So far, this has been a good winter season. The Clutha has been the best in a few years. Still not great but way better than the last 2 winters – which were shite. That’s encouraging. Most days out have produced some decent results but the big fish are still nowhere to be seen. I believe the larger fish (5.5lb plus) are running as early as March and by the time me and the other winter anglers get to the river in May, they’re nowhere to be seen. If you don’t hit these fish on the run, it seems we’re not likely to get a shot at them at all. That’s my take on it anyway.
Myself and Jeff did our thing with Nick Reygaert in another episode of Pure Fly NZ. It’s always great to take on an episode with Nick and Jeff. We just go fishing – and often somewhere totally new! All the fun of fishing is still there, even with a camera on us. There’s no pressure – we just let it happen and it generally does. I guess there’s been a learning curve to get to this stage. You can’t force it – the harder you try, the less likely you are of getting a good result (I had to learn this – Nick already knew of course!!). It seems to be one of the few times in a season where Jeff and I actually fish together so that’s another bonus. I’m looking forward to seeing what Nick comes up with after the edit. I won’t give too much away but we certainly kept the best til last!
It’s been a great winter to catch up some good friends on the water too. I’ve had some cracking days out with Wesley, Conor, Matt and Chris. The results are well documented in the photos below.
In other news, I’ve been laid up for a while with a pretty bad injury. Recovery will take a while and fishing will have to wait at least another week or 10 days. I also have covid but to my great surprise I’m almost completely asymptomatic. After 2 dreadful flus this winter, I expected covid to kick my arse, but it didn’t – so I’ll take that bit of luck!
That’s all for now. Feel free to get in touch about winter guiding or trips next season. Contact me ronan@sexyloops.com or visit my website.
Here is a link to my fly patterns on Fulling Mill and this is my latest piece for the their blog.
Tight lines.. Ronan..
The mouth of the Manuherikia – usually inaccessible in winter.With the Clutha low enough to access the mouth, it opened up some nice but all too brief fishing opportunities!Adalines creations with daddies help!A day afloat with Jeff..Launching the old boat with the old truck..Windy, but a nice winters day..Heading across the lake..Good rain gear in essential. Hard to look past Simms.Setting up for the first drift..Into one!A nice rainbow on the Bruiser.One of a few for Jeff. Jeff had to go at 3, I went back out for a while more..I just love being afloat..Meanwhile, back in Ireland, my dad is catching and releasing some super grilse.Out with Chris for the day!My nymphs and a few emergency eggs!Fishing the braids..Into a decent bow.Changing fly..Bow and arrow – so useful!Tea time!Chris blind fishes a likely drop-off.A healthy bow..Change of tactics..Fish of the day for Chris..A few of my streamers ready to do business.Wesley and his new boat!Feck all room in it but a very versatile and economical boat.Wesley.“The awful” my friend, Marcus aptly named it.. Those are teeth marks!Out with Conor for the day.. Fishing was challenging but great.Conor into one..One for me! This one will feed the gang.I love what the polarising filter does here.Filming another episode of Pure Fly NZ with Nick and Jeff.A lovely location....with plenty trout!One of many super trout for Jeff!A good fish for me on the Green Machine.This super fish took a size 12 hotspot under an indicator.The end of 2 great days..Another episode in the bag – will be available online in September approx.A day out with Wesley..One on the Green Machine to start the day..Wesley into one..Working a seam..One from a grassy bank..Locked and loaded for the first float of the winter season.Matt – ready to rock!Away we go with the necessary tools.Pulled up to fish a braid.teatime.A stunning big riffle simply had to produce..And it did, this one on the deadly Bruiser.5lb bow – so strong! This made the day.about to release him..The convergence of two flows – often a hotspot but they can be tricky to fish.
Just a quick blog today to clear the decks. I had a busy and successful season finale with some superb trout for clients. One very big fish to report on too. Before I get to that I’d like to share the rest of the seasons highlights. It’s a while since I put up a blog so some of these photos go right back to summer! I’ll also be changing back to the previous blog format after this one. Paul and I made this change back to the old format because it seemed like a good Idea, but the one I’ve been using for the last few years is much better for images. I put a slideshow at the bottom or you can click on the thumbnail images, but you have to go back to click the next one. WordPress can be very user unfriendly at times!!
Some exciting stuff coming up – Jeff and I will be doing another episode of Pure Fly NZ with Nick Reygaert. We have some ideas but nothing is set in stone as yet. Also the Piscatorial pot! I probably wont run it this month but I hope to run it in June. We’ll certainly need a good stock of wood for the brazier – which wont be a problem! Also a potential visit to the coast on the cards..
If you’d like to get in touch about guided fly fishing next season please get in touch. The season is already quite full but still some decent gaps for multi-day trips. ronan@sexyloops.com or visit my website.
Enjoy the pics below and I’ll be back soon with something more!
Tight Lines, Ronan..
ps, Here is a link to my flies available from Fulling Mill.
I haven’t needed the winch often, but it saved me here! The grounds seemed firm under foot – but it wasnt!
Natures paving..
No fish – but very enjoyable none the less.
Out with Michael.
He’s been out with me a few times now, working on casting..
..and catching plenty fish!
The beginning of a solo day.
Tough going but managed 2 in a pool near the end of the day.
A decent seatrout.
Scrambling country!
The beginning of a few days with Brian.
Perfect conditions and plenty fish..
A great pool this one..
Day 2. Plenty action but just 2 to the net.
Including this solid bow and one bigger.
Fishing myself today..
Some exploring.. No fish but promising water for October.
Change of location and decent fishing.
Lovely water.
Doesnt get much nicer!
The sun makes this place look extra stunning.
a 5.5lb bow on my Kiwi dun.
The line jumped and wrapped as a rainbow ran. Nothing I could do!
Redemption. On the dry again.
Out with Robbie. First fish of the day.
Then this super bow over 6lbs.
Robbie into one.
Changing tactics..
A solid bow.
Day 2. Robbie works the eye.
Great day!
Robbie into a goodie.
A beauty for me.
And this superb fish a while later.
Same fish..
A beauty for Robbie..
A quick close-up..
..and away he goes.
Then another for Robbie..
..and another!
Just me today.. The Hotspot takes this lovely fish from a deep riffle.
The grip and grin! A very handy way to photograph fish..
.. this is a nicer way but harder to get right.
Nice conditions. We had months of this in central over late summer.
A sper 6lber to finish the day – on my Brown Nymph.
As we flew deep into Fjordland last January I wondered what might make this adventure an adventure. Something always happens when you put yourself in the hands of nature. Could be good, could be bad, maybe dangerous maybe not but something always adds to the story…
We landed about 3kms up a river which flows directly into a Flord. It looked as if we were above the tidal zone so we thought it should be a good base of opperations. Nick brought his raft so from here we could access the fjord downstream or the main river upstream. The objective for the 3 days was to learn and explore as much of the system as possible by foot and raft from the ocean to the headwaters. When the heli departed we were alone in the wilderness. I joked that I hoped we haden’t forgotten anything.
Day 1.
After considering the weather forecast we decided that the best option for day 1 was the main river. The sea breeze in the forecast might make the fjord difficult for the oarsman. Upstream was a very large, long pool; barely flowing. We decided to assemble the raft to get through that first pool to access the flowing river above it. It made sence to have that job done anyway. As we started to assemble the raft I noticed Nick looking a little bothered – and nothing bothers Nick! “What’s up”, I asked? “Forgot the bolts’ he said.. Feck. Okay, so this is a hurdle. We have a raft but we can’t assemble the frame. Not going to let this beat us, we gathered what we could to put the raft together. Tent string, 80lb nylon, duct tape and zip-ties. What couldn’t be assembled with that? Well not this raft! Before long we were all go. MacGyver would have been proud. After a couple of teething problems we advanced up river. As we rowed up Nick questioned the damp green slime on the logs. Is this tidal? We agreed that it could be but wern’t totally sure. When we got to the end of the long pool we tied up the raft with 80lb test and continued upriver on foot.
The river was small, a few cumecs I guess. Clear and beautiful flowing through pristine beech forest. A mix of bouldery pools and gravelly runs. Ideal trout water. We quickly moved upstream without trout to slow us down. We blind fished now and again when a piece of water screamed fish – but they weren’t there. We fished to about a kilometre short of where the river becomes unfishable. At that point we decided not to push on since they simply weren’t there. Apart from a couple of 2lbers we saw nothing. After a 2 hour hike back down the river we got to the raft. It was strewn up on top of some logs with the 80lb test tangled in a root system. I guess it was tidal. I rowed back down the long pool. About 20m from camp, Nick hooked into a super fish from the raft. A great surprise. A 6.5lb stunning seatrout and a perfect end to the fishing day. We got back to camp and cracked open a cold beer from Nicks Yeti and got the fire going. I then set to work cooking steak, spuds and beans. Good food, company, fire and few beers in the wilderenss is hard to beat…
Day 2.
The best weather day. Since there were no fish in the river then they must be in the tidal zone. Nicks big seatrout from tidal water the evening before certainly made us feel very excited about 3kms of tidal river water before getting to the fjord. We set off at about 7am. Nick on oars and me casting. Teamwork. Nick keeping the boat on the best bank, just far enough out for me to efficiently and effectively cover the water with my streamer. After a slow start I picked up a fish from a stream mouth. Then the fishing really amped up. We’d catch about 2 a piece and then swap positions – oars for the rod. The fish generally weren’t big but the action was pretty constant. We were fishing this tidal zone at low tide. There was great excitement as the tight river section opened out into an awesome fjord. Just to see it was enough. But what will we find here? First up was a very fishy shorline. We pulled up the raft and fished it from the shore – and it was good! We landed quite a few here before heading for the drop-off where thousands or years of deposition from the river meets the ocean. Now and agian the tent string keeping the oarlocks from falling down would break. We got pretty good at fixing this on the fly. a couple of minutes and we were off again. The flats on the way from the river to the drop-off looked fishy we saw very little. There were occasional bust-ups out in the black ocean water, sometimes close to the drop-off. This was clearly an opportunity. Before we persued that we tried for a blue cod for dinner. We were depending on catching fish for dinner! Nick and I lost one each but didn’t get one. As luck would have it, A cray boat in the bay saw us and came in for chat. A beautiful boat called the Amazon. Certainly the nicest fishing boat I’ve seen! The crew were a very sound bunch of fellas and we chatted for quite a while. When they offered us a few cray tails we happily said yes please! Dinner was sorted. Before they went on their way they towed us way out into the fjord so that we could drift back in with the wind and catch some cod. The idea was good but it was unsuccessful. We then turned our attention to the drop-off and the bust-ups. When a shot finally presented I picked up my 7 weight trout rod. I hooked a kahawai (probably – but who knows) which took off out and down. When I was near the end of my backing he broke me. My mistake. Wrong rod. More to the point – wrong reel. The birds were following the fish so we followed the birds. This was not easy on oars with considerable wind. Finally another opportunity. This time I picked up Nick’s 10 wt Scott Meridian with a large Hatch reel on it. This time I was correctly armed and landed a nice kahawai after a super strong fight. Nick and I hooked a couple of others too but just the one landed. It was high summer so the days were long. That was a good thing because we were about 6kms from camp and it was getting late. We wanted to fit in the fishy bank again too. By now the tide would be low again. We got another couple there before the row up the tidal zone of the river channel. The tide was going out again which slowed the progress on oars but still no major problem. The fishing was quiet while I rowed. Nick took the last kilometre on oars while I fished again. Then, right at camp (just like yesterday) I hooked into a strong fish. I caught a glimpse and said it wasn’t a trout or a kahawai. To my delight a jack mackerel came to the net. This is an ocean fish 3kms up a river in fresh water! Tidal, yes – but fresh water. What a day. It was 9.30pm by the time we made it back to camp. I got a big fire going. Nick was on cooking duty. Spuds, beans and crayfish. Probably the best crayfish I’ve eaten thanks to Nick the chef and the fishermen from the Amazon. After Nick went to his tent I stayed up for a while to wind down and just relax by the fire. I needed it after a non-stop brilliant day.
Day 3.
The main river was not an option so it had to be the tidal zone again. With the tide slightly different we had a chance to see it in another light. This was indeed interesting. With higher water in the tidal zone the fishing was very poor. Nick got one or 2 and I got my best trout of the trip. A stunning, fat seatrout. A great result but nowhere near the numbers of trout on the previous day. Down at the fishy bank, we arrived on low tide and it was good again. We caught a few. The advancing tide filled the edges quickly and this knocked out the fishing. We thought it might improve it but it didn’t. At least not on this day! We then fished the flats concentrating on the gutters or anything fishy. It was quiet but nick did get a follow from a very large trout. Possibly over 10lbs – that sort of big. Time flew by and we had a heli to catch. We checked out some shallows filling up with the rising tide. These were full of whitebait. I’m sure trout would come into these areas at times but not today. The row back up river was easy with the flowing tide. We got back to camp at high tide. Funny how our timing worked out – this was the first time we saw camp at high tide in 3 days. Luckily there was enough gravel for the heli to land. We took the raft apart and laughed about how the duct tape, zip-ties, 80lb nylon and tent string held it together for 3 days of hardship. With everything packed up there was time to sit down and have a beer and chat about 3 amazing days exploring this system. We discussed what we had learned and agreed that it left us with more questions than answers. We’ll just have to go back!
Nick Reygaert
Most of you will have seen some of Nicks fly fishing productions from The Source to Pure Fly NZ and so much in between. You might know him as a cameraman more than an angler. Well I can tell you something – he’s an angler first and foremost, and one of the toughest I’ve had the pleasure of fishing with. Dawn til dusk is no problem for him. Fly fishing is his life whether he’s behind a camera or not.
Tight lines, Ronan.
Ps, for guiding bookings visit my website or email me ronan@sexyloops.com. For a look at my flies available from Fulling Mill, including the streamers I used on this trip, click here. FYI, just enough time to grab some kiwi duns and size 16 clarets for the end of april – best hatch fishing of the year!
Flying into Fjordland wilderness..
The persuit of adventure!
Dropped beside camp for the few days..
First to assemble the raft..
..Nick forgot the bolts so zip-ties and duct tape will have to do!
Ready to go upstream. We’ll use the boat to get through this long pool..
With the boat tied up – possibly in the tidal zone – the fishing begins..
Beautiful water..
Had to take the packs off for this crossing!
So much potential but not seeing any fish..
Great to see this place..
Water getting fishier..
..but still no fish!
No fish here either..
..or here..
I think we timed the river wrong. The fish must be in the tidal zone at this time of year.
We fished almost all the fishable water and saw just 2 small fish.
After 2 hours walk we were back at the boat.
Clearly it was in the tidal zone! Luckily the 80lb nylon held it!
Nick got this cracker at camp from the boat at the very end of the day!
A brilliant 6.5lb trout.
Camp.
Excited about the prospect of day 2 in the tidal zone..
My first of the trip..
Great action at low tide in the tidal zone heading to the fjord.
Lots of fish!
A goodie for Nick..
..one for me.
The fishy bank.
Then back in the boat to get to the drop-off.
What a place.
Right out at the drop-off into the deep sea.
Searching for blue cod for dinner. We lost a couple.
Then these fellas came for a chat! A really sound crayfish crew. They gave us crays for dinner!
Then into a kahawai, finally!
They can pull! The 10 weight Scott and Hatch were well tested.
A quick stop on the way back to camp.
The camp fish! 3kms up the tidal zone in fresh water – a Jack Mackerel!
The waterfall at camp.
It was after 9pm when we got to camp so dinner was late!
Nick did a great job on the pan,
One of the best dinners ever!
Happy days is right!
Breakfast on day 3.
Dragging down the boat.
Running repairs.
Back down the tidal zone. Certainly no point going up river.
Fishing was much harder with the slight change of tide.
The oar rope broke frequently. We learned to fix it in a couple of minutes.
My fish of the trip on the Killer Smelt!
A beautiful seatrout..
Heading back to camp for pick-up.
Checking out a backwater en-route.
Rowing back after a super 3 days.
The raft did surprisingly well held together with string, tape and zip-ties! H&S at its best!
Packing up.
The 500 arrives. Great machines – they can carry a lot of weight.
Between 2002 and 2011 I fished the majority of every NZ season. Total freedom. I’d work in Ireland during the NZ winter and save as much as I could for the next trip to NZ. After moving to NZ full time in 2011, much of the freedom continued – I just had to fit the fishing around work. As a single man I’d fish every weekend, public holiday and day off throughout all seasons. Things are different now. My wife and 2 kids are now my priority. It’s amazing how quickly time passes and I’m enjoying every minute with them. Recently I got a window to go away and fish myself for 3 days. I really don’t remember when I had this last! Guiding is different, I’m talking personal personal fishing time. Mark was on board to join me right away as we were trying to put a trip together anyway. Next I thought I’d ask a few of the other lads. 4 of us ended up hitting the road for 3 days… I forgot how great the freedom of being on the road fishing feels. That was the drug for 9 years of NZ seasons before I decided to live here. Of course I still fish a lot, a few days a week I’ll get out for a fish. Even if it’s just a few hours. But it’s so hard now to get away over night with my 2 little beauties to look after.
We had 3 brilliant days of fishing. We broke up in different groups each day and covered small streams, stillwaters and rivers. It was a nice mix of tried and trusted and totally new water. One of the exploration days yielded a superb find. A piece of water that I cant wait to get back to with better conditions. Also an excellent guiding option. The highlight of the 3 days for me was a stillwater that I used to fish a lot many years ago. Kevin (Shotgun) first took me there in about 2004. I have so many great memories of the place since then. I had magic fishing on it with my dad – some of our best memories of fishing together over here actually. I also fished it with Chris Dore, Bob Wyatt, Tonio, Fraser and now Wesley. Early season access has always been hard to get with lambing but we were just lucky on our day that they had moved the ewes into the next field and the farmer was happy to let us through. About the fishing – Wesley went left and I went right. Numbers were less than in the past but still plenty to keep us focused. We each landed a few of the most beautiful trout an angler can can catch. Sight fishing with a dry dropper accounted for most. When we were almost finished on it, I changed to a double nymph rig to fish some deep water blind. I moved 3 before landing another stunner.. That was the icing on the cake. I have to say, I’m delighted and relieved to have my HT6 again. It’s been cursed that rod! It keeps getting broken – not manufacture error I should say – just stupit shit keeps happening to it! I feel like the curse is now over and I’ll be able to enjoy this fabulous rod again. If not, I have a back up. Ha! Take that, curse!
Part of the craic on a trip like this is getting into the pub at the end of the day for feed and a schather of pints. I rarely look past the steak option and the beer was good. The pub was quiet but 4 like-minded fellas will always have a good time!
3 days, good friends, lots of craic and plenty trout. Now I need another fix!
In other news, I’ve had a few days guiding – delighted to get them under the circumstances. All very successful days with lots to the net each day. The best result had to be from Angela, who after a casting lesson landed three 5lb browns. That was her first day with a fly rod! Pretty amazing result. Great to see Brian again after his 11lber last season. Also lovely to get out with Sam and Fred again. Last time we fished together Sam broke in 4 big trout. On our recent day she made no mistakes! They both landed some magnificent trout. I know Chuan will be jealous..
Pure Fly NZ has moved off mainstream tv and onto youtube. This makes it very easy to access where ever you are in the world! Myself and Jeff had some super fishing in our episode and Nick was right there to capture it all. You can watch it, and all the other episodes from series 4 for free on youtube. Here’s a link to our episode.
If you’re in NZ and interested in some guided fly fishing, feel free to drop me a line to book a trip before you can’t travel at all!! Visit my website or email ronan@sexyloops.com
My nymphs have been accounting for nearly all the river fish and some of the lake fish in the gallery below. If you’re thinking about stocking up for the NZ season, these are my tried and trusted range of weighted nymphs. You can check them out here.
Tight lines, Ronan..
Great fun on the lake in September..
Superb mid-range rods. If you’re looking for a versatile rod for NZ, the Primal Raw 7 is a great option.
Great conditioned fish and plenty of them. I wasn’t hanging out for October 1!
September lake edge cruisers loved my little Claret nymph from Fulling Mill.
No skinny fish which early season is often related to.
Perfect!
Great day guiding Brian. He landed 7 super trout using a range of tactics.
September sight fishing..
Have to fill a few gaps here for the new season.
A box full of my nymphs available from Fulling Mill. Just put Ronan’s nymphs in the search box.
My dads NZ dry. An excellent all round pattern.
Ready for battle.
There’s a few things I need but this will keep me going!
Ready.
First fish of the season!
Mark and I landed 6. Hard to get good pics because we were wading out! A magnificent opening day.
First guide day of the season ..
After a casting lesson Angela landed three 5lbers. An amazing result!
The nicest of the 3 fives.
Out with Samantha and Fred..
A brilliant fish for Sam. Her best of the day.
Perfect conditions.
6lbs for Fred.
Hooked about a dozen, landed 8 great fish.
Reunited with my HT6..
3 days away with Wesley, Mark and Brayden.
Brilliant fishing!
The HT6 is the best 6 weight out there..
Another one goes back..
Brayden borrowed my back up HT6.
Brayden onto one.
End of a great day!
Day 2. The best weather day.
A brilliant fish in the net.
Blind fishing a double nymph rig with the HT6.
Years since I fished here. So many great memories.
The most beautirul trout live here.
6.5lbs of perfection – and strong!
A super moment..
Perfcetion for Wesley.
After the backwater we went up river.
Some beauties for Wesley.
Stunning..
The farther we went the wilder it got!
Lovely.
Long days already and we were in no rush to turn around.
Change flies.
Just seeing a river is so satisfying.
Popped in to fish this backwater. Got one. Lots of potential.
The last pool before the hike out.
One last view of the backwater..
What a day..
This lead to quite a headache on day 3! Might be why I got no photos!!
After 5 weeks of lockdown I was itching to get back at the rivers. We dropped back to level 3 only three days before the brown trout rivers closed. I managed to get one full day on day 1, a brief session while walking the kids on day 2 and a 3 hour session on day 3. The full day was just brilliant. I got to the river with a one hour walk downstream to complete before fishing back to the truck. I was at a jogging pace to get to the start of the beat – I just couldn’t wait. Straight away the fishing was good. The fish were out and feeding and holding where fish should hold. Thankfully the incredible weather all through lockdown held up for another day. Blue skies and no wind all day. Absolute bliss and I didn’t see another angler. I had 12 for the day and broke in 5 or 6 more because I ran out of my usual tippet. Very frustrating using bad tippet! A fantastic day regardless. I had decided in the morning that if I could get 2 decent trout near the truck I’d take them for dinner. Not something I usually do but as long as I know there are plenty trout about I don’t mind taking one or two on occasion. I got one with the truck in sight and had to work pretty hard for the second but got him in the end. They fed 4 adults and 2 kids and included a cold smoked fillet as a starter. There is something very special about feeding the family with freshly caught, wild trout.
One good thing that came from the lockdown was spending time with the kids when I’d otherwise have been working. Our daily walks were along the river where I’d frustrate myself looking at feeding trout. The crazy thing is I had never even seen this section of river that flows through the town. Local lockdown walks were the reason I got to check it out. It’s lovely water. I didn’t see heaps of trout there but there were enough. Unfortunately there was little chance to carry the rod on the local walks due to level 4 lockdown rules (no fishing!). Now that we can fish the season is closed (apart from the aforementioned 3 days.). Next season, whenever I get a day off, and there may well be many, I’ll be taking the kids for a walk and taking the rod. By then Adaline will be old enough to reel in a fish herself. Lochlan might be too.
We’re into the winter season now. There are still many rivers open til the end of May. Once June starts just a few large rivers and most of the lakes remain open. Plenty though. I’m looking forward to getting out whenever I get a chance. The kids have severely disrupted my fishing if you haven’t already guessed that! I’ve had a few outings recently. I didn’t catch many myself but the folks with me did pretty well. The first tug from a large winter rainbow woke me as I drifted off to sleep last night! That will tell you whats on my mind. Dying to get stuck in a large migrating rainbow – one of the highlights of my season. The next fishing on the agenda will hopefully be filming another episode for Pure Fly NZ with my comrade Jeff Forsee and fly fishing film legend, Nick Reygaert. We have a few ideas.
I recently did a podcast with Daire Whelan from Ireland On The Fly. I never did one before so I was a bit nervous. However, here is a link for anybody who’d like a listen. Or you can use this link. I’ll be doing something similar on Instagram soon – a live chat with Justin Spence in Montana. I guided Justin and his friend Dan last season. Justin needed no guidance really, I’d just take him to the river and he’d know what to do. Certainly one of the great fly fishermen! For our Instagram session were just going to chat about fly fishing! More on this when I know more.
Feel free to get in touch with any questions about guided trips next season or this season if you live in NZ. You can contact me on ronan@sexyloops.com or visit my website.
Tight Lines… Ronan..
First fish after lockdown. So good to get out there again!
Great day!
Plenty fish about..
Lunch!
The trout kept coming.. Love the SLHT #4 for small to medium rivers.
10 released, 2 kept for dinner!
Out for a walk with the kids… and a rod!
Lovely water just a 1o minute walk from the house.
Adaline’s first fishing experience!
Lovely water.
Back home with a flat tire and wet boots! A good sign for the future.
April has been a fabulous month! I had lots of time to fish myself but was also kept pretty busy guiding. The fishing was excellent! With terrestrial insects still locked into trout brains and magnificent mayfly hatches to boot, most of the activity was on the surface. It’s rare that I’ll fish with a single dry but I did a lot this April, both for myself and my clients. Cicada’s, blowflies and mayflies were the leaders of the pack. April sees the most consistent and reliable mayfly hatches of the year in these parts. For the last 2 – 3 weeks of April, the main hatch kicked of at 2.40 every afternoon on a number of rivers from Omarama to Invercargill. The dry-fly action during the hatch was simply as good as it gets and the best for many years by all accounts. It was most welcome after the constant onslaught of wind and rain brought by the early and middle parts of the season. Summer lasted ten days!
Earlier in April, Nick Reygaert, Jeff Forsee and myself got together again to film another episode for Pure Fly NZ, this time series 2. We went to the West Coast to film a variety of fishing locations. I think we all worked well together to bring something pretty full-on to the screen. I won’t elaborate too much so that I don’t give anything away before the show airs, but watch this space!
Most brown trout rivers are closed now, but many of the rivers flowing into the Southern Lakes (and a few besides) are open until the end of May. A few rivers and most large lakes are open all year, so thankfully, the season never stops. It’s May now and time to stalk migratory fish! I love fishing at this time of year as the leaves change colour and fall from the trees. Fish start to move up river on their spawning run and opportunities arise that are unique to May and the winter months. These fish respond well to streamers, large nymphs and a little later in the season, egg flies. The first part in fishing for migratory fish is finding them. In many cases when you find one you find a few or lots – fishing for migratory fish is like that. The first cast to a pod can get a chaotic response from a lot of fish, then it gets a little quieter. It’s not unusual to catch a few fish from a pod. At times you’ll stumble upon a large fish or two which has spent the last 8 months or so deep in a lake. This is exciting stuff and I will be trying to make it happen this month! I think I know where some will be..
I must change the format for this blog! With the amount of time that passes between reports I struggle to choose what to write about and end up breezing over everything. In the future I need to try (try) to write more often. Maybe less, but more specific content, the way it was before guiding.. I’ll do my best! The pictures below tell the story of full-on month on April!!
Tight Lines and bring on May!!
Ronan..
I’ll be guiding until mid July for the few that are keen on winter fishing! Let me know if you’d like to plan a mission.. ronan@sexyloops.com or see my website http://www.ronansflyfishingmissions.com
PERSONAL GALLERY
Perfect. This on a damsel nymph (no marabou!).
Flowers. Breandan? About 10mm across.
Such condition! 6.5lbs
A sockeye salmon. Not the target species but quite aggressive towards my streamer.
Wesley, early on a bitterly cold april day.
The cold brought on a great hatch and we had some superb dryfly action. 17 to the net.
Wesley working a big pool.
First of the day..
..they kept coming..
..and got bigger as the hatch intensified!
Best fish of the day. Almost 6lbs.. Did I say it was cold?? Feckin freezing!!
The cut banks were great fun!
The daylight diminished quickly..
It was a great day to be out and about!
Home time!
Some recent filming with Nick Reygaert and Jeff. The Land Cruiser saved the day..
..twice!! 😀
Lots of tactics utilised.
Out in the Stabi Craft..
Searching!
Stunning place!
I think we got some great stuff!! I won’t elaborate, you’ll see the show next season!! Pure Fly NZ – Season 2
A recent trip to my secret dam!
We found fish!
This late season beauty was my best. Wesley had one about 6 as well as the one photographed.
Great colours..
Sometimes the only thing an angler can see when sighting a fish is that dark line on the end of the tail, very visible in this pic!
Tom, Robbie and I fished together for a few days late season..
We hit the canals one day.. Tom and I had a big salmon!
10lbs for me, 11.5lbs for Tom.
The first of 4 for a day in a gorge..
Robbie.. there were a few fish here.
Still a few of these fellas about!!
One of our favourite pools but no fish there!
Lunch!
In the gorge..
Tom into a good one which ran round a rock and got off! These fish fight dirty..
Robbies gap!
This fish was hell bent on eating my possum / marabou streamer!
Last day of the brown trout season, Mike Bonn into a good one..
One for me from a rising colouring river..
My spun possum and marabou streamer is doing the business. It has a great profile and movement in the water..
Streamer fishing for rainbows at this time year can be exhilarating!! This was May 1st..
I wanted to chat briefly about the Damselfly nymph and how most anglers standard pattern makes no sense to me. I had some great photo’s of a damsel nymph which was still alive inside a trout I took from Lake Dunstan recently, but I deleted them by mistake!! I put the green nymph in a jar of water with a sprig of rosemary (haha) where he lived happily for a week or so. I watched how it moved, how it swam (or wobbles!) etc. The one thing that struck me was how similar it was to mayfly nymph. I thought this before, but I though I was missing something that everyone else seemed to know because most damselfly nymph patterns have a long marabou tail. Why? A mayfly nymph representation generally has no marabou. I see some merit in a short marabou tail matching the length of the 3 strands in the real nymph. I’m not one for perfect representations of what fish are eating, far from it actually. However in my opinion, a damsel nymph with a long marabou tail is a woolly bugger, not a damsel! I use a long shank #12 PT or similar as a damsel nymph.
Guiding has been happily chaotic! I’m out most days at the moment but I did manage a few days for myself recently. Iza and I fished together for a day and a half too. Next season I’ll do things a little differently. I’m going to put blocks of time aside for me to fish each month. I need it!! I get a lot of what I get from a days fishing during a day guiding but not everything. Fly-fishing is my life and I must make this work. I know some guides who don’t fish at all during “silly season”. I must not let this happen!! This is only my second season so I guess I’m still finding my way a bit. Guiding continues to teach me a lot and I believe the most important thing it has taught me is how much I don’t know!! A great lesson. Therefor time must be put aside to explore new water and simply get better and better at this.
Recently I explored some new water to the north and the east. Some of it was re-familiarising myself with old haunts and some was totally new. Fishing new water is such a thrill! Absorbing everything the river has to offer, the excitement of seeing whats around the next bend, piecing it all together. Putting on wet socks in the morning means you’re in the thick of it!
Guiding has been lots of fun! I recently took Tim Kempton out for a few days. Great craic with him and his mate Fergus. Tim has fished with Paul in Malaysia which makes him the second (I think) to have been guided by both Paul and I in our respective countries (the other being Chuan Tay!). I hope more anglers do this! On the topic of Malaysia, I’m going there this July to fish with Paul for 2 weeks. I’ve been practicing a little from Paul’s instructional video on youtube so when the time comes I hope I’m on form. Speed is very important with trout fishing too so if I can make one second shots for snakehead, I’ll do it for here for trout too!!! Back to guiding, what else.. Some great heli stuff lately with Nick Mills and a fantastic West Coast mission with local regulars Bryan and Tim. That was a real adventure! One thing about heli-fishing.. The chopper takes a lot of the hard work out of it but the best results come if you’re willing to go hard while your in there. That we did! I think we had 14 trout in total for 3 days with the best fish of the trip going to Tim just before the chopper came to take us home. Many thanks to Greenstone Helicopters! Also a new personal best for Bryan, Bob and his birthday fish, the list goes on.. The pics tell a better story anyway!!
Time to prepare! I have an afternoon mission in an hour..
The first series of Pure Fly NZ is out on DVD! Jeff Forsee and I host episode 6!
Iza in the water! We haven’t had a chance to fish together for ages! We did some exploratory fly fishing on a trip to the Catlins..
Some great reds spots on these fish. The river beats we spent 1.5 days on were extremely tricky! No easy casts from long grass, thistles, willows, high banks etc.. The challenge made it some of the most fun fly fishing I’ve had in a while.. Plenty fish to the net.
The Catlins..
Breandan?? You were a bit slack on the last blogs Flora & Fauna!
Small but lovely!
Fishing in the willows! Not much pressure in here and the fish happily ate a well presented Banana Fly ..
This was the best fish of 9 landed in 1.5 days.
Another sharp finned beauty goes back..
A recent day with Bryan Wrighton. A cloudy start!
With the sun out we had water to fish! Here Bryan is into his new personal best!
8.5lbs.. Tim, you’re going to have to up the ante! He’s beaten your PB by .25 of a pound!
Cicada time!
An 8lber for me on one of Stu’s cicada patterns.
http://www.stusflyshop.com
A great fish!!
What a day.. Summer is here at last!
A little more exploring and re-familiarising myself with old haunts. The most stunning trout come from tannin water.
Absolute perfection!
2 days on my own on the Maniototo. This 5.5lber was the best. More vibrant red spots! Tannin water produces more red spotted trout than clear water.
Back he goes..
The amount of water around this summer was incredible!
Up bright and early but very few fish about..
..so I went to check out some small still waters. If you have Bob Wyatts latest book, check out the back cover.. that was me down there! No joy on this day but there are about 4 good fish in there. One I recognised from about 6 years ago! Still alive.. Browns are amazing creatures.
This was one of the most exciting places to fish 15 years ago. Not so good now but still has potential.
I got a couple of beauties here. These dams are not on the F&G brochures.
Mathias’s Dam. 2 quick fish then off to another..
The only cloud in the sky parked itself in front of the sun for about 2 hours!
October has been a difficult enough month! Mainly due to lots of rain and snow-melt keeping many Otago and surrounding rivers high and difficult to fish. I saw this as an opportunity to go well away from home and try to lock in and learn some new water. I had a hunch about an area to try and what I found blew me away. On my first visit to the powerful beast that is mystery river X, I found quite a few really big rainbows.. huge actually. I landed one of 14lbs and lost 7 more (shit happens!). I took my good friend and big fish specialist, Robbie Mcphee for a look recently. He managed an 11lber, a 7lber and a 4. I landed an 11lb salmon, totally unexpected and immensely powerful. I passed the pocket water where he was hanging out having not seen a sign of life. Then something splashed behind me. I thought it was Robbie stumbling on the slippery rocks but when I turned around I saw the remains of a splash on the surface (not Robbie falling in, but a fish!). I went back, changed my fly to Stu’s Sonic Minnow and made a cast.. First cast I had a follow from a big grey ghost. I kept working the water.. 10 casts later I was connected to the biggest New Zealand salmon I’ve hooked. After a great battle Robbie put him in the net. I also had a few normal sized trout. This piece of water is still good but I expect these big fish will get off the shallows and back into the deep, heavy water before too long..
If you’d like to get in touch about guided fly-fishing in the lower South Island then drop me an email ronan@sexyloops.com or check out my website, http://www.ronansflyfishingmissions.com
Some exploration has led me to some water where monster rainbows live! This psychotic looking brute hit the scales at 14lbs..
Like a morey eel!
Back he goes..
Huge rivers can produce huge rainbows! A 7lber for Robbie.. maybe not huge, but just wait!!
And this for me! What an animal.. A total surprise to meet a salmon so early in the season. 11lbs.
A stunning fish..
Back he goes into his bouldery pool..
Really striking black spots.. This made my day!
The salmon couldn’t resist this big eyed streamer from Stu’s Superior Flies..
Robbie into a huge rainbow..
11lbs
A box of high viz dries from Stu’s Superior flies. I dont use strike indicators, I use a dry instead. These are perfect!
Some of Stu’s streamers. Kahawai won’t have a chance against these!!
Some disappointing exploration on a high country stream which I haden’t fished for years..
GUIDING HIGHLIGHTS
If not for local anglers and regular clients, Bryan Wrighton and Tim Proctor, October would have been a lean month! We recently had a 2 day mission on two very different rivers down south. With a narrow weather window between one front and another, I made the call to take it on. Thankfully it worked! Day one had us fishing on a river which was high and a little coloured. I chose this river for day one because these conditions suit it, it would also give day two’s river a chance to settle and clear a bit. The common denominator over the 2 days was high, slightly coloured water. Perfect for streamer fishing.. well, usually. The streamer barely got a chase over the 2 days. I don’t think I’ve ever seen these conditions not suit the streamer down to the ground! Fishing is always able to throw you a curve ball! Thankfully there were good numbers of fish out feeding and reasonably easy to spot. They were not easy to catch however, (they rarely are!) but Bryan and Tim did well to land 9 quality trout over two days all between 3.5 and 5lbs. Most fish were beautifully marked, in great condition and very strong. We’re out again soon so hopefully we’ll produce the goods again..
Tight Lines all!
Ronan..
Ps. Dont forget to check out Sky TV this October 31st. Jeff Forsee and myself will be doing what we do best on episode 6 of “Pure Fly New Zealand”…
Walking down to fish back..
Dont look a gift horse in the mouth! We spotted a group of trout feeding during the walk down, we put on a 16 nymph under a dry and Bryan landed this on his 3rd cast of the day!
Great conditions..
Tim with his first of the day.. A magnificent specimen!
Blind fishing a likely drop-off..
I spotted this fish but then lost sight of it.. I was hesitant to look again in case I’d spook it. Bryan fished to where I’d seen the fish and after a while the dry went down!
A great moment! A very difficult fish to catch..
A big brown lives here.. we didn’t get him today..
Bryan and cows. Day 2.
Tim with first blood. This was the only fish on the streamer over 2 days. A great moment to see him nail the fly from a swirling eye. No place for a nymph as a drag-free drift was impossible.
Bryan into one.. all powerful trout!
I’m trying to scare the fish back up river away from snags!
Landed! Tim’s turn again..
I took my netting opportunity when I got it, dipping the net deep!
A beautifully marked fish for Tim!
Ready with the net once again!
That great moment for both the guide and the angler when the fish is safely in the net!
Everyone’s happy!
A birthday beer for Robbie (and me) he just turned 43.
A pine tree with its flowers..
Some exploration has led me to some water where monster rainbows live! This psychotic looking brute hit the scales at 14lbs..
Like a morey eel!
Back he goes..
Huge rivers can produce huge rainbows! A 7lber for Robbie.. maybe not huge, but just wait!!
And this for me! What an animal.. A total surprise to meet salmon so early in the season. 11lbs.
A stunning fish..
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Back he goes into his bouldery pool..
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Really striking black spots.. This made my day!
The salmon couldn't resist this big eyed streamer from Stu's Superior Flies..
Robbie into a huge rainbow..
11lbs
A box of high viz dries from Stu's Superior flies. I dont use strike indicators, I use a dry instead. These are perfect!
Some of Stu's streamers. Kahawai won't have a chance against these!!
Some disappointing exploration on a high country stream which I haven't fished for years..
Walking down to fish back..
Great conditions..
Tim with his first of the day.. A magnificent specimen!
Blind fishing a likely drop-off..
I spotted this fish but then lost sight of it.. I was hesitant to look again in case I'd spook it. Bryan fished to where I'd seen the fish and after a while the dry went down!
A great moment! A very difficult fish to catch..
A big brown lives here.. we didn't get him today..
Bryan and cows. Day 2.
Tim with first blood. This was the only fish on the streamer over 2 days. A great moment to see him nail the fly from a swirling eye. No place for a nymph as a drag-free drift was impossible.
Bryan into one.. all powerful trout!
I'm trying to scare the fish back up river away from snags!
Landed! Tim's turn again..
I took my netting opportunity when I got it, dipping the net deep!
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A beautifully marked fish for Tim!
That great moment for both the guide and the angler when the fish is safely in the net!
A few of days ago while planning a day fishing for myself, I was surprised to see a perfect weather forecast. Blue skies all day, gentle southerly blowing and a high of 15c. “With a forecast like that for a Sunday I better set off early” I thought. The following morning I was away before dawn. It was a long drive to the river. There was rain first off, then it stopped, then it started again and continued. “Weird” I thought, “It’ll pass”. Before I left internet coverage I decided to check the forecast again in case I made a mistake. I did! I got the forecast for a town in the USA with the same name.. Lesson learned!
There was no going back, and I didn’t want to.. I was excited to take on whatever conditions nature would throw at me. I got a mix of sun, rain and wind all day. High, slightly coloured water too. A streamer day I thought but I ended up catching most sight fishing with small nymphs. Any fish I saw was hard out feeding just below the surface and they were keen to eat my offerings. My own size 16 nymph and one of Stu’s Superior Nymphs did the trick.
The best moment of the day was spotting a large fish swing to the right from behind a deep boulder. I though I had spooked it but wasn’t sure.. I took off the nymphs and tied on a Glister. I slung it across the pool slightly upstream so that it would cross the boulder on its way down. Up from the gloom came the large fish and engulfed my streamer. I lifted into solid weight and the fish played to his strengths and stayed deep. Just under 7lbs. He made my day!
I’m playing catch-up a bit with this blog! Some pics go back to last winter, others from a recent trip to the canals where I finally cracked a big one; 18.5lbs of ugly! Fishing with Guy, a mission to the Coast with Iza, Robbie Mcphee’s 43rd birthday.. Enjoy the pics!
I’ve known Stu Tripney for pretty much as long as I’ve been coming to NZ. He, his shop and his flies have become legendary over my 15 years in NZ. This season I’m putting Stu’s flies through their paces and I’m more than happy with the results. Check them out! http://www.stusflyshop.com
I’ve had a couple of days guiding which have been good, and a few more coming up over the month. There are plenty spaces available and October is a great month! So maybe its time to get yourself down here for a day out! ronan@sexyloops.com for bookings and information.
One more thing, Just in case I don’t get a blog out before October 31st, thats the day mine and Jeff’s episode of “Pure Fly New Zealand” airs on Sky TV in NZ… Good reports from the director so here’s hoping he’s right! http://www.manictackleproject.com/pure-fly-nz-coming-soon/
Tight Lines everyone!
Stuntman Ronan (It’s on my license!) ronan@sexyloops.com
Then to a Clutha braid, no fish but I did rescue Marks hat!
The Lowburn Inlet saved the day.. as it often does!
Breakfast for Camo-Guy and I before we hit the Clutha..
Guy and I..
Into a wee one!
Had a couple of these, then off to the lake..
Guy working on a number of rising fish..
And he’s in!
Guy hooked 4 of these and landed 2..
Then home for dinner.. Iza cooks up a feast!
Enjoying my portable campfire!
Iv’e been having heaps of success using Stu’s Superior Flies..
This is one of Stu’s slender, weighted nymphs. I was able to target trout cruising 10 – 12′ down using these on a long fine tippet.
Perfection!
If you’re passing Stu’s Fly Shop, grab a few of these!
I found a brazier on the river recently so now I can have campfires at home.. Modern technology!! I think this was my birthday party!
Mission to the Coast!
Not a touch all morning but lunch was great! Bacon, beans and eggs! Hard to beat.. (pun not intended!)
The whitebaiters weren’t catching any so no surprise there were no trout around..
Fish or no fish, Iza and I both love the coast!
Finally! After about 9 hours fishing a Kahawai for dinner! We forgot the chicken so this fish was very welcome..
The surf rolls in..
A perfect sized Kahawai for 2. Filleted in the last of the sunlight..
The West Coast is a great place to camp and I hope it always will be!
A pan full of Kahawai.. We had it with spuds cooked in chilli and lime.. Dam good!
With full bellies, time to relax!
It was time to put my name on the Canal Big Fish Board! 18.5lbs on a Dore’s Mr Glister. He was a while coming!
It took me 4 attempts to nail the 10 second timer! #1
#2
#3
#4.. This is his ugly side!
Size 12, Kamasan B175, 3.5mm tungsten bead.
A dozen size 14s, a little sparkle can help in coloured water..
Here’s a dozen of my size 16, Kamasan B175, 2mm tungsten bead nymphs..
My standard dry.. Basically its always the same. I play around with different bodies and colours but the form remains the same. I design my flies to catch fish and to be very easy and quick to tie. This is also great at holding up tungsten nymphs. Any size, any body, any colour deer hair, any post.
A couple of Stu’s terrestrials..
One of Stu’s cdc mayflies.. It has already proven successful on Oct 1st!
A great selection from myself, Manic Tackle Project and Stu’s Superior Flies.
The work truck is all spruced up for my guiding season ahead!
Tim Proctor into one on opening day.
A good start to the season!
After getting rudely jumped on our chosen river, we went to plan B. A small stream. we saw 5, hooked 3 and landed one.
Bryans first of the season! This fish was sipping down mayflies. Stu’s cdc may was the right choice!
Bryan Wrighton fishes a likely run..
My first of the season! High, coloured water but the streamer did the business.
That’s Robbie down there. Very few fish out but a beautiful place to be!
Day 2 with Robbie Mcphee.. Perfect weather!
Plenty fish about too, although we had to cover a lot of river to find them..
Fit as fiddles every one!
Robbie into another..
A healthy brown..
We had 13 between us for the day, Fantastic fun! I love October!!
A birthday beer for Robbie (and me) he just turned 43.
Ed Lamont with one of 2 after a 2 hour refresher casting lesson.
A great day to be guiding!
After a rookie mistake misreading the weather in the morning, I ended up having a great day landing 6. This was the best, just under 7lbs.
This was the probably the nicest. All day I had a tough time finding a good place for the camera with the ten second timer.
Iza and I had a great time on the river yesterday. She landed the best fish of the day! Stunning.. Nice fish too!! 😀
A birthday beer for Robbie (and me) he just turned 43.
Ed Lamont with one of 2 after a 2 hour refresher casting lesson.
Ed with a bow and arrow...
A great day to be guiding!
After a rookie mistake misreading the weather in the morning, I ended up having a great day landing 6. This was the best, just under 7lbs.
This was the probably the nicest. All day I had a tough time finding a good place for the camera with the ten second timer.
Iza and I had a great time on the river yesterday. She landed the best fish of the day! Stunning.. Nice fish too!! :D
These few pics of mark and I from winter! Lunch!!
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Up the Clutha in the Wakatipu Anglers Club boat...
Then the a Clutha braid, no fish but I did rescue Marks hat!
The Lowburn Inlet saved the day.. as it often does!
I found a brazier on the river recently so now I can have campfires at home.. Modern technology!! I think this was my birthday party!
Size 12, Kamasan B175, 3.5mm tungsten bead.
Breakfast for Camo-Guy and I before we hit the Clutha..
Guy and I..
Into a wee one!
Had a couple of these, then off to the lake..
Guy working on a number of rising fish..
And he's in!
Guy hooked 4 of these and landed 2..
Then home for dinner.. Iza cooks up a feast!
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Enjoying my portable campfire!
Iv'e been having heaps of success using Stu's Superior Flies..
This is one of Stu's slender, weighted nymphs. I was able to target trout cruising 10 - 12' down using these on a long fine tippet.
perfection!
If you're passing Stu's Fly Shop, grab a few of these!
Mission to the Coast!
Not a touch all morning but lunch was great! Bacon, beans and eggs! Hard to beat.. (pun not intended!)
The whitebaiters weren't catching any so no surprise there were no trout around..
Fish or no fish, Iza and I both love the coast!
Finally! After about 9 hours fishing a Kahawai for dinner! We forgot the chicken so this fish was very welcome..
The surf rolls in..
A perfect sized Kahawai for 2. Filleted in the last of the sunlight..
A perfect sized Kahawai for 2. Filleted in the last of the sunlight..
The West Coast is a great place to camp and I hope it always will be!
A pan full of Kahawai.. We had it with spuds cooked in chilli and lime.. Dam good!
With full bellies, time to relax!
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It was time to put my name on the Canal Big Fish Board! 18.5lbs on a Dore's Mr Glister. He was a while coming!
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The work truck is all spruced up for my guiding season ahead!
Here's a dozen of my size 16, Kamasan B175, 2mm tungsten bead nymphs..
A couple of Stu's terrestrials..
p1100469
One of Stu's cdc mayflies.. It has already proved successful on Oct 1st!
A dozen size 14s, a little sparkle can help in coloured water..
My standard dry.. Basically its always the same. I play around with different bodies and colours but the form remains the same. I design my flies to catch fish and to be very easy and quick to tie. This is also great at holding up tungsten nymphs. Any size, any body, any colour deer hair, any post.
A great selection from myself, Manic Tackle Project and Stu's Superior Flies.
p1100496
Tim Proctor into one on opening day.
A good start to the season!
After getting rudely jumped on our chosen river, we went to plan B. A small stream. we saw 5, hooked 3 and landed one.
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My first of the season! High, coloured water but the streamer did the business.
That's Robbie down there. Very few fish out but a beautiful place to be!
Plenty fish about too, although we had to cover a lot of river to find them..
Day 2 with Robbie Mcphee.. Perfect weather!
Fit as fiddles every one!
Robbie into another..
A healthy brown..
We had 13 between us for the day, Fantastic fun! I love October!!