Karamea is
a rather remote village on the end of a 100km no exit road. In that way it
resembles Ammarnäs in Lappland pretty much, a small village that I visited
first time back in ’99 and unfortunately last time 2000 with Ines. In both
cases there is good fishing close by and a long distance track. Here it is the
Heaphy Track, there in Sweden it is the Kungsleden. The first could be done by
Mountain Bike in the offseason (Mai! It is on the list for future plans) the
last is not so much fun on the bike.
In Karamea
we were absolutely happy to have a warm welcome at the fabulous non-fancy down
to earth, still cool Karamea Lodge. Before I make you to bookmark their page, I
have to disappoint you. It seems after eight years in business the owners
consider time is right for a change and close the lodge business in a few weeks.
In case, you want to invest, give me a call and we might join forces. We
discovered that lodge three years ago and unfortunately did not make it two
years ago. But now it was the perfect home base for Ines and Tobias for a
couple of days as I wanted to chopper into the bush again from Karamea.
The plan
was to luxury-solo fish a remote river system that we did not fish before. It
is a highly regarded system and provides a variety of options and branches. But
there was one problem as the pilot was not available on the preferred fly in
date. So I had to rearrange plans and to fly right on that evening. Doing
groceries for the bush (butter chicken, wine, beer and muesli), packing and
charging batteries. It is always chaos, even if you are not limited by weight.
I took the huge tent, a chilly bin, a box of food and tools, a big bag and a
small back back. Don’t do that if you travel with other friends / passengers. This
volume would be way to much! Unless you have some larger chopper on hand.
During my
stay in the bush Ines and Tobias would stay at the Lodge and around Karamea,
getting some time off from me and doing excursions. They had a very good home base
to do that.
Due to the busy
schedule of the pilot the fly out time was pretty much undefined but “late”.
Around 6pm the chopper passed the lodge towards the hanger so the pilot was
back from his assignments and ready to fly me. The clouds where hanging low,
just right on the peaks and ridges of the coastal line, but the pilot found a
window of less than 50meters in high between the ridge and the clouds to sneak
through and access the valley that lead us towards the destination. Arriving
there he pretty much urged me to stay in the close by hut. Thanks to that I had
a very convenient accommodation up there.
This late
arrival actually was not a bad setup, as I was arriving close to dark, I head
plenty of time to arrive in the hut and set everything up for the next day. The
hut was a little surprise. It was redone just recently but was equipped with
items normally not found on a DOC hut.
The next
day I went to the – let’s call it so – alpha branch of the system. This branch,
as all the others, were quiet low, but this was not a surprise at all after
this dry summer. Interesting was that the branches in some places where more
like creeks and in others they were medium sized rivers. Part of the water
flows in some sections in the shingle and thus subsurface. On this semi covered
day I pretty soon started to catch fish. Around lunch time I was already out of
the river flats close to the more gorgy section and the bush line was close to
the water. After a brief lunch of a big sandwich and some sweat cookies I
continued upstream Some of the fish caught on that day where cruisers and some
feeding fish in faster moving water. All of them on nymphs. Around afternoon I
observed some increasing feeding activity. Trout seemed to be more vary. None
of the trout was particular crazy because of the low water. The river got more
narrow, I entered the gorgy section late afternoon and as usual in this
situations it was pretty much a exploration pool by pool upstream, driven by
curiosity and the question when I might come back to that pristine place again.
Caught some, lost some, spooked some. I wanted to catch the very last trout of
that day to make the magic one digit number of fish caught so I went to the
next and the next pool, till I finally pretty much run into a cruising trout
and caught it. A nice closure of that terrific day! I turned around and had a
walk of close to two hours to the hut. Tired and hungry I made a brake
somewhere. Not over pacing it as a single misjudged step on a boulder here can
cause some trouble. Two hours from the hut and four days from the fly out a
injured capsule should be avoided.
I had a
last look on the “hut pool” without seeing any big fish there and was back at
the hut.
Just this
single first day was amazing! It could not get better. A beer, tortellini and a
solid sleep ended the day. The sleep was just interrupted by four times call of
the wild… to much tea and water late. Once I nearly stumbled over the Weka bird
that was searching for food in the moonlight close to the hut.
Next day
head down the beta branch, again a semi covered day. I knew that this branch
was fished by a guide two days before, I saw their footprints. The fishing was
little harder with less fish to the net. Around late 2-3pm again the fish where
feeding on some – in the meantime I figured it out – medium sized brown mayfly
emerger. Before and after they could be fouled with other nymphs, during the
hatch they were pretty much locked it. The most curios take I got from a fish
that I pretty much saw to late – I was already upstream from it (!) – around
5-6meters and from its position around 1:30-2pm on the clock (12 would be just
upstream) so I was to his right. Seeing it I just freest and went slowly down
on my knees. Most likely the fish did not realize me as it was in rather fast
broken water. I tried with some conventional nymphs at first and then got an
immediate take on the ESPT. It scored again! A totally ridiculous take. The
fish taken this day where either cruising trout that interestingly liked the
blob a 2,8 mm tungsten beat head fly makes when dropped on the water two meters
away or more or less feeding fish in the faster currents.
Due to the progressed
time I was forced to end the fishing day around 6km as the crow flies from the
hut. I knew I would at least walk for two hours, might be even into dark. There
was supposed to be a track paralleling the river. So I bush bashed too find
they track – after 300m distance from the river I was in doubt and rushed back
to the river. A wise decision, as later on I got the information that there is
nowhere a track at that location only further down…
For now the task was to
gain ground towards the hut as fast as possible. I knew it would be around
8:30pm to arrive the hut and thus dark. I hoped for the light of the bright
moon, because by intention I did not take a headlamp with me to be back at the
hut before dark. Obviously that plan did not work out. Crossing the river to
take the shortest way a several times. The last half an hour and finding the
hut was funny. The GPS helped a lot to find the most direct way through the
wide shingle banks of the river and at least to find the hut at all (vision
with my Smith prescription polarized sunglasses was still better than without).
Just arriving at the hut the rain started heavily. Wow that was close – I was
already thinking of how to build a camp from one emergency blanked, fern and six
meters of cord. The beer, the butter chicken and the Longride red at the hut
tasted very well this night and the fire provided a very cozy atmosphere.
The third
day I went to the alpha branch again. Same water different weather and totally different
fish behavior. It was pretty much blue skies and warm and most likely the
weather and not my fishing two days ago might have changed the fish behavior.
The first 3-4 km I did hardly ever see a fish. Nothing. All were hiding
somewhere in the faster sections. I had no urge to blind cast. It took very
long to catch the first fish, just after some kind of afternoon nap. I got one
other from a pool further up, well in the gorge where several good sized fish
where feeding on the emerger mentioned above just below the surface. I took
only one because I was too greedy and to inpatient. It was already around 6pm
and this feeding fancy did not again recover due to my disturbance to that
specific pool. Poor fish I interrupted their snack. And again a long two hour
walk out to the hut.
Back at the hut I was not sure if the lack of energy but I
had the impression there was some dim light in the hut. It was not only the
impression there where two trampers and one project related man. (Sorry I cannot
provide more information as everything else would lead right away to the conclusion
about which river I am writing. This is also valid for part of the title of this post) The night was horrible. Due to the cooking and
the three people that were sleeping, smelling and snoring in the hut and the
peer group pressure to dim the light around 3 hours before my usual sleeping
time I did not find sleep till well in the next day. And the man showed up as
announced at 6am to have breakfast … I should have better pitched my tent for
that night alone. But this idea just now came to my mind.
Back at the hut I was not sure if the lack of energy but I
had the impression there was some dim light in the hut. It was not only the
impression there where two trampers and one project related man. (Sorry I cannot
provide more information as everything else would lead right away to the conclusion
about which river I am writing. This is also valid for part of the title of this post) The night was horrible. Due to the cooking and
the three people that were sleeping, smelling and snoring in the hut and the
peer group pressure to dim the light around 3 hours before my usual sleeping
time I did not find sleep till well in the next day. And the man showed up as
announced at 6am to have breakfast … I should have better pitched my tent for
that night alone. But this idea just now came to my mind.
The fourth
and last day was assigned to the gamma branch of the river. I was surprised to
find a decent sized river and not just a tiny creek as it looked down at its
junction to the main river. A good half day with four or five fish up to around
6lbs. Unfortunately the three fish spotted in typical NZ locations and hides
could not be fouled, might be due to my spoiled and careless fishing.
I ended this last day well before 3pm to be the hut early enough to do the final packing, give the hut a sweep and have a last bucket-bush-shower before the chopper approached. It came just minutes after the defined time with a surprise! Ines and Tobias where sitting right to the pilot! They did not want to miss this opportunity of half an hour scenic flight over native forests and untouched mountains.
I ended this last day well before 3pm to be the hut early enough to do the final packing, give the hut a sweep and have a last bucket-bush-shower before the chopper approached. It came just minutes after the defined time with a surprise! Ines and Tobias where sitting right to the pilot! They did not want to miss this opportunity of half an hour scenic flight over native forests and untouched mountains.
This trip got 8 of 10 points – it was close to as good as it could get. And the two points missing where more or less caused by my style of careless leisure fishing.
What Ines did
with Tobias in the meantime, what we did with the bonus day in Karamea and some
fine dining at the roads end … to be continued.
PS:
Please have a look on Save Fiordland about the crazy idea to link Qt with Milford sound right through one of the largest pristine untouched landscapes of New Zealand: http://www.savefiordland.org.nz/
There click on get involved and sing up the two petitions against the tunnel and against the mono rail. Both ideas are as stupid as to build an elevator to the top of Montblanc.
