Monthly Highlights
Below are photos and a story from the recent month's guided fly fishing trips.
February 2011
Birthday time of year for me and this year it coincided with the welcome return of Len, a regular client, who has had a bumpy ride recently with health issues. No problems this time (fishing is great therapy) and Len was back to his usual cheery self and, as always, I was looking forward to our 2 days together.
We started a little slowly as a howling wind made the first "target" difficult to reach but as we moved along, and were able to position ourselves correctly, perserverance started to pay off. At this time of year accuracy is very important so that first cast is always your best chance. No problems for Len and some nice fish found their way into the landing net in what turned out to be a wonderful day's fishing.
The next day the wind had dropped and the sun was still shining. Ideal for spotting. Again Len was on the money and after bagging some more nice brownies he finished off by nailing a very hard to get trout, one that has seen a lot of flies!
Key to success is the ability to spot trout and work out the appropriate fly and drift. It doesn't work every time but certainly stacks the odds in your favour. That uncertainty is, I think, what makes trout fishing so pulsating and keeps the adrenalin flowing.
Speaking of adrenalin, Len was very lucky to have missed the big Quake in Christchurch. He would normally have spent his last night down town but an afternoon departure enabled him to spend a bit more time fishing and driving straight to the airport.
If you wish to help the folk up there, be like me and make a donation to the NZ Red Cross earthquake appeal.
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| A lovely spotted brownie victim to Len's accuracy | Another fine fish on a beautiful windless day |
