Kapiti Fly Fishing Club November 2018 Newsletter

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Front cover photo: This is a photo of the small lake situated in the Otaraua Park Development

and the proposed Fish and Game and KFFC Kids Fish-out-pond - photo was taken by Hugh Driver

IN THIS MONTHS NEWSLETTER

Page 2 President Report Page 3 We Need Your Eyes on the Water – Wellington Fish and Game Page 4 Imitationist vs Impressionist – Design of Trout Flies by Al Simpson Page 6 Effluent monitoring paying dividends by Rural News Group Page 8 Family mourns ‘adorable’ native eels culled by neighbours to save duckling by Caroline Williams Page 9 Why we care about our ground water by Murray Close ESR Page 10 The Fallacy of Unbridled “Monetary” Growth by Tony Orman Page 12 Fishing Tandem Flies; Other Combinations by Charles Meek Page 18 Manawatu River progress celebrated – press release Horizons Regional Council Page 19 An unfair allocation – report by Radio NZ Page 20 Keep a Watch for Algal Bloom in Rivers and Lakes Hawkes Bay Regional Council Page 21 Otaraua Park Development Plan – the proposal for a Kids-fish-out pond

CLUB ACTIVITIES

Date Event Coordinator

Monday 26 November Club Night – Guest Speaker Ben Knight Kapiti Island

Marine Reserve

Malcolm

Saturday 8 December Kapiti Fly Fishing Clubs – Christmas Function Pete H

Malcolm

Monday 28 January Club night – Fun and Games Waikanae River Malcolm

February 1 to 3 2019 Club trip to Manganui-o-te-ao River Pete H

Sunday 17 February Take a Kid Fishing Otaki Lakes Nickk

Monday 25 March Club Night – Walking Access Commission Malcolm

March dates TBC Makuri River limited to 8 members Michael

I would like to remind members that Sporting Life are our sponsor and you are

encouraged to visit their website or contact them when you are next looking for a fly-

fishing item to purchase, Graham will give you a generous discount as a club member.

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PRESIDENT REPORT

Over the past month I have managed to spend some valuable time fishing the Waikanae river

and have been reminded why I enjoy time on this beautiful small stream. Lots of fish spotted but

very challenging trying to convince them to take my dry fly or nymphs, so far four hooked and

lost. Time to take a step back and rethink my strategy.

Each time I have been out for a fish my ‘set up’ has been a tapered leader with dry fly followed

with a dropper of a small weighted nymph and 300 mm to an unweighted nymph as my point fly.

Cast after cast, my flies would drift down towards the trout, but they just watched them go by

and showed very little interest. After numerous changes of both dry fly and nymphs the trout

‘won the day.’ Time to change my approach.

In Jonathan White book: Nymphing – The New Way he highlights the value of the French leader

fishing approach of using a long leaders of 3.7 meters plus, and in the past, I have found using a

longer leader and casting further upstream from the target fish has worked well on the

Waikanae. So off with the tapered leader and time to make up a few ‘nymphing leaders,’ I have a

few trout that need to feel the inside of my landing net.

At this month’s meeting we have Ben Knight coming along to talk to us about the Kapiti Marine

Reserve and how it has influenced the overall fishing experience for anglers, will be an

interesting evening. We have set a Sub-Committee with members from the Horowhenua Fresh

Water Anglers to organise the Kids Fish-out day on Sunday 17 February, so please make a note

of this date as we will need your help on the day.

Wellingtons Fish and Game latest proposal for a Kids Fish-out-pond to be part of the Otaraua

Park Development Plan has not been considered as the Local Iwi have not supported the

initiative. At out last clubs Committee meeting we discussed how we could support Fish and

Game and we have sent a letter to all elected members of KDC, you will find a copy of this letter

on page 21 of this newsletter.

On Saturday 8 December we have the Clubs Christmas Dinner at the Boundary, this is our last

gathering for 2018 and it would be great if you could join Sue and I for an enjoyable evening.

Please contact Pete Haakman and make sure you and your partner can join us, the more the

merrier.

Warm regards Malcolm

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WE NEED YOUR EYES ON THE WATER – WELLINGTON FISH AND GAME

Worked recently carried out by Greater Wellington Regional Council in Wairarapa turning a meandering

braided river into a lifeless channel

If you see any bad activity when you're out and about fishing the region's rivers, please take a

photo and let us know what you've happened across.

Recently an angler took some shocking images of stock in water (dead and alive) and the ghastly

impact it was having on the water quality. A simple photo taken on the cell phone and details of

where it was taking place has meant the matter can be followed with the local authorities.

We're also interested in photos of atrocious river bulldozing like that illustrated above. There's no

reason for rivers to be destroyed in this manner, in this day and age, particularly by the regional

council which professes to be looking after the environment.

If you encounter any such activity, please email the pics and details to us.

Editor’s note: Wellington Fish and Game only have a very small team trying to cover the whole of the

Wellington Region, it would be appreciated if you see anything that concerns you such as in the

above photo please take a photo and send it through to Wellington Fish and Game. If you wish you

can email me a copy and I will coordinate it with the team at Fish and Game.

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IMITATIONIST VS IMPRESSIONIST – DESIGN OF TROUT FLIES BY AL SIMPSON

Does it really matter whether we fish for trout with artificial flies that are exact imitations or merely

impressions of the natural fly? I confess at the outset that I am a died-in-the-wool impressionist

when it comes to the design of trout flies. Part of the reason is that I am a lazy fly-tier. If after a bit

of practice, I can’t tie a fly in five minutes or less, I simply won’t continue tying them. I tie flies to

fish with, not to create art-work to put in a display case.

But the main reason I am an impressionist is that I don’t feel exact imitation is necessary to catch

trout. In fact, I think exact imitation may be detrimental, especially if the fly doesn’t appear

vulnerable or it lacks life-like behaviour.

We have all had the experience of fishing a hatch with rising trout and faced with refusals. After

changing flies several times to better “match the hatch”, we finally start catching fish. This of

course reinforces our belief that an exact imitation was the difference-maker. But counter that with

Mike (legendary Henry’s Fork fisherman) Lawson’s observation in “Fishing Spring Creeks“. When

faced with unsolvable refusals amidst a hatch, he “un-matches the hatch” with a small royal

coachman. I have had similar experiences, often resorting to a rusty ant when no ants were among

the bugs on the water. In both instances, the change of flies put fish on the hook.

The Limitations of Trout Vision

Trout are bug-eating machines. If not taking flies off the water’s surface, they are rummaging the

stream bottom looking for food. They frequently suck in detritus, turn it over in their mouths, then

spit it out. The final determination of whether an item is edible is made by senses in their mouths,

not their eyes. This makes me wonder whether their near-vision is not nearly as good as their far-

vision. Or whether their eyes don’t accommodate quickly enough to provide a consistently sharp

image.

Applying this to fly fishing, there must be a trigger that prompts a trout to rise to or strike our fly.

This could be the size, shape, colour or movement of the fly. But during the move to the fly, I

suspect that the fly becomes a bit blurry. Despite this, the fly is usually taken. It is then tested in

the mouth, and quickly rejected if the hook isn’t immediately set. This may explain why attractor

flies, like the parachute Adams and royal coachman, have remained effective over the years. While

they do not imitate any specific bug, they must contain a trigger. It isn’t until they are in the trout’s

mouth, that their fraudulence is detected.

Still or nearly-still water is often an exception to the observations. In this circumstance, trout can

leisurely follow the fly before deciding to take or refuse it. During this time, their eyes may have

time to accommodate, and provide them with a sharper image. Still, I doubt that they count the

number of legs and tail fibers before making their decision. In faster moving water, trout don’t

have those leisurely seconds before they must decide to take or refuse a fly. They must react

quickly, with less sensory information available.

Bright sunlight is another factor that may pose a problem for a rising trout. Unlike the human eye,

trout eyes lack both eyelids and reactive irises. They adjust to light-changes by altering the

arrangement of the rods (low light receptors) and cones (colour and bright light receptors) in their

retinas. The necessary adjustment to optimize their vision to dark or light conditions takes at least

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thirty minutes. Thus, when a trout rises quickly from a deep or dark lie to a sunny surface, it is

confronted with both light/dark and accommodative challenges. In all likelihood, this makes it

difficult for a trout to discern the fine details inherent in an imitative fly.

The Impressionist Approach

I do most of my fly fishing on freestone streams. When I tie dry flies, I prioritize the elements of

shape, size and colour, in that order. I want to ballpark size and colour or colour-shade but

emphasize the shape. It is the shape that suggests that a fly is vulnerable, and not about to take

flight. Parachute, comparadun (no-hackle dry fly), spinner, cripple, and emerger patterns all

suggest that a fly will be easy pickings. This is the impression I want to present with my surface

flies

Floating flies that suggest vulnerability

When I tie subsurface flies, I prioritise action, size, shape and colour, in that order. I think that

lifelike action far outweighs all the other elements when fishing subsurface. This is provided by

materials that move easily in the water, and action imparted during presentation of the fly. “Lively”

materials include marabou, bunny hair, and soft hen-hackle.

Size is somewhat less important when fishing subsurface. During a hatch, there is generally one

predominant specie of bug present on the surface. But subsurface, there are multiple species of

bugs present at all times. In addition, some bugs have multiple generations yearly, while others

take two or three years to mature. The result is a smorgasbord of multiple-sized nymphs. Having

said that, in spring and early summer, large, mature nymphs predominate, as they near readiness

to hatch. In contrast, in late summer and fall, small, young nymphs predominate.

As for colour, nymphs and larvae are coloured to camouflage with their stream-bottom

environments. Thus, an assortment of brown/grey/olive flies generally suffices. Blends of these

colours, with a bit of added flash, are especially effective.

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Subsurface flies that have lifelike movement

So, back to my opening question, does it really matter whether we fish with precise imitations or

impressions of the natural flies? As long as striving for a perfectly matched artificial fly does not

lose the essential elements of vulnerability or lifelike movement, perhaps not. But like Datus

Proper, in “What the Trout Said“, I listen to what trout have to say on the design of trout flies. I

think they are died-in-the-wool impressionists too!

EFFLUENT MONITORING PAYING DIVIDENDS BY RURAL NEWS GROUP

Regen chief executive Bridgit Hawkins

An innovative approach to monitoring dairy farm effluent runoff is reaping rewards for farmers and

the environment. Taupo milk processor Miraka, with about 100 suppliers, is offering bonuses to

suppliers who meet the five criteria set out in its Te Ara Miraka Farming Excellence programme:

people, environment, animal welfare, milk quality and prosperity.

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NZ agricultural technology company Regen is helping Miraka farmers manage their effluent more

effectively with a smartphone app. This texts daily effluent irrigation recommendations to farmers,

and logs data to prove compliance, meeting the company’s caring-for-the-environment criteria.

Miraka suppliers received at least $3 million in bonuses during the 2016-2017 season for meeting

the five key criteria.

Regen chief executive Bridgit Hawkins says her company’s work with Miraka’s farmers is bringing

a new level of transparency to farming practice. She says this is an issue that’s even more

important with the Government’s new five-year water improvement plan released last month.

“With Miraka’s focus on kaitiakitanga, they’re encouraging incremental gains across their farming

community, something we fully support,” Hawkins explains. “Effluent is an issue that farmers deal

with day in, day out. Managing it well is key to sustainable farming because it reduces nitrate

leaching and the impact on our waterways – an issue the Government has highlighted in its plans

to improve water quality.”

Miraka general manager of milk supply Grant Jackson says the goal of Te Ara Miraka is to minimise

the impact on whenua and protect resources for future generations.

“Our farmers now have a better appreciation of the value and impact of their dairy effluent. Using

Regen’s technology they’ve taken the complication and compliance out of day-to-day farm

management. Now, our farmers are proactive and know what they need to do and when.”

Hawkins says ultimately sustainable farming and milk production is about more than just effluent

management.

“It’s important the dairy industry continues to innovate and extend its products and services to

support our farmers in meeting the challenge of sustainable farming,” she adds. “Doing the right

thing can be hard. However, Te Ara Miraka makes it clear what the right thing is – and how to

achieve it, benefiting farmers and the environment.”

Miraka recently held field days in Taupo and Tokoroa for its suppliers, where Regen presented on

best-practice effluent management systems.

About Regen

Founded in 2010, Regen is a New Zealand company aiming to improve the environment with

technology for farming, with real-time data to provide specific recommendations. The company

offers scheduling services for water and effluent irrigation and a nitrogen use calculation service.

www.nzregen.co.nz.

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FAMILY MOURNS ‘ADORABLE’ NATIVE EELS CULLED BY NEIGHBOURS TO SAVE DUCKLING

BY CAROLINE WILLIAMS

Thea and Lewi Hicking treat the eels at Maygrove Lake to bacon and fish food

A north Auckland man whose family enjoys feeding the eels at a small lake was horrified to witness

his neighbours hacking the eels to pieces. John Hicking and his children regularly wander down

to Maygrove Lake, near their home in Orewa, to feed the eels bacon and fish-food.

Thea thinks the eels, which are quite tame, are "adorable.”

On the morning of October 27, while he was making a cup of tea, Hicking was met with a

"horrifying" sight as he gazed through his kitchen window. He witnessed a group of neighbours

pulling a net out of the lake with around five eels, which they proceeded to hack to pieces with an

axe or spade.

Upon approaching them, Hicking was appalled to see pieces of the eels were still moving. "The

cut sections were still writhing around, it was pretty horrible.”

When asked by Hicking if they were going to eat the eels, the neighbours said they were culling

the eels, because they had been eating duck's feet and ducklings.

"I'm sure a big eel would have a go at a duck or duckling, but that's nature. I think it's such a shame

to kill the eels for no good reason.” Hicking decided not to tell his 8-year-old daughter, Thea, about

how the eels came to die, but she was upset to hear the eels had been harmed. "I think they're

adorable. It feels nice [feeding the eels], because they probably eat little fish and other stuff and

it's probably a treat for them.”

Hicking's neighbours, John and Marie Walding, two of the three neighbours involved in the culling,

said they didn't kill the eels just for the sake of it. The Waldings, who were chairwoman and

treasurer of the Maygrove Residents Association, said they were acting upon residents' concerns

over a lack of ducklings in the area.

"People were complaining that they were seeing ducklings swimming, next thing they were being

taken under the water and eaten. There's only one thing that can do that, isn't there? "There are

no ducklings. They are not surviving. The eels just chew their feet off, you see them

hobbling around.”

The third neighbour involved in the culling, who didn't wish to be identified, confirmed a spade

was used to kill the eels. However, it was just a matter of controlling the number of eels. "The

ducklings are the thing the kids come and watch. There's maybe four or five one day, the next day

there's one.”

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Meeting minutes from the Maygrove Residents Association annual general meeting suggested

residents requested for a watercare company to be approached for a quote to reduce the eels.

The Waldings were quoted $480 plus GST by a professional to have the eels removed. However,

after loan of an eel trap was offered, they decided to save Maygrove residents some money and

do it themselves. In hindsight, if they knew Hicking's children would be upset over the execution,

they would have relocated the eels instead, John said.

"The way we did it was wrong. We are not cruel people. I didn't enjoy what I was doing, and, in

hindsight, we shouldn't have killed them. We would have been better to just relocate them," John

said.

Auckland Council senior regional freshwater advisor Matthew Bloxham admitted, while it may be

upsetting to witness ducklings being killed by eels, it was a natural occurrence. Further, the eels

were likely to be the threatened long fin variety, while mallard ducks were so common as to be

considered a nuisance in parts of the country.

Both short and long fin eels were native, found in the area, and long fin eels were indigenous,

threatened and in decline. "For an eel to take a duckling, it was likely a long fin eel.”

In urban freshwater environments, ducklings represented a vital source of animal protein. The

council had an informal agreement with the Maygrove Residents Association to maintain the lake

and the group volunteered their time with regular working bees.

It was an offence to destroy animals living in reserves under section 94 of the Reserves Act.

Moving native fish required a permit from the Department of Conservation and the Ministry for

Primary Industries. The council's parks department had been in contact with the resident’s

association to advise against culling the eels.

National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA) freshwater scientist Dr Phil Jellyman

confirmed eels can pose a threat to ducks and ducklings and could eat ducks' feet. Regarding the

eels being chopped to pieces, Jellyman said the movement would have been caused by muscle

spasms during death.

WHY WE CARE ABOUT OUR GROUND WATER BY MURRAY CLOSE ESR

When scientists say groundwater, many people conjure up the idea of a vast subterranean lake

– ready for us to use as drinking water or irrigation for our crops and farms. While that may be

an appealing image, in fact our groundwater resource is the water in the pores or cracks in the

sands, gravels and rocks beneath our feet. It is out of sight, but the resource is essential for our

environment, our communities and our agricultural productivity.

Aquifers are bodies of saturated rock or sediment from which groundwater can be extracted in

sufficient quantities for us to use. There are about 200 aquifers identified in New Zealand. They

lie under more than a quarter of our land surface and are estimated to hold over 700 billion

cubic metres of groundwater. 80% of the annual river flow volume comes from groundwater.

While Canterbury has the largest groundwater storage there are important aquifers in other

parts of New Zealand too.

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Forty percent of people in New Zealand rely on groundwater for drinking water supplies either

partially or completely. Yet that water is vulnerable to contamination by disease causing micro-

organisms, as well as from nitrates, pesticides and other contaminants.

While our rivers and the state of their health are rightly regarded as important taonga, little

attention is given to the groundwater that sustains the flows in most of our rivers and streams. In

fact, it seems that for groundwater, it is out of sight, out of mind. We only remember the water is

there when something goes wrong, such as the widespread illness linked to a contaminated

bore that took place two years ago in Havelock North. The health of our surface waters can be

directly linked to the quality of groundwater resources. Yet our groundwater resources, like

some of our rivers, are under stress. Contaminants from farming, industry and waste threaten

groundwater quality. The pollution is widespread and difficult to treat.

Scientists at ESR, Lincoln Agritech, GNS Science and Aqualinc Research are working on ways

to better understand groundwater systems and how we can improve them. Many research

projects are collaborations between us as well as other partners. In this newsletter, we will hear

about some of these projects that range from creating a groundwater atlas, modelling the water

flows under the ground, monitoring depth and pressure of groundwater systems and

understanding the complex ecosystems that exist in groundwater. These projects are important

but there is so much more fundamental research needed to understand and address the issues

associated with the management and protection of such a vital resource.

The quality of groundwater is an important part of ensuring mahinga kai is thriving. We must be

committed to working with Māori, investing and partnering with them, to increase the

understanding and management of this essential resource. Scientists still know relatively little

about groundwater, particularly about how it may be affected by increasing demand, pollution

and climate change. We need to build up our scientific knowledge to protect groundwater now

and for future generations.

THE FALLACY OF UNBRIDLED “MONETARY” GROWTH BY TONY ORMAN

New Zealand measures the nation’s progress by gross domestic product, commonly known as

GDP. Dr David Hall, senior researcher at the Auckland University of Technology recently

explained GDP - “To put it crudely, you add up all the goods and services produced over a certain

period and if the sum is greater than the last time you measured them, then the economy is

growing.”

I recall in 1999, the National government’s Minister of Finance Bill Birch saying no one would want

to go back to 1972. “New Zealand was not completely happy,” he claimed.

Why Birch picked that year, I’m not sure because in that year, the National government suffered

a crushing election defeat by Labour led by the charismatic Norman Kirk. Significantly the election

issues were strongly environmental such as “Save Manapouri” campaign in protest at the National

government’s plans to raise Lake Manapouri to supply discounted below-cost, electricity to the

foreign owned Bluff smelter. Other issues were the selling of public lands to a wealthy American

at Te Anau and government plans to introduce commercial exploitation of trout via trout farming.

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The “NZ Herald” and “Hawkes Bay Herald Tribune” in election post-mortem editorials identified

those three environmental issues as especially significant in the government’s heavy defeat.

Therein lies a connection to GDP. GDP does not consider environmental quality or social factors

such as the health and well-being of people. When Bill Birch made his fatuous remarks in 1999

denigrating 1972, in a letter to “The Dominion” I said, “my recollection of the early 1970s is of a

proud, peaceful nation with a charismatic leader so much so that a pop song “Big Norm” was

regularly played on radio.”

Economically the country’s debt was low or non-existent and “society was comparatively caring

and harmonious.” As a one-time Minister of Finance, Birch was in error slagging 1972. Due to

heavy borrowing in the Rowling-Muldoon years, New Zealand’s debt rose to $16 billion. In 1999

the year when Birch slated New Zealand in 1972, the debt had risen to $100 billion.

GDP has a sole focus of dollars, i.e. the economy, measured as according to Dr Hall by “goods

and services produced.”

Henry Thoreau an American 19th century philosopher, noted conservationist and author wrote a

classic book “Walden.” He argued that “if in a nation’s haste to ‘progress’ the economics of

ecology are disregarded by citizens and policy makers alike, the result would be an ugly America.”

Thoreau would reject the notion that the Gross National (Domestic) Product should be the index

to the state of the nation or that automobile, television set, washing machine sales or figures on

consumer spending reflect a healthy society.

Modern life has confused society. One of the paradoxes of the modern society is that while our

economic standard of living in terms of material possessions has risen, our environmental

standard has steadily declined. Forty-six years ago - in 1972 to be exact - we were an

environmentally conscious, outdoor people, fit and relatively contented, each family drew

sustenance from the soil and good values and crime rates were low.

Today we have fallen prey to the weakness of an urbanised society and the flabbiness and obesity

of sedentary society. New Zealand should hang its head in shame that for less than just five million

people it ranks high in the world in matters such as teenage suicide and obesity.

Teenagers are committing violent crimes, there is family violence, racial division and city streets

down which it can be dangerous to walk alone.

Don’t tell me we’ve made economic gains to compensate for tearing society’s fabric to shreds.

Our debt is sky-high and balance of payments (exports versus imports) constantly in deficit with

consumerism rampant. Environmentally it’s a mess with rivers like Canterbury’s Selwyn in the

1970-s once a revered dry fly trout river but now a dry, algae-infested river bed.

The answer might seem radical to mercenary monetary minds. - ditch GDP and use a better

measuring system.

The Council of Outdoor Recreation Assns. of NZ (CORANZ) prior to every election compile and

sends political parties and MPs an election charter. Contained in the 2017 election’s charter was

the urgent need for a population policy as to size, composition etc. The second point was that

“The index for national prosperity Gross Domestic Product (GDP) based solely on economic

indicators, be replaced by a Genuine Progress Indicator (GPI) based on three values - social,

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environmental and economic to thus fully measure the quality of life”. Only a few MPs bothered

to reply.

Some economists have already advocated GPI.

Interestingly GPI has been adopted in the by Vermont: “Its legislature, with support from

Democrats, Republicans and Progressive Party members, has established a state GPI, that uses

some two dozen measures of health, wealth, education, leisure and sustainability to measure

progress.” Maryland has also incorporated GPI into state measurements of wellbeing.

Editors note: This article was published in the Marlborough Express on 14 November 2018

FISHING TANDEM FLIES; OTHER COMBINATIONS BY CHARLES MEEK

This heavy rainbow took a dark-colored conehead rabbit-strip fly trailed behind a white Zonker.

When fishing tandem streamers, make sure that you fish different sizes, colors, or actions to cover

more bases

FISHING A DRY AND DROPPER is one possible combination. You can also fish two wet flies or

two dry flies. You can even fish three (or more) wet flies or one dry and two wets, if the wets are

small or if the dry fly is large and floats well. You are limited only by your fly selection and

imagination.

Two Dry Flies

As I’ve grown older, I have more difficulty following a size 24 dry fly on the surface, especially if

the flies float flush on the surface, such as spent spinners. Fishing two dry flies at once can help

solve this problem. Tie an easy-to-see dry fly as your indicator fly and a size 24 Trico or other

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small pattern off the bend on 400 mm to 600 mm of tippet. Follow the indicator fly to help predict

the smaller fly’s location.

Fish a dry fly 400 mm to 600 mm in front of your spinner to help you track it

Two dry flies aren’t just for older anglers. Many experienced midge fishermen use two flies — one

larger and the other small — to help them track their miniscule patterns. Small dark terrestrials

(or other patterns) are also hard to detect. If the trout are finicky, use a smaller dry, but even a

size 18 indicator fly is easier to see than a drab little size 24. Use the first dry to help gauge the

location of the second fly and set the hook if there is a disturbance in the water near where you

think your fly is or if the indicator fly hesitates or twitches.

The Stimulator, a classic choice for the indicator fly in a tandem fly or dropper rig.

Fishing two dry flies also helps you cover more bases if you don’t know what surface flies fish are

feeding on. A few years back I was on the river during a fantastic Sulphur hatch in which flies

emerged for more than a half hour and trout fed with frenzy. In addition to the duns, Sulphur spinners

rode the surface, laying eggs before they died.

Some trout fed barely underneath the surface on emerging duns while others ate floating, dying

spinners. Because I couldn’t figure out exactly which phase fish were feeding on, I tied a spinner

pattern to the bend of my dun. That evening I caught several trout on each fly, and the experience

taught me a valuable lesson: If you’re not certain of the insect phase trout are taking, try several at

the same time.

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Sunken Dry Flies

After bobbing along on the water’s currents, many insects sink. The spent Trico spinners that have

floated in fast water downriver for a mile eventually end up under the surface, where fish continue

to feed on them. Sometimes the largest trout feed on the sunken insects.

To catch difficult fish, I often fish a weighted spinner below a dry fly during and after a spinner fall,

especially below riffles where the broken currents may have submerged spinners. Several species

of mayflies also dive underneath the water to lay their eggs.

Don’t overlook the importance of sunken spinners. Fish a weighted spinner behind a dry fly during

and after a spinner fall

If I live to be a hundred, I’ll never forget the lesson an old angler taught me more than thirty years

ago on Falling Springs Branch, near Chambersburg, Pennsylvania. I’ve written and talked about

this incident many times, but it deserves to be restated. This old man kept catching one trout after

another (at least seven fish) during a Trico spinner fall. I fished a hundred feet away and across

stream from him, and in an hour, I managed to land one small, wild fish. I cast my size 24 Trico

over every riser in the area.

When he caught his eighth trout, I had enough. I called out to him over the riffled water and asked

him what fly he was using. He didn’t answer me, and I thought the old man was partially deaf, the

stream’s din muffled my voice, or he was ignoring me. In about ten minutes the spinner fall ended,

and the old man wound up his line and headed for his car.

As he turned and walked away, he muttered four words that still haunt me today: “I’m sinking the

fly.” He never once looked at me.

I pondered the man’s words on my two-hour trip home that afternoon. Then it came to me in an

instant: That old codger was fishing his Trico spinner pattern under the surface as a wet fly. It

made a lot of sense. Some of the spinners sank. Why not tie some patterns to copy them? I tied a

half-dozen spent-wing wet flies, adding five wraps of lead wire to the hook shanks, and looked

forward to using them soon.

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Tricos are so small that you can design a sinking fly by tying it on a heavy-wire hook and keeping

the profile streamlined

But soon didn’t happen for more than a decade. In early August 2002, 2,000 miles away from

Falling Springs Branch, Jerry Armstrong and I were committed to teach a one-week fly-fishing

program on the Ruby River at Upper River Outfitters near Alder, Montana. I arrived at the lodge

one day before the workshop to get the lay of the land and to fish the river. I arrived on the Ruby

around 8:30 A.M. and diminutive, clear-wing Trico spinners already filled the cool morning air.

Wind gusts blew them into my mouth. When the females started landing on the surface, the trout

began to rise. I began casting and casting, but nothing I used worked.

Within minutes after I started fishing, several registrants for next day’s class wandered down to

watch their instructor. The pressure was on. Tomorrow, I planned a talk based on my book How

To Catch More Trout. I fished for 5 minutes, 10 minutes, 15 minutes — and couldn’t catch a trout.

My students could probably sense my discouragement. Would they listen to anything I said in the

upcoming program if I couldn’t catch any of these trout? I glanced over at the group across the

river, and I saw them whispering to each other. What would I do? How could I teach the class

tomorrow to people who clearly saw I couldn’t catch one trout, let alone more trout.

Then, I had an idea. Since there were only a few trout rising during this dense spinner fall, I thought

about trying one of the sunken spinners I had tied up years ago. I dug through my box of Tricos

and found the weighted patterns — still intact — that I had tied fifteen years ago. I quickly tied one

on 24 inches of tippet to the bend of a size 16 Patriot and began casting. On the second cast, the

Patriot sank, and I set the hook on a 12-inch rainbow. Two more casts, and I caught another trout

on the spinner. By the sixth trout, the group across the river began applauding. I was safe for

tomorrow.

Another way to catch fish during the summer doldrums is to fish sunken terrestrials. Terrestrials

fall into the water all the time, and those that don’t swim to shore often end up under the water. I

have fished weighted ant and beetle patterns for years. I add a copper bead as the front hump of

a cinnamon ant pattern to sink it quickly. Many anglers overlook sunken grasshopper and cricket

imitations, but trout don’t.

Wet Flies

You can fish two or more wet flies under a large dry fly, under an indicator, or without an indicator

— especially if you are swinging flies, like the older method of fishing a cast of wet flies

downstream. The most popular connections for nymphs are bend connections, two eye, or

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droppers, but you can also connect looped-leader nymphs to dropper loops or to knotted leaders

(placed just above a knot).

There are several effective configurations for fishing nymphs, depending on the circumstances.

You can first tie on a heavily weighted pattern to sink the rig, followed by a pattern that floats freely

in the currents. I’ll often fish a weighted Bead-head Pheasant Tail with a Zebra Midge tied to the

bend. The weighted fly gets the rig deep and the unweighted midge pattern drifts freely above the

heavy fly. Many anglers have one or two specialty flies that they like to use for this purpose. The

best patterns are generic enough so that you can use them throughout the season and sink quickly

— the Copper John is an excellent example of a generic pattern that can also be used as a

weighted first fly. The second option is to first tie on the smaller pattern followed by the larger,

weighted one.

When fishing heavily weighted flies for fast currents, strike indicators are often a better choice

than indicator flies. You can rig your flies in many different ways. The dropper (left) and bend

connections (right) may be the most popular.

The setup you choose may depend on what you have already tied on. For instance, if you are

fishing a heavy nymph but want to cover another area in the water column with an emerger, you

may just attach the emerger above the tippet knot with a movable dropper, or retie the fly, leaving

a tag large enough to attach the emerger. If you don’t feel like re-rigging, you can attach the

emerger to the bend of the heavy nymph. There are always several available options with these

combinations, and you should experiment and let the trout tell you which one they like best.

In the Czech-nymphing style of fishing, anglers fish heavily weighted, streamlined nymphs (so that

they sink quickly), most often three at a time. They connect two nymphs on droppers and one on

point and most often tie the heaviest fly pattern on the middle dropper, so that the weighted fly

helps sink both the first dropper and the point fly.

Fishing several subsurface patterns is often a better choice in high water than fishing a dry-and-

dropper rig. Though the dry-and-dropper rig is versatile, it is best for water depths from one to

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four feet and slower to medium currents. In high, fast water, fish one or more weighted nymphs

under a supersized indicator fly or indicator.

The downside of using a fly large enough to float these weighted flies — like some of the foam

hopper and stoneflies popular in the West — is that they can be less aerodynamic to cast than

some strike indicators — though large polypropylene yarn indicators are no joy to cast. Fast-action

rods and line weights and leader tapers designed for turning over heavier, wind-resistant flies

make casting large foam hoppers, stoneflies, and Chernobyl Ant-style patterns relatively painless.

Two popular ways of connecting tandem streamers are the bend (top) and two-eye connections

(bottom). Some anglers think that the streamers have more action with the two-eye connection,

though I find it easier to tie tippet on to the bend of a hook than through a hook eye already

crowded with tippet.

Streamers

Fishing two streamers is a deadly way to entice the largest fish to strike. The two most popular

connections for fishing tandem streamers are the bend and two-eye connections. When fishing

streamers, choose flies with different colours and sizes. Fish one fly that is smaller than the other,

and fish flies that are both light and dark to cover as many bases as possible.

Woolly Buggers are always good choices to imitate large hellgrammites, stonefly nymphs, as well

as crayfish and sculpins, and you can’t go wrong with rabbit-strip flies such as Zonkers or Double

Bunnies. You don’t cast two streamers as much as you lob them. It isn’t pretty, but the combination

is deadly. Two of my favourite Woolly Bugger variations are the Bead-head Woolly Bugger and

Rooke’s Minnow.

The easiest setup for fishing multiple streamers from a drift boat is a short sinking-tip line with a

floating running line and a short, straight piece of tippet heavy enough to help turn over the flies,

prevent break offs when fish slam your fly, and stout enough to pull your flies from snags or the

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occasional bush as you pound the banks. Fish typically aren’t leader shy with streamers because

they often see the fly first and the fly is generally fished on an active retrieve.

In addition to an active retrieve, a combination of dead-drifting and short strips also works well.

Many anglers fish tandem streamers with a floating line and tapered leader. Good casting

technique is essential with this setup, as is the leader’s taper design. Use weight-forward lines

with heavy front tapers (nymph and bass tapers) and leaders with large butt diameters that extend

through at least half of the entire leader’s length. It helps to build your own, but Umpqua sells a

leader they call the weight-forward leader that turns over tandem streamers well. When fishing

double streamers, it’s imperative to modify your casting stroke, not only to prevent tangles, but to

prevent hitting yourself with the heavy flies.

Though many anglers don’t use them, streamer and nymph combinations also work well, perhaps

because the larger streamer draws the fish’s attention to the nymph. On central Oregon’s

Deschutes River, I had a great five-mile float casting a Woolly Bugger and Pteronarcys stonefly

imitation in tandem. Thousands of huge stonefly nymphs crawled out of the water, and we caught

lots of fish dead-drifting and twitching this rig as we floated downriver.

Editor’s note: Charles Meck is the author of more than twelve fly fishing books, you can find out

more about Fishing Tandem Flies by visiting the author's site (www.charlesmeck.com)

MANAWATU RIVER PROGRESS CELEBRATED – PRESS RELEASE HORIZONS REGIONAL

COUNCIL

Manawatu River progress celebrated The Manawatu River Leaders Forum is celebrating progress

of initiatives underway to help improve the Manawatu River and catchment with a progress report,

new website and river festival. The Forum is made up of iwi/hap, …Manawatū River progress.

The Manawatū River Leaders’ Forum is celebrating progress of initiatives underway to help

improve the Manawatū River and catchment with a progress report, new website and river festival.

The Forum is made up of iwi/hapū, local government, industry, farming, environmental and

recreational leaders and has been in existence since 2010. All members are signatories to the

Manawatū River Leaders’ Accord and have pledged to improve the state of the river.

Independent chair Richard Thompson says the Forum has pulled together a progress report to

mark milestones from the 2016-21 Action Plan, the second, of the Accord.

“Within this plan, 104 tasks were identified as ways to contribute towards the continual

improvement of the river’s health. These tasks range from wastewater treatment plant upgrades,

stormwater management and managing erosion on hill country, through to community initiatives

such as fencing and planting,” says Mr Thompson.

“The progress report is a two-year summary of tasks completed, ongoing or evolved. Funding

these tasks takes a significant investment from all involved, with over approximately $66 million

contributed since the Accord began.

“Of this, $8.65 million has come from central government through the likes of the Fresh Start for

Freshwater Clean-up Fund, Te Mana o Te Wai and the Freshwater Improvement Fund.”

19

Mr Thompson says the report will be available on the brand new www.manawaturiver.co.nz

website, and a summary on hand at a river festival being held on 24 November.

“A lot of great work has been achieved, not only since 2016, but since the Accord was signed in

2011. For example, two million plants have been planted to manage nutrients and protect habitats,

over 600 kilometres of fencing erected to keep stock out of waterways, 46 community projects

supported, and six wastewater treatment plants upgraded – the list goes on. Change will take time,

however the likes of a recent award for the Ōroua River shows we’re on the right track.

“The new website is a fantastic resource for discovering what action is underway in each part of

the catchment, the science behind the Accord and how far we’ve come. It also provides

information on how members of the public can get involved and do their bit for the river.

“If people would like to learn more about this in person, they can come along to the first Manawatū

River Festival that is taking place on Saturday from 12-3pm upstream of Fitzherbert Bridge in

Palmerston North. Accord members will be onsite to answer questions and there will be food

trucks and live music creating an awesome atmosphere beside the awa.”

Mr Thompson says achievements made to date wouldn’t have been possible without the Forum

working together, and support from landowners, ratepayers and central government.

“Everyone in the catchment is contributing to the Accord through Horizon Regional Council’s

rating system so we really hope people take time to see how their investment is being utilised.

While there is always more that can be done, by all working together we will make a lasting

difference.”

For more information and a full copy of the 2016-21 Action Plan visit www.manawaturiver.co.nz

Editor’s note: I think most people would agree any improvement on the water quality of the

Manawatu River is an improvement for the better, I would recommend that you take a look at the

website www.manawaturiver.co.nz

AN UNFAIR ALLOCATION – REPORT BY RADIO NZ

Radio New Zealand reports that business in Hawke's Bay are looking at rationing water or shutting

down production due to the rivers running dry. Meanwhile, six dairy farmers get to take half the

region's water.

Some businesses and farmers in Central Hawke's Bay may start rationing water as parts of the

Waipawa and Tukituki rivers are already bone dry.

It comes as figures obtained by RNZ show the top six water consent holders in the district are

using more than half of all allocated water from the Ruataniwha Aquifer and rivers.

[...]

He asked the council to look at who was using the water and when they crunched the figures for

the first time it showed that the top six consent holders were all dairy farms and they were taking

more than half of all the allocated water in Central Hawke's Bay.

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The largest, Bel Group Dairy Farms, took two and a half times the amount used by the townships

of Waipawa and Waipukurau put together.

Roughly six thousand people live in those towns. So that one farmer gets 15,000 times as much

water as them. As the article points out, this raises some equity issues. It is simply not fair that a

tiny rural elite gets to monopolise our water supplies to enrich themselves at the expense of

everybody else. It’s even more unfair if they keep getting supplied while others go thirsty. We

desperately need to fix this situation and restore a fair allocation of water. And we need to ensure

that those who extract a profit from it, pay for it.

KEEP A WATCH FOR ALGAL BLOOM IN RIVERS AND LAKES HAWKES BAY REGIONAL

COUNCIL

With temperatures warming up, people using Hawke’s Bay’s lakes or stony rivers for swimming

or walking dogs need to be aware of the risks of algae or bacteria growth.

Hawke’s Bay Regional Council’s water quality monitoring staff check water quality at 36 popular

swimming spots around the region and also look out for algae growth. They are seeing higher

levels of algal growth in waterways now.

Parts of the Tukituki River, in particular, are prone to algal growth in summer because of lower

water flows, higher water temperatures and nutrients in the water. Green strand algae is

commonly seen as the water warms but is harmless.

However, the black Phormidium bacteria growth on the rocks is of more concern as it can turn

toxic and becomes a hazard for humans and dogs. It can detach from the rocks and dry as mats

on the sides of the rivers which can also be toxic.

“Always treat the black growth on rocks in the water and the drying mats as toxic, stay out of the

water if you see it, and swim or walk your dog elsewhere,” says Anna Madarasz-Smith, HBRC’s

Principal Scientist Marine and Coasts.

“At lakes keep away if the water is bright blue-green, especially if it looks like an oily, spilt paint

spill on the surface. Water activities in Lakes Tūtira and Waikōpiro is advised against because of

regular blooms.”

Science has not yet identified when Phormidium turns toxic or why, so to be safe it should always

be treated as harmful. Contact with Phormidium bacteria can make people sick, with flu-like

symptoms.

Dogs are more vulnerable. They are particularly attracted to the musty odour of the mats and their

smaller bodies mean the toxins can be more dangerous. Dogs should be under control in river

beds and not allowed to scavenge, and owners should take other water for their dogs to drink.

The clinical symptoms are vomiting, diarrhoea and lethargy, and heat stroke-like symptoms such

as muscle tremors, breathing difficulties, paralysis and convulsions. Dogs should be taken

immediately to the vet.

Algae and Phormidium occur naturally, even in very clean fresh water. As Regional Council staff

cannot check whole river systems each week, they appreciate information and photos from the

public. Information on locations can be phoned in to 0800 108 838 or emailed with photos to

info@hbrc.govt.nz (subject Algae alert).

21

People can check water quality and algae warnings on the national environmental monitoring site

LAWA (Land Air Water Aotearoa) at lawa.org.nz, searching the Can I Swim Here section.

People should also pay attention to warning signs that are put up at affected areas. It is best to

go elsewhere to avoid contact with the Phormidium mats

What to look for?

• Rivers - keep away from black mats in the water, and don’t let dogs drink the water or

scavenge along river banks.

• Lakes – keep away from bright blue-green water especially if it’s an oily/spilt-paint like

spill on the surface.

• Advise your local Regional Council

What is Phormidium?

Phormidium is a type of cyanobacteria, which are microbes that live in water environments and

have characteristics in common with both bacteria and algae. They are widespread through lakes

and rivers around New Zealand - including those with very good water quality. In warm, nutrient-

rich conditions, free-floating cyanobacteria cells can multiply quickly.

Large numbers of cyanobacteria form on mats on rocks in river and lake beds; these mats can

sometimes detach and float to the surface. Some cyanobacteria species will produce toxins

(cyanotoxins) which pose a risk to humans and animals when consumed in drinking water or by

direct contact during recreational activities.

• https://www.lawa.org.nz/learn/glossary/c/cyanobacteria/

• https://www.niwa.co.nz/news/qa-bloomin-algae

OTARAUA PARK DEVELOPMENT PLAN – THE PROPOSAL FOR A KIDS-FISH-OUT POND

Both the Kapiti Fly Fishing Club and Fish and Game have submitted proposals to the Kapiti District

Council to establish a Kids-Fish-out Pond as part of the development of the Otaraua Park

Development Plan.

Fish and Game received a letter from one of the staff at the Council advising them that due to the

local Iwi opposed the introduction of ‘exotic’ fish,’ the staff member was advised that both Brown

and Rainbow trout have been present in the Waikanae River for decades. We were then advised

that they would still proceed to recommend to the Council that no Kids Fish-out pond should be

include in the Development Plan.

At out last club Committee meeting we discussed the above and decided that the club would

support Fish and Game by writing to all Elected Members of the Kapiti District Council.

22

The following is a copy of the letter that has been sent out from the President of the Kapiti Fly

Fishing Club:

Dear,

It has come to our attention that a proposal to include a Put-and-Take (a select number of Brown

Trout will be released into the lake prior to any event, on completion any remaining brown trout

will be removed) children’s and family fishery (small lake) as part of the Otaraua Park development

is opposed by the Te Ātiawa iwi and on that basis it has not been included in staff

recommendations to council.

We are highly concerned about the rationale for this decision.

Firstly, there appears to have been no consultation with the wider community for staff to arrive at

this decision. It raises flags about the degree of influence iwi has over the decision-making process

at staff level within the council, overriding what we know has substantial wider community support

for this type of fishing activity.

Secondly, sport fish already exist in the catchment in question (they have been there for decades).

It therefore appears the council staff decision has not been based on any form of scientific

evidence or input from the wider community.

As an aside the KFFC supports habitat restoration being good for the aquatic environment, native

fish and recreational sport fish such as trout, a very highly valued introduced species and

significant contributor to the national economy.

We ask that you override the subjective decision by staff and consider re-formalising a Put-and-

Take fishery as part of the park development plan.

In doing so you will ensure the opportunity to create a fantastic recreational asset with multiple

benefits. As a guide, a put-and-take fishing facility could be used to help raise environmental

awareness and encourage youngsters into a healthy outdoor pursuit. It will also support the Fish

and Game regions Fish in Schools programme, where we have a number of our local schools

participating in this programme as a way of encouraging our school children to greater awareness

in our local environment.

This aligns directly with our club goals of introducing young people into outdoor activities and

thereby gaining an appreciation of conservation issues and awareness of the fragility of the

environment.

We also see this as chance to provide access to fishing for those with mobility issues, including

disabled or elderly anglers who still yearn to go angling but find the boulders on rivers too much

of a challenge or an outright risk.

Given there are no other equivalent assets in the region, yet alone the lower North Island, it would

most certainly act as a drawcard for all age groups of people from out of town, thereby providing

a boost to the local economy.

23

We are happy to meet and present our perspective and ideas for the Put-and-Take fishery in

person and relate experiences from other parts of the country where such facilities operate, all on

a very successful basis.

The club and wider angling community – which numbers in the thousands – remain confident

there is support in council to continue with the proposed Put-and-Take fishery proposal.

Yours sincerely

Malcolm Francis

President Kapiti Fly Fishing Club

At this stage we have been contacted by the Mayor and two Elected Council members to meet

with them to discuss the points raised in our letter, over the next few weeks both Fish and Game

and a KFFC Representative will meet with each member. You will be advised of the outcomes

from these meetings in next months newsletter.

24

Purpose:

To promote the art and sport of Fly

Fishing.

To respect the ownership of land

adjoining waterways.

To promote the protection of fish and

wildlife habitat.

To promote friendship and goodwill

between members.

To promote and encourage the

exchange of information between

members.

Club meetings

You are invited to attend our club

meetings that are held on the Fourth

Monday of each month.

The venue is the Turf Pavilion Sport

Grounds, Scaife Street, Paraparaumu,

Our meetings start at 7:30pm with

fellowship followed by speakers of

activities.

Contacts

President:

Secretary:

Treasurer

Past

President

Newsletter

Committee:

Malcolm Francis: ph. 06 364 2101

Email: malcolm1@xtra.co.nz

Peter Haakman 04 904 1056

Email: phaakman@xtra.co.nz

Ashley Francis

Email: ashleyfrancis.nz@gmail.com

Craig Gutry:

Email: craiggutry@gmail.com

Malcolm Francis: 06 3642101

Email: malcolm1@xtra.co.nz

Nick Weldon

Email: nandcweldon@xtra.co.nz

Rob McMillan

Email: qbrfox9@gmail.com

Kras Angelov

Email: krasimir.angelov@gmail.com

Michael Murphy027 591 8734

Email: mnkmurf@gmail.com.

Club Committee meetings are held on

the first Monday of each month and the

meetings are held at various member’s

homes and start at 7:30pm.

IMPORTANT NOTICE

Please remember that the club has

two Five Weight 8’6” fly rods that

members are welcome to use, just

contact Malcolm Francis.