Talking to people around from all walks of life in both work and recreation the spring in the Southern Lakes has been one to remember. Hot and dry. So the last couple of days of rainfall has been happily received by all. Most of the catchments have received some water and the rivers have come up a small amount (mostly) and are running a bit cooler so the trout are actively feeding.
I see more doggo fish as the water temps get a bit too high. Sitting there, chilling out and expending no energy and for all extensive purposes saying “not on your menu”. In fact these fish seem to be in a comatose state.
What do you do?
Probably depends on a few factors really . How far have you walked? How many fish have you seen? How many are actively feeding? What’s the story in your day at that point? How many fly boxes are you prepared to work thru to get this fish.
I say go to the ugly box. It takes about 5 mins at the most really. Choose something truly exciting, something a little annoying and a morsel worth grabbing onto for a real hog.
Now don’t be shy with your presentation (and have some solid tippet material on), about 2ft in front of his nose. One of three things will happen;
1. Nothing
2. Off like a rocket
3. Fish hammers it and you are on.
For option number #1 my response is drop it closer to his nose and repeat 3 times and move on (unless he’s really big).
For option number #2: fair enough but I got your license plate and I know where you live —- I will be back!
For Option #3 Hang on and hope the tippet is strong enough.
If none of the above works – hit him at night because that’s when he is feeding.
New Zealand Fly Fishing Expeditions - Outside the box
It looks like the next week is going to be pretty good weather and with a wee touch of fresh water flowing the fishing should be good.
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!!!
