The Gus 'Grey Nomad' Birthday and Fishing Tour

[Ken Gargett]

Day 3 – I was fishing with Boris. Both Gus and I have used him before and he is superb (as is Greg). We headed to the Leatham – a lot of the group heading back today. We nailed the first two and I thought we were in for a top day. Then I managed to miss a good trout, not once but twice. Hooked it on a dry and it got off immediately. We had lunch and there it still was so hooked it on a nymph and lost it again. Then hooked a very good fish. Boris thought 6lbs but I suspect more. Amazing fighter. After a long struggle with me, it then – and remember that I am still really applying the pressure – fought against me but headed up some very serious rapids. UP!! How can it possibly do that? And it broke off. Got another and then on the second last pool, got a 7 lb'er so very happy. It chased a fly right across its pool. It had rained all day, not heavily but enough, and the wind had dropped the temp a long way. Boris and I had some cigars on the long walk out and then the long drive back. A fabulous evening for those left. A few Americans had joined us and still about 8 of us. Lots of laughs but an early-ish one.

Day 4 – I was last man standing as everyone had headed back for Christmas lunches etc. What a day! Usually, to fish down near Hamner Springs, which has a number of good rivers and some big fish, one has to fly but Greg decided we'd leave early and be back late, about 14 hours on the road and fishing. We'd left the lodge by 7am and, even picking up a pie for brekkie and the short walk in to one of the rivers (Greg has sworn me to secrecy over exactly which river), I was casting by 9.05. Granted it turned out I was casting at a rock, not a trout, but at least we were on the river.

An amazing river. All gorge to start with a narrow but powerful river of endless rapids interspersed with some terrific pools, then quite granite boulder-y for a while, also with lots of rapids and some good pools and then opens into spectacular alpine scenery, an open meadow with shallow granite streams. There are big fish all through but a mix of big and mid-sized in the meadow area, a higher percentage in the boulder-y part and nothing but seriously big in the gorge area, though there are not many fish there. But every one of them would be a minimum of 7 to 8 lbs. Trout heaven! The meadow area is by far the easiest to fish but, as no doubt that is where most people fish, the fish are very wary and much harder to hook. So, while it is easier to fish, it is harder to catch.

Our first serious pool was a tight, small one with a fish that must surely have been double digits. Problem was it was full of swirls and when the fish hit my fly, I was fixated on the indicator and as the fish was going the same way as the line and indicator, it meant that the indicator did not move at all for a delay of a second. Plenty long enough for a clever trout to spit the fly. They don't get big by being stupid. I felt gutted. Could not believe I'd missed it. Wondered why I was wasting my time and money, why I was wasting the guide's time, would I ever catch another fish? A serious crisis of confidence. I was suddenly the court jester of trout. Felt like giving up. A bit later, I cast to another good fish and hooked it and had the battle of my fishing life. Bar the bizarre one under the tree earlier in the year, this was the best fight any fish I've caught has put up (I was to learn that they were mostly like this here). We slugged it out in the pond for about 20 minutes. The one thing both the fish and I agreed on was that we did not want the fish to go down the rapids. It fought upstream every time it got near. That suited me. Eventually, I almost had it beat and so finally it conceded, turned and headed down the rapids and the fight was on again. These were very dicey rapids so Greg has hold of me and I have hold of the trout and we continue the battle. Finally Greg gets around and scoops it into the net. It had its tail on the edge of the net and gave one almighty flick and comes straight out. Never seen it before. But down the next rapids it went. We fought for about 45 minutes all up and went 100 metres down the rapids before we finally netted it. It went 8 ¼ lbs but I am as proud of it as any fish I've ever caught. I am now feeling as though I am the king of trout. Confidence fully restored, there is not a fish big enough in this river that I can't take. I am, of course, so cocky that blind Freddie could see what was coming a mile off.

A little bit later we find a trout that has to be the biggest in the river. These are very fat fish. Whether it is a mouse year or not, something is making them fat. There are a lot more mice around than usual and the trout are feeding on them in some rivers but there are not the plague proportions of the last true mouse years of 2000/2001. This fish was very long and very fat. Biggest trout Greg has seen for several years. We think it could easily tip the scales at 15 lbs or even more, a monster. I am a little less confident now. If it took off, Lord knows how one would stop it. It lived in a small pool of fast water but ruled it. Unlike most trout, it did not take up a position but cruised around. We thought we had spooked it several times but this fish kept coming around but we could not get any interest from it at all. We tried everything. So we left him and decided we'd have a crack on the walk out that evening (we did – spotted him again and were all set up when he dropped back down the pond, saw us, and bolted – I want to go back and chase that fish).

A few minutes later we spot another solid fish. It fights briefly and then settles in for a slugfest but caves after about ten minutes. It goes 9 ¼ lbs. A cracker, but certainly not the best fighter. We then find a fish that puts up an even bigger fight than the earlier one. We think it would have gone 8 plus but they are so deceptively fat, who knows how big it might have been (I certainly don't because we failed to catch it – and for some, no names Brownie, who believe that there are real weights and guides' weights, we checked Greg's scales against the properly calibrated digital set at the Lodge and they were spot on). By the time the leader gave out – from rubbing on rocks often 50 yards away down the rapids, we had fought it for about 40 minutes and gone at least 300 metres downstream through rapids. This was a bit easier for me as I could mostly fight it from the edge of the stream. After we had been going for 30 minutes, and I really been putting the pressure on him, we had him at the base of a strong rapid. He turned and, with me still really going hard at him, went back up the rapid and then swum across the face of it. I would never have believed it if I hadn't seen it. How strong are these fish!! Surely it would be tough enough to go back up but at least then, he is directly into it. How he could have his entire flank exposed to this and not be swept away is beyond me. Eventually, he fizzed down several rapids in a row and we were way, way behind and could not keep the line away from the rocks and it broke, but I rather felt he deserved it.

Then spooked one which went to the other side of the river. Went around and had a go with a dry, a cicada. It was only a rod length away and he was in a few inches of water so it was a bit cramped and careful but he moved over and slurped the thing. Went 7 lbs and a long way down stream. Had an audience for this. A bunch of bushwalkers arrived on the other side just as I hooked it and they kept pace with us, cheering away. A standing ovation when I caught it. I took many bows.

We continued on, saw quite a few in the 8 to 10 range and tried them on dries. We would have done better to stick to nymphs, I suspect. Got a few smaller fish and then the long walk out, had a crack at a few on the way back, and fell sound asleep as soon as the head hit the pillow, a few hours later.

Day 5 – Was always going to be a short one as had to be at the Nelson airport to get up to Auckland late arvo (and then back to Brizzy first thing Wed – actually writing this at Nelson airport – came straight from the river so still with water filled boots squelching everywhere and all my fly gear and vest on. Have too much excess luggage to get it in for the domestic flight so have a rain jacket over everything. Just saw myself in a mirror and I look like I'm trying hide that I'm a suicide bomber). We had a go at the Wairau, which I had a bit of success in once before. This was a bit similar. The sun needs to be it out to allow spotting in this river and it can get very windy. The strong winds did come in later and shortly before we were due out, the clouds stuffed things. Got a good five pounder early, missed a couple of strikes, had a long fight with one we thought around seven, which had amazing stamina, could not get any interest from a few others and late in the day, just before we packed up, got a 7 ½ pounder on a dry. Great way to finish a brilliant trip.

For any trout fisherman, this place is a must.

the 7 i got with boris.

two of the 8 1/4. fantastic fish. i love this fish, so you got two shots.

the 9 1/4. the second shot from the front shows how fat it is. one thing to note is how extremely young these fish were.

the seven on dry.

just such a beautiful place.

the seven and a half from the wairau.

[FlyFishingDude]

Sweeeeet! I see your fashion sense hasn't improved much since last year though........

Mike

[Ken Gargett]

Sweeeeet! I see your fashion sense hasn't improved much since last year though........

Mike

true, but i always think i look much better when holding a trout.

[thechenman]

That you do...

[samb]

true, but i always think i look much better when holding a trout.

Yes yes, the fish takes some of the focus off whats holding it

[Ken Gargett]

Yes yes, the fish takes some of the focus off whats holding it

so just like pornography

[shrink]

so just like pornography

You could have spared us that line. The mind reels at the thought of you pole dancing.

[Chaki]

Ken, pardon my question (I know nothing about trout fishing): do you eat them or do you release them?

Thanks

[Ken Gargett]

Ken, pardon my question (I know nothing about trout fishing): do you eat them or do you release them?

Thanks

for me, all catch and release. always have with trout. in some rivers, you can keep one up to 40 cm but no interest. always nice to se them swim off. who knows, i might get a chance to catch it again next year when it is bigger!

and at the moment, a lot of them are eating mice. mice-flavoured fish not really that enticing.

[Chaki]

for me, all catch and release. always have with trout. in some rivers, you can keep one up to 40 cm but no interest. always nice to se them swim off. who knows, i might get a chance to catch it again next year when it is bigger!

and at the moment, a lot of them are eating mice. mice-flavoured fish not really that enticing.

Thanks, Ken.

Trout eating mice? One never stops learning

[Ken Gargett]

Thanks, Ken.

Trout eating mice? One never stops learning

every 7 to 10 years, the beech trees have a massive seeding. this in turn leads to a mouse plague. a true plague year will see 1,000s of them everywhere. many try swimming the creeks and streams at night and the trout feast. they get very big very quickly, so mouse years have become legendary. the last was a pair in 2000 and 2001. this year, everyone is prediciting one and there are certainly more around than usual but it is not a plague year. that may change. but it is causing the fish to fatten up. good year to fish. but isn't every year a good year to fish.

[roughrider]

every 7 to 10 years, the beech trees have a massive seeding. this in turn leads to a mouse plague. a true plague year will see 1,000s of them everywhere. many try swimming the creeks and streams at night and the trout feast. they get very big very quickly, so mouse years have become legendary. the last was a pair in 2000 and 2001. this year, everyone is prediciting one and there are certainly more around than usual but it is not a plague year. that may change. but it is causing the fish to fatten up. good year to fish. but isn't every year a good year to fish.

Interesting.

[Miami101]

Now that is a nice fishhing trip....I have to come up one year and go fishing....

[acidmase]

I am very jealous!

[Justin01]

Beautiful fish there.

What timepiece are you wearing there?

[Miami101]

This looks like a great trip. I have started to take my fly rod out more, and I'm also working on learnning more.

The only problem is after my last trip my wife drove her car over my fly rod 3 times.....

She said she did not see my Fly Rod...

I have a Temple Folk 7'W

I'm going to get a 8'W for Tarpon.....Shark,,.....Sharks on the beach can be fun!

[Ken Gargett]

This looks like a great trip. I have started to take my fly rod out more, and I'm also working on learnning more.

The only problem is after my last trip my wife drove her car over my fly rod 3 times.....

She said she did not see my Fly Rod...

I have a Temple Folk 7'W

I'm going to get a 8'W for Tarpon.....Shark,,.....Sharks on the beach can be fun!

i would have thought, unless you were catching tarpon of the size we have over here (that is, small only), you would want at the very least a 10 and more likely a 12 weight. and for sharks, again depending on size, at least a 12.