Ken Gargett Posted November 6, 2013 Posted November 6, 2013 been in touch with my usual guide in nz as keen to have a fish this season, though looking unlikely. he sent me back this photo - got it last week. went just under 12 lbs. he asked me not to reveal the river but it is one of my absolute faves and one on which i have got some of my best trout (close to this but not quite that big). anyone fishing nz who is interested in catching up with greg in the north part of the south island, drop me a note and i'll send details. be warned, it is no prisoners fishing. if you want a quiet day, wandering along a bank with an occasional cast, look elsewhere. greg works extremely hard and expects the clients to do the same.
Ken Gargett Posted November 6, 2013 Author Posted November 6, 2013 for some reason, the site won't load the photo. i'll keep trying.
LGC Posted November 6, 2013 Posted November 6, 2013 Beautiful brown! Was that taken on a large streamer?
Ken Gargett Posted November 6, 2013 Author Posted November 6, 2013 i don't know exactly what fly greg used this time but from past experience, at this time of year it would be pre cicada time so most likely a tiny nymph. a possibility of a dry but i don't think i've ever used dries on this river. the vast majority of his flies are smaller than your smallest fingernail. that is very usual for this region. very rare to see larger flies used here. the other possibility is a tiny san juan worm fly.
westg Posted November 6, 2013 Posted November 6, 2013 Impressive !! hats off to him, some skill involved in landing that.
tmc123 Posted November 6, 2013 Posted November 6, 2013 Great looking trout, i really need to learn how to fly fish.
Ken Gargett Posted November 6, 2013 Author Posted November 6, 2013 it would have been sight fishing as well, for certain. hard to describe the thrill of seeing a trout that size in the water, casting to it (and impossible to describe the frustration of then stuffing it up). have not spoken to him about how it fought. sometimes, if the large ones have been caught once or twice (it is all catch and release - i once asked him if he ever kept any from the few rivers where it is allowed. he was disgusted at the thought but only because he thinks they are crap eating compared to other local fish), they will offer submit meekly. of course, if they have not, they can fight like demons. had a bigger one than that straighten my hook once. hell of a fish.
bambam Posted January 28, 2014 Posted January 28, 2014 Great fish. I'm jealous. Nothing that large around here.
Smalls Posted April 7, 2014 Posted April 7, 2014 Just saw this thread and couldn't help commenting on that gorgeous fish. Nothing like a big bull male with that impressive hook jaw. 1
PuroDan Posted February 22, 2015 Posted February 22, 2015 Wonder if that brown has been to the ocean and back? Either way what a pig!!!
Fosgate Posted February 22, 2015 Posted February 22, 2015 Jealous. When I was a kid we would make excursions to go camping and fishing out to the Black HIlls of SD for Rainbows and Montana and Wyoming for Browns. The places we frequented no longer have the size or numbers since Whirling disease and zebra mussel infestations have invaded those areas. Every once in a while someone will pull out a decent Lake Trout, but not near as common as they used to be. That's not to say that I don't fish at all for them. Two years ago we stopped by Lake Pactola and picked up a limit of nice eating size (2-3lb) within a couple hours. Grabbed some "Slap Yo Mamma" spicy breading on the way to the cabin and fried them up within an hour out of leaving the lake. Good stuff. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EmaEu3mMhPg
Ken Gargett Posted February 23, 2015 Author Posted February 23, 2015 Wonder if that brown has been to the ocean and back? Either way what a pig!!! very rare, so i am told, that any of these trout are sea-run. they just get big in the cold waters. 1
PuroDan Posted February 28, 2015 Posted February 28, 2015 very rare, so i am told, that any of these trout are sea-run. they just get big in the cold waters. What a fish, reason I asked was because the of the silver coloring. But as I looked at that pig again, he was a bit soft to be coming out of the ocean. Real nice brown 1
PuroDan Posted February 28, 2015 Posted February 28, 2015 Jealous. When I was a kid we would make excursions to go camping and fishing out to the Black HIlls of SD for Rainbows and Montana and Wyoming for Browns. The places we frequented no longer have the size or numbers since Whirling disease and zebra mussel infestations have invaded those areas. Every once in a while someone will pull out a decent Lake Trout, but not near as common as they used to be. That's not to say that I don't fish at all for them. Two years ago we stopped by Lake Pactola and picked up a limit of nice eating size (2-3lb) within a couple hours. Grabbed some "Slap Yo Mamma" spicy breading on the way to the cabin and fried them up within an hour out of leaving the lake. Good stuff. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EmaEu3mMhPg
Ken Gargett Posted February 28, 2015 Author Posted February 28, 2015 What a fish, reason I asked was because the of the silver coloring. But as I looked at that pig again, he was a bit soft to be coming out of the ocean. Real nice brown it is much more silver-y than you usually get in those rivers but i wonder if that might be because they took the photo with a flash? not sure as i wasn't there when he caught it. but wonder if it might be a bit of reflection?
FLB03TT Posted April 17, 2015 Posted April 17, 2015 i don't know exactly what fly greg used this time but from past experience, at this time of year it would be pre cicada time so most likely a tiny nymph. a possibility of a dry but i don't think i've ever used dries on this river. the vast majority of his flies are smaller than your smallest fingernail. that is very usual for this region. very rare to see larger flies used here. the other possibility is a tiny san juan worm fly. On the San Juan in New Mexico we fish a ton on size 20 to 24 Baetis nymphs, as well as 24 to 28 Midge pupae and larva dead drifting with a strike indicator. Is that kind of approach used on this river? My biggest NZ trout was a 9 pound Tongariro Brown taken with a Matuka -3/4 upstream cast with a long swing at end of drift.
Ken Gargett Posted April 17, 2015 Author Posted April 17, 2015 On the San Juan in New Mexico we fish a ton on size 20 to 24 Baetis nymphs, as well as 24 to 28 Midge pupae and larva dead drifting with a strike indicator. Is that kind of approach used on this river? My biggest NZ trout was a 9 pound Tongariro Brown taken with a Matuka -3/4 upstream cast with a long swing at end of drift. couldn't tell you specifically re those flies but it does sound a similar method. kiwi rivers tend to be a mix of dries, which is brilliant, and nymphs with indicators. also brilliant but not quite so brilliant. 9lbs a fab trout. anywhere. assume you are talking in the river and not down at lake taupo??
FLB03TT Posted April 17, 2015 Posted April 17, 2015 couldn't tell you specifically re those flies but it does sound a similar method. kiwi rivers tend to be a mix of dries, which is brilliant, and nymphs with indicators. also brilliant but not quite so brilliant. 9lbs a fab trout. anywhere. assume you are talking in the river and not down at lake taupo?? The 9 pounder was caught at Hydro Pool, right in town. I was able to get situated on "The Rock" as it's called which is the prime casting spot when fishing Hydro Pool. This was on the last day of our trip and I was alone on The Rock with my shot ting head line which is, without doubt, a method of fly fishing created by the devil!! This trip was in the early eighties with my new wife who LOVES to fish and has been my constant fishing companion ever since. I very likely am the most blessed person on this earth!! We were staying at the Tongoriro Lodge, but branched out on our own early in the trip and went to Taupo to find a guide. Everyone we spoke to suggested one of the many lake guides who troll for the Taupo rainbows but we told them that we were looking for a fly fishing guide, which were few and far between in the lake area. Someone told us about a guy named "Louie The Fish" and we quickly hooked up with Louie. Perhaps some of you have fished with Louie when he was on the North Island. We caught more fish and had more fun in his van listening to great Blues traveling to various fly fishing spots than should be legal. Fished converging current lies he called "The Rip" on Taupo which was cool and also had an unbelievable day on Lake Otamanakau (sp.) for slab rainbows- just an unreal fishing day. One of the most unbelievable things we discovered in our time with Louie is that he previously lived less than 5 miles from us in Kittredge Colorado and fished the tiny Bear Creek, which runs through town. That's a small world story that's hard to top!!
Ken Gargett Posted April 18, 2015 Author Posted April 18, 2015 great stuff. sight fishing the rivers and streams in the south island for big browns is pretty close to the best fishing on the planet.
FLB03TT Posted April 18, 2015 Posted April 18, 2015 Gotta get back down and fish the South Island. The plane ride is a MOFO, though.
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