New fly fishing blog and site for New Zealand Fly fishing expeditions

Hi there - I have been busy developing my new blog and website:

www.flyfishingexpeditions.co.nz

so please go check it out.

I have been working away on developing some new fly fishing expeditions for the serious fly fisher so keep your eyes out for the new expeditions when the info goes live on the site. I will post another blog to let you all know.



In the meantime ----- One of the more grunty weather systems has been smashing southern NZ over the last 72 hrs and the worst of it is arriving now and for the next 24 hrs. Snow has fallen to very low levels over the South Island and Mt Hutt in Canterbury has received well over a meter of snow and may end up with a excellent base going into the ski season.
NZ Fly Fishing Expeditions - Fresh snow

NZ Fly Fishing Expeditions - Fresh snow

It has been a while since I have fished in conditions that require de-icing of the fishing rod guides and at the moment I am not rushing out the door to experience it. The extremely cold blustery southerly that is blowing has certainly got my hopes up for a good duck shoot this afternoon.

There looks like there could be a few small gaps in the weather next week so there could be some good options to get out then - if I can find a stable couple of days together we are going to try to get into Fiordland for a late season hit on some of the big browns that are getting ready for spawning.

The reports of a long and cold winter ahead of us may well becoming true and it will interesting to see if it translates into big snow which will then make for some big run off come spring time through the rivers systems. If the winter is long and cold it will also have and effect on the health of the trout at the beginning of the season - it will take longer for them to put condition back on.

Fly Fishing Late Season in The South Island of New Zealand

Lots of Mayfly but no fish feeding on the surface? Try an Emerger pattern. The last 2 days with the cooler weather down here has seen me guiding on river "X". Yesterday saw several missed chances - got to be super quick on the strike. I have been running a tundten beaded PT with and emeger dropper ( a special home tie pattern) and have had great success. Yesterday saw two 9lbs brown trout to the bank. Today same river, much lower down on the system, same rig and 9 fish hooked with 3 lost.



As I said in the last post the cold weather would make the difference and it certainly has. The mayfly is on but make sure you choose the right method of attack - surface has not been working but sub-surface with the emerger has. Tommorrow may be different but then again maybe not! Choosing the right rig and fly's for the conditions at the time is a big part of the fly fishing game.

Lates Season Fishing down South New Zealand

The last week since Easter has seen some odd warm (ish) weather with quite large quanties of precip falling west of the divide with some signifacnt spill over. The eastern side has not recieved too much rain but with the temps being warmer (until now) on top of the large floods we recieved about 3 weeks ago in many areas have certainly taken a toll on the the big mayfly hatchs we normally get. Although there has been some good steady action on the lower Mataura and yesterday on the upper “X” saw a good mid afternnon hatch of mayfly with fish feeding on the sub surface on the emerger but no actual surface action.



With the cold and clear weather on us now and steady thru to Friday there should be stronger hatches and we should see trout coming to the surface to sip the mayfly a great deal more on most of the Southern rivers.




With only 9 days left to go before the lowland rivers close it’s nice to see some stable weather for a change. This season has certainly been hard due to the very chanageable weather patterns but with good local knowledge has produces some great fishing at times.

The back country rivers stay open until the end of May and if the weather patterns give us some decent weather there will be some more good fishing available for the keen angler.



I am starting to get ready for some duck shooting and have been bringing bags of feed back from Southland to feed our ponds - (evening shoots preferred) but I will get in a bit more trout fishing before I head up to Golden Bay in mid May for a wee break. I am taking some saltwater fly fishing gear in the vain hope there might be some snapper around still (they usually move on around the end of April to follow the warm water) - we will see.
NZ Fly Fishing Expeditions - Back country Rainbow

NZ Fly Fishing Expeditions - Back country Rainbow

My last few days of guiding have been interesting from the tuition front. An interesting point is how detrimental to good fly casting is the habit of wanting to overmuscle the rod to load it up as opposed to allowing good technique to work the rod and allow for clean excution of the presentation. It’s something we are all gulity of now and again and is probably excerbated by “hog fever” and trying too hard rather than feeling the smooth rhythm of good fly casting. To be sure powering the rod up takes musclar activity and especially so when it comes distance casting but the majority of trout we catch is in a 30 -45 ft distance using long (and sometimes very long) leaders. Having the skills to deliver an acurate cast the right length, first time can make a huge difference to the results at the end of the day…….practice your casting. Make the time to practice particularly before going on a trip. Practice casting is best done on the grass in the park and not while seeing a 8+ lbs New Zealand feeding parked in a tricky pool eye. Yes life is busy but do yourself a favour - PRACTICE - it will pay off!

Easter Fishing down South NZ

Thursday as promised the storm had passed and snow was lying low in the mountains we shot down to the Upper M for the afternoon. The river was still up and slightly discoloured but clean enough to spot to about waist deep. We found some nice trout and managed to hook 2 - one to the bank which was about a 5.5 lb jack fish in excellent condition. Very light mayfly hatch around 3 o’clock but no real surface activity.



Easter Friday saw us in Central for the day on the M with excellent conditions, blue bird and no wind. My beginners managed 4 to the bank nothing big, nice 2-3 lbs fish. In the back ground the sound of distant gun fire was echoing thru the valley due to the great Easter bunny hunt - teams of 10 head out on to different farms to help clear the rabbits - each team expects over the 48 hour shoot to nail about 1000 bunnies. With 20 teams out there blasting away you can imagine the sound!

The big O has been producing some good mayfly hatches between 1 and 4 pm and resulting in some nice fresh run trout - still quite full.

Reports from friends driving past the rivers has been plenty of fisherman out enjoying the long Easter weekend with anglers vehicles parked up all over the shop.

Autumn fishing is here.

Daylight saving time has changed back (thank goodness), the leaves are changing colour and there is one month left for the lowland rivers (the ones that run to the sea)these close on the last day of April and the high country rivers close at the end of May.

There is some great fishing from now until the end of the season with some good Mayfly action.

The Pommy had a very big and quite localised rain event about 2 weeks ago that created a very large flood event (it also hit the Waikaia but not as bad) which has seen debris left to very high levels up the banks and has certainly pushed fish back downstream and knocked them about. They will be moving up again.

The Oreti and Aparima have seen fresh fish moving up in last week and spawning runs are getting underway. It is no longer possible to target salmon in these systems due to the seasonal license restrictions in place from F&G. Even on poor light days blinding thru runs and riffles should produce a result or two - forget the aquarium pools unless you want to hit them after dark.

The Greenstone is now free slather (no booking system) again for all (if you have the correct licensing)until next season and is fishing well. The Caples is also fishing well and both are holding good numbers of fish and more Brownies are showing up in the systems. Even getting trout coming for cicadas still!

If you want to catch lots of fish, hitting the Mataura and working the riffles and waiting for the afternoon mayfly hatch is the way forward.

Quinnet salmon have been gathering at the heads of the lakes for their runs and the deltas have been productive.

Certainly now the days are shorter more gentlemanly fishing hours are available and there is some very productive fishing during the shorter light hours - particualry mid afternoon when the hatch is on!

Tight Lines,

Simon

SW Guiding - Fly Fishing New Zealand Report 13.03.09

Update from Fly fishing New Zealand

I am just about to post a vid blog but in the mean time:

The lower 1/3rd of the South Isalnd has been fishing well.

The Cicada season on the west coast is at an end and in-land has been reltively poor due to the regular cold snaps we have been getting over summer killing off the grub.

Sea runs have started appearing in some of our better know sea running rivers and also chinnook salmon are showing up. The Clutha River belkow Roxburgh is one example of this where a solid amount of large salmon have been caught.

The latest cold snap produced teh coldest day in QT in March since 1991 and also a solid flush thru most of the river systems. This should only help induce more fish to run up these systems and we are lookinglike getting some excellent mid to late season fishing.

Tight Lines,

Simon

SW Guiding and Carlin Bamboo

Latest Reports from SW Guiding - Fly Fishing New Zealand

Beautiful Hand Crafted Rods

Through a network of like minds i.e. serious trout heads, I have been in touch with a very highly regarded rod maker, Chris Carlin of Far North Rods Smiths and he will be out visiting later this year

If anybody is interested in getting a beautifully crafted bamboo rod this is definitely the guy to build one for you.

Going on a New Zealand Fly Fishing Safari

Some tips on how to fight NZ trout

Here are some tips for fighting trout that I always find useful and spend time constantly telling people - they should up your catch rate (unless you count long line releases):

1. Use the strongest leader and tippet you think you can get away with.

2. Make sure you check your leader and tippet for any weaknesses before you cast to that hog.

3. Keep the rod tip up - show the fish the butt (not your's - the rod's). If you have a low flat rod you will shock load the tippet and risk losing the fish.

4. Keep your check (tension) low - enough to stop over spooling only - use your index and forefinger with the line running through it to increase or decrease tension when you need to. If you really need too up the check when you have the chance.

5. If the trout makes a long run away from you that will take care of all the lose line spooling around in the water.

6. Get on the reel.

7. Clear the hand from the reel (completely when the trout runs).

8. If the trout runs at you - strip line in (from behind the hand that the fingers are controlling the line tension with and if possible move away from the fish.

9. If you are in the water - move out of it when you get the chance - it's always fun when the trout swims between your legs.

10. Get your hands up above your head (until you too get tired). the extra 2-3 feet elevation on the rod will lift the trouts' head up (great on brownies) and allow you to maneuver the trout where you want it to go more easily.

12. Soft wrists when the trout goes airborne - if you lower the rod tip and end up with too much slack as you lift you may shock the tippet.

13. Use rod angle to direct the fish where you want it to go as much as possible.

14. Always keep one eye on the fish while you move over tricky terrain during the battle.

14. Be aware of the terrain - as much as a river runs through it, a lost fish is better than drowning.

15. The battle is not over until the fish is in the net or up the bank.

16. The net is unlike a tennis racket.

17. Try not to water net unless there is no other option - keep one foot on the bank.

18. If you are fishing with a friend communicate throughout the battle - generally the guy on the rod is the Chief and the net guy the Indian.

19. Fight Hard

20. Unless it's really necessary don't use a net - beach the fish.

21. Beg, steal or buy a set of knee high stockings - cut the toe end off - wear one on a wrist while fishing - when you go to handle the trout (with wet hands) roll it down and you will find you can get a much less slippery hold on the fish until you release it.

22. You can hold the trout quite firmly just in front of the tail fin (with the stocking hand) while the other rests very gently under the belly.

23. Photograph and take dimensions quickly. While you are doing this give the trout a drink between photos.

24. Hold the fish upstream in light flowing water (maybe behind a rock).

25. Release hands and watch the fish swim away to battle for another day.

Post Coital Rainbow trout and fat Browns in the far south of NZ

Into December now and still ducking and diving around the weather but we are getting better periods of more settled weather which is helping the timeless art of fly fishing for NZ trout.

Last week was spent chasing some post-coital rainbows and some still right in the act too in some small back country creeks with fish happily coming to the dry fly 90% of the time and a day on a lowland river that was also productive with fat browns wanting a lightly weighted nymph and one good crack at a veritable hog that would have gone 12 -14 lbs. Had a swim to get into position for it and after about 8 casts and one change the beast went for it and unfortunately my guy thought he had put it a bit to far to the right and went into relax mode and then was wondering what to do when his guide yelled STRIKE (the fish went at it hard and no time to warn my guy it was coming) - by the time the line was tight and rod lifted it was all over and this big trout quietly disappeared into the depths. Moral of the story - when your fly is in the water - FISH IT WITH PURPOSE! You won't get a second chance especially on big trophy trout!

It's been raining hard all day and there will be some bigger volumes in the river and also discoloration in some too for the next 24hrs before they drop back again.

Productive flies of recent: Green Humpies, Blow flies imitaions, Light half back nymphs and hare and coppers.

Time flies

Well some how it's been nearly 3 weeks since I wrote my last blog. I have been busy guiding and been all over the shop in both 4WD and Heli fishing mode with single day trips and multi day trips. The weather has continued to be spring like but there has been some absolute stunning fishing days. The fishing has been a mix of nymph and dry fly fishing with more of the latter starting to come into play. We have been enjoying the use of the usual suspects - Green humpies, Royal Wullfs and Blow flies and there has been some reasonable brown beetle activity around in the evenings too. Nymphs will continue to play a valuable role through out the season. I have had good success with emergers and soft hackles also over the last 2 weeks.

All the backcounrty fisheries I have evisited have been holdinng good numbers of rainbow trout higher up the system and the brown trout seem to more abundant lower down. The brown trout are all in seeming great condition early season and of the rainbow trout are post spawning with the exception of course as is the always the case when it comes to fishing.

I am seeing a great deal of masting in the beech trees and there might be a good mouse season coming up around the place!

The next week looks a little unsettled again but lets wait and see and take it as it comes.

Get in to Queenstown Sports world and get geared up.

Remember Check Clean and Dry.

Tight Lines

Improving weather in The Southern NZ regions

Since the 1st week and a half of the fishing season the weather has improved (for the time being) down here in the lower third of the South Island. This has created a vast improvement in water clarity and all the rivers and streams are clean at present.

I have visited quite a lot of waters in the last week thru West Otago and Northern and Western Southland - all have been clear and fishing well although flows are quite large still (be careful on your crossings). The fishing has been good and we have been able to sight and catch many fish using standard nymphing techniques. A few trout have sucumbed to the dry fly as well.

As normal at this time of year some of those little hidden gems are the place to be as they are holding fish while they carry good early season water flows.

The trout themselves are a mixed bag with some very well conditioned trout and some trout needing to work hard over the next 2 months to put their condition back on.

There is still plenty of snow to melt off the mountains so we will see some high, dislcoloured water soon enough again - remember you can still find clean water usually and there is always the option to fish a streamer fly.

In 10 days most of the South Island New Zealand back country rivers open.......

Tight Lines

ANZAC Long weekend

The Nissan Safari all packed up with just about everything you could possibly need for a fishing road trip. We headed down for a few nights based in Lumsden and the last of the fishing left before the low country rivers close on the last day of April. We maanaged to get two good days on the Oreti - hard going with low light at this time making spotting hard (no need to be out the door early) of the year but we managed to get onto a few good fish on the dry fly and find some late evening hatches to attend. We also noted a pool that had 40+ fish in it but none feeding. It looked like they were waiting for a fresh (that was coming) to head on a spawning run. After dark may have been worthwhile but we had other plans.

Gunns camp in the hollyford was waiting for us with a cabin booked and a date with some rainbows. It is big mountain water and with the storm around remmbering wher you are and the safety that goes with an area that gets between 6 - 8 meters of rain per annum - any good downfall can see the river rise quickly. This is a place that fish can be found by pooking in thru dense Fiordland bush and finding pools and then spending time to spot for both rainbow and brown trout. Generally speaking the fish can be hard to catch at this time of the year but with patience, skill, some luck and targeting the 'bows when you find them can pay dividends. We had 2 good days here with some good bows to show for it and then it was off with a stop in the Eglington and a and some mayfly action before heading back to Queenstown. All in all a greta trip in an amazing landscape with some nice fish to boot.

SW Guiding Maps

Hi there - I have just been learning how to use nomao mapping for my blog and website - it's very good and easy to use. I embedded one below that you can scroll around on and look at my Queenstown base and Southland Homestay base locations and also get a photo and video - I hope you enjoy.

Pricked by SWGUNNY with Nomao

Beautiful Autumn

The first good autumn /winter storm came thru dropping quite a bit of snow down to about 3000 ft lowering to 1400ft in Queenstown. Snow to ground in areas south like Mossburn and Lumsden etc. This has been followed by a very cold night with big frost so will it be interesting to see the Southern rivers this coming week. All our backcountry rivers low and clean and I imagine similar in the South but it may create a small fresh followed by some melt fresh, stirring the browns up a little for spawning runs in some areas --- maybe!

There should be some great mayfly hatches in the afternoons - I am off to Lumsden for four days this coming week so I will let you know whats going on.

Makarora

A awesome sunrise this morning and and on the road headed for a days fishing with beautiful Autumnal weather at Makarora. Crystal clean water is what we expect to find and do worth a light southerly wind blowing on our tail. Pretty hard going this morning with fish being hard to find and those that we do we botch it all up and off they slide until we are well past. Around 1400 things changed as expected and the browns cam into the shallow riffles to feed on mayfly. We started to find fish and although no hatch was on we ran a parachute Adams over them and no hesitation with the fish coming up to suck them down. By 1600 wit the sun slipping behind the mountain tops and the temperature dropping it was time to walk back to the truck and head home happy with the knowledge of finding trout around the time we expected to see them and then managing to fool a few of them - another great days fishing in the late season. Oh by the way - still happy enough to wet wade on these nice days but wearing thermal underwear below the pants and carry a spare layer or 2 in the backpack.

Good late season fishing

6th April - leaving early today (0500) we headed off deep into southland to spotx. Arriving early we headed well up river before starting to fish to give us the best chance of undisturbed water (big walk back at the days end - oh well). As the light lifted we started spotting some good trout. We got them to lift to para adams #12 even with no hatch and when that didn't work we went to them and had success on Pheasant Tail #12-14. Got a good solid 1/2 hr hatch at 1400 - fish in the riffles - ye haa. 8 fish landed and about the same lost for one reason or another and a couple of missed strikes. The browns are moving up river for spawning so it is a good idea to check out upper reaches of water ways if the have reasonable water flow - look after a fresh. Well worth the longer drive today as the fishing in more northern southland has been harder as of recent. Still have got to chase those Salmon up the Dart yet. Next days fishing is friday 11th - will come back with a report then