Take it to the limit…
Last weekend I took on the mass of water that is Lake Wakatipu once again. It is a massive body of water at 80ks long and averaging 230m deep, 420m at the deepest point. Like all the Southern Lakes it demands respect. That’s not to say a fella can’t enjoy tearing along a trough, and then powering up and over a crest into another trough. At the end of day one, crossing back through the rolling swells was really exciting. Looking ahead, reading the waves and planning my route based on what I could see and feel all at 50kph. I could not photograph or film it because I needed both hands on the wheel and throttle. I’m sure I was having as much fun as the folks sliding down mountains..
I had 13 fish over 2 days. Day one was pretty choppy and the conditions cut my day a bit short. Day 2 I got out earlier and finished later. I had to deal with a sloppy wave at first caused by multiple wind directions. Once I got across the lake the water was pretty peaceful and the exploring began. I basically fished the mouth of every trickle, stream and river that I found. Most produced a fish or two. Tactics were simple; a Di7 with a weighted streamer fished over the drop-off. If I didn’t hook up very quickly I’d leave again in search of another mouth. The wind was dropping all day and the temperature was rising. It was a fantastic day on the water and I made the most of it. I checked the topo map at the end of the day to see how far I roamed, about 85ks! Now I know a full tank will get me about 86ks. Good to know.
I have a different plan for next weekend. More new water. Watch this space, I think something great will be in it!
Congratulations to my Dad, Joe Creane, on winning the McConville Cup on Bilberry in Co. Mayo recently. There are not many that will worry him on an Irish lough, and that’s a fact!
Tight lines all.. Ronan..
- Thankfully the mist cleared as soon as I got out of Cromwell..
- A typical small stream tumbling in over a gravel beach..
- A beautiful blue backed Wakatipu rainbow..
- No blue skies but it was pretty warm for July.. And most mouths fished well!
- I traveled about 85-90ks all day.. burned a full tank! Got in on fumes..
- A decent brown but there is always a chance of a really huge fish at these mouths in winter!!
- A bay with a river mouth sheltered from the wind.. perfect!
- Good water for summer cruisers..
- It would take a brave climber to scale those peaks!
- No need o buy firewood in NZ.. It’s free to those who make just a little effort!
- Strong little fella..
- A good rainbow.. and a good photo if I say so myself!
- most fish lie close to, or under the moving water on the drop-off..
- There are lots of stream and river mouths to check out.. They are all worth a stop, even if it’s just for 10 casts! Nothing in 10?, not worth fishing any longer..
- Driftwood makes an interesting fire!
This week on SLTV, Ep 13. Backcountry Fjordland. In this episode Chris Dore gets married (Paul and I are groomsmen), we all get drunk a few times and we catch lots of fish.. even while hung over! Seriously though, some good footage in this!