Fly Fishing New Zealand : January Report

Well summer seems to have skipped us here in New Zealand this year ! We are still experiencing spring like conditions with strong winds, lots of rain and cooler day time temps way off what they should be. Just last week several local rivers throughout the Southland and Otago regions reached record flood levels and are still recovering now. I had to cancel one day (for the first time in 10 season)as there was just no where to go other than the lakes of which my clients were not interested in fishing.

Tim Chapman with a couple of nice fish he landed as the river was rising earlier last week , rain coats and waders have been the norm pretty much all season to date. Bigger profile articulated streamers fished on intermediate sink tip fly lines fished down and across have been working well on days when the rivers have had heavier flows and off colour . Below is good mate Santillan with a chunky Southland brown trout he caught on a large streamer pattern on a day that saw strong down stream winds force us into swinging flies for most it.