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Christchurch

Fishing & Casting Club

Inc. (The Friendly Bunch) www.cfcc.co.nz

President Secretary Treasurer

John Collins Shirley Salisbury John O’Connell 03 332 3947 03 322 8218 03 942 2339

Next Meeting

Weds 4th April

07:30 PM Start

At Cotswold Preschool Hall, 37

Colesbury St, Bishopdale

For our April meeting, we welcome Mr

Trevor Isitt the North Canterbury F&G

chairman. We will be quizzing him on all

sorts however a focus on the high-country

access initiatives will take centre stage

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Message from the Editor

Happy Easter to you all, as I write this I’m getting myself prepped for an Easter trip away to the Conway flats coastline to try my hand at some more surfcasting. This is something I was inspired to do more of after listening to the two Gregs come talk and enjoy the lovely sunrises and sunsets from the beaches of Canterbury. Hopefully a few fish will make it to the beach and I don’t end up losing too much gear. I’m also looking forward to getting away at the end of April with the club trip to the Ahuriri Arm of lake Benmore. For anyone interested make sure to let Shirley know ASAP. Also, as I briefly touched on last month, the Canal clean up date has been finalised and will start at 8:30 on the 12th May from outside Jakes hardware in Twizel. I believe as a club this sort of initiative is something we should get behind and I found the fishing quite rewarding last year after spending the morning tidying the banks and surrounding roadside of the Canals, it seemed to make it worthwhile. All the best

Gavin

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President’s Comments

Hi All It’s been a busy month for me so not much to say but I’ll lead with the Lake Taylor report. Once again, we were blessed with fine weather, although abit breezy at times for the annual trip to Lakes Taylor, Sheppard. Hurunui River. Attended by myself, Della, Bryce, Dave P, Doug, Jonathan & Harry. Staying at the Rustic Lake Taylor shearers quarters. This was my 1st trip since falling ill, so the eagerness level was very high.

Della and I headed up Friday morning intending to fish the Hurunui on the way up. Unfortunately, the Nor West wind was gale like, whipping water from the river surface. It would be worth going up there for a fish when it is not blowing as the Hurunui had a good flow. The lakes are full as well. We decamped our gear and headed to the western shores of Lake Taylor with the wind at our backs. We both had our spin rods set up leaving the fly rods for Lake

Sheppard on Saturday I have only caught the odd fish from Taylor on both the fly and spin rods. The 6-gram Obsession lures worked extremely well. I caught 4 trout within two hours ranging between ½ lb and 2 ½ lbs. Della managed 3 during the afternoon of a similar range. All realised. That was a great start. A cool dry Southerly arrived Friday evening which caused us to sleep in (couple of reds may have helped) We woke to Jonathon and Harry setting up after having fished the river on the way in. Keen lads those Southern men in their shorts. They headed over to Sheppard as did Bryce, Dave, Della, John. Doug fishing Taylor. Bryce, Della, Jonathon, Harry all caught fish, with me getting busted off. Della finally got the Lake Sheppard monkey off her back by hooking, landing a nice 2 ½ lb brown trout. Doug had success on Taylor. Back to the quarters for a well-deserved shower and ale. BBQ dinner. Another red or two.

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We all went back to Sheppard on Sunday with only Jonathon & Harry having success. Another memorable trip. It was certainly great for me to blow out some fishing cobwebs. Looking forward to next year’s trip – 16th to 18th March 2019. I will be considering an early season trip next season for those who are interested. This Month we will have the pleasure of North Canterbury Fish and Game Chairman Trevor Isitt. Trevor will be explaining some of the work Fish and Game are doing and also what challenges the region faces going forward. Tight lines, John

John CHRISTCHURCH FISHING & CASTING CLUB (INC)

COMMITTEE

President John Collins - johnanddella@e3.net.nz 332-3947 / 0274311331

Vice President Dave De Montalk - daveandlinda@clear.net.nz 942-2339 / 0272845688 Treasurer John O’Connell- john@bigpicturenz.com 021 507576 Secretary Shirley Salisbury - shirley_salisbury@hotmail.com 322-8218 / 0211415559

Editor Gavin Atkinson - gav_atkinson@hotmail.com 0223524717 Committee John O’Connell- john@bigpicturenz.com 021 507576

Jonathan Arps – arpshole@hotmail.com 0275068913 Rex Gibson – rnjg@xtra.co.nz 358-2595 / 0211280404

CLUB EVENTS 2017/2018

Date Event Contact Details

27th – 29th April Lake Benmore (Ahuriri Arm) Shirley Salisbury

11th – 13th May Canal Clean up and some club fishing Gavin Atkinson

Mackenzie canal clean up 2018 set for Saturday 12th May Rex and Myself joined other fisherfolks and locals last year and am keen to join

in again as I believe it will be even better this year given lessons learned and the

reach it had. The spot prizes and fishing are an added bonus and a draw to some

people as was the fishing after the mornings hard work. I’ve kept the link

enclosed and there is also an article in the newsletter further on. would be good

to see a few more this year. See link below too if you want an idea what happened

last year

https://www.facebook.com/roger.spicer.37/videos/1636901453052526/

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Noel Andreassend – A staunch Club stalwart Noel passed away at the end of January this year. He had joined the Christchurch Fishing and Casting Club in its foundation year (1967) and was the last of those original members to still support the Club; a fact that was acknowledged with a special certificate at the Club’s 50th birthday function last year. Noel had been made a life member many years earlier. He was still attending meetings right up until just over a year ago, thanks to his daughter acting as chauffeur. Those of us who knew Noel recall his long history of extensive and intensive involvement in the Club’s activities. He had been President, Secretary and a long-term committee member.

Several personal characteristics stood out. Frank Cartwright commented that he was seen as a “gentleman”; a positive comment on the way he related to others. He also impressed with his work ethic and general “busyness”. Noel always seemed to have a new project on the go, even well into retirement. Salmon fishing was his great fishing passion but Noel was also the primary organiser of the regular sea fishing trips that the club members used to make to the Marlborough Sounds in the 1980s and 1990s. He was also the Club’s unofficial photographer for many years. In past years Noel would

entertain an evening meeting with his slides and photos covering fishing locations across the island; always informative and always “tourism quality” shots. On the casting tuition days on Victoria Lake Noel would demonstrate distance casting with salmon rods. He was a regular companion of the late Charlie Parry in the camping ground at the Rangitata Mouth (north). Rex recalls motoring down on occasions from Christchurch and meeting up with Noel around 6 am. They would then head down to the mouth with Charlie ambling down on his motor bike at 9 am. Noel naturally out-fished Charlie every season but they remained the best of mates.

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He was also a regular on the annual trips to the Waitaki Mouth in the 1990s where he mentored Rex in his first salmon landing. Noel, with Charlie in tow, would also go on Club trips to locations like Twizel where he was able to demonstrate his ability with trout fishing. Noel was a natural fishing mentor; both within the Club and outside. He ran a number of trips to the Rakaia with teenagers who were interested in salmon fishing. A project he was assisted in on occasions by Norm Parkyn. Noel’s busyness was related to his many skills, especially mechanical. Frank Cartwright recalls his competence with level-wind reel repairs; and virtually any salmon tackle. Any problems were “fixed in short order”. His efforts with motor bikes, lawnmowers, etc, were equally famous. Noel also built salmon rods from blanks, an art that seems to be disappearing from the ranks of fishermen as society becomes more “time poor”. The Club is proud to have had Noel as a member. Frank has supplied this last quote in his memory: Lord, grant me that I may fish to my dying day, And when it comes to my last cast I fervently do pray, That in the Lord’s safe landing net I’m peacefully asleep And in his mercy, I be judged, as good enough to keep.

Fly of the Month Name of Fly: Olive

Woolly Bugger

Hook: Sizes 2 – 10

Hackle: Woolly Bugger

Hackle

(available from

Fishermans Loft, makes

tying buggers easier)

Body: Lead wire / Olive

Chenille

Ribbing: Ultra wire or

Copper wire

Tail: Olive Marabou

Method:

• Wrap on the lead wire, bind thread to hook

• Tie in a bunch of marabou for the tail

• Tie on your chenille and wire

• Tie on a feather at the thin end and pull the fibres back (as per pic)

• Wind thread to the front of hook, wrap your chenille forwards and tie off

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• Wrap the hackle forwards, try to get the hackle

wraps between the chenille wraps so the hackle

sits down between the chenille. Give the hackle an

extra turn at the front, secure hackle with a few

thread wraps and trim excess

• Rib the wire in the opposite direction to the

chenille and hackle so it holds everything secure

• Create a head, whip finish and apply head

cement

The Olive Woolly Bugger sure won’t be a new fly

to many, and served me well on the recent club

trip to Lake Taylor. Woolly buggers can be tied many different ways. I find this method to

be very durable.

In clear conditions fish it around lake edges and drop off’s using the smaller sizes, then go up

to the larger sizes for night fishing. Blind fish it or let it sink to the bottom and give it a few

slight twitches as a trout approaches. I had a Lake Daniels Rainbow suck it right out of the

silt while i was waiting for his bigger mate to cruise past. Try tying one on and fish it back

down stream towards the car after nymphing upstream all day (cause if you’re like me and

have fished well past the time your partner expects you home, then you might as well be real

late).

So much bling can be added to a Bugger. Tied in any colour you like, add bead head for

weight, some flash tied in with the tail or for the spin fishermen, try tying a Bugger onto a jig

head.

Jonathan Arps

Christchurch Fishing and Casting Club (The Friendly Bunch) Catering for Fly & Spin

To view the website, hover your curser over the Club monogram (right) and press Control while

Click the mouse to follow the link

A Wikipedia entry for the woolly bugger I found that for some reason I was not expecting interesting what you get when entering something into a google search. - Ed Although the original Woolly Bugger pattern was believed to have been created by Pennsylvania fly tyer Russell Blessing as early as 1967 to resemble a hellgrammite, or dobsonfly nymph, its precise origin is unknown, but is clearly an evolution of the Woolly Worm fly, which itself is a variation—intentional or not—of the British palmer fly, which dates back to Walton and beyond. The Woolly Bugger, depending the specific material used and how it is fished can be assumed to resemble large nymphs, baitfish, leech, drowning terrestrial insects, clamworms, crayfish, shrimp or crabs.

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The Woolly Bugger fly is constructed with a marabou tail (with or without some sort of flashy material in the tail), a chenille or fur body, and a hackle palmered from the tail to the head of the fly. Tying the pattern with a rib of fine copper wire helps protect the palmer hackle. The underbody may be weighted with lead or tungsten wire. Popular colours are olive, brown, and black for freshwater use. Brighter colours and combinations of colours are especially popular for steelhead, salmon and saltwater use. Woolly Bugger flies are typically tied on number 2 to 14 long or extra long hooks. Variations include Woolly Buggers weighted with brass or tungsten beads, brass or tungsten cones, brass, lead or tungsten dumbbell eyes Many Thanks Wiki!

Angling courtesy costs nothing - subscribe to it!

I was recently reflecting on the many seasons I have spent fishing rivers and lakes in and around the South Island, and reminded myself just how fortunate I have been to have met so many fine fisher-folk, some of whom eventually became lifelong friends. The marvellous camaraderie I have experienced, especially among freshwater anglers, has been, with few exceptions, quite remarkable. Swapping information, the gifting of a fly or nymph, sharing a chocolate bar or perhaps a riverside mug of coffee remain evergreen in my memory bank. However, just three times in my lifetime have I been let down by selfish anglers which, all things considered, is minuscule odds by anyone’s standards. The first experience occurred at the Hawea River when five foreign wannabe fly fishers, accompanied by their paramours, decided to fish the precise location already occupied by my mate and I. We tried negotiating but were defeated by a very vocal majority and as there was a stalemate in intelligent communication, we broke down our rods and departed, smarting at how rude some folk could be. The second occurrence was on the Mataura river, just a short drive south of Gore. My mate and I had just arrived at a top fishing location and were gradually working our way upstream when a van-load of foreign fly fishers, accompanied by their guide, entered the river upstream of us and started casting the water we had intended to fish. We were appalled at the cheek of a professional guide who artfully managed to avoid contact with us but we were eventually obliged to vacate the location and fish elsewhere. The Artful Dodger, as we later nicknamed him, would have been well aware that other anglers were at that location as our vehicle was parked opposite the access route. However,

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he had a team of novices to coach and money was the obvious motivation for his behaviour. The third time was on the Waiau river downstream of Te Anau where my mate and I were fishing a long glide. We had just got started when four young men arrived and started casting their spinners directly ahead of us. We were astonished at their cheek and in reply to our protestations that we were at the river first, were told that ‘We have as much right to fish as you have’. Realising it was an unwinnable situation, we waded ashore and left them to flog the river but not before witnessing one of the young men falling face first into very chilly water. We gave him a round of applause before departing to another location, satisfied that fate had fortuitously intervened on our behalf. Looking back over the many years I have spent fishing the South Island, I have been fortunate to have met some fine anglers, some of whom became friends for life, and it would be true to say that none of this could have happened if unsporting attitudes had prevailed. The golden rule, in my book is ‘Do unto others as you would have them do unto you’ and it has served me well throughout my life. When all’s said and done, courtesy costs nothing.

Frank Cartwright

A wee article printed with kind permission from the folks at Gink and Gasoline to go with the fly of the month. Check out their articles at the link below.

This isn’t Montana, Your Not Norman Maclean, and the Woolly Bugger isn’t all that.

This was a bumper sticker a guide buddy of mine had printed up a few years back.

It was prominently displayed for his clients to read when they pulled up to greet

him. That’s one hell of an ice breaker for checking fishing egos at the boat ramp,

let me tell you. I give my boy J.E.B. Hall props for his comedic humor and gutsy

style. For those of you who don’t know J.E.B., he’s a veteran Western North

Carolina guide, Author of Southern Appalachian Fly Guide, and has spent

multiple seasons guiding at Alaska West. Meet him one time and you’ll say to

yourself, “this guy is the funniest guy I’ve ever met in my life”.

Picture L to R Frank Cartwright, late Harry Jennings & late Bert Harvey.

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Most anglers fall into one of two categories when it comes to their perception of

woolly buggers. They either love them or despise them. I love the fly pattern for

two reasons. First, for its impressionistic design that’s capable of mimicking

many different trout foods, and second, for its versatility in how the pattern can

be fished. It’s rare for me to not break out a woolly bugger at some point during

the day. When trout aren’t biting, I almost always can find fish willing to snack

on them. The only time I keep woolly buggers out of the game and sitting on the

bench, is when I’m fishing water

where dry flies are the only thing

required.

I believe in the woolly bugger so

much, If I only had one pattern

that I could take with me fishing,

that would be it. Why the woolly

bugger, you ask? Because it has

probably caught more species of

fish on this planet than any other fly pattern created since fly fishing was born.

Now if I asked Jim Teeny, he would probably argue with me on this one, but what

can I say, 90% of the time Jim strictly fishes his signature Teeny Nymph. And

why shouldn’t he, the man has caught everything from steelhead to 100lb. tarpon

on that fly. But if the tables were turned, and Jim Teeny would have invented the

woolly bugger, I’d lay out a strong bet that’s what he’d be fishing instead. I meant

no disrespect towards Jim Teeny, the man is a fish catching machine and a pioneer

of the sport. He was just the perfect person to make my point on how effective

woolly buggers are at catching fish, and I honestly couldn’t help myself.

The Design and Theory behind the Woolly Bugger

The Woolly bugger looks very

simplistic at a quick glance, but

look at it a little longer, and you’ll

see its not your average, run of the

mill, fly pattern. When you take the

time to break apart the woolly

bugger and study its design closer,

you’ll notice each element of the fly

carries both equal weight and

importance, and they all play off

each other brilliantly. The woolly bugger’s flawless design was created by a fly

tier that understood how important it was for a fly pattern to not only have the

ability to take on a multitude of characters (food sources), but also a large scope

of fishing applications. It can be dead drifted, swung, or stripped, and it’s equally

effective in all three cases. The reason the woolly bugger works so well, is

because the pattern does a marvelous job of representing trout food that fall into

each category. Dead drift a woolly bugger and it’s very effective at imitating

Hellgrammite

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stoneflies, hellgrammites and leaches. Swing and strip the fly and it looks just

like sculpins, crayfish and other native minnows darting through the water.

If you want to dial in closer to a specific food source, just match the color woolly

bugger to the food source you’re wanting to imitate. Very few fly patterns on the

market are capable of imitating both aquatic insects, and finned specimens, and

that’s what makes the woolly bugger so special. Most of the time you really don’t

even have to worry about getting a drag free drift. From a fishes point of view, it

looks like food whether the pattern is dead drifting the same speed as the current,

moving across current or moving faster than the current. And because the pattern

is generally of substantial size, it represents a large meal that most fish usually

don’t want to pass up.

Go ahead, tie on a super realistic stonefly nymph and argue it will do a better job

of imitating stoneflies than the woolly bugger. You’ll catch fish, I won’t argue

that, but when you do tie it on, you’re limiting yourself to strictly imitating

stoneflies. Tie on a woolly bugger and you’ll not only be imitating stoneflies, but

also another half dozen other food sources. I’m not telling you what to fish, but

doesn’t it make sense that the more food sources you can imitate at once, the

better the chances you’ll find one of them, that day, on the trout’s menu? This is

the single reason why I feel woolly buggers are so productive.

If you’ve found yourself lately benching your woolly buggers like their

inexperienced rookies on a sports team, put them in the game next time you’re on

the water and the fish are ahead on the scoreboard. You just might find they’re

the key to pulling off a victory.

Keep it Reel,

Kent Klewein Gink & Gasoline www.ginkandgasoline.com hookups@ginkandgasoline.com

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Twizel Canal Cleanup – May 12 The annual canal clean-up is on Saturday 12 May this year. This is a great community event with people travelling from Christchurch to Oamaru to participate. The format is simple. Meet in the main town square at Twizel at 9 a.m. outside Jake’s Hardware. Collect your fluro vest and rubbish bag, sign up, be allocated an area and off you go. Last year Rex and Gavin went along. We had a nearby area on the Pukaki canal opposite where the Fisherman’s Loft crew were doing their bit. Several bags of rubbish later we joined the other teams for

a BBQ lunch at the big shed on the Ohau and Pukaki canal junction. The Halswell Men’s shed provided the chefs. The lunch was followed by a lucky draw raffle. Virtually everyone got a “prize”; from fishing gear to vacuum packed smoked salmon to free massages. A 2.5-hour fishing contest then followed with a great canal rod combo as the prize. Rex came second but his 4lb fish was nothing next to the 15lb winner. It is a great chance to put something back into the Mackenzie Country community; or actually remove somethings! We would love to enter a club team. If you are interested in going contact Gavin or Rex on the details above. For those wanting to go bring a good pair of gloves. It can be cold first thing and some of the rubbish is “rough” to handle.