“Fly fishing is not just a sport, but a way of looking at life. It’s a pursuit of beauty, a challenge of wits, and an exercise in patience—often rewarded, but never guaranteed.“
— John Gierach, Trout Bum
Greetings fellow fly fishers,
Well, we are now officially into winter, and fortunately, Monday and Tuesday of this week saw some much-needed rain arrive. Previous to this, all the rivers have been low and clear, making fishing testing, to say the least.
The rain brought the Tongariro up to about 60 cumecs, but now it has dropped back to a very fishable 33 cumecs as of Wednesday evening. The Whanganui River is at 17 cumecs and the “TT” is at a height of 0.3. I had a look at the lower Tongariro this afternoon (Wednesday), and the first thing I noticed was that the river had a few more fishers on it. This was due to the recent rains, and the conditions were very pleasant. On arriving at the river, I noticed that while it had dropped considerably, it was very coloured, and I reasoned that this was the perfect recipe for swinging a streamer with the wet line.
I was pleasantly surprised that my fishing method of choice was correct, as the fish were on the take almost immediately. I find a dark woolly bugger will generally do it in these conditions, either black or olive green, or, as I often do, use a combination of both colours. I also like my streamers to be relatively skinny. I find I get a more lifelike look; the marabou tail and body hackle are the important factors here. The body doesn’t want to be too bulky, which may not allow the fly to swim correctly. I always have a good look at my fly in the water to see if it looks realistic. Many factors can make your fly look not so attractive to the fish; the tail wrapped around the gape of the hook is an obvious one and needs to be kept an eye on. When I tie my flies, I add a small red wool tag underneath the marabou. This serves two purposes: it resembles blood, therefore looking like wounded prey, and it also keeps the marabou tail away from the gape of the hook.
The other thing to watch is: don’t make the marabou tail too long. Pretty much all commercial patterns have tails that are too long. You’ll still get plenty of bites, but more often than not, the trout won’t reach the hook. Rule of thumb: the tail should never be longer than the hook length. The fish I caught this afternoon were in mint condition, and this will continue for the next few months. The day is set to be fine enough tomorrow (Thursday), but more rain is coming from Friday and through the weekend, which will further assist in getting the fish moving. So buckle your seatbelts, winter is here, and some great fishing is on the way.
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.
Until next time,
Tight lines,
Brian – NZPFGA Member,
