MY erstwhile globe-trotting friend, the Professor (aka Chris Paris), has been at his dastardly work again in trying to make me envious of another of his little fishing forays.
This time he has just reported on a three-week visit with four friends to New Zealand’s south island.
Normally I hardly react to such taunting as foreign trips, which often mean hot weather, foreign languages and dodgy food for a plain eater.
Unfortunately or fortunately, depending on who you side with, this particular trout-angling mecca has a climate very similar to our own; no language problems and as self-catering was the preferred option food selection was also a dawdle.
There must be a flaw somewhere. Obviously it must be too expensive. Well, actually the fishing and it has to be acknowledged as excellent cost the princely sum of $160NZ (approx £90).
Hiring two used Toyota Ravas betweeen five cost £300 per head and the accommodation about £20 each per night in backpackers or shearers lodges.
Between the five they landed over 200 fish including some Sockeye salmon and an escaped Chinook.
Better still most of the fish were taken on a dry fly with some on nymph and a dry fly nymph team and as it was the right season for Cicada’s nice big dry flies were the order of the day.
A mixture of lakes and rivers were fished including the Waihau, Clarence and Hurunui rivers.
A quick google of these rivers will show that they are hardly hard on the eye.
The Professor assures me that the best of the fishing is when you can spot individual trout and cast to them and thus nice summer days are an advantage.
He claims to have caught some 40 fish on this visit including 15 over 3lbs with the best rainbow coming in at around 4lbs and the two best browns at 5lbs 2ozs and 7lbs 4ozs.
The group started off at Hanmer Springs about 80 miles north of Christchurch before moving on to Flock Hill where Chris had his 7lb brownie, Kopara and Lake Brunner and finally Twizel.
It was here after a 16km hike and climb the equivalent of 59 stair cases (Iphones do not know the difference beteween stairs and hills) that Chris got his 5lb brownie at a secret location.
All of this group had fished in NZ before so guides were not taken on this occasion.
The guides are very good but they cost £300 to £500 per day. So be my reckoning some £1,000 should give you three weeks fishing in the world famous south island of the land of the long white cloud (Aotearoa).
Still it was such a shame to fly all that way and have someone mess up the picture of your best trout. There had to be a snag somewhere.
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Blow for IFI Prosecution
THE Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment has informed Inland Fisheries Ireland that following legal advice it has received IFI does not have explicit power to prosecute offences under the Fisheries Acts.
The Department has also advised that pending the enactment of amending legislation which is being progressed urgently, IFUI summonses for such offences currently before the Courts should, regrettably, not proceed.
IFI is further advised that cases that have already been finally disposed of by the Courts are not affected.
All current provisions and offences of the Inland Fisheries Acts continue in full force and effect.
The Department has advised that it is intended that amending provisions will be in place within a matter of weeks well within the statutory time-frame for the initiation of proceedings following the date of alleged offences. Consequently anyone who commits an alleged offence will still be liable to prosecution.
Fish Bites
First for Kylemore
FISHERY manager Nigel Rush was in touch to report that the first salmon of 2017 on the Dawros River (Kylemore Abbey Fishery) was caught on March 15 by Geoffrey Fitzjohn. The fish weighed 8.25lbs, and was caught in Tullywee Bridge Pool on a size 8 Black Shrimp.
Well done Geoffrey. It’s great to see the first Kylemore fish already, and hopefully this bodes well for a good spring run. Contact Nigel Rush for information on permits and availability at 00 353 (0)87 9580702 or email nigelrush@eircom.net
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Lough Melvin
CONDITIONS were fair for angling over the first half of the week but Friday and Saturday brought horrible conditions. Sunday, despite a poor forecast was a lovely day.
There were three salmon caught on the Lough this week. On Monday, Seamus O’Dare recorded two salmon weighing around 9½lb each caught trolling.
On Thursday, Rodney Benson reported an 11½lb salmon caught trolling.
There was a limited trout effort but one boat reported 11 trout caught on wet flies with four of these of a decent size with the best being a 1½lb Gillaroo.
The trout angling will to start to pick up well from now on but rods will still need to target the shallower inshore drifts. The Sonaghan will not move out to the deeps until the Daphnia and other plankton start to bloom which is at least a month away yet.
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River Drowes
WATER levels on the Drowes dropped nicely as the week progressed and by Thursday the gauge was at a lovely height of 0.65m.
However St Patrick’s Day brought heavy, persistent rain as did Saturday and the river rose rapidly.
At present the river is very high with the gauge reading 0.95m! There were four salmon caught over the week.
On Thursday, Eoin McManus recorded a 7½lb salmon caught on a Rapala from the Old Sea Pool and G. Morrow accounted for an 8lb salmon caught on prawn from Stoppage.
On Friday, J. Adamson reported a 10½lb salmon caught on a Cascade fly from Lennox’s Bridge and N. Barber accounted for a 9½lb salmon caught on a Willie Gunn fly from the Blackwater.
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Feale First
PADDY Halpin, from IFI Limerick reports from the banks of the River Feale in Listowel where anglers had to wait until Monday March 13 for the first fresh Salmon of 2017.
It was caught by Dan Moloney of Woodford, Listowel while spinning. The fish weighed 8lbs.
There have been a lot of anglers out since the opening day on the 1st of March but conditions were not good for most of the time, and when conditions were good all that was caught were a lot of spent fish – all very clean and in great condition.
