Hooked on Trout Review

Ron Giles - A Fisherman Who Likes To Share
a review by Dorothy, Editor of NZine www.nzine.co.nz 

We have all heard of fishermen who are generous about sharing their catch, but Ron Giles shares more than this. He shares his knowledge! Next week he also shares with NZine readers a chapter of his book!

Hooked on Trout - Published Reed Publishing (NZ) Ltd, August, 2000

Hooked on Trout

The result is a book that describes twenty of what he considers the best trout fishing rivers and lakes in New Zealand, chosen on the basis of solitude and the chance of a quality catch.

All you need to know for each area
The book gives you instructions on getting to each area and contains full and clear maps. Ron also recommends the best fishing technique for the area, shares his ideas on fly tying with special instructions to follow, and includes some of his own experiences in the area. It's all illustrated with quality photographs.

If you still have questions when you have read the book Ron also offers a free service providing advice on any aspect of flyfishing for trout in NZ. He has a webpage at www.troutnz.com that gives details of the service.

Ron Giles on a Fiordland River

Meticulous record keeping
Ron has kept detailed records of every fishing trip, noting weather, river conditions, trout hooked, technique employed and successful flies. These records provided the information for his book.

From the start Ron has tied his own flies and he seems to have found the secret of attracting trout with them.

Ron has belonged to the Auckland Freshwater Anglers Club for 25 years and always enjoys sharing fishing stories. Using such material he has written regularly about trout fishing for many different magazines and web sites. He has the knack of sharing information in a readable and entertaining way, so that the subject does not seem too technical and boring even to readers outside the fishing fraternity.

Ron strongly believes that what most anglers want is a trout fishing book to tell them WHERE and HOW to catch trout. They need to know where to go to catch either a big fish or a lot of fish. They also need advice on the technique which is best for each stretch of water when they get there. So many anglers have reached what Ron calls "the intermediate stage". By that he means that they have fished the popular rivers and are ready for a new challenge in an area without too many anglers already there. Ron has found that there are very few books that give detailed information about where this experience is possible. With this book he aims to fill the gap.

Combining a fishing trip with visits to tourist attractions
Ron is well aware that some of the anglers' families want to join in the travel, but not to go fishing. The rivers and lakes he has chosen are in areas that offer more than fishing opportunities.

The book covers ten rivers/lakes in both islands from the top of the North Island to the bottom of the South Island. Notable tourist attractions near the chapter locations are myriad. To mention just a few, listed from north to south:

The Waipapa River is in the Waipapa Kauri Forest in Northland, near Kerikeri and not far from the Bay of Islands.

The Waitawheta River is in a Forest Park and near the Coromandel Peninsula, an area known for remote beaches and kauri forest. The mouth of the river enters an old gold mining area in the Ohinemuri Gorge where there are a museum and mining relics.

The Ruakituri River is near Lake Waikaremoana in the wild and remote Urewera Mountains.

The Waipunga River flows from near Lake Taupo into one of New Zealand's most noted wilderness rivers, the Mohaka.

Manganui o te a o River is a protected waterway due to the presence of the endangered Blue Mountain Duck. The river starts in the Tongariro National Park, high on the slopes of the ski mountain, Mt Ruapehu.

The Wangapeka River is followed by the Wangapeka Track in the rugged Kahurangi National Park in north west Nelson. The track follows the river to its source, traverses the Southern Alps and ends on the West Coast, south of Karamea.

The Travers River for its whole length is followed by one of the most popular walking tracks in all of the Nelson Lakes National Park. The track starts at the head of Lake Rotoiti which is one hour's drive from the Marlborough wineries.

The source of the Blue Grey River is Lake Christabel and the track to this lake follows the upper river. A feature of this unpopulated, remote area is the unspoilt beech forest and the native birds that live in it.

The entire length of the Boyle River is followed by the St James Walkway in the Lewis Pass area. This is perhaps the most popular tramp in Canterbury.

The Tekapo River is the outlet of Lake Tekapo, not far from Mt Cook and Lake Pukaki. It flows into Lake Benmore, part of the mighty Waitaki River hydro scheme - the largest in New Zealand.

The Cascade River is at the southern end of the West Coast highway, in the Haast wilderness area, popular with eco tourists.

The whole length of the Greenstone River is followed by the Greenstone Track, leading into Key Summit and the famous Routeburn Track, second only to the Milford Track in popularity.

The Upukerora River is situated virtually in Te Anau and on the road to Milford Sound. It flows into Lake Te Anau, the largest lake in the South Island.

Varied accommodation for the anglers
A wide variety of accommodation is available in most places which means that fishing the areas Ron recommends is not just a privilege for the rich. Places to stay range from campgrounds, to cabins/chalets, to motels/hotels, and right up to luxury lodges.