Graeme Marshall Report for Reel Life November 2017

South Canterbury Report
What a difference a month can make. Lowland rivers and streams in this region have gone from a tad over full for optimum fishing, in the case of the Opihi at least, to verging on worryingly low. However, there’s a silver lining to every cloud and this one is the ease of negotiating the river along with fish being concentrated where they are more accessible to anglers.
Top right: summer fishing on the Temuka River.
November and December are my two favourite months of the year – certainly for fly fishing. More settled weather is the norm, stream invertebrate life abundant and sight fishing easier than at any other time as mid-summer approaches. As no big fan of cold water, it is even comfortable dispensing with the waders some days and donning shorts and long johns. Summer fishing is great!
My informal stream insect surveys indicate that mayflies, trout bread and butter, are very prolific this season. After a few years when I expressed concerns about the abundance of mayflies especially it is heartening to turn over rocks and discover lots of nymphs scurrying for cover. Perhaps the July flood was a blessing in disguise.
Last month I reported that fish concentrations were ‘patchy’ and I’m still finding this to be the case. A considerable amount of in-stream river work has been undertaken since the July event, and in some cases the trout have not taken up permanent residence in areas that have been heavily modified by diggers. I have no doubt that they will do so though once that ‘rawness’ smooths out.
Some stretches of the Opihi are notable for good numbers of smaller fish in the 1kg class, while all the smaller streams I have visited recently are harbouring plenty of larger specimens. I’ve been finding that getting out in the morning before the cool sea breeze gets up is the time for some really good hatches. I observed trout rising freely before 9am one morning recently.
The high country opening appears to have been a bit disappointing for many with weather conditions not particularly conducive to ideal fishing. Since then though much better weather has improved the situation greatly. I have had reports of some superb fishing in the Mackenzie Country. One informant and a companion landed around 20 rainbows each on the second weekend of the season on a stream which he quite inexplicably seems to have forgotten the name of! With the current settled weather looking likely to continue for a while yet the high country could well be the place to be. Keep an eye out for terns and swallows as they signal a hatch in progress. On some rivers there can be a frantic rise on one stretch while another nearby seems quite lifeless. Similarly, if large numbers of mayfly nymphs are seen scuttling around on the top-side of submerged rocks it’s almost a guarantee that fish will be active too. Observation is an essential angling skill.
Categories
Archive
- December 2023
- November 2023
- October 2023
- September 2023
- August 2023
- July 2023
- June 2023
- May 2023
- April 2023
- March 2023
- February 2023
- January 2023
- December 2022
- November 2022
- October 2022
- September 2022
- August 2022
- July 2022
- June 2022
- May 2022
- April 2022
- March 2022
- February 2022
- January 2022
- December 2021
- November 2021
- October 2021
- September 2021
- August 2021
- July 2021
- June 2021
- May 2021
- April 2021
- March 2021
- February 2021
- January 2021
- December 2020
- November 2020
- October 2020
- September 2020
- August 2020
- July 2020
- June 2020
- May 2020
- April 2020
- March 2020
- February 2020
- January 2020
- December 2019
- November 2019
- October 2019
- September 2019
- July 2019
- June 2019
- May 2019
- April 2019
- March 2019
- February 2019
- January 2019
- December 2018
- November 2018
- October 2018
- September 2018
- August 2018
- July 2018
- June 2018
- May 2018
- April 2018
- March 2018
- February 2018
- January 2018
- December 2017
- November 2017
- October 2017
- September 2017
- August 2017
- July 2017
- June 2017
- May 2017
- April 2017
- March 2017
- February 2017
- January 2017
- December 2016
- November 2016
- October 2016
- September 2016
- August 2016
- July 2016
- June 2016
- May 2016
- April 2016
- March 2016
- February 2016
- January 2016
- December 2015
- November 2015
- October 2015
- September 2015
- August 2015
- July 2015
- June 2015
- May 2015
- April 2015
- March 2015
- February 2015
- December 2013
- March 2013
- September 2012
- July 2012