Rob Sloane finds so much water so close to home.

The bulk of this 336 page encyclopedia is devoted to an alphabetical listing
of each water and what you can expect to find there, with details on the more important waters extending to a full description, stocking history, useful fishing tips, and info on services and facilities. Even locals with a lifetime of trout fishing experience will uncover new and exciting trout fishing opportunities.

Tasmanian Trout Waters is nicely presented in a flexible soft cover with a protective plastic sleeve. Printed on quality paper, the book is a bit too heavy to carry in the back-pack (though Greg may dispute this) but it should find a home in every car glovebox and fishing cabin.

Australian Fishing Network (AFN) has done a great job of the maps which have been prepared specifically for the publication with all the latest details included.

If the book has a drawback it is the overwhelming nature of the content with its mind-boggling detail—absolutely nothing is left out—which may confuse the short-term visitor. However, Greg does attempt to address this in the first part of the book which includes a regional breakdown with cross-referencing to the more detailed sections.

If you plan to visit Tasmania, or fish here on a regular basis, then you must have a copy of this book. Published by AFN, Tasmanian Trout Waters retails for $49.95 and is available from book shops, tackle stores or direct from AFN (email sales@afn.com.au). The book can also be ordered via the FlyLife website.

CATCH THAT TROUT
Ron Giles’ latest book, Catch That Trout (Reed Books, 2002) takes a different approach in its coverage of Fishing the South Island of New Zealand. Rather than a comprehensive treatment, Giles picks out 16 river and lake locations around the South Island and deals with these in detail.

A strictly fly fishing book, the preamble chapters cover the seemingly mandatory subjects of rods, reels, lines, equipment and the characteristics of the trout (brown and rainbow) and their preferred habitats. Then ‘the Waters’ are dealt with under separate groupings: the mountain rivers (Ahuriri, Hollyford, Maruia, Wairau); lowland rivers (Inangahua, Motueka, Opihi, Oreti); lake-fed rivers (Arnold, Clarence, Cobb, Gowan); natural lakes (Alexandrina, Mavora Lakes); and artificial hydro lakes (Coleridge, Ohau).

An odd assortment, perhaps, but the text does provide useful insights as to how to approach and fish them, what flies and methods to use, and detailed location maps are included. The waters are spread right around the South Island, so if you used the book as a starting point you would see the entire South Island and no doubt come across some nice trout (and fellow readers) along the way.

HOOKED ON TROUT
Ron Giles confesses to being a “fairly ordinary trout fisherman” and some of his accounts in Catch That Trout include anecdotes which may fail to inspire great confidence or to suggest great familiarity with the particular destination. With this in mind, his earlier book Hooked on Trout —How and where to catch large trout in New Zealand (Reed Books, 2000) is a little more meaty and well worth checking out if planning a do-it-yourself assault on New Zealand.

Hooked on Trout profiles twenty of the country’s “excellent but less well-known trout-fishing waters”—ten in each island. These are not the popular Tongariro and Mataura, but more out-of-the-way places that offer solitude (at least until the book was published) and trophy fish (ditto).

Although not quite as slick as the follow-up book in terms of photo reproduction, layout and map quality, Hooked on Trout presents each destination in a very interesting and original way. Along with location and access details, the book uses each destination as an opportunity to illustrate a particular style of fly fishing. The text is spiced with some informative anecdotes and includes specific advice on techniques and fly patterns.

For the first-time-visitor tackling these waters, both of Ron Giles’ books should prove very useful. For more information, on these and other NZ fishing titles visit www.reed.co.nz.