2001-2002 UPDATE…

I always enjoy reflecting back upon the past angling season, and this my 12th year offering unique guiding is no exception. Without a doubt the better angling occurred in the early {Oct-Nov-Dec} and then later {March-April} parts of the season. January and February suffered from repeatedly heavy rainfall, chilly storms from the south and many swollen and flooded Rivers. Before I recount a mere few of the numerous experiences I would like to thank all my CLIENTS  for your support and  dedication. A huge thank you to all the people involved with the wonderful accommodations used, you contribute to the total experience! Also a warm thank you to family members for their continued support during the busy spring and summer months.

October and November featured their normal excellent angling within small streams, spring creeks and rivers punctuated with great mayfly hatches, large fish numbers and some very large back country Browns. These are fantastic months in our area and I strongly advocate them to visiting anglers, many overseas anglers and travel agents are not aware of the amazing opportunities that abound for anglers in parts (but not all) of the South Island. November featured the start of some thrilling Rainbow Trout angling in fast flowing mountain streams. Greg Bell from Australia had a 10 fish day describing it as the “best ever” and my first ever Finnish client Antti Reiniharju……landed a similar number and was simply enthralled. The message is simple if you can get here during these months DO IT!!!!.
December was as always very popular, with many repeat clients rebooking this prime time. All waters were in great shape and clients were fortunate to land larger browns in 
Trophy league 7 –11 Pounds and good numbers of fish also. Mayfly hatches were the most prolific I have ever seen and many mornings and mid afternoons we targeted rising browns and rainbows using new and improved emerger and low profile mayfly patterns, that I have developed. Another stand out feature was the supreme fishing to medium sized Browns in faster RUNS. It seemed water temperatures were higher as flows began to drop so fish took to the runs, this made for spectacular sight fishing!

Finlander early Nov 2001

Highlights you ask?… too many  to mention them all! Matt Campbell {USA} sitting on the tail of a long glassy glide in the wide open meadow waiting for the rise…the huge snouts gently slipping  mayflies. Matt gently, nervously and proficiently casts … fish takes and the silence is broken, another 9 pounder rips up the waters surface.  Peter and Cathy Tronquent catching the most beautiful Browns from boulder riffles…. actually I could write a book on December experiences, without a doubt the “Golden time”.

January and February were the coolest and wettest I have guided. Instead of the usual dry, warm mayfly days we just seemed to have storm after storm, high waters and very serious flooding in some regions. Through all this we did have some nice days and surprisingly some very good angling, in fact most clients went away very happy. It was perhaps the most testing time for me as a guide, however the many years of experience “no point in getting older if you don’t get wiser” shone through and I was still able to find clear water rivers. Larry Beard (USA) taught me a big lesson on streamer fishing and this was very effective for swollen waters. Another high point was with Gary Klouda {USA}. We were the first onto a small stream after it had flooded resulting in Gary landing four Browns, 6-9 pounds in the most splendid condition imaginable, one has to respect the hardiness of these trout surviving so well during extreme water conditions.

High country Lakes also provided fine angling during Midge-Damsel-Dragonfly and Green beetle Hatches during these months. Usually specialising in river fishing, these stillwaters were an excellent back up option during the difficult conditions. It must be said there are positives from all the high waters and floods, many trout disperse and move through river systems often from the ocean (sea run) so it made a pleasant change from the low waters that we have experienced in the past 4 years. Many streams I know have better fish numbers as a result so looks good for the next season especially in those small streams so many of you love.

Gary klouda after floods Jan 2002

March and April turned on more consistent angling particularly for us in the high country Rainbow Rivers. These nice sized Rainbows would respond to a large dry such as “Troutlands Cicada” and we had fun experimenting with a relatively new foam dry called “Club Sandwich” from the USA. April was perhaps the better of the two months for Browns, we witnessed spectacular sight and indicator fishing with nymphs and found many pods of larger fish running through the rivers in preparation for spawning. The real magic of April is glowing fall colours in full splendor, balmy days, and the mayfly hatches return. Both Rainbows and Browns are in the best of shape and there are fewer anglers around. Generally we see very few anglers all season, however it does not take many anglers to pressure our sometimes sensitive fishery.

In conclusion 2001-2002 was a challenging but productive season. Some days we fished hard for only a few modest fish, other days seemed like “brown trout heaven” … that’s fishing!! As always I learnt some more new waters and developed friendly relationships with many anglers, ranging from beginners to expert, from all over the world. Thank you to you all. I look forward to the upcoming new season and many great experiences to come in some of natures most beautiful places.

Peter Langlands April 2002

Martin Langlands 18-7-2002