Where the Road Ends

Backcountry fishing certainly has its challenges. Our fitness was tested as we climbed up and down gorges and pushed and pulled through blackberry and bracken, whilst ensuring our rod tips were safe. These rivers are home to no shortage of slippery, lichen-pasted rocks, and a day’s fishing can be tiring and difficult. Wet wading is preferred in the summer for mobility, and also safety reasons, as the Whakapapa in particular is a very powerful river. We aimed for a cautious approach, but I was often guilty of a stumbling advance, more out of eagerness than any questionable boot sole. I like to think I improved each day! Wading boots with Vibram soles for hiking, combined with long trousers, provided adequate protection from blackberry and lawyer bush, as well as the plagues of sandflies ambushing us.

The Whakapapa and Whanganui both run through deep valleys and therefore are often in long shadows, so we noted the changing temperatures, particularly when wet-wading. Being the waderless early bird did have its chilly moments, but a tight line and humming reel soon saw me forgetting them. Later each day, as the sun grabbed me, I would take a break, reflect on the surrounding beauty and photosynthesise for a while.

An unexpected aspect of the backcountry experience was the presence of other people in even the most remote locations. Several times we were passed by anglers and guides in rubber whitewater rafts, and on other occasions by small groups of kayakers travelling together. There was also evidence of others who had gone before us by way of footprints and sometimes discarded rubbish. This illustrated just how delicate the resource is, and why it is so important to care for it. This includes releasing all fish caught, and of course carrying out all rubbish, whether it belongs to you or not.

Seductive Nymphs

On our first two days we were guided by Taupo local Andrew Christmas, whom Thomas had fished with on previous visits. Apart from a few days with Brett Wolf at Exmouth, I am new to guided fishing, so it was great to be at ease on the water but still challenged to fish hard, take on tips to improve, and not be embarrassed to ask dumb questions or bugger up casts and hand over the tangles.

Andrew certainly got us onto a great many trout, both bank-burying browns and acrobatic rainbows. I even got a shot at a brown that was over a metre and a likely 15-plus lb. Andrew spotted it in low water a few metres out from the bank and then, apart from some evocative expletives, things went very quiet. After a few deep breaths and trying not to over-think my approach, I backtracked with my nymph at the ready, but at my first very short and quiet step onto a river stone the big fella was gone, back into the large deep pool nearby.

Having a guide when on new waters didn’t only benefit my fishing. We were at the end of our Day 2 upstream trek on the Whakapapa when, as Andrew had predicted, one of his raft-fishing guides appeared. Andrew negotiated for us to join their party, and after an exhilarating ride downstream through some challenging rapids, we were back at our point of entry. My legs appreciated this small bonus. To cap it off, before walking out Andrew recommended I fish some pocket water the raft had just gone over and I was rewarded with a nice 5 lb rainbow — the fish of that particular day. It was a great way to finish.

Backcountry fishing is mainly about managing your line and the presentation. The flies can be kept relatively simple without sacrificing any of their effectiveness. On Andrew’s advice we kept our rigs simple and seductive and the results backed this up. Whilst on a few rare occasions we fished a dry cicada or Turck’s Tarantula in eternal hope of a grab, most of our success was achieved with a dual nymph and indicator rig. Stu Tripney’s mayfly bombs (#8–#10) on a 10–12 foot 0X leader provided the length and weight to get the right depth in these rivers, after which a #14–#16 Quasimodo or Cadillac Pheasant Tail nymph was run as a point fly on a 30 cm dropper of 4X Seaguar. Heavy nymphs and churning rapids require buoyant strike indicators, and there are some great designs available now, although it’s important to check the regional legality of some of them.

Rapids and Runs

Comprised mostly of fast bouldery runs and shallow pocket water, with an occasional deeper pool or shaded canyon, the Whakapapa is a big and powerful river filled with big and beautiful trout. The Whanganui is shallower and slightly less boisterous, but they are both big rivers when compared to their Australian counterparts.

The rivers served up large deep pools where we would see trout safe in sanctuary, and be left to just dabble and dream of better things to come. Pocket water fishing was very productive, measured not only by the number of trout landed but by our improvement in line management techniques. Banking a sizeable trout by dancing down the rushing crazy rapids was a gambler’s return for me, with luck and skill or a lack thereof often playing their part. It was important to have a well-stocked fly store and tippets handy with knots to match — this is where the extra strength of 4X Seaguar was indispensable.

These snaking currents of varied depths, large rocks and flat pockets quickly showed the importance of casting (not distance) and line management. In theory, the trout may be easier to catch here than in those smooth tail glides or long, slow runs. But once hooked up to a fish, my pulse certainly quickened and I hoped my improving technique would pay dividends.

Thomas and I also had varied luck with the sandflies, which appeared to favour certain stretches of the river. Whilst he often marinated in them, I seemed to go unscathed. But he made up for that by catching more fish.

Our week in the Taranaki region was one of options, as the rivers here can be sliced and diced into accessible stretches. One morning we took a two-man raft on a 10 km float down the Whakapapa a few kilometres above the junction with the Whanganui, and then floated for several more kilometres beyond the confluence. We had success and some losses, including a nice brown hooked within a rod’s length, that I’m sure laughed at me as it tore off downstream and gave me a final jumping hurrah at the end of the pool.

We managed to sail the craft over a notorious Grade 2 rapid and were rather proud of ourselves. However, we then face-planted on an ancient plinth that stood sentry to a large pool. Funny how those last ten seconds to impact and capsize went so slowly. The river demanded our rods as payment, so we had to farewell my Streamdance and Thomas’s Echo 3. I have a good Go Pro video of it though! We floated to the grassy bank of the lodge a little sore and sorry, but hey, that’s fishing. As it was my second rod break of the trip (don’t ask) and there were still three days to go, I had to borrow a substitute from our hosts.

Late afternoon each day, we would motor a kilometre or so upstream in the lodge’s small launch to a stretch of the Whanganui accessible only by boat. In the last hour or so of dusk there was a fantastic hatch of mayflies and small caddis flies. The flashback Quasimodo nymph in #14 was a stand-out performer in this situation, often being chewed literally to pieces but continuing to catch fish. Late evenings brought blanket hatches of small tan/grey caddis, which gathered en masse around the lights of our cabin, while trout leapt from the river to chase them. At these times a small CDC ‘F Fly’ was all that was needed. We also twice found fish cruising in a school in a shallow backwater and feeding on passion vine hoppers that had been blown onto the water. The F Fly proved itself there too, although a more imitative fly like a Manic Passion Hopper may have been better.

A River Gem

The Whakapapa River is indeed a gem of the North Island fly fishing streams, as aptly described by the late local Greg Kelly (The Flies in My Hat). My time on this river and its sister the Whanganui tested my river crossing, casting and line mending abilities, but I was rewarded with personal bests for both rainbow and brown trout and lost several that were even larger.

So what did I learn from my week in the back country? I am definitely someone who likes catching trout. Simple statement, but to me that is the key. I enjoy the confluence of nature and fishing, hence my attraction to exploring rivers and always wanting to trek to ‘that next bend’. My fishing back home is mainly with a 3-weight in small Snowy Mountain streams, so I enjoyed a week that focused on improving my pocket water technique and being challenged by larger trout on bigger rivers. I was grateful for the advice of a guide and a mate who has fished there before. Their experience had me well prepared and confident to enjoy each day, and I want to go again. I also recommend taking rods under warranty!