A Rainy Day in April

Date: 26th Aril 2009

The Mission: Catch Fish

Participants: The A Team (Ben, Bobby & Jon)

April 25th was stinking hot – 40c or thereabouts, and you could have fried an egg on any flat stone on the riverbed. The threatened rain arrived overnight and on Sunday morning, we were eating breakfast to the overtures of an approaching thunderstorm.  Setting out in the gloom, with lightening and thunder going off all around, there was an air of trepidation apparent in the A Team. Heading for a destination 50 kms up-river, with the lower reaches already discoloured,  one just never knows whats in store…

Gearing up in the rain is never a good start to a day, but with the clear waters of the golden stream in sight, spirits soared! Rain coats first, then smelly wet wading boots…As all serious fishermen know – sometimes the best days are in the worst of weather – especially during the height of summer. The injection of cooler water, coupled with an increase in oxygen levels, usually stimulates a lot of activity.

Fish were soon snapping at #6 Royal Wulff and big cicada patterns, but either the rain ruined their take accuracy or they were just playing – the “hook-up to take” ratio was unusually low.

Actually, for a while there I’d made it hard on myself with the dropper having a half-hitch over the top fly – finally remembered to check the rig and things went much better after that! Bobby and Jon both hooked and lost a couple of very big fish apiece. Visibility was awkward – heavy rain in the morning gave way to brighter skies and a lot of glare in the afternoon.

The stream we were fishing offers a variety of challenges in different sections. That includes overhanging vegetation, no room for back-casts, waist-deep midstream wading etc. Some sections are fast and shallow, with steep banks on one side, gravel beaches on the other, and here are long, deep pools,flats, rapids and tail-outs. This presents some nice casting challenges, and every little piece of water is different – a typical delightful mountain stream. The 5 kilometres we fished consumed the entire day!

My best fish of the day was approx 2 kgs, feeding on the foam line in a fast, waist deep run. A big, bulging swirl at the Royal Wulff, a lift of the rod, and all hell broke loose. Having spent 50 years catching wild brown trout on the West Coast of the South Island, I’ve been connected to some seriously big, strong fish and I’m not easily impressed. Still, these Mahseer never cease to amaze me! The initial run is a blistering, knuckle-rattling rocket launch – straight for the nearest log or boulder cluster! If you survive getting the line onto the reel without a jam-up and subsequent bust-off, and then manage to turn the fish, you’re usually going to be fine. However, a 2 kg fish, stimulated by the threat of an experienced fly-fisherman armed with a #7 weight rod and 5kg tippet, is quite capable of executing a line break. Standing on the bank with the rod bent like a staple, fighting butt dug deeply into the hip and full side-strain applied to try and turn the fish from a log -  the Mahseer feels more like a marlin!

The big ones – 10kgs upwards – have thus far proven unmanageable. However, there’s nothing a fly-fisherman likes more than serious challenge… I’m thinking on it, and there’s still a few years of life left in me… Heavy rod, 16lb tapered leader and tippet… plus a generous allocation of luck – that could do it!

As the rains eased to a light drizzle, there was a significant caddis hatch! Switched to a #12 Elk Hair Caddis with immediate success – 4 fish in 4 casts! All in all, a superb day out for all of us! Few photos – to wet to drag my expensive camera out of the waterproof bag. Jon has some video to add later – he filmed for a few minutes from under a pink umbrella!