It is more like October than summer, with rivers rising and falling and temperatures going from one extreme to another.
Recently I have fished in chilling winds and hot sunny weather — both on the same day.
As I tap this out on the computer, rivers are looking good but there is a chance of heavy rain on Saturday which could mess up some of them.
So, as things stand the Taieri looks good for its full length, the Mataura is at the best fishing level for a while, and the Waipahi and Pomahaka are looking good.
If you do not have a full day to devote to fishing, a couple of hours in the evening could be worthwhile.
I have noticed sedges around first thing in the morning.
They hatch in the evening as the light starts to fade, and trout like to feed on them.
Trout make splashy rises when taking sedges that skitter along the surface of the water.
A deer-hair sedge is the fly to tempt them.
If that fails, try a sedge pupa imitation fished just below the surface.
The pupa swim quite fast and trout can make a splashy rise when taking them too.
My last couple of outings have been on the Maniototo dams — again.
The dams are easier to fish when it is windy.
A sheltered spot may be found, or fishing with the wind rather than against it is always an option.
There are two theories about fishing a stillwater when it is windy.
One is that trout food gets stirred up by the waves on the lee shore and trout home in on it.
The other is that trout feed up wind and eventually end up on the windward shore. So, take your pick.
I like to make things easy with the wind at my back, so in strong winds I usually fish the windward shore.
If the wind is not too strong, I prefer to fish across the wind as (theoretically) a retrieved fly will cross the path of more feeding fish.
One of the things that keeps me going when fishing is slow is the belief that a fish just needs to see the fly to take it, as they are not fussy as long as it looks like something that is edible.
This was reinforced this week when every fish that I hooked, but not necessarily landed, grabbed the fly in the first few minutes of fishing a particular spot.
Three times it was on the first cast.
Interestingly, the day I hooked the most fish I only saw one rise.
It is easy to forget that most trout food is taken beneath the surface, so no rises does not mean that trout are not feeding.
But a few rising fish helps maintain the enthusiasm.
I fished the same two flies the whole time — a damsel fly nymph on the point and a water boatman on the dropper.
Getting the fish to see them is important.
