After what has seemed like an extra long winter here, it has been great to be back on the rivers and streams again. My first fishing day was on the 2nd of October. With some typical high and dirty water in the South and parts of Central, heading away from them seamed the best bet. The warm NW wind and sun isn't usually conducive to decent mayfly hatches but down the river they poured. Robbie and I had a great day with many trout, some into the 7- 8lb class - I don’t have a lot of words to describe the fishing apart from utterly fantastic.
In true October fashion, the same as the last few years, the mayflies really got going in the afternoon, and were LARGE! A s12 wasn’t too big. So, just to be difficult, I fished my generic indicator (deer hair) dry in size 12, which the trout scoffed up no problems at all, as if they had been waiting for it all day. I have been predominantly fishing go-to dry dropper rig, and it's been working well. Typically a 9ft tapered to 2x leader, 3ft of 3x to my indicator dry. Then 3-6ft of 3/4/5x to my dropper nymph depending on clarity, depth, flow, and what the fish is doing. Sometimes a 3rd and smaller nymph (16-18) is added a foot below the top nymph. More often than not the small bottom fly is the one that gets eaten, but to fish it effectively you need the top nymph as weight to get it down, and the dry as an indicator. It's not an exact science or a perfect system, but I always use a rig like this rather than a wool indicator - it gives a chance of a dry fly eat. It's also important to note that I regularly modify the rig by weight and total length, sometimes between each fish! It's important to have confidence in the rig and flies you present to each trout. The mindset is half the game, casting and presentation the rest.
Warm and windy is the tone of the weather at the moment, and it looks like it's here to stay with La Nina in full force across the South. If you have small waterways that are usually best fishing ‘before Christmas’, then I strongly suggest that you get stuck into them right away, as they will not wait for you.
With a little more time on my hands this season, I am going to put more effort into my blog. If there is any content or topics you would like me to cover please send me a message and let me know. I would much rather have some engaging content for you to read, rather than just another social media grip and grin shot.
Finally, a big thanks to those kiwis that have booked a day with me for this season. If you are completely new to the sport and want to fast track your learning, or just have a fun fishy day and refine your skills please don't hesitate to email me here thomas.j.mcauliffe@gmail.com
Cheers,, Tom.
