THE ARTFUL SCIENCE
Rob Sloane learns more about trout in New Zealand

My background is fish biology and fisheries administration, so I found much of interest in the latest New Zealand book The Artful Science of Trout Fishing, jointly written by John Hayes & Les Hill. When I say ‘jointly’, 80% of the book is written by research scientist Dr Hayes and 20% by angler Les Hill whose main contribution is the outstanding photography.

Some readers may find Hill’s anecdotes more interesting but I found myself skimming these and getting stuck right into the meat of the book which is a semiscientific treatment of New Zealand trout from cradle to grave. It’s really a crash course in basic trout biology and freshwater ecology pitched at advanced-education level. Although largely information that could be sourced from a range of semi-biological trout texts, it’s all there in a nutshell and all related specifically to the New Zealand situation.

Topics covered include trout origins, behaviour, spawning, migration, survival and recruitment, growth, senses, diet and habitat preferences in both still and running waters. This is all interesting stuff, but it gets even more interesting when Hayes delves into his own research on  prey detection and foraging behaviour.

‘Conserving the habitat’ is a very strong chapter with some powerful figures about the impact of NZ dairy farming on water quality. The chapter describing the ‘un-easy tension’ between trout management and the conservation of native fauna is also compulsory reading for anyone concerned about the future status of trout fisheries in Australia and New Zealand.

Likewise, sections devoted to ‘Catch-and-release’ and ‘Managing the angling experience’ make important and timely contributions, although I would be keen to debate the value of the ‘catch decline’ experiments reported in the book, particularly considering the high expertise of the anglers involved. Nor can I agree that balloting is a sensible response to ‘crowding’ on popular rivers like the Greenstone and Caples. But whatever your personal views, it’s all about being well informed, and this book will definitely add some substance to the debate about the perceived decline in the quality of the New Zealand fly fishing experience—particularly in relation to backcountry rivers.

Although the practical implications in terms of specific fly fishing instruction are limited, The Artful Science of Trout Fishing bridges an important gap between academic research and practical angling. It’s a book for those who are interested in the ‘why’ and not just the ‘how’. More importantly it is based on local New Zealand studies, issues and case histories.

Beautifully presented in a soft-cover format with lots of mouth-watering Les Hill photographs, this 255 page reference book is thoroughly educational and highly recommended reading.

The Artful Science of Trout Fishing: John Hayes and Les Hill (2005), published by Canterbury University Press. Copies are available direct from FlyLife Publishing. Price $49.95.