Spring in the High Country

It was supposed to be a camping trip to the high country, but unfortunately my fishing partner had a last minute work commitment, and with much reluctance rang me to cancel. I had already organised a couple of days off work so I decided to go anyway, but instead of roughing it, I decided to stay in a nearby town. After weeks of steady rain, the weather had cleared for a couple of days, so I was looking forward to some clear cold strong stream flows.

After a 5 hour journey, I arrived at my accommodation at 10:00am. I decided to unload my kit at the motel and have a bite before heading out to the river. As I was unloading I got chatting to the carpenter who was fixing the motel room door. Coincidentally he was a fly-fisherman but the only one in town, and keen for a chat with a fellow fly-flicker. So of course the conversation was about fishing and tying flies, and he generously suggested I try his favourite fly - a gold bead head nymph also one of mine. When he told me he had trouble getting bead-heads of the right size, I managed to find him some in my tying kit. Mungo, was very generous with his information, and I am sure that without his advice, I might have not had the good fishing I did.

So by 11:00 am armed with some valuable local knowledge I headed out to the nearest river. The weather was perfect; plenty of cloud cover, warm and a light breeze. Parking the car by the river, I headed down stream for about a kilometre, and commenced fishing. I rigged up a Gold bead head brown Nymph, and a Royal Wulff as indicator. On my third cast, a silver bullet launched at the Royal Wulff, I struck and there was a solid weight, and a small half pounder leaped three times before throwing the hook. I moved on and within ten minutes, the drifting Royal Wulff suddenly started heading downstream faster than the water, I struck into a solid weight, which shook and rolled beneath the surface, a good fish…. but this hook too came free. Well at least I was hooking them !!!. I spent the rest of the afternoon hooking and playing fish and ended up releasing 11 fat brown trout all between 12 and 16 inches. What a great day. I headed back to the car hoping for an evening rise, but the strengthening wind put an end to any hopes of that so it was back to the accommodation for some tucker.

Day 2

Day 2 turned out to be an even finer day. Warm 22C, hardly a breath of wind. I chose a smaller stream about 40 minutes drive away. The stream turned out to be deep clear and fast. Surrounded by trees and bush, that provided cover for angler and fish a like. An angler could not wish for a more picturesque setting.

This small stream was a different proposition to the river, deep cold flows, making wading impossible, tight casts under overhanging branches. The deep colder water here meant that the fish were holding deep, so a heavier nymph was called for. The smallish browns were hard fighting in these close quarters, and I lost more than I landed, but the rewards of a strike was there for the well placed cast.

The wildlife up here is abundant, native birds, rabbits, a mother duck and her ducklings, and a brown snake swimming in the river. The brown snake had eyes for one of the ducklings, but a well placed stone managed to divert its attention and the duckling made good its escape. As the day warmed up I found a trout rising in the tail of a long pool. A change of rig was called for. The heavy nymph replaced with a dry fly and a small PTN on a short point. The third cast drifted the bubble line beautifully, and the small dry lurched sideways, as the PTN was intercepted 6 inches below the surface. The rod lifted into the satisfying weight of an acrobatic brown of about a pound, which was released shortly after. A fitting end to a great day on this mountain stream.

I drove back to the main river, and waited. The breeze was gusty, but there were enough lulls to give me hope of an evening rise. Switching to a small mayfly pattern I waited and watched. The trout soon started rising, and moving along the bank I soon found some small ones rising within casting range. Their rises were sporadic, but I still managed to deceive three of them into taking my fly. Unfortunately, my timing was a little off and I missed two on the strike and lost the third on the jump. But the rise was short-lived, and ceased soon after, but as the sun began to set I was rewarded with the sight of two platypus swimming and feeding a short cast out from the bank.

Day 3

Day three dawned, another sunny day, but the wind had picked up and swung round to the north. I decided to go back to the main river and try my luck once more. But the sun was high and bright and the fishing was slow and frustrating. With the very bright conditions I switched to a long leader and a very heavy nymph, and decided to search the deeper faster flows. Before long I had encountered 4 fish, but each one managing to free itself from the hook before I could. I decided to try my luck at the deep pool where I lost the good fish on the first day. My third cast drifted back into the deep green swirling waters, and suddenly started heading downstream .. too fast ! I lifted the rod, a solid weight ! A careful play and then there in the net was the gleaming flanks of a 17 inch brown. I moved on a pace , and put a cast up into the faster water, to run it over the drop off. The line did a U-turn and raced back towards me, I lifted the rod, and again a solid weight, a better fish. This one headed off downstream into the main flow. I eased off the pressure and it came back towards me into the quieter water. There were a few more anxious moments but some careful sidestrain and a slice of luck, and I had another beauty in the net.

After landing the two best fish of the trip, I decided to call it a day. I could help but smile, thinking back over the great fishing and fantastic scenery as I walked back through the wildflowers towards the car and headed home.

I’ll be going back again, this season or next.