“The other
Greetings fellow fly fishers,
Well, another week or so has gone by and, to be fair, I haven’t spent a lot of time on the rivers in the last couple of weeks as they have been heavily fished by visitors, largely due to the school holidays. This always happens at this time of year when the rivers get a lot of pressure from fishing clubs and keen anglers overlapping the school holidays, with everybody trying to take advantage of the winter runs. I have been out, however, and should you wish to get a bit of solitude and peaceful ambience, you would be best to wait until at least the school holidays end, and then a reasonable amount of pressure will come off the rivers. At the time of writing (Thursday afternoon), all the rivers are low. The Tongariro is running at 22 cumecs, the Whanganui at 14 cumecs, and the “TT” at a height of 0.2.
At this time of year, one must exercise a bit of patience as etiquette from several fishers is lacking, and this is generally from many people not understanding how it all works. Normally, a diplomatic approach to a fellow fisher is the best starting point if someone moves immediately upstream or downstream of you (depending on what method you are fishing). We all go down to the river for enjoyment, and if someone else proves to be unpleasant and does not conform, then sometimes it is easier to move on to another spot and concentrate on enjoying your fishing. As a guide, I have to ensure that the client doesn’t witness any unpleasantness and sometimes it is better to move on; after all, there are plenty of fish to be had at several spots along a river. Who knows, you may find a new favourite spot that you wouldn’t have tried before.
I went to the Hinemaiaia River a couple of days ago and, as expected, it is full of fish, but the angling numbers have made them pretty spooky. The river is also quite low. We haven’t had a lot of rain the last couple of weeks and another fresh will do wonders. The last week and a half has also seen morning temperatures plummet. One morning it was -6 degrees 🥶. Fishing on the whole has been pretty good, with most anglers getting hooked up at some time or another, and all goes well for the next few months.
I am finding all methods working pretty well with the Cleardrift Egg (available from I Love Fly Fishing) a standout. It pays to have a mixture of colours, as some days some colours do better than others. Well, that’s it from me, so until next time, tight lines.
For all I Love Fly Fishing gear, check it all out online at www.iloveflyfishing.kiwi and order what you need. Feel free to call Johan, 021-02209719 or johan@iloveflyfishing.kiwi. You will receive your goods in quick order and at a great price.
Regards,
Brian Willson,
Professional Fly Fishing Guide.
