We’ve been around the island’s south west coast for a spell. With prolonged drought the fish have been sluggish. Te Anau got 3mm of rain the month of November. This is a prolonged period for an area that gets 8 meters of rain a year. The waters are warm, the fish a little sluggish at times, and many creek beds running dry. But, like all good trips, AJ & I have had some wonderful moments, some great surprises. We try to take them in stride, knowing one day is vastly different from the next. For example, this week we had the worst day of the trip – clouds clung to our side of the valley as the other side was clear sky and hot. We managed a fish or two each in tough sighting. If the cloud had shifted 2 miles, literally, we would have had heat and good sighting. And that would have been important as the rocks were covered with stonefly shucks. Add heat and the trout are on the egg laying stones. Keep it cold and the trout stay nymph focussed, hard to see, and browns sluggishly hugged to rocks and wood on the bottom. The very next day we were treated to the best day of the trip. We chose a valley new to us. It was supposed to have good fish stocks and be pretty. It did not disappoint. Though the main highway to Milford Sound runs its length and fresh footprints and a myriad of different boots ran up and down its banks, the day was spectacular. The sun filled the lupine lined valley as AJ & I caught browns and rainbows as though they were cutthroat. A wonderful first time experience on what is described as one of NZ’s premier trout waters. A must do for everyone, frankly. It’s heavily fished but if you focus on the right water, don’t worry about what others have or haven’t fished, or even whhen they fished it and just enjoy your time, this is a special river.
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