I say just about everywhere as there will probably be somewhere that is not to the liking of us anglers. I was on the Mataura this week just down from Mataura township, in perfect conditions, warm, overcast and with a gentle breeze, while just up the road in Gore they were having gale-force northwesterlies.
Rivers are low but not too warm and mostly clear. So your favourite spot will be worth a visit. As I crossed the Clutha on the way south it was the lowest I have seen it this season, so it should be worth fishing, especially on a calm evening, when mayfly spinners and sedges can be expected, along with rising trout.
At the opposite end of the Clutha, below the outlet of Lake Wanaka, the same can be expected — spinners, sedges and rising trout.
The excitement among those anglers that head to the tussock lakes for the cicada bonanza (well sometimes) is building. Any day from now on warm conditions could see the first cicadas hatching. The ideal is to be on the water early in the emergence period, as trout are less likely to go off the feed due to over indulgence.
The lower Taieri is now very low, which makes it a bit easier to fish, especially in the willowy sections. I fished it this week expecting to see fish rising to willow grub but saw very few rises and the only fish I landed were fishing a nymph blind in a ripple. I did hook a couple of others that were rising under the trees but did not land either of them. It was a cool overcast day and I suspect on a warmer day there will be more risers.
Every so often, something out of the ordinary happens when fishing and one of those happenings occurred while I was on the Mataura. I was fishing a favourite ripple with a pair of nymphs a size 14 on the dropper and a weighted 12 on the point. I had already caught a fish or two when I hooked a fish of just under a kilo, I lifted it from the net and saw it was hooked on the dropper and as I tried to unhook it, the fish gave a kick and I dropped it and it broke the leader.
I retied the leader and replaced the fly.
A few minutes later I hooked a fish and when I netted it and went to remove the hook and to my surprise, there were two hooks there, the one that I had attached to my leader and the other still attached to my lost dropper. I removed both flies and released the fish which then probably struck nymphs off its menu.
On my last visit to the Mataura, for the first time ever, I did not see a single rise as far as I can remember.
