NTFC Newsletter_December 2021

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 06-08 Lester Higgins 08-09 Ross Walker 09-11 Dennis Ealam 03-06 Richard Boyden 13-15 Tony Entwistle 15-17 Maree Peter 17-18 Michael Stevenson 11-13 Ray Day 19-20 Barry Howell 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: Tayo McGowan with his rainbow from the Fishout Ponds at the Christmas BBQ, on December 19

President’s Flyline Nelson Trout Fishing & Craft Beer Club December 2021 Greetings Club Members. Welcome to the December Newsletter Not much has happened in the last month due to the rivers always being too high and the weatherman not giving us a fair chance. But now that has all changed just in time for our BBQ. A great turnout and lots of fish were caught in the ponds by the young ones and the not so young as well. It looks like the rivers and the weather are in a stable mode for a while so get out there and kick some fin and rip some lips. Next month we will meet at the Fish and Games rooms for a pizza and social get together. All are welcome. Now for the Craft Beer section (the most important part): When you are driving to your LOCAL fishing spot on the Motueka in your LOTUS you need to consume the no alcohol beverage to get you there faster. Make sure before you go that you take a can of DARKSIDE OF THE MOON to improve your catch rate because you don’t want to be fishing on a full moon. There is a new species introduced into the Motueka recently which is on the label of the drink that you must consume to catch them.

There are some sections in the Motueka that are a bit treacherous so to combat this make sure you’ve got your UNDER CURRENT pilsner on hand. When you get a bit hungry after fishing all day you can pull out your can of ANGRY PEACHES to ward away your hunger pains. At the end of the day when you have had enough it is time for a HAPPY CAMPER. Happy Holidays and may your fly line never be loose! Next newsletter will be in February 2022 They’re Back!!!! Cicada spotted in Ruby Bay on Boxing Day

Buy & Sell 1. 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 2. Max Bang is selling an antique Cane fishing set: Antique Cane fishing set. English manufacture 3 piece cane rod Cane gaff Cane net Collectors’ items Offers over $200 Contact Max Bang 027 247 5054





Originally published in New Zealand Outdoor, June 1953

Why your trout got away by Zane Mirfin ZANE MURFIN The joy of beating a fish is equal to the misery felt when a fish wins the battle. Ever since I was a little boy I've loved the tug of a strong fish on the end of my line. It's an exciting, adrenaline-laced thrill that is the start of a battle of wits with an angry fish. A battle that can go either way. Sometimes the angler wins, but all too often the trout wins -- by escaping for another day. Anglers are often disappointed when they lose a fish, especially if it is a particularly large specimen, but it is all part of the sport of trout fishing. As Norman Maclean wrote so eloquently in A River Runs Through It: \"The body and spirit suffer no more sudden visitation than that of losing a big fish, since, after all, there must be some slight transition between life and death.” But with a big fish one moment the world is nuclear and the next it has disappeared. That's all. It has gone. Poets talk about 'spots in time', but it is really fishermen who experience eternity compressed into a moment. No one can tell what a spot in time is until suddenly the whole world is a fish and the fish is gone.\" In a modern world of excess and instant gratification, it is special to enjoy a sport that has an uncertain end result. This uncertainty adds greatly to the mystique and allure of fly fishing and is what drives our continued fishing addiction. Over the years we've had some great battles with big trout, many that we've lost. Often the conditions are against us, with rising river levels and big trout charging down into the next impenetrable pool where we can't follow. Or a tangled logjam in the middle of a raging river becomes a major magnet for a pissed-off brownie well versed in the art of dirty tactics.

ZANE MIRFIN Territory downstream that puts the odds squarely in favour of a hooked fish. Many times we've had big trout dive under boulders, stitch us up in weed beds, run upstream and around the bend taking all our backing and snapping us off. Being a professional fishing guide for 29 years has certainly allowed me plenty of opportunity to witness firsthand big trout escaping. I'm still learning, but one maxim I operate by is that you haven't caught the trout until it is safely in the net. Often it is the lost fish which draw us back again and again. Years ago fishing a flooded Buller River, we hooked a solid fish which just kept jumping and running downstream, pulling line as we scrambled after it through the long grass and blackberries. We followed this fish for hundreds of metres downstream and eventually could go no further, with an exhausted angler and an insurmountable obstacle as the trout surged down another river channel that we could not get across to. Eventually we were spooled and were lucky not to lose the flyline and backing as the leader finally parted and the fish escaped. \"What a fish,\" my angler exclaimed in defeat. \"It must have been a real trophy.\" I didn't know what to say. The trout had been a standard size Buller brownie somewhere around the 2kg mark, but probably not hooked in the mouth. Jeff came back on numerous fishing trips with me, catching many large trout, many much larger than the Buller trout. Every trip he would reminisce about the 'monster' that we lost together on the Buller, but I never had the heart to tell him it was hooked in the arse. You should never shatter a man's dreams and reality can be an ugly place. Better to let that Buller brownie live on in Jeff's mind and to enrich his world. That is the power of a fish that wins. Trout are born survivors and will do whatever it takes to escape an angler's line, just like they always have since the ancient Macedonians first flyfished in 4th century BC. Unfortunately for the

trout, advances in technology and space-age materials have made the battle between fish and angler less even. On the plus side for the trout, they have become more wary and discerning over time, with anglers often having to use smaller, lighter gauge hooks and gossamer thin tippets to entice a hookup, which has balanced odds in favour of the trout somewhat. ZANE MIRFIN Markku Hynynen of Finland about to lose a nice trout under some inconvenient logs in a backcountry river. What are the odds of landing a trout then? Well, for years good mate, Tony Entwistle of Nelson, kept records of his guiding days on-stream, of fish hooked, landed, and lost, which makes for highly interesting reading. Years ago, Tony told me that only about half of all trout hooked are landed. Somedays you land 'em all and some days you lose 'em all. In the end, it all balances out. I've kept this pearl of wisdom in the back of my mind and it has stood the test of time. Maybe if you are a really skilled angler, you'll land more and if you're a novice you'll lose more trout, but on average across a range of angler nationalities, ages, sexes, conditions, locations, and ability levels the rule holds true. As you become a more experienced angler and understand the quarry and fish behaviours, you will be able to understand and anticipate issues that can prevent you landing more fish. With rainbows, it can be the ability to withstand those first savage runs and explosive leaps. With brownies, it can be the knowledge to back away from snags, roots, and overhung banks early, leading the fish away from danger. Every trout is an individual, some bigger, some smaller, some with more fight, and some with a higher survival instinct. The real skill is being able to intuitively understand what you are connected to at the moment of hookup.

No angler lands every fish, and there is always that magic uncertainty of success, but over time it is my belief that most trout are lost by anglers rather than by trout that 'win'. It's a well-worn cliché, but I believe that you make your own luck on-stream. There's always a chance that a hook will pull out, or that karma will go against you, but most trout are lost by doing something incorrectly, failing to anticipate the situation, or by doing something just plain dumb. Winning more often as an angler comes down to the small things, like paying attention to simple detail. Always use quality mono and fluorocarbon leader, use tippet as heavy as you can get away with, replace frayed tippets and leaders regularly, and always re-tie knots after catching a fish. Of these factors, it is my belief that knots are the most important factor. Knots wear out, line gets teeth nicks, and most importantly casting wear and tear, strains, and dry knots all take their toll. I always re-tie my terminal knots after catching a fish and it is a habit that has served me well. Years ago when I used to run a team of guides, I used to teach them that you cannot control how the anglers fish, but you sure can control the gear they are fishing with. On a tough day, the only difference between success and failure can be a couple of fresh knots. If there is only one thing you take away from reading this article, it should be the necessity of checking your tippet and re- tying knots regularly to make your own 'luck' and avoid trout 'winning'. Sharp hooks catch more fish, so carry a hook hone to make sure any fly has a 'sticky sharp' point that will dig deep and hold tight. Customers are often intrigued with me regularly re-sharpening hooks and often comment that I am the only guide they have ever seen who sharpens hooks. That's fine by me and, although modern chemically sharpened hooks are far superior to hooks of old, they still get dull ticking bottom and catching fish. A good connection with sharp hook, strong line, and fresh knot is a good start to landing more fish, more often. Another consideration is the strength of the hook and I prefer a heavy wire hook that is unlikely to straighten under the strain of a heavy fish in big water on strong tippet. The Kamasan B175 has long been a favourite of mine when casting to 3kg-plus trout for this reason. Tackle maintenance is also important, such as lubing your reel, not overfilling the spool to avoid jamming or the flyline backlashing, and don't forget those strong knots to leader and backing. For years, the humble nail knot was the favoured leader to line connection, and I still use this knot, but it should be checked regularly. Some epoxy around the knot can make for a smoother connection that is less likely to jam in a rod tip when fighting a trout with a long leader. Landing fish is all about probability and every time you can solve a potential problem you are well on the way to landing more fish. I recently reviewed a book for Fairfax newspapers called the \"1% Principle\" by Tom O'Neill. I even got to meet O'Neill in October 2014 when in Auckland and found him to be an overwhelmingly positive and energetic man. It was clear he lived by his own principle of trying to be 1% better in everything he attempts and that small incremental improvements everyday can lead to significant achievements -- it's no different in angling! Once you've got the technical factors under control you need to think about your mental state as an angler. Many times I've seen good trout lost for no reason because someone got too excited and had a brain shutdown. Many more trout are landed if you can take it easy and not muscle a trout with too much brute force, too soon. If the fish runs, let it go.

As a guide, I've been fortunate to have supervised hundreds of anglers over the years, and always find it amusing how they often cannot hear my words of instruction when fast into a fish. I guess you can only concentrate on one thing at a time, but it is amazing how many times anglers can put a death clamp on a reel and flyline without realising what they are doing. Dropping the rod tip and clamping the line is a total no-no and even highly experienced anglers would land more trout if they kept their rod tip higher to add more shock absorbency and resilience into their leader. The rod is only a tool and by understanding how you can cushion shock by keeping the rod tip high with trout-size tippets and by using sidestrain to lead trout away from danger you will be well on the way to losing less trout. Experience is always an important factor in landing more fish. Novice anglers often haven't caught many trout and are likely to be less able to anticipate the tactics of the foe. But hey, we've all learned by our mistakes and losing fish is what fishing is all about. When you know how trout behave and what they are likely to do, you are in better position to win more 'battles'. Too much experience can likewise be a problem, where you become complacent, or start goofing around. It's a well-known phenomenon in guiding circles that catching more than 10 trout in a day can be difficult for most anglers because they lose their concentration and get too cocky. The trout can often sense this down the line and make good their escape. One of the most common places to lose big trout is at the net. It is amazing how anglers can 'freeze up' when they see a beauty near the net. Have patience, keep your cool, and don't panic. Make sure your first net attempt is a good one by only trying when you have a good head-first position for the trout. Last season I threw the net to a Swedish angler while he attempted to net a wilderness brown midstream by himself (at his request). He was a good angler, but got all flustered, not helped by his mate and I rolling around in hysterics on the bank as the trout weaved all through and around his legs. The fish won, but it was well worth it to witness one of the most inept netting jobs I had ever seen. Big trout will test your equipment to the max and fight hard to the end, so you can't give up until they are safely in the net. Make sure to bring the fish to the net man and never hunt the fish with the net because the fish will panic and bolt, increasing the chances of the fish winning. Many times I have seen real big fish lost just when they are about to go into the net. Often the angler who has done everything right to this point, thinks it is all over, relaxes, drops the rod tip, gives the trout slack, then panics when the trout avoids the net and bolts by clamping down and snapping the line. As a guide, it's like being kicked in the guts when a trophy fish, photos of which would have sold a dozen trips, gets away at the last minute. But that's what keeps fishing interesting and we all learn in life's continuing fishing journey. The truth is that there are many ways to lose a trout. Sometimes I find myself humming Paul Simon's classic song 'Fifty Ways to Leave your Lover' on the river. I've even come up with my own words to accompany the tune that keep me calm when fish are lost. After all 'there must be fifty ways to muck a fish up...\" Maybe we should just be grateful for every small mercy and appreciate the trout we do catch. Originally Published in Stuff June 2015

Twenty five years ago, my first fish in New Zealand by Gebhard Krewitt It was in October 1994 when I was asked to go to New Zealand on a work assignment. At that stage I knew nothing about New Zealand just how to find it on a map. Not just that: From Herman Melville’s novel ‘Moby Dick’ I learnt that ‘Newzealander’ was the friendly synonym for man-eater or cannibal. There were two months left to get prepared and in this phase I learnt from reading that New Zealand has a very good reputation for its sport fishing, both fresh and salt water fishing. About fresh water fishing I also read that only fly fishing was legal in NZ. I knew that sometimes it is so hard to catch a fish that I never understood why people undergo fly fishing and minimize their chance to catch a fish by that method. Anyway, I went into a fishing tackle shop in Hamburg and told the sales person my program. After a pleasant afternoon with lots of coffee and cigarettes I left the fishing tackle shop with heaps of fancy fishing tackle and 750.00 German Marks less. Later in NZ I realised how lucky I was, I purchased an 8weight one hand fly rod and a System2 fly reel, just the right gear to fish Lake Taupo. Queuing for immigration on Auckland International Airport I saw I poster or kind of large photograph on the wall what showed a least a dozen angler fishing shoulder to shoulder on a lake shore at sun set. The captions was: ‘Picket fence at the rip of the Waitahanui River, Lake Taupo’. This must be the right place to go, was my thought, so many anglers can’t be wrong. Two days later I arrived at the mouth of the Waitahanui River on Lake Taupo. It was easy to find, because it is on State HWY 1. From the parking area even from my car I saw at least 20 people fishing 50 metres away on the shore of the lake. Another 20 people in waders were sitting on the beach having a break, rigging their gear up or just watching. This must be the right place … (it was in between Christmas and New Year when I was first at Lake Taupo.) I was a little bit scared by so many serious looking anglers that I decided to have a look first and by chance to have a chat with somebody in waders about the right fly rather than to embarrass myself with my flash gear and poor casting among all these anglers. After a couple of hours at the mouth of the Waitahanui River I watched not less than 20 anglers playing and landing nice rainbow trout. That made me so stumped about the fishing that I left the place and went up the Waitahanui River for a while. On a bend of the river I was leaning on a wooden gate staring into the river and daydreaming. Daydreaming about the big fish which seemed to be so far away when somebody approached me with the question: “What are you doing here? And don’t you know that you are on our ground?” He asked me that more friendly than it reads here and I told him quite frankly that I am just a bloody tourist who is intending to fish here on the lake or river but having no clue how to catch a fish in this waters and neither do I know who owns the lands around the waters. He got nosey about me and introduced himself as Matthew. Beside me he leaned on the wooden gate at times pointing to the river and telling me about the fabulous fishing on the Waitahanui River. After a while he called something to a nearby house and a woman came with three bottles of beer and corn chips. The young woman was introduced to me as his wife Avis. She opened the bottles and we cheered to each other and had a good time chatting away. It was almost dusk when they asked me where I stay in Taupo followed by the question: “Why don’t you come over and stay with us when you like to do some fishing in this area. We can show you how to catch a fish!” OMG, that was better than I read in all the tourist brochures about NZ. Early next morning I was back at Matthew and Avis place right on the mouth of the Waitahanui River.

But now the hard core of fishing begun for me. Matthew was very patient with my fishing attempts but after an hour he decided on going back to the house teaching me casting on the lawn. Dry run. For hours, almost the whole day I was standing in the bright sun on the lawn away from the water where the fish is and exercised casting a fly line. After tea we went back to the lake for fishing what was just across the road (State HWY 1). Matthew checked and set my rod up and tied the right fly on for me. All the time he was beside me and constantly giving me advice even about minor details. I felt quite comfortable with Matthew on my side among all those anglers. It was already pitch dark when I finally felt something pulling on my line. I forgot all what happened from now on. No memories. All I can recall is that it was very, very exciting and made me very happy. After hours of playing it turned out as an 8 lbs brown trout on the beach of the lake. What a start to the fishing in NZ! But I also noticed at the time that the anglers around me were exclusively catching rainbow trout. I had done something wrong by accident. Today I think that you can't disgrace a fish more if you don't know why you caught it. I stayed for a week with Avis and Matthew and their family fished all the time like crazy and caught at least a few tens of fish. On the way back to Auckland I stopped at their place again for a few days. Just for fishing. Avis & Matthew Next year I stayed with them for a fortnight and in 1997 I came over to NZ with an assignment that gave me the chance to fish with Matthew for an another fortnight. By this time I was getting more experienced at fishing. In 1998 I got another assignment to produce articles for a German fishing magazine about fishing in NZ. The rest of the story you already know.



My Fishing Life – Neil Anderson My first fish was caught on a worm in the Taieri river. It was a three-inch stargazer. I was four years old. From then on fishing around Dunedin meant going to the wharf, catching trevally, leather jackets, mullet and the odd barracuda. When dad was able, he took me and my brothers fishing. After catching trout, flounder and eels in the lower Taieri, spin fishing became the go. Using a bubble and fly (Black gnat) trout were caught around Naseby in the Dams of that region. Expanding into casting spinners, trout were caught with the black and gold toby and the silver “Darting Demon”. Growing up more and getting further afield, the silver toby lure was a real producer of sea run trout in the Clutha River. These were good to eat. Then the Hydro lakes came on stream. Still sunny days on Lakes Waitaki, Aviemore and Benmore with my family and a black and gold Toby produced fish up to eight pounds including browns and rainbows. If the timing was right and the water level had gone up, trout could be seen and caught cruising in five inches of water. Sometimes they came so close you could poke them with your rod before they spotted you as they were busy looking for worms in the new shallows. A move to Nelson for work gave me the opportunity to meet Tony Entwistle. Tony taught me how to fly fish and life just got better. Fishing around the Tasman area was a great adventure. Tramping and fishing took me to some truly beautiful places. The lure of Australia meant working in Canberra for a year. Many carp and trout were caught in Lake Burley Griffin. The South Coast of New South Wales was a fishing paradise. Catches of Flathead, Taylor, and Salmon (kahawai) were common. The best fun though was catching whiting with a beach worm on a bubble and hook in the surf. These were the best eating. The holidays provided the chance to fish the Great Barrier reef, with a 32lb Spanish Mackerel and a 19lb trevally the pick of a trip filled with many species. A return to Nelson in 1982 gave me the chance to engage more with the outdoors. The Travers, Sabine and D’Urville river were beautiful places to visit, and Reefton with a fly rod saw the fish get bigger. Purchasing a boat meant more fishing and diving with scallops, blue cod, crayfish and Kahawai plentiful. It also meant access to more trout fishing places .

Being married with three children, plus work and coaching meant fishing time happened on holiday. My wife caught her first big trout on a fly rod and my children also catching their first trout on a worm. A call from my brother in Twizel and a family holiday there opened up the opportunity for canal salmon and monster trout. With my family present numerous big fish were caught, with a 32lb rainbow being the biggest. In addition, the rivers of the area provided excellent sight fishing. Canal monster(32lb). Catching up with Tony Entwistle again was very productive. Adding new tactics to my fly fishing has added to the number of fish hooked. This with us becoming “empty nesters” has given me more time to learn and improve. I have since enjoyed helping others into fishing and have enjoyed seeing people share the disease I have. Hope you all hooked up over the break. Tight lines for 2022. Neil Anderson.

Christmas BBQ at the Fishout Ponds, Appleby FINALLY – after two postponements for the weather – the Christmas BBQ took place at the Fishout Ponds on Sunday December 19. Many thanks to the organisers (e.g. Jean Willis) and Chefs (e.g. Kevin Nansett). Kevin Cooks up a storm Michael Stevenson looks peckish

Henry Grab hooks one Terry Kelso advises Hugh Wallis on what fly to use Henry’s on again Henry’s Rainbow Henry & Cameron Reid Henry brings another one to the shore

Hugh Wallis hooks up, assisted by Richard Breakspear & Richard & Hugh Cameron Hugh releases a trout Tayo McGowan’s trout With thanks to Jean Willis, Alison Kelso & James Macdonald for photos