February 15 newsletter

Club member Mike Stevenson with an 8 1/2 lber from the upper Karamea River.

President’s FlylineWhat a difference a month makes … hot weather has arrived, river levels have plummetedand water temperatures have gone through the roof! Most rivers in the district can beclassified as very low, and it is to be hoped that forecast rain in early February will helpalleviate the falling water levels.A week ago I was on the Motueka and the water temperature was already 19’C at 0800 inthe morning. I had a suspicion that things weren’t good when I arrived at the river asthere was a line-up of black-backed gulls all along the river. The first gull we watchedproceeded to catch and swallow a live juvenile eel about 20cms long and throughout theday we saw a large number of dead or near dying elvers of similar size in the shallows thathad no doubt succumbed to the warm water conditions. It would seem that juvenile eelsare even more sensitive to warm water than brown trout and the gulls were takingadvantage of an easy feast.While the warm temperatures last, anglers can expect to see water temperatures onrivers like the Motueka, Wangapeka, Buller and Wairau, rise quickly into the low 20’s andeven exceed the danger level at 23’C. We did manage to land a nice trout of 4 3/4lbs at22.4’C in the Motueka recently, which required very gentle playing and handling of thefish to ensure a safe release. More commonly as the temperatures rise to these levelsthere will only be a few smaller fish feeding, which is typically the case in the Motuekaand Buller rivers at the moment, and bigger fish will be hard to find as the day progresses.My tip for hot days is to get out of bed early, be fishing before 0800 and plan to finisharound 1300-1400 when the water temperatures climb above 21.5’C.It would seem the large flood back in April has had a significant negative influence onnumbers of trout in the Motueka … at least that is my experience to date. I am not seeingthe number or size of trout that have been evident over the last five years and would goas far as saying the Motueka is not in good shape at all this season.The Wairau and Lewis Pass regions continue to produce some excellent trout that haveclearly been feeding on rodents. Often these big fish are difficult to spot as they are lightin colour and lie well out towards the middle of the river under the more aerated water.Some have been taken on cicadas and the prospects are good for more to be taken overthe next month as the cicada season advances.Our Club is planning to host members of the Marlborough Freshwater Anglers Club to fishthe Motueka and Wangapeka Rivers in March, when cooler water temperatures hopefullycoincide with good Passionvine Hopper activity. We will need some help from Nelson Clubmembers experienced in fishing the Motueka catchment, who are willing to volunteer tofish with Marlborough Club members. To this end would anyone who would like to beinvolved and assist our visitors to enjoy what the Mot and Wangapeka have to offer, pleaseadvise their potential willingness and availability to me at [email protected]. As yet nospecific date has been set but it id likely to be in the second half of March. We hope toalso have a return trip with Marlborough at some stage to fish the lower Wairau and othertributaries.Club member Peter Williams, is to be our guest speaker for the first meeting of the NewYear on Wednesday February 18th, speaking about his recent road trip to fish in Alaska. Itpromises to be an entertaining evening and we look forward to a good turnout to start theyear on a positive note.Fish hard, chase down a cicada feeding giant … and then enter your success in the Clubcompetition!Tightlines, ony Entwistle, PresidentCover Photo: Great catch and release, by Pete Lawler.

Club ContactsExecutive:President: Tony Entwistle 5444565 [email protected] President: Ray Day 5441245 [email protected]: Bruce McLean 5480066 [email protected]: Ray Day 5441245 [email protected] Editor and Webmaster: Graham Carter 07 8551833 [email protected] 021 02600437Committee Scott Ingram 5441605 [email protected] Peter Lawler 5489753 [email protected] Maree Peter 522 4166 [email protected] Mathew Williams 5445996 [email protected] James Jemson 7443123 [email protected] and Greet New Members Ray Day and Pete LawlerFishing trips James Macdonald [email protected] 03 5403520Fly Tying Convenor Tony EntwistleClub Librarian Lois Rutherfurd 022 6010642Trophy Master Lois Rutherfurd [email protected] Sponsorship & Newsletter Advertising Ray DayClub Speakers: Tony EntwistleClub Night Tea/Coffee: Maree PeterNewsletter Distribution: Dennis EalamLife Members: 2007 John Willis 2012 Graham CarterPast Presidents: 06-08 Lester Higgins 08-09 Ross Walker04-06 Richard Boyden 11-13 Ray Day 13- Tony Entwistle09-11 Dennis Ealam THE NELSON TROUT FISHING CLUBMeets once a month at: Fish and Game Offices, 66 Champion Road, Richmond. Normally the 3rd Wednesday of the month 7.00pm. Please phone 5440066 if unsure. Any views or opinions expressed in this newsletter are not necessarily those of the committee, club or editor. www.thenelsontroutfishingclub.com

4 .Upcoming Club Trips[1] Lake Brunner - Feb or MarOptions include the lake itself, streams and rivers flowing both into & out of thelake, Lake Poerua, etc.If you are interested in attending either of these trips, please respond to JamesMacdonald (at [email protected]) and indicate what dates would work for you. CASTING COMPETITION THIS COMPETITION WILL NOW BE ORGANISED FOR LATER IN THE YEAR

POSSIBLY AFTER THE TROUT FISHING SEASONThe story of the “solitary little trout”Posted by envirohistorynz under commentary | Avon River, CanterburyAcclimatization Society, Christchurch, Environmental History, Jack Kos, trout,University of Canterbury | Mr Clark with trout. Ref: 1/1-005184-G. AlexanderTurnbull Library, Wellington.One of the great advantages of the Internet age is that not only is it possible nowto find peoples’ PhD theses online, but graduate theses too. In my quest tobetter understand the acclimatization of trout and salmon in New Zealand, Icame across an honours dissertation by a Canterbury University history student,Jack Kós. Entitled “A most excellent thing”, it documents the introduction oftrout to Canterbury in 1867 (the first successful introduction in New Zealand) andthe subsequent dissemination of trout throughout New Zealand. Brown trout were first successfully introduced and bred in New Zealand by Christchurch enthusiast, Andrew Mensal Johnson. With the support of the Canterbury Acclimatization Society, Johnson imported 800 ova from Tasmania in 1867. This followed a disastrous attempt to import live fish directly from England three years before; on that attempt, all the trout and salmon perished, with only a small number of goldfish surviving the journey. Of the 800 ova, only three eggs were to hatch. The establishment of a viable breeding population of brown trout hung entirely on their survival.It is likely that never before and never since had the fate of three little fish socaptured the public imagination; the local newspaper satiated the public

appetite for news by publishing frequent installments on their progress. A littleharder to satiate was the appetite of the fish themselves. 6By the end of November 1867 they had consumed all of the native fish in theirenclosure. Commemorative plaque marking the site of the original hatchery where Johnson raised trout. Photo by J. Kos. And then the unthinkable happened: perhaps as a consequence of inadequate food, “they became dissatisfied with their nursery home, and one little felloweffected his escape by wriggling his way under the stones …” Just a few dayslater a second trout escaped in the same way.So, by the end of 1867, Andrew Johnson was left with only one trout, dashing allhopes of establishing a breeding population. Johnson continued to raise “hissolitary little trout”, until a further disaster struck – a flood in February 1868washed the remaining fish out towards the river. It was only with the faint hopeof success that Johnson placed a spawning race near where the trout had beenreared. Miraculously, two of the wayward trout were recaptured.Their numbers were bolstered several months later when a further 1,000 browntrout ova were shipped over from Tasmania.Improved techniques meant that the hatch rate was vastly better than the firstshipment. A month after their arrival at the acclimatization grounds, about halfof the ova had hatched. By the end of the 1868, fortunes had completely turnedfor Johnson and his little fish.Not only did the Canterbury Acclimatization Society in Christchurch boast astrong breeding population, it was able to offer trout to other districtsthroughout Canterbury.In subsequent years, the CAS also supplied trout to districts as far a field as theHawke’s Bay and Taranaki.Today, Brown trout is the most widely distributed introduced freshwater fish inNew Zealand. So, if you are an angler, it is more than likely that you haveencountered one of the descendants of Andrew Johnson’s trout.

Johnson’s Fishponds, the Aquarium at 105 Clarendon Terrace, Opawa [ca. 1900]In 1875 Andrew Mensal Johnson (d. 1916) established a fish hatchery andaquarium at Opawa, on the south bank of the Heathcote River, calling it Troutdale Farm. 7 The aquarium at Opawa It became popular as a picnic grounds until it closed in the early 1930s. Christchurch City Library, File Reference CCL PhotoCD 3, IMG0038 I am not an angler, but there is a personal connection in this story for me too. Ihave discovered that Johnson’s fish hatchery and aquarium was at 105 ClarendonTerrace in Christchurch, overlooking the Heathcote River as it makes its way outto the estuary.For several years I lived just a few houses down from this historic site onClarendon Terrace (and now that I think about it, do vaguely remember a plaqueof some sort). All just going to prove that there is history (and environmentalhistory) everywhere. Source: Kos, Jack (2013) A Most Excellent Thing: Theintroduction of brown trout (Salmo trutta) to Canterbury, New Zealand 1864-1872We are publishing this article with the complements of Dr Catherine Knight,Environmental Policy & History, Honorary Research Associate, Massey University,Tel 04 298-6585 - mobile 021 0270 4400 website # envirohistorynz.comP.S. A footnote from Catherine: Your members might also like to know that I amwriting a book about the environmental history of rivers in New Zealand, due tobe completed in late 2015.Kind regards, Catherine.The Mechanics of The Casting StrokeWhen We First Start Out Fly Fishing And We’re Still Learning The Mechanics OfThe Casting Stroke, It’s Very Common For Many Of Us To Make Excessive FalseCasts In Between Our Presentations.For some of us, excessive false casting is an excuse to impart quality controlduring our fly casting, for others, we justify it for the simple fact that we justlove casting a fly rod. Whatever the reasons may be for excessive false casting, it

needs to be kept in check, if anglers wants to fly fish at their best. If you’recurrently in the beginner or intermediate skill level range, one of the best waysto take your fly fishing to the next level, is to make yourself minimize your falsecasting on the water. 8I can remember like it was yesterday, when I finally made the decision to cut thenumber of my own false casts in half. There I was, twelve years old, wet wadingfor shoalies and sunfish on my home waters, ready to stray from what had grownto feel comfortable to me. At first, I hated the change. It made the majority ofmy presentations feel rushed, but eventually, I noticed my casting started toimprove significantly. I found by not giving myself the luxury of extra false casts,it forced me to pay closer attention to my casting technique, and all aspects ofmy fly casting improved. I found that false casting less, I no longer found myselfsaying, “I should have let that last cast go, one false cast earlier”. Tanglesbecame less frequent, I spooked less fish, and I seemed to get the fly to mytarget quicker. Remember, if you’re false casting twenty times, in betweenpresentations, it’s only a matter of time until you’ll lose your focus andtechnique. And when that happens, you’ll usually end up with a poorpresentation. From a beginners stand point, extra false casting can at times seemnecessary, but from a veterans point of view, it’s inefficient and a waste of time.4 Ways Too Much False Casting Hurts Anglers1. It Increases FatigueThe more we cast, the more worn out we get during the day. Angler fatiguedirectly effects our fly fishing performance on the water. If you’re going to addextra false casts prior to your presentation, make sure it’s called for. That wayyou’ll have enough gas left in the tank to finish the day off strong.2. Demands Extra Focus From The AnglerEvery time you make a cast, your brain has to focus on each element of thecasting stroke. Have you ever noticed that the amount of tangles you get on thewater increases as the day goes on, particularly during the last couple hours ofthe day? This doesn’t happen all of the time, but I’ve noticed as mental fatiguesets in and focus becomes 12 times harder to maintain, anglers make much moremistakes on the water. If you learn to cut out extra false casting when it’s notneeded, you’ll be able to maintain sharp focus for longer periods on the water.3. Extra False Casting Requires More Time To Present Your FlySometimes we have all the time in the world to present our fly to fish, and a fewextra false casts is not a problem. Unfortunately, we don’t always have unlimitedtime to make our presentations when we’re fly fishing. For example, quite oftenwhen we’re floating down a river in a drift boat, we may only have 2 or 3seconds to present our fly. In this fly fishing situation, there’s no time for extrafalse casting in between our presentations. To be effective, anglers need to beable to present flies accurately without the need for extra false casts.4. Increase The Risk Of Spooking Fish

If you regularly fly fish, you’ve probably been in a situation where too much falsecasting put down or spooked the fish you were trying to catch. When fishingconditions have fish on high alert, anglers can really increase their success if theyminimize their false casting. 9Today’s fly fishing tip about limiting your false casting is a simple and effectiveway to help you improve your casting efficiency, cut down on the down time ofuntangling knots, and increase your catches. It’s the little things that make ahuge difference for the fly anglers moving up in the ranks. Try it out next timeyou’re on the water and you’ve had some time to warm up. Force yourself todecrease the number of false casts it takes you to make a good presentation.At first you’ll likely only be able to eliminate one or two false casts. However,with some practice, you’ll be able to cut them in half. Lastly, pay attention towhere the fly you’re casting is pausing in between your forward cast and backcast. If you’re getting the proper distance to your target after a few false casts,there’s no need for you to make more false casts if you’ve already got sufficientline out and the fly is on target. Just present your fly and see what happens.Keep it Reel. The article by Kent Klewein, was taken from thewww.ginkandgasoline.com website. This is an excellent American site and wellworth a visit. www.ginkandgasoline.com - [email protected] Curse of the BritishA fleeing Taliban, desperate for water, was plodding through the Afghan Desertwhen he saw something far off in the distance.Hoping to find water, he hurried toward the oasis only to find a Royal Marineselling regimental ties.The Taliban asked, \"Do you have water?”The marine replied, \"There is no water, the well is dry. Would you like to buy atie instead? They are only £5 sterling.\"The Taliban shouted, \"You idiot infidel! I do not need an over-priced tie. I needwater! I should kill you, but I must find water first!\"\"OK,\" said the marine, \"It does not matter that you do not want to buy a tie andthat you hate me. I will show you that I am bigger than that, and that I am amuch better human being than you. If you continue over that hill to the east forabout two miles, you will find our Officers Mess. It has all the ice cold water youneed.\"Cursing him, the Taliban staggered away over the hill.Several hours later he staggered back, collapsed with dehydration and rasped...\"They won't let me in without a f***ing tie!\"Brag Page Photos: Page 11, T/L: In quest of the allusive trout, by Ray Day;T/R: Mossy stream on River X, by David Haynes; 2/L: My dream fish. But alas. ByBruce McLean; 3/L: No place I'd rather be, by Pete Lawler; 3/R: Never knowwhere they'll turn up, by Ray Day; B/L: Ok you're free, by Ray Day; B/R: There'salways a stream somewhere, by Pete Lawler.

Page 12: T/L, Ozzie mate Pat giving that baby a cuddle, by Pete Lawler; T/R:Posing trout, by Peter Baker; 2/L: Richard Boydens Winning Brown Trout 5pounds - using a size 16 dry fly - Travis River, by Richard Boyden; 2/R: Stoneflywith a bite, by Peter Baker; 3/L: Sunset over the Devils Rampart, by DavidHaynes; 3/R: The pressure's on, by Peter Baker; B/L: The Three Musketeers, byGebkard Krewitt; B/R: Wangapeka Mayfly, by Peter Baker.

12

“Up the anti”by Peter WilliamsSeveral anglers in Nelson have used ant flies for years, because on some days,that's all they will take. Such a day was last month on a Southland river withgrassy banks that dropped into fairly deep water.The fish, browns of 3-5 pound, were on my bank, often hard in and sitting overchunks of fallen in bank or other obstructions. They were not rising to anythingon this sultry afternoon and they refused all the usual candidates, from humpies,to no-hackles or emergers ( these worked the day before with a bit of a hatch)and it was too early for the willow grub hatch. So on went the ant, which Ialways carry.Six fish raced out into the flow to take these miniscule things. And yes, there wasthe odd flying ant around, but no more common than say blow flies.They are really simple to tie. I use an 18 hook (consequently not all takes resultin a hooked fish!!). On this is tied a small oblong piece of black foam, a fewstrands of Litebrite fibre (or ONE strand of Crystal flash) and two turns of blackhackles in the middle, trimmed across underneath. They can seldom be seen onthe water, so watch the fish, and strike to the rise. 13

How to Release Fish with the Best Chance of SurvivalArticle written by Tony BishopCourtesy Fish & Game magazine5 Rules (plus bonus rule) for safely releasing fish with the maximum chance ofsurvivalRule 1: Speed Does Not KillThe faster you can get a fish to the boat or shore the better its chances ofsurvival. The longer the fight the less chance the fish has of surviving.It is likely that the survival rates decrease exponentially as fight time increases.That is as fight-time goes up, survival chances decrease at an ever increasingrate. If you fish on a catch-and-release basis you should use gear that willminimize the fight time.Rule 2: Get WetLifting a fish out of the water, dramatically decreases its survival chances. Thelonger a fish is out of the water its chances of survival decrease exponentially.Try and remove the hook while the fish is in the water.If it is not possible to remove the hook while the fish is still in the water use alanding-net with a wide mesh, and a mesh made out of soft material.Rough, hard netting will remove slime and scales from the fish, which is itsnatural protection against parasites and infection.On bigger saltwater fish, it may be necessary to use a gaff. If so, try and gaff thefish from inside the mouth and out the lower jaw.Lay the fish on a wet towel or cloth while the hook is removed - covering thefish's eyes often helps to calm it down. The Death Grip - almost guaranteed to injure or kill the fish. If you must touch the fish make sure your hands are wet or use a wet cloth or wet gloves between you and the fish. Never touch a fish's gills, they are extremely delicate and just touching them candamage them. If you must lift a fish in your hands, hold the fish under the gilllatch in one hand, and just in front of the tail with the other. Never, ever, noteven once, lift a fish out of the water by holding the belly area. You will almostcertainly damage internal organs. It reduces survival chances dramatically.Never lay a trout on dry ground it will remove slime and allow the fish to beattacked by fungi and bacteria that can kill it. 14

Rule 3: Unhook QuicklyThe longer you take over hook removal, the less the chances of the fishessurvival. The less care you take over removing the hook, the less chance of thefish surviving.Use a pair of forceps, long-nosed pliers, or a purpose made hook-out to quicklyand efficiently remove the hook. If the fish is deeply hooked back in the throator stomach cut the line as close to the hook as possible and leave the hook in thefish - it will probably do more damage trying to remove a deep hook than leavingit where it is. Never, ever, not even once try to remove a hook through the gills. Barbless hooks are also much easier to remove and do far less damage. You can flatten a barb with parallel jawed pliers. Do not use treble or double hooks - these can really damage a fish, and can be very hard to remove. If you are saltwater fishing try using circle hooks, which hook up most often in the corner of the jaw, and are much easier to remove.Rule 4: No ThrowingThrowing a fish back into the water is likely to greatly decrease the fish's chancesof survival.The major problem with tossing a fish back into the water is that the fish can gointo shock, and float belly-up. In the sea this is an open invitation to predators toattack. In a river the current will take the fish downstream and away from anychance of re-catching it and of reviving it.It is always better to gently cradle the fish in the water, until it moves off of itsown accord.In a boat have the boat move slowly ahead while the fish is held, in a river holdthe fish into the current.In both situations the fish will indicate it is OK by swimming out of your hands.Rule 5: Avoid Photo FollyIf you must take a photo do it very quickly - remember every second the fish isout of water is reducing the chances of its survival.Make sure the 'happy angler' has wet hands and holds the fish just in front of thetail and under the gill latch - never, ever, not even once, put a hand under thegill covers. Do not hold a hand under the stomach area, this will damage internalorgans.Don't pose and shoot - taking one shot, then reposing the shot and takinganother, and so on will add to the time the fish is out of the water. Instead, justget the photographer to fire off a rapid series of ten or twelve shots in very quicksuccession - this is what the professionals do, and it is the reason they get bettershots.In these days of digital cameras there really is no excuse for taking one shot, re-posing...etc. Do the fish a favour and run off a 'bracket' of shots.

To repeat: never lay a trout on dry ground it will remove slime and allow the fishto be attacked by fungi and bacteria that can kill it. Don't grip and kill So, you have landed the fish as quickly as possible to limit capture stress and you are about to pick up the fish and a get a few 'grip and grin' shots before release. But, grip and grin, can all too often turn into grip and kill, and it is all down to where you grip, and how you grip, the trout that can determine its survival. How long should you hold a fish out of the water? A fish has no lungs - the moment it comes out of the water it stops 'breathing\". You should allow only 5seconds holding a fish out of the water. WANTED ENTRIES HEAVIEST TROUT TROPHIES ALSO BEST-CONDITIONED TROUT OF THE YEAR TO MAKE IT EASY BRING YOUR ENTRY FORM TO A MEETING OR SEND IT TO BRUCE MCLEAN OR TO LOIS RUTHERFURD TROPHY MASTER Left: Mike Stevenson fishing the upper Karamea River

Club Trip to Hanmer Springs, January 2015By James Macdonald Brian nets a Fish Lake BrownThe first club trip of 2015 used the Alpine Adventure Holiday Park in HanmerSprings as a base. Richard Boyden, Mike Standish-White, Brian Richards and Iarrived in the early afternoon of January 27. We had time to fish the Clarenceand Acheron Rivers but found the water level extremely low - not surprising aftervirtually no rain since the New Year.The next day saw Mike launch his Porta-Bote on Lake Tennyson. The rest of usdecided to check out Tarndale approximately 20 km to the northeast. We parkedat the start of the walk beside another truck; presumably, someone had gone inbefore us.We tried Fish Lake first where Brian and I caught fish on dry flies and dropped afew more. We moved over to Bowscale Tarn where we noticed an angler fishingon the south shore.A helicopter was circling over the lakes for a couple of minutes but didn’t land.Brian and Richard both caught fish (Brian on a dry; Richard was using a damsel),while I hooked up on a couple on dries, but both fish were lost. 17

Richard Hooks up on Bowscale TarnMeanwhile the other angler approached Richard and yelled abuse at him for ashort while, accusing him of have no angling etiquette by using a helicopter toaccess the lakes and – in the process – “destroying” the fishing. Richard did hisbest to assure the angler that we had walked in, just like he had. But he stormedoff, still fuming and muttering about “etiquette”.We drove back to Lake Tennyson and found Mike already packed up the Porta-Bote and loaded most of the gear into his truck. Apparently he had not had agreat day; the motor on his boat gave up the ghost when he was halfway alongthe lake.A relatively strong wind from the south made rowing back to the beachimpossible. So he ended up getting into the water and pushing the boat back towhere he had parked his truck.Richard and Mike decided to explore the Hurunui River on Wednesday, whileBrian and I headed off in the other direction towards the Lewis Pass and to take alook at the Doubtful River. A small number of large, fit fish were spotted andcast too. None could be persuaded to take the fly. 18

Brian plays a Bowscale BrownBrian's Bowscale Brown

Mike's Porta-Bote on Lake Tennyson Doubtful River Brown

Brian wins Fish-of-the Trip prize Mike's prize - The Odour Eater

Richard, James, Brian & MikeWe ate out on the Wednesday evening and prizes were awarded for the Fish-of-the-Trip (Brian for his Fish Lake 4 pounder) and for Entertaining-Event-of-the-Trip (Mike for his Porta-Bote travails on Lake Tennyson).Brian and I had initially thought about returning to Nelson via the Rainbow Roadand fishing the Upper Wairau.We changed our minds after two previous days of bumping along the gravel roadsin Molesworth Station and decided to fish the Maruia River with Richard andMike, returning to Nelson via Springs Junction and Murchison.Unfortunately, spots that we wished to fish (e.g. Boundary Road Bridge; RuffeCreek confluence, etc.) were already “taken” by anglers who had arrived beforeus. Probably not surprising as many people were still on holiday.So we drove home and started making plans for the February Lake Brunner trip. 22



All mechanical Repairs All service by qualified Technicians New tyres W.O.F for cars, trailers, motorbikes, tractors, dumpers Restoration work undertaken - Courtesy car available Also selling Retro Tin Signs Ellis Street Auto Repairs104A Ellis Street Brightwater 03 5424035