| February 2008
Trout Fishing News
February is definitely the month of the terrestrial.
As the name suggests, terrestrials originate on land and may arrive
on the water in large numbers. They include almost anything that
flies or crawls and is small enough to be swallowed by a trout.
We even found a skylark in a Wairau
trout once.
Important terrestrials to anglers this month
are: Cicadas, Passion
Vine Hoppers, Green
Beetle, Blowfly,
and Willow Grub.
There are good imitations available in store for each of these critters.
Carty’s General
Terrestrial pattern is a great all-round pattern, but more specialised
patterns are needed for Passion Vine Hoppers, Green
Beetle and Willow
Grub.
While it is always fun to lure fish up from the
depths to nail a large dry fly, it may not always be a practical
method. There is often a strong North Wester blowing downstream,
making it impossible to cast a large dry.
A weighted nymph due to its great momentum may
still be hurled into the teeth of a gale. Good patterns are Green
Stonefly size # 8 and 10 or Tungsten Pheasant
tail size 16 – 14. Use appropriate weights for the depth
and speed of water being fished.
I saw some spin fishers on the
Arnold last week. They stood in one spot and cast large heavy
spinners into the same place time after time. Fish were rising but
none ever followed their large chunks of hardware. They could have
been successful using a bubble and dry fly or nymph. There is not
much point persisting in one place if nothing is working. Move on
and cover more water and think about changing methods. Be flexible.
It’s different in a lake where fish may patrol large areas,
but in rivers they usually stay in one spot.
Give the cicadas
a go this month. The insect usually lands like a helicopter crash
landing, so try to get your fly to do the same.
Tight Lines
Allan Ballard
January 2008 Trout Fishing News
The spell of hot dry weather we are experiencing
this month will be great for two of the trout’s favourite
summer tucker items.
Cicadas have been sawing away for the last couple
of weeks. Some more hot windy conditions should see them become
part of the piscatorial larder. Most large dry flies # 10-8 will
be accepted, but there are some great imitations available. Not
all rivers have cicada populations but most do. It is a great thrill
to see a large fish appear out of deep water to hammer your cicada
imitation.
Not all people can hear the high pitched cicada
melody. Builders and other machinery operators from pre-OSH days
are often a bit deficient in the hearing department.
The other critter that large trout get fixated
on is the Passion Vine Hoppe (PVH). These should be hatching now
and should start appearing on the water towards the end of the month.
There must have been many a frustrated fisherman
faced with the sight of several large fish, rising consistently
but refusing all the usual artificials. In increasing exasperation
they tie on Parachute Adams,
emergers, spent wing
dry flies, fly nymphs and even cicadas
only to have them totally ignored.
Fortunately there are some good imitations for
PVHs and these are normally readily accepted. I usually use a small
indicator or large visible dry fly such as a Royal
Wulff about 30 cm above the PVH imitation.
Otherwise with so many naturals on the water,
it can be difficult to detect the rise to your nearly invisible
offering. Fish may be found feeding near streamside vegetation and
often where a tributary stream merges.
For spin fishers times will be tough as river
levels drop. Fish upstream into fast water entering deeper pools.
Use small, dark lures, nymphs with split-shot or nymphs and dries
with a bubble-float.
Fish early and late.
Tight Lines
Allan Ballard
Sports Power Richmond
December 2007 Trout Fishing News
Low river flows look to continue this month.
Many rivers have been unaffected by the October floods, with good
numbers of well-conditioned fish.
Reports indicate that the rivers around Murchison
are fishing well especially the Maruia.
Some smaller rivers have been badly knocked around especially the
Motupiko,
Rainy and Upper
Motueka. Fish numbers are consequently low but good fish are
still there for the angler prepared to put in the miles.
Flies performing well include Beadhead
Pheasant Tail # 16 and 18, Green
Caddis
# 14 and 12, Parachute
Adams, Dad’s
Favourite and Kakahi
Queen #18, 16, 14 and 12.
For heavier water, try a well weighted green
stonefly or green
caddis # 10 and 8 or Royal
Wulff or Mole Fly,
well hackled # 12 and 10. All the above can be used in conjunction
with a plastic bubble on light spinning gear. Otherwise spin fishing
will be hard during the day. Fish may still be caught under the
fast water dropping over the lip of a pool or in medium fast bouldery
runs about 1 m deep.
Best results will come by casting upstream and
retrieving just faster than the current. Small dark lures with all
flash blacked out will be most effective. Green
beetles will be hatching this month so be sure to have a few
wet and dry imitations in your fly box. Brown
beetles have been around for a few weeks now. Both varieties
can be imitated with the same dry fly. A Coch-y-Bondhu,
Mole Fly or similar
are good killers.
Tight Lines
Allan Ballard
November 2007 Trout Fishing News
In the brief moments when it has been possible
to fish, there have been signs of some good fish about.
I saw a large fish in the Motueka
today (below the bridge) but the prevailing downstream hurricane
prevented a decent cast. I have heard reports of a 12 pounder being
taken in the same place (below the bridge).
Spin fishers have had pretty good conditions
with some good bags around. Spinning can be successful when rivers
are swollen and dirty. There are always pockets of quieter water
on the edges and trout will be feeding there. Bladed spinners that
make a bit of commotion work well. Fluoro red, orange, yellow and
green are good colours for discoloured water. If grassy banks are
flooded, try a worm or creeper under a bubble if regulations permit.
Fly fishing has been very difficult with high
winds and discoloured water. However I managed to take some good
fish in the last few days of the month. All rivers are now fishable
coming into November and hopefully we must be owed some good weather.
Spinning will continue to be successful with
rivers running above normal flows. Despite the adverse conditions,
there were some good hatches of mayfly last month.
This month hatches of Coloburiscus Humeralis
(or laughing mayfly) will start. All you really need to know is
that the dry is best imitated by, my favourite mayfly pattern, the
Kakahi Queen.
This has got to be one of the most handsome dry flies around and
the natural looks pretty good too. The best nymph pattern is Carty’s
Coloburiscus, preferably heavily weighted size 12-14. Other good
dry flies are the all rounders, the Royal
Wulff sizes 16-10 and Parachute
Adams size 16-12. Both are good all season in sizes to suit
the conditions. The added bonus is that they are easy to see on
the water. Lake fishing and trolling should be good all month. Lead
lines or downriggers are the most productive. King Cobra lures with
a large Woolly Bugger
dropper are hard to beat.
Tight Lines
Allan Ballard
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