HVAV Newsletter March 2013 - Christchurch Fishing and Casting Club

We got to Taihape on the Wednesday evening having enjoyed akebab in Bulls on the way (anyone passing through Bulls has tohave one of these!). No need to set the alarm as Ross is an earlybird so we were up at 6am and on the road to the Upper Kawhatauat 7am. Given the lack of rain this river had a relatively good flow.A walk of about 5 kms downstream, fishing some pools but leavingsome for the way back, resulted in a complete blank for both of uswhich was most unlike our previous visits into this water (see theDecember photo of the month). The fish we saw on the way downweren’t there on the way back so we decided from then on to takethe opportunities as they arose.That afternoon we decided to head for a farmers property wherewe had been successful previously. I dropped Ross off at the top ofthe track so he could fish a bit further downstream. With the riverbeing so low it was a breeze to wade at the top of the first pool andget across to some good water. My favourite corner pool yielded afish of 1.5 lbs. I then fished a nice little drop off that has formed atthe top of the pool. This water is fairly fast and second cast theindicator shot under and the rainbow took off for Mangaweka. Theplan was to give the fish its head down to the bottom pool and netit from there. Good plan John – pity the fish wasn’t listening. Ittook me out to the backing in about 5 seconds flat and thenproceeded to duck round a snag (we have been told there’s asunken jet boat in that pool). You guessed it – ping as the hookpulled out. A couple of “river rats” were hooked upstream. Rossmanaged three fish one of which he kept for the pot.Day two and we took the opportunity to walk down further from thequarry at the confluence of the Rangitikei and Hautapu rivers. Thetail of the pool is usually impossible to wade. The next pool is acracker with a nice run on the true left leading to a drop off.Unfortunately this pool is known to everyone that has an inflatableso it gets a bit of a work out. Ross fished the drop off for nothingthen right at the end of one drift myindicator disappeared and a goodfight with a 3 lb rainbow wasunderway. Pound for pound thesefish are scrappers and this onecertainly deserved her freedom.Hutt Valley Angling Club Incorporated—March 201313