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Archive for September, 2018

Tight Lines for the New Season!!

September 29th, 2018 No comments

Only a couple of days until many rivers in the vicinity open again. It’s always an exciting time! We never know what were going to get at the start of the season. Have the trout recovered well? What condition will the rivers be in? Did winter floods do any damage? Will snowmelt be an issue? There’s only one way to find out! Unfortunately I wont be able to fish opening day since Iza will be at work so I’m looking after Adaline. A few more months and she’ll be coming with me. I have the 3rd, 4th and 5th to fish myself and I cant wait! I’m not sure what I’ll do yet but in October there are usually fish everywhere so it doesn’t matter!

If you missed my recent report about the current threat to NZ trout and angling, please click here! I urge you to make a submission. It needn’t be long but it’s extremely important that we make our opinions heard. Trout are too important to New Zealand to allow the Department of Conservation to remove them from our rivers and lakes.

Below are some guiding photos from some late season stuff last April and May and through the winter. Mainly guiding photos.

Tight Lines everyone, I hope you all have a great season..

Ronan..

For bookings and information for the coming season please see my website or email me, ronan@sexyloops.com.

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The New Zealand Fishery is Under Threat – But You Can Help!

September 24th, 2018 No comments

I’ll keep this short and to the point. The Indigenous Freshwater Fish Amendment Bill is being passed through parliament. The bill aims to provide better protection for indigenous fish such as galaxids, whitebait, eels, bullies, torrent fish, mudfish and other species. While there is no argument with this protection, those who drafted the bill have taken the opportunity to slip in anti-trout sections which if allowed to become law, pose a serious threat to trout and angling in New Zealand.

Some of the key threats the Bill contains are;

·  It allows the removal of trout and salmon from particular rivers and lakes, even if they are significant trout and salmon fisheries.

·  It does not require DoC to consult with Fish & Game as the statutory managers of trout and salmon.

·  It allows trout to be part of Treaty of Waitangi settlements with iwi.

·  The possibility of the sale of trout is also opened up under the bill.

It is vital that anglers, both local and from abroad, make their feelings known about the proposals to stop them becoming law.

The bill is now being considered by a select committee which is asking for public submissions. You can make your submission here. You have until October 25th. I also urge you to get in touch with the powers that be. Below is a list of email address. Please have your say! Here is a link to the Fish & Game website where you’ll find a lot more information on the topic. 

Labour  – Jacinda Ardern j.ardern@ministers.govt.nz

New Zealand First – Winston Peters w.peters@ministers.govt.nz

Greens – James Shaw j.shaw@ministers.govt.nz

Marama Davidson Marama.Davidson@parliament.govt.nz

National Party – Simon Bridges simon.bridges@parliament.govt.nz

ACT – David Seymour david.seymour@parliament.govt.nz

Thanks for your help in this vitally important matter.

Tight Lines, Ronan..

For bookings and information on the coming season please visit my website or email me ronan@sexyloops.com

Releasing a 6lb backcountry brown. NZ fly fishing could be in jeopardy if the bill gets passed into law. Please have your say!

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August! From the Lakes to the Coast…

September 2nd, 2018 No comments

August has been superb! Not long after arriving back in NZ from Ireland, I joined Robbie, Tom and Jeremy for a couple of days on Lake Benmore. I went and got the Wakatipu Anglers Club boat to give us some options around the lake. After the couple of days with the lads I held on to the boat since nobody was using it. It has been fantastic! Pretty much all the lakes are fishing well, some very well! Catching up with friends has been as good as the fishing. The weather has been very settled, warm and sunny with very little wind. Ideal fishing conditions, although at times a little more wind would have been an advantage to make the boat drift.

There are a few rivers open in this area, but August around here is best on the lakes. Brown trout are well and truly finished spawning and are back in the lakes trying to regain condition. They also haven’t seen an angler for a while so this combination makes them very keen to eat a fly – any fly! Fish on Lake Dunstan have been happy to eat small streamers even in the flat calm on 3x. A few more weeks and this simply wont work unless the wind is blowing. It’s fun out there. I’ve fished it 3 days from the boat averaging 8 per day. Benmore was a little slower but it will be improving daily as fish continue to drop back to the lake. Hawea didn’t really fish for Guy and I. It certainly did 6 years ago but such is fishing.. I’d been dying to get back there ever since 4 super weekends in a row in August 2012. Everything was the same; lake level, wind, conditions,  just no fish! This is how it was – Hawea 2012

The West Coast has eluded me since Jeff, Nick and myself filmed our episode for the second series of Pure Fly New Zealand. Mark and I went over for a couple of days recently. The main thing I wanted to do was the river mouths. The last week in August is when you have the most amount of whitebait running with the least amount whitebaiters chasing them! Therefor you have the place to yourself. I have hit some excellent fishing during this week in the past, but it was very quiet for us. The tides worked out well. On day 1 we arrived there in the morning an hour before high tide and fished for 2 hours. I got one small fish. The top and bottom of the tide are usually the best so we left the river mouth and fished the lower reaches of a river for a few hours. On the coast many rivers are open year round from the main highway bridge to the sea. This was good! I met 5 and landed one well conditioned, buttery brown. Then back to a different river mouth for low tide. I got 1 and touched a few more. The river mouths are a pretty gruelling fishery. They require dogged persistence and confidence.

Day 2 we took on a lake. It started slow but the fishing just got better and better. Boat and bank. Sight fishing to cruisers and blind stripping buggers on intermediates got the fish. Shitloads of them!

I’m not sure what fishing is on the cards next! September is here and I’ll be making the most of it. The lakes will only get better…

Tight Lines All!!

Ronan..

For bookings and information on guided fly fishing for the coming season, contact me ronan@sexyloops.com or visit my website Ronan’s Fly Fishing Missions

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