Absolutely amazing footageā¦
ā My wife and I were fishing with friend/guide Dean Whaanga in New Zealand when a combination of bad weather and good timing resulted in a fish giving us the experience of a lifetime. I crawled on my stomach with my camera to the waterās edge, hit record, and watched what was one of the coolest moments I have ever witnessed.ā
It only runs for two and a bit minutes, but my guess is you will repeat view several times. Watch in HD and full screen.
Mark Kitteridge who worked with me at my tackle shop in Auckland NZ for ten years scored this huge yellowtail kingfish off Tairua, NZ. Weighed in at 40 kg (88 lb.)
Released it too!
Did you know that the IGFA has two records for Yellowtail kingfish, the so called California Yellowtail and the Southern Yellowtail yet they are exactly the same fish. Way past time the IGFA fixed this.
Hand feeding yellowtail kingfish off a wharf in New Zealand.
When does chasing big brown trout become an obsession?
I try to get down to the Taupo region on the central North island of New Zealand in March. As autumn starts to bite, brown trout move into the rivers and streams from Lake Taupo to head upstream to spawn. It is usually a reasonably sedate meander, not like the mad dash of pods of rainbows that tend to move up somewhat later.
Usually rivers and streams in March are low and clear, but this does not seem to deter brown trout. Mostly they move at night, spending the day hugging the bottom of deeper water, or tucked in under overhanging, undercut banks. Some hold deep in the branches of fallen trees – untouchable.
This year things were different. A vicious drought affecting the North Island and beyond turned the land from the famed New Zealand green to a drab lifeless brown. Driving down from Auckland I had never seen the countryside so devoid of grass. The sun literally sucking the life out of the land and waterways.
When I reached the Tauranga-Taupo River (TT), I could see the effect of the drought. The river was now a creek, very low and clear. Despite this Steve Yerex, guide and operator of the Keruru Lodge, where I regularly stay, was reasonably upbeat. Browns were in the river in some numbers he reported over the phone, but he suggested that it might take some high level of skill and more than a big helping of luck to pry one or two out of the TT.
Steve was going to be away for a couple of days raft fishing down the Mohaka River, leaving me on my own at the lodge – I liked that.
Arriving late afternoon, I decided to wander a little way downstream with my Tenkara rod and see if I could annoy a few small rainbows which by now were moving downstream to the lake. Over the next hour and a bit, more than a score of fish around 6 to 10 inches were plucked from the shallow runs. Great fun.
Next morning and now in serious fish-hunting mode I headed slowly upstream, peering intently into every pool and undercut bank. The browns were there. Some brutes among them too. Serious brutes. Brutes that have tempted and tormented me for too many years to recall.
Just back from a four day trip to fish the Tauranga-Taupo River near Taupo, Central North Island, New Zealand.
On the face of it the fishing should have been hard, the river was low and very clear, the sun was summer shining, and it was blowing hard, at times very hard.
But the river was stacked with fish. There were good numbers of rainbows making their way up-river to spawn, and bigger numbers of fish making their way back down to the lake. Even managed to bag a nice 5ish pound Brown trout ā nice surprise.
The fish were not big, but big enough, and the fish in the photo was pretty typical.
The river may have been stacked with fish, but there were very few anglers about, most of the time I was alone. Bliss!
Mostly used a āhopper-dropperā setup; the dropper being one of Chris Dore’s Glister nymphs. I had these in a range of sizes and weights (including un-weighted). The āHopperā was a butt-ugly foam fly of my own twisted imagination which despite appearances was monstered by more than a few fish.
I donāt think I casted āblindā over the whole 4 days ā just cast to sighted fish.
Just a quick note, my trip was timed on the basis of a very successful trip same time last year, and year before. I am not a regular diary keeper, but do keep notes on successful trips.
A satellite reporting tagging device know as a SPOT tag, attached to a shortfin mako shark dubbed āCarolā in New Zealand five months ago, is providing scientists with remarkable and previously unknown details of the timing and long-distance migratory movements of this species.
See more on Sportfishing magazine.
Arrived down at the Tauranga-Taupo river, just south of Taupo, central North Island, NZ, just after 1pm, last Sunday. Thirty minutes later was on the river, which was clear and as I found, full of fish. Brilliant fishing for round, fat and fit rainbows in the 3 to 4 lb. range. Better still I had the river to myself.
Tucked myself into bed that night, happiness filled and expecting more of the same next day.
Well it was more of the same that Monday morning, but by afternoon the rain Gods decided to exert their superiority over the river. Very heavy rain persisted down all afternoon, all night, and Tuesday morning revealed a river risen to flood, and I contemplated an early drive home.
I decided to stick it out, and see if the river dropped on Wednesday ā it did and became fishable if not still high and slightly milky coloured. Not only did it remain fishable by it seemed that several big pods of fish decide to use the increased water levels to make their way up the river from the lake.
But the drop in the water level was accompanied by a mini invasion of anglers. Locals know that extra water means extra fish in the system. But by walking further up the river I was able to find un-populated water ā and heaps of fish.
So despite the weather interruption had an excellent 3 days fishing.
Chris Dore is one of New Zealandās top guides; specialising in the south of the South Island of New Zealand. He has a a very refreshing attitude to fishing and fly tying ā and ākeep it simpleā seems to be his watch-word. But making things simple requires a lot of knowledge and experience – Chris has a heap of both.
Chris ties these ugly brutes for early season headwaters on size 6 to 10 long shank hooks ( I think I will use Tiemco 200R to give a slight bend). The rest you can pretty much work out for yourself.
Wrap some lead (or substitute) around the hook, tie in a bunch of black hair or fur for a tail, tie in copper (or gold?) wire, and some black flexi-body or any stretchy sheet, dub up to 2/3 with hares ear, then some black dubbing, for thorax and head. Pull the back over the fly and tie down at the head. (Quick tip: before you cut off the back, pull the excess back towards the tail and throw in a few ālocking turnsā to really secure the back). Follow with the wire to form segments, and tie off at the head, whip finish and give it a dab or two of head cement. Simple. Quick. Done.
I suggested adding some wriggly rubber legs ā Chris said he used to, but now does not bother because the fly is just as effective naked. Simplicity again.
Chris describes the fly as his āget noticed flyā, to fish in edge waters and boulder runs. Go easy on the lead, you want the fly to move through where heavier flies would snag.
That is about. I will be tying up a bunch of Creepers and Glister Nymphs for a trip to the central North island in early October, as Spring gets into full swing here.
Fly fishing with Russell Anderson Fly Fishing in New Zealand, spotting and stalking the ultimate challenge, sight fishing in New Zealand’s backcountry with gin clear water.
But in the North Island, and for big Rainbows. Beaut eh!
