UppaCreek Ltd.

March has been a slightly more difficult month as per usual. With the combination of angler pressure throughout the season, and the still low and extremely clear water levels the trout are as wary as they get.

We are using 18′ leaders with @ size 18 nymphs some with gold bead some without. One cast is usually all you get to the fish that are sight fished with the occasional lucky 2nd or 3rd cast that is successful.

Two sets of clients that could both fish reasonably well, were bought back down to earth with a thump with one lot landing probably 6 fish in 6 days and the other two only landing 2 fish in 6 days, although they were presented with a few more shots than that, but due to the spooky fish and the need to throw extremely long leaders they found it tough. (as did the guide).

The raft fishing trip was definitely the highlight of the month with a couple of keen and enthusiastic American boys, who although landed no fish in the 3 days with only 3 or 4 fish actually eating the fly out of @ 40 spotted, had a lot of fun rafting the sometimes grade 2 and 3 rapids and camping out true NZ style cooking and eating on the open fire.

So good luck to everyone for the month of April and lets hope that the fish start to mellow and still take flies even though they will have other things on their mind!

Aaron (crikey) Ford

Fly fishing in New Zealand presents new challenges to visiting anglers. The general fishing style of sight fishing, while great fun and extremely productive, it takes a little time to master for those who are unfamiliar with it. Once mastered it opens up a whole new and exciting world of fishing as you go hunting for your fish.

The first skill is the spotting of the fish, easy enough at times when the fish are sitting out in shallow water with a light coloured background but most of the time they blend in with their surroundings and it takes a while to develop that hunters eye for spotting the quarry. The best spotting conditions are therefore when the sun is high with the best time to be on the river being through the middle part of the day. Polaroid sunglasses are essential. And yes these big fish do sit out all day in bright sunshine!

Once spotted we approach the fish from directly behind as the fish have a blind spot there. A careful approach is needed and it’s usually possible to get quite close to the fish.

Being able to make an accurate short to medium distance cast will enable you to catch a good number of fish with relative ease. By this I mean you need to be able to present your fly ahead of a fish in such away that the fly will drift down to that fish in a natural dead drift. And if you can present the fly on your first cast with a minimum of false casts then so much the better. Then if you can do the same in windy conditions so much the better as enviably the wind will blow at some stage and having the ability to push a cast into it will produce rewards for you.

Because of the clarity of the water the fish will pick up on strange coloured fly lines zipping over there heads, so for this reason dull natural coloured fly lines are essential. For the same reason, attached to the end of your fly line you will need a relatively long leader of say 14 to 18 feet. You will need to be adept at casting this length leader to be more succesful in NZ.

The fly needs to land far enough ahead of the fish so as not to spook it, if you’re using a nymph it also needs to be far enough ahead to allow the nymph time to sink down to the level of the fish. Your leader needs to be sufficiently long so that the floating section of line lands behind the fish, again sufficiently behind as to not spook it.

The first cast is always the most important one, present the fly well the first time up and you’ll more than likely to hook your fish. The chances of catching a fish probably diminish by 50% for every subsequent cast

Didymo Alga & Gear Cleaning requirements:
This invasive alga looks like it’s here to stay. It very important that all visitors take this very seriously and do there bit to ensure they don’t spread this scourge and infect new waters. Presently it’s confined to the South Island and about 26 rivers

We will have all the gear and will no doubt clean your gear for you, however if you are planning to fish on your own make sure you get yourself set up to deal with it. I’ve heard quite a few stories of anglers still not doing their thing and cleaning their gear. This is simply unacceptable. All gear that has been in contact with the water must be cleaned before entering a new waterway or indeed relocating upstream.

If you are moving items between waterways you must -

1.  Inspect: Before leaving the river, remove all obvious clumps of algae and look for hidden clumps. Leave them at the affected site. If you find any later, do not wash them down drains. Treat them with the approved cleaning methods below, dry them and put them in a rubbish bin.

2.  Clean: Soak and scrub all items for at least one minute in either, hot (60°C) water, a two percent solution of household bleach or a five percent solution of salt, nappy cleaner, antiseptic hand cleaner or dishwashing detergent. A two percent solution is 200 ml, a five percent solution is 500 ml (two large cups), with water added to make 10 litres.

3. Dry: If the above cleaning is not practical (i.e. livestock), after the item is completely dry to touch, wait an additional 48 hours before contact or use in any other waterway.

To decontaminate felt soles:

Use rubber soles if you can otherwise careful treat your felts as follows;

4. Combining the power of heat with the power of detergent is highly recommended due to the inability of decontamination solutions at ambient temperatures to easily penetrate felt soles. The entire felt sole needs to be completely immersed for 30 minutes in hot tap water (45 to 50°C – uncomfortably hot to touch) containing at least 2% dishwashing liquid or nappy cleaner.

5.  If hot water alone is used, careful attention needs to be made to ensure the temperature of the water is maintained above 45°C for 40 minutes to ensure the interior of the felt reaches a sufficient temperature.

6. Alternatively, freezing the item until solid is effective.

7. Relying on drying is not recommended because of the difficulty in determining when the entire thickness of the felt is thoroughly dry.

8. These methods for decontaminating felt soles can also be applied to other dense, absorbent materials.

To ensure you do not spread Didymo, wherever possible use equipment, boats, clothing and other items for exclusive use in a single waterway.