Hamilton Anglers Club May 2012 - Christchurch Fishing and Casting ...

Newsletter
may 2012
Next Meeting: Monday 28th May
Waikato Sport Fishing clubrooms - Grantham St
Coffee and Mingle 7pm onward
Meeting starts 8pm

FRONT COVER - Nigel’s son Leo—posing with a fish. Not sure if Nigel or
Leo caught this one. Photo Nigel Juby
AND COMING UP ……….
Monday 28th May: AGM with Nigel Juby talking about his Tasmanian
fishing experiences.
Wed 30th May—Fly tying beginners class week 5
Monday 4th June—Committee meeting
6th June—Fly tying beginners class week 6
9th—11th June -Whanganui/Whakapapa trip
13th June—Fly tying beginners class week 7
20th June — Fly tying beginners class week 8
IN THIS ISSUE
Starts on page
FLYFISHING HELP PAGES ………………………………….. 5
CLUB NEWS ……………………………………………………… 8
ARTICLES (Conehead and Ross Vowles write) …………………. 16
FISHING THE EDGES …………………………………………… 21
SIGHTED FISHING (Photos) ……………………………………. 25
HAMILTON ANGLERS CLUB—PO Box 16092, Hamilton, 3245 — www.hac.org.nz 2

Hi Everyone
EDITORS PIECE
Interesting newsletter this month . Items from a number of club members . Good
on you for contributing—much appreciated and helps to fulfil my vision of a
newsletter with lots of content with the emphasis on input from our members.
Don’t be shy tell us about your experiences or theories. Trout fishing is full of
theories and who knows who is right. That’s typical of art rather than science and
Fly fishing is an art.
If you want to give me anything for the newsletter I will try and get it in the first
available newsletter.
The close off for each months newsletter is the 13th of each month. So to me by
13th and it should make that months newsletter.
I am still feeling a little uneasy for the poor fellow who won the Orange Blaster
last month. Just lived the dream and like they say “dance like no one is
watching” and then got nailed for it . Whatever happened to “what goes on tour
stays on tour”
Oh and by the way its Terry’s last “Presidents Piece” this month. Thanks for
doing a great job Terry!
Have a great read ! Craig
Hello,
PRESIDENTS PIECE
Well it is the AGM this month and after two years in the role as President it is
time for me to stand aside and let someone else take the rains. It has been a very
interesting and rewarding experience, one that I have enjoyed immensely.
The major thing that I have learnt from being President and which I don’t think a
lot of people appreciate is what a great club we actually have.
Belinda Thomas who was our guest speaker last month commented on how
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HAMILTON ANGLERS CLUB—PO Box 16092, Hamilton, 3245 — www.hac.org.nz 3

impressed she was with the club and that she really enjoyed talking to the
members, whom she thought were a lot of fun. I think that we should all be very
proud that our club is seen in such light.
Perceptions like that are in no small part due to the dedication and hard work that
those on the committee put in to their positions and the club. My role as
President has been made that much easier by the efforts that the committee
members have put in for which I owe each one a big thank you.
Thankfully all bar one of the committee members have agreed to stay on for
another year. Sadly, due to other commitments Kevin Elliot (Secretary) will be
stepping down from the committee.
Finally, hopefully I have left the club in slightly better shape than when I took on
the role as President two years ago which in the end is all one can hope for.
Membership fees are now due. The fees are the same as last year, $40 for an
individual and $45 for a family. We will be set up to accept payment and issue
you with a 2012/13 member ship card from the March meeting onwards. We
have provided you with plenty of notice that the membership fee is due. Those
that have not paid the fee by the end of May will be removed from the clubs
database and no longer considered a member of the club.
Please remember that when you are
filling out the membership form to
make your writing legible, just because
you can read it doesn’t mean that
somebody else can.
Also the main way the club
communicates with you the members is
via e-mail so if you have an e-mail
address, then please let us know what it
is.
The Stephens trip to the Whanganui/
Whakapapa Rivers is full I am afraid
but Don is running a trip to fish the
Rotorua lakes in June, details of which
are in this magazine so if you are
interested in the trip talk to him about it
HAMILTON ANGLERS CLUB—PO Box 16092, Hamilton, 3245 — www.hac.org.nz 4

at the next club meeting.
Finally our guest speaker this month is Nigel Juby. He will be talking about the
fishing opportunities in Tasmania, Australia, taking us through the areas that he
fished when he was over there for the Commonwealth Fly Fishing Champs.
Any way that is enough from me, I look forward to catching up with you all at
the April meeting.
Terry
QUOTE OF THE MONTH
"Calling Fly Fishing a hobby is like calling Brain Surgery a job."
FLYFISHING HELP PAGES
FLY OF THE MONTH—Derek Burtenshaw
When the editor asked me to highlight a fly that I am using more regularly
these days, I had to think long and hard about what I enjoy tying, what stands
out in the fly box, and obviously what catches the odd trout or two.
The ‘Copper John’ is the most popular nymph pattern in the USA, as the ‘Hare
and Copper’ is here in NZ. As per normal these flies become a ‘basic’ tie and
variations come thick and fast. So it is with the ‘Copper John’ and the inclusion
of modern rubber legs seems to be a ‘must’ with a lot of flies these days. Again
the colour variations are immense by varying the colour of the bead, the colour
of the wire and the colour of the rubber legs. Be adventurous!
Your imagination can run wild here, but work around the other materials in the
dressing and use these as a standard.
Hook: A curved grubber hook, size 14 to 8 – such as Black
Magic “G”
Thread: A flat thread such as Danville’s 70 denier - - do
not use the oval uni thread. Reason being that the thread
layer must be smooth with no lumps so as to get a good
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HAMILTON ANGLERS CLUB—PO Box 16092, Hamilton, 3245 — www.hac.org.nz 5

effect when binding down the wires. Try both threads and you will soon see what
I mean. Black or brown colour is fine.
Bead: Your discretion for colour and size of bead is
relative to the hook size.
Lead: Size dependant on the size of hook, but run it about
half way along the top part of the hook and push it hard into
the countersink of the bead – a drop of super glue is a bonus here to stop it
rotating.
Tail: Brown goose biots – I sometimes use black. Use cock hackle fibres for the
smaller sizes if you want to.
Abdomen: 2 strands of Ultra wire; your discretion on the colours and you can
also vary the thicknesses using alternate medium and small to produce the
variegated effect.
Wingcase: Always the same: tie in first the thin strand of flashabou, then the
brown (or black) thinskin. When the material is pulled back over the thorax, then
the thinskin goes down first with the flashabou on top.
Thorax: Always use Arizona Synthetic Peacock Dubbing if you can. It’s a
marvelous material that is simple to dub and transmits a great
luster under the water – peacock herl was used in the original
dressing, but it is very fragile and not as ‘buggy’ looking!
Rubber Legs: Your discretion with the colour and thickness.
Hackle: A mottled brown hen hackle is requested in the original but any ‘soft’
hackle that omits movement will be great. I even leave this out of the dressing on
the smaller nymphs as it gets a little ‘crammed’ behind the bead.
Coating: This fly has always called for 5 minute epoxy to be run over the top of
the wingcase. It allows the flashabou to shine, protects the wingcase and gives
added weight to the fly. Tie up a bunch of these flies first, and then apply the
epoxy; but only a little. Stick the flies into foam to dry overnight.
What does the fly represent Like the original ‘Copper John’ it covers a
multitude of insects, but it’s the movement and weight in the dressing that’s the
killer. Use this fly in conjunction with a smaller nymph, even a small streamer
pattern. The inventor of this pattern, John Barr, has produced this superb book
and I recommend it to everyone.
HAMILTON ANGLERS CLUB—PO Box 16092, Hamilton, 3245 — www.hac.org.nz 6

The finished fly - - - - - - - go tie some up.
FLY TYING TIPS
IS THERE A BETTER WAY OF TYING A ‘BEARD’ HACKLE
A beard hackle is often requested in a fly dressing and to be honest it is a
difficult task to perform neatly without a rotary vise. A simple and effective
method is to tie the throat hackle in ‘Defeo’style, named after the Charles DeFeo,
the well-respected fly tyer. I always put the throat hackle on before the wing.
This creates less bulk and makes for a far neater finish to the head of the fly.
Select a feather where the barbs are of equal length on both sides
of the stem. A partridge hackle or cock/hen hackle is often
requested in the dressings. The feather stem is snipped to remove
the tip of the feather, creating a V-shape feather.
Strip away the lower barbs on the feather stem to adjust for the final fullness of
the beard (throat hackle).
Position the feather under the fly with the hackle stem running through the hook
eye, with the separate sides of the feather on opposite-sides of thread hanging
beneath the hook. Put 2 or 3 wraps of thread over the feather stem with moderate
tension. Some feathers have a natural curve, so correct position of the barbs is
important. Adjust the length of the throat hackle by pulling on the stem carefully
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HAMILTON ANGLERS CLUB—PO Box 16092, Hamilton, 3245 — www.hac.org.nz 7

through the eye, before pinching the feather on both sides of
the hook and securing the hackle.
After you have completed the final positioning, do additional
tight thread wraps to secure. Secure with a half hitch, and then
remove any excess material. You are then ready to tie in your wing/eyes, etc.
It is far easier to use this method on smaller flies, as the stem of the feather is
thinner and easier to pull through the eye. A lot of ‘slim’ wet fly/nymph
dressings ask for a throat hackle and it’s often a ‘curse’ to tie in.
Holding the throat hackle in place while trying to position and secure it is
difficult and often untidy. The ‘DeFeo’ style
is a good solution to tying in a beard hackle.
It creates a slim profile and less bulk to the
head of the fly.
Try it out next time.
Derek
Meeting casts
CLUB NEWS
Belinda Thomas, by all accounts, gave a great talk and answered plenty of
questions. Thanks Belinda for a most informative talk.
Committee News
Due to a fall off in numbers currently, the fly fying nights have ceased for a
short while. The plan is to restart them prior to the start of the new season.
Watch this space!!
New members
Welcome to
Malcolm Cowie
Warren Semmens
Welcome and hope your association with the club is long and rewarding
HAMILTON ANGLERS CLUB—PO Box 16092, Hamilton, 3245 — www.hac.org.nz 8

Video Review
DVD review – “Anatomy of a trout stream” Rick Hafele . Reviewed by Nigel
Aah 1984. Ronald Reagan, David Lange, the cold war. When real men wore
rubber waders and women wore legwarmers. While I was mostly interested in
the anatomy of girls, Rick Hafele and Dave Hughes were making “the anatomy
of a trout stream”.
Apart from giving a glimpse into what fly fishing was like almost 30 years ago –
not really different from today, this DVD is a good general introduction into
HAMILTON ANGLERS CLUB—PO Box 16092, Hamilton, 3245 — www.hac.org.nz 9

eading water. It looks at riffles, glides (flats), runs and pools and talks about
ways to fish each in turn. I was surprised at how modern the techniques seemed.
Emerger fishing, high sticking and short line nymphing are all shown. As with
many American productions there is more down stream fishing of dries and
nymphs than we use but the methods are still contemporary.
As for the insects, I don’t suppose that they have changed much in the last 30
years. We are shown different stages of caddis, mayfly and stonefly and some of
the trout flies that represent them.
In summary, this DVD is informative and relevant to NZ conditions. The dated
nature of the presentation is entertaining and the DVD is well worth watching.
As Rick says, “gaawlee I got a good one here”.
This DVD and many others are available from the club library. Just see Derek
before the next meeting.
NZ FFA / NZFG news
I was just looking, once again, at the NZFFA website . Had a look at the forum. A
recent topic was trout farming, not a lot of replies when someone raised the
issue. But interestingly a number of them seemed not at all unhappy with the
prospect of trout farming in NZ .
What are the issues Well poaching and disease, seem the main issues, and pretty
big issues. Even now poaching is rife in some places, so selling trout can only
make that worse. Just look at the Paua poaching that goes on. I can’t really see
why they have to farm trout. Seems to me its just seen as another opportunity
that hasn’t been tried by business, but at the end of the day it isn’t going to be a
great export earner and I would think the market as fairly limited with plenty of
better eating fish available . So we put a great tourist and recreational resource at
risk for that—Not worth it!! Just leave well enough alone. What do club
members think of trout farming Are you too feeling less anti it, that you once
were Write in and let us know..
Environmental News
The freshwater oxygen weed Lagarosiphon major has recently been found in
Lake Kuratau. This is a disappointing find. Lake Kuratau was the last easily
accessible Central North island lake to have remained free of all freshwater plant
HAMILTON ANGLERS CLUB—PO Box 16092, Hamilton, 3245 — www.hac.org.nz 10

pests. Not any more.
Lake Kuratau is a hydro lake owned by King Country Energy Ltd. It is an
exciting “wilderness” fishery. The fish in Lake Kuratau are numerous but they do
not usually reach the size or condition of those in Lake Taupo or Lake
Otamangakau.
Lagarosiphon major is an aggressive South African. It was once sold here as
oxygen weed for fish tanks. It is listed in the 2008 National Pest Plant Accord
(NPPA). It is now banned from sale, propagation and distribution in New
Zealand.
Lagarosiphon major grows up to 4m tall. It does not seed in NZ but it reproduces
vegetatively from stem fragments. It prefers clear, still or slow-moving, low
fertility freshwater. It forms dense floating mats. It can block light penetration
into waterways, eliminating growth of native plants and affect associated aquatic
life. Entanglement in it is a threat to swimmers and boats. It is a significant
nuisance to hydro power generators.
The Lake Kuratau infestation was recently investigated by DOC. 39 small
Lagarosiphon major plants were found, with the largest growing over a 25m 2
area. There is a good chance it can be eradicated, but not without considerable of
effort.
Human action (or inaction) is the most likely cause of the spread of
Lagarosiphon major into Lake Kuratau.
The infestation has occurred despite best efforts to educate freshwater users of
the importance to Check Clean Dry boats, trailers, motors and gear when
moving between l waterways.
(Continued on page 12)
HAMILTON ANGLERS CLUB—PO Box 16092, Hamilton, 3245 — www.hac.org.nz 11

King Country Energy are probably equally disappointed to see Lagarosiphon
major arrive in Lake Kuratau. Let’s hope they deal to it before it gets out of
hand.
To find out more about Lagarosiphon major go to:
http://www.issg.org/database/species/ecology.aspsi=403
http://scholar.google.co.nz/scholar
q=effects+of+lagarosiphon&hl=en&as_sdt=0&as_vis=1&oi=scholart&sa=X&ei
=M_eqT-63LOaOiAfm1YjACA&ved=0CBgQgQMwAA
Zeno
AGENDA FOR THE HAMILTON ANGLERS CLUB INC.
AGM - 2012
LOCATION: WAIKATO BOATING AND SPORTS FISHING CLUBROOMS,
GRANTHAM STREET, HAMILTON
DATE: MONDAY, 28th MAY, 2012
7.00PM: Doors to the club room open. The kitchen will be open during this time,
library open, etc.
8.00PM: MAY MEETING
8.30PM Guest Speaker Nigel Juby will be talking about the fishing opportunities in
Tasmania, Australia.
8.50PM approx. - - - - AGM
1. APOLOGIES
2. MINUTES OF THE 2011 AGM
3. MATTERS ARISING
4. PRESIDENT'S REPORT
5. TREASURER'S REPORT
6. ELECTION OF CLUB OFFICERS
7. GENERAL BUSINESS
HAMILTON ANGLERS CLUB—PO Box 16092, Hamilton, 3245 — www.hac.org.nz 12

9.15PM appox. - - - - - HAC ANNUAL AWARD PRESENTATIONS
GAMIN CUP – Largest Trout for the 2011/2012 year.
HASAC CUP – Casting Distance Competition.
HASAC PLATE – Casting Accuracy Competition.
WINTER TRIP TROPHY - Largest Trout taken on the Trip.
SUMMER TRIP TROPHY - Largest Trout taken on the Trip.
JUNIOR ANGLERS – Heaviest trout for the 2011/2012 year.
CLUB CHAMPIONSHIP SHIELD – Annual competition for the trip prize winners.
LITERARY AWARD – Best article in the club magazine for the year.
BEST CONTRIBUTION TO THE CLUB AWARD – Recognition for outstanding
work
PHOTO COMPETITION – Best photo for the year 1st 2 nd 3 rd
ORANGE BLASTER AWARD – Funniest mishap that occurred throughout the year.
Terry Goupillot (President)
Turangi’s accommodation for serious
fly fishermen!
15 Taupahi Road, Turangi
Inexpensive, quiet riverside accommodation
Nine comfortable rooms with own ensuites
Large shared kitchen/dining room with all facilities and utensils
TV lounge with open fire and sun deck
Drying room and fish cleaning facilities
Free WiFi throughout Lodge
Self contained cottage for that private hideaway. Easy access to the river
For reservations call Doug or Betty on 0800 366 206.
HAMILTON ANGLERS CLUB—PO Box 16092, Hamilton, 3245 — www.hac.org.nz 13

HAMILTON ANGLERS FUTURE TRIP
CALENDAR
Dates Where Organiser Staying at
9th - 11th
June
Whakapapa/
Whanganui
Stephen
Martin
Taumaranui
camp grd
How Avail.
Many Places
Cost or
approx
10 0
June Rotorua Lakes Don McLeod 12 12 $70
July
20/21st
3-5th
August
August
September
November
Waitahanui/
Hinemiaia
Tongariro
Beginners trip
Tauranga Taupo
Tongariro winter
Trophy
Aniwhenua
Terry
Goupillot
Craig
Fredericks
Terry
Goupillot
John
Davidson
Derek
Burtenshaw
Windsor
Lodge
Sportsmans
Lodge
12 12 $110
6 5 $72
Kereru Lodge $100
Sportsmans
Lodge
Ryders
Approx
20
$77
20 $65
Fishing Trips
ROTORUA ORIENTATION FLY FISHING TRIP
22 ND – 24 TH JUNE 2012....... $70 per person
A reservation has been made at the WILLOW HAVEN HOLIDAY PARK in their
CHALETS for the Friday & Saturday nights. The trip is limited to 12 people.
A total of $70.00 per person includes the meal on Saturday night.
All other meals are up to the individual.
LINEN is supplied your only requirement is to bring your own TOWELS
If enough interest is shown I would be prepared to try and arrange a visit to the
KILWELL FISHING MUSEUM on the Friday afternoon followed by a visit to
the Rotorua Fly Fishing Club social hours 5pm – 8 pm
HAMILTON ANGLERS CLUB—PO Box 16092, Hamilton, 3245 — www.hac.org.nz 14

The trip on Saturday consists of SHORELINE familiarisation of FLY FISHING
locations on ROTORUA – ROTOITI – (Okataina time permitting) – Okareka –
Tarawera and the Blue Lake.
Early confirmation to trip co-ordinator Don McLeod 07 8897437 / M.
0212080283 will ensure your place followed by full payment on Club night
28 th May please.
————————————————————————————————--
TONGARIRO BEGINNERS TRIP
Beginners trip to the Tongariro River! 3-5th August
Are you
New to fly fishing but have fished a bit (and can cast reasonably well) and
now want to experience this seemingly daunting river.
Fished the great river but have had limited or no success, and now want to
improve your approach.
Then put your name down for this trip! We will meet on Friday. On Friday night
Marcel from Riverways Store will come and tell us about approach and gear (he
will have flies and line available). On Saturday and Sunday there will be one on
one fishing time with experienced Tongariro fishermen .
Subject to reasonable interest—I have pencilled in Sportsmans Lodge for 3/4th
August.
Let me know if you are interested craig.fredericks@clear.net.nz or 021 1244113
This is still a great river to fish, a fishing mecca , great history , plenty of variety,
incredible scenery and plenty of fish! despite some difficulties now. All reports
are indicating a better year than last year.
HAMILTON ANGLERS CLUB—PO Box 16092, Hamilton, 3245 — www.hac.org.nz 15

ORANGE BLASTER— Some poor bugger won the award for
enjoying himself . Fun police strike again!!
Trout of the Month
Month Name Weight
Rainbow
or Brown
Where Caught
May-11 John Storck 6.61b Rainbow Lake Okataina
Jun-11 Don Mcleod 6 lb 9oz Rainbow Lake Rotoiti
Jul-11 John Storck 3 lb 1oz Rainbow Blue Lake
Aug-11 Nigel Juby 6 lb Brown Lake Maraetai
Sep-11 Craig Fredericks 3 lb Rainbow Tongariro RIver
Oct-11 Ken Collier 6 lb Brown Waihora Stream Mouth
Nov-11
Jan-12 John Spence 5lb Rainbow Lake Arapuni
Feb-12 7lb Brown Ngongataha
Mar-12 Ross Vowles 8.25lb Rainbow Pokaiwhenua
Apr-12 Rick Bradley 6.5lb Rainbow Tongariro RIver
ARTICLES
Out there with Conehead
Converting hookups to landed fish is something that many anglers struggle with.
While we might go fishing for the solitude, the scenery, the company, the fresh
air, without actually landing a fish, it is really just an expensive, damp walk in
ridiculous clothing.
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A few weeks ago, I was in the South Island holidaying with the family. To get
wifely permission to fish, I always take eIther a 6 or 8 year old, sometimes both,
out with me fishing. To keep the kids interested, every time I hooked a fish I
passed the rod over for one of them to play and land. So, I'd get a take, strike and
wind the slack line onto the reel before passing the rod over. The fishing was
good and over 10 hours of fishing I hooked 24 trout. Of these, I lost 2 as I got the
line under control for the kids. Once I passed the rod over, the children only lost
two further fish. We were mainly fishing small streams with dry flies and I
usually jumped in front of the fish to prevent them from heading downstream.
My point is that if fish are well hooked and they don't get too much line out, they
are very easy to land. In this case, a long rod (10' 4wt), sedate currents and
browns rather than rainbows did help. However, we were fishing fine barbless
hooks and small flies (mostly 16 but some 14) and mainly 3lb tippet. Half of the
fish were small (30 - 35cm) but there were 4 fish over 4lb.
There are three stages to a fight. The hookup, the fight, the landing. All of these
need to be done correctly to successfully land a fish.
Good hook sets are essential. For nymphs, this comes down to speed. You need
to be able to detect takes quickly and react fast. With dries, I am more sedate. I've
been told that poorly hooked fish are often lost within 5 seconds of hooking them
and I tend to agree with this. One way to see how fast your nymphing strike is is
to see where you have hooked the fish. If you are fast you will hook most fish in
the front of the mouth on the top jaw. Hooking in the corner of the mouth is less
reliable (particularly with barbless hooks) and is frequently a sign of poor
contact. Side striking often helps with hookups and sets the fish up for the fight.
When playing the fish I have 3 rules
1. Keep the rod butt at 90 degrees to the fish (whether the rod is pointing
vertically or horizontally).
2. Keep the rod bent - don't allow any slack line but still let fish run.
3. Stay as close to the fish as you can.
Just following these rules will allow you to put the relentless pressure on fish
which will allow you to land them quickly. If the fish pulls too hard, the rod will
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HAMILTON ANGLERS CLUB—PO Box 16092, Hamilton, 3245 — www.hac.org.nz 17

drop and you have to release line to return it to the 90 degree position. If the fish
moves towards you the rod will move back and you need to wind line in to pull
the rod forward to the 90 degree angle. It I important to emphasise that the rod
butt can be kept at right angles to the fish when held horizontally as well as
vertically. I apply a lot of side strain to fish to stop them running
I mostly see people lose fish when they point their rod at the fish. The third rule
is keep the fish on as short a line as possible. Hooking them close helps as does
staying downstream of the fish. Most of my river fish remain within 3 - 4 rod
lengths for the whole fight. I try to fish a short line, strike sideways and then use
side strain to stop them running. I'll also chase them as much as I can to stay
close. Brownies in particular can usually be brought within a couple of rod
lengths quickly but often take longer to net than rainbows. Rainbows take longer
to bring close but can usually be set up for netting easily.
While We were fishing in the south island, my 6 year old was determined to
catch a brownie by himself - cast, hook and land the fish . We spent a fair
amount of time on this. He had six takes that I saw. Of these, he hooked five fish
but didn't land a single one of them. The difference between landing 80% of fish
when I hooked them and none when he hooked them was partially luck, partially
his shorter rod but mainly a combination of poorly hooked fish and slack line
early on in the fight.
Netting fish is a skill that takes practice. Fish under a couple of pounds can
usually be skated across the surface - get them on less than a rod length of line,
point the rod more towards the fish - maybe 45 degrees (this is the only time I do
this), lift their heads and when the head is above the surface just lift your rod and
slide them across the surface. This works with surprisingly big fish.
I try to remain downstream of bigger fish at all times if there is any significant
current. To land them I try and find some quieter water, get them within a rod
length and upstream of me and lift. Often they will wallow on the surface as they
drift downstream and you can get the net under them. I try not to loom over the
fish and usually kneel down to net good fish.
As I usually fish solo with a 10 foot 4 weight rod, I have trouble netting really
good fish and sometimes resort to beaching them if a suitable area exists. It is
certainly handy to have a fishing companion when you hook a big fish,
HAMILTON ANGLERS CLUB—PO Box 16092, Hamilton, 3245 — www.hac.org.nz 18

especially if the current is strong. However, this is always a great problem to
have.
While this is a somewhat simplified introduction to playing and landing fish, the
rules are applicable most of the time.
Try them!
What about fishing local by Ross Vowles
Fly fishing to me has always been about fishing the bigger rivers like the
Mokaha, Whakapapa or fishing around Lake Taupo. These rivers can produce
some great fish. But if you have some of the same luck as I do it’s often no fish
at all. Travel times to these areas are often anything from 2 – 3 ½ hours.
I have started fishing the Pokaiwhenua River and I have decided that I have been
having some of my best fishing ever.
It all started with Craig Frederick’s photo competion in our monthly magazine. I
was runner up and Craig kindly gave me some size 16 Pheasant tail nymphs. On
my first trip to the Pokaiwhenua, I caught both rainbow and brownies although
these were in the 2lb range they were still great fun.
My second trip turned out rather different. I had been told about the logs in the
river that moved up stream on closer inspection. I had been fishing for about 1
½ hours and decided to go further downstream and fish back to the car. The pool
I spotted was nice and open and easy to cast. The first drift down nothing, cast
up again second drift nothing bugger!!No there’s got to be fish in there. 3 rd still
no takes. On the 5 th the indicator moved sideways I struck and off it went
upstream taking all my fly line out she did this twice. On the 3 rd run she was
closer and I could see a beautiful rainbow hen the biggest fish I had ever caught.
I wondered if the 5 weight sage was going to hold up after all it was only 6lb
nylon and this was clearly a big fish.
The Pokaiwhenua fish do have a muddy taste to them something I have not
encountered before.
The hen had taken my fly right down so after netting her I cut the nylon and
(Continued on page 21)
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HAMILTON ANGLERS CLUB—PO Box 16092, Hamilton, 3245 — www.hac.org.nz 20

eleased it back. She was just over the 8lb mark on the net scales. It was 5.30
pm and I was buzzing with excitement a great day fishing although somewhat
disappointed not having my camera with me. I suppose they call that Murphy’s
Law
My 3 rd trip was Sunday was Sunday of the V8s. The weather was magic so off I
went back to the Pokaiwhenua. I have got to know the river better and went
straight to the lolly water and wondered if that nice fish might still be there.
After what seemed a short time I looked back to where I had started fishing for
the day and had only gone a total of 50 meters. I had hooked up 7 fish and
landed 5 from 2 – 4 lb. the heaviest being a brownie. I could not help but think I
fished the Waitahanui all weekend and came up zip. Here I have had an hour of
such great fun and I had only just got going. It took me 45 minutes to get here
and only a squirt from the fuel tank.
Why don’t you try it What about fishing local.
Hell hath no fury……
FISHING THE EDGES
Did you hear about the Guy who split up with his girlfriend . Seems he went to
Australia and left her—maybe before they split up with the gps coordinates of all
his ttop BOP fishing spots. Well when things went wrong she put the coordinates
on trademe and sold them all. Now that’s nasty—Definitely a true story—just
couldn’t find what $ she got for them.
What’s the world record for Steelhead Trout.
When I was figuring out the world records for trout last month I was interested
to see that there was no Steelhead record—until I found there was no genetic
difference between Rainbow and Steelhead trout. Just that one runs to sea and
one doesn’t but the there were other anomalies so I asked club member Jeff
Grass about it all. Here’s Jeffs Reply—very interesting.
(Continued on page 22)
HAMILTON ANGLERS CLUB—PO Box 16092, Hamilton, 3245 — www.hac.org.nz 21

Hi Craig,
Good questions. As you'll see from the wikipedia article link below, steelhead
and rainbow are the same species. And in Paciifc coast rivers where there native
steelhead runs AND resident adult rainbow trout, scientists have been unable to
discern any genetic differences, or any way to predict whether or why a given
juvenile rainbow stays home or goes to sea. The most commonly mentioned
source for NZ rainbow trout is the McCloud River in N. California (there were
actually several sources at different times, I believe), which had both resident
rainbows and native steelhead at the time the eggs were shipped to NZ (before
dam construction wiped out the SH runs). So probably some NZ rainbows came
from eggs spawned by steelhead and some from eggs spawned by resident
rainbows. That said, if you show a photo of winter-run Tongariro rainbow to any
veteran steelheader, he'll tell you it looks just like a SH.
No …. Not the Tongariro river
The traditional definition of a SH (used by Wikipedia, and others) is a rainbow
that has gone to sea and returned to freshwater. But this has been muddied by the
introduction into the Great Lakes on the Canada/US border and the Finger Lakes
in New York of rainbow trout sourced at least partly from hatcheries in
Washington and Oregon that produce hatchery-bred Skamania River steelhead.
As you'll see from the second link, fisheries scientists seem to still consider
these Rainbow Trout, while most anglers call them Steelhead. I believe that the
HAMILTON ANGLERS CLUB—PO Box 16092, Hamilton, 3245 — www.hac.org.nz 22

IGFA keeps separate records for Rainbow Trout and Steelhead (you can check
that, I'm sure), and I suspect (but don't know for sure) that they don't consider the
strictly freshwater fish to be steelhead, and therefore must only consider SH
caught from rivers with access to the sea for record purposes.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rainbow_trout
http://www.michigan.gov/dnr/0,4570,7-153-10364_18958-45692--,00.html
We steelheaders from the Pacific NW consider only sea-run fish to be real SH,
and sneer at the Great Lakes imposters, of course.
tight lines,
Jeff
Fishing Joke
Four guys have been going to the same fishing trip for many years. Two days
before the group is to leave, Ron's wife puts her foot down and tells him he isn't
going.
Ron's mates are very upset that he can't go, but what can they do. Two days later
the three get to the camping site only to find Ron sitting there with a tent set up,
Firewood gathered, and dinner cooking on the fire. "Shit Ron, how long you
been here, and how did you talk your missus into letting you go"
"Well, I've been here since yesterday. Yesterday evening, I was sitting in my
chair and my wife Came up behind me and put her hands over my eyes and said,
'Guess who' I pulled her hands off, and she was wearing a brand new nightie.
She took my hand and pulled me to our bedroom.. The room had candles and
rose petals all over. On the bed she had handcuffs, and ropes! She told me to
tie and cuff her to the bed, and I did. And then she said, "Do whatever you
want." ……… So, Here I am.
HAMILTON ANGLERS CLUB—PO Box 16092, Hamilton, 3245 — www.hac.org.nz 23

Switch (Big river spey casting) rods now on
special! Were $499 now $ $299 That’s
unbelievable!!
While you are picking up a Switch Rod , why not check
out all our gear for winter fishing . Waders , Boots and
Flies …. that catch trout, not fishermen.
NOW OPEN SUNDAYS
W A I K AT O H U N T I N G & F I S H I N G
417 Te Rapa Road Hamilton Ph 07 849 0297
HAMILTON ANGLERS CLUB—PO Box 16092, Hamilton, 3245 — www.hac.org.nz 24

SIGHT FISHING
Your photos published here—email craig.fredericks@clear.net.nz
HAMILTON ANGLERS CLUB—PO Box 16092, Hamilton, 3245 — www.hac.org.nz 25

CLUB OFFICIALS
Patron
Sallie Speirs
President Terry Goupillot 07 853 7823 tgoupillot@gmail.com
Vice President: Kane Steward 07 838 8633 kane.steward@gmail.com
Secretary: Kevin Elliot 07 8439920 kevinelliott@xtra.co.nz
Treasurer:
Bruce Winders
Trip Co-ordinator: Kane Steward
07 838 8633 kane.steward@gmail.com
Editor: Craig Fredericks 07 856 2152 craig.fredericks@clear.net.nz
Lodge
Administrator:
John Spence 07 8717711
Lodge
Administrator:
Environmental
Officer:
Committee rep.
Committee rep.
Committee rep.
Committee rep.
Glenn Streeter 021 0771574
Paul Hardy
Derek Burtenshaw 07 856 8109 djburt@xtra.co.nz
Jo Sanderson
Stephen Martin
Nigel Juby
NON COMMITTEE POSITIONS
Web Master
Reviewer
Librarian
Kane Steward
Nathan Campbell
Derek Burtenshaw supported by John Stork
LIFE Stephen Martin Sallie Speirs Bert Robinson
MEMBERS
Vince Gabelich Derek Burtenshaw Colin McLean.
The views and opinions expressed in this newsletter are not necessarily those of the
Hamilton Anglers Club, its committee, or the Editor. All care is taken to ensure
accuracy, but in case of error or omission, please notify the Editor as soon as possible
for corrections to be published.
HAMILTON ANGLERS CLUB—PO Box 16092, Hamilton, 3245 — www.hac.org.nz 26

Hamilton Anglers Club Inc.
Membership Application / Renewal
Form.
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Existing and new members need to fill out this whole form please.
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Yearly membership from 1st April—31st March the following year.
Payment
To front desk at meeting
To PO box 16092, HAMILTON, 3245
Online to: Hamilton Anglers Club, Westpac
Chartwell, a/c 03-1560-0062802-00
(Use surname as reference.)
Filled out Form
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By email to hamiltonanglers@gmail.com
HAMILTON ANGLERS CLUB—PO Box 16092, Hamilton, 3245 — www.hac.org.nz 27

We are your one stop shop for all your flyfishing needs
(salt and fresh). We have all the top brands.
Flyrods
Flyrods
Flies
Rods-Reels -Lines
Reels
Gear
Giant Garage sale—coming up - 7th to 10th of June. We are
cleaning out and you will be the winners. Get in quick for some
amazing deals. Put a ring around these dates now and see you there.
HAMILTON ANGLERS CLUB NEWSLETTER
PO Box 16092
Hamilton
3245
OPEN 7 DAYS
Monday—Friday 8—5.30
Saturday 9 - 4, Sunday 10 - 4
CONTACT FISH CITY:
Phone 07 846 6675
257 Kahikatea Drive
HAMILTON
www.fishcity.co.nz
showroom @fishcity.co.nz