The main flyfishing season is only days away now. October always creeps up on me and catches me unprepared. This year I vow to have it all together!

The following points have been made as a primer. I have learnt many lessons the hard way in flyfishing. Hopefully, you can learn from my experience.

1. Scout out the location you plan to fish on opening day a week before the season commences. This spring has seen rainfall well below average, so the rivers are likely to be dramatically different from what they were like during opening day last year.  

Ideally, scout out the river a few days prior to opening and camp out on opening night well away from the nearest access point. If you are really prepared you will have acquainted yourself with the pools where the fish are holding so that you can approach them without spooking them the following morning.

Many of our more popular Canterbury rivers, such as the Hope, see anglers camping out well upstream in the hope of nailing a trophy (please excuse the pun).

Did I mention that opening falls on a Monday this year? 

2. Try and get out prior to the season opening and test out your gear and casting technique. Some rivers and lakes in Canterbury are open all year around so that you have a chance to practice. I have really enjoyed the winter fishing in Canterbury this year, so I am fortunate that I am tuned in.  It is a pity to ruin those opening day chances due to ‘buck fever’. Even the most experienced anglers experience it. It is just one of those things that has to be worked through.  

Check that the fly line is not too coiled up. If it is, give it a good stretch in the backyard.

I always like to have a tapered leader attached to my fly line before heading out early in the season. It is amazing how hard it is to tie one on when you are watching 10-pounder slurping mayflies in the tail of a pool. I always like to carry a few tapered leaders. 

3. Have a wide range of flies in your flybox, especially a wide range of weights. Getting your nymph into the strike zone is critical. I always like to have a few soft hackle nymphs in my fly box. They are lightly weighted. Soft hackles are normally fished underneath a dry fly indicator on a short trace usually less than 40 centimetres long.  

Have you ever seen fish dimpling the surface and been convinced that they are taking dries, yet they refuse everything that you cast at them? Well, try a small soft hackle nymph. I usually use #16 soft hackle flies. Sometimes a little glitter mixed in the dubbing can work wonders. 

4. Avoid walking downstream at the start of day’s angling. Brown trout have a remarkable sense of smell. They will spook in many of our rivers when they smell you as you cross the river while walking downstream. The fish can then become very hard to catch so make sure that you walk upstream and spot fish as you go. 

Fish the tails of pools. Many trout are in energy conservation mode still. Use heavy nymphs with a small, unweighted dropper to maximise results. 

6. Remove all shiny objects on your tackle vest. 

7. Pre-treat your dry flies and indicators the night before. 

8. When nymphing, strike as hard and as fast as you can. Our brown trout seem to be getting wiser each year! They will take the nymph in and spit it out within a fraction of a second. Quite often by the time the indicator moves the trout has already spat the nymph out.   Do not rely on the indicator, either, to signal a strike. Quite often, even on opening day I am afraid to say, trout will follow the nymph downstream before taking it. In such situations the indicator will not move as both the trout and fly are moving downstream!

Carefully watch the fish and strike if you see the white of the trout’s mouth, the fish suddenly turn or the leader draw under slightly. You may not get it right, but is worth taking the chance and striking on the slightest intuition. More often than not, striking when you are uncertain whether the fish has taken the fly or not will pay dividends. There is nothing worse than hesitating on the strike and watching the fish take your fly in, spit it out and spook! 

9. Have a good range of mayfly patterns. Some of Canterbury’s best mayfly hatches happen in October (which is pretty close to May in the Northern Hemisphere). The Comparadun is highly effective on the tails of slow-moving pools for fish feeding selectively on spinners. The Adams and Kakahi Queen in a variety of sizes are also essential fly box items.  

If you are fishing in areas where there are not too many snags, try a small emerger (“soft-hackle”) fly under the mayfly pattern. 

10. Have a range of tippet sizes 

11. Make the first cast count. I believe that if you are going to catch a trout your best chance is on the first cast. Make the first cast count. If you stuff up the first cast then your chances of catching our headwater browns diminishes rapidly.  

If the trout is lying close to the side of the river (as they often do) then remember to cast slightly towards the main current side of the trout rather than between the trout and the river’s edge. Quite often if the fly lands in the slower water on the river edge the fly will drag and spook the trout. Also, quite often the trout will take the fly in the slow edge water, but because of the slow flow the indicator will not register the take. 

12. Use Tungsten beads to get your flies into the strike zone. 

13. If a trout refuses your offering but continues to feed, the chances are your fly is dragging. Trout will generally (99%) of the time only take a nymph when it is moving at exactly the same speed as the river current.  

Look at your indicator. Is it moving at the same speed as the river? If not, then your fly is dragging. You will need to practice your line mending skills. 

14. Use flashback nymphs in fast, turbulent waters. 

15. Don’t be put off by the wind. Don’t be put off by bad weather when you leave home. The weather is usually quite a challenge in October. But the rewards make it worthwhile. If the northwester is blowing, then take a fast action 6 or 7 weight rod with a weight-forward line and tapered leader. Powerful rods are good to have on hand.  

Also, in many (but not all) of our river valleys, the nor’wester will gust downstream. But occasionally there will be a momentary break in the wind. During such times you have a few seconds to cast upstream to that trophy trout you have spotted. Remember that the wind is not continuous. If you have a fish lined up, be patient and wait for a slight break in the wind.

 


Comments

Yakkaman
07/18/2008 00:32

A WEll Worth Read.

The extended winter season has been in place now since 1995 allowing anglers the opportunity to fish a variety of waters from the coastal estuaries to high-country lakes.

In my opinion the winter season offers the best fishing during the months of August and September. There are several reasons for this, but most importantly the water temperature starts to creep up at this time of year. Rainbow trout are congregating close to stream mouths prior to their spawning runs and the browns are starting to feed again in earnest.

The winter season in North Canterbury goes from June until the end of September, although several locations close at the end of August, such as Lake Coleridge.

Late winter and early spring is a magical time to be in the high-country with snow on the mountaintops. The days are frequently calm and offer relaxing fishing and great conditions for sight-fishing the edges.

I have been avidly fishing the winter season since 1995 and as each season goes by I learn a little more, along with my small band of hardy winter-angling companions. Each season I also checkout a new location or two so the sense of discovery keeps winter angling ever challenging. Also the weather is different each winter. As I write at the end of June in Christchurch I look out over white, frost covered rooftops. This winter is a bit of a shocker and certainly more severe than those we have experienced in the last five years. I feel happy writing this article in a heated room and shudder to think about a friend of mine who will be braving the icy shores of the Ahuriri Arm on Lake Benmore as I write. Still, fortune favours the brave.

When and where

Let’s look at some specific options to get you started. We still have a couple of months of the winter season to go (August and September). September is a great time to fish the winter season as it is right before the main season (October to April), so many anglers flag this month away. But a few clever fishers have a ball at locations such as Lake Benmore, stalking the edges. They often land up to a dozen fish a day. September is also a great month as it is usually not plagued by the dreaded nor’wester.

Anyway, let’s get down to the places and methods that have worked for me that I would like to share with you.

Close to home

Lake Taylor has a very healthy population of brown trout. Most of the fish are around the one-kilogram mark. From mid-August onwards they cruise the lake margins in pursuit of bullies and dragonfly nymphs. The lake has a stony shoreline, so stalking is a favoured method if it is a clam day. There is a nice sheltered embayment on the lake also, which is a good option if the wind picks up. Try drifting a black and peacock under a large elk hair caddis indicator over the weed bed. A heavily weighted damselfly nymph is highly effective for blind fishing.

Nearby Loch Katrine offers a similar fishing experience. The deeper waters of the lake’s eastern and northern shoreline favour the use of a slow sinking line. Try a size 8-10 Hammill’s Killer or Mrs Simpson. A 4WD is required to reach Loch Katrine over the winter months.

Both of these lakes are suited to spin fishing. A small black Toby, black and gold Tasmanian Devil (use the smaller sized ones for best results) or sinking Rapala are highly effective. Spin fishing can be a good method when the nor’wester kicks in. You can fish along the shoreline where the waves wash in the food.

Remember: these are brown trout lakes so keep your line light — say 2kg.

Just over the hill, Lake Sumner offers winter fishing mainly for browns cruising the edges. The lake is also open to boats and trolling can be effective.

Heading south, the next lake we encounter is Lake Pearson. Pearson is a beautiful hourglass-shaped lake. It is quite a shallow lake with dense weed beds so its supports a healthy trout population. Since State Highway 73 travels along the lakes western shore, it gets a bit of attention from anglers passing by.

The lake is exceptionally low this winter and it is possible to walk around the lake’s entire stony shoreline — a great chance to stalk cruising browns. Browns from 1-1.5 kg can be seen cruising the edges. The fish are a little trickier to catch here than in the previous lakes. Keep your flies small and use tippet no heavier than 1.7kg (in technical terms 4-6x lines are best). I like to use small water boatman and soft-hackle nymphs when sight fishing the edges. Size 16 flies work well for me, but if the trout are shy you can go down to size 18.
Fishing during dusk with a small Mrs Simpson, Hammill’s Killer or Black Woolly Bugger is also highly effective — but make sure that you move around and cover the water.

Pearson also holds a reasonable number of rainbows, although the catches of rainbows s

Reply
Granville
07/22/2008 19:01

Have concentrated on Coleridge this winter for the first time with pleasing results. Last wednesday I got 4 rainbows,all approx' 3lbs and on saturday a slamon approx' 2.5lb.
Plus I lost a 4lb bow at the net. I reccomend the Harper end in the day as there is a large flow of water entering the lake in a number of constantly changing braids. Keep moving around until you find fish. Most of my fish have been caught on nymph on intermediate line. A floating line with sinking leader may suffice. I did catch one rainbow on nymph under a large indicator, so it's worth a try.

Reply
Bruce
09/15/2008 20:09

"Did I mention that opening falls on a Monday this year?"


Must have a different calendar to the rest of the world....1st October is a Wednesday !!

Reply
coach outlet store link
02/13/2011 21:42

Thank you very much for the information I really appreciate it!!

Reply
Peter Langlands
04/01/2011 05:56

Thanks for posting my article- actually by Peter LANGLANDS !
Cheers

Reply
Ture Religion Outlet link
05/23/2011 20:50

Once you want to do it better, you can set your effort to it , and do not think more about the fail. Be confidence to yourself.

Reply



Leave a Reply