Indholdsfortegnelse for Issue 194 - Spring 2025 i Trout Fisher

This century has seen a renaissance of Bamboo Fly Rods as serious angling tools. It’s been driven by a growing body of professional and passionate amateur makers and by anglers who place a premium on things crafted and handmade, that are natural and renewable, both having a growing desire for a more ethical approach to their interactions with nature in the pursuit of their favourite sport. Where once bamboo was the epitome of ancient regime and establishment there is now more than a hint of counterculture, significantly in modern building techniques, and especially hollowing. These have allowed longer lighter bamboo rods with a crisp action that still maintain the classic bamboo feel and shine at presenting the fly. Hollow building as a technique has likely been practiced ever since the…

No, I’m not talking about the frustration when following a Ford Ranger driver, completely oblivious to the function of that wee stalk on their steering column… but rather the trance-like fixation we get watching a tiny piece of fluff bobbling down a rivers’ current! I was first introduced to indicator nymphing as an eager teen in the early 90’s. Back then, indicator nymphing was a dirty word; it was a method that took a back seat to swinging lures on heavily-weighted shooting heads flung on broomstick 9 weight rods. Those “hoity-toity yuppies from the city and their new fan-dangled methods have no place on the mighty Tongariro with their gaudy fluffy shuttlecocks! Trout eat meat, not tiny insects!” How far we’ve progressed. More recently, we’re seeing a noticeable shift from…

It’s been quiet here since the lake closed to boat fishing. After a relatively warm Autumn and early Winter, the lake finally turned over at the end of July and as at early August, even though Dabchicks are already nesting, there is still no obvious change in that scenario. Late August and September generally bring longer and warmer days, however, and typically, combined with many fish returning from local spawning, this creates better shoreline sport. However, I am definitely looking forward to Opening Day and currently far more comfortable canoe fishing. This update kindly provided by Matt Osborne at Eastern suggests everything is looking good for October 1 too … 'The trapping season at the Fish & Game fish trap (Te Wairoa Stream) at Lake Tarawera started on the 1st…

After the successful 2024 Kiwi Cane rodmaking gathering, we made the decision to alternate the event with the Cressy Cane event, as well as a year’s break in between. This gives time for people to make new rods and come up with a fresh program. With this in mind, we have a really exciting agenda for the upcoming 2026 Cressy Cane, to be held from the 17th to 19th of April. Chris Fiddes has taken a very keen interest in hollow building bamboo, so he has taken the lead in organising a hollow building project. This will take the form of people making variations of two alternative E C Powell “B9” Tapers – one an 8 footer, and the other 8’6”. E C Powell made rods based on 3 different…

Driving into Wales, the first thing you notice is the trees. Great green oaks adorn the valley walls, their leafy canopies shading the sheep below. The lush green pastures are divided by rows of trees, and even the hills are a patchwork of deep green forest and the sun-tanned fields of Summer. Then you notice the special, soft quality of the light. Crossing the medieval stone bridge, the river lay hidden beneath a veil of morning mist. I drove through the ancient farming town of Crickhowell and down the long, meandering driveway, past the white-washed farmhouse, standing out clean and bright against the soft blue sky. I parked behind the stables and walked across the lush fields towards the river, tall green trees marking its path. The quiet of the…

We cooked this dish up in an Otematata cottage during a recent ‘Canterbury Fly Fishing Club’ winter fishing trip down to the Power Station lakes of Benmore and Aviemore. Brass Monkey starts to the day but a magnificent calm environment followed each day where we all enticed a mix of Brown and Rainbow trout to the fly, ensuring the weekend companionship of similar minded anglers would be treasured and remembered. Most were caught and released but we did put one of each aside for the table. Simple ingredients and quick to put together, designed for a camp cook-up. Use a large fry pan, a wok is good and a paella pan, perfect.. The amounts are very flexible, the method of putting the dish together is the key. This recipe to…

The Snowy Mountains of NSW boast arguably some of the best lakes and dams to fish for trout in mainland Australia. The two giants, Lake Jindabyne and Eucumbene Dam are at the forefront; these two larger bodies of water typically reward all forms of fishing year round, as well as offering trophy fish. However, it’s some of the smaller and lesser-known lakes and dams that often entice anglers with exciting, action packed fishing. One such place that continues to lure us back to the mountains with anticipation, is Three Mile Dam. Situated at an elevation of 1400 metres in the NSW high country, Three Mile Dam is a small impoundment of water surrounded by grassy sub alpine-woodland. Its snow gums are twisted and mangled by the heavy winter winds the…