Trout Fishing with Pat O’Keefe - by Mark Kitteridge |
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The appointed day turned out to be immediately after the Hundred Year Floods and everything watery was big, brown and racing. Fishing locations would be hard to find, particularly as Pat wanted to teach me, a big river and lake fisherman, how to fish the smaller rivers and streams more successfully.
Despite the prevailing conditions, Pat remained confident of success but suggested I drive down to Rotorua the night before as we had a reasonably early start in the morning. This worked out pretty well. I was already at Lake Okataina Lodge for a friend’s birthday that weekend so it was only a 20 minute drive to the O’Keefe residence.
Upon arrival, welcoming and friendly, Pat quickly catered to my needs and minutes later (in what I later learned was typical hospitality), found myself relaxing in a big, soft chair watching the rugby test, beer in hand.
Later, I was introduced to Pat’s wife, Helen. She turned out to be a real gem: a good cook, entertaining hostess and tolerant partner of Pat (who turned out to be one of New Zealand’s keenest, most dedicated anglers: a quality not always fully appreciated by spouses!).
Pat and Helen have very comfortable client accommodation in the first floor of their home. In the same vein as the rest of the house, there is a strong fishing theme in the decor and everything is beautifully clean and tidy. After a weekend of fishing and celebrating, I slept well that night.
We arose at the modest time of 7am. Breakfast had been organised by the time I was dressed and as the 4WD had been loaded the night before, we wasted no time in heading off towards the Kaiangaroa forest, the chilled countryside bathed in the golden hues of early morning sun. Despite the frosty start, it was obviously going to be a wonderful day.
After an hour of driving, we reached our destination, the location and name of which is probably of no interest to the reading public (especially as it is a favourite of both Pat and two of my fishing buddies!). It consists of 120 metres of moderately fast stream that enters a pretty, bush fringed lake and is a place I’ve spent some time fishing in the past — for limited success.
Pat did everything. He selected the poundage and length of leader (fluorocarbon, of course), the nymphs, and even tied them on for me. As a keen fisherman, I choked back the plea to let me tie my own knots, but remembered my instructions for Pat to treat me as a typical customer — and internally acknowledged that he probably knew how to tie them properly by now!
Used to fishing the mighty Tongariro, it was comforting to note that the nymphs were small and moderately weighted. I wouldn’t need a crash helmet this time and my favourite rod was safe from mid-air collisions.
Pat walked slowly and quietly up along the bank first before coming back and positioning me just up from the stream mouth. Although this was by no means the best part, he believed that it was still worth covering with a few quick casts before moving up to the more productive sectors ahead. He also indicated the parts of the stream that were more likely to hold fish, with the middle and far bank being favoured.
The precaution proved worthwhile. I’d only completed a dozen casts before the indicator suddenly disappeared. I actually missed that one, but shortly after the same thing happened and this time the hook-up was secure, the rod bucking strongly in my hands. The 1.5kg rainbow fought doggedly, pulling flyline through cold fingers on several occasions and refusing to give up despite plenty of side pressure. Pat managed to get it in the net after four or five minutes and after a brief pose for posterity, the small hook was taken out and the fish allowed to wriggle off into the swirling current once more.
This proved to be the beginning of a most enjoyable session, with several more fish ending up in Pat’s net over the next thirty minutes. All except one were rainbows, with the biggest being a little over 2.3kg in weight. We weren’t even half way along the run yet. And we never got to the top either.
At that point another guide came along with an overseas client who had never fly fished before. He must have been peeved to see Pat and I fishing the water because of the virtually non-existent running-water options elsewhere. Pat knew it, too. Instead of waving him goodbye, he invited the guide and his charge to fish above us in the unfished water — a generous gesture and one that I doubt many others would have made. Pat firmly believes that guides should help one another whenever possible, to ensure more overseas clients go home happy, and become walking, talking advertisements for our country’s tourism and trout guiding trade.
This was a good time for morning tea, so Pat produced hot coffee, fruit muffins, smoked chicken and grapes from a large chilly bin. We weren’t going to go hungry. He also had folding deck chairs for us to sit on at the river bank and soak up the warm spring sun. What a great existence we lead in good ol’ NZ!
The only niggle was the result of a flaw in my character (yes, another one!). Despite Pat’s noble intentions and the fact I’d already caught half a dozen fish, I still couldn’t help feeling a little jealous of the other ‘angler’. He’d been placed in front of a nice little foam-lined pool at the bottom of a short section of rapids. It looked really good and only needed a lob with weighted nymphs, followed by the release of extra line, to fish it (which was fortunate, as that was about the limit of the gentleman’s fishing expertise). A bust-off a few minutes later signalled the beginning of fish action and was followed up by a marathon battle with a brownie, the fish taking him down past us and into the lake. Lack of experience on the tourist’s part extended the battle to over half an hour and when the fish was finally netted, turned out to be 3.5kg — an excellent first fish and something to be fondly remembered forever. After a quick photo session the hooks were removed and the brownie went off to do more brownie things.
Then things slowed a little, with only a couple more coming to the net. One however, gave me an interesting battle, charging upstream in a series of porpoising jumps that made my reel squeal. When I finally managed to bring it in five or six minutes later, the solid fish proved to be hooked in the tip of its tail. I don’t mind. It takes more skill to hook it there and certainly improves the fight!
When twenty minutes passed without a bite, Pat decided to take me on a brief foray to other waters. This seemed like a good idea, but after a few casts into the swollen, dirty, turbulent waters, it was obvious that our previous location was the place to be. We returned to the streamside and had a big lunch.
While we ate, our overseas friend hooked into his second fish for the day. Again he ended up having to go down past us and when the rainbow was finally landed, it weighed almost 3kg. He’d had a good day and New Zealand flyfishing had another convert.
Fully revitalised, Pat and I resumed once more, but for the most part the trout were tight-lipped. While there appeared to be at least a dozen or so fish in our stretch of the water, most appeared too intent on bonking or fighting to be interested in our flies — and the others we’d mostly already caught and released!
Still patience won out in the end — and I mean on both my own and Pat’s part. While I have fished with two or three trout guides in the past, none showed the constant vigilance displayed by Pat. Every cast and drift was followed as keenly by him as it was me, and a yell of 'strike!' was usually made at exactly the same time as I was lifting the rod to set the hook. Another thing I really appreciated was that he never fished himself. Instead, he was totally committed to helping me catch fish: racing over and untangling my nymphs and line from weeds and scrub on the dozen or so occasions that it occurred (for a variety of reasons); spotting alternative fish positions for my next casts; or simply making up new leaders and fly combos. I really felt well looked after — almost to an embarrassing level — I’ve been used to looking after myself for so long, it seemed I was taking advantage of his patience and good nature. But, of course, this was simply a reflection of just how good a trout guide can be.
The remaining fish couldn’t resist forever and eventually cracked under our combined efforts. It started when I got a lucky (unlucky) fish due to my nymphs tangling around another set already broken off in a rainbow’s mouth. The 2kg fish raced all over the place and I expected something to break or come undone at any time. In the end, Pat slipped the net under the fish and removed the collection of nymphs, before letting it go. To make it even more interesting, it turned out that the reclaimed nymphs were also Pat’s — his previous client had broken the fish off last weekend!
The session finished off perfectly. Just as the light began to dim, the indicator ducked down at a spot which had seen it disappear on both previous casts as well. 'Jeez!' I exclaimed as I lifted the rod to clear it again, 'How come I never used to get caught on that before?.' Apparently more firmly snagged this time, I continued to jiggle the rod and then the ‘snag’ began to move off upcurrent. Surprised, I raised the rod firmly and the fish exploded across the surface in response, loose line flying through my fingers and the rod pulsing strongly. Alright!
The fish fought doggedly and took a lot longer than usual to bring to the net, the barrel form holding in the current and resisting heavy side-strain. By constantly changing the angle of pressure, I kept it off-balance and finally tricked it into Pat’s net, where it thrashed strongly. Fat, silver and over 3kg, it was a fitting end to an excellent day. Pat’s credentials are hard to ignore: for a start he’s owner of O’Keefe’s Sports, a very successful Rotorua shop that specialises in trout fishing gear. His O’Keefe’s Fishing Specialist’s 10lb Club is one of the most popular and hard fought contests around, with all fish caught in the Rotorua Lakes district being eligible throughout the season.
A flyfisherman for 53 years and a guide since 1963, Pat has encountered and taken many double figure trout over that time (both rainbows and browns) to an incredible 16¾lb!
Potential fishing clients do not need to be experienced either. Although Pat is able to help even good anglers do better, he gets the greatest satisfaction from helping novice anglers to improve their skills and catch fish. Because he likes to concentrate on each angler, he prefers to fish one on one, but for anglers willing to share his attention, an extra $25 on top of the $550 full-day fee is possible.
As well as covering the skills, advice and ‘caddying’ services, this price also includes morning and afternoon tea, lunch, transportation and all tackle used: and we’re talking superb tackle, too. Pat doesn’t skimp, with the rods being world renowned Sages, the reels Scientific Angler Systems, and the lines are hard-wearing Sue Burgess Air Flows. These outfits are a real pleasure to use.
Pat’s wealth of flyfishing knowledge has been utilised in other areas as well, being instrumental in winning him a place in the New Zealand Flyfishing Team — twice in a row. Last year it was held in the USA, and Pat not only did well enough to justify his inclusion in the team, he won the title of Oceania Champion as well!
This year he’s off to Poland. If he shows the same amount of commitment, drive and dedication so evident in everything I witnessed while in his company, New Zealand’s flyfishing hopes are in good hands.
Pat O’Keefe, a top angler, guide and a neat bloke. Go fishing with him.
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