After having such a brilliant start to the season through Oct. we finally got some snowmelt which although it did not make the Mataura unfishable it did affect the good mayfly hatches we had been having. The mayfly on the lower Mataura( deleatidium vernale) loves cold, showery, SW conditions and does not mind cold water temperatures, it seems to shut up shop when there is snowmelt in the river.

The river has got over that in the last few days although there is some more snow up there yet. The hatches started again on monday and have been exellent with mayflies dribbling off all day with a peak anytime from 1330 on. The ripples are the best place to look and you will find the trout are in unbelievibly shallow water, I had a client on Wednesday take 6 nice trout out of a ripple that was the size of an average lounge and not much more than ankle deep. Most people walk right past these ripples but take a few minutes to watch it and you may see a head pop up. The rises in this water are barely discernable and sometimes all you will see is your fly disappear.

The brown beetle has also made an appearance in the last few days and a favourite tactic of mine is to fish these ripples in the absence of a hatch with a beetle pattern, just the same as if you were nymphing the ripple. Also it is worthwhile to fish any banks with half to a metre of water and only out a metre from the bank with the beetle.

Please note that these reports only refer to the lower Mataura from Gore down.

Tight lines
David

8 November 2009

by David Murray-Orr of Southland Flies & Guides

October was unusual on the Mataura this season as normally the river is full of snowmelt and does not come right until the end of the month. The normal practice is to fish various small streams until the Mataura comes right but this year for the first time since the 99/2000 season we were able to fish it from opening day and it was fabulous.

We have always known that there were great hatches of deleatidium vernale mayflies during October but getting at them because of the usual high water has been the problem but this year, wow! During Oct/Nov and Dec the mayflies will dribble off in the ripples all day with a peak maybe late morning and again at mid afternoon, unlike the autumn when there are very intense hatches only in the afternoons for one or two hours.

So you can pick on a favourite ripple and stay there all day if you wish, aside from the obvious hatches trout will betray themselves with very subtle rises or you can fish through a ripple with a dry much as you would go through it with a nymph.

The trout are in good condition for the early season and very strong, they will put on a bit more depth over the next few weeks. I have not done any nymphing as the dry fly has been so good but reports from friends tell me it has been good.

I have been using mainly CDC patterns which are on my website www.mataura.co.nz and parachute adams in the ripples, all these flies are in #16. There is no need to use anything bigger than #16 and I only go down to #18 when conditions are low and the trout are picky.

The last week has not been very good as the snowmelt that we should have got in October has been dribbling down but it is dropping fast now. Nov can be great as the mayfly hatches will continue, plus from about the middle of the month the brown beetle should start making an appearance. This will really improve fishing in the small streams and a beetle pattern should also not be neglected in the Mataura. If there is no surface activity a beetle fished blind through the ripples or along a bank can generally bring a strike.

Tight lines
David

David Murray-Orr

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