Jet-boating up the Lake.

Yesterday morning we shot up the lake to try and catch a couple of trout. My friend and his kids took their jet-boat. It seats about 8 people and is powered by 350 HP Chevrolet engine. This boat has so much power and can easily do 100 km/ph across the water. We arrived at the top of the lake and after a few minutes I thought I spotted a huge trout, cruising over the weedbeds. But after a closer look, discovered it was a big eel checking out the boat. The boys tried to catch him but he was too clever for them.

The edge of the lake drops from 1 metre to 20 metres deep in 3 metres distance. The water is crystal clear and so deep you cannot see the bottom.We all started fishing around the boat. The children through out a variety of flies and metal lures. I used a type 3 sinking line and a green wooley bugger. (My favourite lake prospecting combination.)

Nothing much was happening and the sandflies (biting flies) were getting excited about their new lunch dates. I decided to move further along the shore towards a small bay. When I arrived I saw a fish cruising through the bay. It was a hungry rainbow trout. It took my streamer, pulling the line out of my hand as it took aggressively. Later that morning I caught a brown trout on the same fly, at 4 lbs it was slightly bigger than the first fish. Both of them were kept for the children.

The boys enjoyed exploring the lake edge playing with Toi-toi flowers and deciding how to divide up the fish. On the way home, we stopped and fished at a couple of stream mouths, failing to catch any more trout, but enjoying the weather and the power of the boat.

It was good to get out and enjoy the last of the sunny weather as autumn quickly approaches.