latest news
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
