gulfgreyhound
Well-known member
- Joined
- Oct 17, 2007
- Messages
- 6,199
I was fortunate enough to get back to New Zealand in February and manage a few trips while there. Like the "Jam" and any other trip that get scheduled your locked into what Mother Nature offers. In this case it was the worst drought in eleven years. Low or no water flows made for tough conditions in creeks that had enough water to be fish able. Add in that February is the height of summer and the clear sky's made for very bright conditions most of the day.
Prior to my trip I contacted Michael Vetters a local guide for a days outing. Michael has fished the Te Anau and Gore areas his entire life and his knowledge made for a great day. He chose the White Stone River which reminded me of Pennsylvania creeks that run through farm country. The exception was the clear water which looked more spring fed due to the clarity. The willow lined stream probably hid more trout than we saw , but those out in feeding lanes made for spot and stalk fishing which was new to me. In one hole there were three trout,two at the lower end an one as long as my arm at the head end lying just off a seam to the right of quick water. I cast to the two trout in the tale of the pool and no takers on the dry and dropper. Michael said to try for the big one . I made a couple of false casts and when I shot the flies toward the seam a shadow crossed the water and the big trout was gone before the flies landed. I guess the bush dry or the line leader connection was enough to send the fish for cover. Nothing to do but move on upstream. Michael continued to spot fish and tell me where to cast. Casting thirty or forty feet a foot off a branch or near a rock made me appreciate having good equipment and even more so a guide with great eyes. He put me on fish but they were reluctant to take a fly.
Fortunately at the end of the day I finally put a hook in a nice fish that Michael was able to get a net under. It was a good way to end a day of the toughest most technical fishing I've ever done GG
Prior to my trip I contacted Michael Vetters a local guide for a days outing. Michael has fished the Te Anau and Gore areas his entire life and his knowledge made for a great day. He chose the White Stone River which reminded me of Pennsylvania creeks that run through farm country. The exception was the clear water which looked more spring fed due to the clarity. The willow lined stream probably hid more trout than we saw , but those out in feeding lanes made for spot and stalk fishing which was new to me. In one hole there were three trout,two at the lower end an one as long as my arm at the head end lying just off a seam to the right of quick water. I cast to the two trout in the tale of the pool and no takers on the dry and dropper. Michael said to try for the big one . I made a couple of false casts and when I shot the flies toward the seam a shadow crossed the water and the big trout was gone before the flies landed. I guess the bush dry or the line leader connection was enough to send the fish for cover. Nothing to do but move on upstream. Michael continued to spot fish and tell me where to cast. Casting thirty or forty feet a foot off a branch or near a rock made me appreciate having good equipment and even more so a guide with great eyes. He put me on fish but they were reluctant to take a fly.
Fortunately at the end of the day I finally put a hook in a nice fish that Michael was able to get a net under. It was a good way to end a day of the toughest most technical fishing I've ever done GG
Attachments
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Long distances to walk to reach good water made for a long day.The fishable holes were often 200 yar -
More willows that hid large trout which was typical on the Whitestone and were there to prevent more -
Michael scouts for a trout in typical Kiwi style. His experience was valuable in locating fish in th -
Trout might be seen in the shallow water only to move under the willows. This made for tough spot an -
White Stone River well named for it's granite and quartz stone bed. This river runs through farmlan -
Worn out old guy ,but a trout in hand.jpg -
Hard work pays off in a wild rainbow. It was in the hole at the right of the picture..jpg
