News 2009 - 2010
19 April 2010
Hi Everyone,
With only a handful of days remaining in the main season I've been out making the most of it on the Mataura. With the cooler
water temperature I've seen a big increase in activity in the last few weeks as the fish are eating all they can find before they head up river
to spawn.
There have also been a few salmon caught as well, around 10-12lb on the Mataura (remember any salmon caught after March 31 must be released!)
and a few are starting to move up the Pomahaka. Most fishermen chasing the salmon have been doing so with a spinning rod but with the right gear
they can also be caught using a fly rod with sinking line and weighted streamers.
Remember there is still some good fly fishing still to be had in May as there are still a lot of rivers open until the 31st of May and some
waters are open all year round. One that I did a bit of winter fishing on last winter was the Clutha and will be back out on it again this year.
I will be offering winter fishing to anyone who would like to try their luck on this large river which stacked full of hungry, hard hitting
rainbows.
Tight lines Michael
13 March 2010
Hi Everyone
Well all the rivers in the deep south are now at low flow levels but still stacked full of fish!
One that has been fishing very very well has been the Mataura although anywhere you go around Gore all you see is rocks and the gravel bottom.
However the fish are still there, the key is to know where to look for the fish when the river is low and warm, a good place to start
looking is around willow trees, with the low water levels you can easily get out to the middle of the river and fish for fish that you normally
can't quite reach under normal flow levels. Also with the warm water wet wading is by far a welcome relief from the hot sun on some of the
cracker summer days we've been having.
But as I'm typing the news out there is a welcome cold front sweeping up the country bringing some much needed rain to some very parched
regions and I'm sure the fish will enjoy relief of some cooler water which will come from fresh
Till next time, tight lines, Michael
22 February 2010
Hello Everyone
Finally summer has turned up in the deep south with some ripper days with temperatures well in the high 20s and on days like this I've been
enjoying some wet wadding, waist deep in the rivers for a pleasant change!
With the great weather recently it has provided a mixed bag of results, some days there have been fish by the dozens being hooked and on
other days, the fish are not wanting to play the game and just looking at your fly and rejecting it over and over but in all it's made for some
great fly fishing action!!
The hot weather has brought out a few Terrestrials. One that has stood out has been the blow fly or the blue bodied black heckled humpy and its
close cousin the green body one; they have both been good for fooling a few fish! These are usually fished best in faster water where the fish
don't have a lot of time to react to them, and so they don't get good of a look or the time to refuse the offering.
When they do take, it can be very aggressive and the fisherman is the one left without much reaction time which can lead a good number of
missed opportunities but the final result being some great fishing and a lot of fun to be had by all.
So until next time, Tight lines
Michael
16 January 2010
Hi Everyone,
Rain!! Rain!! Rain!!
With 20 straight day's of rain in a row it's left most low land rivers high and dirty. Now that the rain has stopped there have been strong
winds, although they're a welcome change in the weather. Fishing at the moment is very tough and not as much fun as it ought to be at this time
of year.
On a more positive note, Fiordland rivers are experiencing a mouse hatch this year. About every five years the beach trees have a extra bloom
and drop a lot more seeds than normal which in turn boots the mouse populating. with all the extra mice about there having to cross rivers and
lakes in such of more food while this happens the larger trout in the waters take full advantage of these mice crossing rivers and fest on them
late in the evening and through the night. This has a follow on effect of making fish a lot larger than they would normally be, as the mice take
a lot longer to go through the fish's digestive system adding a few extra pounds to the trout's over all weight.
Below is a photo of a few mice that I've tied up for the purpose of catching these fish on a fly rod and one brought from the shop which is a
little bigger and used on a spinning rod
Tight lines Michael
19 December
Hi Everyone
We are currently experiencing some of the best fly fishing we've seen for many years!! With a very good beetle season in
progress some of these trout are in very good fit fighting condition making for some excellent fishing. On many parts of some rivers the fishing
is spectacular with a lot of fish over 4lb caught on a regular basis's. One river that's has been fishing better then normal for this time of
year has been the Waikaia, floating a beetle down the foam lines has proven deadly lately with fish lifting off the bottom to take a well tied
beetle imitation. The Mataura continues to fish well with consistent afternoon hatches and spinner fall's making for some great dry fly fishing
for all around!
Tight lines Michael
24 November
Hi Everyone,
Wind, wind and more wind that's pretty much how things have gone of late but with a few very fine days in between. On the fine days we've
been getting some very good dry fly action in the ways of spinner falls and a large number of spent spinners being consumed by trout. One river
that's been producing some good dry fly action is the Mataura although its still got a good amount of water in it its been very, very clear
making for some good sight fishing of rising browns
With the back country rivers all (but a small handful) open there has been some good fishing to be had on most of them. I'vv been on a good
amount of them in the last 3 weeks, having a very good look around and have fished a few rivers a long way away from me. One that really stood
out was the Routeburn - it has a good number of 3-5 lb rainbows with a few bigger browns in it. One pool which I found and fished had 5
fish side by side feeding consistently on some very large nymphs, making for very memorable fishing experience (a photo of that pool below).
So, till next time - tight lines, Michael
2 November 2009
Hi Everyone
With the first month of the new fly fishing month now behind us we are left with a few good memories to go with a successful start. The Mataura
river has come into its own with some very good afternoon hatches bringing on some very good dry fly action!! Also fishing really well has been
the Waikaia and Waikaka although the dry fly action hasn't been as good the number of fish hitting the nymph has been outstanding!! The Pomahaka
also has been fishing well if you can catch it on a day when the river has been clear enough to fish. With still a lot of snow sitting on the
mountain ranges in the the head waters of the Pomahaka, Waikaia and Nevis its a sure bet there is still going to be a few days of high and dirty
water levels to follow. The Mararoa although still carrying a large amount of snow water and very could has its self with the Waiau been
surrendering over a few very nice rainbows with some very strong fights early on!!
The 1st of November is the official start to the back country season and with the amount of snow that's been falling on the mountains in
Fiordland and around the Te Anau basin it could be a slow start for the next week or two there, but with so many other rivers now open there is
plenty of water to chose from!! So happy fish hunting and till next time
Tight lines, Michael
14 October 2009
Hello Everyone!
Opening week is is now behind us with a very mixed bag of results, although the 1st of October was a nice day weather wise it
didn't last long, we've had sun, rain, hail, strong winds and snow all in the first few days! And with the weather being unpredictable the fish
followed suit!! so far I've seen some very good mayfly hatches but no fish lifting of the bottom to take any advantage of of a smorgasbord of
flies, although I've managed to pick a few fish up on a nymph, the dry fly action has been on the slow side with only the odd fish breaking the
surface for food. Most of the lager rivers have been in prime condition thus far low and clear and seem to be in perfect fly fishing order!! But
the smaller streams have had a little fresh through them over the weekend not a great deal of water - more colour than any thing else So
far the Mataura has been the pick of the bunch with some very good wet fly/nymph action early on and stacked full of fish in some locations.
'Till next time tight lines
Michael
3rd September 2009
Hello everyone,
Welcome back for a new fishing season. With less than a month to go before the start of the new fishing season all rivers around here are in
good order! With a mild winter they have kept low and clear for most of winter. One river in particular, the Clutha, which is open to fishing
all year round has been fishing good over winter. I've been out and about on it chasing rainbow's and brown's with streamers and having a pretty
good success rate. Streamer fishing isn't something that I do a lot of but after having a few good days on the Clutha I've starting to change my
mind about that type of fishing on big rivers. Mid winter I brought my self an 11 foot 8 weight 2 handed fly rod to help me with getting some
distance on the larger river. After using the new rod for for the last 6 weeks or more I've become accustomed to it and I'm now looking forward
to using it with some very heavily weighted nymphs early on in the season on my favourite rivers such as the Mataura, the Pomahaka and Oreti.
Till next time happy fly tying and for those who are out and about on the rivers and lakes chasing the elusive trout.. tight lines!
Michael
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