One of the highlights of this season for me was mid summer dry fly action. Even in summer it’s hard for me not to fish a nymph. This summer though, I had so many days where the single dry rig was the only one to step up for the shots. I’m happy to catch fish on any fly or tactic but there’s no denying how great it is to watch a trout, preferably a big trout, coming up to take a dry. My cicadas were really great and accounted for some very big trout over the summer. No doubles this season (yet!?!) but we saw a few nines in the net and lots of other really top end trout. The photos below take me up to early February so there’s more summer stuff coming later. I’m always a couple of months behind but what harm!!
Myself and Robbie caught up for a few days fishing after a long time of not catching up at all! Life gets away on us sometimes. Robbie caught all the big ones – no surprise there! We had some full on fishing, mostly on dries. One funny day where every time we decided to call it a day, another fish would rise. We were on the river til late that eve. We explored some new water from an excellent new access for me.
We’re now into the last month of the regular season over here. The fishing has been pretty tough locally. Some great days but more tough days than I’d expect for this time of year. The hatches have been pretty minimal so far but there’s a few weeks left. April has the most dependable hatches of the season so I really hope it winds up for the next few weeks.
I have the next few days to fish myself. No plan as yet. I’ll decide in the morning!
For a look at my patterns available over at Fulling Mill you can check out this link. They’re also available in store at Patagonia Queenstown.
Next season is filling up fast. Feel free to get in touch with any enquiries or to make a booking. You can find me on my website or email – ronan@sexyloops.com
Tight Lines, Ronan..
Robbie into a 7lber.A super trout on one of Dads buzzers.The bridge fish! This was a great day.Robbie testing his gear!Like a cheetah…A rising trout is the target..I knew it was a big fish from my vantage point..It certainly was..Back he goes…Victorious!Crazy rocks and dark, tannin water.Wilderness..Lots of history here for Robbie.Great to be able to drive to this spot.Great to see Mike again..The one that got away....this one didn’t!On the Tussock Cicada.A very healthy 5lber. The best of the day.Nice water..The fish were hiding on this day..Alun!Stunning water down south.One of my favourite pieces of water..Jon Eric into one..Back he goes..Looking for the big one…. no joy!A few members of the Defective Gene ClubA wild river..Mackenzie country.A bent rod!One on my kiwi dun.This one on my brown nymph. Another on the brown nymph.Back he goes..A flat tire changed our plans… and worked out great!A long, bumpy drive in..Summer dry fly at its best..Healthy trout..Iconic.Down south. One of the best days of the season!I had a great few days with Will.Tiny stream with superb trout.Kiwi dun nailing it all day..Another 5.5.. what a day.Joe covers a fish..Into one..Our annual pilgrimage..8.5lbs on the Tussock Cicada – Great story behind this trout.Smoke in the air..Into another.. This one blind fished on the Tussock Cicada.An incredibly fat 9lber.Thick.A really magnificent trout.There is a fish in there…End of the day. Dry the socks and bring the steaks to room temp!A nice starter while we wait.Breakfast!Marcus’s version of my mothers recipe, cooked in Melbourne and flown to Queenstown (legally!)..Time to take on the day..What a start!Condition!!! Highcountry green Cicada.Another great fish.. I have never seen on in this pool before..Brilliant fish.. This one on my indicator dry size 12.
As fly fishermen we often refer to the fishing gods. Good luck or bad, the fishing gods are there. I think for many of us its mostly in jest but with a little belief in there too. Maybe even a lot of belief. After a great moment or a great day I frequently find myself thanking something that I can’t see, usually looking up while doing it. This – or these, are the fishing gods. There would seem to be more than one as we always refer to fishing gods, plural.
On a day with Marcus earlier in the summer the fishing gods played a major role. The plan was to go after a big trout on a river we both love. I had been having a shocking run of luck on it. Constant bad days for almost 2 seasons. Everything going wrong – perfect forecasts turned to shite, beaten to it due to a flat tire, getting jumped or just generally not getting it right. For years previous to to that run of bad luck I couldn’t put a foot wrong. The fishing gods nearly always seemed to be on my side. I had a feeling that they were about to side with me (and Marcus) again.
We set off in the morning with a great forecast. Quietly confident that we’d get it right. We gave ourselves 2 days to do it so it was a big advantage to know that if things went wrong we had another chance the next day. It all started when I got overtaken by a guide (we’ll call him Jim) on approach to the dirt track. He accelerated ahead as I got stuck behind a farm truck. I wasn’t happy about this. The farm truck stayed on the main road as I peeled off onto the dirt track and put the boot down. I realised to my delight that my opponent didn’t take the shortcut – so I did. I cut him off at the top and took my rightful place in front. I knew I’d see him at the first gate anyway. When we got to the gate Marcus hopped out to open it. I drove through as did the other guide. Then the fecker tried to sneak around me! I was out of the vehicle at this stage to have a chat. When he saw me he stopped. “Ronan, I didn’t know you in your new truck” he said! We had a good laugh and then chatted about how we’d share the river. We both wanted the first beat. I was just about to let him take his first choice (since we had 2 days) but he got in before I could speak to offer a coin toss. Why not I thought. He won the toss so got his first choice. I actually prefer the other beat anyway but logistically it made a little more sense to do the lower beat first but it really didn’t matter. So meeting Jim changed the order of our days to the 2nd beat on day 1 and the 1st beat on day 2 as opposed to the other way around.
We got to the second beat and tackled up. Everything felt good. It was peaceful with nobody else around and warming up nicely. There was no rush getting started. The sun is very important for spotting and it encourages the cicadas out of the ground so we let it rise a bit before starting. Not too far up there was a very good pool which I know well. We took our time on it fishing both banks and picked up a few blind fishing. Two 3lbers and an incredibly fat 6, all on my green cicada. A really great start. As the day progressed the cicadas started to get on the water. Nothing major, just little flurries of them now and again. Marcus had a couple of opportunities both resulting in an eat but no connection. Then, in a pool I don’t generally see a fish in, we spotted a brute. Marcus got into position. I knew it was a very big fish. I could see the depth, width and length clearly in the water. There was a flurry of cicadas coming down at that time and the trout was making the most of it. Trout often cruise the pools looking for cicadas making them a little harder to intercept. This fish was on station only moving forwards and backwards a little while swinging left and right to slurp down cicadas. This gave us a great chance. A dream shot at a really big fish. First cast was dead right. Fish came over and a refused. Second cast on target – another refusal. I quickly took off the green cicada and put on a smaller tussock cicada. Cast 3 was on target and the brute lunged over to eat it just like a natural. The strike was good and fish was on. I was confident from the first sight that he was a double. During the fight I remained confident. The moment he went in the net I called it. “10 maybe 10 and a half” I said. I lifted the scale and he went straight to 10 and a bit pounds. Just over the increment. 10 is the magic number for trout fishermen and Marcus now has a magnificent double to talk about. He’s been close many times and this was something he really wanted and worked hard for so it couldn’t be more deserved. Come what may for the rest of the day or the next day, we’d achieved what we came here to do.
On day 2 we fished the first beat. We saw very few and never had a decent shot all day. We met some Fish & Game officers up there who told us they’d just spoken with a couple of anglers who were dropped off somewhere on the 2nd beat in the morning. It’s a good thing our order of beats changed or those fellas would have been in front of us and we’d never have known without a vehicle to mark their presence. Fishing behind someone on this river would be a waste of time. So this is where the fishing gods came in. Jim overtaking us in the morning lead to us getting the order of our two days just right. It simply had to be in the order we had it in, and that order was down to luck – or fishing gods! Jim told me afterwards that he had no joy on the first beat either so it really was vital to fish the second beat on day 1. So, a big thank you to the fishing gods! Whether you believe in them or not..
This brings me to March so I’ll get onto that as soon as I have a chance. If you’d like to see the flies I use on a daily basis, including everything from this report please click this link. They’re all available from Patagonia Queenstown too. Right now for the April hatches my Kiwi Dun 14 with a 16 claret nymph trailer is deadly. Best fished on 5x tippet. I’ve been getting some good reports about my streamers doing the business on Lough Mask in Ireland and my hotspot and claret nymphs are working well for stalking trout in the UK. Great to hear the positive feedback. Next season is about half full so please get in quick if you’d like to book. Visit my website or email me ronan@sexyloops.com
Tight Lines.. Ronan..
The start of a trip with KC and Mark..A lovely rainbow to open the account.A shaded early morning pool..A stunning day....and some superb fishing.A 6lber on the size 12 Hotspot.Back he goes..Lovely water..A seatrout for Mark.In again..And KC..This time a brownAnother day.... a good one too..Wild flowers.“And now for something completely different”A few days of great lake edge fishing.Great water.. some big fish here.Trout flats with perfect weather..Stalking cruising trout is some of the best fishing available to humanity.Another day, another flat..Great action on this shore..Some beauties about.A wilderness stream with Marcus..Some fish about too!Where’s the bridge fish?A tough but decent day..One on my indicator dry size 12.A gamble coming here. Warm summer water usually drives the fish off shore....but there had been a cold spell....and we found just enough fish on the edges for a great day.Simply stunning..One of my favourite places to be.Stalking....then chaos.. I sighted a large trout cruising down the shore....Marcus had just enough time to get into position and make the cast..7lbs of glowing perfection.6 fish sighted, 4 hooked, 2 landed. A great day.The day the fishing gods looked after us.Two 3lbers and then this fatty to start the day..We had a few opportunities before seeing this brute.. I knew it was a very big fish.After 2 refusals to the highcountry green cicada, he took the smaller tussock cicada first cover.A fraction over 10lbs. Marcus has been close a few times but he now has a double to write home about.Slight disbelief! Relaxing to enjoy the moment.Abuse on the river! 😀Traditional dinner of steak, spuds and beans.Day 2 – Nothing much happened.I like this shot.Then this.. It got very cold and we got soaked through. Strong wind straight down river.Final day – perfect weather.One on my unweighted 16 from Fulling Mill.A fat, healthy fish.A beautiful place to spend a day.Best of the day..Highcountry Green Cicada..Super.Excellent vizAnd another..The end of a great trip with Marcus. Certainly one of the best.
October is usually a pretty quiet month for guiding. I like that it is. It allows me to ease into my work after a long winter. Come November I’m pretty much fully booked. It also means I can fish myself during what is arguably the best month of the year. This year myself, Wesley and Brayden went south to explore two new rivers. One was a dud (with potential) and the other was great. I opened my season with a 7.5lber and we encountered other big fish too. One might even have been that elusive 10lbs.
We also took my boat to the highcountry during opening week. It was windy going out. Too windy really, but I just wanted to get to a sheltered island. We had a great hour of fishing as the wind dropped but then it changed direction and roared from the south. Too windy to fish and freezing cold as it blasted horizontal snow across the island. I went for a walk to get phone coverage from a high rock to let the folks back home know that we might have to stay the night. It was too wild to cross. This got some welcome heat back into my feet. While I was out I went for a walk to scope a route back to safety. There was shelter on the north side of the island but all the other water had huge, worrying waves. The wind was completely insane reaching 150kph. luckily we had the shelter of the cabin. With the waves slapping on the side of the boat I thought it would be a good idea to move her farther into the shelter of the bay. As we were moving the boat the wind dropped a bit so we all agreed it was an opportunity to get back. We went for it and made it safely across without any problems.
I was back there again with Mark Adamson for an overnighter. I was hoping for a calm evening and following morning for buzzer fishing, but it didn’t happen. The cold southerly wind blew all through the night.. We had great shelter behind a rock on Camp Island. The fire was essential because it was flippin’ cold. Nice wine, good steak, a warm fire and good company. Life was good! The boat was lovely to sleep in. The wind continued to blow in the morning so still no buzzer fishing! The bugger fishing was good in the wind. I generally don’t bother trying to set up 10 sec timer “grip & grins” anymore. Sometimes I just take a David Lambroughton style trout portrait but they frequently look shite so I don’t use them!
It was a pleasure to meet and guide Joe Libeu and his partner, Cathy. Both great casters and anglers who have contributed lots to fly fishing and casting in the US. For me it was great to spend time with people who’ve invested so much into fly fishing and truly understand the sport. We didn’t have it easy but sometimes fishing is hard!
For a link to my flies available from Fulling Mill please click here. I have availability to guide from late March onward next year. Feel free to get in touch. ronan@sexyloops.com or visit my website.
That’s it for now! Tight Lines.. Ronan..
First fish of the season!On my Midnight streamer..One more quick pic before the release..Wesley into a big fish – he lost it in a snag near the end.Lovely water.Wesley onto another…..which he hooked. Chaos ensued as the fish bolted uncontrollably into cover.Wesley and Brayden.Brayden lines up a shot..The highcountry. One on the Pyro streamer....then the wind got up..The cabin was great shelter from 150kph gusts.Crazy!The first and best of the trip for Marcus. Nearly 8lbs.A really top end fish for this location.One for me. 6lbs on the Pyro.Working the edges blind.Fishy as feck.About 7 magnificent pounds.Marcus into a goody.Small stream fishing..Some quality trout, this on the 14 brown nymph..Nice pool.One in my size 6 Tussock Cicada – in October!A really beautiful trout.The annual pilgrimage to see my old friend…..we searched....but we didn’t find him.Nice conditions on one of our favourite streams.Stunning..over 6 on the Claret.Great viz from here..Then a cold wet day. A few to the net but it was tough.My happy place..One on a buzzer in the calm behind a some shelter.One for Mark.Tussock.All loaded up!Checking out some shore I had never fished. It was okay.Time to make camp..Sick of this wind!!Camp island was flooded but still the best choice.Shelter. the pit was great to stop the wind burning up our wood too quickly.Camp.Warming up the steak and wine.Not bad.Happy ..Light wind in the morning but it needs to be flat for the buzzer.All the rivers are full in October.I love fatties!Joe and Cathy.Cathy works a seem on a hard day.A good rainbow.Fresh snow on the hills.Joe into one.Cathy into one..Last pool of the day.A nice bright rainbow.Another day, another river.Nice water but the fish was few and spooky!Nice place..Searching..Out with Jim, Franck and Fred.Fred into one fresh after his casting lesson.5lbs. What a great first fish. Franck also got one on his last cast of the day.
I love the familiarity of arriving into Dublin airport. Arriving home. It had been 4 years and I was looking forward to that familiarity more than I realised. It felt great to be back. The family and I were all out of the airport quickly and onto a bus west. The public bus service in Ireland is fantastic. The bus was comfortable and I enjoyed the 2.5 hour trip across the country to Galway, while catching up on a little sleep. My brother and my mother picked us up from Galway. Iza and the kids travelled with my mother and I travelled with Conor. This gave me a great opportunity to pick up a few beers to make the final leg of the journey to Roundstone even better. Relaxing in the passenger seat chatting to Conor, drinking a couple of nice IPAs, enjoying the lakes and mountains as we continued west and then the familiar sight of Roundstone. As tempting as stopping for a pint in Kings was, we went straight home. It was so good to see everyone. Siblings, parents nieces and nephew. Home for the next 5 weeks. The objective now is to spend time with family, catch up with friends, drink a shcather of pints, and go fishing. I’ll talk about the fishing…
I expected the majority of my fishing would be on the Kylemore and Inagh fisheries so the first thing I did was buy a full season salmon license for e100. I was told that it’s mostly catch and release now. I’m all for C&R of course, but I couldn’t help seeing the hypocrisy of imposing this regulation on the angler while salmon farms continue to operate in the bays spreading disease, sea lice and pollution amongst wild populations. Anglers never impacted stocks to any serious degree, but here we are picking up the tab in a vain attempt at conservation. The ambulance parked at the bottom of the cliff.
I was there when the rain came after a long dry spell. The hottest and driest on record I think. The timing was perfect with the rain coming at the end of June when the first grilse run usually arrives. This should get the fish moving up river. Dad and I spent a few days out on the water after the first rain, but we were a bit early it seemed. We didn’t see many. I was lucky to get a beautiful fresh grilse of about 6lbs on our second day out. We left it a while before going out again, waiting on word of grilse being caught.
The seatrout numbers on Inagh were encouraging. Dad was getting decent numbers for his clients. He had a great day with our mutual friend, Marcus when they got 8 to about 2lbs – a very decent west of Ireland seatrout. Dad had another day out on Inagh on his own where he landed a dozen seatrout and a 6lb grilse. Fishing like the old days. I was told that the some of the local salmon farms were not operating this season which would certainly explain the decent numbers of seatrout. It just goes to show how quickly seatrout could reestablish themselves if they were allowed to. Is there any chance the Irish government could just outlaw open pen salmon farming? Imagine what we’d gain? But alas, we sacrifice our wild fish and fishing to make the Mowi wankers in Norway even richer. Sickening. Anyway, We also fished Kylemore a couple of times. Fish were lower down in the system but we didn’t see any on the lake. Kylemore is a tough lake in general, painfully so at times but it can really turn on now and again. Every day I fish it, it’s in the hope of that magic window which so rarely comes. There’s also a chance of a big brown here which may offer a better chance of good fishing than grilse do – there’s not much know about targeting these big browns though so the only way to go after them would be through trial and error, and probably with a depth sounder.
Towards the end of the trip I had a couple of days on Corrib. One day with John and One with dad. On each day the fishing was good in the morning. We fished small dry sedges (size 14) and these gave us the best results. After the first few drifts each day the fishing went dead – and stayed dead for the rest of the day. I think the poor fishing in the afternoons was easy to explain. The water was warm. It felt like 20c when I put my hand in. I guess in the mornings the fish had some chance to feed in the relatively cooler water. June was incredibly hot and even though the weather was pretty cool in July, the lake temperature hadn’t dropped substantially.
So to sum up, the fishing was hard. Ireland is rarely easy and this was no exception. I’m happy with my lot though. I was thrilled to catch that stunning grilse on the Inagh river beats – certainly the highlight. I wish I was out with dad on his bumper day but I was away with the family in Sardinia. It was good to see some seatrout about. Many were very small but there were a few decent stumps about too. This might just have been a case of meeting the main run as it arrived, but let’s hope this will continue to be a good season for them and not just a flash in the pan. Corrib was good in the mornings of the 2 days I fished it so I was happy with that. I hoped to get out with Tom Doc too but for one reason or another we didn’t manage a day together. Next time hopefully! I tried for a pollack (or a bass) off the rocks with my friend Nigel too, but didn’t get a touch. Unfortunately I never made it out on sea in a boat. The weather was pretty wild out there for much of the time I was home. I don’t have a hell of a lot to report from Sardinia but I’ll compile that next.. Currently, back in New Zealand, I’ve been putting all my time into restoring my boat. Just that, no fishing! It’s complete now so I’ll report on that soon too, she’s looking great…
There’s still some space available for this coming season. Get in touch if you’d like to book something in or to ask any questions. Email ronan@sexyloops.com or visit my website. You can check out my range of Fulling Mill fly patterns by clicking this link.
Tight Lines, Ronan..
Lough Inagh..Ballynahinch River. Once a great river, ruined by salmon farms. Surviving now on a dwindling reputation.Signs I made about 15 years ago for the Ballynahinch grounds. Still looking alright!Beat 1. One of the best beats and still offers a decent chance of a fish.DoonloughanA day on the Inagh system with dad..Lovely water. Plenty for salmon to run but we didn’t see any.Not the fellas you’d expect to see at the Inagh boathouse!Very friendly fellas – Loving life, shisha and the finest lamb chops I’ve ever tasted!Native woodland on the islands. A reminder of the woodland that was once everywhere.Emerging..The fly fishing highlight. A fresh girls of about 6lbs.Heather at the river.Pine Island – Inagh system.Great water at the butts.These are new to the Inagh system. Very happy to eat my Pyro streamer.Stunning water..We bent the rod in a good grilse here..Lovely. Once full of seatrout.The coast near Ballyconneely with the kids, Jamie and Jazz.Great fun..One of the best things about the trip was how much the kids loved every aspect of the sea.Loving it!Gurteen point with Nigel..Really beautiful…..but no fish at all…Kylemore Lough.A moody day.Dad and Marcus.Digging cockles with the families!Kayla.Working hard..Conor.She was expecting to see one with every dig!Very enjoyable.Inishlacken in the distance.Adaline did very well.Team effort.Enough for a feed.Success. Wild food at its best!I love this place. My grandmother was born only a hundred metres away.Out with John for the day..One on the dries.There were a few mayflies around but the warm water made fishing very hard.Out with dad today.Heading out from Birchall.Joe CreaneA nice little brown on my kiwi dun – a great little dark sedge pattern.Changing flies.We wanted a couple for dinner, we got them on the first drift. Lough Corrib is a vast lake..Heading in on the last fishing day of the trip.
In 8 years guiding I never had a flat tire. Then I got a good one! The tire disintegrated beyond repair. No big deal, just put on the spare. Luckily I had a second spare but it wasn’t on a rim. The problem was getting it onto the spare rim so that I could continue working as normal. I didn’t want to chance going off the grid without a spare tire. The next day was Sunday so we changed the plan and fished locally with the intention of getting my other spare tire put on the rim the following morning once the mechanics opened. 8am on Monday we arrived at the mechanic to have the job done so that we could head into the backcountry. Turned out it was a feckin’ public holiday so we had to spend another day without going too far from home just in case we got another flat! Thankfully, the fishing was good!! 8am on Tuesday we arrived at the mechanic for the second time. Steve had the spare on the rim in jig time and were on the way after 10 minutes. Of course, normally I’d have been on the road an hour earlier. We got to the river to find the first beat occupied. No problem I thought, I wanted the 2nd beat anyway.. We got there to find we had just been beaten to that one too! Plan C was decent but we had a big fish in mind and it didn’t really cut the mustard. We waited 4 hours and then fished behind the anglers on our favoured beat. We found 2 fish, both of whom almost took the fly… but didn’t. That feckin’ flat tire really changed how our fishing unfolded. Such is life. I got a full new set since!
You can check out many of my flies over on the Fulling Mill website. I have 14 patterns available, all tried and trusted for NZ and they’ve been pretty successful around the world too.
Plenty spots available for next season and bookings are coming in regularly. Feel free to get in touch. You can contact me on ronan@sexyloops.com or visit my website.
Tight lines – Ronan..
Alun and John.We had a decent week of fishing but not much came easy.Beautiful rainbow.Fishing buddies!Wild mint in flower.John into a bog bow.He did well to keep this 6lber out of the snags.Moving on up.The wildlife!Walking down..John into one.John with one..A super 6lber for Alun.Then this. A very big sea trout ate my tussock cicada.Over 8lbs.. Not sure the pic does her justice..Alun took this as I was releasing her. Such a perfect specimen.Good sport on the lakes..John had great action in this corner!A lovely place to spend a day but the fish were not active at all..Stunning..John.A lovely scene..Hard not to take lots of photos here..One for Alun – finally!!Out with Marcus. We walked 22.7 kilometres for one chance.Sunflowers. Nice to see a field with something other than cows and sheep!Lovely fish..We had a good morning but things went quiet in the afternoon..6.5Maniototo backwaters. I love ’em!Walking back....to spend some time on a small stream before the end of the day. 2 fish in this scene!They both ate but neither made it to the net..This 5lber did though..Nice to see a stream full of water after so much low water this summer.Love this shot!Onslow.Otago shadows.More shadowy hills..A beat Marcus and I both love..Searching..A stunning fresh seatrout!So often they arrive with serious scars. Sharks? Seals? Who knows..A solid brown.Another seatrout.A powerful paddle!One on my highcountry green cicada.Flowers.The flat tire that changed the week!!!Wildlife.A beauty from a highcountry tarn.Super colour.The scenic drive home.My great friend Bob, catching his birthday fish!Giving him stick!Bobs birthday lunch with me and Owen.Birthday team..Owen into one!A leisurely fish..Grubs!Time for a fly change.Owen working some nice water.
Because I live here, taking a gamble is not such a big deal. If I want to go after a really big fish, I often have to forgo even the chance of catching average fish. That’s the nature of some of the big fish rivers I go to – they only hold large trout. Very few but very big. It becomes all about the fish and not the fishing. I’m fine with this because I’ve been fishing for long enough that I really don’t mind if I blank and I have plenty time to try again if I do. It’s very different for my clients. I don’t generally want to push those “big fish” gambles on them unless conditions are perfect or they just want a trophy and nothing else.. but it’s different for Marcus. He simply loves the prospect of catching something really big! While he enjoys every aspect of trout fishing he’s more than happy to gamble everything, even his few days of fishing, for a chance at one great fish. This makes it easy for me in some respects. We just need to fish where big fish are – even if the conditions are against us – and they were! After a couple of months of what seemed like blue sky days every day, the clouds formed and the rain came as Marcus landed. Watching river flows online I was trying to determine what rivers would be fishable in our fishing timeframe. I had safe options for great fishing but with little likelihood of finding fish to double figures. The big fish rivers were being hit with spike after spike of rain. On one day we got it wrong – found our chosen river in flood and unfishable – but managed a great evening dry fly fishing locally to redeem the day. Another day we got it half right and just managed to squeeze a decent trout before being flooded off. Another day it worked. It had rained all night and I expected the river to be dirty but I thought, maybe hoped, it would be just okay. On arrival at the river it was dirty but fishable. As we drove up river to where the bigger fish reside it got dirtier and dirtier. The feeder streams were clear – effectively cleaning the main stem a little bit more below the confluence of each one. This was worrying. We continued venturing up river only to find it becoming pretty much unfishable. There’s not much in the way of a plan B here so we just kept going upstream to where it seemed to be getting worse! Way up top, to our relief it was a bit clearer – and just fishable. I think by now it was clearing from the top down. Whatever the reason, it was fishable to our great relief.. The plan was to streamer fish it down. Marcus is a regular to my hometown in Ireland and knows the local salmon fisheries well. This river, especially with the tannin colour was just like a west of Ireland salmon river. Marcus was fishing it like it was. To me it was the right way to fish it – across and down, covering the water methodically. The water was fishy – it just screamed fish and we were both feeling it. We were just waiting for the pull… and then it came. Like an Atlantic Salmon, he was on. Nothing chaotic about the take. I had to see what he was into so I quickly moved to the edge to find out. The fish rolled on the surface and he was big. I had caught a 9.5lber from the same pool earlier this season, so I thought it was likely to be him – but maybe not. This fish could have been bigger… or smaller! I got into the water and as soon as a chance presented I put the brute safely in the net. There’s a great sense of relief and excitement when a big fish goes in the net. Relief for obvious reasons, excitement just to see this great creature – to look at him with awe and respect… and of course to find out if he’s cracked the mythical 10lb mark which we all pretend doesn’t matter. I guessed 9.5 because I assumed he was the same fish I caught a few months earlier on my last visit. He was 9.5 – but he wasn’t the same trout as I had caught; he was a much more beautifully marked trout. We were both delighted. This was the ultimate payoff for a huge gamble – April is a bad month to fish it, conditions were terrible and the river was in flood! Fortune favours the bold they say. Well it certainly did that day.
It was great to see Tim again after quite a few years. We had a few great days fishing with regular hatches, lots of trout to about 7lbs, a few beers, a 4×4 adventure, Wilderness lakes, a few beers, backcountry rivers and good craic. Looking forward to next time..
Right now we’re in the midst of winter and the fishing is very good. Better locally than the last couple of years I’m relieved to say. I’ve had quite a few good sessions on river and lake but more about that soon. I wanted to catch up with the month of April first. I’m always a bit behind!
I’m pretty much exclusively using my own fly patterns which are available from Fulling Mill for everything now. I have enough patterns available with them for most of my needs. The hotspots and streamers are great through winter and the brown and claret nymphs with the kiwi dun were pretty much all I used through April. I’m delighted to say that quite a few more of my patterns will be available in 2023. Exciting times indeed. I’ll have another article in the Fulling Mill blog in the next month or so too.
That’s all for now! Feel free to get in touch about winter guiding or about guiding next season. There’s still a few spots available. Tight lines! Ronan..
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The start of a coiple of days with Robbie..Robbie fishes a likely seem.A lovely trout for me on the claret 16.Back he goes.The end of a great day.Day 2 – Exploring new water – enjoying some scenery before the hike..Really interesting local spot.High alpine stuff.Looks man made? The upper river.Very small water.We didn’t expect much.Lots of history but no trout.I thought this deep hole might hold a trout but I saw nothing.No trout but great country – happy to see the truck!A busy stint of guiding begins with an amazing day with Zac.7lbs in the morning..The fishing was simply superb!Even one for me!Dry fly heaven!Ending the day in style.My claret nymphs were deadly all day.A magnificent 6lber..One of those days that everything goes right! It’s important to acknowledge those.The start of a trip with Marcus.Quite a few of these to warm up!We had some great hatches into darmness.We took a big gamble coming here. We went very high upstream to get above the worst of the flood.Still very coloured be the Bruiser did it’s thing.A big backcountry trout..A 9.5lb pb for Marcus making all the gambles over the few days worthwhile.The mighty Bruiser!We fished hard after that but nothing else to the net.Amazing sky..The light made fishing extra tough but it was certainly beautiful.What a place.Fresh snow on the tops..Just in case I didn’t know!My trusty 80 on a frosty morning.No rush on this cold moring!To the river..Low and clear again..Fishing was hard but Marcus landed 2.Heading out – we had to get a photo of this....and this.Another day begins – this time with the sad and horrific sight of one of my favourite places being reduced to a pine forest. Probably carbon credit bullshit.A rapidly rising river – we didn’t have much time.The end of a great few days where we took big gambles in search of big trout!Out with Michael.We had a few great fish.Working the edges..Nice to see Tim again. The start of his trip.Tim Trout – on the claret. A bright fish.Another solid trout..Natures driveway.Lots of fish to the net! A great day.Waiting for the hatch..One on my kiwi dun..A healthy 5.5lb bow.Great sky!The end of the day.. now a 4×4 trip over the mountain to the next spot.Beautiful water..It was pretty tough but Tim got a few fish.A big reach was necessary to get the right drift for this one..Great day in a beautiful place.A wilderness lake.They were hard – mainly because another angler beat us to it!Cheers, Tim!
As soon as the trans-Tasman travel restrictions were lifted I had some of my regulars booking trips. I didn’t think it was going to happen but finally, it did. It felt great to be busy again and things are looking good for May too. I had 8 consecutive guide days to finish off the regular season and managed a day myself on the 30th to polish it off. It wasn’t always easy and hatches were average to poor apart from one day where it really fired. Generally, April is the best month for mayfly hatches down here, so when it doesn’t happen it’s a little disappointing. Some days when the hatch was happening, we were almost running up river to find rising trout before it switched off again. Because it can switch off so suddenly! On one of the days, fly was pouring off for a while in the late afternoon. We got a couple during the hatch, then it stopped. Then 30 minutes later fly was pouring off again but the fish didn’t respond. 2 variables, fish and fly – and they both need to be “on” for it to work! All up, the guiding days went very well. I really enjoyed the time with my regular clients who are also friends at this stage and great to meet Vipin and Dave for the first time. About that day, Vipin was having a run of bad luck. Hooking fish but loosing them, getting the eat but not the hook-up and loosing a very big fish at the net. He landed a small one just big enough to count. At the end of the day I decided to look in one more pool to see if he could have another chance at a decent fish. There he was – under a tree. Vipin is a novice caster and this was a very tough shot for any angler. I coached and encouraged him and tried not to get frustrated. Then he made the side-cast land close to the target, the fish turned and swam downstream to see what made the disturbance and ate the fly. We got the fish and that absolutely made the day.
One thing I started looking at recently is the step counter on my phone. According to it, I walked 103kms in 8 guide days. The biggest day was nearly 19kms and the smallest was over 8. An average of 13kms per day. That all sounds about right to me. Walking is an integral part of fishing in NZ. Its not all on the river of course. Many of the 103 kilometres were walking to a river or river beat where vehicle access is not permitted, or climbing in and out of gorges. Ultimately, the harder you can go the more fish you’ll catch – or, at the very least you’ll see some great country!
The story of the 8 guide days is told in the photos below. I included the fish count so you can get a clear picture of just how varied that can be. Out of the 8 days, 2 were very hard where we could easily have blanked but managed 1 and 3 respectively. All the other days were good to very good. It goes without saying that angler ability has a huge role to play. The great thing about taking Marcus out, for example, is that I don’t have to plan much around wind because he can cast into it with relative ease. So where am I going with this? I’m not sure really, but casting skill and fitness are clearly of key importance to a successful trip here. One thing I think I need to advise my clients on at the time of booking is to get out and practice casting as much as possible. Also to get out walking a bit just to raise the fitness a little if needs be. It needs to be said though, you don’t need to be a marathon runner to have a great time fishing in NZ. There are plenty great options to suit anglers not keen on, or not able for big walks.
Still spaces available in May and it can be a super month! Feel free to get in touch. ronan@sexyloops.com or visit my website.
Tight lines, Ronan..
Day 1 of 8 – guiding Vipin and Dave today.
Vipin’s fish, proving the value of “one more pool”
Dave and Vipin did well with about 6 for the day.
Day 1 with Marcus – Backcountry
First of the trip – on a deep nymph rig in a deep pool!
Fishing was good!
Fish of the day and the trip. 8lbs.
Still an odd cicada about.
Another stunning late season trout. 6 for the day averaging over 6lbs each.
Day 2.
This was the best of 9 from day 2.
Amazing halos. A late season spectacle.
Day 3. Feckin’ hard!
A small fish at the end of the day to save the blank.
Day 4. Greeted by the rare NZ elephant.
Into a brown right away.
Autumnal brown.
You can’t put a foot wrong in here!
Seatrout
I love this gorge.
A brown with magnificent blue.
Deep pool..
Best seatrout of the mission. 7.25
Only a seatrout will have spots like this. Bright orange.
Nice holding water, but most does not hold fish.
But this one did.
Climbing / walking / scrambling continues.
Day 5.
We had a dozen solid trout..
..a super cap on a successful 5 days.
Day 1 with Bill.
His SLHT 6 is christened.
We had 5 or 6 for the day.
Day 2. Great start!
But then it got very hard. very few fish.
Lots of deer though.
after just 2 fish for 6 kms, we changed location..
Managed to put another on the board. 3 for the day.
I hired a babysitter so I could fish the last day of the regular season!
Well worth it..
My Fulling Mill Claret nymph still doing the business..
..but we had 7 of 9 on dries. A nice fish for Wesley.
I thought I’d be putting up this years Top 5 list in May or June, but with the season virtually closed over here, now is the time! It was a big fish season. Right from the start they were big, way before the mouse plague hit. Some say it was due to the mild winter which preceded the season but who knows. The mouse plague certainly happened down south and up north (on the South Island) West Coast too. Some insanely big fish were caught in those areas but I concentrated most of my effort away from mousy areas. I heard some stories of pressure on rivers which was enough to deter me. Only twice I ventured south in search of mouse fish and both times we came up with the goods. However both times we encountered anglers not playing by the rules / etiquette which tarnished the experience. Three of the top 5 trout, including number 1 were not mouse fish. My own double was not a mouse fish either. The top 5 trout came from 4 different rivers.
I’m delighted to see 3 regular clients making this years Top 5. Hopefully the other 2 will become regulars! Well done to Chuan, TopRod, Andrew, Bryan and Marcus. Also thank you all. My thanks of course extends to all I guided this season. I appreciate your custom and friendship and I hope to see you all again once we get out the other side of this pandemic.
I am taking bookings for next season although I appreciate that people may not be keen on paying a deposit under the current circumstances. This I understand. If you’d like to make a booking without paying a deposit just let me know. It’ll give you a chance to secure some dates assuming you can travel to NZ next season. The deposit can be settled if and when the travel ban is lifted. I returned all deposits taken for my 25 lost days due to the virus – apart from one! Thanks Barry! I wont forget that.
I thought I could write this without referencing the Corona Virus but it’s so relevant right now and it effects everyone, I just had to give in! Next blog I won’t mention it! Thats all for now..
Stay the feck at home everyone! Ronan..
Contact me ronan@sexyloops.com or visit my website.
Number 1 – For the second year running! A smidgeon over 11lbs. This cracking fish from December. Congratulations Chuan.. One more quick pic before the release. Number 2. A very close 2nd at 11lbs on the dot. A cold day in February. Well done james! Back he goes.. Number 3. Andrew with a brute of a fish just over 9lbs in weight from last November. I didn’t mean to make him look like a 15lber! It was my clients camera with a fancy lens.Number 4. Bryan with chunky, mouse eating personal best during March! 9lbs.Number 5. Just under 9lbs for Marcus in February. I’m delighted to see 3 regular clients on this years Big Fish Board!This picture does him justice. A beautiful specimen.My own personal best for the season (so far, hopefully we’ll all get out again before season close!), 10.5lbs last October.Just before swimming home. I’d like to see him after 2 months eating cicadas!
I can’t believe it’s 2 months since I’ve written a blog! It’s just been hard to find the time. Right now I’m in Dunedin Hospital with a very Pregnant Iza. We thought the little fecker was about to arrive but now it seems he / she was just winding us up. Iza is asleep and I have time to write.
The first thing I have to say is Congratulations to my dad, Joe Creane on winning the European Cup 2019 on Lough Mask in the West of Ireland. I have’t spoken to him yet to hear the details but it seems fish were very hard to find so this was a super result. He won a Burke boat for his trouble. I owned one since I was 21 and they are a super fishing boat.
The guiding season has come to an end. I did a few days in early May and that was it for 2019 unless a winter booking or 2 comes along. It was a super season all up. I’m loving the evolution of my guiding career. Most of my work is now from repeat clients who are becoming good friends. I couldn’t be happier about that.
The Sexyloops connection is getting stronger all the time. I have introduced some of my clients to Paul’s site to help them with their casting, to watch sexyloops.tv, fish with the man himself in Malaysia and read the day to day antics from Paul and the other writers from around the world. Paul has introduced some of his readers and friends to me as a current, active link to NZ fly fishing and guiding. It’s going full circle. More and more of my clients are arriving armed with a SL Hot Torpedo and well versed on whats going on with Paul and Bernd and the rest. One random meeting between 3 anglers in a pub in Waikaia summed it up. After Chip, Simon and I chatted for a while over a few pints we realised we all owned a SLHT #6. Now thats cool. It’s cool because these rods are not mainstream. Paul has them made exactly to his specifications with no expense spared – and their not cheap to make! I think anyone who wants to own one of these rods simply wants to take their fishing / casting to the next level in a more honourable and ethical way than buying the latest Sage before its discontinued next week. The sexyloops crew are the real deal, immersing their lives in fly fishing and casting – without ego! I loved what Simon said to me in the Waikaia pub about SL, “no trucker hats, no hoodies”. If you’re not a regular to the site then have a look!
May is possibly my favourite time of year. Guiding winds down and I have time to fish myself. There are 4 rivers within an hour of me that I can float down or fish land based targeting rainbows and browns (but mostly rainbows, big ones!) on their migratory run up stream to spawn. This May I’ve only gotten out twice. There are a couple of legitimate reasons for this! Iza is 38 weeks pregnant and needs me to be close by and we just bought a house. Were turning the 120 year old piece of history into our home and this has been taking quite a bit of time. I have a workshop too so I’ve also been setting that up to make furniture for the house or whatever else. A man needs a workshop!
I did manage to get a magic day on the water to satisfy my May fishing urge. I took the boat across to an island and fished a piece of water that has never worked for me before. It was fishy though. I threw a long line across to a deep blue hole, let the fly sink and stripped away.. two light taps.. I’ve felt these taps before from big fish.. another tap then a solid connection! The big hen rainbow, full of precious cargo and condition was cartwheeling on the end of my line. I had to give her hell to keep her safely in the lee of the island. I landed her and got a good picture with the 10 second timer before letting her off. She weighed 8.5lbs and was my best fish of the season. I went on the get a 5 and a 7+ so I had a good fix!
I’m not sure what fishing is coming in the next while but I might sneak out for a look somewhere. First priority is Iza and her precious cargo.
If you’d like to book some winter fishing or enquire about next season please email me ronan@sexyloops.com or visit my website.
Tight Lines,
Ronan..
Joe Creane takes the European Cup, 2018! Congratulations!!
Day one of 3 with Andrew..
The rain came in but we had super fishing landing at least a dozen.
This run was full of fish!
This was the best out of it..
Day 2 with everything flooded! It took a while to find fishable water..
The fishing was good once we found the spot..
.. a good hatch and lovely trout rising..
Andrew did well..
Time to call it a day..
Day 3, a little farther north. This 7.5lber was a surprise! Andrew nailed a very tight cast to get this one..
2 deer wandering the river!
Some good rainbows too..
Autumn colour..
Super fish!
Chuan into one on an exploratory day..
A lovely silver bar. This fish was all we saw so we changed plan..
..Likely water..
Beautifully marked brown..
In again..
..cracker!
Gleaming!
We had a good week.. Decent numbers of fish and sufficiently challenging!
This river regularly carves a new path meaning that to know it requires regular attention!
..stunning!
Small water..
..solid fish!
A tough day this one.. fish not out!
Then the river went green!!?? No rain, no farming which I’d expect pollution from. It was gone in the morning.
This from the green tinted water to save the day..
Steak.
Any man that would complain about steak, spuds and black chilli beans isn’t a man at all!! (This is Chuans happy face)
Gorgy water.. and another tough day..
.. not bad..
This is where he was..
Lots of history from the gold mining days..
A cold start! Broken ice in the winch, droplets frozen on the front of the truck.
The crane!
Beautiful morning.. but cold!
yes, cold..
This looks alive!
Congrats Chuan!
At #1. First place for Chuan Tay with this fish just under 9lbs. This fecker goes hard..
A couple of days with Robbie..
Plenty fish and fun!
Healthy fish!
Robbie..
Football!
There were 4 in the run and we got them all!
Robbie into one..
An odd rainbow for good measure..
Not bad..
Then this one over 6lbs.. Super!
A little exploring..
My dream cottage. I want to build one just like this!
Over a hill to explore a lake. It was okay with lots of summer potential.
Brown trout!
Brown trout!
I had a great few days with these fellas! Garris (on left) was a beginner and Butler had solid experience..
Superb condition! Migratory fish are the best!
Wesley and my dam still working (sort of)!
In the gorge..
Day 3. Garris finally got his shit together and started catching fish! His first broke my rod..
..but we got the fish! It was great watching Garris go from scratch beginner to putting out a good line and catching fish by day 3. 6 to be precise! Keep it up!!
Beautiful..
And then a tank of a rainbow..
Superb!
Garris with another..
Great few days! Looking forward to next time..
Strong as a horse this fella!
Tough day but we managed 2..
..and got a lift out..
..a lift out is always a happy bonus!
Breakfast before going into the gorge..
Lovely water..
Always tough going..
..always beautiful!
We hooked 7 landing 4. This was the cheek of a brown. The blue was so striking!
Fish of the day!
Change of pace..
We had good fishing!
Brown and rainbow trout skins are getting my attention lately.
Super trout!
Streamer time!! Sometimes you need weight!
Why not stick on a couple of eyes..
Misty morning..
..and the fish were on!!
This was the 3rd..
More and more of my clients are arriving with Sexyloops Hot Torpedos. Brendan broke his in in style! 7lbs..
Back she goes with her precious cargo..
Magnificent water..
..and equally magnificent fish..
One of 7 on day 2 after a blank on day 1. This fish went bananas! What a trout..
Change of pace for day 3.
Nice water..
We landed 4.
Day 4. 8 for brendan..
A smoked 1lber for lunch!
Streamer time!
To round off the 9 photos, my best of the season so far. It took me til May to catch a fish worthy of my own leaderboard! Next season I’ll fish more..
When we think of trophy trout many of us think about the elusive 10lber. Clearly a trout of this size in NZ is a trophy but there’s more to consider. Rainbow trout live about half as long as a brown trout making it much harder for them to reach 10lbs in weight in a natural, wild environment. I have never caught a 10lb plus rainbow. I have landed at least 3 of over 8lbs which I believe to be trophies. From my own experience, I would equal a 10lb brown to an 8lb rainbow. It may be more relevant to say that a trophy trout is relative to the fishery. Anyway, I’ve gone away from the point I had intended to make. There is another trophy trout available in NZ. I think the ultimate prize is not only a very big fish but a very beautiful one too. I think that the odds of catching a big and a beautiful fish are stacked against you, so it’s okay to reduce the “trophy” weight a little! On a recent 5 day trip with my friend and client, Marcus, we got one of those. It was the last fish landed out of 24 for the trip! The scenario was interesting. We were deep in the backcountry and time was running out. We got to a pool and there were 4 visible trout. Mostly around 5lbs but one was clearly bigger than the rest. Certainly 7 plus. I know this section of river to hold some of the most stunning late season trout I’ve seen and I really wanted Marcus to catch one of those. We both agreed, go straight for the big one even though doing this would most likely spook the rest. Marcus sent in a good shot and the fish ate but no hook up. The fish stayed happily in position so he tried again with no response from the trout. I made a number of fly changes with no joy. The other fish were getting a little agitated but generally pretty happy – then I spotted a new arrival to the pool glowing with striking orange colouration. Marcus had seen him moving from the left side of the pool to the right, I missed that but as soon as I saw the fish I knew he had to be our number 1 target. He maybe looked a little smaller than the big one but these orange browns are unique to this river. I’ve been lucky enough to land a few over the years. Our attention moved to him. He ate the first nymph Marcus cast to him but didn’t stick. A few casts later the trout decided to move around the pool passing right under Marcus, eyeballing him as he went.. I passed him my streamer rod before the fish left the pool. Sometimes a spooked fish will still eat a streamer. Marcus sent in the shot, strip strip strip and the trout nailed it! The battle was chaotic including me nearly falling into a deep hole of swift water in my attempt to net the fish. Thankfully the fish stayed on and we landed him downstream a short while later. A truly spectacular trout – he hit the scales at just under 8lbs. One I wont forget. The photo I got does him some justice but it was hard to get a great shot in the low light of the gorge. A trophy trout? You decide!
This blog brings me up to date with my guiding escapades. I’d like to give an account of all the days out but the photos and captions will have to do! I’m loving the evolution of my guiding career. More and more repeat business, forging great friendships with those I guide, more multi-day trips, fewer Queenstown pick-ups. Next season is filling up incredibly quickly so please get in touch if you’d like to lock in a trip.
I managed lots of time to fish myself in the last 2 months so my next blog will be about that.. Some big / beautiful fish, fishing with dad, Robbie, Jeff, Kota etc.. I’ve also started doing a little editing again. I have 3 short films on Vimeo. Here are the links..
Thats all for now.. Still plenty spaces in May! For bookings and information contact me on ronan@sexyloops.com or visit my website http://www.ronansflyfishingmissions.com
Tight Lines,
Ronan..
Five Days With Marcus..
Day 1. Tough day on the river, though we landed 2. We fished til beyond sunset landing two more on the secret dam. Nymphs and streamers moved quite a few more..
Day 2. Trout from tannin water are arguably the most stunning!
It took a while to work out a good approach but once we did we had good action..
Moving to make the wind work for us!
Marcus into another – on “the snake”
Almost there.. Marcus is a friend of my father and I with strong ties to Roundstone. Most of the trout landed were on dad’s flies!!
Another great skin!
Day 3. I had an idea that the wind wouldn’t get up til 9.30 so we were out early. 3 good fish landed before the wind got up..
7 fishless hours later the wind dropped again – and the fishing improved. 3 more to the net.
6lbs of late season perfection!
Marcus use the Sexyloops HT for much of the trip and loved it!
4×4 track across the mountain for day 4.. Three deer bound across a paddock, easily clearing fences..
..and the river!
Second cast!
Lovely markings..
15 minutes later this cracker!!
Things went quiet then but we managed another late in the day..
Day 5. Backcountry!
High water had some fish on the move..
Including this 7.25lber..
Superb trout!
In again..
There’s only one place to catch trout with these unique orange spots. One place.
Spectacular..
Lunch time on my table!!
..then back to the grind!
This ultimate prize stud out like a traffic cone in the river! He eventually took my possum / marabou streamer. Just under 8lbs.