Farewell Dale…
Sean McCarthy from Tasmania was over for a month and we hooked up for a fish last weekend. The weather has been infuriating lately. Blue skies Monday to Friday, then the weekends turn bad. This weekend was no exception. The nor’wester was blowing at gale force both Saturday and Sunday and then Monday was beautiful. Thankfully the weather is crap right now so maybe this weekend will be good? The forecast looks good and I expect to be on the water with Graeme and Dorothy Williams From “Insight Flyfishing” so I’m hoping for the best.
Aside for the maddening conditions it was great to fish with Sean again. The truck was loaded up with all the gear needed for a full on fishing mission. It was like fishing with Paul or John again.
In a little over a week I fly home to Ireland for Christmas with the family and to be John O Malley’s best man at his wedding. I’m looking forward to the change of pace, Guinness, no 5.30am alarms, winter pike fishing, family, friends and some mahseer fishing in Thailand on the way back to NZ.
While writing this I heard the very sad news that Dale E Pearce has passed away. Dale, you will not be forgotten. I’m really glad that I got to know you. It was always fun to be in your company whether drinking or fishing! You’re a legend in my book. Thanks for the laughs! I often think of that weekend at Moke Lake when I ended up crashing in the back of your van with you! There were some severe hangovers the next morning and what a fright we both got! Tight lines mate.. (I will find that farmer where you said on Benmore and get permission to fish that water, or maybe I won’t get permission….)
Ronan..
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- Just like the old days fishing with Paul Arden and John O Malley.
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- Sean reminds me of me when I was 26! 8 years ago, Time is flying!!
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- We made the best of our chances in extremely difficult conditions. The unrelenting nor’wester made casting virtually impossible at times.
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- Sean spots a fish in terrible light.
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- A grimace helps casting straight into a gale..
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- A great fish for Sean..
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- The wind is evident in this shot. Neither one of us are too keen on down stream lure fishing so we took on the the conditions head on!
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- Moving up iver..
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- One of my best this season.. Took my dry but also had the 16 trailing nymph in his mouth..
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- Day 2. We went to a more sheltered river to get out of the wind which was even worse than day 1.
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- A NZ heron..
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- We went back to the first river for the second half of the day. We had sunshine but the wind was even stronger. It can be heartbreaking at times.
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- Sean lands a cast (this from earlier in the day on the first river.)
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- Sean’s fishing shirt is in shreds after a few seasons but he’s reluctant to buy a new one!
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- Wind, wind, wind.
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- A nice bright fish making it all worth while..
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- And another not long after from a deep run after about 20 casts.
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- Kristian and Palle stayed a couple of nights after arriving in NZ. Here is Palle with his first NZ fish. I took him out in Daltona. We had a few!
