New Zealand gear

[Growlermz]

I am going over to New Zealand and have been looking at fly fishing charters while I am over there, since all the guides/charters I have seen look to be about $700 for the day. So I have changed my mind and will take over a rod of my own and some lures to try and tackle the big trout.

This brings another problem, since all of my rods are 1 piece rods I will be most likely be buying a new rod, a Shakespeare slingshot 3 piece with hard rod tube.
Does anyone know much about these rods, I need something that will travel easily since I will be hiring a small car while over there.

I have few reels at home that will suit this rod but what pound line should I put on it (braid + leader).

Finally if anyone can give me some advice on a few good lures to take with me, along with colour choices, I would like to take a decent varity of lures probably about 20-30 in a small tackle bag along with the basic tools required.

Thanks in advance for your help

Mark

[mazman]

I used the slingshot 3 piece rod on my recent trip to nz handled the trout beautifully and was able to cast light lure quite well. for lures and line weight it'd be easier if we knew where abouts in NZ will you be heading and what kind of water you'll be fishing, (stream, river, lakes, etc.)

[ducky]

A lot of the places in NZ are fly only? Here's a vid a young bloke I have fished with a few times recently shot on a trip to NZ. Definitely a bucket list location for me. All on a 6wt

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yJze00QUWHM" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Growlermz]

Ill be around the Queenstown area, I will be fishing all lakes, rivers and streams. very vague I know, but too be honest I will be fishing any waters that I can find that doesn't hinder with the plans the darl has made. I have never been there before so as a first timer I don't know what I am looking for or expecting to find.

I would love to fly fish over there, but I have never done any fly fishing so I would have to learn the ropes first, unfortunately between work and home and footy Im not sure how much time I will get to do any fishing before I go let alone learn how to fly fish

[wokka1]

I used a Slingshot 3 piece baitcast on my recent trip to Thailand. Obviously not the spin model but if build quality is consistent across the range then they are a good buy and reliable option for near $70.

[mazman]

my trip to nz was around that area, I used the slingshot 1-3kg 6 foot 3 piece spin when i was there and caught brown trout up to 3 and a half pounds on it without any worries. for line weight i would go 6lb mainline and i would use a long 4 or 6lb leader. for lures in rivers spinners/ hardbodies/ smaller metal lures/ sp's (be careful as scented sps are considered bait and aniseed is illegal). for the lakes i would use larger metal lures that run deep if you want to get a salmon or general trout lures including tassie devils. colours are more on the natural side compared to aus and especially in the rivers so brown's, grey's, brown trout patterns, copper and silver are the main daytime lures. and for night time or over cast days black with gold stripes is a killer colour.
Good luck mate and i'd recommend picking up some of the fish and game southland fishing brochures the southern scenic route and northern southland should cover your needs these are very informative as to what techniques can be used and also which lures/flys to use.
make sure you get a licence sorted and know the regs they vary depending on the river lake being fished and even the section of river.
Cheers Alex

[toygtr]

Check the price of a licence too before you go. Some rivers, lakes need separate licenses and cost heaps just for a day.

[mazman]

Check the price of a licence too before you go. Some rivers, lakes need separate licenses and cost heaps just for a day.

most of those rivers are fly only too

[ratbag]

well worth the guide if you can squeeze the $ out. I did a solo guided trip and @ $600 was one of the best days fishing ever. A few guides will take 2 ppl and you may be able to split the cost - contact a few tackle stores to see who could do this.
if you take a spin outfit, be sure to fish the right rivers - lure only!

a selection of lures would be any minnow style from 30mm - 70mm in both floating & sinking options. Braid around 10lb. Daiwa have some good 2pc & travel rods. Maybe Aussie Angler have some options in stock.

Also make sure you declare your gear on the way back thru Aussie customs! they get a bit ancy if you don't & give your gear - shoes/boots/waders etc a good clean in NZ. Customs charge if they have to fumigate your gear.

sounds like a bot of work, but its all worth it to catch some NZ trout!

NZ has a lot of C&R not K&G

[walk the streams]

Its simply not true that "most of the rivers are fly only" what you will find is that most are artificals only, and that spinning is quite legal, very productive, and very popular. Here is a great link to fishing the streams of NZ with links to the regulations regarding tackle, bag limits, access, closed seasons, there are maps to download etc etc http://www.nzfishing.com/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; Just click on the "explore by region map" and away you go. Hope this helps