The new season is just around the corner and can’t get here fast enough for this angler. Winter really is winter in the central Otago region. With September upon us, spring will soon be here as well. Even now with an extra hour of daylight and with a slight warming of temperatures, I have been drawn to the Hawea river on a couple of evenings. With the hydro lakes low on supply, Contact Energy have had to cut the flow of the Hawea river back to between 30 and 9 cumecs. 9 is perfect for fishing and even at 30 it’s tolerable. With a mix of resident fish and spawners, there has been and will continue to be some good fishing for the next couple of months. Given the low level of Lake Hawea, I am hopeful that the Hawea river will enjoy steady flows for much of the season. Surprisingly, there have been light hatches of mayflies in mid to late afternoon. While this has little to no effect on the fishing, it is encouraging for the health of the river. The most effective flies are still the Caddis larva imitations. I use size 14-16 green and 12 –14 flashbacks. You should collect most of your fish on the 16 green. The Hawea river has good numbers of Hydrosyche (net building) and Hydrobiosis (free living) caddis. It is important to get down to the bottom with your fly. So a size 12 flashback with a bead and plenty of weight should get the smaller and lighter 16 green caddis into the strike zone. My green caddis pattern seems to do the trick. Tied onto a Black Magic 16 hook, I use Green ultra chenille rapped with green wire for the body, the thorax is peacock glister, legs olive mallard flanks and a black 2mm bead for the head. Get this pattern down deep, dead drifting, and it will nail fish. On the subject of beads, I know there are two main schools of thought on their usefulness. That of attraction to colour and that of weight. My fly boxes contain just 4 nymph patterns in different weights and colours, 95% of them have black beads. I would conclude from that, that I’m in the weight school of thought. For those that are interested, the nymphs I use are the caddis pattern mentioned above, tied Green and Tan in sizes 12,14, 16, 18. The Brassie in red, copper and green same sizes, a GT PT in 14, 16, 18 and 20 in Furnace, Natural, Black and Green; and Laetitia nymphs in 10,12 and 14 in green and brown. The GT PT is a very simple pheasant tail that has a hare’s fur thorax as opposed to a wire and pheasant one. I attach the dubbing with a dubbing brush to get some guard hairs acting as legs. The Laetitia nymph is an adaptation of the flash back caddis that I tie with paradise duck flanks for the tail and legs. Why? Because it works, and I have an endless supplies of Paradise ducks feathers. It’s good not to have to worry about getting a supply of English partridge. If one of these 4 nymphs doesn’t get a result then I’m not going to catch that fish. The same green caddis that abounds in the Hawea river, are also present in the Clutha River. With the Hawea down and Lakes Wanaka and Hawea low, the Clutha is also as low as you would wish to find it. Use the same patterns for nymphs but perhaps a sink-tip line would be worth a try. The Clutha will also fish well, down and across stream with traditional small wet flies such as the red tipped governor, greenwells glory, claret and mallard type patterns. If all else fails a fast sink and a woolly buggar should attract something. The main lakes are a tough option for the next month or two but will produce fish to the fly fisherman who is prepared to use small nymphs and long leaders. The littoral zones are narrow, the sun angle a tad low and the fish very picky. Any small creek mouths and river mouths are the best option. Once again it is finding the correct depth that will measure the number of fish you will find. Prospects for the October opening are looking promising. Close to Wanaka there will be nothing opening until November, so it’s towards the east we will need to look for river fishing. First to come to mind is the Manuherikea and some of it’s smaller feeder streams. From Alexandra to Falls Dam and beyond, there is a plethora of great fishing for mainly Brown trout. There will be the occasional Rainbow in the many ripples and pools that make up this fishery, as well. The weather will play a major part in what happens on opening weekend and indeed for much of October. Either way, it will be great to be out on the water in the warmth of spring. Make sure you have put the winter months to good use and have all your tackle in tip- top condition. Don’t forget the new season licence either. I have the fly boxes full. The vest is still a mess and I need to get a new floating line on the reel, should only take an hour or two. Even if the rivers aren’t prefect and the weather fickle I’ll be out with my Father as I have been for many years now, looking for the first fish of the new season. I for one am impatient for October to arrive. Gerald ************************************************ FISHING & HUNTING SERVICES "Tight Lines & Keep your Powder Dry" ________________________________

 

From Gerald & Sue Telford Fishing and Hunting Services

Report type: Freshwater

Report date: 17 September 01

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