NTFC Newsletter_July 2021_ajm_210730

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 (Barry’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: Cameron Reid – the early days.

Presidents Flyline Welcome to the July issue of our club Magazine. We hope you find somewhere warm to have a quiet read and find out what’s up in your club. This is my last ’Presidential Viewpoint’ following two years as Club President. It’s been a real privilege to serve your club in this governance role over that period. Thank you for your support during my time at the helm. As you will be aware by now, Don Clementson has been elected at the AGM as your new President. I will remain on the committee as the Immediate Past President. At the AGM we also bid farewell to two long serving and hard working committee members. Maree Peter has done an incredible amount of work as our Club Treasurer for a number of years, keeping club finances in check and making sure the bills are paid on time. Replacing her as Treasurer is Chris Clenshaw who will continue the great work from Maree. Michael Stevenson has not stood for re-election, and was replaced on the Committee by Neil Anderson. Michael has been our President previously, and served as the Immediate Past President for the past 2 years. Thanks Michael, for your commitment to the club. Michael remains an active member and continues to support us as a mentor. To the new committee, thank you for standing for election and supporting your club The recent bad weather has severely damaged many of the lovely local rivers and prized secret spots we were lucky enough to be able to fish in this area. If you attended the AGM, you would have heard from Fish and Game that this recent weather event has been viewed by them as the most devastating setback to trout fishing in this area for a number of years. The rising waters almost destroyed the Wairau River Fish Hatchery. It was only the quick action of staff by diverting some water flow, that prevented thousands of new fish being washed away. We may be a bit frustrated at not being able to get to our spot for a while (if it’s still there) but spare a thought for the farmers and horticulturist who allow us access through their land to the rivers. Please consider giving some time back to help with the Fish and Game organised working bees to help these land owners and show that we have appreciated the many years of support to our sport. We will get back on the river one day, but for many landowners it’s going to be a long and expensive exercise before the land is returned to productivity. Thank you all for your support and keep an eye out for an interesting line up which has been planned for upcoming club nights. If any of you have suggestions or an idea for a club night, let your committee know. That’s all from me, stay dry out there and tight lines. Barry Howell Club President

THE NELSON TROUT FISHING CLUB Draft Minutes of the committee meeting 13th July 2021 At Fish and Game rooms, Champion Rd, Richmond Barry welcomed members and declared the meeting open at 7.00pm Attendance: Barry Howell, Jean Willis, Richard Breakspear, Don Clementson, Maree Peter, Kevin Nansett Tony Entwistle, Peter Lawler Apologies: Michael Stevenson Previous minutes: Minutes of the June meeting, as previously circulated, be taken as read Maree/Richard carried Business, arising from the minutes. Hunting and Fishing Nelson approached re sponsorship, waiting a reply Treasurer’s Report Marie presented her report. Moved that the treasurers report be accepted Maree/Richard Carried Moved that:- • $1,786.90 be reimbursed to Don - club diner • $270 reimburse Maree for wine purchased for speakers gifts. • $79.90 be reimbursed to Tony AGM quiz night prizes Richard/Kevin Carried Wayne McGowan requested that his diner fee be refunded. The committee agreed by consensus that the Honest Lawyer did not charge us for his meal. Correspondence Email received from NZFFA requesting assistance with water testing for nitrates. The consensus was, before we commit to this request we need more information, about what is required, from where, how often and how long. Where will the information be used and what is the end objective of the study? Secretary to write to NZFFA A letter of thanks set to Tore Nilson of NZ fly Fishers for their support of our club. Copy of a Marlborough Anglers Club flyer

Moved that the correspondence be received. Jean/Maree Carried Club Nights A vote of thanks to Don for organizing and MC the club’s diner. Carried by acclamation August Ray Grubb Chairman NFGC September Nelson Marlborough Fish and Game October Auction Cameron agreed to manage 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 General Business. Letter of thanks be sent to Geoff Eban of the Coast Guard for being our guest speaker at the annual diner. Moved that $500 be donated to the Coast Guard. Don/Maree Carried A list of the donations that the club has made to prepared and published on the club’s website Don asked about when membership cards are issued Next meeting 10th August 2021 Barry closed the Meeting at 7.55pm and invited the committee to share a drink with him after the meeting.

Excerpts from the NELSON TROUT FISHING CLUB ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING 21st JULY 2021 Call to order: The 2021 AGM was called to order by The President, Barry Howell at 7.10 pm on 21st July 2021 at the Nelson Fish & Game Offices in Champion Road Richmond. ELECTION OF EXECUTIVE MEMBERS Election of President: Nominations for the position of President, Don Clementson …......Nominated by Tony Entwistle/Richard Breakspear There being no other nominations, the outgoing President, Barry Howell , declared Don Clementson president. Election of Committee Members: The President then called for nominations for the remaining committee positions. 2.Nominations for the position of Secretary. Jean Willis........Nominated by Richard Breakspear/ Michael Stevenson There being no other nominations Don declared Jean Willis................Elected 3. Nominations were requested for the position of Treasurer. Chris Clenshaw Nominated by Maree Peter/Tony Entwistle There being no other nominations, Don declared Chris Clenshaw …....Elected 4.Nominations for the remaining Committee positions were called for. Richard Breakspear nominated by Dave Cartwright/Jean Willis Peter Lawler Tony Entwistle Kevin Nansett Richard Breakspear James Macdonald Neil Anderson Allan Ballard Moved that the committee above be confirmed Maree Peter/Richard Breakspear carried There being no other nominations Don declared the above nominated to be members of the 2021/2022 Executive Committee 5.Immediate Past President Barry Howell. 6.Voluntary Positions needing to be filled Trophy Master............................................................. Kevin Nansett Librarian...................................................................... Cameron Reid Meet and Greet............................................................ committee

Club Trips......................................................................committee Webmaster.................................................................... Peter Lawler Coast Guard Presented Geoff Eban of NZ Coastguard with a $500 cheque - being funds raised at the club dinner for the Nelson Coastguard. Life Membership award The committee received a nomination for life membership of the Nelson Trout Fishing Club for Tony Entwistle, from Michael Stephenson, seconded by Richard Boyden. The committee unanimously endorsed the nomination, and recommends to the AGM, that life membership of the club is awarded to Tony for his outstanding service to the club over many years. Don then made presentation to the meeting, by video, images and verbally of why Tony should be awarded life membership. Carried by acclamation Donations the Nelson Fishing Club has made over the last few years. 2016-17 $755.00 casting for recovery 2017-18 $350 Hospice Southern Rivers $100 2018-19 $230 fish out ponds 2019-20 $3,352.25 AED 2020-21 $500 Coast guard First aid kit for club $189.00 Tear drop club banner $609.50 ------------- So far $6,085 New cabinet for the Fish and Game rooms Replaced TV twice

Some Photos from the July Club Meeting: AGM & Tony’s Quiz – by Gebhard Krewitt

Request from Fish and Game Nelson Marlborough for feedback on Rainbow trout spawning in the Rai Pelorus catchments From an operational perspective, probably one of the most valuable things the Nelson Trout Fishing Club could currently provide us, is to nail down locations within the Rai (and to a lesser extent Pelorus) catchments, that rainbow trout spawn in this spring. Staff have been looking for this over the last few years with no success to date – we have seen plenty of brown trout spawning in Pelorus/Rai tributaries but no rainbows to date – part of the problem is rainbows have a much wider spawning period window than browns and we simply don’t have the time to do foot surveys every two weeks over 3-4 months or more. Perhaps the club may be interested in some of this type of work followed by an afternoons winter fishing in lower Rai or Pelorus? Any positive identification of rainbow trout sitting on redds would be very beneficial for us particularly given our upcoming Marlborough Environment Plan (MeP) mediation around our appeal against doubling current water allocation within these catchments. When we do these surveys we generally just note the length we have walked, a start/end point, and the number of single or paired fish spotted, and the number of redds or redd scratchings (attempts). I’m sure many club members know how to identify these and some may already have historic rainbow spawning observations in this catchment that would be helpful to us. I can provide some printed off forms that we use that also include gravel quality assessment etc if club members wish to record this additional data also. If we can define important spawning tributaries for rainbows, as well as informing our MeP appeal process, it may also assist in prioritising riparian plantings within the current Government funding Te Hoiere enhancement project for this catchment, and results would also be summarised in next year’s annual fisheries report Jacob produces. Email from Rhys Barrier, Manager F & G, Stoke

Fish and Game Annual Fisheries Report (excerpt)

See Jacob Lucas’s Report: https://fishandgame.org.nz/dmsdocument/1882

Winter Fishing Time with Zane Mirfin May heralds the beginning of winter fishing regulations here in the South Island. Most waters close at the end of April to allow the trout a break from anglers and to concentrate on more important things, like sex. Fortunately there are some quality South Island winter waters which remain open all year and can fish well throughout the short winter days. Many anglers eagerly look forward to visiting the celebrated waters of Turangi and the Tongariro for the fabled spawning runs of prime winter rainbows, but there are plenty of places to fish much closer to home too. In Nelson / Marlborough places top winter places to try include the Motueka River below the Peninsula Bridge, and the mighty Wairau River below Wash Bridge to the sea, which is a huge distance of potential water to fish. Add in the Pelorus and Rai, and Argyle Pond, for winter rainbows and the options grow. The Branch / Leatham stocked rainbow fishery is open until May 31st creating even more opportunity. If you want to drive further afield, West Coast rivers including the Buller, Inangahua, Grey, and Arnold add some more exciting brown trout variety. Sometimes it can be a good idea to fish these places in the same day as a winter duck hunt. ‘Cast & Blast’ is an established tradition in the USA and works well here as well, especially when you have a few casts during the middle of the day when duck action can slow. The middle of the day is always best for fishing in winter as frigid water temperatures warm and trout may feed briefly for a few short hours. Because the sun angle is low and the river dark, blind fishing is the predominant method scouring deep with weighted nymphs in slower and deeper water than usual summer haunts. Motueka River Local anglers report a pretty ordinary season here in Nelson / Marlborough during 2020/2021. Sure, there were fish to catch but many were disappointed that the fishing action wasn’t better considering that virtually no overseas anglers and commercial guides were on the water like seasons past. One of the stand-out rivers, was the Motueka which continues to be bountiful for local anglers. Trout numbers were down but what they lost in numbers they made up in quality. Leopard-spotted, prime conditioned brown trout rewarded anglers who put in the effort. The Mot is a temperamental and mercurial river that gives up her secrets begrudgingly, but once you crack the code, fishing her sensuous curves, pools, and riffles, becomes highly addictive. My recommendation is to fish the Motueka in times of low stable flows, high sun, and light winds. As a hatch- driven fishery, the afternoons are often best as the water warms and sporadic dun hatches can bring the trout to the surface. During February to April, the passion-vine hopper feeders can really make a day zing when surface-slurping trout line up under overhanging willows. Don’t be afraid to fish the river blind too, with longer leaders, small #16 flies, and light 5x tippet as standard fare. Eric King-Turner (almost 104 at the time) celebrates Like many Motueka trout, Eric’s fish was a Sand-Cased Motueka trout success with Zane Caddis feeder

In late season, try fishing ankle-knee deep riffles down and across with a pair of soft hackle wet flies for good effect. Hold your rod tip at about a 60 degree angle and watch the sag in the line as you softly swing the flies across the current. When the line sag starts to tighten, simply lift into the weight of the fish. Sure, you’ll get a few false alarms and hook a few fallen willow leaves in autumn, but swinging soft hackle spiders can be a great way to catch some surprisingly easy trout. Mono-Rigs This season I probably got a bit preoccupied with fishing mono-rigs. While it’s fun working out new rigs and methods, I could probably have caught as many trout with standard methods if I am honest. But what fun I had along the way. One thing I have learnt during my tight-line nymphing journey is that there is no perfect fly fishing method for all occasions. Fishing a predetermined style or method without considering river flows, river type, water clarity, trout densities, fish behaviour or weather is never the smartest move and I was guilty of becoming obsessed with short line nymphing when I probably could have been fishing some other way. My favourite mono rig (so far!) gets rid of the fly line altogether by using 12lb Golden Stren as a casting line, with 1.5 - 2 metres of 8lb braided GSP line attached by micro rings, add a short indicator of variegated indicator nylon if you wish, then 1 – 1.8 m of 5x tippet with two jig nymphs. A pig of a rig to cast, this micro leader system is highly sensitive and the fluorescent Stren line makes for easy tracking too. Many fish hook themselves, and interestingly will have another go at the flies if you don’t hook them first time up. This is probably because there is no dragging line due to the vertical ‘hold-over’ presentation and lifting the fly clear of the water makes little disturbance to the water. It’s a great system and the one I had my best ever personal session on the Motueka in April. Catching a dozen stellar trout to 7lb in a short session was awesome, but my favourite moment was leaving the river while the fish were still on. A Swedish angler once taught me that it’s always best to leave the party while you’re still having fun, and sitting in the sun beside the truck and gurgling river while drinking a cold beer, I knew that Markku was right. Euro-Nymphing Rigs Up in Turangi and in other fly fishing only areas, mono-rigs are a no-no so I’ll have to go back to using a flyline to be fishing legally. I’m looking forward to it and have been reading plenty of great strategies in British magazine Fly Fishing & Fly Tying about how to best manage this. Many times this season I would have liked more flexibility in how I fished the fly and Englishman Nick Thomas in the above magazine (February 2021 Issue P34-39) suggests autumn fishing with a euro rod and a standard matching flyline. By using a 160cm leader that ends in a micro ring, he can quickly swap between fishing dries, standard nymphing, and euro-style nymphing with some simple, easy, and quick changes. During winter Thomas fishes a euro style rod with a euro-nymph specific fly line, and a fluorescent 160 cm leader which acts as an indicator in dark winter waters, before adding a long section of tippet and nymphs. There are many techniques and strategies for euro nymphing (and all its fly fishing derivatives) but keeping it simple is always the way to go. Remember that Euro style nymphing is essentially a close range technique and that it is really difficult to successfully fish the method more than about 8 metres away from yourself. Many times, euro nymphing is not the best method to fish. Next season, I’ll likely be a bit more flexible about how, when and why I fish euro style. Matching the Hatch Recently I paid the princely sum of NZD$15 at a second hand store for a book I had always wanted to have within my fly fishing library. First published in 1955, Matching the Hatch, fast became a bible for serious American fly anglers, and made author Ernest G. Schwiebert, Jnr, a literary icon. Holding the book in my hand I just couldn’t believe my good luck. As a young boy I loved Schwiebert’s eloquent and inspirational fishing prose in American Fly Fisherman Magazine. Then on a family holiday to Auckland, I spied Schwiebert’s 1745 page, two volume, masterpiece

Trout in an unwanted bookstore bargain bin. At $40, it was a huge purchase for a schoolboy but over time, the now well-read two volume set has become one of my most treasured fly fishing possessions. In later years, another angler even offered me $500 for my copies of Trout but they will never be for sale while I roam the rivers with a fly rod. Schwiebert’s first book, Matching the Hatch, was everything I had long imagined it to be with rich prose on fly fishing the legendary American insect hatches. I read about famous rivers and famous hatches that I had fished myself across the American West, and salivated about Schwiebert’s descriptions of famous Eastern hatches that most of us will probably never experience. Back in the 1990’s I guided the summers in Colorado, based near the resort town of Aspen, extensively fishing the Frying Pan fishery so eruditely described by Schwiebert. I wish I’d read his advice before guiding movie stars and billionaires on hallowed pools like the Seven Castles pool of the Pan, and I’d have really benefitted from his advice on how to fish surface flies upstream and nymphs in the pre-hatch periods. Descriptions of Green Drake mayflies, Pale Morning Duns (PMD’S), Baetis, Hexagenia, Caddisflies, and many more, bought back treasured memories of fly fishing the USA and gave me insight into how far ahead of his time Ernie actually was. Schwiebert was also an excellent artist and illustrator in all of his books, and even now his line drawings and water colours are a unique and enduring thumbprint in a cluttered fly fishing world. Alas, I never got to meet or guide Schwiebert onstream, but NZ’s Geoff Thomas successfully put Schwiebert onto plenty of big New Zealand trout and has the photos to prove it in several of his books. Over the years I have been fortunate to have guided anglers and peers who knew Schwiebert, including famed angling photographer Barry Beck and Fly Fisherman Magazine Editor, John Randolph. Barry Beck described Schwiebert as “the real deal” and considered him to be the best angler and best writer of all the fly fishing personalities that the USA has ever produced. This was high praise indeed as Beck, based in Pennsylvania, has met with or fished with pretty much all the big gurus of the US fly fishing world. Randolph chronicles the passing of Ernest G. Schwiebert, Jnr, PH.D, in Fly Fisherman Magazine Volume 37 May 2006. John Randolph opined that Schwiebert “was enthralled with aesthetics in its many forms; He writes of the beauty of rods, of places where trout and salmon are found, of fly dressings, of architecture, of wine, of writing, of geology, of history, and of certain fly fishers and their pursuit of immortal truths”. Sadly, Schwiebert died December 10, 2005, at 74 years of age from cancer and world anglers lost a great literary scribe. There are so many great passages from Schwiebert that could be repeated here but one of my favourites was selected by Turangi’s Bob South to put in our joint 2008 book The Last Best Place – Images of New Zealand Fly Fishing: “Everything about our sport is beautiful. Its more than five centuries of books and manuscripts and folios are beautiful. Its pristine rivers are beautiful, and the landscapes that surround them are beautiful. Fly fishing is an old and honourable sport. Its roots are literally found in the medieval codes of chivalry. Our methods of fishing are beautiful. Its artefacts of rods and beautifully machined reels are beautiful. Its wading staffs and landing nets and split-willow creels are beautiful. The best of sporting art is beautiful. The delicate artifice of dressing flies is beautiful. Such confections of fur, feathers, and steel are beautiful, and our work tables are littered with exotic scraps of tragopan and golden pheasant and blue chatterer and Coq de Leon. Our sport is awash in such things, with bright rivers tumbling swiftly toward the salt, and the deft choreography of swifts and swallows working to a dancing swarm of flies, and the quicksilver poetry of the fish themselves. And, in times of partisan hubris, selfishness and outright mendacity, beauty itself may prove the most endangered thing of all”. RIP Ernie. Your words and artwork were beautiful too. Insects & Chemicals It’s well known that insects and chemicals don’t go well together. In a modern world of increasing pollution and contamination, it is no wonder that scientists worldwide are worried about declining insect populations around the Planet. Ultimately, mankind’s own fate depends on the survival of insects to power the food chain and biodiversity, and to enable pollination of crops and the decomposition of organic materials.

Personally I’ve been concerned for some time over the lack of insect hatches on local streams. As a fishing guide of some 35 years or so professional experience, I can remember many awesome afternoon mayfly hatches that made me look like a hero to overseas anglers. Lately though, it’s been pretty hard work out there and the big hatches of yesteryear seems to have dwindled to a trickle. Watching several online videos recently, it’s pretty obvious that this insect decline or ‘insectageddon’ is a worldwide phenomenon. Some overseas studies have shown up to 80% insect declines over the past 30 years. Many theories abound why this may be so: climate change, increased flooding, industrial land use monocultures, night-time light pollution, urbanisation, roads and vehicles to name but a few. Personally, I reckon Rachel Carson had the main reason nailed when she first wrote The Silent Spring book in 1962 which detailed the evils of DDT on the environment. DDT may have been banned around the world but new highly toxic agricultural chemicals and pesticide cocktails now exist and are wreaking havoc worldwide. Terrestrial insects which are a significant portion of trout food are increasingly imperilled in places such as Germany where beetle populations have declined as much as 70% in recent decades. Carpet bombing of insecticide 1080 poison here in New Zealand may well be having a significant effect on terrestrial insects like cicadas and aquatic mayflies. But who knows? Certainly insect hatches in wilderness streams are noticeably absent. The only abundant insects appear to be invasive wasps. On lowland waters, chemical contaminants like nitrates and agricultural chemicals and defoliants must have had a big impact too. From a duck hunting perspective, NZ duck numbers have plummeted, leading to record low bag limits for the coming 2021 bird hunting season. Here in Nelson / Marlborough, Fish & Game estimate a 30% drop in duck numbers this year. Maybe widespread Diazinon grass grub poison use around NZ is the real reason? Unfortunately we don’t really know the true impact of all these chemicals in our waterways. Recent studies here in New Zealand have shown the presence of chemicals and toxins in our rivers and streams that are banned substances overseas. One scientist admitted that no-one has any idea what impact these chemicals are having because no one is monitoring their use or prevalence. It’s also a real tragedy that independent New Zealand scientists either don’t exist anymore or have become rent-boys to the highest bidder. Tony Orman of Marlborough (one of my NZ fishing heroes) recently sent me a link to a programme called The Silent Summer about insect population declines in Europe, largely due to eco-toxins. You can check out this 42 minute programme at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CidaOP7PA-o In late January, we were fortunate to have a special family deerstalking trip with my brother Scott, nephew Ryan, and son Jake into the wild and remote landscape of Molesworth Station. Our ballot block was probably one of the most pristine places in New Zealand. The stream that ran through the center, held clear, cold water, no chemicals, no poison, and was a truly amazing life-giving force. Nights were dark, eels and kokopu were abundant, and the insect hatches incredible – some of the best NZ hatches I’ve ever seen. Every day we witnessed new insects from beetles, blowflies, willow grubs, dragonflies, damselflies, and mayflies. But the evening caddisfly hatches were especially superb, getting in our food, crawling up our necks and noses. The days were baking hot and the deerstalking highly successful in the evenings. We all shot deer and pigs but our daytime ritual of reclining in the shade of a willow tree and swimming in the creek together are the stuff of family legend. At the time we discussed why a creek of such natural fertility should be studied and documented before it was too late. Alas, this area is now scheduled for aerial 1080 poisoning this winter. The New Zealand Deerstalkers Association (NZDA) has been instrumental in securing the addition of deer repellent to the upcoming poison application so maybe a few deer will survive, unlike the disaster that occurred on the other half of Molesworth Station a few years ago. But I’d have to say my thoughts are with the insect populations of that marvellous little alpine stream that my family members were so privileged to enjoy. To paraphrase Shakespeare: Alas, poor stream, I knew you well. Reproduced with permission from Trout Fisher, Issue 177

Alan Hobson's top five stillwater trout flies for South Africa Says Alan, who lives by good stillwaters and regularly guides on them: “Fly selection and fishing techniques are very season-bound for me as I am a firm believer in matching the hatch, listening to mother nature.” 1. Articulated HOT fly (Hobson’s Original Tadpole) is an imitation of the Platana tadpole, one of the most prolific food sources in our Eastern Cape waters all year round, abundant two weeks after any rainfall. Try and simulate their “wiggle and fall” movement.

2. Beastie Marabou Minky, using the tying technique of Bob Popovic, but using marabou with a mink collar, makes a fly with suicidal movement, a great searching pattern. 3. Kim’s Fury Libelle. I include foam in the body between the fury foam which allows the fly to float and then dive because of the big glass bead eyes. Dragonfly nymphs, specifically the aeshnidae can get very big, up to 8 cm, providing a huge source of protein in one bite. 4. Snail, always available to trout throughout the year. They have to come to the surface to replenish their oxygen, hence move up and down through the water column, providing an opportunity for dropper rigs, great to fish in tandem with bloodworm, water beetles and nymphs.

5. Thrift Chironomid, midges being prolific in our waters, all year round. It is about finding what level they are in the water.

(Alan and Annabelle Hobson, own The Angler and Antelope Guesthouse (above) in Somerset East, known for its unique Karoo-aspect fly fishing, its pub in an old church, comfortable accommodations, and Annabelle's cuisine.) Reproduced, with permission, from Tom Sutcliffe’s The Spirit of Fly Fishing June 2021 Newsletter

(Drain) Pipe Dreams by Jeff Gorringe (WWW.NZTROUTAPP.COM)



Reproduced with permission from the Author; see WWW.NZTROUTAPP; use promocode NZTROUTFLY21

Memories of Leigh Perkins, former President of Orvis by Tom Sutcliffe

Reproduced with permission from the author, published in The Mission magazine

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 • The gun is currently stored at my son’s house in Christchurch, but will be here in about a week. 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

Cam’s Tale …………………………………………..Cameron Reid I think I was about 4 years old when I caught my first trout. It was in the Cobb Reservoir, and we were fishing with worms, I was well and truly hooked!! I have now been trout fishing for nearly 50 years and the thrill of fooling and hooking a trout has still not worn off, I think that it’s the biggest thrill you can have with your trousers on. I was fortunate that my Dad, Blair Reid, was a trout fisherman, and when I was young we had many weekends away with close family friends up at the Cobb. We mostly fished with a worm, but there was always a rod or two set up for spinning too. I remember those trips as awesome fun, and sometimes they were very successful, with so many fish caught (and kept back then), that to take photos we had to string them up on broomsticks. My Dad started fly fishing when I was 5 or 6 and I was always keen to tag along, I’m sure there were days when I slowed Dad down, but I remember him being pleased that I wanted to go with him, and I got to play a lot of fish that he had hooked first. I can’t remember if it was my 8th or 9th birthday that I got my first fly rod, it was a Kilwell fibreglass rod, and I think it was a ‘Robin Hood’. Yes, I had dark hair once High Country Gold

Once I got to my teenage years, and became a bit more proficient with a fly rod, I got even keener. My best mate from school, Zane Mirfin, was also very keen, and we spent many days out with my Dad, with us learning and improving our fly fishing skills. I was fortunate having Zane as a great mate, as I also had an emerging passion to become a hunter, and Zane’s Dad Stuart is a very experienced and keen hunter. Zane and I spent just as many days with Stuart learning how to hunt, as we did with my Dad learning to fly fish. Once Zane and I got our drivers licences, the world was our lobster, and we started exploring more and more of the Nelson/Marlborough region. I can remember some awesome trips into the backcountry, we even had a few trips where things didn’t go quite to plan, and one hunting trip into the Branch ended up with us getting a helicopter trip out courtesy of the local Search and Rescue team. Another trip I remember was chasing trout on the same day as our School Certificate English exam, I’m sure that the exam was in the morning, otherwise we never would have got back in time for an afternoon exam…we got a couple of nice trout each too! Luckily once I got married, my wife is very understanding, and while maybe not actively encouraging me to get away and spend lots of time in the outdoors, she doesn’t put up any barriers either. I’m positive that this was helped because her father, Trevor Denton, was a hunter and fly fisherman too, and I spent many happy hours on rivers and chasing rabbits with my father-in-law. I don’t think there are many streams in Nelson/Marlborough that hold trout that I haven’t visited, and I have been fortunate to explore some other Fish and Game regions in the South Island. Favourite places outside our region are the Grey Valley, and Reefton on the West Coast, and the Waitaki Valley in the Central South Island region. Some of the most attractive scenery and places in our beautiful country are where there are rivers, streams and lakes, and exploring new areas is a great way to improve your skills. Golden Bay Kingi Rising River Monster Another great thing about trout fishing is the mates that you collect along the way! I get just as much pleasure watching and helping a mate, or young person starting out, to catch a fish as I do catching one myself. Likeminded people are always a pleasure to be around, and I enjoy annual trips to awesome places with mates like Turangi and the Tongariro River, Molesworth Station and Bowscale Tarn, and even the annual #4 weight day on the Motueka River. My favourite part of last year’s 10 day trip to Turangi was that every night we had extras around the dinner table, sharing our meals, and making new fishing friendships. Fly fishing has evolved a lot since I started, especially the technology that has gone into rods and reels. I think that modern mid-range rods are easily as good as the top of the range fly rods that were available in the 1970’s and 80’s. It is much more pleasant nowadays to cast all day with a modern graphite fly rod, than it was with a heavier fiberglass rod like when I started. The other thing that has changed is the choices of rods, back in my early days all you could get were #6/7 weight rods for smaller rivers and

streams, and #8/9 weights for larger rivers and lakes. Being able to get different weight and length rods has added a lot to the sport over the last 20 years. I have also dabbled a bit with saltwater fly fishing, and think it’s exciting that this form of fly fishing is opening up so many more opportunities to catch fish on a fly. I have travelled to Aitutaki in the Cook Islands a few times, to chase bonefish and trevally, and have even chased local yellow tail kingfish & kahawai in Golden Bay. Who knows what species we might be able to chase on fly in the future. I never thought I would ever own a #10 weight, and I may well purchase a #12 weight for my next salt fly trip (Christmas Island, though Covid has delayed this trip for the last couple of years ). Trout fishing, and fly fishing in particular has become my greatest passion (outside of my family of course…), and I enjoy collecting and using good gear, especially very well engineered fly reels. There may be some people who think I am an addict, and I do start getting the jitters when I haven’t been out for a while, and maybe I may own more than a ‘few’ fly rods and reels, but at least the cure for my addiction is to ‘just add water’! Very Happy! Cheers, Cam

Why fish are becoming addicted to illegal drugs By Matt Parker and Alex Ford Trout enjoy water that contains methamphetamine – could this lead to them loitering around sewage pipes? Around 269 million people worldwide use drugs each year. Often forgotten in this story is a problem of basic biology. What goes in must come out. Sewers are inundated with drugs that are excreted from the body, along with the broken down chemical components that have similar effects to the drugs themselves. Sewage treatment plants don’t filter these things out – they were never designed for it. A lot of sewage also finds its way into rivers and coastal waters untreated. Once in the environment, drugs and their byproducts can affect wildlife. In a recent study published in the Journal of Experimental Biology, researchers in the Czech Republic investigated how methamphetamine – a stimulant with a growing number of users worldwide – might be affecting wild brown trout. They examined whether concentrations of methamphetamine and one of its byproducts, amphetamine, which were estimated from other studies that have measured illicit drug concentrations in waterways, could be detected in the brains of brown trout. They also looked at whether these concentrations were enough to cause the animals to become addicted. The trout were exposed to the drug in large tanks over eight weeks and then put into withdrawal, going \"cold turkey\" in drug-free tanks for 10 days. During that time, the researchers tested the fish's preference for fresh water or water containing methamphetamine and compared this with the responses of fish that had never been exposed to the drug. Their findings were intriguing. The methamphetamine-exposed fish preferred the water containing the drug, while no such preference was shown for the untreated fish. The researchers also found that during their withdrawal period, the methamphetamine-exposed trout moved less. The researchers interpreted this as a sign of anxiety or stress – typical signs of drug withdrawal in humans. The brain chemistry of the exposed fish differed from the unexposed, too, with several changes in brain chemicals detected that correspond to what is seen in cases of human addiction. Even after the behavioural effects had waned after 10 days of withdrawal, these markers in the brain were still present. This suggests that methamphetamine exposure could have long-lasting effects, similar to what is seen in people. Why should we care if trout are becoming addicted to drugs? There are several reasons. If the trout are \"enjoying\" the drugs, as they appear to be in the recent study, they may be inclined to hang around pipes where effluent is discharged. Fish can behave similarly to what is seen in humans suffering from addiction, not only from this trial, but from several studies on different fish species. One of the hallmarks of drug addiction is a loss of interest in other activities – even those that are usually highly motivated, such as eating or reproducing. It's possible that the fish might start to change their natural behaviour, causing problems with their feeding, breeding and, ultimately, their survival. They may, for instance, be less likely to evade predators. Exposure to drugs not only affects the fish themselves, but their offspring. In fish, addiction can be inherited over several generations. This could have long-lasting implications for ecosystems, even if the problem was fixed now. This is not the first study to find illicit drugs in wildlife. In 2019, scientists in the UK reported cocaine in freshwater shrimp in all 15 rivers they sampled. Interestingly, they detected illicit drugs more often than some common pharmaceuticals. But the wider effects of those drugs remain largely unknown. There have, however, been comprehensive studies into the effects of pharmaceuticals in rivers.

Medicines do not fully break down in our bodies either and arrive at wastewater treatment plants in faeces and urine. Most are discharged with wastewater effluent, but some enter rivers by seeping from landfills or farm fields where human sewage is used as fertiliser. Wildlife living in rivers and coastal waters where effluent is discharged are exposed to cocktails of medicines, from painkillers to antidepressants. Caged fish downstream of some water treatment plants changed sex from male to female within a few weeks due to exposure to hormone-disrupting chemicals found in contraceptive pills. Recent studies have shown that antidepressants can cause a wide range of behavioural changes in aquatic organisms from aggression, attraction to light and increasing boldness. Drug addiction is a global health concern that can devastate communities, and tackling its environmental consequences will be expensive. One study has estimated it would cost over $50bn (£36bn) to upgrade wastewater treatment plants in England and Wales so that they can remove these chemicals. It might seem obvious that prescribed and illegal drugs designed to change behaviour in humans also change the behaviour of wildlife. But this problem is potentially far more widespread and complex. We don't even know if synthetic chemicals in everyday household products, such as cosmetics, clothes and cleaning agents, can affect the behaviour of people and other species. An international group of scientists has urged companies and regulating bodies to check their toxic effect on behaviour as part of risk assessments of new chemicals. If we want to get to grips with the amount of pharmaceuticals in our waterways, more should be done to improve filtration in sewage treatment plants, and to force water companies to take more responsibility for ensuring effluent doesn’t affect wildlife. Reproduced from the BBC: https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20210716-why-fish-are-becoming-addicted-to-illegal-drugs



Reproduced from New Zealand Outdoor, May 1952