Since the 1st week and a half of the fishing season the weather has improved (for the time being) down here in the lower third of the South Island. This has created a vast improvement in water clarity and all the rivers and streams are clean at present.
I have visited quite a lot of waters in the last week thru West Otago and Northern and Western Southland – all have been clear and fishing well although flows are quite large still (be careful on your crossings). The fishing has been good and we have been able to sight and catch many fish using standard nymphing techniques. A few trout have sucumbed to the dry fly as well.
As normal at this time of year some of those little hidden gems are the place to be as they are holding fish while they carry good early season water flows.
The trout themselves are a mixed bag with some very well conditioned trout and some trout needing to work hard over the next 2 months to put their condition back on.
There is still plenty of snow to melt off the mountains so we will see some high, dislcoloured water soon enough again – remember you can still find clean water usually and there is always the option to fish a streamer fly.
In 10 days most of the South Island New Zealand back country rivers open…….
Tight Lines
I can’t tell you how much I appreciated everything you did to make my fishing trip unforgettable. That trophy brown was totally unbelievable! Frankly, I’m surprised we were able to land him. That was one of the longest fights I’ve ever had with a fish. Fighting that trout and the river current was a whole new experience for me. Your advice and help were invaluable. I will definitely call you the next time I get to New Zealand. And I really enjoyed your website article and photo. Thanks again for putting me in position to catch the fish of a lifetime. And it was almost a few fish of a lifetime. All in all…brilliant!!!
