A Tramp of Incidence

The ski season has come to an end, and while we did not spend as much time on the slopes as we had thought, it was bloody good fun! Mount Hutt may be small but the variety of runs is good and there is something to be said for getting to know the slopes well. Unfortunately the weather stopped us skiing more than we did with high winds and no visibility a relatively common weekend forecast. Being spring we also went down to a 1 in 4 rota with the large vets doubling up for calving season. Amy ended up winning the calving competition with 65 in the 12 week calving period. She is still going with a delightfully pungent full embriotomy last night bringing the yearly total to around 80! We both definitely improved and overall I clocked up 10 days, 128 runs and 52132 vertical meters at the Hutt with the extra days at Roundhill and Dobson providing a bit of variety.

The weekend focus now switches from skiing to tramping. Amy had had a week up around Abel Tasman with Janneke and so already had a 2 day tramp under her belt. We opted for a gentle intro up in Lake Sumner Forest Park, a jaunt to Jollie Brook hut. Driving up took a bit longer than expected, an extra hour spent driving deep into the park on a dirt gravel track, but the walk up to Gabriel Hut, a side trip to see the lake and the short slog over the saddle was great. It was nice to be back in the boots again. The hut was great, very roomy with a warm fire and all to ourselves. The route out on Sunday followed the river and we were forced to cross 33 times with the water varying from mid-calf to mid thigh in depth. We were looking forward to a change of clothes and a Burger King on the drive home by the time we reached the van. Unfortunately Gordon had had his lights left on and the battery was completely flat. Just as I was about to jog down the road to try and find someone to help a 4x4 drove by and sure enough had jump cables. The battery was that flat however that they did little more than get the dash lights going. No problem he said, we'll just put my battery in and switch again once the engine's running. You can do that? No as it turns out, as soon as the battery was disconnected the engine died again. No problem, I'll just tow you so you can jump it. Still no joy and so his trailer was reconnected and we had a lift to Kaiapoi 2.5 hours closer to Ashburton. He was an absolute lifesaver as we did not pass anyone else on the dirt road out and with no mobile signal would have been well and truly stranded. Arriving in Kaiapoi, he dropped us off to buy a new battery as we still had some thoughts of getting back that day. It was too late however and so we ended up simply lugging a battery on the bus into Christchurch to some friends who then dropped us off at the bus stop to Ashburton. The 4 hour walk had been somewhat overshadowed by the 7 hours it took to get home. The best bit was the fact that we then got to spend Monday night after work driving back up to the van, installing the battery before heading back home again. Another 6 hours! Lets hope our future tramps are not quite so eventful.

Its currently Labour weekend and we are on call for yet another bank holiday, though we do get the day in lieu. The rodeo came to Methven and we thought it was worth the risk to go and have a look. Unfortunately I got a call that absolutely could not wait (i.e. cat been off colour a bit for last few days and not improving) and so ended up missing everything except the kids riding the calves and sheep. The BBQ is getting good use at the moment and weather permitting I'm off fishing again Wednesday. I could get used to this good weather!

The Beasts

Opening Day and a Fish at Last!

October the first represents the opening of the fishing season and having booked the day off I was a little worried that a lone trip somewhere unknown may turn out to be a bit of a waste of time, especially with reports that opening day is often not blessed with the best of weather. My luck was in however as I was kindly invited to tag along with Rob, the partner of a girl from work, and his mate Bruce. Pick up time was 7:15am with clear skies, the only worry was the wind. Meeting up with Bruce we headed to the top secret location set among stunning country and started stalking the edge. From what I can tell, fly fishing in NZ is very different from most other countries for 2 reasons: the number of fish is relatively low but they grow to a larger than average size and the water is incredibly clear meaning that the primary fishing method is "sight fishing", you cast to fish that you have spotted rather than fishing blind. Bruce spotted the first fish and the boys insisted I should cast to it. Now this was a pretty nervous time as I did not want to look like the complete amateur I am (all the gear and no idea!) and I also did not want to waste the opportunity knowing there may not be that many others with 3 of us on the water. The first few casts made with shaking hands were OK, just trying to get the length right to one side. The gusting wind then made it a bit tricky to get the nymph over to the far bank where the fish was busy feeding. A few time I dropped the nymph a little too short, right on the head of the trout but thankfully it was not spooked, the benefits of it being the start of the season and the fish being a little naive! Soon enough the cast was good and the indicator disappeared under the surface. The strike was made and the hook set, at least for a brief second before it came flying out of the water. With nymphing you need to react immediately and my reaction was a little on the slow side, mark that one down to experience.

A little later a deep pool was reached and a trout spotted patrolling his beat. Robs double nymph setup ensured the juvenile male was soon landed. The sun was still shining though by the time we turned back to retrace our steps the wind had picked up a fair degree, a dreaded nor'wester. This made the spotting much harder, the ripples obscuring the view, though in all honesty the trout would have to be jumping clean out of the water for me to be sure of a spot. By the time we made it back to the pool, Rob spotted another fish had taken up station. Unfortunately for him however he had crossed to the opposite bank and the current prevented the telling cast being made. Bruce gave it a go, the hook was set but the line then broke. Either it was shocked enough or another took its place because spotting another dark shape my nymph was taken and a 2.25 pounder was soon landed after a brief aerobatic show. My first fish on a fly rod!

The experience of casting to a fish that you know for sure is there is exciting to say the least, waiting with baited breath for the twitch or sudden submersion of the wool indicator. It was not long before another fish was spied, again by Bruce, who insisted I was due another shot. I was worried the line would spook the fish as it landed right over its rippling form but the indicator dived to indicate a sure take and my reactions were quick enough to ensure the hook set. With Bruce manning the landing net a rather large hen was soon captured and the scales revealed it to be a little over 6.5lbs! Rob was then into another to end the day, again over 6lbs, before we reached the car and cracking open a few beers to round of a truly excellent day.

As I type this the skies are grey with drizzle but spring does appear to have arrived. The blossom is in bloom and flowers coming to life. Ashburton domain is looking fantastic and I have headed there a fair few times after work to try and capture it at its prime. Bruce has the fishing photos and will hopefully email me them soon. Until then you will have to just take my word that a fish or two was caught and just enjoy the spring photos!