Fishing

New Zealand was basically a fishing stop. My Dad came over from Australia, we hired a camper van and drove around the South Island. Most of the fish we caught were brown trout, plus a few rainbows and one or two salmon.

There was nothing huge in there, nothing made it to the five pount mark, in fact I don't think any made it over four. The vast majority of the browns were quite small, down around the one pound mark, but a lot of fun to catch.

The fishing was a lot different compared to fishing in Western Australia. A lot more fish, but in completely unexpected areas. I used lure, my Dad used mainly fly and I outfished him almost three to one, draw whatever conclusions you wish from that.

Hopefully I'll be going back soon.


img_2012-04-13.072604.jpg
Dad on the Rangitata near Peel Forest
7:26am 13th April 2012
1200x900 269kb


img_2012-04-13.082524.jpg
Dad fishing the Rangitata
8:25am 13th April 2012
1200x900 248kb


img_2012-04-13.083823.jpg
The magic salmon spot on the Rangitata
8:38am 13th April 2012
1200x900 305kb


img_2012-04-14.102257.jpg
My first brown from the Mataura
10:22am 14th April 2012
1200x900 335kb


img_2012-04-14.122802.jpg
Dad on the Mataura
12:28pm 14th April 2012
1200x900 241kb


img_2012-04-14.124100.jpg
Dad landing a fish on the Mataura
12:41pm 14th April 2012
1200x900 357kb


img_2012-04-14.124147.jpg
Releasing the fish
12:41pm 14th April 2012
675x900 226kb


img_2012-04-14.130923.jpg
And getting back to fishing
1:09pm 14th April 2012
1200x900 341kb


img_2012-04-15.062632.jpg
A lovely (but fishless) spot on the Mataura
6:26am 15th April 2012
1200x900 257kb


img_2012-04-15.094140.jpg
I got a brown!
9:41am 15th April 2012
1200x900 326kb


img_2012-04-15.121100.jpg
The Mataura
12:11pm 15th April 2012
1200x900 418kb


img_2012-04-15.121221.jpg
Landing another
12:12pm 15th April 2012
1200x900 318kb


img_2012-04-15.121234.jpg
It takes him a while
12:12pm 15th April 2012
1200x900 379kb


img_2012-04-15.121251.jpg
In the net!
12:12pm 15th April 2012
1200x900 350kb


img_2012-04-15.121300.jpg
Success!
12:13pm 15th April 2012
675x900 205kb


img_2012-04-15.122543.jpg
A nice fat brown
12:25pm 15th April 2012
1200x900 302kb


img_2012-04-15.123330.jpg
And another
12:33pm 15th April 2012
1200x900 253kb


img_2012-04-15.125620.jpg
One of my larger ones from the Matarua
12:56pm 15th April 2012
1200x900 411kb


img_2012-04-15.134144.jpg
Dad on the Matarua, after that ellusive one
1:41pm 15th April 2012
1200x900 181kb


img_2012-04-15.135001.jpg
Bringing them in
1:50pm 15th April 2012
1200x900 236kb


img_2012-04-16.064056.jpg
And another brown
6:40am 16th April 2012
1200x900 303kb


img_2012-04-16.074627.jpg
Scorpians worked well
7:46am 16th April 2012
1200x900 253kb


img_2012-04-16.131013.jpg
A brown in the net
1:10pm 16th April 2012
1200x900 293kb


img_2012-04-16.132515.jpg
Dad fighting one on the lower Matarua
1:25pm 16th April 2012
1200x900 247kb


img_2012-04-16.132757.jpg
And here it is
1:27pm 16th April 2012
1200x900 268kb


img_2012-04-16.132820.jpg
And again!
1:28pm 16th April 2012
1200x900 305kb


img_2012-04-16.141323.jpg
A nice, albeit small brown
2:13pm 16th April 2012
1200x900 239kb


img_2012-04-17.073226.jpg
Trying our luck at Lake Waituna
7:32am 17th April 2012
1200x900 258kb


img_2012-04-17.080723.jpg
Still trying
8:07am 17th April 2012
1200x900 370kb


img_2012-04-17.085917.jpg
It worked! Biggest fish of the trip
8:59am 17th April 2012
1200x900 640kb


img_2012-04-17.134019.jpg
Brown from Matarua River
1:40pm 17th April 2012
1200x900 257kb


img_2012-04-17.134129.jpg
Lovely colours
1:41pm 17th April 2012
1200x900 322kb


img_2012-04-17.135736.jpg
But not very big
1:57pm 17th April 2012
1200x900 266kb


img_2012-04-17.141718.jpg
Still very nice
2:17pm 17th April 2012
1200x900 272kb


img_2012-04-18.054643.jpg
I think they're getting smaller
5:46am 18th April 2012
1200x900 328kb


img_2012-04-18.061847.jpg
Fun to catch though
6:18am 18th April 2012
1200x900 306kb


img_2012-04-18.073510.jpg
Moving to the upper Matarua
7:35am 18th April 2012
1200x900 374kb


img_2012-04-18.080004.jpg
This is what New Zealand rivers are suppose to look like
8:00am 18th April 2012
1200x803 441kb


img_2012-04-18.080027.jpg
Its so clear
8:00am 18th April 2012
1200x803 472kb


img_2012-04-18.080030.jpg
Perfect for fishing, you could see the fish
8:00am 18th April 2012
1200x803 442kb


img_2012-04-18.080138.jpg
Fishing in the shade along the willows was magic
8:01am 18th April 2012
1200x803 380kb


img_2012-04-18.083834.jpg
A nice brown from the Matarua
8:38am 18th April 2012
1200x900 441kb


img_2012-04-18.092005.jpg
Looking downstream of the Matarua
9:20am 18th April 2012
1200x900 297kb


img_2012-04-18.092012.jpg
And now looking upstream
9:20am 18th April 2012
1200x900 353kb


img_2012-04-18.093029.jpg
My biggest brown from the Matarua
9:30am 18th April 2012
1200x900 498kb


img_2012-04-18.093137.jpg
Then I let it go
9:31am 18th April 2012
1200x900 266kb


img_2012-04-18.093212.jpg
And chased it through the shallows
9:32am 18th April 2012
1200x900 444kb


img_2012-04-18.094416.jpg
Dad meanwhile got one from a small lake
9:44am 18th April 2012
1200x900 309kb


img_2012-04-18.094443.jpg
Checking the weight
9:44am 18th April 2012
675x900 310kb


img_2012-04-18.094621.jpg
A nice fish
9:46am 18th April 2012
675x900 284kb


img_2012-04-18.094627.jpg
Lovely fish in fact
9:46am 18th April 2012
1200x900 392kb


img_2012-04-18.132937.jpg
My last brown from the Matarua
1:29pm 18th April 2012
1200x900 270kb


img_2012-04-19.101801.jpg
Dad fishing in Lake Wanaka
10:18am 19th April 2012
1200x900 268kb


img_2012-04-19.122507.jpg
Dad at the mouth of the Matukituki River on Lake Wanaka
12:25pm 19th April 2012
1200x900 193kb


img_2012-04-19.142043.jpg
I got a fish on the second last cast
2:20pm 19th April 2012
1200x900 436kb


img_2012-04-19.142149.jpg
A nice sized brown it was too
2:21pm 19th April 2012
1200x900 252kb


img_2012-04-19.142210.jpg
A close-up of its head
2:22pm 19th April 2012
1200x900 262kb


img_2012-04-20.122547.jpg
Lake Ohau - you could surf on it
12:25pm 20th April 2012
1200x900 312kb


img_2012-04-20.122855.jpg
Dad on Lake Ohau
12:28pm 20th April 2012
1200x900 299kb


img_2012-04-20.131248.jpg
Biggest rainbow of the trip from Lake Ohau
1:12pm 20th April 2012
1200x900 395kb


img_2012-04-20.131344.jpg
A fat rainbow from Lake Ohau
1:13pm 20th April 2012
1200x900 300kb


img_2012-04-20.132828.jpg
I'm pretty sure this isn't a rainbow, its a salmon
1:28pm 20th April 2012
675x900 148kb


img_2012-04-20.135926.jpg
Another nice sized rainbow
1:59pm 20th April 2012
1200x900 304kb


img_2012-04-20.141407.jpg
And a nice little brown for the trifecta
2:14pm 20th April 2012
1200x900 303kb


img_2012-04-21.123536.jpg
Another small salmon we think
12:35pm 21st April 2012
1200x900 428kb


img_2012-04-21.134050.jpg
One of the skinniest and not-healthy fish I saw
1:40pm 21st April 2012
1200x900 243kb


img_2012-04-22.094220.jpg
I think this was the last brown of the trip, from Lake Opuha
9:42am 22nd April 2012
1200x900 391kb

<-- Go back Images and content © Ryan McConigley, 2012
Not to be used without permission, for profit, etc.
Last modified: July 02 2023 04:35:22.
Contact: web *at* madphin.com