Rivers are still low after the rain that has fallen now and then.
Although some rivers are very low, such as the Waipahi which is at a historical low, all are still worth fishing.
This is unlike Canterbury. I was in Christchurch last weekend when there was a few hours of wet weather, raising the level of some rivers to the south of Christchurch that were completely dry when I drove up a few days before.
The Selwyn river is normally dry at State Highway 1 but on Monday there was a trickle of muddy water coming down it, only the third time I have crossed it and seen the riverbed wet.
From there south, many rivers were still dry or very low. The bigger rivers that rise close to the Southern Alps were up more than the smaller coastal streams but still relatively low. Many of Canterbury’s lowland streams were notable for their fishing just a few decades ago, but now many hold few, if any, fish and some rarely hold any water.
Which just goes to show what happens when making money takes precedence over environmental values.
So we need to make sure this does not happen in Otago and Southland. We need to protect and improve wetlands and ensure minimum flows are set at a level to ensure the riverine environment can survive.
One river that has been fishing well lately is the Mataura.
It is at a low summer level but not too warm, so there have been reasonable hatches of mayfly, and falls of spinners which provide great fishing if you can be there at the right time.
On the subject of the Mataura, Gore District Council is running an event called On the Fly Mataura River Festival, on March 19 from 11am-3.30pm, off Woolwich Street, which is upstream of Gore bridge on the east bank.
There will be demonstrations and tuition and plenty of time to go fishing before or after, or even better, both.
Another river fishing well is the lower Taieri, with trout still feeding on willow grub during the day and rising to sedge and mayfly in the evening. The fish are not necessarily easy to catch but are well worth the effort when they are landed. Some of my best fish this season, both for size and condition, have come from this stretch of the river.
It pays to fish slowly and spend time watching and listening for rises.
Many of the rising fish are beneath overhanging willows and difficult to spot, but by listening carefully they can be located.
Even if they cannot be seen, casting in the area from where the sound is coming will often produce a fish.
In the evening, splashy rises give away the position of feeding fish and a deer hair sedge is a good starter for trying to tempt a fish.
