It may be hard to believe but the West Coast is in the middle of a drought. I don’t know what happened to the 400 inches of rainfall per year that it usually gets but it is not happening at present. As a result the rivers are low and clear making for difficult fishing conditions. You may be fishing in perfect weather but you will be fishing to very wary fish. Maybe we have to change our ideas about the climate in this region and visit here before Christmas rather than in the traditional settled-weather period of March. River Report Crooked River – low and clear but still fishing reasonably well. Taking quite a bit of pressure from local anglers as it is one of their favourites. Certainly it would be the most attractive rivers in the region for my money – the colour of those pools just has to be seen to be believed. Some big fish are to be found in the upper river but they are lying deep and will be a challenge for flyfishers. Arnold River – low! For the first time I have ever seen, this river is not the torrent it usually is. Lake Brunner is at record lows and the river is the same. I driftboated the river with Ben Kemp, a local guide, and he had to push us through a couple of rapids; the water level being as low as Ben had ever seen. The trout were not exactly falling on the hook but enough were taken to have a very pleasant day’s fishing. Ben offers a very reasonably-priced homestay if you prefer the friendliness of staying with a family. Ahaura River – fishing well. Reasonable level of flow and perhaps better placed in this respect than many other rivers in the region. Very clear water and feisty fish. One of the gems of the West Coast region. Due to the clarity of the water, use small flies and fine tippets. Rough River – very low and very clear. Give it a miss until there is some rain. The water is so low, that it has even lost its usual peaty colour - something I noticed about several other streams in this region. Are they only ‘tea-coloured’ in normal flows? Grey and Upper Grey – reasonable flows in this big river and fishing is fair. Try the Robinson River. It is not often that this river flows so clear for so long and the trout are enjoying the difference. Small flies essential – nothing bigger than size 14 will catch fish in these low conditions. Inangahua River – none of the locals has ever seen the river so low. The upper river above Crushington is virtually down to a trickle. Don’t bother fishing the river above Larry’s Creek. The tributaries are a waste of time – you will walk 5 km and see one fish. Unless you are a masochist, forget it! But the main river from below Perseverance Bridge is worth a try but be there early; the trout are having a siesta from around 1 pm. Maruia River – fishing reasonably well in the middle reaches, especially behind Mt Rutland - as the double figure fish that spooled me on Monday will testify (if you manage to catch him). I have not been spooled by a fish for a few years so that was something to remember. I say good luck to the fish – he was too strong for me. Successful fly was a small brown mayfly – a pattern we know as a ‘Tonga’ nymph. It is a very good representation of the Coloburiscus mayfly nymph. Buller River – also rather low but fishing OK. Best in the hours 8 am to 1 pm; after that they all go doggo for the afternoon. After the brief spell of rain last week, I picked up 6 good fish in a morning. The overcast conditions suited a beadhead early on and when the sun came out the fish went for a size 14 Hare’n’Copper Flashback. On another day when the sun was on the water early, I found a Cicada top fly and a Pheasant Tail size 14 nymph tail fly, was a successful combination. The fish are in reasonable condition but are not taking the dry fly as voraciously as they would normally do. Murchison guide Mike Buchanan puts this down to the huge numbers of rafters and canoeists on the river. He feels the trout just never get the chance to settle. To illustrate this, there were over 100 kayackers on the river last Sunday! Time to fish another river. But I would not bother with the other smaller rivers like the Mangles, Owen, Tutaki, and Tiraumea unless you are a real ‘gun’ – the rest of us will just get frustrated by the ultra-wary trout in these low and clear rivers. Gowan River – fishing quite well for those fit, competent anglers that can handle the difficult conditions presented by this raging river. It is not quite so raging at present, as the lake is way below normal and the flow down the river is much reduced. A nice 5 lber was taken in the middle reaches today on a size 12 Hare’n’Copper beadhead. The fish was lying in the slacker water so don’t ignore the quieter edges. Many small fish were taken, making for an interesting day. Wairau River – very low but the odd good fish being taken as shown by the seven pound brown landed behind the Wairau Valley township last week. One of the Fish and Game rangers took a six pounder out of the Rainbow River a day later so the good fish are there if you put the time in. Small Pheasant Tail nymphs were the successful flies. The road through Rainbow Station is open but due to close any day now. Fishing will then be concentrated into the waters below Rainbow Station which will put more pressure on the low, clear water. To summarise, the fishing was reasonable but maybe the weather was too good. Has global warming changed the West Coast so much? A thought to ponder. Ron has a flyfishing information service on www.troutnz.com