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!