New video!

Here is a cheeky little clip following the rainy adventure that was opening day. Watch on Vimeo for HD.

Opening Day 2012 from Cameron Forsman on Vimeo.

Other than this, I have had a few more sessions on the river. There has been some absolutely awesome fishing if you can find a break in the weather. Reports from Rotorua, Tongariro and Waikato small streams are all fantastic. Even the salty flyboys north of Auckland have been catching snapper from the shore. Had a yarn to Pat Swift at work today said Okataina went well during opening. Another local fisho Mark told me he whipped ten out of the Tongariro and I have been having double figure numbers of fish on our small streams. (Even some dry fly action!)

It's been a cracker start to the season and even though the weather is crap, the fish are hungry so who really cares, just get out there.

Dodgy weather, good fishing

Well, she's been a rough old opening. Nothing like some gale force winds the sort the men from the boys in terms of casting ability. Admittedly I have been in the trees a few times due to that unexpected 50kph gust.  There has been a bit of rain too but not enough to make the rivers too filthy to fish.

What this has given us is some weather that is challenging to fish but still fishable. More importantly, the fair weather fishermen have been put off, leaving streams that haven't been fished for months for the most hardcore of fly fishermen.

This has provided some awesome small stream fishing with good sized fish that haven't seen any pressure and are keen to eat most standard flies put in front of them. Small black flies combined with a patterns with a bit of sparkle and flash has worked well especially in coloured water.

This fish made me re enact a scene from a River Runs Through It. Although I wasn't quite as graceful going down the rapids as Brad Pitt and ended up smashing my knee on a rock, I had a bloody good time doing it.

Anyway, get out there and get amongst it. The weather isn't going to too flash for while so its best to just bite the bullet and get out there. The first fish will get rid of any doubts about whether you should be out there or not.

Stay tuned for a new video from FullTimeFlyFisher #openingday

Opening Day

I'm too busy tying flies in preparation for Monday to write a proper post. So if you are lucky enough to fish opening day like me, enjoy it. Weather isn't looking too flash but it rarely is on October 1. Best of luck for the new season!!

If you can't get out on the day because you have a job or something silly, here is something to cheer you up.

HANK PATTERSON  - Vol 2!!

4 or 5 midges.... that's a Morgy. Absolutely brilliant.

Fly Fishing and Music

Fly fishing is something which can put you in different moods and make you see the world in different ways. It can be harmonious when in tune with nature, it can be incredibly frustrating as well as action filled. This is quite often best expressed by music and can really set the mood for whatever fishing your are wanting to do.

If I head out for a dry fly fish one evening, I may choose to listen to something a little quieter or slower paced on the drive there. Alternatively, if I am going to strip some woolly buggers through rainbow infested still water I may listen something faster and heavier to get me geared up. I like all types of music from classic rock and folk music to hip hop and more modern stuff. Similarly, I like all types of fly fishing and as a lover of music I feel that they go hand in hand.

In making fly fishing videos, it is often hard to match a particular video with a song. Fly fishing is something that is currently making the jump into the modern age. While many fly fishing videos still use to good effect slower acoustic music, many video producers are now employing more quicker paced and more modern music in their videos. While the music won't be everybody's cup of tea, they effectively match how the film is edited and presented. A fast paced film would not suit a slow acoustic guitar piece. Having said this, a slow motion dominant dry fly film would not suit a bass heavy hip hop or alternative track.

The modern, younger fly fisherman is influencing this style of film. Ivan, the man behind US based Yukon Goes fishing, is a really good example of this. Ivan clearly has a passion for modern, hip hop music but his videos are filmed and edited to match this music accordingly. Here is a sample of one his productions:

Yukon Goes Headhunting from Yukon Goes Fishing on Vimeo.

Alternatively, this a film from Gin Clear Media, soon to be released in full version. The slow acoustic music effectively reflects the mood of the video and the type of fishing.

"Hatch" trailer - by Gin Clear Media | Fly Fishing Movie from The Fly Fishing Film Tour on Vimeo.

Next time you go fishing, listen to music in the car that reflects the type of fishing you intend to do as I have found it can put you in the right frame of mind for your fishing which can effect your success and subsequently, enjoyment out on the water.

This weather is getting old.

It may seem like a I spend most of my time on here having a cry about the weather. The fact remains that this has been an absolutely shocking start to the spring in terms of pleasant fishing weather. If you do want to get out and brave the wind and rain, some absolutely stellar report are coming in from the Tongariro. I heard at work today that one gentleman managed to snag fifteen fish in the bridge pool one morning. While the size of fish hasn't been outstanding, the condition and sheer number of fish in the river is very encouraging. Might have to plan a trip soon...

In the meantime, opening is less than a month away so renew those licences and tie those flies because come October 1, it's every fisherman for himself.

I don't think I have shared this video yet but if I have I make no apologies, it's pretty awesome.

Fly Fishing is a Joke from Henry Harrison on Vimeo.

Week Off

Having a week off from Uni and fly fishing so am hoping to get some editing done on the new stillwater themed video that will come out shortly. When I return though I will be fishing up a storm as now is the time to start dusting off the small stream gear and getting some practice in on waters such as the Waihou and even parts of the Waipa and Puniu.

If you can't get out, here is a small clip that I found pretty entertaining. "If it's not snapping, you're doing it wrong!"

Brown Beauties

I had an awesome day on the water last week which was dominated mostly by gorgeous brown trout so I though I would post a few photos of some of the browns I have caught recently and try to shed a little bit of light on the subtle differences we see in these fish.

Brown trout (Salmo trutta) were first introduced in New Zealand waters in the 1860's from British stock that came via those already acclimatised in Tasmania. They are currently the most widespread introduced species of fish in our waters.

Brown from the Mangatutu Stream. Golden brown with red spots.

Brown trout are an extremely pleasant fish to look at. Some fish are golden brown with black and orange spots and some are shiny silver bullets. The colouration of these fish has to do not only with their environment but also their lineage. Traditional wisdom and research says that lake fish tend to be the silver in colour and more closely resemble their cousins the Salmon. However think the only bearing that habitat has on a brown trout's appearance is the amount of spots and the pattern of those spots. What is more important is the where these fish originally came from and where what their migratory and spawning behaviour is.

Big brown from Lake Rotorua. Note that they are all black spots.

Many of our bigger lake fish such as the Rotorua trout were stocked from bloodlines that came from the Scottish Lochs an so they naturally adapted well there. Our small stream browns which do not grow to the same sizes are usually descended from fish found in the small streams of Germany. These fish can be identified by their small red spots that tend to be placed closer to their belly. However, both strains of fish were stocked, so one may find a smaller 'German' brown in a stillwater, while there are many bigger 'Scottish' browns in our rivers. Also, the migratory patterns of these fish have an effect on appearance however this normally determines the number of spots on a fish. This can be useful for finding out if fish are remiaining in  particular fishery or choosing to migrate up or downstream. More spots usually means an upstream fish which is in clear water and less spots means downstream and murky although this is not always the case.

Brown from the Whakapapa River. No red spots on this guy.

One exception to this is the sea run brown trout which will take on a silvery appearance. This is also true of the browns that come out of Lake Taupo. For example, I have seen a 5lb brown caught on the Tongariro that resembled a sea run trout, so it would appear that these fish think that they are going to sea when they are in fact migrating from a big lake. This said, lake Rotorua is obviously not big enough to trick the fish into thinking this as I have never come across one of those silvery browns there.

Another Mangatutu fish. All black spots here though. Two different strains in the river?

From the fish that I have caught, the fighting ability and characteristics differ greatly from fish to fish. The general rule that I have developed is that any brown trout under 4lb that is in good condition will fight like an absolute demon. They will jump as much as any rainbow as well as bury their head in a clump of weed. However once they get a bit bigger, they tend to fight like a rock. They will usually have one or two good runs and then pick a spot in the river and stay there.

Little brown from a small stillwater. Fought extremely hard and jumped about 5 times! Note the red spots.

Brown trout are undoubtedly one of my favourite fish to catch. In the North Island we tend to be rainbow dominated so it is quite often a nice surprise to catch one of these amazing fish. Even with all my theories on browns listed above, there will always be something different. One persons experience with brown trout may be different to the next but I think we can all agree that they are fish that we love to catch and that they have a touch of mysticism about them.