Hi Girls and Guys
It's half way through November and the back country waters have been open for a fortnight . I haven't been able to get there and fish for myself yet and it's starting to itch me ! Down here in southern New Zealand we have had good weather through October , with good flows of water . A couple of storms rolled up out of the southern ocean late October , leaving a mantle of white on the tops. However , now that it's warmed up again , the snows is all but gone and the rivers are at medium flows , it looks like we may have a dry year Time will tell . Early season Mayflies have been providing hungry trout plenty of opportunities to feed up. Caddis , also , are playing their part . So look for them in the afternoons on the smaller streams and in the evenings on the main rivers . With the warmer weather , beetles and moths are on the wing . The Brown beetles are only about for 2-3 weeks so make the most of it by fishing one along banks and off weed beds , especially on a warm evening . In the back country , the Manuka Beetle will soon be flying about , again they are only about for a few weeks , so make the most of it . It's a fantastic time of year to fish southern New Zealand so if you are thinking of booking a trip out , give us , at Mataura Valley Trout Safaris a call. Looking forward to hearing from you soon Until then , tight lines and heavy nets Julian P.S I have a few gear reviews coming up as we put a bit of kit through its paces so keep a look out for those .
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I have fished one particular stream every year for the last 28 years.
Always in the first month of the new fishing season. I have fished it later on a number of occasions but it never fishes the same as in that first month. This stream is nothing remarkable , you can jump across it at any point. It rises in tussock hills and flows through run country pasture in eastern southland For the greater part it flows over bedrock and has an un- passable water fall about a kilometer up from its confluence . There are 9 or 10 pools in that kilometer and in a good year all hold trout. Sometimes they will be in the runs as well. Most years there will be four or five of those pools holding trout. I " discovered" it (because in those eager young days of my flyfishing life I would walk up a ditch to see if it held trout!) when as I was preparing to fish a larger stream, a grumpy local angler spotted me and hurried ahead of me and claimed the stream first. That left me with the option of going somewhere else or fishing up this little side creek as I had traveled a wee way to get there I decided to take a look at this creek. I must admit , that year ,was a good year and by the time I had reached the water fall , six trout had fallen to my fly and another three had learned that not every insect looking thing floating down was food . These were not small fish either! All were over three pound with two over the 5lb mark on my weight net . This ticked all the boxes for me ,dry fly, lots of fish , big fish and plenty of action , so it was inevitable that this creek would be etched into my memory . that is why I return as often as I can . It is also the reason I look at every small stream and creek with open eyes and open mind and have had some awsome fishing to boot . So don't pass up those wee streams everybody else walks or drives past , they might just end up being your "return to stream" living on a fantastic river can some times lead to less fishing.
to those of you who dont live near such water it may come as a surprise but after years of learning the rhythms and watching the ebb and flow of the river, being out in all weathers, i found myself cherry picking my moments of fishing...and i mean moments... you know?...those moments when everthing is "just right"...and they dont come along so often hence, i was fishing less i had fallen into the trap of ease and comfort. my fishing was ..."nice"...but not satisfying. yesterday ,the chores done ,sitting on the porch, sun's out . its warm but the northwest wind is screaming. forcast is for a southerly change and wind to stay strong.... Its not quite "right " for fishing... cue my mate casey. phone rings... you want to go fishing? winds' a bit feirce yeah but you know a place out of the wind.. ah ok then. pick you up in 1/2 an hour... we are driving south, wind is howling harder than before,clouds building up to the south... its not ideal. we pull off the road and down a track to the river, dropping off the terrace and onto the flat. suddenly ...almost "calm" we tackle up and wander to the rivers edge, winds starting to turn to the south. There is a run into a big back flushing pool, a slow curling foam line and up wellings make for a difficult float here. A few mayflies are starting to pop ,the eyes sharpen.... There ! a subtle rise. I search and spot him ..mid column swinging side to side with each curl of the current. Its a long cast across to him, winds gusting up stream in erratic fashion . I watch...patient He rises again, slips back and out. Upwellings push the foamline towards me, wind drops,a window of oppertunity opens... The cast goes out and the fly alights, the world holds its breath....the decieption complete.. A thrashing of panic then a decision made, diving hard seeking refuge, found.... my line comes slack back to me . I look out at the snag of dead sunken trees, smiling to myself, i feel....enlivened I feel...satisfaction... the wind has turned to the southeast and temperature has dropped we fish on. another trout comes to our fly and slides back into its liquid realm . slowly the trout that were feeding seek comfort of the deep as the pressure drops along with the temperature, we turn and head for home. as i sit here writing this , remembering that cast,that moment,i cant help but think our lives often mirror this truth... if we wait for thngs to be "just right". not much happens, not much changes. Get out there. Dont put off today because you may miss that one opportunity. |
AuthorJulian peters |