Only have 5 minutes? Read the minnow version of Season 22/23 review here

To the practical memory of many trout-focused Southeastern Seaboard fly anglers in Australia, the 2021/22 season was the best.... only to be bettered by the 2022/23 season. Notwithstanding the exception of the recent ‘2019/20 mouse year’, New Zealand followed suite. The impacts of three, back-to-back La Niña driven rainfall flowed into tangible benefits for us fly anglers, and, as we all know, tangible benefits can only mean one thing…fish.

Cutting through the abundance of trout to be had, the season was filled with some hair curling adventures, stomach stitching humour and mind-boggling lessons. Here are some of Tale Out’s highlights from the 2022/23 season - to be enjoyed.

Landscapes

With every twist and turn we navigated throughout the season of 2022/23, we found ourselves smack bang in the foreground of some picture postcard sceneries. The adage that fly fishing takes us to beautiful places is repeated for good reason. Fish live in picturesque locations, and it’s only just that we, as anglers, appreciate that beauty in its own right.

NZ

J.R.R. Tolkien undoubtedly had a creative gift rivalled by few through the history of fictional literature. His writings unlock the visionary capacity of the reader. Many walk away from his work with a Cert 4 in constructing the most beautifully conceivable landscapes. Subsequently, it is no surprise that Peter Jackson was drawn to New Zealand as the perfect location to bring Tolkien’s work to life. This country is next level spectacular. At the end of any trip to New Zealand, your neck is weary from turning at all angles, trying to soak it in and your lungs are barren from perpetually encountering breath-taking vistas around every corner. Being slapped in the face with naturally formed beauty everywhere, your time there can actually be taxing, and somewhat numbing. This is why our mid-Autumn, South Island trip to Aotearoa can only be defined as the perfect intersection in the ‘great fishing’ and ‘great landscapes’ Venn diagram.

Considering the concept is relative, the ‘highlights’ of the trip are hard to define. It’s a place where every day feels like a privilege. Every nook and cranny would be a ‘hall of fame’ entrant in any other country. It has to be said, the best of the South Island’s best stays with you. The towering ranges topping the Otago backcountry, crane ever upwards and are littered with haggard brush, peppered amongst the blue ironed stone crags. The illuminated turquoise-hued rivers slice bend by bend down the grassland strewn valleys. The thickened Fiordland beech forest, groaning under a mass of lush greenery. It all has to be seen to be believed, and even when you do, you won't.

Australian High Country

As water is a slave to gravity and flows down a mountain, not up, the peaks of the Victorian High-Country are not home to any trout. But unlike their NSW counterparts, their stark, steep faces rise up out of rolling grasslands to offer up unrivalled vantage points. From on just about any of the premier Victorian peaks, your eyes are afforded the luxury to stretch far beyond, visually exploring the waterways below. Waterways that do, in fact, house trout.

Spending a sunset atop the summit of Mt Buller, on Christmas eve 2022, was a beautiful experience. The sun slipped slowly below the horizon, defined by the Paps away west beyond Mansfield, and the High Country chill did its best to induce a hatch of down jackets. The smell of eucalyptus hung in the still air, equally as prevalent as the blue hue it painted on the ranges away east. The experience was magical. The time atop the summit allowed Dad and I to plot a plan for the coming days, having all the accessible rivers mapped out in front of us, we could set out when and where we would tackle the Howqua, the King and the Delatite rivers.

It’s no surprise that the very top of Australia provides for some incredible vistas. Less defined and less jagged than those peaks south of the Murray, the crests and ridges that occupy the Kosciuszko National Park, still manage to grab imagination and take out a mortgage on your mind’s eye for weeks after experiencing their beauty.

The Lowlands

Beyond the fast paced, exuberant beginnings of any river’s journey, cascading off the mountain side, it will one day find itself enjoying old age as it meanders across the flattened, forgiving topography of the lowlands.  Inch by inch, it crawls to the sea. Having now welcomed many a tributary friend, it has gathered meaningful mass, but has learnt to move with patience and conviction. These tempered characteristics formulate a unique, but equally beautiful landscape. In the harsh midday sun, the beauty of these rivers is hidden. But as the shadows emerge, and the light softens, their allure is illuminated.

People

Fly fishing is an experience best shared with long-time friends and expedites the making of new ones.  There is a place in our hearts for those moments of solitude when fishing. When settled into fishing an evening rise, subconsciously racing and equally appreciating the fading light as it morphs from rusted flaming orange to a dulled amethyst purple. Accompanied by nothing but your blissful thoughts and the thick carpet of mayflies hatching in their thousands, you can reflect on why you're out there and why you fly fish. Being alone truly elevates the whole experience.

But, then again, there are moments that require company. To net that 5lb fish, collapse back at the car and crack a well-earned beer or reflect on the fishing adventure of a lifetime, are defining elements of the fly fishing experience that are made better by the presence of mates. Even when that trophy fish of a lifetime you sighted and fooled breaks you off mere moments before landing, you want your friends there to share the agony. Simply put, fly fishing is generally best experienced with a friend by your side.

As Tale Out bounced from adventure to adventure in 2022/23, rarely did we do so alone.

Jack

When you find fishing friends with passion, it’s hard for the energy not to rub off on you. It’s infectious. Finally -  a kind of pandemic I can get around. Jack is the quintessential fly fishing buddy that wants to be out there with you, with his friends. What makes the experience with this guy special is that his passion and energy extend beyond fishing. He gets that the adventure is about hanging out with friends and fishing is simply an excuse to do so. He celebrates your wins just as much as you do, knows when to rib you for a mistake, and more importantly knows which mistakes to let through to the keeper. The best kind of fishing buddy.

Grant and Gary

Fathers, sons and fly fishing has long been the topic of pen and tongue. I don’t need to go there. I'm sure you are aware of the inexplicable tension of mutual respect and competitiveness I refer to. Where the fun dials up a few notches, is when you add your dad’s best mate to the mix. A carbon copy of the old man, but one who is colloquially your ally in the ribbing war. A friend also ready to rib your dad at the drop of a hat. A session drifting the Tumut with my old man and his best mate, where chastising missed indicator strikes were more frequent than fish netted, made for a brilliant little day.

Cultural experience

Not only are today's anglers following in the footsteps of others bearing rod and reel, we are often inadvertently retracing the steps of landmark moments. Many of these moments have nothing to do with fishing but are simply an instant in time that captivates your undivided attention and transports you a million miles from everyday life. It could be the sound of a whip bird calling across the river at dawn, the smell of rain on fragrant eucalypts or the walk back to the car passing historic landmarks from a time gone by. Just as fly fishing takes you to beautiful places, it allows for some precious moments to firmly etch themselves into your memory.

Coffee

I've got a theory. The trout know if you have had that morning coffee or not. Morning coffee and fly angling success in the early AM are definitely co-dependent. But it’s got nothing to do with that caffeine shot ensuring your knots are serviceable, your attention is dialled in or your casts are pinpoint. No, it’s that trout have an acute understanding of when you've had your coffee. It is if they are offended by an uncaffeinated angler, not convinced by the feeble attempt to fool it. As hard as it is at the time, taking 15 mins to heat a brew riverside can be a game changer. Trust me, the fish will take you seriously if you do. Regardless of your thoughts on my unsubstantiated theory, I’m confident we can all agree that any day’s fishing is made better after a cup of coffee in hand. 

BBQ

Just as the start of day’s fishing is christened with a coffee; the end is celebrated with a BBQ. I’m not even going to attempt to put into words how good it is to sink your teeth into a steak after a day spent trying to fool a fish. Tom Gleisner summed it up, being hooked up on yet another fish after days subject to far north Queensland’s finest wild seafood, he simply said “I hope I’ve hooked a cow here”. A BBQ rounds out any day well, but after a day’s fishing…well that’s next level.

The 2022/23 was a season to remember for Tale Out. The fishing was great, arguably the best we have experienced. But you've probably gathered by now that at Tale Out we know that what keeps us anglers returning to the river is something much more special than the fish themselves.What made season 2022/23 so memorable was the experience we had along the way. Not only do we hope that you had a fantastic season, we also hope that season 2023/24 blows it out of the water. Enjoy the adventure.