Finally, my first fishing season in the South comes to end for most rivers. Unfortunately, due to the fact that the river flow at my home river was still higher than the median level, and did not seem to be getting down, I had to find out an option to fish somewhere else for the weekend.
Before that I had a chance to have three hours fising during the week, so I went back to the small stream where I fished on last Monday for the first time.
Nice and warm, bright sunny day.
Feel so good to be and to fish here. But actually, the stream was a lot quieter than the last time.
Keep walking upstream looking for fish.
I could barely caught a couple of little ones, hmmm... not really exciting...
Heaps of sheep here. I wish there were as many brownies as they are, hahaha...
And for Sunday, not many options as most rivers were at high water, I carefully selected one river where its flow looked OK for fishing.
Rainy morning to start fishing. The river water looked OK like reasonably fishable, the colour looked not too bad and the level either.
I have fished this river a few times before, in earlier season, October and November. Today, I just try some different parts of the same river for the first time.
Actually, the river appears to me to be good, productive but quiet, no bite at all for the first two hours.
And finally got the first fish on just before noon!
Not that big but a good one maybe over 2lb.
Nice dark brown back.
Delightful good looking river.
As the sky cleared in the afternoon, I felt like fish got slightly more active.
Some took nymphs and one of them on dry.
The best fish of the day looked like a sea-runnner kind of colour.
This fish was rising and I didn't miss its small dimple rise.
I want to eat you because you look yummy but I just let you go.
I caught five fish today and found that the size of the fish was smaller in avarage than that of at my home river but also this was a nice fly fishing river. I will come back here in the next season.
To be honest, I was thinking this Sunday was gonna be very hard to fish due to the high water situation. But as it was the last Sunday to the end of the season, I really wanted to fish some river, and I thought I chose a right river to fish cause I could catch some fish anyway.
The fishing season for most rivers in the South Island ends on 30April. The Mataura has an extended month for May, so can be fished one more month. And some winter fishery exsist.
At my home river, limited lower reach is open for fishing all year. So I'm thinking to take my double hand rod or switch rod to strip some streamers there.
After nearly 5 months since I broke my Loop Evotec 696-4MF, I finally got the rod back in my quiver!
ループ、エヴォテック６９６－４ＭＦを折ってしまってからほぼ５ヶ月。ついに戦力復帰です！
Special thanks to Mr Yokota at LOOP to LOOP, one of my favorite fly fishing shops in my home town, Tokyo, who sent it back to me.
送り返してくれた地元東京のフライショップ、LOOP to LOOPの横田さんに感謝です。
I just wanted to go fishing taking my Loop rod but most major rivers in Otago, Southland are very high water at the moment. During the week, river flows kept getting up at all rivers in my mind and got too high, obviously unfishable unfortunately.
River flow at my home river. It was lower than 5 cumecs on last Monday and the water was quite good. And then, on 18Apr, Saturday, the river flow started to rise up dramatically and got above median level and reached about 15 cumecs.
This is one of small tributary streams that flows into my home river.
I always wanted to fish here as it is close to Dunedin, just 35mins drive, handy distance for half a day fishing. When the main river flows too high, tributary streams could be a good option to fish.I thought today might be a suitable occasion to try this stream for the first time.
I fished 4 hours, caught only one fish. But I think it was worth fishing this stream today, was good to know the stream holds good size fish and it is a potential back up water when the main stream is unfishable due to the high water.
At last, nex weekend will be the last weekend to fish most South Island rivers except some. As the weather has been wet, river fishing really depends on the river flow. Hopefully I will get some chance to fish on my home river for the last weekend in the season.
Sunday morning was chilly with showers and strong southwesterlies.
日曜日の朝はにわか雨に強い南西風で寒かった。
Odd showers on my way driving up the river. Hope the sky will clear later on.
川に向かう道中でも降ったり止んだり。後で晴れてくれればいいが。
It was cold to start fishing but the water colour looked quite good. Fishing should be good today!
釣り始めるには寒かったけど、水の状態は極めていい。今日の釣りはいいはず。
The first one bit on a gold bead nymph soon.
すぐに１発目の魚がゴールドビーズのニンフにバイト。
Good one, 2 inches short to 20".
５０ｃｍに２インチほど足りないいいヤツ。
A good one put good bend in my Scott G2!
いいヤツがスコットＧ２を絞り込む！
This was a nice and fat over 3.5lb hen, 20inches.
３．５ｌｂ、５０ｃｍの太くていいヤツだった。
Good 17-19inches brownies kept taking nymphs at most likely spots all morning.
The only one thing out of my thought was they took nymphs in faster runs and riffles more than slower runs I was thinking which means they were more active than I thought.
Having such a pleasant moment on late autumn trout river. Winter is approaching fast.
晩秋のトラウトリバーでなんとも楽しいひと時を。冬が駆け足で近づいてくる。
This nice autumn colour fish took a nymph in a fast run.
このキレイな秋色の魚は速い流れでニンフを取った。
Bye~~.
バイバ~イ
It's getting harder to remember how many fish I have landed today.
今日何本釣ったか覚えているのが大変になってきた。
Actually this was the 9th fish.
実際これが９本目。
This must be a good one! Very strong!
これはいいヤツだろう！ 強い！
Over 3lb nice jack.
３ｌｂ超えのいいオス。
Great day!
すばらしい日じゃないか！
And then, I caught the best fish of the day, a wee bit short to 5lb, 23inches jack.
そしてこの日のベストフィッシュ、５ｌｂにちょっと足りない５７ｃｍをキャッチ。
I thought this must have been one of those two good ones that I dropped last Monday. On last Mon, I saw his shape, colour and size because he jumped out of the water showing his whole body as soon as I hooked up and got hooked out....
He stayed at exactly the same spot. As a matter of fact, I tried this spot this morning but caught some other fish only. And I came back here again in the afternoon for him because I believed he was still there and finally landed.
I was pretty sure this was the one I dropped 6 days ago!
Although I have seen some other fishermen at lower reach of this river, I have never seen anyone at my favourite stretches out of the middle reach. I thought no one had come to fish here since I left on last Monday. Always only me! This is just like a dream situation for Japanese fisherman like myself. This never happens in Japanese fisheries.
Try to fish some different parts of the river where have never been before.
全く来たことのない場所をいくつか釣ってみる。
This good looking fish took a dry off the top to end the day.
最後にこのキレイな魚がドライに出た。
I had a great day!
いい１日だったなあ。
Today(Mon), the temperature was only 5℃ at noon with showers and hails in Dunedin! and It seemed to be even lower at my home river. Witer has come to the South NZ. So even myself, didn't feel like going back to the river today.
Only two more weekends left to the end of the season.
After having a tough fishing on my home river on Friday, it was kind of hard to choose which river I should go fishing on Sunday. There were a couple of options came through in my mind. And also, because of the Easter holiday week, the river water flow web site was not kept updating as usual. It was unable to check the river flows.
But eventually, I decided to go back to my home river hoping the river water turning back to clear after nearly 40 hours since I left the river on Friday.
As I arrived, the river water was getting lower even though it was still a bit higher, and the colour was getting better. Generally looked more fishable than Friday.
And then, next day, on Easter Monday, I went back to the river again to fish different part of the middle reach half a day.
そして翌日、イースターマンデイ、中流域の別の場所を半日やりに川にまた戻った。
I have been here only once before.
ここには以前、一度だけ来たことがある。
The first fish was a good strong one.
1本目は強くていいヤツでした。
Good-looking run.
いい流れだ。
The river was kind of quiet till warm northerly came down. But once it started to blow around 4pm, I got lots of bites.
暖かい北風が吹き始めるまで川は静かだったけど、午後４時くらいに吹き始めてからはバイトが頻発。
Unfortunately, I dropped a couple of good ones...
残念ながら、いいヤツを２つ落としてしまった...
"Bugger!!!"
クソーー！！！
But I could land this beauty after that.
でもその後このきれいなやつを捕れた。
Really nice autumn colour fish.
めっちくちゃキレイな秋色の魚。
Can't stop taking photos.
写真を撮る手が止まらない。
Just keep getting bites!
バイトが続く！
Got a good bag, 8 fish in 5 hours fishing.
５時間で８匹のいい釣果。
I think that Easter is one of the best time of the year for fishing in NZ as long as the weather is good and it was the same in the North Island as well. I fished well on both rivers and lakes in Rotorua in the North two years ago. The problem is a lot of people out there because it's a long weekend and you may get annoying traffic jam. But less people here, in Otago means less annoying which is good!
