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.
The fishing was generally bad last weekend. Guy and I fished together in my boat for most of Saturday. Little rainbows were active at times and we managed a few browns. Peter, now a New Zealander but born in Hungary, had a good day on the shore but the numbers of cruising browns were way down on the Benmore I know, probably because the lake was so low. On a positive note the weed beds are as healthy as I’ve seen for years.
On Day 2 I was on my own. I went to one of my usual haunts to fish some flats, edges and backwaters only to be greeted by a howling nor’wester. The wind in NZ is unrelenting and often ruins the fishing. I started on the shore because I didn’t want to chance putting the boat in. I got one and lost one. The flats were as clear as could be with the right amount of water covering them and plenty weed beds evident. One can only cover so much from the bank so I walked back to the truck and put the boat in. I had to fish the flats and from the boat is the best way to do it. It was seriously hard going. The wind was pushing the boat down the drift so fast that I could barely strip fast enough to stay in touch with my fly. I need a drogue! Sometimes I’d throw out the anchor to give an area a chance but drifting, albeit at super high speed produced more fish. Conditions like this demand a lot from an angler. Casting, boating, angling, and sanity will be put to the test. I don’t know anyone else who would do this!
When I was walking back to take the boat out I felt some fear but I had no choice. The decision was made and in a sense I was no longer in control. Something else drives me at times, from somewhere deep inside and I’m glad it does. I’ve had some great and terrifying experiences because of it. Fear is good.
Ronan..
Peter, Guy and I had a few of these on Saturday. Between the 3 of us we and about 5 browns and 10 little rainbows.
The fishing was bad so there was time to take 5 and eat adrift..
I had 2 browns like this one, One on a spider pattern fishing a backwater on shore and this one deep nymphing on anchor.
Guy into one..
Back he goes..
There were a few browns to be seen when under power but not so many when stationary.
Peter from Hungary ties on a Wooley Bugger!
Having need for a 4×4 takes some of the sting out of the running costs!
Buscot Backpackers.. A most relaxing place to stay.
One of Tony’s inquisitive lambs.. Tony owns and runs Buscot Backpackers. Stay there sometime. You will return.
Scrabble from 3 nations, Hungary, France and Ireland (with some help from England in the form of CamoGuy!!)
Multinational Scrabble works!
Day 2. My choice of lake was in smoke with a howling Nor’wester.
This bull didn’t mind the wind.
Buy staying reasonably close to shore the wind had no chance to pick up any big waves. Farther down the lake the waves would have been impossible to be out in.
I had some good fish but the wind took some of the good out of it. I could barely strip fast enough to stay in touch with the fly the boat was drifting that fast..
In a big wind you have to be aware of much more than your fly. I had to get off the lake in the end. It’s so hard to capture wind in a photo!