DRY-FLY FISHING IN WAIAU

Southland Times, Issue 23444, 26 February 1938, Page 15

DRY-FLY FISHING IN WAIAU

GOOD SPORT NEAR MOUTH OF RIVER

By

MATUKU

An angler who visited the Waiau near the mouth of the Wairaki on Saturday reports good sport with the dry fly. Thd Waiau river at and below the Wairaki mouth has been filled up with shingle and debris apparently brought down from the Wairaki during last years’ floods. This has filled up the good holding pools and the water below the Wairaki mouth seems to hold few fish. Just above the Wairaki there is an excellent- pool but it is only fishable from the west side of the river. At the top of this pool there is a long backwater and the angler will require to follow a sheep track through the scrub and around this backwater to reach the best fishing water. For about a couple of miles upstream from this backwater there are several good pools, easily accessible, and fishable from gravel beaches. On Saturday the wind was upstream favouring fishing with the dry fly. The fish generally feed along the edges out of the heavy current. Any trout that are found feeding rise confidently to the dry fly. On Saturday few fish were rising but two or three hours’ fishing yielded four trout, two browns and two rainbows, from 2Jlb to 4£lb in addition to two or three others which were lost. The red-tipped Governor No. 12 fished dry and a Mottram’s dark May-fly proved successful flies. The trout in this locality seldom see an artificial fly and will be found easier to rise and hook than in more accessible waters. The angler fortunate enough to get the trout on the feed in this locality should get a great bag. On Saturday practically as many rainbows as browns were got in this locality. The general experience is that the browns outnumber the rainbows by three or four to one. The Waiau is at an almost record low level and offers access to many pools that are usually unfishable. During the next month or six weeks the sea trout will be running up and good sport should be got on the Waiau river. The low water has operated against the successful fishing at the Waiau mouth. There has been no large run of smelts and consequently the usual large runs of sea trout have been absent. Anglers, however, are always optimistic and no doubt sooner or later there will be a big run of fish into the Waiau mouth. SALMON ON A 3X CAST In last week’s notes doubts were expressed whether it was possible to land an Atlantic salmon on a 3X cast. During the week-end Mr D. Cairns, biologist to the Marine Department, who is investigating the eel question in Southland, proved this possible by landing a 5 Jib salmon from the Waiau river almost under the Tuatapere bridge. This fish was spotted from the bridge and Mr Cairns proceeded to wade into the river above the bridge to fish for it with a large Dark Red Spinner on a cast tapered to 3X. In spite of low clear water and bright sunshine the salmon took the fly confidently and was hooked above the bridge almost under the piles. A gallery of interested spectators watched from the bridge. Fortunately for the angler the salmon elected to go upstream instead of down. Had it decided to go down it would inevitably have fouled the piles of the bridge and been lost. Mr Cairns was using a light rod with plenty of line and after about 20 or 25 minutes of very careful play the salmon was duly netted, placed on the scales and proved to weigh sJlb. Most anglers found fish difficult to catch over last week-end because of the hot weather and easterly wind. The streams continue to drop in volume and the fish are sluggish during the day. In the evening there is sometimes a short evening rise, but even then the trout seem difficult to catch. With the cooler weather during the next month no doubt fishing conditions will improve. SIZE OF FLY ROD In previous notes the advantage of fishing with fine tackle has been made clear. The following excerpt shows the advantages of a light rod and tackle and is reproduced as being of general interest: — “Most of us angle in heavily fished waters, where the game fish are wise, and each one a problem. We approach and cast for that fish with great caution, handle him very carefully and net him gratefully, for each battle is an event. Thus, the first requirement is tackle

that will raise that shy fish'. Holding and landing him is, for the moment, secondary. A too ponderous rod would, of course, hold your fish, granting the use of heavy terminal tackle to match its strength but a huge fly and heavy. leader, laid down as the big rod would do it, would never raise your super-shy trout of the hard-fished waters. It is impossible to lay down a hard and fast rule, since fishing waters, fish and methods are so different. Yet a flexible basis for the purpose of discussion may be permissible. “Certainly for ordinary stream trout up to a pound or two —or even three — an BJft rod, weighing from 4oz to 4Joz will serve the purpose. It will cast a lot of medium-weight line, and lay it down, with a light leader, far more delicately than would a heavier stick. And the resilient little rod will hook far more fish, at once transmitting to your wrist that “electric” thrill which indicates a strike. The pleasure of handling a fairly sizable trout on such a rod is immeasurably greater than if a

heavier one were used; and lost fish will be surprisingly few. “I think any experienced fisherman will agree to the axiom that more fish are lost by hard holding, which so often breaks the leader or tears out the hook, than by long runs which, of course, a good-sized fish would make on a light rod. And very often, too, your strike with the heavier rod will tear the hook out of his mouth. This is particularly true of “educated” trout which generally take the fly delicately, often hitting short, and which, if netted, will be found to have the hook barely in the edge of the mouth or lip. “Last year I did much experimenting on the Kern river, for fish were tplentiful and a dozen each day supplied our needs. A 9jft rod, of considerable power, was soon laid aside for a 9-footer which, in turn, was replaced by a 4|oz, 8-Jft tool. This little rod was less tiresome to use, sufficiently powerful to handle two and threepound rainbows in the swift waters, and

it would lay out enough HEH line even for that good-sized stream. Few trout, that were fairly hooked, were lost because of any lack of rod power, and the many fish of a pound weight provided most glorious battles. “In lake fly fishing, perhaps, a carefully cast fly is even of more importance than in the stream, for there is less water disturbance to mask fly and leader. Large trout, too, are probably more likely to be encountered. Certainly they will test the smaller rod, but with plenty of line on the reel you need have no fear of the big fellows long run. And the neatly handled fly on the light rod will very often bring many more rises.”