I can’t believe almost a month has passed since my last blog! Time is flying by. It’s been a great month! June is a good time for me to take on some woodworking projects. I started one last June and finished it this June. A writing desk for Iza, but it just might become a fly tying bench for me!! The boat has also taken some of my time but I have not made as much progress as expected. It’s ready for fibreglassing now. Lots of painting preparation has been done and some timber work since my last blog. The engine arrived. It has certainly had a previous life or two in salt water but hopefully she’ll fair us well. There’s lots still to do, but once the fibreglass work is done progress will begin again in earnest.
Yesterday Brayden and myself hit the water for a float. I have done very little fishing in the last month, only 3 or 4 pretty poor days, so it was really great to get out for a solid mission. The day started with a 6.5lber and the action continued all day. Blind and sight fishing accounted for fish with streamers, eggs and nymphs. To my delight, about half of the 14 fish we landed were silver fresh run fish.
Early in the day while afloat we heard a rumble. Like thunder but not quite. By the time my brain figured out “earthquake” we could feel the pulses coming through the water and the boat. We wondered how this might affect the fishing. It didn’t.. They continued to confidently eat our flies. We did find one fish flopping around on the bank. He had tried to navigate up the skinniest piece of water imaginable and beached himself, maybe due to the earthquake. He was going nowhere! It was his lucky day. I picked him up off the didymo (which cushioned him as he flopped around) and brought him to the main river. He took off, relieved no doubt! We noticed some sign of gravel and mud broken away from the banks as we drifted down river. We also witnessed some mini avalanches. An interesting dynamic to add to a days fishing!
I’m off out now to practice my shots for snakehead! I’ll be in Malaysia with Paul in less than 2 weeks. Can’t feckin wait!
Tight Lines..
Ronan.
If you’d like to book me as your fly fishing guide in NZ next season, check out my website http://www.ronansflyfishingmissions.com or email me ronan@sexyloops.com
I decided to take out the seats to give the ply a proper chance to dry.
Seats out. Next is to remove all the fibreglass and clean up the steel. (It’s done!)
Builders fill is very strong a durable; great for blending the old with the new!
This router cutter to match existing rounded features in the boat.
this is the profile before sanding.
Plenty days out in the sun to dry it out well before fibreglassing.
Filling holes and imperfections; painting preparation!
A recent trip to Benmore with Paul Macandrew, Trevor Bourne, Dave and Santillan.
A freezing cold day! The fishing was terrible! 5 anglers – 0 fish.
Paul Macandrew, a top local guide and bloody good bloke!
Time to pick up the lads..
..and go to the pub!
Off to the canals with Guy!
Stunning evening..
..we fished well into darkness. I had one take and this was it. A 12lb salmon (photo does it no justice!)
Early morning..
Guy beside his camper. We only managed the one fish for our 1.5 days.
Some thoughtful vandalism!
A recent float with Brayden from H&F Cromwell..
First fish of the day on a sculpin head streamer fished deep in a backwater. Great moment!
Brayden into one not long after..
Almost there..
Nice brown..
A braid to check out..
Heavy rain and a 4.4 earthquake but the fish kept taking! Plenty fresh fish moving up still..
After a long fruitless walk up a side braid, Brayden overheated!
We landed a few here..
Almost ashore..
A healthy rainbow as Brayden cools down!
About to get back on the boat when we spotted a migrating fish.. A quick intercepting cast got the desired result!
A fresh, energetic bar of silver!
A likely spot..
Wide water!
Failing light when we hit a hotspot! Brayden lost a cracker here.. around the 7lb mark..
Finally I got my SLHT fixed, it’s been out of action for a while. Here Brayden is giving it a work out..
Hot Torpedo with a Harfin reel.. a perfect combination.
Small but healthy..
Plenty snow on the mountains.
June is a time for me to indulge in another practice of mine. I made this writing desk for Iza out of recycled timber, mostly pallets and an old fence. I think it might become my fly tying bench!
I had fished the river once on a southbound mission on the West Coast with Paul. We had just finished fishing and filming an epic journey to one of the most remote rivers in NZ (http://globalflyfisher.com/video/revolution) and the 8 days that followed were fishless.. including the day on this river. So, I knew about it. I knew it could be good but in my limited experience on it it wasn’t. I had no idea where I fished it all those years ago. I looked on the map and picked a random access. Down the road Iza and I went, through a gate, crossed a creek and to the river. I took a stroll 100m up river and saw 3 trout which I didn’t catch. This reminded me of the difficult fishing I had that day while Paul was writing a front page for Sexyloops.. I though that was what we were in for the following day. I prepared myself for difficult fish but it turned out that they were not that tough at all. We had a ball!
Here are the best pics from our northbound trip up the coast in early Jan.. I’m way behind on my blog! I might just have to omit the last month to catch up.. but some great things happened up to 9lbs… well, 8.75!
Ronan..
Ship Creek, Just north of Haast. No doubt it holds a fish or two!
The fox river.. Heavily silt laden from the constant erosion from the slowly moving glacier.
Kayaking on the Okarito lagoon, we explored some little creeks.
Lunch..
I had some time to snap a few shots of these little fella’s. NZ natives. Whitebait or inanga I think.
Hello!
I took lots to get a few decent pictures..
They were not too bothered by our presence..
..this river will do!
Not too far up, Iza hooked 3 from this ideal riffle!
Strong little beauties they were..
This was one of the prettiest of the trip!
This lovely river flowed along the edge of farm and forest.
This huge dragonfly was about 90mm long!
The truck doubled as a drying rack at the end of the day!
And another river.. This one was simply stunning with water as clear as I’ve seen!
A superb 5.5lber..
The fish were as pretty as the river..
A solid trout for Iza..
Some really perfect, fit, fat fish about.. This one has an unusual elongated spot..
This one a little darker.. Nymphs and dries both working but most taking the nymph..
The fattest!!
These release shots highlight the clarity of the water..
I wanted to follow him, the water looked so inviting!
The river was alive with nymphs and trout!
Back she goes..
In again!
A neat cast followed by this reward!
Freedom!
Iza has taken a liking to the SLP-HT! Here another well aimed cast pays off.
Superb!
And back she goes. The last fish from a spectacular day!
This big bug from Haast beach on the way home..
Ship Creek, Just north of Haast. No doubt it holds a fish or two!
The fish were as pretty as the river..
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Kayaking on the Okarito lagoon, we explored some little creeks.
..this river will do!
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This was one of the prettiest of the trip!
On up the coast and time to cast a fly..
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These release shots highlight the clarity of the water..
Some of the monster browns feeding on salmon pellets at the Paringa salmon farm..
Fox Glacier..
Lunch..
I had some time to snap a few shots of these little fella's. NZ natives. Whitebait or inanga I think.
They were not too bothered by our presence..
West Coast trip with Iza, Jan 2015 160_1024x768
I took lots to get a few decent pictures..
West Coast trip with Iza, Jan 2015 154_1024x768
West Coast trip with Iza, Jan 2015 163_1024x768
Hello!
West Coast trip with Iza, Jan 2015 164_1024x768
This was the heaviest of the trip at 5.5lbs..
Iza is improving all the time, getting a fish or 2 on most outings..
And another river.. This one was simply stunning with water as clear as I've seen!
Some really perfect, fit, fat fish about.. This one has an unusual elongated spot..
This one a little darker.. Nymphs and dries both working but most taking the nymph..
The truck doubled as a drying rack at the end of the day!
Back she goes..
The river was alive with nymphs and trout!
The fattest!!
Not too far up, Iza hooked 3 from this ideal riffle!
Strong little beauties they were..
West Coast trip with Iza, Jan 2015 297_1024x768
This lovely river flowed along the edge of farm and forest.
This huge dragonfly was about 90mm long!
Copy of West Coast trip with Iza, Jan 2015 007
In again!
A neat cast followed by this reward!
Freedom!
Iza has taken a liking to the SLP-HT! Here another well aimed cast pays off.
Superb!
And back she goes. The last fish from a spectacular day!
This big bug from Haast beach on the way home..
A superb 5.5lber..
This fish is submerged, though it may be hard to tell!
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!
I have writers block. No idea what to talk about. Too much happened since the last fishing blog and it’s all become a blur. There have been lots of friends through, both old and new and from all over the place. That’s been great!! (a bit too good actually, I am no longer allowed to have guests)
The lake has been very bad at times to excellent other times. Everything is extremely low. The rivers and lakes need a freshen up. I will promptly report back on this coming weekend before it all becomes a blur again!
One thing I thought about doing recently was running the entire SLTV series through my blog. So I’ll do it! I know I have many subscribers and I’m sure non-subscribers who have never seen or heard of it, so, to you folks, I suggest you watch it like a tv show. I will bring you a 10 minute fly-fishing film at least once a week. Both Paul Arden and I are the hosts (though I don’t appear until episode 4). The shows are from NZ, Tasmania and The Northern Territory in Australia. They are filmed, edited, directed and produced by Paul and I. Without further ado, Here is Episode 1. “Paul Arden”. (I put it below the pics so you don’t forget to check them out!!)
Tomorrow is the start of 2.5 serious days fishing!
Work to live… Ronan..
Mark Adamson on some Dunstan flats..
Fishing was ok… Mark managed one on his last cast.
I met Simon Pavelic from Adelaide on the river as I was getting rigged up. He knew me from my blog. It was great to meet a subscriber! We fished together for the day.
The fishing was tough and we were unlucky with our chances.
We were in a very wild place but these gold mining remains looked like a newly built stone wall!
Simon demonstrates the importance of wearing glasses while fishing. It’s better to pop out a lens than an eyeball!! It took us about 20 minutes to find the lens, It was in the river..
Alan Christy watched “Fish This” when it was aired for it’s one and only time on Discovery Channel in the US years ago.. It got him back into fishing and ultimately to NZ. It’s a shame that show didn’t happen!! We met for a beer and a fish…
Some more SL and blog followers, Scott and Ben.
Camping at the Mavora Lakes last weekend… Fishing and beer!
Me, Jeff, Not sure and Kristian Bang Foss (That’s his real name).
Kristian in my Barby Chair..
Beer.
No rush to the river but we still had a full 8 hours on the water.
Jeff onto a good fish which he fucked up.
This took my size 8 cicada blind. Superb fight! First fish…
Bang Foss happily plays a fish..
Not bad..
Jeff uses the Sage One the way one should!
Just under 6lbs..
We had 5 in about 20 minutes and 80m of river… all on dries. This from a skinny riffle.
What a magic 20 minutes!
The evening light made spotting tough and blind fishing was a non runner.
Camp.
Kristian with one on day 2. He missed a giant too!
Manshit. Firewood missions are an important part of camping..