ARNOLD RIVER Winter Fishing

July 2017, I was invited to fish the Arnold River on the South Island’s West Coast. I had wanted to fish this river for a long time, especially after reading Johnny Groome’s beautiful book, Arnold Gold, in which he tells how the river carries huge numbers of modest sized brown trout, which most people can’t catch. Groome writes how the fish hug the bottom, and the current is so swift that most people fail to get their flies down to them. With its strong dark waters and forested banks it can be intimidating to approach, but luckily one of the guys I was going with knew it well. He was Kevin Fraley – a tough Alaskan fisheries biologist and he brought his mate Chris de la Torre – a laid back Steelheader from the Pacific Northwest and Kristian Slaav – a Slovenian Czech nymphing expert.

I love Winter fishing. There is a camaraderie in braving the elements and going out when most people have given up for the season. The shorter days and slower pace are relaxing, and there is time to be social in the long Winter evenings in front of the fire. I often