Will Spry Fishing Report for December 2018

Mackenzie Country Report

Wow, what a spring! With consistent rains and not a lot of sunshine, together with cooler easterly winds, the Mackenize Country is starting to look more like the Waikato or Southland (and we won't talk about the dairy cows in the region !), with head high grass everywhere and plenty of good flows of water throughout the region. Finally however, the rivers are starting to fall a little and clear to our usual crystal clear streams.  However, there has been bit of a double rainbow to go with the rains: the higher flows and dirty waters have kept many potential anglers off the rivers, preferring the canals or cleaner lakes instead thus far, and the rivers are at a great level for the start of summer, with less chance of them dropping too low through the hotter and drier (hopefully!) part of the season. This all translates into under-fished rivers and lakes and plenty of fish around to be caught.

Right: Robyn enjoyed the action  this feisty blowfly muncher from the Waitaki River provided.

But summer is the season for terrestrials, with beetles, grasshoppers, cicadas and true flies out and about on the waterways, which is enough to make any fly fisherman drool from the prospects of some exciting dry fly action. If you're not a fly fisherman, this sort of fishing could make you want to be!  But there are a couple of tricks to remember with terrestrial fishing - fish the foamline, fish the grassy banks and don't strike too quickly! Rather, enjoy the take and then the fight that follows. 

Looking ahead, the traditional 'nor-westerly winds are starting to appear at last, and this should bring our temperatures up somewhat.  River flows are at great levels now and little top ups through the summer will keep things looking good for the rest of the season. Canal fishing has been a bit slow of late, with reports indicating that there's not a huge number of fish being caught, however, there is plenty of scope for families and friends to wet a line and take their chances with the Mackenzie canal monsters.  Most of the big lakes are filling nicely, however boat numbers are usually very high on the lakes, so do look for a quiet corner for a bit of uninterrupted fishing.

Summer time can be busy on the waterways, so remember to treat other anglers with respect, courtesy and a smile. It is polite to talk to other anglers who may be fishing near where you want to fish and to agree on where you will each be fishing for the session. Besides, a bit of a chat might provide some useful fishing tips and prevent you all getting a bit hot under the collar.

Have a great Christmas and all the best for the fishing in 2019.

Will Spry

www.spryfly.co.nz

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