Having just returned from a trip to New Zealand’s South Island, Andrew reports in.

Some time during Winter, I received a call from Jack Scott of Aotearoa Anglers in Wanaka. Jack is someone I’ve only known loosely through The Flyfisher, but his new rafting program in New Zealand piqued my interest. I rallied my mate and filmmaker Mick Hurren to join me, and we soon had some dates sorted for January.

I have to admit, the south of the South Island has been off my radar in recent years, simply because I crave solitude. Maybe it’s a byproduct of being immersed in a busy retail environment most of the time, or perhaps it’s because I know that pressured fisheries often don’t produce like more remote locations. One thing was for sure though; by using the drift boats, we’d mostly be away from the crowds.

Jack’s program included a river that flows out of Lake Te Anau. It’s largely considered a fish factory, and it sure didn’t disappoint. I love drifting the Goulburn, and Mick and I have done a lot of that. Here though, within half an hour we were laughing at how much better this river was for drifting, and we had it to ourselves. Apart from the odd jet boat that zoomed past, no one was around. Jack’s mate Adam joined us, and that meant we were free to walk the river’s edge while they took care of the car shuttle so we had a vehicle at the other end.

It took about 30 seconds for us to find our first fish, happily nymphing away just a short distance from where the raft was set up. This seemed to be a common theme throughout our trip—everywhere we went, we found fish almost immediately.

The river was full of variety. In the slower water, we could polaroid big browns cruising, and in the deeper, faster sections, there were rainbows aplenty. As a result, by the end of a typical day, you’ll probably have used every flyfishing technique in your playbook, including streamer fishing.

We had planned at least a couple of days on the Waiau, and a part of us really wanted to go back for more, but we didn’t. Truth be told, we accomplished everything we wanted to do with just one day there, so it felt right to move on. Mick’s mission was to get some nice footage to help tell the story, and the memory cards were nearly full from that single drift!

The next day, we decided to check out the Mavora Lakes with the rafts. South Mavora is a well-known trout fishery that offers expansive sand flats, where the fish stand out pretty well for polaroiding. Doing it with a drift boat is not a normal part of the program, but Jack knew it would open up the access.

What transpired was one of the most memorable days of flyfishing I’ve ever experienced. We lost count of how many we landed, but by the same token, they didn’t come easy. Even now, I’m not so sure we figured out exactly what fly we should be using, but fortunately, one in three fish we cast to was keen enough to eat. At one point, we got into a position where the fish just kept coming—and they were big. I landed one at 5lb on the McLean scales, but others cruised past which dwarfed that fish. In some parts of the lake, there are weed-beds and points with deeper water that looked prime for blind fishing. Purely out of curiosity, I rigged up with an indicator and a couple of nymphs to see if it might be as productive as it looked—and the indicator went down every few casts. This place is another fish factory, but it’s also very challenging. It isn’t a place for anglers who can’t cast fast and accurately.

A big chunk of my flyfishing experience has been down in Tassie on the lakes, so I approach stillwater these days with as much confidence as any river. I totally understand why rivers are the main draw for New Zealand trout fishers, but it still amazes me that so few anglers look at the lakes.

For another change of scenery, we headed to the Eglinton River. By all reports, it’s one of the more popular rivers in the South Island, and apparently ‘hammered’ by anglers. We started at the delta, and while Mick was keen on swinging some wets at the drop-off, I felt like walking the shoreline of the lake before hitting the river proper. The lake was crystal clear, with polaroiding visibility about 15 metres. It didn’t take long before I saw a brown of about 4lb slowly cruising, casually grazing food off the bottom. That fish caught me by surprise, as I didn’t expect to see one so fast. Over the next half hour, I polaroided another seven trout before deciding it was time to get back to the plan of fishing upriver.

The river fished well all day. Not surprisingly, the fish were very spooky and able to sense my face poking through the vegetation to get a good view. We had to be on our A-game on this river, but there’s no question—the Eglinton deserves its acclaim.

During the trip, I’d been checking in with my mate Nick Reygaert, and his local advice, as always, was invaluable. With the last day’s fishing upon us, he texted through: “Willow grubbers for the win, I reckon,” and so we found ourselves heading to the Waikai. The Waikai is a tributary of the Mataura, so naturally, it holds a big population of fish. The water tends to flow a little more colored than the Mataura, and it’s more physical fishing. The plus side is getting your own beat is pretty easy, and the Fish & Game website has them all available in detail. We picked a random beat without any insider knowledge, and the fishing was exceptional. Early on, the trout were eating the willow grub, and then later, the mayfly and caddis got going. Fishing in amongst the willows was insane. Every second or third gap in the willows held a trout or two, and they were very willing to eat a fly. While we didn’t get any really big fish, it was all so visual, I was in flyfishing nirvana.

A day or two with a guide like Jack ensures a great trip, and having high-quality drift boats at your disposal means access and crowds don’t present an issue. I liked that this trip started with the right help to get the fish count up early. It meant anything after that was a bonus, and we were more willing to roll the dice on a few things. Jack has me fired up about drifting the Clutha, and I reckon that’ll be how we start the next trip. Learning about the South Island’s drift boat options, plus realising just how good the lake fishing is, has me dreaming and scheming for the next trip.

For more information on Aotearoa Anglers, head to www.aotearoaanglers.com