NTFC Newsletter_August 2021 (3)

CLUB CONTACTS Executive Don Clementson 027 437 6019 [email protected] Barry Howell 544 3069 [email protected] President: Jean Willis 547 6432 [email protected] Past President Secretary Chris Clenshaw 544 5276 [email protected] Treasurer Committee Richard Breakspear 541 9050 [email protected] Kevin Nansett 545 2007 [email protected] Peter Lawler 548 9753 [email protected] Tony Entwistle 544 4565 [email protected] James Macdonald 540 3520 [email protected] Neil Anderson 539 4941 [email protected] Allan Ballard 544 1735 [email protected] Web Master Peter Lawler 548 9753 [email protected] 547 1197 [email protected] Club Librarian Cameron Reid 545 2007 [email protected] 027 437 6019 [email protected] Trophy Master Kevin Nansett Club Sponsorship Don Clementson Club Speakers Committee Members Club Night Tea/Coffee Committee Members Newsletter Editor James Macdonald 540 3520 [email protected] Life Members 1982 Chappie Chapman 2007 Jean Willis 2018 Richard Boyden 2021 Tony Entwistle Past Presidents 03-06 Richard Boyden 06-08 Lester Higgins 08-09 Ross Walker 09-11 Dennis Ealam 15-17 Maree Peter 17-18 Michael Stevenson 11-13 Ray Day 13-15 Tony Entwistle The Nelson Trout Fishing Club Meets once a month at: Fish and Game Offices, 66 Champion Road, Richmond Normally the 3rd Wednesday of the month at 7:00pm Please phone (Don’s phone #) if unsure Any views expressed in this newsletter are not necessarily those of the committee, club or editor Webpage: www.nelsontroutfishingclub.com Follow us on Facebook Cover Photo: Chris Clenshaw with a Pike from one of the streams which flows into Lough Corrib

Presidents Flyline Welcome members to our latest newsletter. This is my first President’s report, being only elected at the last AGM. I have only been in office for a few days and already we have had two major floods and Tony Entwistle lost his wallet and phone on our way to the Motueka clean-up so not a good start so far. We have been to a few farms in the Motueka and Tadmor areas with more to come. The response has been really encouraging with a good turn out from Club members, guides, F&G staff and potential club members. They all have been fun days and I encourage other members to come along and join in. The days are short and easy work then a debrief at the Moutere headquarters to finish things off. I have made a video of the events and it will be shown at a Club meeting some time. Our last meeting was interrupted due to the lockdown. We hope to get Ray Grubb back at a later date. At our next meeting Jacob Lucas from F&G will be speaking on the status of our fisheries and the coming season. Don’t forget to pay your subs before the next meeting and go into the draw for a free licence for the next season. You must be at the meeting to qualify. I have had a few ideas about what we might do for this coming season. One is to start fly tying again. A few years ago we had a lot of members involved in it on a regular basis. Also I would like to start up fly casting lessons, mainly targeted at beginners but everyone welcome to come along, during the week over the Spring and Summer months to encourage new members to get out and give it a go. Also there could be some new rods for people to try out. Because of the reduced numbers of fish that maybe left in our rivers due to the floods we may have a lot of spare time on our hands so I have decided that it would be a good time to change the name of the Club and its direction. It will be The Nelson Trout Fishing and Craft Beer Club. Drunks with a fishing problem. Instead of Fly of the Month we will have craft beer of the month and also beer tasting and beer bagging. Beer bagging is like hut bagging. Instead of bagging huts in a certain time frame you taste as many beers as you can. There will be craft beer casting competitions to see who can cast the furthest a 6.8% can of beer on 8 wt gear. There will be trophies available for 4.2%, 5.8% and 6.8% craft beer. I thought this would be a good use of our surplus trophies. Tight lines everybody; that’s all from the April 1st Presidents Report. Don

THE NELSON TROUT FISHING CLUB Excerpts from the Draft Minutes of the committee meeting 10th August 2021 At Fish and Game rooms, Champion Rd, Richmond Don welcomed members and declared the meeting open at 7.00pm Attendance: Barry Howell, Jean Willis, Richard Breakspear, Don Clementson, Tony Entwistle, James Macdonald, Neil Anderson, Chris Clenshaw. Apologies: Kevin Nansett Treasurer’s Report Discussion ensued about how the club would manage its member database, the current system is slow to respond to updates in membership. It was suggested that the database of club members be held on the club’s server, being available to committee members via a committee page, accessed with password. Responsibility for maintaining the database is to be the Treasurer’s who would have read/write/edit/delete privileges, all other committee members to have read only privilege. This needs to be discussed with Peter Lawler. Jean to action. A broadcast emails to all members reminding them that subs are due from the 1st July and is they renew their membership before the September club night they would be in the draw for a free license. Jean to action Club Nights September Nelson Marlborough Fish and Game Jacob Lucas October Auction Cameron managing Chris Clenshaw auctioneer November Fly tying. Clayton Nichol to be asked Back up show and tell evening December BBQ Sunday 5th December, new fishing pond From 4pm, BBQ from 6pm Reserve day 12th Dec BBQ trailer to be booked Jean to action March 2022 Tom Kroos Life in our local stream talk and practical Club program

Casting clinic Sept 19th Tony River skills Sept 26th Tony Casting clinic reserve day 26th Sept Club trip Motueka River 7th November Canterbury Fly Fishers interclub trip(s) Club trip Lake Brunner early Feb 2022 Next meeting 7th September 2021 Don closed the Meeting at 8.05pm Letter from The Minister of Conservation to Ray Grubb, Chair of Fish & Game 23 August 2021 Ray Grubb Chair New Zealand Fish and Game Council [email protected] cc: Regional Fish and Game Councils Kia ora Koutou, In April 2021, the Fish and Game Ministerial Review was released by the Acting Minister of Conservation. The recommendations fit into two groups, those that Fish and Game can implement now, and those that require legislative change. I am advised that the New Zealand Fish and Game Council, via the Acting Chief Executive, have initiated a work program to implement those recommendations relating to updating policies to refresh governance and management practices. I strongly endorse this initiative. There are other recommendations that will require legislative change. I ask you to note that there is currently no place on the legislative programme for these. I am presently considering the possibility of focussed legislative work to enable amalgamation of Regions and changes to the makeup of Councils. I understand the Implementation Steering Group has visited councils throughout the country and that the NZ Council has submitted the collected views on the review. I thank Fish and Game for the high-quality submission which generally supports the spirit of the review, but also asks for more work to be done around the details of some of the more complex changes. I agree with the need for this work. Your submission will be an important input into any legislative change process. I encourage you ensure that your council members and licence holders are aware of the key points regarding the review and take an active interest in modernising Fish and Game. In summary, the key points that I encourage you to share are: • I appreciate the work that has gone into the submission that Fish and game Councils have made on the Review Report. • There is general support for the recommendations and the modernisation of Fish and Game.

• Implementation of those recommendations relating to refreshed policies to guide governance and management practices are already being actioned by Fish and Game itself. I strongly endorse this initiative. • Many of the other recommendations require both legislative change and more detailed work about how they would be implemented. Therefore, no decisions can be made yet about these recommendations. • I am in discussion about the possibility of legislation that will enable the merging of regions and new arrangements for composition of councils. • Any changes involving legislation will be subject to normal processes, including public consultation. I have received an invitation to attend the next Fish and Game NZ Council meeting at some point over 27 and 28 August, either by zoom or in person. My timetable has been disrupted by the current move to Alert level 4, but I am looking to see if I can attend this meeting. Nāku noa, nā Hon Kiri Allan Minister of Conservation PLEASE SEE: 1. Great Video of a Brown Trout taking down a dragonfly in the air: https://www.facebook.com/100036933775235/posts/470386597535795/?d=n 2. Club Member Dave Scranney reports: I came across this video from Germany narrated in English. It will be of interest to the club and Fish and Game: The Great Death of Insects: https://youtu.be/CidaOP7PA-o It mirrors work I was involved in in Wales in the late 90s and early 2000s working on synthetic pyrethrins and toxicity to aquatic invertebrates and salmon and trout. I have certainly seen a decline in hatches in my 15 years living in this region. Observed while on the water fishing and cleaning the car. I recall some epic hatches driving back summer evenings from the Rai and Riwaka. Something I haven’t seen in recent years. In the UK many of the fishing clubs were involved in citizen science Fly Life study. It turns out fly anglers have considerable expertise in identifying aquatic insects. Something we could tap into here?

Buy & Sell 1. Auto Shotgun for sale : Beretta A391 Xtrema 2 • Mint condition Only fired 25 cartridges • Takes 3.5inch magnums • Multi choke 5 shot • Matt black synthetic stock • Carrying/storage case and shoulder case • Lots of pictures on line • Cost over $3000 • Bargain at $1875 • Contact Chris on 0274377630 2. Tony Entwistle has a Sage rod for sale: Sage Accel 690-4 (Used). The Accel 9ft, 4-piece #6 weight, is a medium action rod, created using Sage's Generation 5 technology. It was first released in 2014. This particular rod has been a backup rod and has been seldom used. It is in very good condition and comes in a black rod bag inside a leaf green ballistic nylon rod tube with a divided liner. This is an excellent rod for an angler looking to move up from cheaper entry level rods. Price: $550.00

Club Auction, 20 October 2021 The Club’s annual auction is scheduled for October 20. Please send details of any gear you wish to include in the Auction to Cameron Reid ([email protected] ). Bruce McLean is going to submit an antique Live Bait Carry Bucket and Catch net: according to Bruce “Early to mid Nineties must-have Trout fishing accessory. First catch your Cockabully live bait: set your net, then frighten Bullies into it. Transfer bait to a perforated inner container which is sitting in the outer bucket filled with water. An easy and safe way to transport live bait to the selected fishing spot. Once there, take the inner perforated container and place it in the stream to freely circulate the flowing water to keep your bait not only fresh but alive. Considering the age of both items the condition is pretty good. There are a few small holes in the net. Small surface rust spots on the buckets also part of the outer buckets handle grip is missing. Measurements; Net 1500mm W 800 D Mesh size 5 x5 mm Oval Minnow/Bullie Bucket: Outer 225mm x 175mm x 110mm LxWxD Inner Container 210mm x 63mm x 110mm LxWxD”.



Reproduced from New Zealand Outdoor, April 1952

Images of Michael Stevenson’s fly tying desk and his production of weighted nymphs – submitted by Jean Willis Michael has been busy this winter:

Photos courtesy of Gebhard Krewitt

A lifetime’s fishing by Chris Clenshaw I wouldn't change a day. My passion for fishing started back in 1950 when I was 7 years old. A good friend of my dad ,who I called Uncle Jack offered to take me fishing on the upper reaches of the River Thames at Lechlade in Gloucestershire. I was kitted out with a rod, centrepin reel and a small bucket containing live minnows. We walked to the weirpool where we were to fish, lip-hooked a minnow under a float and about 2 metres of line and Uncle Jack cast it out into the weirpool. The float swirled around a lot in the currents and we both watched it for the best part of the day without it dipping under, changing minnows every couple of hours. UJ said you have to be very patient to be a fisherman. We will try again tomorrow. After breakfast the following day we headed back to the river, put on a minnow, cast out and sat and watched as before. Suddenly after about 2 hours the float disappeared, UJ grabbed the rod, struck, hooked the fish and then handed the rod to me. “Keep the rod up, let it run if it wants. Wind in the line if it comes towards you” and other instructions I can't remember. Eventually I saw this beautiful speckled fish come to the surface and I gradually steered it towards the waiting net. An exquisite brown trout of about 3 pounds. I was hooked. I can boast that I am one of the few living people who have caught a trout from the Thames. The big numbers that existed in the river in the late 1800's and the first quarter of the 1900's diminished dramatically in the 1920's 30's and 40's. Irish Pike Fishing on the Karamea That trip to Lechlade was the first of many with UJ and in later years with fishing friends. Regrettably I never caught another trout from the Thames. However, UJ caught and had mounted an 8.75 pound brown, which proved to be one of the biggest trout ever recorded from the Thames. On my 4th or 5th trip with UJ he presented me with my first rod, fixed spool reel and all the gear required for coarse fishing. It had a great deal of use over the ensuing years. By the age of 16 I had acquired a lot more tackle and UJ gave me a second hand Hardy split cane fly rod and reel {one of his}. He gave me a few basic lessons on casting and thereafter left me to my own devices.

My first trout on a fly rod was on a reservoir, casting and retrieving 3 wet flies in tandem usually resulted in 2 or 3 rainbows in the 2lb range for a day’s fishing. Waitaki Trout Waitaki Salmon I continued to enjoy coarse fishing on a regular basis on ponds close to home. Having acquired a motor scooter at 18, I ventured further afield. Little steams in the west country where a good trout was 1lb and some of the big reservoirs which held double figure fish, not that I ever got one that big. Matakitaki Brown 9lb Wangapeka Brown I had numerous trips to the west coast of Ireland, fishing Lough Corrib and some of the streams that ran into it. Dry fly in the streams and streamers in the lough. A couple of workmates introduced me to sea fishing and we had lots of trips to the south coast and enjoyed great cod and pollack fishing.

In 1969 I migrated to Australia. I settled in Perth and started investigating the fishing opportunities. Trout fishing was very limited; a dam and one river within 100kms of Perth and 2 rivers about 500kms south of Perth. None of them provided any good fishing. The rivers were highly coloured and the dams understocked. Sea fishing was a different story and I had lots of fun and plenty of big fish. Lake Brunner Brown 7.5lb Sounds Snapper 25lb Sounds Kingfish 22lb Sounds Snapper 24lb In 1971 I married my wife, a great kiwi girl and that opened up NZ to me. We lived in Perth for 15 years and had numerous trips to NZ. My wife’s parents had a farm south of Oamaru. My first NZ fishing was in the Waitaki River. I was lucky to be introduced to an honorary ranger who took me out numerous times. We caught lots of mainly rainbows on the fly and spinning with Devon Minnows. The Kakanui river at Maheno also provided some good dry fly fishing. In 1983 we decided to move to Nelson and that is when my trout fishing really came to the fore. The abundance of rivers and lakes in the Nelson/Marlborough region was overwhelming and I set

about trying to explore and fish as many as I could. My fly fishing at that time left a lot to be desired, consequently my success rate was not great. Oahu River Trout 8.5lb Twizel Rainbow 25lb Tongariro Rainbows Ranfurly Bank Kingfish 75lb

Fortunately for me I met Tony Entwistle at the fishing club and I enrolled for his Rivers Skills course. I learned so much in those 3 days and subsequently a great deal more from him and other brilliant fishermen in the club. I have been fishing here now for 38 years and have enjoyed great success and the company of lots of other fishers. I am yet to catch that elusive 10 pounder, having got close with several in the 9lb range. I don't count the 30 pounder and numerous other double figure fish I caught in the Twizel canals. I still endeavour to fish every week for trout and when conditions are right head out into the bay or the sounds sea fishing. I consider myself so lucky to have been introduced to fishing at an early age and my enthusiasm has grown year by year ever since. Larry’s Creek Brown 8lb Ranfurly Bank Grouper

Postscript: Kiwi pulls \"record\" 10lb trout from Thames near Putney A fisherman has landed what is believed to be the biggest trout caught in this part of the Thames in recent times. New Zealander David Shannon was fishing on Putney Embankment last Tuesday when he hooked the 10.2lb (4.6kg) monster. He said: “It’s amazing to get such a big fish in from that part of the river. “I was amazed when it started jumping as I then knew it was a trout and how rare it was to hook up to a fish that big anywhere in London. “I was very happy to pull it in – it took about six to seven minutes – as I only had a weak leader and he could have broken it several times.” But while the fish’s size supports evidence that the polluted river, declared dead in the 1950s, is now a thriving fish habitat its skin was severely discoloured, probably by pollution. Theo Pike, from the Wandle Trust, said he believed the fish could be either a migratory sea trout or a slob trout. He said: “There is a long tradition of large trout being caught in the weir pools of the Thames but for one to be caught by Putney Bridge is unusual.” Environmental improvements on the river were recognised in October when it was awarded the International Theiss Riverprize, which celebrates outstanding achievement in river management and restoration. London’s iconic river has undergone a dramatic recovery – from being biologically dead in the 1950s to today’s thriving waterway. Reproduced from the Sutton & Croydon Guardian, 27th January 2012