What I wish I had known before making my 1st trout fishing trip to New Zealand

[@aaronbowie7368]

Great video, awesome insight into what's required. Some really great info there. Thanks Robert.

[@robertlouis24]

My pleasure Aaron - I have spend my career as a subject matter expert in a particular property management software application and I spend most of my days training in one way or the other - this video was my first attempt at passing on what I learnt during my 1st week of flyfishing in New Zealand - so happy to hear that you found value in my ramblings…

[@larryh9525]

Regarding your observation about different lines. I've seen a few of DJ's videos and if he's using Orvis F series rods they will have a different casting profile to your rods. Matching rods and lines is the black art of setting up a rod. I'm pretty good at it because I have many different lines. There's usually not one type/brand of line for different rods. My favorite line on a few of my rods is SA Smooth Creek. It's a reverse taper line, meaning most of the weight is toward the rear of the head. The overall head length is 25' for 7.62 meters. On many of the streams I fish in the US, I prefer a short-head line that loads quickly and with the reverse taper, the line doesn't hit the water hard. I'm headed to NZ later this year for an extended trip (around 5 months). I don't tend to fish my 6wth rods often (your videos convinced me to bring it), so I've been spending time matching lines to the rod (Loomis IMX Pro). Also, you mentioned casting accuracy. I give a lot of impromptu casting lessons, and if you don't feel that you are as accurate as you'd like, it's been my experience that you might not be able to feel the rod load. When you can feel the rod load, your accuracy increases as a by-product because you'll be able to better gauge distance. Being able to feel the rod load also relates back to your line, because if the line is too light or the wrong taper for the rod, you won't be able to feel the rod load. I've watched a few of your videos as a way to scout different locations. Nice Job.

[@robertlouis24]

@@larryh9525 Larry - thanks so much for your extremely well thought out and reasoned comment - I wonder how many similar gems of knowledge are scattered throughout YT comments - as you say, matching rods to lines is a bit of a black art - I am lucky enough to own a G. Loomis Asquith 9’ 5wt (that I bought second hand in Australia - unused - for A$950) which I was lucky enough to pair with a RIO Gold WF-5-F straight up, and which I have found to be a perfect pairing - I have subsequently read somewhere that this is the precise line that Loomis recommends for this rod (it is that combination of rod & reel that I fished on my last guided day in NZ this year when we hiked up a small freestone river - and discovered that amazing batch) - finding a line to pair with my R.L. Winston Air 2 9’ 6” 6wt has proved to be a more tricky, and, as I have ended up favouring the RIO Predator WF-6-F - which handled the wind that I experienced on the first 5 guided days in NZ like a champ - the Sydney flyfishing club that I am member of, Sydney Flyrodders, has a world class casting instructor (David Caddies) and I have already attended one of his free casting sessions which I throughly enjoyed - after NZ I realised that I have to improve my casting - the combination of a longer rod (9’ 6”), longer leaders than I was used to (15’+), wind and the demanding eye of guides created a tough environment in which I wanted to perform. You have encouraged me to try the SA Creek - I have often wondered what a reverse taper is - and what the specific benefits are - it does seem as though many industry insiders recommend SA lines (and I am aware that SA makes all of the Orvis lines that Dave & Amelia Jensen use, including their favoured Double Taper format). As an aside, I am a Patreon of Dave & Amelia and reached out to both of them when I was undecided about which 6 weight I should buy as a second rod to complement by Air 2 for my next trip to New Zealand (which is in January 2025 with the Jensen’s on a hosted trip) - my research had led me to the Scott G Series 8’ 8” 6wt - so I reached out to the Jensen’s through the chat feature in Patreon and received a lovely response from Dave, who mentioned that he has owned 3 G Series rods in the past, albeit all in lighter weights than a 6wt - I picked up this rod last week and am planning to fish it this weekend for the first time - with a RIO Gold WF-6-F. Thanks again for your thoughtful comment.

[@larryh9525]

@@robertlouis24 Here's some additional insight into Smooth Creek. If you look at Rio's taper chart for Perception and Bonefish Quickshooter, they also reverse taper lines. Perception is for fresh and QS is for the salt. They differ from SC, by having a 35' plus head length. So the reverse taper design is not unique to SA. SA's prior generation of this line was Mastery Art and had a 35' head. On my SKY G (5wt) and Hardy Ultralight(4wt), I find perception too light and it will not turn over the size 8-10 wooly buggers I fish in the spring. However, HU 864 is better with 5wt Perception. I find that rods with a faster tip like the 6wt Loomis IMX Pro are better if I go down one line size to a 5wt SC. With the Loomis, I've found that for lines with a 40' head, I need to go up one line size from 6 to 7 wt to get the correct feel for my casting stroke. Let me distill that paragraph into something practical. If the rod feels underlined with the current line, then SA SC will likely work. If the rod feels overlined with SA SC, try dropping down one line size or try Perception in a size that matches the rod. I've found that rods that flex down into the 2nd section are a better fit for SA SC in the size that matches the rod, say 5wt for a 5wt. I find that with Bonefish QS Rio misstates the grain weight on the package by as much as 25 grains. On my Orvis H3 8wt, I need to use 7wt QS as the softer tip on the H3 can't handle the 8wt QS. However, on my SKY G 8wt, which is more like an H3-D, the 8wt QS pairs fine and can handle the additional weight. The upper section of your rod, along with tip speed, will dictate which line works better. That's why matching a line to a rod is a black art. 🙂

[@graemerenfrey]

Robert - thanks for being so generous with your time and information. What great timing this has been for me to watch your Lumsden videos - literally a week out from doing the same thing myself.

[@robertlouis24]

You are in for the trip of a lifetime Graeme - and when you return home from New Zealand you will start planning your next trip, as I am doing - sorry about the long winded nature of this video - I recorded my thoughts as ‘Reminders’ during the week and that long drive was a perfect opportunity for me to share them - and, clearly, I had lots to share - if nothing else, if you are planning on hiring a car, you now know that you need to take a physical piece of plastic with you…

[@graemerenfrey]

@@robertlouis24 right you are. Planning the next one - & now I know what to expect, and what to work on in preparation.

[@danfloros4267]

Thank you Ronert...I fly over from Sydney to South NZ....great insights..God bless.

[@larryh9525]

I have a question about fishing 5wt rods in NZ. I have a Douglas Sky G 9' 5wt and I don't know if I should bring it. My thought from watching your videos is that NZ is mainly a 6wt fishery. What do you think? I'm taking the Loomis IMX Pro 6wt. And a Hardy Demon Smuggler (6 piece travel rod) 9' 6wt and 5 wt as alternates. Thanks.

[@robertlouis24]

@@larryh9525 Larry - you should definitely take your 5wt - and, in the Douglas Sky G 9’ 5wt you have one of the greatest 5wt rods ever made - I have not personally fished that rod, but a trusted friend of mine (Ant) has one and cannot stop raving about it - I also see that it yet again won the 5wt shootout by Yellowstone Angler - as an aside, in 2nd place on that shootout was the G. Loomis Asquith 9’ 5wt, which is the rod that I have. I was lucky enough to fish a stunning freestone river in a steep valley on one of my days and there was not a breath of wind - and my 5wt was a pleasure to fish with, and a welcome change from the 6wt (R.L. Wilson Air 2 9’ 6” 6wt) that I had fished with for the previous 5 days - on a couple of those days I could have fished my 5wt, but I was not confident enough to downsize - all of the anglers in my group, including my buddy Michael, were all fishing 6wt. I am extremely thankful to my guide on that 6 day for suggesting that we could fish with a rod other than a 6wt - on our way to the river I asked our guide for the day what he would fish and he said the he would typically fish a Scott 10’ 4wt on a day like the one that we experienced - and that day, along with 1 particular trout that I caught on that day, is my lasting highlight memory of my 1st NZ fishing trip.

[@Alex-zs4vb2lt5c]

Prefer to wet wade where I can, and NZ is good for that -- in Australia the decision is based on water levels, temperature, width of the stream but also snake protection -- since wet wading here means leg covering and wearing gaiters anyway, I also consider how often I might be wading close to a higher bank increasing the likelihood of a bite at knee level or above, so the waders go on unless it is really hot, and in some areas I choose to wear gaiters over the waders... sometimes I don't wear the waders but leave the wet wading sock gravel guards up rather than folded down although realistically I think an air gap between the material and your skin is better protection than neoprene against skin. In summary, comfort is weighed up against the risk assessment. In NZ, that can be based purely on comfort... that and with the opportunity to sight cast trophy fish in the most beautiful scenery in the world is what makes NZ awesome :)

[@LochTaupo]

Great video and shared learnings. If you want to up your casting game, go visit Peter Hayes in Tassie (if you haven’t already). That guy is a game changer when it comes to casting.

[@GoHawks-v6d]

Almost exactly my experience of fishing in Southland Robert. You don't get a second cast at the fish do you. When I fish nowadays I try & get as close as possible to the amount of line I'm going to need off the reel to reach the fish (or the spot) before I even lift the rod to cast. It's not easy.

[@robertlouis24]

Leigh - it takes patience to do what you suggest - and you are spot in - take the time to do what you need to in order to make sure that your FIRST cast is the right distance - almost like taking a deep breath before you start a speech…thanks for your valuable comment…

[@GoHawks-v6d]

@@robertlouis24 My pleasure mate

[@Bulldoggy-v3c]

So what would be the best time too fish nz i mean which month >> ??