Hutt Valley Anglers Club - New Zealand Federation of Freshwater ...

THE HUTT VALLEYANGLERIssue No 385 : December 2013Newsletter of the Hutt Valley Angling Club Inc7th9th11th15th25thDecember ActivitiesGoodman Shield Competition — Manawatu RiverClub Xmas Meeting — King Lion Hall 7:30pmFly Tying — Community House 7:00pmCasting Clinic — Belmont domain 8:30amJanuary 2014Surf Casting day — Lake Ferry

EditorialAs the season moves into summer the pace builds up withinour club. So far we have had limited opportunities on ourlocal waters with the disappointing weather but there havebeen a few excellent rises when conditions have been right.It is going to take several weeks for the riverbeds torepopulate with nymphs and larvae after so many flushes andhopefully with settled weather this will happen sooner ratherthan later.A couple of weeks back I helped as a controller at theWellington Regional Fly Fishing Competition on theRuamahanga River. I drew the worst beat and there wereonly 3 trout caught over the six hours of fishing. Clearly Iwasn’t busy with the net so I spent time looking for fly-lifeunder stones in the river. The stones had a good coating ofalgae but I found very few nymphs and those that werepresent were quite tiny. This suggested to me that there wasa lack of trout food available on my stretch, hence the lowfish numbers. There were a lot of bullies or inanga present inthe shallow water so they may have been the main course forfeeding trout.Take a read of Chris Kuchel’s impressions of the Regionalcompetition later in the newsletter.John MillarNewsletter EditorCover photo by Tim TrengroveGreen Trout GuidingSponsor of the Club’s Guiding RafflePhone Jim Rainey (06) 382-5507Kawhatau Valley Road, RD7, Mangawekaoffice@greentroutguiding.co.nz www.greentroutguiding.co.nz2Hutt Valley Angling Club Incorporated — December 2013

President’s PieceAnother year draws to a close and a goodtime to thank everyone for theirparticipation in our club and associatedevents this year. We trust you have awonderful Christmas and enjoy somesuccessful angling over the holiday break.Talking about getting out and doing some fishing, it may be thechoice of some, but fishing alone is something I think is betterdone occasionally. Out there trying to get it right takes a lotlonger when we don’t have some help in understanding thecomplexities of fly fishing. A key motivation for having a club isto encourage fishing together and sharing knowledge and alittle bit of wisdom as we do. It therefore comes as no surprisethat most of our activities are centred around helping oneanother become more successful in our fishing and providing ahealthy level of camaraderie.We were treated to the wisdom and experience of three veryexperienced anglers at last month’s club meeting and manythanks to Tony Houpt, Dan Thomas and St John Wakefield. Agreat night that was very informative and entertaining as wediscovered many things that will no doubt assist our nextexcursion to the river or lake of our choice.When preparing for that next outing there are some things thatyou could consider that will not only help develop your anglingskill but help you get to know other club members. How wellwe get to know other club members is limited on a club nightbut going fishing with someone will help you and them nomatter your experience level. We provide many ways of doingthis as a club. Our website and newsletter cover everything andif you have not spent much time reading through it is worth itto discover what aspects of the clubs activities appeal to you.Maybe get involved in an activity you have not done beforesuch as the club competitions or a club trip/excursion.We recently began a Facebook Group with the idea of having amember’s only facility to let people know when you are goingHutt Valley Angling Club Incorporated—December 2013 3

fishing and vice versa so that people can connect for a day outor even something a bit further afield. In this day of socialmedia Facebook is a scary place and many of us may only befamiliar with it as something our kids use. I have outlined inthis newsletter some instructions to set you up on Facebookand register for the club group which is private and quitedifferent to having a personal page. A few members havedone this already and it would be great if we got a significantnumber of people using it and it may be especially useful overthe holiday period.Happy holidays and tight linesSteve DoughtyClub NewsMonthly Meeting Monday 9th — 7.30pm,King Lion Hall, Upper Hutt.Xmas Social Nite — Quiz by Al Markham withlots of spot prizes and a Xmas supper.Don’t know many other club members? Comealong to this meeting and you will make someinteresting new friends.Our next General meeting will be held inFebruary (no meeting in January).Fly Tying Meeting– Wednesday 11th at 7.00pm inCommunity Meeting Room off LoganStreet, Upper HuttFly of the Month- CDC+ ElkPlease note the time change for thismeeting. We will tie a fly then set off tothe river to fish with it until dark. Bringyour rod, waders or gumboots and a torchor headlamp.This pattern developed by HansWeilenmann in the 1990’s has proven to be very successfuland also versatile when fished as a dry fly or as emerger in or4Hutt Valley Angling Club Incorporated — December 2013

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just below the water surface. A club member took a 7lb troutrecently on a size 14 CDC +Elk fished as a dry fly in a local river.The fly is similar to the Elk Hair Caddis pattern but does not use aPalmered hackle in the construction. Hans dresses the fly a littlemore sparsely than an elk hair caddis and flairs the elk hair wingslightly.There are only two components if we don’t count the hook and thetying thread. These are a natural coloured CDC feather and elkhair. Read the article “Branching Out” by Tim Trengrove on page13. In this article Tim gives an account of his experience with theCDC+Elk.The committee is delighted that Tim has agreed to take ashared leadership role in our Fly Tying Programme.Casting Clinic — Sunday 15th Belmont Scout hall Domain.Our casting clinic organiser has decided to hold the clinic earlier, at8.30 a.m. to avoid the incessant winds that come later in the day?Once again we saw a healthy turnout of anglers at the casting clinicin November with a sprinkling of established club members whowere looking to brush up on their technique.Looking aheadSunday 25 January — Surfcasting, Lake FerryMonday 10 Feb Monthly Meeting — King Lion HallSaturday 15 Feb— GWRC Intro to Fly FishingSunday 16 Feb — Paul Dewar Workshop — Ruamahanga RiverWednesday 28 Feb — Fly Tying MeetingClub TripsPahiatua Trip — 6/7 th December 2013 (two nights)Editor’s Note – The Goodman Shield handicap competition will befished on the Manawatu River on this weekend. Any membertravelling up for the competition on the day please contact JohnMillarSurf Casting Day out — 25 January 2014The venue this year will be Lake Ferry in the Wairarapa.High tide is 12:30pm and we will meet on the beach around 10am.Bring lots of bait, (consider taking squid (robust), trevally, orpilchards) something to eat and drink, something warm, and6Hutt Valley Angling Club Incorporated — December 2013

something to put your catch in. Why not think “picnic” day out?Names on clip board (at December meeting), register on ClubWebsite, or phone Robin Bound (529 8330) before 20 th January. Ifthe weather is bad cancellation will be posted on club website.Mohaka River Trip 14-15 March 2014A booking for six has been made to at Mountain Valley AdventureLodge. The Mohaka River runs through their property.Cost is about $18 per person per night – nearby there is a fullkitchen, toilet, and shower facilities. All those going will sleep inshared bunkhouse accommodation. There are two rooms thatsleep eight in the bunkhouse building – and the Lodge reserves theright to put other guests in the second bunkhouse room if they areheavily booked.Bring your own food, sleeping bag, and pillow.Accommodation cancellation policy – because it is difficult to getweather/river forecasts for this region the Lodge will advise thosegoing whether the trip should be cancelled in which case there willbe no cancellation fee.If you pull out after final numbers have been given to our hosts,there may be a cost to you.Names on the clip board please at the December or Februarymeeting, or phone Robin Bound (529 8330) if you’d like to go onthis trip.PLEASE NOTE – They have also offered accommodation at $65 pernight in shared rooms, with this cost including cooked breakfast,packed lunch and two course dinner.IF ALL those going want the $65 option I will enquire if that optionis still available for everyone when confirming numbers midFebruary.Last month’s club meeting —Ask the PanelThis was a really interesting meeting.The guest panellists, Tony Houpt, StJohn Wakefield and Dan Thomas wereintroduced by club president SteveDoughty and asked to give a brief outlineof their main passion in fishing. Thiswas a good way to bring out thecharacter and varied interests of theHutt Valley Angling Club Incorporated—December 2013 7

three panellists.Many questions were put to the panel and the responses fromthese elite fishermen gave the audience some clear answers tocommon fishing conundrums.The overriding impression that I got from listening to these vastlyexperienced, anglers was that they all had much in common withregard to certain points. They all use high quality terminal tackle that they trustimplicitly, hooks, tippet material etc.They use a small range of flies for most applications.In many ways they have returned to basics i.e. minimal gear,choice of knots.They fish with an open mind and are still learning.Observation is a key tool when they fish for trout.Some interesting experiences were related and we learned thateven highly skilled anglers do have blank days.Our club members would have gleaned a great deal of informationfrom this forum.President Steve Doughty thanked the panellists for their generosityin giving up their evening to share their knowledge at our clubmeeting. The members joined in with a hearty round of applause.Raffle Winners in NovemberGreen Trout Guiding Raffle Entry — Ian LawsonFly box with Flies — Bill Shkopiak$20 voucher for Hunting and Fishing— Gary JacobsonFish of the MonthDetails of trout caught can be entered in the club fishing diary andwill be considered for our fish of the month award. Send catchdetails to John Millar. This can now be easily done through the clubwebsiteHunting and Fishing (Alicetown) sponsor a $10 voucher each monthfor heaviest fish.Fish of the Month for October was won by Brett Hodgson for his10lb Brown Trout caught in Lake Otamangakau.Please support our Sponsors8Hutt Valley Angling Club Incorporated — December 2013

Monthly Photo CompetitionTo enter your digital photos, that have a fishing theme, please goto the club website and follow the directions given on the photocompetition page.Tales from the RiverbankBill and Ben set off to try a bit of evening fishing on a local river.On their previous visits they had encountered another two anglersfishing water on the same property. This had limited their optionsand meant they had to fish through a part of the river that hadbeen changed noticeably by flood damage. On this night the otheranglers were not sighted so they decided to fish a part of the riverwhere they had not already fished this season. It turned out to bea good decision. As they headed downstream they saw a goodsizedfish splash in the middle of a pool. This was encouraging.Ben carried on ahead, meanwhile Bill saw a trout surface feedingnear the tail of the pool. It was only about 3 or 4 metres from thebank and in fairly shallow water. He crept up slowly from behindand placed his CDC + Elk dry fly about 3 metres upstream to driftclose to the fish. The trout obliged on the first or second drift soBill set the hook. It turned out to be a much bigger trout thanexpected. Bill had always believed that fish feeding in the glide atthe tail of a pool were generally smaller than those in the primefeeding spots. This fish put up a strong fight that lasted for aroundfifteen minutes before it was finally inthe net. A good hen fish of 7 lbs. Billunhooked the trout and released her.She sped off into the deeper water ofthe pool.As he made his way downstream towhere his companion had gone hecame upon a slow deep pool wherethere were four fish rising. Three weresucking emergers under and the fourth that was moving around atthe head of the pool appeared to be taking surface flies in a muchmore splashy fashion. Bill covered all of these fish without successso he crossed the river below that pool to meet up with his pal.Ben had been successful as well; he had landed a 6lb 4oz brownthat had taken his emerger fly. There were still trout visiblyfeeding on the surface in a long pool but Ben was being harassedHutt Valley Angling Club Incorporated—December 2013 9

y a pair of paradise ducks that were trying to draw him away fromtheir patch. He fished on and Bill walked upstream to distract theducks. Bill saw a cruising trout swimming downstream, not far outfrom the bank. It continued past him but he figured it might turnand move up again so started to peel off some line. Then he sawit, it had slid up unnoticed, really close to the edge and just in frontof him. It was too close for a proper cast so he flicked the flyahead of the fish and watched. Reminiscent of a crocodile, itghosted forward and took the fly on the surface with hardly anydisturbance. He reacted too quickly and pulled the fly out of itsmouth without making contact.That was enough for this fish; it turned and swam away.Ben managed to pull his fly out of a rising fish’s mouth and that putpaid to another chance.It was dusk now and quite a few caddis flies were skating acrossthe water surface.Both anglers walked back upstream to check out where the firstfish had been seen earlier that evening. As they approached thedeep, slow pool where four trout had been rising, Bill could hearthe occasional rise and could just make out the rings from the troutas they fed happily on the surface. Ben was on a high bank so hedeclined to try for them and pushed ahead. Bill covered all the fishin turn but definitely did not have the right fly on. Eventually hegot two rises - one from the splashy trout but he missed it on thestrike and one of the other trout took his fly but he only jagged it.The evening rise was over by this time with only the occasionaltrout rising. There had been many Mayflies early in the nightfollowed by a good hatch of Caddis with some Dobson flies alsomaking their presence known.A few days later the two guys paid a return visit to this river. Theydecided to split up and travel in different directions. This time Billwent upstream and Ben went downstream. It was a warm andalmost still night but without the expected Mayfly hatch. They bothpatrolled their chosen parts of the river. Unfortunately Ben againcrossed paths with the two unknown fishermen who were movingupstream towards him. He decided to remain in a particular spotand this halted their advance. Meanwhile Bill was checking out afew pools further upstream. There was very little surface activityuntil after 9.00pm as the light was fading. Three or four troutbegan to pick off surface insects. Bill covered them in turn but only10Hutt Valley Angling Club Incorporated — December 2013

succeeded in putting a couple of them down. Bill was fishing a size16 Goddard Caddis dry fly with a size 18 possum and elk emergertied off the bend of the hook with about 15 inches between theflies. One of his targeted trout rose and took something beside hisdry fly. He paused then struck slowly but firmly. He was hookedup to this fish. It ran all over the pool and was difficult to hold,then it dawned on Bill that this trout was probably foul hookedbecause it was punching well above its weight. He had muchdifficulty controlling where it was going but it appeared to behooked around the head if not in the mouth. It was quite darknow so Bill switched on his headlight in order to see what he wastrying to net. The fish surged downstream and took Bill part wayinto the next pool before he was able to turn it and persuade thefish to come back upstream. His dry fly was suspended out of thewater and over the dorsal fin so his emerger had to be around thehead (or perhaps hooked in a pectoral fin). He had been fightingthis trout for fifteen minutes and was slowly gaining. It appearedto be a hen of not more than six pounds. His headlight wouldscare the fish off every time he brought it close to the net. Thenjust when it seemed inevitable he would get it into his net the hookpulled free and the trout dissolved into the darkness. So he willnever be quite certain where that trout was hooked. Once again asmall gaped hook had pulled out under pressure.He set off downstream to join his companion. Ben had seen theheadlight fifteen minutes earlier and assumed Bill was trudgingdown the river to meet him at the car. In fact he had beenstanding in midstream trying to land that powerful fish. His matewas wondering why the journey was taking so long. It’s a strangething this darkness when things seem completely different todaytime.Doughty Shield CompetitionThis was held one week after theWellington Regional Fly fishingCompetition on the same stretch ofriver. Seven HVAC club anglerscompeted over two and a half hours offishing by each angler. Fishingpartners and beats were drawn beforedeparture from Upper Hutt.The river level was lower than the previous week and the amountof algae growth in that week of sunny weather was quiteHutt Valley Angling Club Incorporated—December 2013 11

noticeable. Some of the pools had reduced flow and there wassignificantly more slow moving water that would not assist thefishermen.It turned out to be a hot and sunny day with only a light breezehampering casting at times.There were some interesting tales of missed opportunities andsome on-river observations made by the anglers but overall it wasan enjoyable outing with a few fish caught.One of the competitors had some difficulty keeping fish on his line.He hooked up to a dozen trout but only managed to land three ofthose. It must have been a very frustrating day for him.Another angler who caught only a couple of trout had taken his dryfly indicator off and replaced it with a bright red synthetic fibreindicator for improved visibility. A rainbow trout of around a poundand a half rose and tried to eat the bright red indicator!Another two anglers were making their way to the start of theirbeat to commence fishing when they passed a large backwaterwhere three brown trout were cruising. One of those fish wouldhave been a sitter because it was zooming around like a vacuumcleaner picking off minute insects both on the surface and in midwater.One fisherman hooked a rainbow trout that ran towards him. Hewas fishing with barbless hooked flies so he quickly stripped in lineby hand to take up slack. When he tried to reel in the slack line hefound that his fly line had wrapped around his rod tip so he playedthe trout by hand until he was able to untangle his rod just beforenetting the fish.Most of those in the competition reported hooking and losing a fewfish. The riverbed was extremely slippery but no-one appears tohave fallen over.As always, the knowledge gained in these club events enriches ourangling experience.By comparison, in the Wellington competition the previous weekthere were 7 x 6 = 42 angler hours yielding 90 fish whereas for ourcompetition there were 7 x 2.5 = 17.5 angler hours with 16 fishcaught.The result of the Doughty Shield competition is:1 st John Olds, 4960 points2 nd Damien Bengree, 2890 points3 rd Ian Lawson, 2880 points12Hutt Valley Angling Club Incorporated — December 2013

It is not all joy and celebration for our winner however because hebroke the top section of his rod when landing one of the fish.Connecting to the HVAC Facebook GroupWe have established a Facebook Group which is a locked downprivate group that only people who join the group can see and itallows members only to comment, find a fishing buddy and viewinformation posted there by other members. As a financialmember of the club you can ask to be added to the group online.If you have a Facebook personal profile you can connect to thegroup easily. Go to the HVAC website and under “Club Events” onthe menu you will find a sub heading “Fish with other members”.Click on this and go to that page. All the instructions and links arealready on that page and easy to follow.If you have any difficulty you can contact me directly atsteve@doughty.co.nz or ring me on 04 212 4895.Of course you need a personal Facebook profile to be able to joinand I realise if you don’t have one you may be concerned aboutsetting one up. You don’t have to become a prolific user ofFacebook and may only do it to enable you to join the group.Probably the key thing with a Facebook page is to get the securitysettings correct and information on how to do this is included onthe club web page.I would like to see this initiative get more use, so I am very happyto help any members set up an account and join the group iffollowing the instructions on our web page seems daunting, so feelfree to contact me.Branching OutOur club holds regular fly tying evenings with a different patterntied each month. My suggestion is to try a theme instead of anindividual pattern and for a starter we could do the mayfly rise.Why not tie 3 different patterns to cover mayfly hatch situations onthe surface, in the surface film and under the surface film. Wecould call these a floater, an inny-outty and a sub-surface emerger.A few months back we tied a Klinkhammer which can be used as aninny-outty but this year we haven’t tied a dry fly or a sub-surfaceemerger. In preparation, I thought I’d find 3 examples and trytying them. For me, this was breaking new ground as I don’t tie orfish dry flies and rarely use inny-outties.When it comes to fishing the mayfly rise on the Hutt River, myHutt Valley Angling Club Incorporated—December 2013 13

choice has been to use a sub-surface emerger. That’s becausewhile the odd dun gets taken by trout, the majority of rises are tomayflies in the surface film or close to the surface. The patternI’ve used successfully for the last 10 years had morphed intosomething using peacock herl quill, 2 applications of Bug-Bond UVresin and now takes 10 minutes to tie. With many learners in theclub, this is not a goer for our tying evening! It’s fiddly and timeconsuming so this winter I made a different pattern called Jabbawhich is equally effective and only takes 2 minutes to tie. It’s amuch better candidate for a club tying evening.http://www.flyfishing.co.uk/fly-tying-forum/304541-jabba.htmlNow what about a dry or more importantly, what do I know aboutdries? Seek help!When discussing the choice of a floating mayfly imitation with HansWeilenmann, he immediately suggested his CDC.&Elk. Okay, Icould give that a go and everyone can view the tying video in HDbefore the club tying evening.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7iXWIS9dprMor find out more about the pattern here:http://globalflyfisher.com/patterns/cdcelk/Asking Hans Weilenmann what his suggestions were for an innyouttyand a sub-surface emerger, a prompt answer came back.Also CDC&Elk. Well, there’s nothing wrong with having confidencein your own pattern, it is famous and is Hans’ signature pattern butwould it be the 3-in-1? I had serious doubts. My bank of evidenceconsisted of a large number of refusals by Hutt River and otherbrowns to mayfly imitations presented on the surface or in thesurface film. In further discussion Hans said he ties the CDC&Elkwith variations and presents the fly differently to suit theconditions. Less deer’s hair, more deer’s hair, this CDC or thatCDC, different hook sizes, wet it thoroughly or keep it dry. Now Iwas beginning to understand the versatility and Hans’ confidence inthe pattern but would it work here?At the end of September the Hutt River was discoloured andflowing at about 38 cumecs. Compared to a more normal flow of 6cumecs this was a big flow to fish and I felt confident that I couldsoon report back to Hans “Your fly doesn’t work”! I tied theCDC&Elk in #14 and #12. To make sure the thing didn’t work, I’duse the #12. A #14 is the largest fly I use with confidence on theHutt River and feel much more comfortable with #16s. Above theMelling Bridge there is a long pool headed by a gently curving14Hutt Valley Angling Club Incorporated — December 2013

apid. Pumped up to 38 cumecs though it was one-big-fast-flowwith some relief from the current by my true left bank. The bestlooking water was at the head and wanting to actually catch a fish,I tied on a wingless wet and worked my way down for 20 minutes.One hit but no hook-ups. Try as I might, there were no othertakers. With a mischievous smirk I swapped the fly for a #12CDC&Elk and sent it on its maiden voyage. Not a chance in ….You know what happened don’t you? Does this story really have tobe told?On that first drift, up came a mouth andgrabbed it. My disbelief was complete.This can’t be happening. It was thoughand the line shot out into the maincurrent. Lift? Tighten? I was toostunned to react. The fish did it all.Anyone watching could be forgiven forthinking an idiot got lucky fishing in the Hutt while away from hisminder. As the fish leapt and darted about I was laughing loudly.A quick photo to send Hans and the fish was on its way. Phew,what the heck just happened? I flicked the line back out as astraightener ready to start fishing again andYou’re not going to believe this oneeither. Another fish came up, grabbedthe fly and shot up into the air. Totalparalysis took over. This was deepangling shock and I could hear a voicefar away sounding in my ear —“I told you so”!It wasn’t a mayfly rise but to me it was aminor miracle on the Hutt River. I’ve since caught more fish on thefly and can thoroughly recommend we tie it at a club tying night.TTLake Otamangakau – Reflectionsby Brett HodgsonThose of you who know me will realise that Lake O has become aplace that I love to go to during the opening week of the NZ Troutfishing season. It is not only a fishing challenge but an excuse forHutt Valley Angling Club Incorporated—December 2013 15

some friends to get together over afew days each year sharing ourpassion for fly fishing and catching upwith each other. Having secured mymate’s bach in Turangi it was onagain. We descended on Turangi fromWednesday 2 nd through Monday 6 th.Lake Otamangakau has been a bittersweet love affair over the past 4years. I have spent days with noreward and some that gave up some very good fish. But nothinghad prepared us for what we were about to experience.Wednesday morning dawned with a fine and clear day. We were allup by 6.00am and after a relaxed breakfast we headed to thesupermarket to get a few supplies for the day. Having checked wehad everything needed in the two cars it was off to the Lake. Wearrived and after navigating the four-wheel drive track down to our“spot” the vehicles were slowly unloaded with the inflatables andoutboards rigged. The verbal sledging had also begun. Not thatwe are at all competitive. It was decided that Dynes would be withme and Ben would have the solitude of his own company (he’s alsothe best fisherman….not that we would ever admit that). Theboats were named….Bens being Red and mine Mello Yellow.Ben was on the water first and had chosen his spot which was thestart of a slow drift almost protected from what little breeze hademerged. Dynes and I set ourselves further up the lake and morein the breeze. Drogue deployed and still we were catching andpassing Ben…..and then right on cue (right beside Ben) Dynes castto a shallow and on the start of his retrieve the Rod bent and theshallow water erupted. Ben started hurling abuse and sledged aswe spent the next 20 minutes, me rowing, and Dynes landing hisfish. And a good fish it was, first fishof the weekend, on the first drift,Dynes first Lake O fish and to top it offhis first trophy…..a 10.1lb brown. Oneto Mello Yellow!!!What a start. By lunch time MelloYellow had a healthy lead in the fishlanded, but what was surprising uswas the size of fish we were landing.16Hutt Valley Angling Club Incorporated — December 2013

Ben was worried and had become a little quiet. Ohhh and did I saysneaky. He got on the phone and rung a friend (a guide) who livesin Turangi. Hans arrived at Lake O with his competition boat andBig Red was abandoned. Dynes and I continued to hit the fish butsurprisingly Ben and Hans were still a little quiet. That is untilDynes and I did another drift past them and just happened to havea double right in front of them. Ahhhh the satisfaction!!!!By evening we had landed more than 20 fish, none smaller than3.5lb, with the average probably in the 6lb range. This in ourexperience was very unusual but we were not complaining. Jaredat Sporting Life was also surprised as allreports had been that O was slow!!!!Unfortunately on Thursday Dynes got acall advising of a family bereavement sohad to leave us. Ben and I spent timeon the Tongariro and he had cause tobrag….albeit we both had a great daywith lots of fish and both being brokenoff multiple times….he did better…… sonormality was restored. It would appear the fishing was better onthe river this year as well.At the truck stop that night for dinner it was decided Lake O wouldbe our destination again for Friday. The lucky boat, Mello yellow,would be the weapon of choice and that close combat between uswas the name of the game. Whilst I did better than ever beforeand got great fish, Ben Slayed it right on into the evening. On onedrift of maybe 300m he landed 7 fish all over 4lb. I was humbledbut it was spectacular to watch.The rest of the trip does not even feature in my memory after thesuccess on O. Each day we were concerned that it would be toobright as the sky was clear and there was very little wind makingthe lake very glassy and clear. We all got too much sun but Lake Ostill gave up its bounty.Will we be back?….you bet…… 40 fish, including 3 trophies (my firstincluded), the renowned fighting rainbows, all in a location whosescenery is truly spectacular and world class. What better way tocatch up each year with great mates who share a fishing passion.We all agree that Lake Otamangakau is a special place and theannual pilgrimage will last, hopefully a lifetime.Footnote:Murray, the owner of the Turangi bach, a fisherman and goodHutt Valley Angling Club Incorporated—December 2013 17

friend of mine saw some of the pictures of our trip and decided Ineeded to take him up to Lake O. He had been there three timespreviously but never caught a fish. So on the 6 th and 7 th ofNovember we were on the Lake. Just as well I have a goodmemory because over the two days with Murray we worked veryhard to land 10 fish between us. And they were small apart fromone very nice, feisty 4lb hen that Murray landed. Such is themystery of this Lake!!!The Silver Flies on the Ruamahanga…….watch and learn!Just over a year ago, I fished theRuamahanga for the first time. Ididn’t manage to catch anything, butI did see a couple of decent size fishlazily cruising the shallow water. Ofcourse, a split second after I sawthem, they saw me and they wereoff. But that didn’t matter, I’d seenthem and I knew they were there tocatch….just not today!That afternoon, we retired to theGladstone pub for a coffee and to compare notes. In theconversation, it came up that the Wellington Regional competitionhad been held the week before in the same general area and thatabout 90 fish had been landed on the day. To me that soundedincredible. How was that possible?Fast forward twelve months to this year’s comp which was heldnear Gladstone on 16 November. Five guys from HVAC includingmyself had volunteered to act as controllers. This would be agolden opportunity to get a glimpse into the mystical art of shortline nymphing. Over the course of the day, I would be luckyenough to watch 3 different elite anglers each fish the samestretch of water. I knew I was going to be in for a real treat. Mystrategy would be to keep my eyes open and my mouth shut andlet them get on with the job, with no interruptions from me. Theseguys would be single-minded about their fishing, so there would beno time for small talk…….how wrong I was!After the initial introductions were made with my first angler, wewalked down to the river and scoped out the beat. Then it wastime to rig up. He showed me the flies he intended to use, so that18Hutt Valley Angling Club Incorporated — December 2013

I could check them for correct size, but then started to tell meabout the line and leader he was using and explained each knot ashe tied it. He even handed me his rod so I could get a feel for itsweight and action. This was way more than I had expected.At 9.00 am, the competition began and the first angler of the dayentered the water. Five minutes later, I was measuring his firstfish. Two hours flew by, and in no time, the first session was over.The second and third sessions followed a similar format, with eachangler being incredibly generous with their advice, patience andgood humour. At the end of the day, all anglers and controllersmet back at the assembly point for the points tally andpresentation. Between the 7 competitors, just under 100 fish hadbeen caught, with Tony Houpt taking overall honours for the day.Years ago when I lived in Auckland, I would always make a point ofgoing to the New Zealand Golf Open, held at either Titirangi or theGrange. It was always enthralling to be able to watch these topplayers up close and be amazed at their level of skill and eventemperament…(well mostly!) For me, it was the same watchingthese top anglers. I won’t try to draw any conclusions from what Isaw, because I’m sure that would be far too simplistic. But I willmake a list of the things I was paying attention to throughout theday. How did the anglers choose where to start fishing on theirbeat? Did they fish the shallow water first or go straight to thedeeper water?Did they systematically cover the water in a grid pattern?How fast did they move through a pool?What water was considered to be unproductive and not worthspending time on?How did they use preparation to maximize their fishing timeand minimise their downtime?Hutt Valley Angling Club Incorporated—December 2013 19

Each angler had their own variations in approach and technique,but overall, the principles they applied were the same. The aimwas to get their weighted flies down deep in the water column,where the current moves slowly and keep them moving at thisspeed without being dragged along by the faster water on thesurface. Having no slack line in the system mean that they wereable to control the speed of the flies and also detect bites and setthe hook instantly.Short line nymphing is obviously a very effective technique andthere is a wealth of information available on the internet for thosewho want to find out more. The 3 anglers who I observed duringthe day, all used this technique predominantly, although they didswitch over to downstream techniques as they made their wayback to the start of the beat. It is interesting to note that one ofthe other competitors used traditional wet line techniques all dayand had equal success.Overall, the day was a resounding success. The weather gods weresmiling, the fish were co-operative and a good time was had by all.It’s a win-win situation for both competitors and controllers and anexperience I would recommend to anyone who wants to watch thebest in action and broaden their fishing horizons.Chris KuchelCompetition Results - compiled by Strato Cotsilinis(edited for newsletter)Competitor Session One Session Two Session Three TotalPlaceName Fish Points Place Fish Points Place Fish Points PlaceP. Baker 2 2100 6 2 1660 6 8 6260 2 14 5S. Cotsilinis 0 0 7 3 2280 4 1 880 7 18 7P.Dewar 5 3900 4 0 0 7 2 1420 5 16 6G.Evans 4 3020 5 8 5660 2 3 2280 4 11 3T.Houpt 9 7360 1 8 5780 1 5 4320 3 5 1C.Scott 7 6400 2 3 2140 5 1 1000 6 13 4L.Struthers 6 4100 3 4 2800 3 9 7000 1 7 233 26880 28 20320 29 23160FinalPlace20Hutt Valley Angling Club Incorporated — December 2013

Total Fish 90 Average size 34 cmBrowns 16: Average size Browns 38.5cm Biggest Brown 54cmRainbows 74: Average size Rainbows 33.1cm, Biggest Rainbow47cmReturns per beatBeat Session One Session Two Session Three Totals1 4 8 9 212 7 2 1 103 6 8 2 164 0 3 5 85 5 4 8 176 9 3 3 157 2 0 1 3Total 33 28 29 90Meet the Member—Mike NansettI'm Mike Nansett and I joined the club eight weeks ago.I started trout fishing using a spinnerwhen I was 10. I come from Nelson so Ilearned to fish on rivers such as the Maitai,Motueka, Buller, Takaka, Wairau, Pelorusand, my favourite, the Aorere.My dad and I would head off to one ofthese rivers most weekends usually with abit of success.As a kid growing up, the Maitai was themost accessible river as it runs throughNelson city. It is a river my friends and Iwould fish a lot after school and in theschool holidays. The fish are not big,around the 1-1.5lb mark, but there are dozens of them. I wouldgo two to three times a week; usually pick up 2 to 5 fish a day.The Maitai is a small river and is not dissimilar in size to the WainuiHutt Valley Angling Club Incorporated—December 2013 21

iver but it has a lot of willows and other foliage. It was a goodplace to learn how to case accurately otherwise it was going to bean expensive day.My favourite river is the Aorere. I fished this river with my uncleand dad. It is a great river, starting in the Heaphy Track anddraining out into the Collingwood township. If you want to fish ariver and not see a soul for days this is the river for you. It has alot of fish over 5lb and fish over 7 — 8 lb are not uncommonespecially during the whitebait season. Most fish I caught werearound the 4 — 5 lb mark, usually in the dark.I have always used light line, used small lures and love fishing ingin coloured water, so moving to fly fishing is a naturalprogression. While I have enjoyed spin fishing, to me catching atrout on fly is the ultimate challenge and is something I've alwaysbeen keen to try.In early September I Googled fly fishing in the Hutt and I found theHVAC website and saw that the club offered cast clinics. I rang upIan Lawson who asked me to come to a casting clinic the followingSunday. So I went along and Ian took me though the basics. Ihad the following week off work, so Ian offered to take me for morepractise and then on the river.In the past 6 weeks I have been out with a few club members andattended meetings. I have also been out a number of times on myown to hone to my skills. While I have not caught anything yet, Iam learning a lot and enjoying the experience. Catching fish is theaim, however there are other things that I think are very importantand at times can be overlooked.1. Fishing with mates: fishing with people who love it and get thesame buzz from being on the water. It is hard to explain to a nonfisho, it is something that only comes with getting out there anddoing it.2. Anticipation: Each time you go out, or every time you cast thatfly, it could be the one. For an experienced angler it could be thedouble figure fish, or in my case catching any trout on a fly. To methese are the things that bring you back. I am in the verybeginning, but the anticipation of the next time fills me withoptimism and is the drug that propels me on to catch my first fish22Hutt Valley Angling Club Incorporated — December 2013

and hopefully many more.Following Mike’s MTM we have pleasure in publishing a letterreceived by the committee.Hi,I am new to the club and to the sport of fly-fishing. I started someweeks ago and recently joined the club and I wanted to pass onfeedback to the committee on my experience with the Hutt ValleyAngling Club.Website.- The website is fantastic, it is very useful and informative and hashelped me find information on casting, learning about the river andwhat to look out for when fishing.- While it is very informative it is aesthetically pleasing and makesyou want to look through it more.- Most importantly. It is up to date, nothing worse than a staticwebsite.Casting Clinics.- I went to my first clinic in late September and have also attendedthe October clinic as well. Having a dedicated time to learn fromexperienced anglers has been fantastic, and is the best placefor new anglers to understand the fly rod and the art (I should Isay the science) behind casting a fly rod correctly, effectively andefficiency. I am still learning but, these clinics catapults one'slearning significantly.- The environment is friendly so you can ask any question from theinstructors and they are happy to accommodate these.- I will try and get to as many of these as possible as I think is agreat learning environment.On the Water/ Buddy Programme.- After my first clinic, Ian Lawson took me out for a few lessons aswell as a few times on the water, the most recent was last night.As a teacher and a mentor he has been fantastic. I know Ian hasother things on in his life, but he always makes time to fish withme and pull me up on things that I need to improve on. I havereally appreciated his time and the effort he has put into myfishing. Let’s face it, there is a lot to learn in the sport.- Casting a rod is the first then there is what to do with the linewhen you retrieve it. Then there is mending line and presentation.There is a lot to learn, but Ian is very good at judging on when tocoach a new skill, thereby learning something well then movingonto the next, and then putting it altogether.Hutt Valley Angling Club Incorporated—December 2013 23

- I contacted Ross Goodman a few weeks ago about going on thebuddy program and he has taken me out a couple of times. Againhe reinforced what Ian had shown me and also provided afew other tips. Ross has been great and the buddy program workswell. I think more newbee anglers need to use this facility. Iappreciate Ross has other commitments and I appreciate the timehe has put into me and my fishing.- What Ross and Ian both do is explain to me the water, theconditions and why we fish certain parts and not all the river.These guys are a credit to the club.In conclusion.- The introduction to the HVAC has been nothing short of fantasticand as a new angler the tools at my disposal means my learningand skill level will increase significantly, it is up to me on how I usethese. While the club is very well set up, it is over to me to put thehours on the water and put into practice what I have learned.Kind regards,Mike (Nansett)Discovery PageIf you are new to trout fishing this page is for you.What do trout see and what do they think ?Without getting into a scientific discussion about the physiology ofa trout’s eyeball and what part of the spectrum their field of visionsits in, there are some other factors related to an angler’sexperience that may give us some clues. Firstly it has to beaccepted that trout are not super intelligent animals, as some(particularly American) writers would have us believe. They arewild creatures with a strong survival instinct and finely tunedsenses. When alarmed they invariably make for cover or safer,deeper water. Most anglers will agree that fishes of theSalmonidae family, which of course includes trout of all species,make excellent sporting fish and present anglers with aconsiderable challenge when using light gear.It has to be borne in mind that there are two parts to “seeing andreacting”. Firstly the eye of a fish has to see the object and relaysa sensation to the brain where the message is interpreted. To24Hutt Valley Angling Club Incorporated — December 2013

make life simple I think we can discount any complex reasoninggoing on in our fish’s brain. Rather the interpreted signal is likelyto trigger one of the following reactions.1. That looks like food. I will investigate.2. I am convinced it is food, I am going to eat it.3. There is something unnatural here. I’ll reject that foodobject.4. No food here, I will continue to search elsewhere in myterritory.5. Danger!! Something in my world has changed, I’m out ofhere!!6. What’s going on? I’ll stay put for the moment.7. My mind is blank I am resting.8. That flashy thing is bugging me, now I am going to attack it.9. This is my patch I need to chase away that interloper.Most of the actions a trout takes are apparently quite instinctive -or perhaps learned through life experiences, and the fish isconditioned to behave in certain ways. Survival is of primeimportance and getting a feed with the minimum of effort comeshigh in its priorities.Apart from this, the breeding urge comes upon fish at a certaintime each year and is no doubt controlled by hormonal changesthat alter the fish’s physical and mental state on a temporarybasis.We know that trout do have some thinking capacity that enablesthem to recognise that at certain times their food will be availablefrom a different source or location and this persuades them tomove closer to that food source. Also when watching a troutpatrolling a beat in search of food it is clear that they appear toknow where to look for insects and can even be seen grazing alonga weed bed to pick off bugs and snails.Trout that are exposed to the sight and sound of humans close byare known to be less ‘spooky’ than fish that live in waters wherethey are seldom disturbed.Another consideration is that trout and Brown Trout in particularare territorial and so they get to know ‘their patch’ very well. Agood sized trout when hooked in its usual spot will usually make abeeline for a snag or overhanging bank to hide under. This isnormal survival behaviour.We know from fishing experience that trout have remarkableeyesight and they are primed to detect movement even in very lowHutt Valley Angling Club Incorporated—December 2013 25

light conditions. Humans are virtually blind in the dark whereasmany animals (trout included) see very well at night because this isa time when they are actively seeking food and their eyes areequipped for this task.If an angler stands as still as a statue, an approaching trout willalmost always fail to see him (especially if his outline is below thehorizon). The fish may swim within several feet. On the otherhand, a quick movement will always trigger the escape responsefrom the fish.A final thought on visibility - Isn’t it time that someone told somerod manufacturers that waving a glossy coated rod at the river’sedge on a bright day is about as effective as flashing a mirroraround? Another person can see it from several hundred metresaway so the sharp eyed trout will be given plenty of warning aswell. But then perhaps glossy rods are sold to catch anglers andnot fish??Some successful anglers are said to be able to think like a fish andthis most certainly gives them an advantage.26Hutt Valley Angling Club Incorporated — December 2013

CLUB CONTACTSPresident Steve Doughty 04) 527 7799Past President Fraser Gibbs ((04) 499 8606Secretary John Olds (04) 934 4150Treasurer Grahame Kitchen (04) 971 6696Committee Damian Bengree (04) 938 3372Buddy ProgrammeCoordinatorTrip CoordinatorRobin Bound (04) 529 8330Maureen Burgess (04) 238 2304Ross Goodman (04) 233 0087Ian Lawson (04) 563 5486John Millar (04) 563 6491Ross Goodmanrgoodman@globe.net.nzRobin Boundrobin_bound@slingshot.co.nz(04) 233 008704) 529 8330Librarian Maureen Burgess (04) 238 2304Newsletter EditorNewsletter PublisherFishing Diary HolderClub Web SiteClub email addressJohn Millarjohn.millar@xtra.co.nzGrahame Kitchengrahame2@paradise.net.nzJohn Millarjohn.millar@xtra.co.nzwww.huttvalleyangling.org.nzhuttangler@hotmail.com(04) 563 6491(04) 971 6696(04) 563 6491Club Mail address PO Box 40135, Upper Hutt, 5140Any articles published in this newsletter are the opinions of the authoralone and do not necessarily represent the views of the Club as a whole orother members of the Club.Hutt Valley Angling Club Incorporated—December 2013 27

THE HUTT VALLEY ANGLING CLUB INC.PO BOX 40135UPPER HUTT 5140