Two weeks ago, most waters were in perfect condition for fishing, then last week happened and the gloom descended mentally and meteorologically. But being optimists, anglers realise that good weather always follows bad weather — it is just a matter of waiting for it to come along.
It looks like that fine weather will be here for opening day and it will be mild too.
All we need is waters to drop to a good fishable level and be reasonably clear.
The rivers most likely to give a chance of catching fish are the Waipahi which is falling nicely, the west branch of the Tokomairiro, the Pomahaka, and all the East and North Otago streams.
Then there are all the still waters on the Maniototo, although Blakely’s and Rutherford’s are not open yet. The dams close to Dunedin have been stocked by Fish and Game with some quite large fish from the hatchery as well as the regular sized-rainbows.
Sullivan’s Dam is an underrated fishery and is an ideal choice if you live around Dunedin and only have a couple of hours to spare.
Looking in my fishing diary for last season, I see that I had a good day there early in October taking fish on damsel nymph and water boatman patterns.
It is worth noting that it can be very difficult and very unpleasant to fish there in a strong northeast wind. In a southwest wind, it can be unpleasant but often well worth the effort.
Central Otago lakes are worth a look for brown trout cruising the shallows.
Water temperatures are above normal at the moment but still cool relative to summer conditions.
Trout in rivers will be in deeper water until insects, usually in the form of mayflies, start to hatch from noon.
Then they will move into shallower ripples to intercept nymph or close to the surface in slower water to pick off hatching duns.
On a good day, mayflies can provide a couple of hours of engrossing fishing, but on not-so-good days just a few minutes.
On small dams it pays to fish deep until rising fish are spotted. A large fly such as a damsel fly nymph fished with a slow retrieve will produce fish. Once fish are feeding close to the surface a midge pupa imitation is a good option.
To enjoy your first outing for the season, make sure your tackle is in good working order, that your lures are not rusty, that you have the right fly patterns in your fly box and your waders are not leaking.
There is no such thing as a bad fishing season — just some are better than others and you cannot catch fish if you do not go fishing.
Tight lines.
