South Island Backcountry Fishing

South Island Backcountry Tramping and Fishing: an introduction to big, clever brown trout

A mere five hours after stepping foot on the South Island we were on the trail tramping into the backcountry under a beautiful sunset. With four days’ supplies, our trusty Hilleberg tent and my fly fishing gear on my back spirits were high.

Walking into backcountry paradise

After a three-hour walk in, we found a secluded riverside camp spot. Rushing to pitch our tent in fading light and swarming sandflies, we settled in for the night. Next morning I was up at first light trying to bag my first South Island trout. I wasn’t searching for long before a flat window opened up on the river surface and for a split second revealed the outline of a nice brown trout in the clear water at the head of a pool. Having selected my fly (one of my own Sz 16 tungsten nymph creations) my Sage fly rod unloaded a nice cast and to my surprise the trout kindly obliged and snaffled my offering moments later. After a fraught few minutes I was looking down at my prize, what a way to start my South Island fishing journey.

My first South Island trout

We fished upstream for most of the day, and I quickly learnt how important stealthy approaches are in this crystal clear water. I spooked my fair share of fish but managed to bag another couple nice brownies. About 10 Kms upstream we decided to pitch the Hilleberg for the night and enjoyed our dehydrated venison stir fry with a side order of super noodles. Luckily we woke in the night and looked out at the stars which were truly breath-taking.

 

Incredible view of the Milky Way and Southern Cross

After a lie in and sedate pack up we spent the next day working back downstream fishing some different spots and picked up a couple of small trout. We planned on staying in a lakeside hut that night but arrived to find it full. A quick change of plan found us wading and bush-bashing across and back up the valley. Hot, tired and slightly irritable after an hour or so we were lucky to stumble out of the shoulder high scrub to find a perfect flat camp spot right on the river.

Next morning I was determined to outwit one of the big browns I had spent the last two days spooking. After a couple of failed encounters I managed to spot a big shadow, perfectly camouflaged against the rocky bottom in the early morning light. Waiting a while to check I didn’t waste 20 minutes casting at another rock, I saw him move from his lie. This time I made my cast count and seconds after my fly hit the water I was connected to a serious South Island trout. After taking me up and down the gin clear pool for what seemed like an eternity I managed to finally net him. 6lb 6oz of backcountry muscle, absolutely incredible...

6lb 6oz of wild old backcountry brown

With food supplies dwindling and an incoming weather front it was unfortunately time to walk out back to the road end. Luckily we managed to find a rather nice shower spot en-route so I didn’t offend any locals with my backcountry aroma when arriving back in the town we had parked.

Shower time! 

The 4 hour walkout with very limited snacks left was made all the more bearable reliving the fishing experience of the past few days. DIY backcountry fishing is a steep learning curve but one I am incredibly grateful to be on. It’s harder than any fly fishing I have experienced to date and no amount of reading/youtube/talking to people prepares you for how clever, spooky and hard to spot the big fish are. But, starting to put the pieces together has given me such an incredible sense of satisfaction, now I’m hooked!