~Happy Days-a far cry from the UK weather~

Back to Blighty:

All good things must eventually come to an end and it's with a heavy heart I boarded my flight back home. At least the last few days were spent with Mat McHugh and some good friends. Better still, the weather improved no end.........typical as I prepared to leave! Despite some testing conditions this experience easily ranks as my best to date. If you're thinking of doing NZ then look up Mat McHugh at Fly Odyssey http://www.flyodyssey.co.uk/ His trips down there represent excellent value for money and he has an uncanny habit of finding trout (I reckon he's got a fish whistle.........). Be quick though, Lee Watts (the Welsh Wizard) and I have already claimed two places for next year.

Paul~

~Good friend-Mark Irvine turns loose a decent brown trout~

~The Pukaki river erodes away our access~

~Mount Cook in all its glory~

The sun shines on the righteous!

Sun at last and time to hit more rivers. However, such was the flow of some waters, we needed a stint of serious off-roading to reach them. Thankfully, many small spring creeks remained unaffected and better still the trout were prepared to take dry flies. With a cloudless sky we had a ball sighting fish holding tight against undercut banks. Just about one more day off fishing and it's back home to Blighty.....

Paul~

~A stubborn trout digs in~

~Spots like a leopard~

~Over a foot of rain caused this annoying land slide~

~Casting to a trout on the Maryburn~

Rain, rain go away:

More storms have caused some serious flooding and we've had to revise our plans yet again. Our drive into the mountain regions was cut short by a massive land slide blocking our route. With that we headed to the lowlands near Twizel and onto the Maryburn river. Although levels were high, frequent sunlight gave us enough visibility to sight a few trout, which Mat McHugh, Lee Watts and I were able to tempt using dry flies and the occasional nymph. Lee was first to strike in the early part of the day when cloud cover persisted. Of course, he was prepared to fish water blind using nymphs. I sat it out and waited for the sun to come out before knotting on a blowfly imitation.

Paul~

~This beauty gave me the run around before yielding.....phew~

~Lee Watts with a stunning 4lb plus Maryburn trout~

~It might be raining, but we're going fishing.......!~

~Mark Irvine fishes the margins of a small lake~

Rain doesn't stop play!

So far we've endured raging gales and somewhat persistent rain. Though a tropical storm swept over us last night and caused many waters to rise. Whilst such streams and rivers might be our main focus, lakes should not be overlooked. We managed to find a couple of shallow lakes which afforded reasonable sight fishing (cloud cover was always there to scupper our plans...). Mark Irvine latched into a huge fish, only to lose it in play. Then it was my turn when a fit trout seized my #14 beetle pattern. With weedbeds nearby, I had to apply a fair amount of pressure. Fortunately the hook held though did suffer some reshaping! Thankfully, the rivers are dropping and it should be business as usual tomorrow.

Paul~

~A solid lake trout taken on dry fly~

~This hook got opened out on the fish above~

~A belter from the Oreti~

Southland smiles on us:

We've been having a tough time with only one in three days of decent weather. However, when the sun shone, trout came out to play. A keen Nor'wester can test you're casting skills to the limit and if you're able to cope with such grueling winds then the rewards are high. Half a day on the Oreti brought a couple of spanking trout before the gale became too unbearable. Then we winged down to the Waikaia to find willow grubbing trout.

Paul~

~Lee Watts tackles a nice trout behind the willow tree~

~A plump Waikaia trout~