Angling Report: March 2001 Lake Brunner Fly Fishing Report
As the
2000 summer season draws
to a close, it is interesting to reflect back on what has been a most unusual
summer. A difficult one as well, for many fishermen, in many respects. The West
Coast is not noted for its hot, dry summers.... yet from mid-February until the
end of March we had no rain at all- 42 consecutive fine days. This was apparently the longest dry period
since records began in 1892. As a result there were logs and rocks sticking out
of the waters that had never in living memory seen the light of day! Extremely
low, clear water levels, coupled with high water temperatures, made for
challenging fishing.
Lake
Poerua, usually a beautiful summer spot
for a fly angler, became a disgusting farm-type duck pond! The lower end of the
lake was down to 500mm depth, the water was tepid and filthy with the activity
of 200+ black swans, aided by a large flock of Canada geese. Weeds, oil from
birds, feathers, mud... truly awful!
Trout almost everywhere were frequently
apathetic, disinterested, and often to be found motionless in faster water
trying to find a little oxygen. On several occasions, when fishing from the
drift boat, we were able to try dapping - dangling nymphs right on top of a
trout lying in 3-4 feet of water. Even hitting it repeatedly on the head with a
big bead-head would not break the trance! A couple of times, coming back an hour
later, the same trout was still there, "dead as a maggot" was the
opinion expressed by one client!
On the other hand, there were locations where
fish fed voraciously. This year there seemed to be a massive spawning of the
local cockabully population, particularly evident along the mouth of the Crooked
River. Early in March, there were huge shoals of these small fish, literally
millions of them, and all about 15-20mm long. They massed in the shallows, and
along the edges of fast water where the river's trickles entered the lake. They
penetrated up the Crooked for a couple of kms, and finding a fly to imitate
these during daylight proved difficult, a size 8 Rabbit fly (red body) proving
ok. This
was an
occurrence where I sincerely regretted not being a fly-tier - I'm
sure that a couple of size 10-12 Kilwell or Mrs Simpson lures would have been a
devastating combination!
The most consistently succesful nymph in our
rivers throughout March was the Flashback, size 14 (Hares Ear with tinsel). This
was used variously: alone, in pairs, with a bead-head to get depth, or hanging
under a big Humpy or Stimulator in shallow streams. The technique was selected
based on the water type, the Flashback seemed to have universal appeal
everywhere from still pools to faster rapids.
The fish that we caught along the Crooked
River mouth, and in Horseshoe Bay, were in wonderful condition, as good or
better than at any time in the 40 years I've fishing here. During the last week
in March Cliff Beauchamp, a visiting California angler, caught a 22 inch hen
fish which was one of the best conditioned fish I have seen.
 |
|
Cliff Beauchamp |
Smelt, on the other hand, seemed less
prevalent than usual. There were small shoals along the shore of Iveagh Bay, at
the foot of Mt Te Kinga, and the trout in this part of the lake could still be
coaxed into an indiscretion with a size 6-8 Mrs Simpson, my personal favourite
lure. A Hamill's Killer in similar sizes, and also with a red body, was also an
effective lure in Lake Poerua once the rains came.
Although the conditions were indeed
challenging, we've only had one couple for the season who did not catch a trout.
That they only had a day to spare was the perhaps the biggest hurdle, as it
takes some folks longer to adapt to the local conditions and techniques. He'd
not fishing much with lures, and kept pulling the fly from the water too soon -
plucking the lure from between the fish's lips on several occasions! She'd never
caught a trout on a fly rod but hooked up to a nice fish whilst harling, and
promptly clamped her hand on the fly reel - the resulting bustoff was as
devastating for the guide as it was for the client! I think the moral of the
story is that even when the conditions seem beyond your skills, being armed with
a little local knowledge, a flexible attitude will still allow you to get the
best out of a days fishing.
Angling Report: March 2001 Lake Brunner Fly Fishing Report
[ Up ] [ Records ] [ Dec 2004 ] [ Nov 2005 ] [ Oct 2005 ] [ Jan 2005 ] [ Oct 2004 ] [ Sept 2004 ] [ May 2004 ] [ Mar 2004 ] [ Feb 2004 ] [ Jan 2004 ] [ Dec 2003 ] [ Nov 2003 ] [ Mar 2003 ] [ Feb 2003 ] [ Jan 2003 ] [ Dec 2002 ] [ Nov 2002 ] [ Oct 2002 ] [ Sep 2002 ] [ Aug 2002 ] [ Jul 2002 ] [ April 2002 ] [ Mar 2002 ] [ Feb 2002 ] [ Jan 2002 ] [ Dec 2001 ] [ Sep 2001 ] [ Aug 2001 ] [ Jul 2001 ] [ Mar 2001 ] [ Jan 2001 ] [ Dec 2000 ]
|
