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SMALL STREAMS
For Don Wright
The small streams are where trees spread their branches so they caress grass on the opposite bank, where a cast to the other side is no more than a couple of rod lengths, and where a capture of riparian vegetation outweighs trout by at least two to one. Places to challenge and reward.
With rain in the mountains so often sending down floods in the main rivers the small streams of the hills are often reliable producers of trout fishing pleasures. Other people scarcely give them another look. They are too small for canoeing. Occasionally local children splash about in them or look for crawlies. A big eel may live amongst the roots of an elderly willow tree, so commercial eelers set their fixed nets there. The main interest in the streams comes from anglers wielding fly rods. In the spring when trout are hungry an angler with a small fuzzy nymph can catch a dozen fish a day. Later, around Christmas, the afternoons produce a hatch of mayflies that are easy to imitate with almost any darkish coloured fly, of a smallish size.
Small streams need tall spreading trees to shade the water and help bind the banks, although many hill country streams flow over rocky beds so bank erosion is limited. The trees form root wads and their branches fall in occasionally to provide vital instream cover that would be scarce otherwise. Trees and small streams are perfect partners.
Trees make fishing the streams challenging. Often you must use a roll cast or false cast parallel to the water surface to get a fly under an overhanging limb. Ambidextrous casters have an advantage. Tight loops and accurate fly delivery result in trout in the hand. Loss of concentration results in flies in the trees.
The trout of the little streams are rarely as big as those in the larger rivers but fish of 1kg or so, taken on a dry fly in a warm afternoon satisfies enough.
On Boxing Day we parked under the shade of a willow and walked downstream amongst fat lambs and emerging thistles. A remnant kowhai, bark wrinkled by a hundred years marked our starting place. Upstream the pool carried dark water over rocks smoothed by a thousand floods. Flax, parts old and broken, parts new and erect, clothed the near bank in an unkempt skirt. A little dry fly assisted by a friendly upstream breeze and a long fine leader settled confidently astride an eddy then drifted back downstream. It was taken by surprise, almost immediately, and a small brown trout, unaccustomed to a bite in its dinner leapt in fright. It soon came to the bank, but not after spirited resistance. Then I let it go again back to the dark roots of its home.
Little streams have big rewards. This New Year with the larger rivers still clearing after recent rains they are waiting for an angler's visit.
Maurice Rodway
Southland, New Zealand E-mail: fishgame@southnet.co.nz Article ©1997 Maurice Rodway, All Rights Reserved. |
