Catch & Release
by Jennifer Mancini
Belize
by Ann Miller
A Passion for Fly Fishing
by Bev Wilson
Donny & Me
by Adrienne Rudich
Under the Weather
by Ann Miller

All articles and writings are copyrighted by the author and should not be used/copied or reissued without prior permission.

>>Dr. Dean's No Option Fly by Joan English
DOCTOR DEAN'S DEATHLY NO OPTION FLY
"---So long as there is unpredictability there will be---adventure! With its thousands of miles of clear free flowing and undammed rivers; with its hundreds of pristine lakes; with its wild unplanted trout; with its extremely challenging fishing situations; with its tiny human population and lack of industry; with one of the safest and loveliest settings on this planet---yes, with all this and more---New Zealand is home to our finest fishing adventures."

This quote by Mel Krieger in the Foreword of NEW ZEALAND'S TOP TROUT FISHING WATERS by John Kent and Patti Magnano Madsen made me also dream of a trip to the down under country of New Zealand. My daughter Kristen and I decided to try the fishing in New Zealand. It was my task to plan the itinerary, especially the fishing outing. Kristen had been there on two previous visits, so she gave me a pretty accurate picture of what to expect.

We were going in the first two weeks of February, so that meant we would have the optimum fishing on the South Island. I gave Kristen several options for guides. She chose Dean Bell's Wilderness Blue Ribbon Guides. I called Dean, and he happened to have a cancellation the week we wanted to fish. This was pure luck since his date book is filled a year or two ahead of time. A guide is a must in New Zealand. The waters are so clear there that greenhorns scare all the fish before they have the fly on the line. The guides are experts at sighting the fish.

I dragged four rods and all the fishing gear---two pair of waders, two pair of boots, reels, and all the other necessary items we would need---halfway around the world. We flew into Auckland to see the sights on the North Island and leisurely drive south. When we arrived we went right to the car rental for our vehicle. We were disappointed to find that the car company required that we stay on the North Island for three days before we could cross to the South Island. This meant we would only have a day for the ride down the rugged coast of the South Island.

We regrouped and decided to make the best of the situation. The countryside is lush and green with millions of sheep grazing on hillocks and vales. We spent two days exploring the Maori culture around the Rotorua geothermal area. The Maori villages, with hot geyser springs bubbling in their back yards, were very quaint. The handmade crafts were earthy and beautiful. We enjoyed their traditional Hangi Feast, where the food is steamed with the heat of the hot springs, with a charming couple from Brussels. Our last night before the ferry crossing to the South Island was spent in the Marlborough wine country. We stayed in a bed and breakfast with a quaint retired couple who had lovingly restored their home. In the evening we feasted on New Zealand steak, eggplant and sampled a local vintage at a restored 19th century hotel. The people of New Zealand are extremely friendly and outgoing.

The next morning we arose early to drop off our car and ferry to the South Island, with dolphins and birds as our travel companions. We rushed to pickup our next vehicle to traverse the whole island in one day and into the night, to reach our fishing destination. The rugged west coast shoreline has breathtaking views of the ocean, with an occasional seal colony on one side, and mountains on the other. Glaciers are found in many places. New Zealand has few freeways; most roads are two lanes, and the South Island's are curvy and mountainous.

When it was evident that our arrival time in Te Anau would be extremely late, we called Dean, and he arranged for our motel room on Lake Te Anau to be left open. We crawled into bed, after sixteen hours of driving, at 2:00 in the morning. Dean arrived on time at 10:00 A.M., looked over our equipment, loaded the equipment into his vehicle, and with boat in tow, we were on our way. There was a stop at the local fly shop for licenses and flies, on the way to the lake. The boat was put in at Te Anau Downs, and we started across the lake to a river called the Ettrick. area is a fiordland, much like Norway or Sweden. It is like a rain forest, very wet and very green. After unpacking the gear, the rods had to be strung with line and fly. Dean was testing our equipment when he casually threw a line with a fly into the mouth of the river. A huge brown trout sucked the fly in, and the first fish of the trip was hooked. Dean turned and said to us, "I didn't mean to do that, do one of you want to land this fish?" Kristen said "no". I excitedly said, "get up there and bring that fish in, you need the experience." So she landed a fish before she hooked one. We both thought naively, this is like shooting ducks in a pond---wrong! We practiced here so Dean could get a handle on how poor we both were at casting. It had been a year and a half since Kristen had fished. I seem to have to relearn every time I go.

Up the stream we trekked. Climbing over the huge rocks and boulders was a feat in itself. Kristen hooked into a huge brown trout. We all had big smiles on our faces. She played the fish, but unfortunately it broke off.

Dean was a master at sighting the fish in the crystal clear water. I thought I could see them, but I was kidding myself. We were coached not to go to close to the shore, or we would spook the fish. A man in Dean's position must have the patience of Job. He constantly had to untangle our lines, and replace flies we had lost or mangled on the rocks.
Finally, I managed to get my cast right, and hooked a beautiful two and a half pound rainbow. With Dean's coaching we were able to net the fish.

We jumped back into the boat and switched to a river called the Snag Burn. The term Burn is a Scottish word for river. Scots were the first whites to explore and map out the area. I was able to bring in another big brown. Kristen was feeling a bit down---thinking, "I'm never going to get one in the net". At about 5:30 P.M., we crawled back into the boat and headed for the hut we were to stay in for two nights. Upon arrival, we found three deer hunters who had culled a red deer from the forest that day. Dean was a bit uneasy, feeling that we might be uncomfortable sharing the cabin with three strange men. The irony was that one of them was a venison farmer and raised them for a living. Luckily, they were very nice gentlemen, and kept offering us venison. We thanked them, but had no way to prepare it. The deer compete with the endangered Kia Parrot, so a hunter does not need a license to hunt in the fiordland. Later, we tried farmed venison in a restaurant.

They call it cervena, and it is tender and delicious. On day two of our wilderness adventure, we fished the Wood Burn. Kristen hooked a 19 inch brown trout. This time she played the fish and landed it like a pro, with Dean's coaching of course.

Did I mention the black flies? New Zealand has a black fly much like our Michigan black fly. It bites with a ferocious sting. I had to literally bathe in DEET or be devoured. Taking care of our daily necessities was a real challenge. Along the way we saw rare blue ducks, giant green ferns, and moss covered rocks and trees.

We switched to the Junction Burn. Kristen slammed and netted one of the most beautiful rainbows we had ever seen. Because the water is so clear, the rainbows are silver with a phosphorescent pink strip running down the middle.

I wasn't doing well that day, so Dean opened his fly box and said, "We need one of Dr. Dean's Deathly No Option Flies", with the hope that I could place one right in front of a hungry fish. A few hundred feet up the Burn I hooked and netted a brown. Kristen topped the day with a 22 inch brown trout, by casting over the top of a downed tree and ducking under the tree to play the fish. I limped and crawled over rocks on the way back to the boat, playing catch up, while Kristen and Dean discussed his bicycling adventures in British Columbia and The Western United States. Dean prepared a gourmet meal of pasta and pesto. We were about to fall into bed when two more hunters arrived, and spent the evening visiting and preparing their meal. By morning, the black flies and an all night rain dampened their spirits and sent them packing for home. Day three found us on the Mid Burn in a warm summer rain. Kristen hooked into two browns. One was four and a half pounds; the other was twenty four inches. Unfortunately I fell short. When I did manage to get the fly in front of a fish, it didn't like what I was offering. We finished our adventure on a small creek which Dean renamed "Fishless Creek", as there were no fish to be sighted.

As our time on the rivers was fading, Dean complemented us by saying, "The English Girls came through with a fine catch for the three days." It is a tribute to Dean's guiding and coaching that we caught eight mammoth, beautiful New Zealand trout. Dean admitted that in the beginning he wasn't sure if we would catch fish.
Back on the mainland as we were waiting in the car while Dean hooked up the boat, Kristen and I marveled over what a grand adventure our fishing trip in New Zealand had been, and that it would remain memorable for some time.

FYI contact Dean at:
Dean Bell
PO Box 198
Te Anau, South Island
New Zealand
001-64-3-249-8330