For the first time in a few weeks good fishing weather is about to coincide with good water conditions.
Rivers and streams have been dropping rapidly over the last few days and most are at a reasonable level and with no rain of any consequence on the radar, they should be even better for the weekend.
The only two exceptions are the lower Taieri and the Clutha, which are both quite high, and the Taieri is coloured. They will take a week or two to reach a suitable flow. The Waitaki is a little on the high side as are its tributaries but all are fishable.
The last time I fished the Mataura in reasonable conditions I had a good day, so will probably head there this weekend. However, there are plenty of other waters worth fishing. The Pomahaka is looking good as well as the Waipahi and the other small South Otago waters.
As the water warms, trout will feed for longer spells and the early-morning and late-evening fishing come into their own. At this time of year fish can be found cruising the gravelly shallows feeding on snails or cased caddis and if you are lucky they may rise to a fall of mayfly spinners. Trout will also feed in the ripples for long spells usually on mayfly nymphs or the ubiquitous cased caddis.
With the warmer weather we can expect to see hatches of brown beetles.
These prolific insects can be seen emerging from grass paddocks on warm evenings and many fall on the water from dusk and on through the night. A coch-y-bondhu is as good an imitation as any, and the addition of some foam to the body gives confidence that it is floating even when you cannot see it in the dark.
Last weekend, Murray Smart, Mark Smithells and I fished the dams on the Maniototo. On a perfect morning we started at Blakely's Dam, there was barely a ripple on the water with the reflection of the Kakanuis being disturbed by rising fish rather than the wind. The weed is extensive, but not bad enough to stop fishing. There were large numbers of damsel flies on the water but the rises were to the nymphs of this insect. The fish which seemed to be all rainbows were working the edges of the weed and an olive size 12 imitation with a steady retrieve did the trick. I kept one fish and it was packed with damsel nymphs with the odd waterboatman thrown in for dessert.
As usual on the dams most fish rose out of range but the odd one came close enough to reach. There were a few nervous moments when a fish was hooked as it took off through the weed. Luckily the weed is quite soft and the line cuts through it, although I did lose a couple of fish. These rainbows are in great condition and with the amount of food available will be packing on the weight in the next few weeks.
- By Mike Weddell.
