Otamarakau

Monday I hired a fishing guide, Steve. His service is named Fishy Steve. I found a pamphlet at the hostel and the name immediately drew my attention. With almost no thought I called him and boy, was it the right move.

It's worth mentioning that I have only fly fished once before and while it was fun, I was not very good at it.

Steve picked me up around 8:30 and we made a short drive out of town to the Waitahanui River. It's a beautiful, spring-Fed river that is full of rainbow and brown trout.

We suited up in waders and boots and grabbed three size 5/6 fly rods, each strung with something different. It wasn't long before we spotted fish. Steve decided to pass up the first few in favor of fishing somewhere easier to cast. We came across just such a place no more than a quarter mile up.

The first thing Steve shared with me was how to spot the fish. The water was nearly as clear as the air, but the fish can still be tough to see. He sat there and said he saw four fish and then asked me to spot them. It was like doing a word search where every word I sought was, "trout" but the only letters were nothing but t r o and u. Slowly I got better throughout the day.

After spotting a couple worth targeting we quietly entered the water and he demonstrated the roll cast to me. We were still in tight quarters so an overhand cast would not work. It wasn't ten casts before we caught a large rainbow trout. Sadly he spit the hook after a couple minutes, but it was good practice for me to understand how to manage the fish after hooking it. The line we were using is so light that you have to be very cautious to not snap it and this means letting the fish run when necessary, but never losing tension on it.

A couple other brown trout were nearby and we began fishing them after losing the rainbow. The water around the fish was traveling at different speeds which means that you have to make corrections to the line that is touching the water to ensure the fly drifts downstream looking as natural as possible. Knowing this came in handy later.

The brown trout appeared disinterested in the flies and nymphs we were throwing at it so Steve got out a heavier setup with what was essentially a jig with a bunch of yarn and feathers trailing behind. To use this we cast up under the banks and jerked it back towards us almost violently. This elicited a response from a couple trout that were hiding, but still none bit. They would follow it, but eventually turn around.

Since nobody was biting we moved to a new spot that was much more open. Here Steve showed me overhand casting and we tried grabbing a fish we could easily see, but he did not budge, so we moved on.

By now time was running out and we still had no fish, but thankfully we quickly located a couple more just a hundred feet from where we had been. Steve climbed the bank on the side opposite me for a birds-eye view, leaving me to employ the lessons I had just learned while he spotted and pointed the fish out. One thing is for sure with this kind of fishing, precision is key. After a few more casts and with time running out Steve suggested one minor tweak to what I was doing. Essentially, I needed just a tiny bit more slack in my line to make the fly look natural as it floated downstream. Literally the first cast after The adjustment it was FISH ON.

Steve climbed down as I wrestled with the fish. This time was different than the first because this time our net was filled with a lovely rainbow trout and my face was covered in an ear to ear grin.

Time was up and we had succeeded. It felt great!

None of this would have been possible without the great teaching of Fishy Steve. He was articulate, patient, and great an explaining things. I feel as though he has armed me with the confidence and knowledge to repeat this without his help.

On the ride back he shared stories about his son and how he, an American, ended up here. Before the end of the ride back he told me to crash at his place next time I'm in town. I very much think I will.Read more