Waiteti, New Zealand

Hi,

Just back from our long weekend holiday trip to Rotorura lake area. We used to go and stay at the holiday camp there quite often, but over the last few years, with travel and a young one, we realised that we've not been there for a long time. Anyway, the weather was mostly rain, with a few patches of showers and light drizzle. Still, Vanessa and Genesta went out and did some fun things like a farm tour, pet a baby lion, while I stood by the river waving a stick.

The fishing was pretty hard going. Most of the fish have run up the rivers by now, though it was quite full on about a month ago. Still, I did spot a few holding in some of the holes, though none at the mouth of the Waiteti (pronouced Why tuh tee). None of the locals were out fishing, which is never a good sign.

Still, at a spot I call the "Chicken Run" (a family has a chicken coup on the ohter side of the fence by the river), I was roll casting to the far bank and drawing the fly back. After awhile, with not much happening, I tied on a size 10 Doc Spratley and flicked that about, initially with hope, but with a growing sense of futility. Finally, I started reeling in to move on as I still hadn't seen a fish, one obligingly dashed out from the bank and followed the fly! I got it to follow a couple times, but that was it. It was like pulling a spnner and getting some interest but not enough for a take. Eventualy, it lost interest, but mine was peaked.

I swithed to a wine coloured cosseboom with red and black hackle. Again, followed, but no takers. Then it lost interest in that. I then tried a Fuzzy Belle (a fuzzy wuzzy tied in the colours of a parmachene belle), but no interest at all in that. I decided it was only interested in dark flies, so I switched to a Black Ghost. Although the white wing isn't dark, the black body seemed a good idea. Sure enough, after a couple swings, it rose from the bottom and ambushed the Ghost from below. After a good fight, though, I had this one to hand, later to become a lovely supper of smoked trout. It's a nice 2.4 kg (5lbs 4oz) of brown trout.

http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g1...4ozBrown_c.jpg

It's not an exceptional Rotorura trout, in fact well below the average size of brown, but it was the only hit I got all weekend.

Anyway, it was a lot of fun, and very tasty. Must try and get out on holiday more often I think!

tight lines.

- Jeff

Well done Jeff, and if you consider the circumstances, you bagged a beautiful but fussy fish under trying conditions where most people would not have. A good result and a good day!

My daughter is just back from a school trip there and was petting those lion cubs too.

Ahhhhhh, persistence and reading the fish pays off. Lovely fish and, I imagine, quite tasty smoked. Well done, Jeff.

REE

That might be below average for your area...but that is a DANDY fish just about anywhere else! Well done with your persistence and experimenting to find something that worked!

Outstanding Jeff. Nice photo and a great fishin' tale. Glad the girls had fun. Jim

Jeff, nice one, that brownie is in great condition, I am sure it tasted just fine!
All the best.
Mike

Thanks guys! It was very rewarding to have things work out, especially as there was a lull in the fishing lately. I brined it over night, then lightly smoked it with manuka chips with a salt and brown surgar rub. Was absolutely superb. I only keep one or two trout a year, and usually only from the Rotorua area (which is one of the regions that supplies the stocked trout to the rest of the country as they have a hatchery there), so it's always a special treat. It was in good condition, though I have to try and estimate it's length from the photo as I don't have a measuring tape when I'm fishing any more.

- Jeff

What a great outing you and the family had. If that trout is smaller than average I'd like to see the average size trout. :shock:

Hi TyroneFly,

The largest trout I've caught was a 7.25lb brown, also in the Waiteti, about 5 or 6 years ago. The average size of the browns they were measuring in the fish trap on the Ngongataha stream (next one over) was 7.5 lbs!

- Jeff

P.S. I just estimated the length of the fish above, and it's about 50 cm, or just shy of 20 inches.
P.P.S. Hmmm, after calculating the condition factor with those values, I suspect my estimated length is a bit short. 500 mm and 2400 kg puts it in well into "exceptional, trophy fish" condition acording to the chart I found on the web and that seems a bit much, given some of the footballs that get caught.