Greetings fellow fly fishers,
Well, the school holidays are almost upon us (they start this weekend), so one can expect a bit more company on the rivers in the next couple of weeks. Some days in the last week the rivers have been fairly sparse as far as anglers go, whilst others have seen a good number. Hard to work it out, as some of the midweek days have been busier than some of the weekend days. At present, all rivers are low and clear, with the Tongariro at 21.7 cumecs, the Whanganui at 16.4 and the “TT” at a height of .175.
The fishing in the last week has been very good, especially in the Hinemaiaia and Tongariro, where one can expect to have steady action on some strong-fighting bows. There are some spent fish starting to turn up now, but still plenty of plump fresh bows. One of my fishing colleagues also managed to pull a fine silver 6lb brown out of the Waiotaka River last week. Small naturals are the way to go at the moment, and with the clear water, even as small as size 16 may be needed. I must say, for those just getting into fly fishing who want a good, reliable rod with a nice action, the V Access Rod sold by I Love Fly Fishing is an excellent choice. As a professional guide, I stand by this rod and have used it for guiding (and indeed for myself) for many years. The same can be said for the V Nymph 10 ft 4wt rod for Euro Nymphing. These rods are great value for money and are suitable for beginners as well as seasoned professionals. For Czech (Euro) nymphing, I have used a V Nymph Rod for over 10 years, have never broken it, and have caught a multitude of big fish on it, especially out of the Whakapapa River, while the 8wt V Access rod accounted for a 20lb brown out of the Twizel Canals.
If you manage to get out on the river in the next few days and find that there is a bit of a crowd, don’t despair; the trout are well spread throughout, and you will find a place of relative solitude with enough fish if you are prepared to walk a bit. I will be heading over to the Whakapapa River shortly as October approaches. This river has a special place for me. Believe it or not, we have snow forecast for the Desert Road in the next day or two, so we are not out of winter yet, although the blossoms and kōwhai are out and there are fresh buds on my grapevine.
I have found etiquette on the rivers to be pretty good this year, which is good to see. The biggest thing here is communication. Sometimes there seems to be no way into a spot (especially on rivers like the Hinemaiaia), but if you talk to a fellow angler and courteously ask for permission to enter a spot if you may in fact be in front of them, permission is seldom refused if you are giving them plenty of space and there is nowhere else for you to go. Communication early prevents unwanted unpleasantries. This is not what we go to the river for. The dreaded wind is still with us, so remember the safety glasses and hats. I’m picking this wind will probably be around for some time yet. Well, that’ll do it for this week, so until next time,
Tight lines,
Regards,
Brian Willson,
Professional Fishing Guide
I Love Fly Fishing Friend and Ambassador
Phone 021667867