FLY FISHING THE WORLD 2018
FLY FISHING THE WORLD 2018
Travel Journal FLY FISHING THE WORLD
by A.S.Vasiljevic
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WHAT TO EXPECT 4
THE ANNUAL
12 VANCOUVER ISLAND, BC 26 SALT WATER FLY FISHING FOR PACIFIC SALMON 32 THE CHUM RUN 46 SOUTH ISLAND, NZ 80 CHRISTMAS IN QUEENS TOWN 84 SALT WATER FLY FISHING FOR KHAWAI ON A SWITCH ROD IN SANDALS 90 A FEW PARTING WORDS
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THE ANNUAL This trip started a few years ago on the banks of Loch Shandra in Glenisla, Scotland. The land owners and management of this place have been very kind to us year on year letting us group of lads come and use the loch and its banks. The trip was a success this year as usual with the introduction of a 'Top Rod' trophy to be had. I attended this days before going to Canada which was a perfect sending off before embarking onto bigger adventures.
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The team walk down to the campsite after 'scoping' for scoping sake. Me getting a bus to get a bus from Paisley to Blairgowrie.
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McNee always has set the bar for us all. 'If only we could be alittle more like McNee', I often think. 'What would McNee do?'. He chose to sleep in a hut he made last year while his Mrs called him up for being a woose and taking a tent this year...
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Top Left - Contemplating the next tin or going for a cast. Top Right - The picture in the boat house of the allusive 'monster Shandra roonie' Bottom left - Josh with his monster Shandra roonie. Bottom right - Surrounding the eternal blazing fire at night. The smoke always seems to follow you..
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Typical 4lb brown from Shandra.
Andy I think supplied the whiskey, Cullen skink and stovies as well possibly? 7
360 degree pano with glitch hands brad!
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The luxury lodge, Sea View
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VANCOUVER ISLAND, BC I booked my flights before getting confirmation from work and so I hear a few others usually do this. This is a good indication that the trip is really good right!? I get the rods and reels and lines from my dad as he's been before. A couple 13footers and a 15 footer for any big rivers. I called up the main organizer Rodger a couple days before to give him a run down on my tackle and he said they will all use 8# switch rods most of the time. Okay, down to Glasgow Angling to get a switch rod it is, 1 day before I leave. Flights from Glasgow straight to Vancouver bingo! Pick up the rental cars and get the ferry across to the island and a couple hours drive up north to what can only be described as HEAVEN. Its been known for some guys not to return home after there trip here. I cannot wait to see this place!! Arrive at the house, glass of wine then bed. First days mission to get supplies from the shop. Food, wine and plenty tea bags. Its not cheap because its an island but if your on holiday why not go the extra mile on spending! The first couple of days are getting settled in, arranging the gear, scoping out a few rivers and tackle shops for the low down. Rodger and these guys have been for 10 plus years now so they know the score. Each year is different they say so its just all about keeping your ear to the ground and going on scouting missions to get a feel for the current state of the rivers and salmon runs. Everyones so eager at the start to get out and catch but its more difficult than that... 11
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Top Left - Earl enjoying his usual breakfast of 'Eggs Benny'. Top Right - The team scoping out a hot run. Bottom left - Crazy stocks of everything these shops have. Bigger is better here.. Bottom Right - Athol picking up his prescription at the chemist.
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View from the lodge balcony at sunset.
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Top - Stevie three quaters across with his new waders which were giving him sore balls by the end of each day. Bottom - Rodger into a Chinook up top. I tried to run up and help him but he'd done the job by the time I got there.
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Scoping out the Campbell River. No fish seen in week 1.
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Rodger playing the 'fish that they don't want to catch' talking away to an Englishman on the river.
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Me with my biggest fish so far. 20-25lb Chinook. A bit coloured but not black by any means. Took me half hour on the 8# swtich rod to eventually get the local to net it for me.
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We were very lucky to spend thanks giving with Stevies good friends and I fell in love with the rum.
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Fly tyers dream tying station. Look at all those materials and that view!
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COHO TIME
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The delicious 'honey hole'. This was the first year everyone and their grandmothers were fishing here. No more need be said.
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Golden Rod (Ian) drifting an egg patern with an indicator...?
Ian with a cracking silver Coho. Some were fresher than others.
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Me with a slightly colored Coho. Still cracking fighters on the switch rods!
Rodger enjoying a productive sunset evening before dinner.
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SALT WATER FLY FISHING FOR PACIFIC SALMON Fishing in the sea (not estuary) for Pacific Salmon!? Yes thats right! What a thrill this is. Stalking the coast line, then spotting something then pull up and run down to target an active shoal of salmon, Boom! Straight into them! Then all goes dead and you persevere pointlessly for another half hour before pinching yourself back into reality. You need to stop and wait for them to appear. Then when they do seem frenzied, cast towards them working your way into the center of the jumping shoal.
Marching back to the car to move up the coast a kilometer or two.
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Husband rescues mother and daughter when the mother catches a Salmon on the paddle board.
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Top - Earl scoping out shoals of salmon on the coast. Time to move on if you don't see anything within 5 mins Bottom - Front and back of a note left on the car while we were in the sea from a local notifying us of other hot spots in the area. How nice is that!
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Ian into his first sea caught pacific on the single hander! Well done that man!
Raft I spent 1 hour building while the guys caught nothing then I floated out and hooked a fish first few casts! Highlight!
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Loyal dog wouldn't take his eye off his owner while he was fishing for hours and hours. Ian starting to get good at this salt water salmon business.
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Top Left - Two young boys freely being let out to take their boat out onto the water. Good lads! Top Right - Rodger putting out a line on the switch rod. Bottom left - Me playing a 5lb fresh Coho in the salt flats. Hard fighters for their size! Bottom Right - Rodger spey casting towards a shoal of fish.
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THE CHUM RUN
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Stephen joins the party just in time of the Chum run. Breakfast at a local cafe.
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Fresh Chum tail.
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Long tailed sea lice, my favorite of all the louse family.
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Top Left - Athol with a Chum, see the bars on it's side? Top Right - Athol playing another fish for the day. You have to time the tides. Bottom left - Me knackered after playing multiple of these guys back to back! Bottom Right - The locals were amazed at these inventions! Lots of looks and even security at the airport.
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This day I gave a man a fish (pictured above) and also taught a man to fish! The guy who I taught took one home that day, happy man! 38
Top Ian with one from his honey hole.. Bottom Some typical flies, anything big and bright, its not a secret.
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Earl in his preferred position just after a hot tub! 'More..More!' 40
The last supper with Donna the house keeper. She knows the score.
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My writing of the thank you note in the guest book.
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Tree in Queens town Botanical Gardens 44
SOUTH ISLAND, NZ Months of research, all the gear, watched all the videos, read all the books and articles. Still not prepared enough for what was to come. I thought I could just go out there on my own, walk onto a river, see plenty big fish, cover them and boom, they would take my funky looking attractor patter that isn't even a fly. God was I wrong. As you know for fly fishermen the wind is the most difficult to overcome. It makes sighting and casting fish a nightmare! Trying to spot an invisible fish shadow through ripply reflective surface water is no easy task and learning to sight fish is just step one. Then you have stalking, then flies and leader, then casting, then drifting and weather to overcome! Yes us fishermen are full of the excuses...
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Top - All the gear. This is what I packed into one half of my suitcase. No waders... Bottom - This is my vest that I use daily.
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I tied up 300 odd flies before coming here. What a mistake. Majority of my flies were all too big and not 'buggy' enough. Out of proportion flies are not good enough to outsmart these intelligent fish.
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New Air BnB friends in Christchurch. All supplies bought (camping gear and food, fishing license etc). Time to hit the road. First day I got stuck too eager and the farmer had to pull me out. 50
Top Left - Preparing some coffee first thing in the morning. Top Right - On Maruia river, first day. I was in the hot spot but didn't see a thing! Bottom left - Learning how to look through the water. Bottom Right - Munching on Breakfast. Banana loaf.
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Thousands of flies in Murchison camp site.
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Top Left - Tying on a fly. Top Right - Hay fever is crazy out here! Bottom left - Underwater footage, trying to scope out fish... .Bottom Right - Beautiful pools.
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Left Fighting a nice brown hidden in a deep pocket under a branch. Right Water was clod at the start of my trip but got slightly better after a month or so.
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Sheeps wool is often used as an indicator for nymphs. If the fish has had too much pressure, do away with the indicator completely. It should never be too big either!
Colter showing me how to make jewelery. Look at that view!
Wet wading set up.
Typical 'bush bashing' when tramping around at end of spring.
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Sand flies are a killer! Especially when your drying your feet off of an evening! Quickly learn to wear socks at all times! 59
So food comprised mostly of soups, chilli beans, veggie Indian lentil tins, breakfast bars, rasins, nuts, banana loaf, salami sticks, cheese sticks, fruit, crackers, olives, cherry tomatoes, and bread. Tea and coffee and the odd beer or cider helped. Lots of quiet nights burning time until the next day relaxing, no stresses.
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Top Left - Fighting a fish caught swinging a dry. Top Right - Another fish where I caught the night hatch before dark. Bottom left - Big ass pine cone thing. Bottom Right - It gets dry here.
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70 yrs old. Has been coming for the past 3 years. Also fishes Norway for a month or two per year on his own in the middle of no where. Here he tells me about how trout feed and behave.
Mid day rising trout spotted. Its a big one! 62
Top Bumped into Chris Dore in Lumsden having a pint and he invited into the fishing cottage to stay a night! What an experience! Bottom Out the back of the fishing cottage. Parties and all sorts go on here he says.
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Spring fed water. Worth a mouthful!
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Jim invited me out on his boat for the day at Poerua near Lake Brunner. Excellent day out! He showed me a secret waterfall!
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A group of four sweedish guys said I should go to Waikaia river. So I waited and fished the surrounding tributaries waiting for the main river to clear after 4 days.
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Probably my biggest most beautiful brown of the trip. Look at the colors on that! Caught on a size #18 para Adams.
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Motor para glider people above Queens town. What a view they must get!
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New adventure mobile. Cashed in the rental early once I found out I was staying here longer term!
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Opposite, Top - Bow and arrow cast to a fish Colter is sighting for me above on the bridge. '1m up and across!' Bottom Left - Eel hunting is quite popular here... Bottom Right - Some views when your on these back country roads. Center page - Dirty water on the west coast.
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MILFORD SOUND
So Milford Sound is thee most popular tourist destination on the South Island. I had to go and see what all the fuss was about. It was recommended to me by others after all. Theres only one road in and one road out and the 2 hours one way journey is gorgeous! It has about 10 stops that you must do and this is half of the experience going to visit this place!
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The famous Mitre Peak at Milford Sound. 74
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Christmas in Queens town with new mate Colter from Hawaii, and the Germans. 78
CHRISTMAS IN QUEENS TOWN So luckily I managed to book a campsite space bang center Queenstwon a few weeks before Christmas. I just knew I wanted to not be on my own so being here I surely couldn't go wrong. It was looking like a lonely Christmas until my mate Colter rang me up and he was just one hour away in Cromwell with no plans. Boom! Party central here we come. Campsite was amazing and Christmas dinner was less so. Hogmanay was a little bit worse with last minute plans canceling then spending it with randomers in Wanaka. Oh well plan better next time I guess!
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Christmas dinner and other meals.
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Wanaka rodeo on the 2nd in Albert Town.
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SALT WATER FLY FISHING FOR KHAWAI ON A SWITCH ROD IN SANDALS
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Thats right, salt water fly fishing for Khawai on a switch rod in sandals. Love it! Excellent fighting fish, seemingly 3 times better fight than brown trout per lb and I agree! I caved in and had to get a spey cast out of my system. Especially after hearing about the south island spey clave coming up in March. I got the Manic Tackle Project Airflo combo with Lamson reel for $500 which is a steal I would say. I attempted using my 3^ single hander but it was a nightmare battling against the wind standing up to your chest in water thrashing away. The switch rod setup was needed.
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Some days were colder than others, including the water temperature. I eventually bought waders.
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6lb Khawai ripping line off the reel with several runs before landing. Honestly fought like a 15lb fish!
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I tied up the blue and white clousers. Seems to be the colour the spinning guys were using.
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Khawai fishcakes using Al Browns recipe (NZ chef).
Switch combo.
30 odd cars on the beach and this is 'quiet'.
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A FEW PARTING WORDS This past year has been a real tough on for me for various personal reasons. I write this now from my new office desk in Christchurch looking at how the next year will be. It will be bright and full of fun I can only imagine. These experiences have taught me not to take life so seriously. This can all be achieved while hanging down a good career and taking opportunities or make your own. When I called up my old boss and told them I wasn't going to be back, I felt like I was in charge for the first time! I plan to continue nailing this travel/work/fish thing for as long as life allows me. Heres to the future, I'm sure it'll be awesome! Final last thanks to those who've been in my support circle the past while. Your the reason why I'm loving life right now!
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