New Zealand: Endless Choices, Endless Possibilities

I think if you are an addict and living with your addiction, the best thing to do is to just admit it. I’ve been addicted to fly fishing in New Zealand since my first 6 week honeymoon trip in 1980 and by 1990 I gave up on the shorter trips and have just made N.Z. my winter home for 4 to 6 months every year and pretty much the best part of the trout seasons down there for the past 34 years. I have never fished anywhere in the world that has hit all my buttons quite like N.Z…..the nicest people in the world, clean air and clear waters, stunningly beautiful fish and I could not have ever made a living impersonating an outdoor writer/photographer without it.

By DAVID LAMBROUGHTON - https://www.instagram.com/davidlambroughton/

So if you haven’t been down there it can be rather overwhelming to say the least taking in the big picture. From about the city of Hamilton (1 hour south of Auckland) to the bottom on the South Island, practically every river or stream that you cross is Trout Water and the old John Kent Books (“North Island Trout Fishing” and “South Island Trout Fishing) will list well over 500 trout streams. Add to this, countless little tarns, spring ponds, and lakes large and small, makes it hard not to feel like an ant on a huge picnic table looking for the cookies and not sure which direction to head. But the choices are there.

If you want to go deluxe, the top-end lodges are there; Poronnui Lodge, east of Lake Taupo on the North Island, or on the South Island, Owen River Lodge near Nelson, Fiordland Lodge near TeAnau, Blanket Bay Lodge on Lake Wakatipu not far from Queenstown, and others. These are popular with older couples who like everything to be perfect, but come with a bit of structure, like getting off the waters in time for cocktail hour and dressing for dinner, and maybe having to make a little idle chit chat with some fat guy from Texas and his surgically enhanced 2nd or 3rd wife and biting your tongue at times.

Door #2… Hiring a really good fishing guides and splitting the costs; rental car and accommodations, etc., with a buddy. This also adds lots of flexibility to the trip because most of the guides roam freely with their clients and make the best calls on where to fish and where to stay, depending on the conditions; water flows, weather, besides some superb fish spotting, and not blowing their cool after you blow some huge fish.

On this subject, the legendary retired guide Tony Entwistle was always the best. His tone of voice would not change and he would just say, “I bet there will be nice fish in the next pool.”

As for guides I really like, besides the two excellent gals I mentioned in “Kiwi Gals Who Fish and Guide”, I like Ronan Creane of Alexandra, Dean Whaaga of Riverdale and his Mataura River Lodge, and Paul Macandrew of Wanaka.

Wanaka would also be the best place you to leave your non fishing partner or wife for the fishing day as it’s all there; shopping, eating, biking, hiking, fabulous scenery, etc. You’ll want to move there.

Door #3….Just wing it on your own, although I would still recommend starting your trip with a day or two of being guided to learn how the game is played and it will really enhance the rest of your trip and you’ll fish with a lot more confidence, plus getting some good ideas for your flexible itinerary.

In the end, if you do these trips long enough, you’ll likely become an habitual visitor with your routine of visiting 15 or 20 or so of your favourite streams every summer that have become like old friends that you visit every year. Each pool will hold memories for you… the big fish that got away and those that didn’t. You’ll have your favourite places to stay every summer and cottages you like to rent and knowing the names of the farm dogs that love to crunch the Rack of Lamb

Bones and lick the dinner plates, the pre-wash I call it.

You will also have learned not to rush around trying to fish too many rivers, with excessive packing and unpacking. There’s lots to be said to find the areas you love best, fill the refrigerator with good food and settle in for a week or so, where a tank of gas can last all week.

Finding Your Path, North Island…

A very high percentage of visiting overseas anglers choose the South Island. It has more rivers, spectacular scenery and a lot more elbow room; it’s 1/3 larger than the North Island with less than 1/3 the population. Add to this, the famous backcountry rivers to helicopter into, like the Rangitikei and Ngaruroro, are largely off the menu now as the main helicopter company (Heliskia) does so much business with Poronui Lodge that it doesn’t want to add any more competition to these waters. On top of that there are now “Landing Fees” and permits, etc., that have turned them into the playgrounds for the wealthy.

But you could try early and late in the season or over the Xmas Holidays when the lodge traffic is temporarily very low. I used to love going in around Dec. 22nd and getting picked up a week or so later and using a wonderful campsite where the Mangamarie Stream joins the ’Tiki and will always consider that to be truly one of the all time great places in the Trout Fishing World. But all is not lost.

When I’m asked for advice on fishing the North Island, my answer is quite simple… Check into the Tongariro River Motel in Turangi for a week, which is located on the southern end of beautiful Lake Taupo. This is the dead centre of the North Island which helps to cut down on the long drives to get to the waters and the owners, Ross and Pop Baker are the perfect motel owners; friendly, funny, and super helpful with visiting anglers in this historical fishing town on the Tongariro River.

For shear numbers, the Tongariro River is in a class all by itself in N.Z. With each bump of rain from March into November, the Taupo Rainbows run up the river, just like our Steelhead, and will average about 5 pounds and it’s a very well managed fishery that is not in any kind of decline. The local biologist told me that the total annual run is in the 40 to 50,000 range and it’s where lots of Kiwi Fishing Guides fish in the winter.

As for the summer fishing when most of us like to show up, there are still lots of resident fish in the river and more that come out of the lake for the summer Cicada Season, including some jumbo smart browns, especially as you get closer to the lake.

Ross Baker knows every inch of everything, including some smaller streams, has bikes to loan out for the biking trails along the river, as well as a couple of WaterMaster Boats to fish the nearby Lake Otamangakau, considered one of the very best stillwater fisheries in the country. Also, Ross can organize some fishing guides that can take you into some magical places off the beaten track.

The South Island…too many choices…

Roderick Haig-Brown wrote, “I like to fish waters that are open to all men and not the privileged few” and nothing in the entire fishing world would epitomize this more than the South Island.

When the early settlers from England, Scotland, and Ireland arrived, they made sure, unlike in their homelands, that the fishing and hunting opportunities would be open to everyone. So most of the rivers and streams have a “Queen’s Chain” that lets anglers basically follow the high water mark up the waterways. But if you need to cross someone’s land to access the water, it’s always a good idea to ask permission first. It’s really a system based on civility and honour and when you see a car parked along a river you’ll usually see a sign or message on the dashboard, saying “fishing upstream” or “fishing downstream” which means they will be fishing up to their car as you always fish upstream. So, when you run into the parked car of someone who’s fishing, then you want to drive upstream a few miles so you won’t impede someone’s fishing day. So, the whole idea is that you and your buddy can fish all day over undisturbed fish and not seeing anyone else. That, along with the sight-fishing, is the real charm of the South Island, besides the nicest local people you’ll ever meet.

So how much of the South Island you want to bite off depends on how much time you have. I like to recommend doing a loop so you rarely ever have to retrace your steps and every day filled with new scenery. If you have lots of time, why not start at the top in the lovely city of Nelson that gets several flights a day from Auckland? For a shorter loop, start in Christchurch and head west to the coast, and if you just have a week or so, just fly to Queenstown, the Aspen/Lake Tahoe of N.Z, and have at it.

You can also do the loops in either direction, but let’s just start at the top. From Nelson, a fine place to get over the jet lag for a day or two, you want to head southwest to the town of Murchinson, which is surrounded by rivers, just like Reefton is a bit further south. Both these towns are perfectly situated for nearby easily accessible fishing on famous rivers that the guide book drool over. Next stop is the coolest town on the west coast, Hokitika, who residents are the prodigy of the adventuresome and artistic types who moved west until they ran out of West. For us fishing mad anglers, it’s also known for the nearby spring creeks.

Now heading south from Hokitika along Hwy 6 to the town of Haast, is one of the most remote areas in New Zealand; 175 miles of mountains, ferns, and lots of rivers that drain the 25 to 30 FEET of rain that this part of the country gets annually and the human population would be well under 3,000.

As for the fishing, it’s something quite different; swinging small baitfish streamers in the very lower reaches of the rivers before they enter the Tasman Sea for Estuary Browns that move up and down with the tides. Unlike Rainbows that need some transition time moving from salt water to fresh, like our Steelhead, it’s effortless for the Browns. So I do this for a few days every summer and I watch the tide charts. I like to start with a low tide as the river draws better and then meet an incoming tide. It’s a free ride upstream for browns who will feed in the shallow flats.

I wear waders for this as, like we do for steelhead, you can spend a lot of time swinging your flies as you work down long pools. It can be quite exciting at times; hearing the waves crashing into the shore and watching the bird life as your swinging fly starts meeting the small waves coming up the pools and making sure the hovering terns don’t get ahold of them. Most of the fish will be 3 to 6 pounds, but occasionally larger. The rivers just south of Haast, with strong populations of whitebait, can produce fish in the 10 to 15+ pound range.

From the town of Haast Hwy. 6 turns east east as you drive over Haast Pass and be sure to stop and have a look off the last bridge to cross it and you’ll see house-sized boulders that get moved around during high water periods. Then over the pass the countryside changes rapidly and is much drier and better for sheep farming as you drive down the Makarora River Valley, a decent trout river by the way and you’ll see a mailbox that say, “Cedar Lodge” which has a long history of celebrated anglers and a short helicopter west ride to the Cascade River, among others, like the Wilkin and the Young, both of which you could hike up or backpack way up them. The next stop is the town of Wanaka, home of the well-known fishing guide, Paul Macandrew, and if he’s busy Ian Cole, with his wonderful sense of humour, would be a good choice as well. These guys know every inch of everything.

When you leave Wanaka for Queenstown, be sure to take the Crown Range Road. It’s shorter and much more scenic and such a view when go over the top and look down at the Kawarau River Valley and the wineries clinging to the hillsides as you near Queenstown, home of the well loved fishing guide Shelen Scout Boyes. Also, if you are wandering around the downtown, be sure to drop into the Fishing and Hunting Store to see if Cate Lee is in. She could be quite helpful with your questions and her Instagram Postings, like with the previous gals I’m mentioned, are just loaded with fish that can make you weak in the knees.

Thank God they carefully release them all, as do practically everyone that comes to New Zealand for the trout fishing. You just don’t see people carrying any dead fish around.

From Queenstown you head south, still on Hwy. 6 along Lake Wakatipu, N.Z. third largest lake, and you’ll follow the heavily fished Upper Mataura River and leave Hwy. 6 and take the shortcut to Mossburn and Brackenhall is a nice place for lunch or picking up some sandwiched for your fishing day. From here you are about an hour to the town of TeAnau, home of probably the hardest guide to book in the entire country, Dean Bell. He’s clearly the best fisherman I’ve ever seen anywhere in world and even when I floated him down the Dean River and the Skeena Rivers here in B.C., he just put on a clinic on how to do it. So TeAnau is worth a few days and I like the Lakeside Motel, but there is also a Holiday Park as there are all over N.Z. and their motto is, “Accommodations to Fit Everyone’s Budget.” It’s a cool place and the lovely Eglington River that you follow for about 30 miles on your way to Milford Sound is gorgeous and has both browns and rainbows.

Now from TeAnau, I’m sorry but you have to retrace your drive back to Mossburn on Hwy. 94, but on the way you’ll cross an access road that will take to the South Mavora Lake, which is super popular with those on the Stillwater Circuit as well as a nice fallback for heading to when the rivers blow out with some rain. Much of it is quite wadeable for spotting cruising trout. Back to the main road east you carry on to Lumsden as you cross the famous Oreti River and then you are not far from Riversdale, the home of Dean Whaaga and his Mataura River Lodge. He’s been guiding 35+ years and he’s chosen that area for a reason to base himself out of, trout water in all directions and he roams widely, and the Mataura is quite fishable all the way to the town of Gore and then after it turns south to the town of Mataura and beyond. A total of well over 100 miles of trout water in total starting just above to hamlet of Garston. There’s a reason for the giant trout statue in Gore with the title of, “The Brown Trout Capital of the World.”

So now the loop turns north and from Gore and you take Hwy. 90 to Rees Junction and then make a left onto Hwy. 8 and follow the Clutha River to Alexandra, the home of the heavily booked guide, Ronan Creane, who goes where few others dare to and you wouldn’t want to be his Toyota Land Cruiser. During the season Ronan goes everywhere and has a knack for catching large fish. That’s why he’s in my annual Fly Fishing Dreams Calendar most years holding up some monster brown trout. From Alexandra you stay on Hwy. 8 and head over the Lindis Pass and cross the legendary Ahuriri River before you shortly arrive in the very fishy town of Omarama that might remind you a bit of Ennis, Montana with the Madison River flowing through town. If any place begs for a longer stay, this would be it; rivers, streams, spring ponds, old river oxbows that restocks in the high water, and big lakes like Lake Benmore that is quite wadable off the mouth of the Ahuriri for cruising fish. This area all the way up to the town of Twizel could keep you busy all summer. From here, you are only about a

4-hour drive back to Christchurch and if you have the time and need another kick at the can, you might want to stop in the town of Methven, home of Nigel Birt. I first met Nigel in the late 80’s when he was about 13 years old and was the resident fly tier and the camp chore boy at Lake Brunner Lodge on the West Coast. Later, he got into guiding big time and I introduced him to Mike McClelland of The Best of New Zealand, who later called me to profusely thank me big time for the connection. How’s that for a guiding recommendation?

So now you’re are about an hour’s drive to Christchurch and if you’ve started this loop in Nelson, it’s better to just pay the drop-off fee as there really isn’t much fishing to recommend between Christchurch and Nelson. If you do this loop it will give you a nice overview of South Island. Your map book will be filled with notes; the places you love, the cottages to rent, the names and phone numbers of new friends and farmers and contacts, because you’ll be coming back.

Book a (female) guide

More and more, you see women becoming professional fishing guides around the world and they are bringing their fun and fresh enthusiasm to the profession and the South Island of New Zealand is blessed to have two really good ones. This is Shelen Scout Boyes and her story is a good one; Young gal from a small town in California who loved fishing, meets the love of her life, the well known Kiwi Angler Connor Andrew, moves to Queenstown, and 8 years later runs the fly fishing department of the new Patagonia Store there and hosts all kinds of Women Fly Fishing Events, and if you check her Instagram Postings (@troutscoutlife) you’ll see an obscene number of big fish.

Her website is: www.troutscoutlimited.com and she is just what you want in a fishing guide. She lives it, breathes it, and loves it. She and Connor are currently chasing Steelhead here in British Columbia, as they do every October.

Part Two of this dynamic duo is Shelen’s buddy Hannah Clement who lives in Christchurch and works at the Hunting & Fishing Store there. Like Queenstown, Christchurch is an excellent place to start a fishing trip and the rivers northwest of the city are well known for producing some of the largest fish every year, especially on the “Mouse Years.” Like Shelen, her Instagram Postings (@she’s_on_ the_fly) are filled with huge fish and her website is: www.shesonthefly.co.nz

So if it’s your first trip to New Zealand hiring a guide, even if you plan to later fish on your own, makes very good sense, especially at the beginning of your trip. You’ll learn how the game is played, how fish are spotted, and you’ll fish with a lot more confidence for the rest of the trip, especially having your guide put some “X’s” on your map.