The onset of an old-fashioned winter has made fishing a chilly experience of late. We are up to a dozen consecutive frosts and I'm glad I was persuaded to purchase my first set of chest waders this autumn! Like many local fishermen, when April 30th clicks over, duck hunting takes precedence over fishing. It’s been interesting to observe the trout, some actively jumping a metre high in the last of the afternoon sunlight, whilst ensconced in the mai-mai. Anyway, this week has seen a serious fishing effort, in the company of a guest from Texas. Aside from the shock of arriving in from the desert to sub-zero frosts, he coped rather well. A spin fisherman, despite best efforts we could not coax a lake trout into a strike on day one. A couple did attempt a lazy follow of a lure, but that was about all we could achieve. Day two saw us on the Arnold River in the drift boat at 9:30am, braving frost and low fog for the first hour down from Moana. A man, a boy and a dog in a dinghy kept us company for a while and we watched as they caught a 4lb brown on a green Woolly Bugger, whilst we in turn landed a 3.5lb brown on a Tasmanian Devil. As the sun climbed the fog faded, the icy breeze waned, and the day became very pleasant. At regular intervals we caught trout, 5 in all, and had a number of strikes that did not quite result in hook-sups. The fish were gratifyingly plentiful, and struck aggressively. At times, the lure had barely hit the water before a savage take had it securely fastened in the mouth of a surprised trout. The scenery is always beautiful, but this mid-winter day was almost surreal. A low fog, just a couple of metres high, lay in a thick blanket in the shaded corners. Deep frost, inches thick, lay like snow along the river banks. The low angle of the sun, which we drifted almost directly into for most of the afternoon, caused brilliant shafts of light to shine through the white pines and into the fog. Like the Twilight Zone, and I hope the photos we took do justice to the spectacle! An unexpected obstacle at the take-out point were the sheets of ice! This section of the Arnold ends for us at Stony Creek, a couple of miles above the dam. The takeout point is through a lagoon and small creek to the road. This, to my astonishment, was covered in almost 2 inches of ice!!! First time the drift boat has done duty as an icebreaker! We had to smash ice with oars, and pole furiously, to get through it. All in all, a superb day of winter fishing. Ben Kemp "Lake Brunner, Where the Brown Trout Die of Old Age!" Southern Guide Services Ltd Web: www.fly-fishing-guides-new-zealand.co.nz Email: bjk@comauth.co.nz

 

From Southern Guide Services Ltd

Report type: Freshwater

Report date: 12 July 01

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