but the calm conditions made them very
suspicious. Even with careful casting and placement all
our small dries got was a brief glance as they cruised
by. By mid-morning we had got a little tired of being
outsmarted and decided to try a different strategy. The
sunny weather had got the cicadas going so we decided
to paddle along the vegetated shoreline and see if the
trout would be looking for terrestrials.
I quietly paddled up to the closest overhanging beech
tree and spotted a trout cruising just under the surface.
My cicada landed about 2m in front, the trout noticed it
immediately, swam across and gently sucked it in. A few
minutes later a beautiful strong 4lb brown came to the
net. The condition of the fish was amazing—small head,
wide shoulders and stunning markings. Watching the
hooked fish 20m down in the crystal-clear water was also
special. Over the next few hours I landed at least a dozen
trout, mostly browns, all in the 4-5lb range and in great
condition. They were all cruising under the overhanging
vegetation, clearly visible in the shade.
I found that a few good strokes with the paddle would
allow me to glide into range, without causing alarm. I
also think being quite low in the water makes remaining
undetected easier—much like staying low when stalking a
river fish. Once the cast has been made it is also possible
to mend the line in the direction the kayak is gliding,
allowing the fly to stay stationary longer.
26
Trout Fisher
Significantly
FLY FISHING STRATEGIES
Drifting is a nice way to cover water on lakes, especially
when fishing deeper water such as drop-offs. I generally
cast slightly downwind, which allows the line time to sink
as the kayak drifts, before starting my retrieve. Because
kayaks tend to drift with their tail facing the wind I have
found that sitting back-to-front makes retrieving the fly
much easier. The speed at which the kayak drifts can
be controlled to a point—I generally hang my feet in the
water to slow myself down. A small sea anchor/drogue
will however also work.
It may also be worth having a couple different sinking
lines. Faster sinking lines will be better suited to stronger
breezes as they will get the fly down faster on a quicker
drift. Slow sinkers may however be more effective in
lighter breezes or calm conditions.
I prefer to use a team of either two or three flies when
drifting to cover my bases. Various Woolly Buggers and
smelt patterns will do the job. If fishing three flies I will
generally try fish one dark fly (black/dark brown), one
bright fly (yellow/pink/orange) and a natural-coloured fly.
A small fold-up anchor works great, or you can get
creative—a rock in a heavy cloth bag will even work in
light winds! The other option is to tie up on any available
vegetation or trees in the area. Some thought will need
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to be given as to whether you anchor off the back or front
of the kayak. If you run an anchor from the front the wind
will swing the kayak into a position in which you face into
the wind. You can either turn around and sit back-to-front
or run the anchor off the tail of your kayak. Anchoring
works really well when fish are concentrated in an area.
Shallow bays, where a drift may spook fish, is a good
example. Anchoring in deeper water and fishing back
towards weedy shallows with a floating line and damsel or
dragonfly nymph imitations can be deadly at times.
Trolling lures behind a kayak is a great way to cover
water and can, at times, be very effective. Fishing kayaks
generally have two rod holders behind the seat which
allows for two lures to be fished at the same time—
providing this is legal in your area. Any number of lures
can be used for trolling. Rapalas, spinners, tobies, tassie
devils and softbaits will all work in the right conditions.
One up one down- This is a useful tip that will
significantly reduce tangles when trolling off a double
kayak. Try fishing a deep running lure close to the kayak
and a shallow running lure further back. When changing
direction the deep lure will swing under the shallow lure
thus avoiding tangles.
Another way of getting a lure deeper is a poor man’s
downrigger. A sinker is attached with a small elastic
band to the line about 4m in front of the lure. A few
wraps of the elastic band around the line will grip the
monofilament, holding it in place. When a fish gets close
the elastic band can be broken by hand allowing the fish
to be brought to the net. If using this technique it helps
to be moving slightly forward when letting line out as this
stops the lure and the sinker tangling while they sink.
Spinning is the most simple way to fish for trout off
a kayak, but it can be great fun. Last summer I spent
many mornings fishing the local estuaries with a spinning
rod and was very impressed with the results. The kayak
allowed me access to water I had never been able to
reach from the shore—small bays between the willows,
little backwaters and tributaries. Being very quiet it also
did not disturb feeding fish. Casting a small Rapala or
softbait into likely spots, or at feeding trout, was deadly.
he humble kayak is a great cost effective way to spend
time on the water, whether you are fishing or just
enjoying the scenery. It is also a great way to get your
partner or children involved in the outdoors, should they
be that way inclined. If you live in an area with still-waters
or estuaries maybe it is time to add a kayak to your trout
fishing arsenal and significantly broaden your trout fishing
opportunites as well!
T
27
Early Summer Foam
By David Lambroughton
F
or early summer fishing Beetles, Spiders and Blow Flies can really get Trout on the chomp. I never miss the chance
to look into the fly boxes of talented fly tiers to see their favourite patterns for this time of the season and more
and more, I'm seeing fewer traditional patterns like Adams and Wulff and more interesting patterns with rubber
legs and foam in them. I also have been watching the reaction of the fish when these creations hit the water and for the
past 20 years have been fine tuning my summer patterns with rubber legs or foam bodies or usually both together.
If you haven't tied with this type of material, you should check out Rainyflies.Com. It's a company based out of
Utah which specialises in these kind of patterns and the materials to tie them. After trying a great variety of the options,
I've pretty much settled into using black Evazote Sheet Foam in the three sizes offered; 1/8", 3/16", and 1/4" and black
rubber legs in small, medium, and large for just about everything. It's also very inexpensive and easy to work with.
Have fun with the foam and rubber materials. They are nice to work with and durable. They float well on their own
but I still like to put some floatant on them to give them a nice rich black sheen. So take a look at these early summer
ideas and let your creativity run wild.
SPIDER
On these I use small rubber legs and 3/16” foam and like tying them on short shank hooks, like the excellent Kamasan
B160 in size 12 or a Tiemco 2488. I start out my making a bunch of foam blocks that are about 10-12 mm long and
4-5 mm wide, tapered a bit at the back. Then put down some legs in the forward position, attach the block, add some
white or grey wing material so you can see it, then a cross piece of small rubber legs, and a bit of black dubbing, then
split the legs.
28
Trout Fisher
MANUKA BEETLE
Similiar to the Spider, but with 1/8” foam, tapered in the back and tied down. Then some bright green dubbing, pull the
foam over it, clip it to suit, and add a cross piece to small rubber legs and then split them. A black body also works well
as a general terrestrial. A Kamasan B 160 in a size 12 is a perfect hook for this.
BLOWFLY
Similar to the others and you just pull the foam over a dubbed body with legs, add some wing material and then double
back the foam and clip. I use standard dry fly hooks or the Tiemco 9300 in sizes 12 or 10.
29
Trout Farming Threat
Working Underground
by Tony Orman
30
Trout Fisher
I
t was in 1969 at the Greenmeadows game farm and
hatchery in Hawkes Bay, that I happened to be chatting
to the Hawkes Bay Acclimatisation Society's manager,
the late David Pike.
"Trout fishermen better keep a watch on trout farming.
It's being pushed in political circles and the government's
been sucked in to believing it's a great thing. Quite the
opposite, it would be disastrous for our trout fisheries," he
said.
Recently, in the Bay of Plenty, history has repeated
itself. George Bernard Shaw once said "If history repeats
itself and the unexpected always happens, how incapable
must Man be of learning from experience."
Well lets go back to that conversation with David Pike
in 1969. Following his advice I wrote to overseas fisheries
authorities in the USA, UK, Japan, Denmark and even
Australia.
The message came through loud and clear
– overwhelmingly most warned of the dangers,
shortcomings and uncertain economics of trout farming.
Anglers began to kick vigorously, especially in Hawkes
Bay where the Hastings and District Anglers became
vociferous in its opposition. The National government
cabinet minister Duncan McIntyre was the MP for
Hastings and he was loudly championing trout farming.
But Rotorua anglers such as Stan Thompson were
angry too at proposals. So were Taupo anglers and author
of "Trout at Taupo" the late "Budge" Hintz was forthright
in his condemnation. As opposition grew in 1971, the
National government sought refuge in a parliamentary
select committee. I made submissions along with many
others. At times cross-examination by MPs bordered on
the arrogant.
Select committees can be farcical; merely a rubberstamp for government policy, good or bad. Often half
those selected were absent when submissions were made
and when the final vote was called for one government
MP, who had hardly attended committee meetings,
went in and voted as his party superiors told him to. The
committee recommended trout farming be adopted.
But a number of us weren't prepared to be trampled
down by an undemocratic process and an arrogant
government. A Labour MP I knew well, agreed to
arrange an interview with the then Labour Opposition
leader Norman Kirk. I recall "Big Norm" as the public
affectionately knew him, sitting in the lobby outside the
debating chamber and saying, "Tell me why you're against
trout farming."
So I did and Norm Kirk listened, intently – a rare
attribute for most MPs. It was probably no more than a
10 minute conversation and the big man said little. At
the end he thanked me and said he would be in touch. A
fortnight later my MP friend phoned to say Labour was
opposed to trout farming.
Trout fishing is a public sport for young and older.
Canterbury guru John Morton teaches a youngster how
to fly fish.
What did I tell Norman Kirk? I related the following
points plus some detail:•Uncertain economics
•Disease risk
•Use of public waters and effluent
•Poaching and black markets
•Value of trout fishing
•Genetic erosion of wild stocks
Meanwhile the Hawkes Bay newspapers, sensing the
growing anger of the trout fishing public, began to run
reports on the controversy, interviewing me and then MP
Duncan McIntyre. Things hotted up.
The president of the Hastings National Party strode up
to me in Hastings' main street, bailed me up against the
Bank of NZ building and told me of my pedigree – or lack
of it. I was to cease writing "scurrilous letters" to the paper
he thundered.
Then the party tried a more subtle approach. The
National Party secretary invited me to his office for "a
cuppa and a chat" and tried to persuade me to drop my
opposition, join the National Party and "work from within."
I 'gracefully' declined.
Election year 1972 arrived. Some of us continued the
public opposition attending political meetings, especially
when local MP and trout farm advocate Duncan McIntyre
spoke, and asked probing questions. McIntyre snarled
back at me in his answers for he and I had been clashing
in newspapers. Then National Prime Minister Jack
Marshall spoke in Hastings. At question time, I was first
question and told him Labour was opposed to trout
farming and asked what he as Prime Minister would do.
The ironic twist was that Marshall was a very keen
trout fisherman; indeed he had virtually private trout
fishing water at the Hautu prison on Taupo's Waiotaka
River.
Marshall was flustered by my direct question.
"Uh—um—well if you don't want trout farming you'd—
um—better vote—errr—for Norman Kirk's party," he
stammered.
The local paper ran big headlines and prominently
detailed my question and the prime minister's reply. A
week out from election the Hastings and District Anglers
Club and Federation of Hawkes Bay Angling Clubs held
a public meeting on the environment with candidates,
plus the late John Henderson as the sporting public's
spokesman, on stage.
The local National party tried to stifle the meeting by
attacking John Henderson but he parried their clumsy
onslaught with ease.
The 1972 election made history. In Hastings Duncan
McIntyre was defeated in a "shock result." Taupo and
Gisborne seats swung to Labour. Newspapers like the
"Hawkes Bay Herald Tribune" and "NZ Herald" (Auckland)
acknowledged in election post-mortem editorials, the trout
fishing public had spoken loud and clear on trout farming
and had been a major factor in the fall of government.
What's the purpose of relating political events around
trout farming that happened 43 years ago?
Simply this. With will, motivation and a bit of 'getup-and-go' the trout fishing public is a powerful political
voting bloc.
31
F
ast forward to 2015. Recently I had a communication
from a current MP that trout farming is back on the
agenda. Corporate fisheries companies are visiting
parliament and the various parties wanting government
and coalition partners, real or potential, to legalise trout
farming which for several valid reasons, is not permitted.
At the same time the aquaculture industry is lobbying
hard on regional councils to write trout farming into
regional long term economic plans.
The Ministries of Business, Innovation and Employment
and Primary Industries are both advocating trout farming,
in conjunction with the Ngati Porou Seafood Group,
NIWA, TISBE Aquaculture and Environmental Consulting,
AKVA International Aquaculture, and the Sashimi Group
(Aquacultural Consultants).
Bay of Plenty's "Coast and Country" paper for October
2015 said "farming trout commercially could add
significantly to the Bay of Plenty's economic growth, but
the concept is abhorrent to many fishers and to Fish and
Game."
Eastern Fish and Game's manager Andy Garrick
warned of "a lengthy and bitter legal battle" if trout
farming plans were pursued.
Graeme Coates of Blenheim, who is chair of the
Regional Aquaculture Organisation, said the "situation and
arguments against trout farming are similar to those in the
days before salmon farming and deer farming became
legal. None of the concerns raised by objectors back
then eventuated."
Andy Garrick hit back at the lack of open, public
debate deploring that fish and game had not been
consulted.
"Given its statutory role, Fish and Game is staggered
to find itself in the position of not having been contacted,
nor invited to participate, in the development of the Bay
of Plenty Regional Growth Strategy or the more recent
action planning process."
Andy Garrick said if trout were commercialised it
would "inevitably result in a black market." But Graeme
Coates rejected that saying supermarkets would not deal
in illegal fish.
So having also done battle several times since 1972
in deputations to parliament to get the Minister of
Conservation to retain the ban on importations of farmed
trout a few comments would not go amiss, especially for
those wondering why the fuss? Many readers would not
have been born by 1972 anyhow!
Recall the arguments used in the 1970s and the first
one of "uncertain economics". The interesting aspect of
these sorts of battles is that often the weakest argument of
the commercial exploiters is the economic angle. I recall
one USA fisheries scientist telling me trout farming is
"capital intensive, high risk and hard marginally economic."
32
Trout Fisher
In other words it needs massive amounts of money
to set up, is risky because of disease outbreaks and other
mishaps, and is barely economic.
A major factor in this is the product itself – farmed
trout. The late Budge Hintz told the 1971 select
committee, "A farmed trout tastes like the felt sole out of a
fishing wader, only the felt sole tastes better."
I've seen farmed trout for sale overseas and it looked
an unattractive product. If you think a farmed trout will
taste like a wild trout, you're wrong. Trout taste like what
they eat.
Recently, scientists from both USA and Norway have
warned against eating farmed salmonids, (salmon, trout,
grayling, whitefish and char comprise the salmonid family,
Salmonidae) identifying them as one of the greatest
sources of dietary pollutants. A New Zealand report has
shown that today's farmed fillet may contain as little as
half of the Omega-3 it did less than a decade ago, and
that salmon farmers have recently been caught overstating
the Omega-3 fat levels of their products by as much
as threefold. This is due to switching their diets from
financially unsustainable fish meal to poultry and pork
offal by-products.
Aquaculture spokesman Graeme Coates statement
about fears such as poaching of wild stocks being
groundless defies credibility, especially when he cites
salmon and deer farming.
Salmon are only in rivers for a month or two and as
they run upstream to spawn they do not feed, becoming
virtually inedible as their stored condition deteriorates. As
for deer, poaching was rampant in the 1970s-80s and wild
deer were extremely difficult to find if you were a hunter.
Poaching is still a big problem, as backcountry farmers
and rural police officers will confirm.
In saltwater paua and crayfish populations suffer
widespread poaching. Sophisticated, highly organised
black market rackets are a constant, publiclyacknowledged problem for the Ministry of Primary
Industries.
Back in the 1970s disease was identified as a major
problem for trout farming because of the crowding of
fish into pens and or cages. Strange that Graeme Coates
did not mention disease then, as recently there have
been high numbers of disease-associated salmon deaths
in Malaysian-owned King Salmon's Marlborough Sounds
salmon farms.
Overseas both Piscine Reovirus, ISA (or salmon flu),
and Salmon Alphavirus (a virus that causes pancreas
disease in fish – a known problem in Norway where
they had to kill entire farms when infected fish were
found) have been found in Norwegian-owned Canadian
fish farms and are now killing British Columbia's native
salmon.
Overseas experience shows large infections of
salmonid diseases such as in infectious salmon anaemia
(ISA). This is a deadly salmon virus, which has crippled
the Chilean salmon farming industry and outbreaks
have now been reported in Scotland. This disease is
endemic, which means that once established it cannot be
eradicated.
To avert or treat disease, antibiotics have to be used,
undermining both the economics and health of stock.
USA has stopped Chilean fish imports because of the
amount of antibiotics they use and the risk of creating
'superbugs'. China banned imports of Norwegian salmon
fillets because of the presence of ISA.
f trout farming is economically marginal, in contrast the
economic value of New Zealand's wild trout fishery
is hundreds of millions of dollars each year. In a recent
trout poaching court case, Department of Conservation
said trout poaching was a continuing problem and added
"trout fishing brought in about $90 million annually to the
Taupo economy".
Southland attracts many overseas flyfishers each year,
branding Gore "The Brown Trout Capital of NZ". Visiting
tourist flyfishers also fish Nelson, the West Coast, Otago
and Canterbury high-country as places for top dry fly
fishing. These visiting fly fishers are mostly top value
tourists staying at highly priced luxury lodges, hiring guides
and spending large in the regions. It's not unusual for
them to spend $1000 a day, with many staying 3 months
and more. And what of New Zealand flyfishers visiting
other regions? Without question trout fishing boosts
regional economies wherever high quality freshwater
exists. The very same water trout farming demands.
The annual national value of trout fishing could
conceivably be $500 million or more.
As for trout farming's value, Ken Sims of the NZ
Federation of Freshwater Anglers says 2015 studies from
I
both British Columbia and Sweden have shown that,
when all costs (including environmental costs) associated
with the production of farmed salmonids were taken into
account, there was actually a negative cost/benefit.
Fish farm ventures inevitably have escapees with
the farm genetics "polluting" wild stock which in New
Zealand's case are often distinctive to individual rivers.
We have some of the purest rainbow trout left in the
world, unchanged genetically since the 19th Century.
Just as in the 1970s the case for trout farming is weak
and the arguments and evidence against, are both solid
and sound. So remember my earlier words – with will,
motivation and a bit of 'get-up-and-go' the trout fishing
public politically is a powerful voting bloc.
Otago Guide Dean Whaanga photographs a client with
a nice Taeiri brown trout taken on a dry fly
33
THE FURTHER THE BETT
© Peter Garaway
T
here is nothing quite so restful as sitting beside a
stream or river on a fine, warm day, partaking of
light refreshment and reflecting on a successful
morning’s fishing. If you try to tell me of a more blissful
state of existence I’ll cast serious doubts on your sense of
values.
Talking of values … let me tell you about an incident I
witnessed a few days ago.
It had been one of those glorious, late spring days
when it was a pleasure to be out and about. The windy
weather of early spring had abated and the air was calm
and warm. Earlier that morning, I had left my car beside
the river and fished my way upstream towards the dam,
then turned and fished my way back to the car park. By
then it was time for lunch, a time to relax and mentally
review my success in catching and releasing a pleasing
number of fish.
I had stowed my gear in the car and was pulling out
the bag containing my lunch when another vehicle drove
quietly into the parking area. As the car stopped beside
mine I recognised old Percy through the windscreen.
We greeted each other and chatted briefly about the
fishing, and when I explained that I was about to have
lunch Percy asked politely if he might join me—ever the
gentlemen, our Percy. We strolled back down to the
water’s edge together, and that was how I came to be
experiencing the pleasures of life as described above.
About half an hour later we heard another vehicle
drive into the parking area. First, there was the roar of a
motor and a crashing of gears as it turned off the main
road and into the reserve, followed by the grinding squeal
of brakes as it crunched to a halt on the gravel. Doors
banged to the accompaniment of loud male voices and
coarse language. The voices got louder as their owners
came our way.
Percy and I pulled a face at each other but we didn’t
look around at the newcomers. We hoped that they
would go their way without bothering us … but it wasn’t
to be. We heard their footsteps clumping over the
ground as they headed towards us, and we finally looked
around when they called a greeting.
A battered ute stood next to our cars. Mud couldn’t
disguise the rust holes along the bottom of the doors,
although patches of primer paint on the bonnet and front
wing demonstrated that the owner had been giving a
certain amount of consideration to the preservation of his
vehicle. A broken wing mirror drooped at an angle the
manufacturer had never intended.
The pair walking towards us looked equally rough.
Both men were in their late twenties; long, scruffy hair
was capped by black woollen beanies, and black stubble
graced their cheeks and chins. They were dressed alike
in threadbare jerseys over check shirts, with stained jeans
stuffed into gumboots that had once been white. The
rods they carried were more suited to salmon than trout:
34
Trout Fisher
three-metre spinning rigs with heavy reels and nylon, and
large treble-hooked lures.
‘G’day, mate,’ one of them called. ‘You jokers from
round here?’
Experience has taught me not to judge a book by
its cover, but I do tend to make assumptions about
a person’s mental capabilities by the way they speak
and the appearance of their eyes. From what I was
hearing and seeing, this pair did not appear to offer great
prospects for a witty or scintillating conversation.
Percy and I both nodded dumbly.
‘You fish this river much?’ the man continued. ‘A joker
we know reckons it’s a choice place to catch trout.’
‘Well … yes, there are trout in the river,’ I admitted.
‘Here and there.’
‘Where’s the best place, you reckon? Where’s the big
hole?’
‘The big hole?’
‘Yeah, you know – the big hole, like, where all the fish
are. Every river’s got one.’
TER
Percy took over the conversation before I could reply.
‘I take it you lads are not from these parts?’ he asked.
‘Nah, never been here before. Just come up from
Ryemouth. To see what it’s like, y’know.’
‘I thought that might be the case. So, you’re looking
for the big hole, eh? The magic spot?’
Both men nodded. ‘Right. Yeah. We don’t wanna
muck about.’
I was visualizing the pair dredging the river with those
dreadful lures when Percy looked at me and winked.
‘Well, now,’ he said, turning back to the pair. ‘What I’d
suggest you do is this. Follow that track upstream –’ he
pointed to the edge of the reserve, ‘– and keep going until
you come to where it climbs a hill. Then, on the other
side of the hill, you’ll find the biggest hole in the river.’
‘Yeah? Okay man, choice.’ The pair lifted their rods
and were starting to shamble off when Percy called out.
‘Actually, on second thoughts, it’s probably easier to
drive there. Go up the road a bit further and take the next
turn-off to the right.’
The pair looked a little puzzled, but accepted Percy’s
word, returned to their ute and drove off.
‘That’s them well out of the way, I think,’ Percy
chuckled, while I pondered over what he had so amiably
told them.
‘Percy,’ I said, ‘What were you talking about? There’s
no “big hole where all the fish are.”’
‘You think not?’ he replied with a smile. ‘Where do
you think I directed them to?’
I thought for a moment. ‘Up the hill and over the
other side … Percy, that’s where the dam is. And that’s
kilometres away!’
He nodded, still smiling. ‘Far enough away from here,
certainly. And what’s beyond the dam?’
‘The lake, of course, but … Oh, I seee. Percy, you’re a
devious old bastard!’
He chuckled, and quoted that famous line from Great
War cartoonist Bruce Bairnsfather’s character, Old Bill:
‘“If you know of a better ‘ole, go to it.”’
35
THE FLY
FISHING
ARMOURY
– together
we are
better
By John Gummer
Part three of six. This series is designed to help
you catch more fish in a variety of situations and
conditions, by applying the most effective tactics
in modern day fly fishing . . .
A
fter thousands of hours on and off the water
practising, refining tackle, technique and
performance, it was time to leave for the 14th Fips
Mouche World Youth Fly Fishing Championships held in
Vail, Colorado, USA. Geoffrey Berntsen my fellow team
mate, Dad our invaluable manager and myself set off
for a 36 hour journey. We had rods for Africa, waders,
boots, countless spools of tippet, jandals, t-shirts, shorts
and enough flies to last a season or three of hard core fly
fishing. We were only going for two weeks, but the best
two of our lives yet. After what seemed an eternity of
going through more security checks than were thought
possible, a few sketchy moments of Dad driving on the
wrong side of the road, we arrived to the town of Vail.
One of the most beautiful places I've ever visited.
Still pinching ourselves, we were really there! Fighting
the jet lag, and a bit of altitude sickness we didn't care. All
we wanted to do was get down to the local Gore Creek,
and catch our first USA trout. Well! Colorado has some
very sweet streams indeed, most highly populated with
Rainbow, Brown, Brook, Cutthroat and hybrid Cuttbow
36
Trout Fisher
trout, all an absolute joy to catch. The competition
consisted of 10 nations; Spain, Poland, Slovenia, France,
Czech Republic, USA, Ireland, Canada, South Africa and
New Zealand, combining to 48 anglers from 14 to 18
years of age. There were two river sessions on the Eagle
River and one on the Colorado itself. Also, we fished
two lake sessions from classic American drift boats, one
each on both Sylvan – a beautiful alpine lake – and Dillon
Reservoir, a huge expanse of lake with very few fish.
Each session lasted only three hours, so making the
most of every second was paramount. We booked a
guide through a local shop called Minturn Anglers, which
ran up to 45 guides per day in peak season. Our guide
Bob Streb as it turned out, was a very well regarded guide
in Colorado. Bob pumped us with information regarding
the four competition venues. He showed us tactics, flies
and gave us a heads up on the local fish behaviour. Bob
is one of the best blokes I've ever met, and a very good
guide. Competition day finally came around. Our week
of practising on the local waters would hold us in good
stead.
Geoffrey and I had to call on every little weapon in
our fly fishing armouries. Although we had only 3 hours
or less and 200m of river, we would employ many tactics
and techniques. Often in a single session, we would fish
the Czech nymph, dry fly/nymph, single dry fly, wet lining
with small nymphs and soft hackles, swing some larger
Woolly Buggers and then re-fish water with finer diameter
tippet to hopefully pick up some super picky stragglers.
If we saw a fish rise, the dry fly was immediately used. If
we saw fast water with pockets and deep holes we Czech
nymphed as thoroughly as possible. As soon as we found
quiet, slack water we were fishing downstream, swinging
or wet lining with small wee wets or soft hackles.
The competition was incredibly tough. Geoffrey and
I were absolutely exhausted after each session as wading
had to be incredibly aggressive on the rivers, often deep
and fast. I had fished 4 of 5 sessions and was not very
high up the table, struggling to keep in the game. I was
feeling good the last day though.
My last session was on the lower Eagle River. My beat
looked relatively nice, not much deep holding water but
lots of pocket water. This two hundred meters of river
had been thoroughly fished over four separate times by
some top anglers. I was nervous before the start as I had
to make this session count. I started analysing the water,
and what tactics and techniques I would employ and
where in my small section of river within the three hour
slot. I knew that Czech nymphing was a hot method but
every beat had been flogged with this method.
I started to fish from the bottom of my beat with very
small nymphs. Size 16s at the biggest, with 3lb line.
The wind was getting up and my Czech nymph rig was
starting to get blown around. I quickly swapped my top
dropper nymph to a #12 CDC dry fly. This meant I was
still able to get drag-free drifts with the wind coming up
stream. A small snout appeared at the surface in some
fast riffle water. In the back of my mind I knew that
although Czech nymphing was a hot method, fish had
seen so many nymphs they were possibly getting nymphshy by this stage of the competition. That one, almost
imperceptible snout was enough for me to change to two
CDC dries.
37
I put a large CDC #12 caddis on the top dropper as an
attractor and a #16 CDC mayfly on the point. I tied these
flies on the Czech nymphing leader, partly to save time
but also to allow me to fish each little tiny pocket quickly
with no line on the water. The result was totally drag free
drifts with the fly placed into every little nook and cranny.
By the end of the session, I had landed 11 fish, 9 being
on the dry fly. This was the biggest number of fish that
session in my group.
Put simply, fish had been hammered on nymphs and
the dry fly is often an underutilised method. This situation
shows how being able to quickly adapt can potentially
turn your day from a tough one into an absolute blinder!
Competitions call for every aspect of one’s fly fishing skills.
For me, my fly fishing armoury has really only developed
properly as a result of competition fly fishing. I had to be
100 percent confident in all of my weapons from swinging
larger Woolly Buggers to fishing tiny dry flies. When you
are on your own local water consider other methods, like
fishing single dry flies on a piece of water that you know
gets pressure, then throw some meat into deep holes
38
Trout Fisher
on your way back down at the end of the day; you'll be
surprised what comes from it all.
One of best ways to develop this strategy is to fish new
water as often as possible. It forces you to change it up.
What you do on your local big water may not work on a
small stream. Adapt to the conditions of the water you're
fishing. In Colorado, this was paramount to success. Fine
tippets and small flies were key. Fishing there opened
up a whole new aspect of fishing we both hadn't really
done much before. This meant that if we find ourselves in
similar situations of low water, pressured fish we will know
what to do.
ne thing I love doing is fishing with different people
from different places. To be able to see somebody
else's perspective on fly fishing is what opens yours
up. Benjamin Franklin once said, “Tell me and I forget.
Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn.” Get
involved with your local fishing club, fish with as many
different people as you can. I guarantee you will meet
some amazing people on the way and learn a huge
amount.
O
At the end of the competition, I was talking to a
competitor from Spain called Emilio, who won the
Bronze Medal. He spoke little English but we managed
to converse. I was asking him about the rivers of Spain
as the 2016 World Youth Championship will be held
there. He invited me to his room where his other Spanish
team mates and manager were (these boys are very
slick anglers). We simply communicated by writing on
a piece of cardboard, saying words like 'pecha' for 'fish',
or simulating a fish coming up and eating a dry fly. They
showed me their boxes of flies that they use in Spain. I
rushed back to my room and grabbed my phone and fly
box. I showed them photos of our large New Zealand
trout. They couldn't believe our fish are so big. These
are moments I will never forget. Being able to make
a connection, learn and see other perspectives on our
shared passion. Share your armoury, its the only way to
help make others better and you'd be surprised how much
others share with you!
Feel free to contact me on hardy104@icloud.com for
any questions, I am more than happy to help. If you are
interested in fly fishing lessons or guiding let me know.
Sight Fishing, Czech nymphing, wet fly fishing or all of it
in the same day drop me an email. Tight Lines!
Photos, in sequence:The mighty Colorado River is very popular
Geoffrey Berntsen Czech Nymphing a deep hole
Hooked into an Eagle River rainbow, getting up to
speed with Bob Streb
A nice 4lb brown from Session 4, with my Controller
holding the measuring gauge
39
A step
back in
time
THE REINCARNATION OF GLASS
By ANDREW HEARNE
H
ave you ever had strong feelings about something
only to later change your view on the subject
altogether? It doesn’t happen to me very
often, but a while ago I became a convert to the use of
fibreglass fly rods after years of thinking the only place for
them was in the past. Until recently I neither used nor
owned a fibreglass fly rod. With the exception of a few
casts here and there with some of the older style models
as a youngster I had only ever fished with carbon fibre.
I cut my teeth using a 7 weight Kevlar-wrapped Daiwa
2 piece model. It was far too powerful and stiff for what I
was using it for and fortunately from there I progressed to
using my dad’s 5 weight Hardy, which was a much nicer
rod and far better suited to what I was doing. I thought
it was the best thing I had ever laid my hands on. From
the time I started fishing I never would have given a glass
rod a second look. As far as I was concerned they were
heavy and horrible to use, and I couldn’t understand why
anybody would want one. That was until a few years
ago when I read a magazine article by Simon Chu about
fishing with glass and it changed my way of thinking.
The article had a photo of Simon with a yellow glass
rod in one hand that hooped right over him as he knelt
down and landed the fish with his other hand. This
captured my attention more than anything else because
it was something I could relate to immediately. In recent
times I had started fishing a few small streams a handful
of times each season using lightweight gear and although
the fish in these places were typically on the small side
they were a lot of fun to chase using the right gear. The
old saying a picture saying a thousand words certainly
rang true on this occasion because when I looked at that
photograph I could immediately see the benefit of using
of a glass rod in certain places.
The way that glass rod doubled over in the photo
showed me how effective it could be when landing fish
from these creeks that are typically very tightly lined with
bush for most of their length. I was struggling at times
when it came to netting fish through not being able to get
close enough in the tight quarters and having the ability to
bend the rod a bit more might just give me a bit more to
work with. I wouldn’t dare try bending a carbon fibre rod
that way, but if it could be done with glass, then I just had
to get me one.
40
Trout Fisher
By this stage I was building my own rods and the
decision that I needed a glass rod gave me just the excuse
to put another together. I ordered an 8 foot long 4 piece,
4 weight blank from the New Zealand company CTS in
Auckland and when it arrived, got to work.
It took me a while to get used to casting with my new
toy as it was far different from anything I’d used before.
Being much shorter with a very slow action, I had to
really concentrate on easing off the power when casting,
otherwise I lost control of the line very quickly. Once
I got the hang of it though the casting became really
enjoyable and I couldn’t wait to load it up with the weight
of a fish on the end.
My first fish on the rod came from the Arnold River.
The Arnold is a fairly big river and wasn’t quite what I had
in mind when I built the rod, but I just happened to be
there and took the opportunity to test the rod out. As it
turns out the rod is actually perfect for the Arnold anyway.
Most of the fishing is done reasonably close in, the fish
are usually a bit smaller and there are plenty of tight spots.
The fish on this day took a big Stimulator fished blind
into the head of a run that until recently I had never failed
to catch a fish from. I gave the rod a decent work out
on that fish and it responded exactly how I wanted. It
bent right through the cork and absorbed the pressure
perfectly without even looking like breaking the tippet or
tearing the hook out, perfect for fighting fish in tight spots
that are hell bent on boring into submerged trees and
the like. I’ve put this rod to the test on several occasions
since that first fish and have won some good battles with
some very feisty fish. I haven’t been disappointed with it
yet. Fighting fish is definitely what I enjoy the most about
fishing with glass.
Despite my fondness this isn’t a rod for all occasions
but in the right situation I would choose it over another
almost every time. When I’m using it I am typically only
casting a single dry fly or small nymph on a leader no
more than about 12 – 14 feet long in calm conditions.
Being accurate is a lot more difficult with this rod than
with what I usually use and if I try and cast too far, my
leader is too long; if it is too windy or my flies are too
heavy then things can quickly get out of control and it
becomes far less enjoyable to use.
Modern glass rods have come a long way from the
older models from years gone by. They are lighter for a
start, which straight away makes them nicer to use. Over
the past couple of years you may have seen or heard of
Epic glass rods. I am yet to cast one but my understanding
is that they have a faster action that is much nicer to cast
and they are able to be used in far more situations than
your typical glass rod. Late last season Jack got his hands
on one and he has already used it to tangle with some
stonking fish in the back country. He rates his one highly,
and everyone else I’ve known to use one feels pretty
much the same.
If you ever fish small streams and are looking for a
new rod to add to your arsenal then I would strongly
recommend considering glass as an option. If you take
the time to learn to use it properly I doubt you will be
disappointed.
TROUT-BOOKS.COM
NEW ZEALAND TROUT FISHING BOOKS AND DVD'S
GORE, SOUTHLAND, NEW ZEALAND. PHONE 03 208 4352; WEB: WWW.TROUT-BOOKS.COM
41
SUMMER
TROUT
Wild Fruits
Wild to the Table with Tony Smith
S
ummer vacation is the time many of us will catch
a trout and head back to the house, bach or camp
to prepare and enjoy the catch with those around
us with whom we are enjoying good times. These are
not the times for ’flash’ dishes, these are the times for
simple cooking, and here's a recipe simple enough for the
BBQ or campfire.. Keep your eyes out for wild fruits, the
tart taste of many of these make a perfect foil for your
fish. There are quite a few wild yellow plums around the
Central Otago region, the common red plums are found
in most areas, and greengages – although less likely to
be found wild nowadays – are great to use. The other
fruit that springs to mind over the Christmas period is
the wonderful gooseberry. Gooseberry sauce has in fact
been served with fish for centuries in Europe. Fresh trout
in season, summer produce, good company – Season’s
Greetings.
PAN FRIED TROUT WITH ‘WILD’ PLUMS
4 small trout or 4 fillets
½ a cup of seasoned flour
20g butter
20ml olive oil
Salt and pepper to season
2 shallot bulbs
6 greengage plums
4 teaspoons wild honey
Optionally a little chopped herb, parsley or mint
Slice the shallot. Cut the plum flesh around the stone and
twist to release, scoop out the stone from the remaining
half with a teaspoon (a paperclip also can be useful for
this) cut into quarters. If the stone won’t budge simply
place the plums on a board and slice off the flesh.
Heat the oil and butter; dredge the trout fillets in the
seasoned flour, pan fry the fish fillets which will only take
a couple of minutes, whole fish a little longer. Remove
from the pan and keep warm. Pour off any residue oil,
butter etc. Place the pan back on the heat, fry the shallots
until lightly coloured, add the honey and plums along
with a grind of black pepper. Cook until tender, adjust
with more honey if taste is too sharp. Add the optional
chopped herbs and spoon sauce over the trout.
42
Trout Fisher
A RIVER RULES MY KITCHEN by Tony Smith
Food styling and photography by Deborah Aspray
Tony Smith was born in Dunedin, educated in Temuka, Alexandra and Gore, and has
been a chef for more than 40 years. He is a keen outdoorsman and conservationist, who
loves trout fishing and small game hunting, and sees himself as a typical Kiwi bloke – a
fan of rugby, BBQs, beer and wine, with a penchant for New Zealand’s Pinot Noirs.
RRP $59.99 | HARDBACK AND FULL COLOUR THROUGHOUT | PUBLISHED BY
HARPERCOLLINS NZ | WWW.HARPERCOLLINS.CO.NZ
43
Memories of
ABERFELDY
By GARRETT EVANS
T
he weather people predict all manner of grim prospects. It has been pretty bad the past few days, but now is
meant to get a good deal worse.
The wood shelter needed stocking up so a number of big branches were collected along the river: willow,
beech, blue gum and manuka.
It’s also nice to know the river’s restocking itself during these winter months. The Alsatian and I stopped on the way
at Dave McCleod’s and collected a good deal of kindling .
Later, in the evening, it was nice feeling well prepared, and drowsing in front of the fire with large snowflakes drifting
by the windows. It’s hard to believe the trout season will be opening shortly. The trouting gear’s ready and in good
order there on the big wooden table.
Drowsing and half asleep I drifted off to a shoot of years ago at Aberfeldy in the Orange Free State.
rossing through a row of young blue gums, we came to the fence and the dusty track and the edge of the huge
field of mealies where we quietly lined up about twenty yards apart.
It was wonderfully exciting, the spaniels were dancing around wildly with broad smiles on their faces. Robin, the
best bird dog I ever had, was there and Duncan, Teal and BB too.
We moved down the rows in perfect line—a gentle breeze rustled the stalks and leaves—there was fabulous light and
shadow in there and guinea fowl moving ahead—it was exciting as we moved along quietly down the rustling rows.
Some guinea fowl flushed to the left, turned toward us. A bird flying at about forty feet, folded up perfectly, dead in
the air.
Switching to another, it fell further to the right—Robin, the senior spaniel, had it just as it hit the ground. The dogs
quickly brought both birds in and then returned with a third, shot further down the line by one of the other guns.
We’d water the dogs in the deep shade of the willows. We’d have a small braai there, several glasses of claret and
then a snooze, a zzzzz. Later as the shadows grew longer in the slanting light, we’d be off to the dams and the duck.
Lying there with the dogs and the guns in the shade of the trees, one could hear the covey calls of the g. fowl (the
guinea fowl), the rustle of the mealies, and the bees in the willows above. The sky had that deep blue colour of winter
and the open countryside rolled on for miles and miles, all the way to the far blue mountains.
he general bird shooting was excellent there, though one has duck here and infinitely better trouting.
A few days later, the weather had largely cleared and I had started in. Several trout were dimpling the water
just upstream—in my beautiful local woodland stream. A ‘dit’ of floatant dabbed on an Adams, a cast upstream among
them, and I had one on. Only a few yards away, there was a thrush bathing in the clear shallows among the sundappled, varicoloured pebbles.
C
T
44
Trout Fisher
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ACCOMMODATION
RUAKITURI RIVER, WAIROA, 'THE HUT”
Anglers accommodation on the river bank. Hard fighting Rainbow and Brown Trout. Sleeps 4 comfortably. Easy car access.
Guide available.
Contact: Davis Canning 4 Kentia Place Havelock North 4135
Ph/Fax 06 877 1696; Email: vinbin@xtra.co.nz
KOHEREPO STATION, RUAKITURI RIVER, NORTHERN
Koherepo
Station,
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PRINT: NZ $45 ($85)
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An
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Post Code . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Quiet
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hiking, hunting, over a kilometre
shop
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hiking,
over aby kilometre
TO HELP FOCUS THE MAGAZINE . . .
HOW LONG HAVE YOU FISHED FOR TROUT?
YRS
WHICH FISHING METHODS DO YOU USE MOST?
Dry Fly Nymph Wet Fly Lake Fly Boat Fly Salt Fly
Boat Fly Float Tube Harling Trolling Spinning Jigging
Besides trout, do you also target . . .
Salmon Sea Runners Other species
GIVEN THE CHOICE, WOULD YOU STALK AVERAGE
TROUT OR FISH BLIND FOR A TROPHY?
WHERE DO YOU FISH?
Locally Island-wide Nationwide Taupo Rotorua
WHAT ARE YOUR MAIN INFORMATION NEEDS?
Reports Predictions Methods Fly Tying Tackle New
Locations New Ideas Background
SEND FORM & NZ CHEQUES TO
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RANGITIKEI TARATA FISHAWAY ACCOMMODATION &
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Situated in the remote Mokai Valley where the picturesque
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fishing right at our doorstep. River Retreat, Spa Bath, Rafting,
Spotlight Safaris, Clay Bird Shooting.
Your hosts: Trudi & Stephen Mattock.
Ph: (06) 388 0354; Fax: (06) 3880954.
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WAIRAU RIVER ENCHANTMENT BLENHEIM
River boundary farm homestay for flyfishers.
Located Hillerston in the Wairau Valley.
Contact: Duannette Stigter
Enchantment 3782 SH63 Blenheim 7271
Ph/Fax 03 572 2885
TACKLE
TROUT FISHING RODS FOR SALE
KILWELL COMPANION AFTMA 6/7
Four piece in rod bag. 9' 0". Never Used! $200.00
KILWELL INNOVATION AFTMA 5
Four piece 8' 6", little used. $200.00
SCOTT POWR-PLY (USA) AFTMA 5
Five piece 7'5", fibreglass #575 -1969. Compact aluminium
rod case (50cm), rod bag. Collector item. Offers?
KILWELL SAFARI AFTMA 6/7
Four piece, fibreglass, 7' 3", rod bag - 55cms folded. $50.00
Contact: Tony Orman e-mail: botonz@icloud.com
or P O Box 939, Blenheim, 7240
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45
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Evaluate - nz trout fisher

Transcription

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