NEW FEATURE VIDEO! “High Country Walk-About”
High country rivers like this one are so susceptible to weather in ways that the lowland, bushy willowy streams of the south island are not. Wide open flood plain rivers like this one rarely offer any break of trees to the relentless push of south island winds, high cloud and changes in weather and temperatures. Since blue sky and sun is highly preferrable for sighting fish, when you see an opening you jump on it, even when if it’s short lived and the next push of cloud is upon you. It becomes a deliberate, dedicated pace while enjoying immersion in the setting, hence the title. This was this day! You’ll notice we covered a lot of ground walking almost 26 km over 6 hours to find 8 trout to work. A dedicated process for sure, but one that keeps your body in shape, your eyes alert and there’s a sense of freedom in the long walk-about that we love. As we go, we talk a fair bit about the specifics of where to find these fish as each run can often look quite the same as the last – but there are certain features that define where they are likely to be and what we are looking for and knowing those subtleties is helpful.
- FEATURED In This Video:
- What specific water characteristics defines lies likely to hold more than 1 fish on flood plain rivers like this.
- How far and how long you often have to walk to sight and engage 1/2 a doz trout on a high-country freestone stream
- The true value of finding subsurface prominent white rocks in certain runs
- Why prospecting certain water is more likely to spook a trout & why prospecting other very specific water type can be effective
- Why minimal false casts are the only ticket when dealing with heavy wind
- Pay attention to the weather forecast – know the changes coming and make hay while the conditions allow.