A note about New Zealand trout

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The thing that I've learned about trout fishing in New Zealand is this. Especially on the South Island, the world class fame does not come from the number of fish and the ease with which they are caught. In fact it is just the opposite. One of the ways they rate rivers here is by fish per kilometer. Some are rated at one. But that one would be a monster. The trout get very large here and don't get that way by being stupid.
The preferred fishing technique here (which I had never heard of, much less done) is "sight fishing". The waters are so gin-clear here that you can see all the fish (and vice-vesa). The fish have to be stalked from their blind spots and ambushed. The accuracy and presentation of the casts have to be perfect. If the trout doesn't like what you've offered him, you have to change your fly, because if you send the same thing twice, he'll spook. If you try to wade behind him in still water he'll spook. If you cast your line over him he'll spook. The list goes on.

I do not have the skill necessary to present a dry fly properly in still water, so I have to fish the pools, glides and riffles. The guides and experienced NZ anglers won't bother to fish any water "blind". They walk the edges looking for fish. Once you find one, you carefully lay out your fly. If they are going to take it, they will take it on the first pass. Several times I was too lazy to follow the advice of my betters to never present the same fly twice to the same fish. On the first pass they come up for a look and if they don't like what they see, go back down. The second time they ignore it. The third time they spook. I've cast over huge fish. The cast was perfect, but when the fly drifted over, they took one look and ran for cover. Too smart for me.