Chasing Southern Dreams (Pt 1)…
Aroha mai, aroha atu: Love towards us, love going out from us (Ancient Maori Wisdom Parable)
Mid morning on a beautiful south Island stream, for the sake of proper fishing ethics all areas and streams will remain unnamed.
With winter making its way into the western hemisphere, I thought this year I would chase the endless summer heading far south in hopes of experiencing the illusive New Zealand Brown Trout. The south island of New Zealand is considered a fly fishing mecca with gin clear water, lifetimes of streams and rivers, and the chance to catch a lifetime fish.
For the last few years I stayed up late at night watching youtube videos of New Zealand fly fishing, thinking to myself I gotta give that a go… With December being a slower month of guiding for me and the holidays keeping everyone busy off the water, I thought it was the perfect month to go on an adventure. The New Zealand summer season starts in October and fishes into May.
The aspects that drew me to New Zealand really emphasize what I love most about fly fishing, sight casting, getting deep in the backcountry, dry fly fishing, and the possibility at trophy brown trout. On the plane here I met a well known local guide Simon Chu at the airport and got some crucial information that helped me along the way. Shout out to Simon! Were planning on linking up later this month. When I arrived I picked up my Escape Rental Van, and hit the road! The learning curve for driving on the left side of the road is quite shocking but after a few days it becomes second nature.
I set out for my first few locations full of hope and wonder, driving through some of the greenest most lush countryside I have ever seen, streams abound along the road, causing the mind and body to want to stop and fish every 15 minutes. It would take multiple lifetimes to fish every possible area on the South Island, which is overwhelming when deciding where to go. I was looking forward to the alone time, a little rest from the daily grind and some new water. I knew that spending time on new water and with God in prayer along the way would be good for the soul.
In 2020 I went through a divorce, a bout of gnarly depression, and a feeling of helplessness that I couldn’t shake. No matter what you have in life the spiritual void we all feel is real and I had tried filling it with everything other than God. All the drugs, alcohol, women, or perfect streams could not bring any peace or purpose to my life like God has and continues to do. Asking Christ to be in my life and wash over me was the best decision Ive ever made, and for the first time in my life I started experiencing true peace.
“Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest in your souls.” Matthew 11:28
The reason why my faith and this adventure go hand in hand is because there is nowhere that I go, or explore without Christ by my side. He is along for the journey, always present, a still small voice (1 Kings: 12-13) guiding along the way. As a full time fly fishing guide, being blessed to share in life changing moments with people, I give credit to where credit is due.
My first brown trout of the trip. Caught on a size 12 Pheasant Tail Nymph.
So set out on a spiritual soulful quest to continue to learn more of who I am, as well as chase after some mighty brown trout and I find myself at one of the only true fly shops on the entire South Island “The Fishermans Loft”. Local guide Simon warned me that there is really no where to buy quality flies and tackle other then a few places on the entire Island and he wasn’t kidding! Its actually fairly mind blowing to me that there is less of an industry presence here, which in a way keeps it more pure and beautiful. Finding some quality flies is about as hard as finding those quality brown trout. Jacob the shop manager was extremely kind and helpful. Jacob has also been kind in directing me in the right direction water wise as I continue to explore the region.
I loaded up with all the local fly recommendations and New Zealand style tackle. Pretty much flies in New Zealand are BUGGY, they aren’t fancy or flashy it will spook the fish. Your bright bead head perdigons, and hot spot pheasant tails are not the go-to’s down south. The Buggier the better, and large nymphs have been my most successful patterns so far (size 10-14) Black bead heads are the standard on almost all the nymphs in New Zealand. Large stonefly nymphs and ofcourse the tried and true squirmy wormy are all good options for those big browns.
Prepare to get humbled if you are targeting Browns on the South Island, as you might walk 3-5km to see only a few fish, or nothing at all. Local guides and anglers have a trained eye for sight fishing, and it takes time to get your trout vision dialed in. I have been on a completely self guided quest, knowing that It would challenge me, and require me to really step up my game as an angler. Pretty much you are working upstream moving slow and looking for anything that moves or looks fishy. I spent an hour casting to a rock the other day thinking it was the biggest brown I’ve ever seen… haha. ts better to give it a go just incase it is a fish, once they see you your done for.
This brown was caught on a classic Elk Hair Caddis (14) as it was sitting in a foot of water feeding on adults. It was a joy to watch sip my dry fly, and my first and only fish on top water so far.
With the water being so clear and everything being visible to the trout leaders here tend to run LONG 12-20ft leaders are the standard. The fly line will spook the fish, so even your fly line is recommended to be earth toned, light brown, or grey. Those bright yellow or orange fly lines in New Zealand wont cut it. Indicators are tiny and made of New Zealand wool. For the first week down here I was fishing a wool indicator that was way to big until another local guide and lodge owner Ashley from Mauri Motels and Fly Fishing, dropped some serious knowledge on me. Ashley is a true trout Bum and kind soul! I wondered into his place, looking for some shelter and a shower and he took me in and even brought me a plate of food. Kiwi Kindness is a true thing, and something I hope to bring back with me. Thanks Ashley, your a legend mate!
“Do good, lend, and expect nothing in return and your reward will be great.” -Luke 6:35
I travelled from river to river for about 5 days, getting a few shots here and there landing just one fish in near a week! The grind was real folks, and so was the weather! When it rains here is RAINS! Rivers in New Zealand can be deadly, especially if you are travelling far upstream in the backcountry. Unlike our home rivers you can just get out and walk the bank. The bush in New Zealand is THICK and at time impossible to manage so your only way up is through the water. I had backcountry permits for a very famous river and got turned around due to severe weather. If you plan on traveling to the South Island and getting some designated water licenses, wait till you arrive to purchase and keep a keen eye on the forecast. I bought mine ahead of time and that was a mistake.
A large and fierce west coast or as locals say “wet coast” storm rolling in while working a remote river.
Time alone in the Bush and getting skunked was getting to me, and I found myself feeling pretty defeated. The weather wasn’t helping either, my patience being tested I prayed for clarity. At one point it had been a few days since I had seen anybody and I was feeling pretty lonely so I prayed for a connection and encounter. Just as I finished praying I looked up to a small young farm dog running full speed at me! He jumped into my arms and proceeded to love and kiss on me with that type of unfiltered dog joy that solidifies why they are man’s best friend, and God’s best creations (sorry Im Biased). That simple and pure interaction with the farm Dog made me emotional as God directly answered my prayer providing just what I needed in that moment.
“The righteous care for the needs of their animals, but the kindest acts of the wicked are cruel.” Proverbs 12:10
“Do not be like them, for your father knows what you need before you ask him” Matthew 6:8
I find myself around the central northern side of the South Island as it has a pull to me, I’ve even tried to travel down the west coast but felt called to go back north again. Looking at the weather maps I decided to visit one more river before heading down to Wanaka to visit some extended church family. As I drove to this new location the sun burst through the clouds and the insects started hatching, it felt so good to see the sun again and get out of the storm. I rolled up to my new location around 10am and made another cup of coffee by the stream before heading out for the day.
My friends I have never seen a stream more beautiful in my life, at times I felt like I was dreaming. The water was clear the birds were singing and the caddis were prolifically hatching. I came up to a bend and was nymphing a single pheasant tail about 7ft deep under my tiny wool indicator on 5X. I was fishing a rocky drop off with a deep undercut bank and letting my fly drift underneath the stone. I went to recast at the end of my drift and felt my life go tight, and the wiggle. FISH ON! I stood up and got a glimpse of this Brown and it was beautiful. I could see even from far away that this was a serious fish, and it was gonna take some patience and calm to land it.
The hole I was fishing had many different rock structures and the fish ran me between most of them, I even slipped and went down hard trying to lean over the cut bank where the fish was trying to break me off. I was speaking to myself like a mad man, knowing just how much I could lean into the fish, and just how much I could let him take. The fish ended up going upstream and into a slower pool drastically wearing himself down and allowing me to finally net him. When I got the brown trout to the net I knew it was one of those time stopping special moments. It was a perfect day, and a perfect fish, those times don’t come by often and I know that well.
Fly fishing isn’t about the fish, its about everything leading up to it. It’s about hope in a world of politics, hustle and bustle, and so much pain. It’s the idea that today will be the day, its gets us out of bed and into nature. Fly fishing brings us together in hope for those perfect moments, or to brag in unison over all endless skunk we’ve all faced and experienced. All the money, time, energy and travel just to have a few minutes with an. extraordinary fish, we are a wild bunch aren’t we..
As I sit at this coffee shop and eat yet another beef pie and drink way too much caffeine and I can’t help but to laugh about how silly all of this actually is. Flying across the world for a fish.. ultimately its ridiculous. The real meat and potatoes is what we learn along the way, how we grow from experiences and what we do with the pain of life. Most importantly it’s our connection with others through friendship and love. We need each other, as I travel alone, I constantly wish I could share this with others, show them what I’ve seen. Thank God Jesus is with me as my fishing and life buddy. I am never alone, even when I feel like I am and neither are you. Have hope my friends, for that fish, and for a brighter day ahead. TBC………
“And I am convinced that nothing can separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow- not even the power of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below-indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to seperate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 8:38-39
