There is nowhere on earth quite like New Zealand, and nowhere in my experience as exciting, as dramatic and as compelling a place to fish for trout as the rivers in New Zealand’ s North Island.

I have fished avidly for the past 35 years, and I have been fortunate to have lived and worked in Asia, which has allowed me the chance to take advantage of the relatively (!) short flights to New Zealand and indulge a passion for the New Zealand trout experience over the past 18 years. There is no fishing adventure which is comparable or comes close to the sheer scale and drama of fishing in punishingly clear fast flowing freestone rivers populated by incredible fish, and huge eels. Fortunately I have seen many more of the former than the later, but that’s a story for another time.

For any visiting angler, New Zealand is a Mecca. It is a large country nearly a thousand miles long and 250 miles wide, with a landmass nearly 20% bigger than Great Britain. It is divided into two islands, appropriately named the North and South Islands. The North Island is famous for it’s mix of both rainbow and brown trout fishing, whilst the South is famous for its brown trout and the drama of it’s rugged scenery. I have a preference for the North Island because I know it well and like the mix of catching both rainbows and brown trout. I also believe that there is less fishing pressure in the North Island in comparison to the South Island. There is no hard and fast proof of this, but the South Island has always had a special appeal to overseas anglers, especially from the USA, and as trout fishing get ever more popular in New Zealand, the South Island especially around the towns of Nelson and Marlborough are seen by many as the best brown trout fishing in the world and therefore get a lot of angler attention. Many anglers, especially those who may be visiting New Zealand fishing for the first time, may well want to fish both the North and the South Island and experience for themselves some of the differences between both Islands.

Whether you fish in the North or the South Island, each offers the visiting fly fisherman a truly vast number of streams and rivers to fish, from small gutters of water no wider than 5 foot across, to raging white water rivers that muscle their way from the volcanic lakes into the seas that surround the islands. These large and very long rivers are dramatic forces of nature, prehistoric in their DNA and unremitting in their journey and speed. All rivers seem to hold trout. It would be easy to assume that the bigger rivers, with their huge expanses of water would hold the bigger fish, but what never ceases to surprise me is that there is no correlation between size of river and size of fish with some of the smaller streams, apparently innocuous in their slow meander through farm land and tussock, but yet still capable of holding fish in the 5 to 7 lb range.

It is the amazing variety and challenge of fishing in New Zealand that continues to draw me back to its rivers and I have recently returned from a short trip to fish the river systems around Taupo in the North Island. I had been planning the trip for months. It is the preparation for a big fishing trip that can be so exciting in anticipation. I follow the same routine and start with reshuffling the flies in the fly boxes, then feverishly tie flies and struggle to remain focused on the repetitive tying of the same fly pattern, and have to force myself to tie 4 flies of the same pattern in sizes 14,16 and 18. Again, I keep reminding myself, keep the tying simple because nothing must spook or spoil very wary and selective fish. The less is more mantra is so true with small black tungsten or silver beads for the weighted heads on my nymphs, I avoid gold, because all that glitters will leave you fish less. There is nothing clever about my patterns as they are simple variants of well-known flies, Pheasant tails, Hares ears, Czech and Baetis nymphs etc. Be bold, go drab and small with the nymphs and remember to fine-tune the depth of the drift with weight of fly rather than size of fly.

My equipment is equally simple and easy to transport from the UK, rods include a Sage 9ft SP weight 5, the reels are mid arbor enabling fast spooling of line and the floating lines are seventies drab in colour, all greys and greens and deliberately neutral in tone in order to avoid any line flash. I prefer to fish fluorocarbon for nymphs with Grand Max soft plus in 4x and 5x and use a blend of copolymer and fluorocarbon for my dry rig set up. Last but not least, those crucial accessories for the dry fly fisherman, Dry shake, Frogs Fanny and Amadou. Essential kit but they do sound like a 1960’s dance craze. Finally a part fishing vest, part rucksack to ensure that I have enough spare fishing clothing wrapped in a plastic bag just in case I find myself reminded just how cold the rivers can be. I prefer to keep equipment as minimal as possible, and light enough to enable me to walk at least 4 miles a day along the banks of the rivers.

I have fished with the same guide Peter Fordham since 1995. Peter is based out of Taupo in the North Island a huge expanse of water marginally smaller than Singapore at 240 Sq miles! Taupo is one of New Zealand’s leading angling centers and Peter is a wonderful guide possessing all the skills needed to be an indispensable part of any days fishing in New Zealand. He is an excellent fly fisherman and fly tyer, and is ceaseless in his dedication to find fish for you. He has knowledge of an abundance of wilderness rivers that he matches so precisely to the capabilities and temperament of the individual angler. I have gathered much of my river fishing knowledge from listening to Pete. He is an expert in freestone river fishing, a branch of our river sport which is a different fishing experience from some of the slower and more consistently paced rivers in the UK. The fast flowing complexity of the North Island rivers, particularly the larger rivers such as the Rangitikei, or the Ngaruroro requires a constant and almost obsessive focus on line control in order to minimize drag and present the fly in the most natural way to the feeding fish. I have lost count of the times when I have watched open mouthed as a large fish has locked onto my nymph rig and has chased across a deep pool to inspect the fly, only to veer off at the last minute because of drag caused by one of the myriad of micro currents that pulse within the main river flow. Aaargh..You don’t get many chances!

Every guide will have his own secret stream. Whilst much of the river fishing in NZ is open to all anglers, you do need permission to access rivers via private land, and many of the guides will have painstakingly researched a river [often using Google Earth] and plotted over the years suitable access points. This isn’t a question of just parking the car and walking to the river because you will find the better quality fishing in rivers where there is least fishing pressure, and most remote access. My final day with Pete was a perfect illustration of the point. After a two hour drive out of Taupo we stopped the car and then jumped on a huge quad bike and set off on the 30 minute drive to the start of the decent into the river. I had been fortunate to have had great fishing during my week, with the majority of fish caught on dry brown mayfly patterns, but this was the chance for one of the bigger fish of the trip.

Getting into this river is never easy. We bounced through deep rutted tracks, crashed through bush and then began the climb down towards the river weaving our way through enormous ferns, Remu trees, and suffocating dense vegetation. This was a hot 40 minute walk, but the roar of the river grew ever louder and suddenly I was able to look down into the river below. There was the fish. Huge. Wow. Suspended motionless in the totally clear water.

A tilt of the head, the slightest of adjustment and he sipped something from the bubble line. He was feeding. Now was my chance. I strung up the rod, and Pete suggested a size 18 Elk hair caddis. We discussed tactics. The fish was high in the water and mid stream, but there were two currents of fast moving water between the fish and me. A straight line cast would immediately drag and spook the fish. I had no choice but to cast the fly line and then immediately throw slack line so that the cast could come down on the fish drag free. Deep breath here goes. Don’t cast long or you will line the fish and don’t cast short in case the fish turns s and chases the fly downstream resulting in a much more difficult hook up. I cast and watched as the fly drifted towards the fish. He rose. I waited. Nothing. He had refused the fly. Immediate fly change and Pete suggested a small green humpy, a popular imitation of the green beetle. I cast again. A huge mouth engulfed the fly. I waited and watched the fish turn down in the current. Lift. he’s on. An explosion of water as the fish thrashed on the surface and then tore off down the pool. Instinctively I started to run and followed the fish as it tumbled down through the first pool and then into the second. ‘Keep the pressure on the line. and get alongside him..’ I could see him some 20 foot below me now at the bottom of a deep pool. Up he came. Arrow straight bursting into the sunlight and a final attempt to throw the hook. Thankfully he stayed on and soon we managed to net him. A wild 12 lb rainbow, quickly photographed and then released back into the river. Amazing.

Everything about New Zealand is unchallenged. The remote beauty of the country, the pristine rivers, the drama of the fishing, and the quality of it’s fishing. It is a very special place.

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