Angling Report: December 2005 Lake Brunner Fly Fishing Report
The good weather has
continued through November and into December. There have
been a couple of brief rain events, with consequent but
modest freshes down the rivers, but still no significant
floods since February 2005. Rivers are in excellent
shape with algae build-up on the bottoms such as you
would normally not see until February/March!
Consequently here has been a major increase in aquatic
insect populations, and trout are in absolutely superb
condition, particularly in rivers such as the Grey.
On the other hand, fish in
Lake Brunner are in poorer condition on average, with
lots of "slabs" caught over recent months. Lake levels
have been very low all through winter and spring.
With a dry summer looming in
many South Island areas, the prospects of a great cicada
hatch are high - and it would be nice indeed to have a
long hot summer with bulk volumes of terrestrials to
keep the trout keen! Low and clear rivers will make
fishing challenging, with "spring creek" conditions
prevalent on most local streams. Water temperatures are
already high, meaning the head of deep pools and the
bottoms of faster runs are where the fish are most
likely to be found if current conditions continue. Fly
of choice in evenings is a size 14 Kakahi Queen, or a
size 16 Elk Hair Caddis. Try skating the caddis on dark
- let it swing down stream of you ,and raise and lower
the rod to skate the fly upstream a yard or two then
drift back... takes can be savage, with fish sometimes
coming clear out of the water!
 |
 |
| Stuart Parkinson holds up his first-ever
trout. Things can only get better... actually,
To be completely objective and fair, it was the
first time he had been fishing in his life, and
only about his 3rd cast on his first fly casting
lesson! |
...and things did get better!
Actually, Stu landed some nice fish and at the
end of the 3 day trip was casting extremely
well. I'd say he was well and truly hooked on
fishing! |
 |
 |
| Jerry Weitz landed a lovely
5lb fish... |
...and then he
let it go again! |
 |
 |
| Jerry in "stealth mode" which nearly got him
the monster - unfortunately, the cast was a
fraction close to a fish of around 8lbs... |
...but we washed his sorrows
away with the obligatory cup of coffee and a
handful of cookies! The sugar-rush always gets
them smiling again! |
                                
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