However cooler days have helped all rivers by dropping the water temperature, which can only be good for the fishing.
Recent high water temperatures can affect the fishing in still waters, as trout will avoid the shallows as the water becomes too warm for them.
Stillwater temperatures are not uniform the warmest water is in the shallows and the coolest are in deep water.
But, even then the temperature of the shallows is not uniform.
The surface water which warms up right across a lake is pushed to the leeward shore by the wind and cool water comes to the surface on the windward shore.
So, in hot weather do not fish into the wind, as trout will be avoiding the warm water that builds up there. So either fish across the wind, or have the wind at your back to make sure that you can reach fish.
The alternative is to find deep water close in and make sure your fly or lure gets down to any fish nearby.
The Pomahaka rose rapidly on Wednesday and then just as rapidly dropped again but then rose again before dropping right back to a reasonable fishing level.
The Taieri rose a little and levelled off.
The Clutha rose from a very low level, more than tripling its flow in the lower river but is now dropping back.
With weather forecast showing warm days for the weekend, it could be the chance to get in some cicada fishing if you do not want to fish a river.
I fished the Mataura during the week and luckily it was cool and overcast. Although it was forecast to rain, there was only the odd spit.
As I walked into the water to fish the first ripple felt quite cool although when I put my hand in the water it felt warm. My extremities did not agree.
However, my feet changed their mind after I had been wading for a few minutes.
I was able to concentrate on the thermal qualities of the water as there was no fish to distract me.
When the water is warm trout lie where the water is well oxygenated which is at the very top of a ripple and sure enough that is where they were.
I was fishing a pair of nymphs a weighted size 12 hare’s ear on the point and an unweighted size 14 of the same pattern on the dropper about acme above the point fly.
The fish there and on the next two ripples fish took the heavy fly in the shallows.
After lunch on two different ripples the fish were again in the shallows taking the weighted fly.
At this point I noticed that the river was beginning to rise and as I was on the opposite side to my car, I thought it sensible to cross back and call it a day.
