New Zealand South Island in September… how bad could it possibly be?

[arnoc]

Hi All,

Our original holiday plans for this coming week has fallen through and a spin of the bottle decided that a trip over the Tasman channel will do as a last minute stand-in (only a few hours flight from Melbourne plus everything is dirt cheap this time of the year). Quickly thrown together plans will see us landing in Christchurch early on Wednesday 12 Sept, then commandeering a campervan (at this time of the year a fraction of the December cost/day) and make our way over Arthur’s pass (snow permitted) to Lake Brunner area (and the Arnold river – one of only a handful of rivers open for fishing this time of the year plus it is lake fed, so relatively clear even in heavy rain) for a day, then down to Queenstown and back to Christchurch to fly out on Sunday.

A real whirlwind of a trip in possibly the worst month for fishing due to the rainy/windy weather and fishing closures on most waters, but if anybody has any last minute advice it would be greatly appreciated.:biggrin:

Pictures will be taken and could be posted, but most would be a sideways blur as we race past…

Thanks Arno
(…no relation to the Arnold River, but it could have some bearing on it making the short-list of places to visit)

P.S. Does anybody know if they would mind if we troll some lures behind the Queenstown Shotover jet boat?? We are trying to cram everything into a short time after all… :wink:

[Kevin James]

Mate, there's wind, hail, blizzards and snow all at the same time down there at the moment!

Don't want to be the proverbial drol in die drinkwater, but in all honesty, I'd be carefully watching the weather and deciding closer to the time.
Conditions really are atrocious - reasons why the campervan is probably so cheap.

If all else fails, head to Queenstown for the weekend and have an awesome time there.

Enjoy it in any case - best playground on the planet!

[KevinE]

Arno, Kev is right, some interesting weather down there at the moment. But you're right the Arnold is almost always fishable, lots of access points but bring your waders. My mate gets down there often with work and loves the river. I'll email him now to see if he has any tips for you.

[Kevin James]

Any feedback from the trip?

[arnoc]

What an awesome place!! If the trip was counted as a scouting mission, then it was a roaring success, but as a fishing trip not so much! This was only due to the tight time schedule.

The weather was awesome and with surprisingly many fishing spots fishable during the so-called closed season. The bad weather that preceded our trip disappeared the first night we arrived leaving snow down to road level in some passes, but clear blue skies and calm winds.

Although I caught no trout it was not surprising as I probably only totaled a few short hours in the water over the whole trip. I saw plenty trout thought, mostly in water still closed to fishing. Every bridge was stopped at, fotos taken & most likely holding spots scanned for speckled bodies weaving in the current... this was until the wife finaly snapped & vetoed these into a quick snap through the window of the speeding van with the poor camera battling to keep shutter speeds high enough ;-(

My bladder then developed an uncanning ability to suddenly need emptying when the gps shows that we are approaching a river crossing. Unfortunately it did not take long before the wife saw through this cunning plan.

I have half a million photos to work through and have mentally noted and filed river and place names to plan a proper fishing trip... watch this space ;-)

One of the most memorable moments happened while we visited ground zero in Christchurch's earthquake ravaged shipping container mall just hours before our flight back to Melbourne. We grabbed some take-aways & sat down for a bite next to the Avon River that runs through the city. I saw what looked like a trout rise & donned my Polaroids only to discover 2 health looking actively feeding brown trout in between the hustle & bustle of the city.

Anyway, I hope to be returning soon to the land of the long white cloud and all the friends that I made in my short time there (some happen to be or know fishing guides/land owners and another happens to know where the keys to his mate's jet boat is kept!!!...).

Arno

[Jax]

Hi Arno; Glad to hear you enjoyed your Tiki Tour of the South Island. You seem to have struck it lucky.

Do you intend visiting the North Island where the REAL Browns Live?? Have Fun. Jax