Willow Grub Time

Merry Christmas everyone and Happy New Year.

Well its Willow Grub time once again here in NZ and in the Southland region where i live. Yesterday I had the opportunity to head out onto a local stream where the mission was to see if the trout had as yet “locked onto” the Willow Grub. I found quite a few trout milling around the over hanging willow trees with some feeding on the surface and others nymphing in the ripples and along the bottom. Casting a size # 16 willow grub some of the trout took without hesitation and yet others refused the offering even after coming over for a look, my thoughts are that give it another week and some sunny days and the trout will be on the grub.

Willow Grub time can be an exciting time for the fly fisher, a time i am happy to share my experience of this with you, you can contact me here via my site.

Gore's On the Fly Festival

It was great to see the return recently of The Gore District Council’s On the Fly Festival, what a great day it was and so well received by the 300 people who attended. There was great music, the stall owners provided a really good selection of food and beverages, local fishing club members provided demonstrations of fly tying, .

Our Celerity guest, Brett McGregor NZ Winner of Master Chef gave a demonstration of how to prepare and cook some local trout and salmon, which was delicious and a special thanks to Brett for coming along.

Another Celebrity guest to donate his time and share his knowledge was NZPFGA member and Fly Casting Instructor and Guide, Chris Dore. HIs explanations and demonstrations make it look so easy and the crowd just loved it….thanks mate.

This festival will be an annual event on the Gore District Council’s summer calendar so I will update information about it here on my blog as it comes in.

Southland Summer

Well an interesting day once again on a Southland Stream. The day started off with a walk downstream after gaining permission from the farmer and his neighbor, something I always do and recommend.

After arriving at my turn around point I slowly made my way back upstream watching the foam lines and willow tree edges as they drooped over the stream as at this time of year the willow grubs are about and the trout are feeding on them.

One thing I noticed was the stream was even lower and after crossing it felt a lot warmer. Rain at times can be a nuisance but it is essential and to be honest the rivers and streams need it like we do to survive.

About 150m upstream I came across two trout actively feeding in a riffle just below a grove of willow and watching them they both seemed to be feeding both sub surface and in the surface film. So I put on a willow grub and cast it forward….the lower fish came and looked twice but refused the offering, so I changed to a wee fly and cast it back out in front. Up came the trout without hesitation and took the fly, hmmm so using the stomach pump I checked what he had been feeding on, low and behold, snails, caddis nymphs and a Cicada!

Releasing the trout I moved forward armed this time with a #16 Caddis Nymph. I cast it forward of the next trout, expecting it to be accepted. Again this trout came forward and inspected my offering and turned away to continue feeding. Hmmm, on with a willow grub, refused, on with a dry fly, refused, back on with a Caddis Nymph this time in #14, taken straight away, a couple of photos and away he went. Lesson learnt.

its good to be back

Hi everyone i hope you are all safe and well. As you know its been a long road to recovery and getting through the “lock-down” caused by the co-vid epidemic, plus a couple of other “interruptions” to life which i wont bore you with.

Suffice to say i,m back and lets talk fishing, especially fly fishing here in the South Island and especially Southland NZ.

The season so far from pre-Christmas until now has been a bit up and down with un seasonal rainfall and therefore rising the rivers and streams in the area.

January has been reasonably good with the cicadas in the high tussock country in full swing and the resident trout there having a feast.

Interesting to note last weekend when i was observing the trout taking cicada of which there seemed to be 3 different coloured cicadas on the water, light chartreuse, dark green and light tan brown, the trout seemed to prefer the chartreuse coloured cicada.

January is usually the month of the willow grub here in NZ and yet over the last 3-4 weeks, we are now in Feb, i have yet to see the trout “locked” on willow grub, sure i have seen them mooching around under and along the willows sipping in the surface film and yet the trout will willingly take a small fly, including a Loves Lure which landed me a nice 3lb trout who was eating willow grubs and yet is a Traditional Canterbury Fly, other small flies like the dads favorite tied parachute style in #16-18s worked well,maybe the weather hasn’t been quite right for the willow grubs to start falling in vast numbers.

In the afternoon of February 20th 2021, The Gore District Council is hosting an “On the fly” festival on the banks of the Mataura River 100m upstream from the Gore Bridge. Brett McGregor “NZ winner of MasterChef NZ will be there to cook up a few trout dishes as well as NZPFGA Guide and Fly Casting Instructor Chris Dore to share some of his wealth of knowledge and give some demonstrations on casting, as well as fly tying demos from the Gore Anglers Club and other fishing clubs in the area, there will be entertainment, a band and food stalls so come along and enjoy the afternoon and see what this “Fly fishing lark” is all about.

I will be updating my blog on a more regular basis, at least weekly and hope that you will find it interesting and informative as we progress through to the end of the 2020-2021 season.

Into the New Year of 2020

Well to say December was an interesting month for Guiding and fishing in general in regards to the variable weather which brought gusty westerlies, showers and at times heavy rain, flooded rivers and streams certainly made life interesting. Alot of miles were covered to clear water in the lakes and although they too were high at least we were able to cast a line and land a few trout.

Normally the month of December heralds the arrival of the Brown Beetle and the start of the Cicada season in some areas of NZ, here in the South it is usually around Waitangi (6th Feb) but with the amount of rain , the hatching of these two species hasn’t eventuated (yet).

However the lakes still hold the Damsel nymph, Midge/Chironomid (The Chironomidae comprise a family of nematoceran flies with a global distribution and are an excellent trout food source) and there is always the Blowfly about and which again the trout love as a food source.

By using the above mentioned flies/nymphs and the correct technique successful days were had by all.

2.5 months into the season

It is now mid December and the wet fronts are still coming in across the Tasman and the North Westerly winds have at times made casting quite difficult, however slowly the weather is improving and we are getting more and more fine periods.

It is during this time that the clients and I have so far enjoyed some nice mid morning “hatches” of mayfliies and caddis flies, it has been interesting to note that the trout are more interested in the emerging nymphs than the actual caddis fly itself , this is seen as a bulge just under the water surface, a sure fire sign that the trout is taking the nymph on its way to the surface.

A small sparsely weighted hare and copper or deleatidium nymph suspended below either an indicator or dry fly indicator will normally result in a solid hook-up or alternatively a “down and across “ swing of the nymphs pattern will again induce a Take.

This week the 2nd week of December we have started to notice the trout are patrolling the edges and under the overhanging willow trees , it’s as if they know we are approaching the Willow Grub Hatching season and already we have observed a couple of Trout sipping the surface under the trees leading us to believe the fish were feeding on grubs , proven when my client tied on a willow grub pattern and a nice 2.5lb Brown took it without hesitation.

Although late December and throughout January is normally the Willow Grub season I’d recommend anyone to start using them now , sizes #16-18 should do the trick.

Willow Grub Casing

One example of a Willow Grub Fly Pattern

Simms Flyweight Boot

Recently I purchased a pair of these boots for the 2019 season.

Having now worn them for over a month on many trips along our Southland river banks I can honestly say these would be one of the most comfortable wading boots I have worn. I would definitely recommend them for light weight yet sturdy fishing boots especially on long walks up a river bank.

The one item I would recommend to add to these boots however is a set of either Alumibite cleats or Hardbite Cleats or Studs, as I found when the brown algae is on the rocks the soles are very slippery.

Absolutely!

A Master at Work

Recently I had the pleasure of spending an afternoon with Marc Petitjean and watching a Master CDC fly tyer at work. Thanks again Marc it was an absolute pleasure and I hope to see you again soon and share more time with you on the river. Safe travels Home.

Getting ready for the 2019-2020 Fishing season.

With the new season about to start on October 1st 2019 here in NZ, I thought it would be a good opportunity to write about what I do to prepare my “gear” for the season. Starting with footwear this is where I check the security of the “studs” in the sole of my wading boots. I’m looking for wear and tightness, replacing those studs that are past it and replacing laces if damaged. Next is my waders. I check the seams and clips making sure all are leak proof and not broken. I then fill the waders with water (to the waist line) from the hose as they hang from the clothes line and inspect them for leaks. If I find any I will tip out the water, turn the waders inside out (allow to dry) and using alcohol (from the chemist) on a cotton ball I wipe the alcohol along the inside of the waders in the area where the leak showed up. Normally a small black spot will appear where the hole is, then it is a simple matter of applying a patch. The Vest is next. I go through each pocket checking the fly boxes and refilling with the flies we use mainly in the South. Line clippers and the piece of Amadou for drying flies and cleaning the Polaroid glasses are checked. Next is the hook remover and making sure the indicator material is all there and The Strike Indicator Tool (Brilliant piece of kit). Floatant and spare tippet/leader material ,finger-less gloves and neck buff and a good sun hat are there . The net is then checked for any damage and lastly and very important the current seasons fishing license. A digital copy is also kept on my phone. The back pack contents are checked and these consist of camera (and spare battery),medical kit, wind proof jacket and sunscreen, PLB (personal locator beacon) and headlight (plus spare batteries). Enough food and water for the day plus some spare food (24-hrs worth in case of emergency) This is just how I do it, you of course will have your own way and personal items but now is the time to start getting it all ready as time on the water is short and precious in our busy lives.