Sunday, March 3, 1996

Upper Grey River/Ellis Creek

We drive down to where we stopped yesterday, the wind is really howling this morning, and now it’s blowing downstream. Fish a streamer through one first pool, and eventually get a bump, but that’s it. We decide to check out (the river is also a bit off-colour, the light not great) and head down to Hari-Hari. On the way, we stop and check out Ellis Creek, a little spring creek tributary to the (approx) 2nd river up from Hari-Hari.
Permission obtained from the farm up the way. The creek is still dropping from the effects of local heavy rain; we give it a shot blindfishing, no luck-we do spook out a large trout (and a couple of flounders). It’s a travel day; bit of a drive down here. Note: if this trip is any indications, don’t need waders. Bare essential duffle bag for NZ might contain 3 or 4 “ex-officio” style shirts, a few fair of supplex pants (or shorts, if you dare, sandflies are mean little critters), good pair of sandals, - don’t need sweaters, jacket, polyprop sweats, hiking boots, too many T-shirts. Should get guide-style hat, leader dispenser deal, polaroids (action optics) with the side guard deals. Orvis boots with neoprene socks work fine. Note also: Bob sez will send leader patterns and cc of Calg. clients 8 mm tape from NZ. P.S. Make it long sleeved shirts, the better to deal with the sandflies. P.P.S. – the ideal outfit for this deal? 9’6 wt. Sage with Orvis Battenkill 7-8 wt. multiplier reel…(or G. Loomis “anti-gravity”? rod) Note: Blue stuff attracts bumblebees.