The most certain options will be still waters, especially where rivers run into them, as brown trout gather for their spawning run.
Some browns may already be spawning and this will attract rainbows that feed on the eggs that do not make it into the redds.
Egg patterns will catch these rainbows but a red setter is also effective.
The weather forecast for the last few days of the season looks good so, if river conditions hold, there is some good fishing to be had.
Spinner falls in the morning and evenings and dun hatches in the afternoons give the fly fisher a great opportunity to catch a few fish and end the season on a high note.
The lower Taieri has dropped right back and at the time of writing looks good.
When it is low it makes a lot more water accessible which makes it easier to reach fish when there is a hatch of mayflies.
At this time of year with the water cooling, insects and therefore trout are not very active until mid-morning so you do not need to be on the water early.
Most of the trout activity on still waters has been later in the day too.
I was on Mathias Dam a couple of times recently and although there are few smaller rainbows, there are some good-sized ones and the usual number of browns.
There were few rises but persistently fishing blind produced fish on damsel fly nymph, water boatman and midge pupa.
I fished the Pomahaka midweek, a perfect day, for my last visit for the season. The day was fine and warm with little wind, the water was low and slightly misty.
I started fishing a favourite ripple blind with a weighted nymph, but got no response from the trout.
As I approached the flat above, I noticed some spinners dipping on the water and a couple of trout rising to them.
The first fish that I covered immediately stopped rising.
I suspected flash from my leader as it was sunny.
I approached the next fish, by casting to it at 90°, so that the leader was as far as possible from the fish.
It worked — my spinner pattern was gently sipped down and the first fish of the day came to the net.
Looking up the long flat ahead I could see the odd rise. I had hoped to see more but most of them took the spinner then the rise petered out.
It was not long until fish started to feed on nymphs and then duns. They were easy to catch on the nymph, but when they started to feed on duns interest dropped.
As this was late in the day the low sun created long shadows and flash from the leader so it was back to fishing at 90° and I managed to catch fish on emerger and an Adams.
There were few rises so I called an end to a great day’s fishing.
