Cane Rod

I bought this 4 piece cane rod off a guide. It was made by a Japanese guy from Osaka. This morning I set out to catch a fish on it. I haven't really fished a cane rod before, so it took a while to get into the rhythm. My leader was about 15ft and when the first fish took I missed him completely. The fish grabbed the nymph right infront of my eyes as he swung up and out of the deep run. I had so much line on the water all I could do was to watch as he shook his head, spitting the fly out.

The lesson was learnt. Cane rods move slower and leaders need to be a lot shorter in a small sprightly stream. Eventually getting the feel of the rod, I spotted a nice fish, which willingly took me twice. I missed the first take and after a change of fly and a minutes rest he jumped on a small mayfly nymph. It was exciting to feel the rod working and taking up the strain for the first time. It reminded me of the glass rod I had started out on all those years ago. Definitely a lot more feeling through the rod.

I missed one other fish today, just swirly water and as the rod moves a little slower I guess I need to pay a bit more attention when setting the hook. Maybe set a little faster.

I thoroughly enjoyed using my new cane rod.

There's a Moose in the Hoose.

Tie a clump of deerhair in then work the butts under with a few raps of thread. Stack it each time get the tips and taper of the hair on top.

After tying in the ears and eyes tie in a large clump on the top and bottom, followed by a final spin around the front near the eye.

Trim them up...be careful not to cut your ears off!

I came up with the idea to put foam ears on these guys. Which means they ride lower in the water, but are unsinkable even when the deer hair gets water-logged. I tried it yesterday and it swims well. The intruder loop I put on was a little long, I got a few tangles on the tippet, so next time I'll just tie the hook on a single line and make sure it's close to the back of the fly. All you need is shortish leader and away you go. The only fish I tried it on didn't even move. Ha!

Oh well always handy even if you never use it!

Opening Day - 1st of October.

I guess you're off down-stream!

Same fish as below, very chunky.

The second fish of the day, great condition for early season. the results of a very mild winter and a healthy diet.





Another magic brownie to end the day.

The morning was overcast and cold, but the promise of a fine day lay behind the early morning fog. The sun did eventually come out, but was a bit patchy. When the sun hit the water it was time to move up a little faster and spot the likely places.

I used a peacock quill bodied mayfly nymph. #16 TMC 5263. It was great to be out on the river again, casting, walking and catching trout. This was my second fish of the morning. 5.5lbs.

The Magnum.

I call this one the magnum. A green stoney on a TMC 200R #4.

My Happy Place

Perfect, my tying table and a new book! Some nice tying from a collection of Japanese tying artists.

Went out on the river today saw 10 or so trout, the biggest would have been pushing 7lb. Most feeding well. Less than one month until opening day. Turned over a few rocks and sampled the insects today too. Surprising I found a lot of small, but chunky river fish. Cock-a-bullies!

Check this big mayfly nymph. Very dark, with the pronounced wing-pads. These are a very common nymph thoughout New Zealand and one the trout love.

Leather Artist with a Passion for Quality.

My good friend Jack is highly skilled in the manufacture and design of quality leather goods. All goods are traditionally made, hand stitched and made to order. He prides himself on the quality of his work and has studied the masters to reach an uncommon level of mastery. I believe his goods are second to none. These goods are practical and will last a lifetime. For more information please email me on petersmodernlife@hotmail.com. Jack is currently working on a new line of fly boxes, which I will show on this site. Nothing leaves his studio unless it is perfectly finished. Amazing detail...not a bad job at all!

Wood and Wool Day

A busy Saturday outdoors, collecting more wood for net making and helped shear a couple of sheep. The wood we are cutting is Photina. This is common in Asia including Japan. It's usually an ornamental shrub with evergreen leaves, that change to a red colour. It's a member of the rosewood and apple tree family. This one was about 15m high. A huge specimen. The wood is very hard and heavy. Probably take a year or two to dry these slabs.

Working today with my mate John, a local outdoors man. John's 85hp Stihl cahinsaw worked hard to cut this. His saw has one power, full - throttle.

To follow up the wood cutting we caught his sheep and sheared them using his generator and clippers. The wood was hard to cut and the sheep were hard to catch. They are sure-footed and dodge your attempts to tackle them.

A good result, a huge stack of 3 inch slabs and some clean shawn sheep.

A great day!