Fishing: Mataura once again my choice

I was starting to think I would sound like a broken record by saying that the Mataura is the place to be this weekend, but a better comparison would be like a favourite CD on repeat.

Again, there is nothing in the forecast to worry about and river conditions will remain good or even get better if that is possible.

There have been several calm nights lately, which are ideal for evening fishing, but it looks like being a little windier over the next few days. If anything, that could make the daytime fishing easier.

As water temperatures have dropped, the chances of happening on a hatch of duns in the afternoon are increasing.

This applies especially to lowland rain-fed waters of any size, from the Mataura at the upper end of the spectrum, down to the Waiwera or Tokomairiro.

Alan McMillan, Murray Smart and I fished the Mataura at Wyndham last Sunday. It was overcast and calm when we arrived and remained that way most of the day.

The overcast bit was an advantage; the calm not so, as I found out in the afternoon.

To start with, I fished the tail of a ripple with a weighted size 12 hare's ear nymph on the point and an unweighted size 14 hare's ear nymph on the dropper.

I covered the clear, 75cm-deep water systematically for about 15 minutes before contacting a fish of about 1kg.

It was a while before another came along. Moving up the ripple into faster water, I replaced the weighted nymph with a size 10 tungsten beadhead nymph. The only response I had was a fish on the dropper.

By this time there was the odd dun coming down and I saw a couple of rises. I put the weighted hare's ear back on as I neared the top of the ripple and immediately connected with a fish.

It turned out there were quite few there and they liked the hare's ear in both its forms. There were odd rises on the flat above to spinners, but not enough to make it worthwhile.

After lunch, I had a go at the other side of the ripple, which is often productive, but I fished the length without an offer.

Moving back down from the top of the ripple, I waded well out into the middle and fished the fastest water with the same nymphs on a short line and had five takes.

I hooked four and each one dropped off. By now there were more spinners coming down and more fish rose on the flat water.

So on went a spinner pattern and I began to cover fish but they were not easily fooled in the calm clear water.

I eventually caught one but had to drop from a size 14 to a 16 before another couple came to the net.
Difficult but engrossing fishing that might just have to be revisited this weekend.

River and lake conditions are compiled by Fish and Game Otago with information from the Otago Regional Council received at 9am yesterday.

General situation: Almost all rivers throughout Otago are low and clear. Water temperatures in many streams have been getting quite high during the day, reducing fish activity. A southwesterly front with strong winds is expected to affect many areas over the next few days, especially South and West Otago. Hopefully, this will freshen low rivers and improve the fishing once it has gone through.

North Otago: The coastal North Otago streams remain very low and require a good fresh. Sea-run trout often move into estuary areas at this time of the year in preparation for spawning. The Waitaki lakes are fishing well, with good numbers of browns cruising the shorelines and weed beds.

Southern Lakes area: The back-country rivers are in good order but anglers are advised to check the weather forecast before heading into the mountains. Terrestrial insect activity in the back country is beginning to die off for the year. Adult whitebait are congregating near major river mouths such as the Dart and Matukituki. Land-locked salmon are also starting to school off river mouths in preparation for spawning. Fishing these areas with smelt patterns and small silver spinners can be very effective. Try fishing in deep water and retrieving the lure in a fast erratic action.

Central Otago: Most streams are very low and anglers may be better to target the larger waters such as Lake Dunstan and the Clutha River. The Clutha is low and in great order for all fishing methods. The cicada action, which was very patchy, has pretty much finished on most lakes.

Taieri catchment: The Taieri River is low throughout its length. In the last weeks of March, sea-run trout and the occasional salmon often hole up in the gorge areas near Hindon and Lee Stream. Try spin fishing the deep holes with a lure that has a flash of red.

Southwest Otago: The Pomahaka and Waipahi are very low and clear. The expected southerly change should entice sea-run trout and possibly salmon to move into the Pomahaka system. Anglers can expect some good fishing after the fresh. F&G requires trout ear bones from the lower Clutha River for chemical analysis to determine their origin. Trout heads (with their location and length) would be greatly appreciated. Contact Energy is expected to flush the lower Clutha River on Saturday to assist adult whitebait spawning. A recent drift-dive study of the lower Waiau River in Southland revealed some large brown trout that appeared to have been feeding on mice.

Waterway                                      Water Level/Condition

Kakanui River                                  Very low, clear
Shag River                                      Very low, clear
Taieri River at Canadian Flat           Low, clear
Taieri River at Outram                     Very low, clear
Pomahaka River                              Very low, clear
Waipahi River                                  Very low, clear
Clutha River at Balclutha                 Low, clear
Clutha River at Cardrona                 Low, clear
Hawea River                                    Low, clear
Lake Onslow                                    Medium, clear
Lake Dunstan                                  Medium, clear
Lake Hawea                                    High, clear
Lake Mahinerangi                            High, clear
Lake Wanaka                                  Medium, clear
Lake Wakatipu                                Medium, clear