I am sure there have been some cicadas hatching somewhere up on the tussock, but I have not seen or heard any evidence of it yet.
Hopefully the few warm days that we are experiencing at the moment will tempt a few cicadas in to the air and of those, some will fall on the water close to a trout and it will rise. Hopefully here is an angler close enough to cast a fly at it.
Meanwhile, fishing goes on. Most small streams are at a fishable level and they can fish well at this time of year despite conventional wisdom stating otherwise.
Trout have to feed throughout the year, so where there are trout feeding there is a chance of catching them.
The best chance when fishing small streams when they are low is in the deeper stretches, although there may be some in shallower ripples.
In the slow, deep water they could be feeding on willow grub where the trees are overhanging.
Sometimes it can be difficult to spot the rises even if you can hear them. If you think you can hear a rise just stand and watch for a while.
If there is a breeze rippling the water it can be very difficult to pick up the sip of a trout taking the grub.
The only option then is to fish systematically through the area being observed.
Even if there are no rises it is worth fishing through like spots with a beetle-imitating dry fly or a nymph.
On occasions there may be damsel flies on the water, or rather over it, and trout will jump out to try to grab them.
Plonking your beetle imitation close to where the trout rose usually works. Even a nymph will work if it is given a couple of short pulls.
If you want to explore small streams this weekend the Pomahaka, Waipahi, Waiwera and Deep Stream are good option.
The Taieri above the Kyeburn has dropped to a reasonable fishing level too, although it is very weedy in places.
Murray and I fished the Pomahaka last weekend. The water was at a good level, although slightly misty.
The weather was fine and sunny and although it was breezy in sheltered spots there were mayfly spinners on the water. There were also some duns on the water at times and, not surprisingly, there were willow grubs.
Fishing through a stretch of water in the morning I saw few fish but caught a couple on an unweighted hare’s ear nymph.
Murray fared no better, but over lunch we decided it was worth fishing the same water again.
Soon after starting I saw fish rising and eventually found some rising steadily to duns, which took an emerger.
Murray also found risers and had a better time than in the morning.
This shows that not seeing fish does not mean they are not there.
