Angling Report: July 2001 Lake Brunner Fly Fishing Report
Arnold River winter fishing can be full
of surprises.... and not necessarily cold and wet either! The main season closes
30th April, but some nice stretches of water remain open all year round for
winter fishing. A man, a boy and a dog in a dinghy kept us company for
a while, we watched as they caught a 4lb brown on a green Woolly Bugger, whilst
we in turn landed a 3.5lb brown on a Tasmanian Devil. As the sun climbed, the
fog faded, the icy
breeze waned, and the day became very pleasant. At regular intervals we caught
trout, 5 in all, and had a number of strikes that did not quite result in
hookups. the fish were gratifyingly plentiful, and struck aggressively. At
times, the lure had barely hit the water before a savage take had it securely
fastened in the mouth of a surprised trout.
The onset of an old-fashioned winter has made fishing a
chilly experience of late. We are up to a dozen consecutive frosts and I'm glad
I was persuaded to purchase my first set of chest waders this autumn!
Like many local fishermen, when April 30th clicks over, duck hunting takes
precedence over fishing. Its been interesting to observe the trout numbers, some
actively jumping a metre high in the last of the afternoon sunlight, whilst
astonished hunter was ensconced in the mai-mai. Anyway, this week has seen a serious effort
to fish, in the company of a guest from Texas. Aside from the shock of arriving
in from the desert to sub-zero frosts, he coped rather well. A spin fisherman,
despite best efforts we could not coax a lake trout into a strike on day one. A
couple did attempt a lazy follow of a lure, but that was about all we could
acheive. Day two saw us on the Arnold River in the drift boat at 9:30am, braving
frost and low fog for the first hour down from Moana.
| This page
attempts to demonstrate the clarity of a perfect West coast winter's day.
The photos were taken in July 2001 during a 28 day spell of fine weather!
Frosts in the morning, some fog - after all, it is winter.... but
cloudless, still days, and great fishing for the hardy souls who brave the
early morning chills. As we fish down the Arnold from the lake, a man and
a boy fish in silhouette against the fog in front of us... they caught
one, we caught one a few minutes later... |
|
 |
Hunter
Edwards, of Alpine, Texas, proudly holds a nice brown trout in the early
morning sun. Background shows a patch of fog on Lake Brunner, snow-clad
alps in the distance. |
| Patches
of shade alternate with sunny spots as we drift down the Arnold along
willow-clad banks. Patches of fog create a surreal atmosphere. In some
places, shafts of light penetrate through tall white pine trees and drill
into the fog. |
 |
 |
A coffee
break on a mirrored bend of the river, lunch in the sunshine. Hard to
believe its mid-winter..... In the background, temperate rain forests
reveal their beaty. The morning air resounds to the melodic call of
bellbirds. Flocks of ducks burst from beneath the willows at intervals,
and black swan, scaup and wood pigeon are frequent sights. |
| Back on
the river again... and a nice trout takes the lure and explodes into
action! Fish average 1.2 kilgrams (2.5lbs) and the Arnold River has
excellent numbers - approx. 270 trout per km. As you can see, much of the
bank is unfishable due to either native forest or willows which grow to
the waters edge. The drift boat provides a great fishing platform, making
the entire river fishable!!! |
 |
 |
A plump
little hen fish shares a moment with Mr Edwards before release/ The water
in the Arnold River appears quite dark, almost black. Clarity is is
actually very good but Lake Brunner, like most West Coast lakes, is
stained with tannin from the surrounding rain forests |
| This was
the 10th day of successive frosts... in the permanently shaded regoins, frost
crystals were 2 inches long - almost as if it had snowed! Needless to say,
the water is cold... even with waders on! The drift boat avoids such
unpleasantness, allowing a day of fishing with warm dry feet. At the
pull-out point near Stony Creek, an unusual challenge faced us - 2 inches
of ice in the lagoon necesitated much flailing of oars.... |
 |
 |
Even at
3pm in the afternoon, the fog lingers in the nooks and crannies of the
river. It makes for a spectacular drift boat trip, and in places it is
like being in the twilight zone.... |
The scenery is always beautiful, but on this mid-winter day was almost surreal.
A low fog, just a couple of metres high, lay in a thick blanket in the shaded
corners. Deep frost, inches thick, lay like snow along the river banks. The low
angle of the sun, which we drifted almost directly into for most of the
afternoon, caused brilliant shafts of light to shine through the white pines and
into the fog. Like the Twilight Zone, and I hope the photos we took do justice
to the spectacle!
An unexpected obstacle at the take-out point were the sheets of ice! This
section of the Arnold ends for us at Stony Creek, a couple of miles above the
dam. The takeout point is through a lagoon and small creek to the road. This, to
my astonishment, was covered in almost 2 inches of ice!!! First time the drift
boat has done duty as an icebreaker! We had to smash ice with oars, and pole furiously, to get through it. All in all, a superb day of winter
fishing.
Winter fishing at Lake
Brunner can be a pleasure. A drift boat, sense of adventure, a warm jacket, and
a couple of full Thermos flasks are the right formula for a great day of winter
fishing!
Angling Report: July 2001 Lake Brunner Fly Fishing Report
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