The following are a few tips to improve your fly fishing for trout in New Zealand. These are techniques that fishing guides use to help clients catch trophy trout here.
1. Slow down!
Generally, people are moving too fast up the river. New Zealand rivers often have low fish numbers, and they require careful stalking. Fishers often race through pools and holding water to get to the lucrative “eye” of the pool. In doing so many fish are missed in very catchable spots. Take your time to survey the water. Look for shapes that are around trout size (24 inches). Look for movement and look for unusual colour as well. Anything suspicious should be inspected carefully. Stand dead still and observe for at least two minutes. In that time is should have made a movement to feed. This will be most often a lateral movement to grab something drifting in the flow and then a return to the spot it’s been holding in. Standing still for long periods just observing the water is the best approach to this style of fishing.
2. Learn about what fish can and can’t see.
Trout have a “cone of vision”. They can see around a peripheral of about 270 degrees. There is a small wedge directly behind the fish that is a blind spot for them. Once you have moved out of that area, you are risking exposure. Coupled with this, the cone gets wider the higher up you are. If you are on a high bank standing next to a fish in water with a calm water, there is almost no way he hasn’t seen you. This does not mean it is impossible to be side on to a fish. Instead of being on the top of the bank, consider dropping down so that no part of your body is silhouetted against the sky. Move slowly in these instances. Better yet use cover if possible. Being behind a bush is the ultimate way to get into a close position to a fish. Crouching down so that you are below the fishes’ cone is a good technique for getting close also. Remember that the deeper the fish is sitting the more he can see above the water and almost immediately you end up in the fish’s cone without being in or around cover. The surface of the water plays a big part in how much the fish can see. Ideally the surface will be disturbed by ripples or wind. In smooth conditions fish are super hard to approach.
3. Dress for success.
Bold block colours like yellow, white and red should be avoided. These create a silhouette even when standing still in front of bankside vegetation. Try and keep colours subtle and as close to the natural colours that are present in the riverbed and surrounding hills. The best apparel in my opinion is camo. Breaking up as much of the block appearance as possible is very handy.
So, in summary these few things combined will give you move opportunities to put a fly in front of New Zealand trout. We walk long distances most days, why not catch more and do less walking? Learn to stalk trout effectively and shorten that walk at the end of the day.
Anton Donaldson
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