Clara (83) makes annual trip from Idaho to Queenstown to fish for trout

Press, 28 July 1987, Page 24

Clara (83) makes annual trip from Idaho to Queenstown to fish for trout

By

TONY ORMAN,

, of Wellington

Clara Speigel comes from Ketchum in Idaho.

Each year in February she flies from Ketchum to Queenstown and goes trout fishing with local guide Roy Moss. Clara is 83 years young, has been trout fishing for almost 50 years, and had hunted game birds and enjoyed the company of the colourful literary-outdoor sportsman legend, Ernest Hemingway.

What makes Clara Speigel run to New Zealand each February? Clara pauses briefly and then puts it down to several reasons, among them the beautiful country, the friendly, incomparably kind people, horse riding ("I just love it”) and trout fishing with Roy Moss on the mountain rivers flowing into Lake Wakatipu. Roy Moss ranks as top guide. “He is absolutely marvellous with a brilliant local knowledge,” she says. “He provides wonderful transport, lovely lunches, he is indefatigable for his clients and has a delightful sense of humour.”

It is the Queenstown area that Clara Speigel loves too. She says New Zealand’s space and the easily obtained solitude on rivers of the South Island enhances the splendid trout fishing. “I’m gregarious but I love solitude on the trout river,” she says. Roy Moss, a former Chief Superintendent with the Hong Kong Police, has been in New Zealand 10 years and guiding for nine. He learnt to flyfish as a boy in south Wales. He married a New Zealander and on trips to Dunedin got to know of New Zealand’s great trout rivers.

He rates Clara’s angling skills highly. “She’s a magnificent angler, very alert, great company, a highly intelligent lady with a true love of the outdoors. I confess she’s one of my favourite clients,” he says. Clara and Roy have an empathy. I ask her what fly patterns she favours. “I use whatever Roy ties on," she' says, such is her Unf&illng confidence in Roy’s trout-fishing

knowledge and judgment. Clara Speigel knew Ernest Hemingway well. “We hunted game birds together but never fished.”

What sort of person was Ernest Hemingway? I had to ask it, such as the tales of the colourful writer. “He wasn’t the breastbeating gorilla that people seemed to paint him as. He was kind, humorous, loyal and a delightful friend who I miss .greatly,” says Clara. Clara Speigel did hunt African big game. Trophies include sable antelope, warthog, impala, Cape buffalo, leopard, zebra, wildebeest, reed buck and many others. Her interest in hunting and friendship with Ernest Hemingway had its origins when Clara’s husband and Hemingway were ambulance drivers, together in World War One. She met Ernest in 1938.

What of Ernest’s reputation for being boisterous? Clara smiles.

“Ernest didn’t suffer fools gladly,” she explains. Clara Speigel finds trout fishing entrancing. "Once hooked, you’re hooked. I find fishing hypnotic. Casting, watching the flow of the stream, the visual beauties of the river valleys, the extremely serious and at times hysterically funny challenge of trying to our-think the trout.”

Clara releases all of the trout she catches. It’s satisfying to admire the beauty of the fish and then gently release it.

She doesn’t think in terms of fishing being a macho-male domain. She enjoys it so much there’s no question of her not going trout fishing. The same with hunting.

How about the blood sports angle? “I love the sports and I’m a conservationist,” she says. Clara says people have pre-conceived ideas about blood sports. She tells you of the woman visitor to her house who looked at her big game trophies and loudly criticised them and the hunting of the animals.

“She had a fur coat made from the protected species of the beautiful

cheetah. It was a double standard, but it never occurred to her,” says Clara. Clara Speigel is a conservationist with her trout fishing too. She says New Zealand needs “catch-and-release” on its top trophy trout rivers, especially the quality wilderness ones.

"You must educate the anglers that if they destroy the progenitors you destroy the resource of trout. Wild- bom trout are far preferable to hatchery bred fish.”

Clara Speigel, at 83, says her annual New Zealand Ivisit is a climax to the year. How at 83 does she retain her zest and energy?

“Attitude is everything. So is a sense of humour. You must learn to laugh at yourself. I just love helicopters and ski-ing from helicopters (you call it heli-skiing) is just great.”

Clara Speigel warns that New Zealand must carefully control its tourist development. She says she saw Africa change in just 12 years when the

tourists came in droves and ruined the quality. “In a game park you could stop and observe game. Now you are dodging the busloads of tourists. The crowds have destroyed the atmosphere and environment.”

Tourism is good business for a country, but associated development must be judicious. She sees New Zealand’s future in its unique lifestyle, its people and its space, allied of course with the variety of scenery.

“New Zealand could be ruined as a tourist destination if the jet-setters dominate,” she says.