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June 26, 2016

A Pom’s portrait of New Zealand

An English perspective from Hardy’s website…

A Portrait of New Zealand

by Darren Woodmass and Dave Parker

(photos of upper Wanganui River from TRM library)

Wanganui 75Any angler drawing up a bucket list of worldwide fishing destinations would surely include New Zealand in that list and in doing so it would occupy a lofty position. So it was with childlike enthusiasm that Dave Parker and I made the meticulous preparations for our destination half way around the world in February 2015. New Zealand has such a rich diversity of fishing that choosing between the North and South comes down mainly to how much importance you attach to your prerequisites. If Brown Trout are to be your preferred quarry then head South. If you want a mixture of Rainbows and Browns together with a higher density of fish to the rivers then head north.

New Zealand

Wanganui 49Many anglers’ preconception of the Taupo region is sometimes their misconception. To many the region conjures up images of anglers rubbing shoulders in large pools in rivers such as the famed Tongariro with large nymph rigs supported by preposterously large indicators. True this area does have that but it also has some of the best backcountry fishing New Zealand has to offer. It is with this in mind that Dave and I boarded the plane to hook up with one of the region’s best guides – Shane French of Dragonfly Taupo. Throughout our trip Shane would introduce us to the less celebrated rivers and streams of the North Island backcountry.

The Internet is now an important information resource along with books but can only provide certain information on wilderness fishing. To my mind this is the most important aspect to get right in respect of backcountry fishing. By all means do the research court fellow anglers’ advice buy the topo maps and watch the DVD’s. But if you want to experience the full ‘shebang’ – hire a guide.

Wanganui 35The most diligent research in the world cannot provide the up to date information on wilderness fishing anything like a local guide can and in this respect Shane is your man. He is a superb conduit of local up to date information can accelerate your learning curve on how to fish these out of the way rivers and fast track you into waters that would take you years to discover. After all it’s all about economy of effort.

Our visit was for three weeks and we sure not going to be spending an inordinate amount of time searching out these waters on our own – we wanted to be fast tracked into the best waters possible.

New Zealand

Wanganui 27So what is a backcountry river? It can be described as any waterway that is remote from a settled area and very sparsely populated. Access is usually difficult frequently involving a combination of 4 x 4 and long walks. In short these are generally rugged and inhospitable places requiring effort to access.

If your usual river forays involve whiling away the hours on a southern chalkstream or fishing a long glide on the River Tweed then you need to seriously up the ante in terms of river fitness if you are to navigate the freestone backcountry rivers of the North Island. Generally these are seriously challenging rivers not only to get in to but also to negotiate. Many of the rivers we encountered are situated in valleys and gorges and were super difficult to get into. The rivers themselves are boulder strewn and with a combination of multi depth water and swift crossings they make for a challenging day.

Wanganui 24Frequently your path up the river would come to an abrupt halt and it would be necessary to scale up the banks of a steep bush infested gorge and drop down the other side to more accessible water and resume progress. It soon became evident that the least accessible water proved to be the most prolific in terms of fishing so if you want the best fishing you need to put the miles in.

What about the fishing? Well it’s all it’s cracked up to be and better. Shane accessed us into water that gave us some of the most memorable fishing we a have ever encountered. Every river was different in character but all of them offered changeable vistas and with epic backdrops. If like Dave and I your fishing apprenticeship was served extracting 12oz to 2lb Trout from our UK rivers you had better recalibrate your fishing senses in preparation for the first time you strike into 5lb of New Zealand Salmo Trutta. I am convinced these fish fight harder than their South Island cousins do.

Wanganui 87February in New Zealand is the equivalent to back end summer in the UK and these backcountry rivers tend to be on the low side. That’s not to say the fish won’t play ball it just means that you need to fish the pools slightly different to the start of the season. Forget the tails of the pools these fish tend to take comfort in the faster and more turbulent water where they can enjoy the oxygenated water and pick of the many terrestrials falling on to the water.

Time and again Shane would instruct us to fire for the ‘guts’ of the pool where the slightly deeper water provided some sanctuary and the faster flow offered plenty of oxygen. Fishing the inside line was sometimes productive but you kind of got a nose for where the fish would hit and it was nearly always towards the head of the pool.

Wanganui 32At this time of year the fish tend to be locked on to Cicada terrestrials. These provide a substantial mouthful for a trout and range in size from size 4 to 10. A typical day would see us start with a dry fly / dropper rig until the weather warmed up. The first sound of Cicada’s chirping was usually the precursor for some excellent fishing and it signalled time to dispense with the dropper and concentrate solely on the dry fly.

Time after time Trout would smash the Cicada pattern and once hooked would take off down the pool at rate of knots. These fish travelled. Factor in sunken logs tree routes and large boulders and you have an underwater obstacle course clearly set up in the fishes favour. Extracting these fish which usually ranged from 3lb to 6lb was not easy. So many times you would have them beaten and near the net only for them to get second wind and gain instant underwater traction and it’s off again on another searing heart pumping run.

Wanganui 72Which brings me neatly onto tackle. Your typical 9′ #5 pride and joy used to fool fish in the UK simply won’t cut it on these freshwater leviathans. Think powerful fast actioned 5 and 6 weights with plenty of power in the butt section to subdue the powerful runs. The Hardy Zenith and Jet range incorporating SINTRIX technology are perfect partners for subduing the searing runs of these fish and the Hardy Ultralight DD large arbour reel provided ample pick up speed and a strong drag.

In my next article we will look more closely at the individual rivers and pay attention to the vital equipment needed to tackle the backcountry rivers of the North Island.


About us:

Darren Woodmass

An annual trip to the wonderful lochs of Orkney Scotland helped fuel the enthusiasm for Darren Woodmass to channel his efforts into searching out worldwide fishing destinations to pursue wild Trout. Having left the fly fishing competition scene many years ago his fervour for the sport led him to exploring the breathtaking waterways of New Zealand’s South Island. The magical allure of the North Island was the next logical destination.

Dave Parker

Hailing from Newcastle UK Dave Parker is a well-travelled and passionate angler. His effort and enthusiasm was rewarded when he was part of the Gold Medal winning team in the FIPS Mouche World Fly-Fishing Championships. Much to his chagrin work commitments prevented his inclusion in the team when the England Squad visited New Zealand in 2008. His visit to the North Island in February 2015 was the perfect tonic.

 by Hardys…

By appointment to HRH The Prince of Wales Manufacturers of Fishing Tackle

  • Hiring a guide:
  • Being asked to field test a couple of the Hardy Sintrix range of rods in somewhere as glorious as New Zealand’s North Island is as good as it gets. But making such an arduous journey and accessing the less celebrated rivers of the backcountry is another matter. By all means swot up on the books, videos and the relevant topo maps as sources of information, but to experience the full shebang, hire a guide.

    To my mind, when I hire a guide, I am looking for him or her to be a vital conduit of information. By fast tracking me into water that will offer me the best chance of hooking up, and putting me on an accelerated learning curve in employing techniques to fool the fish. In short, I am adopting economy of effort. Shane French ticks all the above boxes and more. He has boundless enthusiasm and compassion for his beloved Taupo fishery and will always put maximum effort into a days guiding to ensure the best possible chance of success.

    Whether your prerequisite is to sample the challenging wilderness of the bast backcountry, or simply to have a more pedestrian day on one of the many excellent local rivers, nothing is too much trouble. Factor in very reasonable daily rates and the fact that he has one of the best selection of killing fly patterns I have seen, any angler visiting the Taupo region should seriously consider employing his services. It is money well spent, hence why I will be tapping into his expertise on my return visit in 2016.

    Darren Woodmass – United Kingdom
  • Lake Taupo Trout Fishing Report For The 24th of June 2016

    Shane French

    IMG_0772 (2)

    Hey all.

    Wow!!! Another month almost gone, July is looming, where are the fish? They have been moving into most of the rivers in dribs and drabs, when we get an increase in water flow then bigger numbers are entering but certainly not in the numbers like last year. They are moving through super fast in all the rivers meaning that if you get onto a group, try and stay with them. Likewise if you are not hitting them or seeing them, move.

    IMG_6536-001

    I firmly believe now that although the food source in the Lake could be better, it is our large trout that have been severely reduced in numbers over the years, that need to be replaced. Every so often when an angler catches an 8+ pound fish, (and it makes headlines, pfft) that fish probably came from a “big Fish”. The eggs from a large female are huge compared to a three pound silver bullet, the nutriments alone in that sac must give the juvenile trout a much better start in life, yeah? So maybe think twice about taking fish of that size. Yup I feel like a two faced bastard for saying this, as when I started out anything like that was certainly taken but we are learning right and we know that this attitude only brings us to where we are now!

    VIRB Picture

    VIRB Picture

    Why do I think the food source is ok? Well for a start the vast majority of trout,anglers are catching,are in good condition. Yes there are some skinnies out there but they are generally in groups,which to me just means have not got onto a good food source. That is a pretty damn big lake and if the trout have come out of a river system after spawning and the food is not around, they are not going to recover as quickly, if at all. The issue is not having skinny trout, it is skinny SHORT trout. I’m pretty sure Fish and Game would have it stocked with “R” strain pretty quickly and even if it didn’t work, at least trying to do something about a problem is better than sitting around waiting for it to get worse.

    Anyway just my thoughts you don’t have to agree with any of it.

    The Waitahanui has trout moving through. It received a fair amount of rain on Wednesday night and when I looked at it Thursday it had really nice colour and was up a wee bit too. I followed up a group of trout in this river and they were moving!

    IMG_6641

    I thought the Hinemaiaia would have been raging on Thursday but it was quite low. like all the rivers the Hine is yet to fire. This year has to be the killer for the Hine as far as the winter access. I have been waiting for this fishery to decline and waiting in horror what’s more. Maybe the continuous taking of 8 to 10 pound trout out of its upper waters for the past 5 years has finally had an impact on it. When this fishery fades there are going to be plenty of tears. Sorry DOC you suck on this one so badly, what an embarrassment your decision makers are. I’m not getting at the crew on the ground, I am sure you are doing your best with the orders you are given. It is the guys at the top who need a spanking!!  Watch those Damn Reeds, (fish spawning beds)  You can identify these as clean  patches of Stones in amongst the darker coloured ones, they are soft to stand on… probably due to all the little baby eggs being squished!!!!

    IMG_6727

    The Tauranga Taupo has blown out big time, reaching 1.45 This is pool changing high water and so going back in there to have a look at any changes might be necessary, what a shame. The TT certainly needed a clean out in some of the upper, middle pools as they had silted over a bit during Summer. This is one river that if the trout are moving through in small numbers I would move. I love going in here after rain with a really simple rig of Split Shot and Glo Bug. If you are searching those trout out in snaggy water then this rig will save you some money. If the water has colour then 8 or 10 pound Mono is perfect. Love the TT I will be in there next week :)

    IMG_6733

    I have not fished the Tongariro for over two weeks now. One would hope it is getting trout moving through and I believe it is but….. They certainly are not sticking around! depending on who you talk to about the Tongariro you will get conflicting reports. I had a friend fish it last week and sucked badly in three different sections :( Yet one or two pictures coming out of the river show really good trout with reports of quite a few landed. I might have a look at this next week but I wouldn’t hold your breath.

    IMG_6580

    We have more rain forecast for both Sat and Sunday now. These rivers are going to stay high and probably even get a top up at some stage. The Waitahanui will remain fishable but will probably get a pounding because of it from anglers. The Hine will just get a pounding anyway. If the wind drops try a Rip, they may just be amassing out there ready to run. Feel free to contact me if you would like more information about Wet lining or Rip fishing, I used this method to great success for many years and love it. Having the ability to fish a Rip when the rivers are quiet can be the difference in taking trout or being skunked.

    Tight lines be safe.

    Regards Shane

    IMG_0771 (3)

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