Fishing News index> September 2007

Seasons Prospects

As is usual for the South we have had balmy conditions in September so far and this is tempting for anglers wanting to renew their acquaintance with the rivers and streams of the region.

Over the past few seasons didymo has been a problem in some waters but its effects have been less of a concern than we originally thought it might be. In August we had the biggest flood since 2002 and this has cleaned didymo from the Oreti Waiau, Aparima and also to a large extent, the Mararoa as well. A recent survey of the Waiau showed that the bed is pretty clean of didymo is most places. Similar conditions now occur in the other rivers.

This is not to say that it won’t come back but it does show that a big flood in the winter certainly removes most of it. Clean stones in the Waiau downstream of the Mararoa weir also have a moderate population of mayflies and caddis flies, so these appear to have survived the floods and the infestation of didymo that has occurred since 2004.

Traditionally the lowland waters fish well in the spring but the cold winter this year appears to have slowed activity up a bit. Whitebait catches are steady to slow rather than spectacular so trout activity following this may not peak for a while yet.

The best places to go over the opening weekend will depend on the weather of course but assuming it is reasonably fine the middle reaches of the Oreti, Aparima and Waiau will be good producers of fish for spin anglers, and the absence of didymo will mean catching the nasty stuff will not be a problem. The Mataura is likely to be full and discoloured so bait anglers will do best there. Fly anglers should head to the tributaries such as the Waimea and Waikaka, Hamilton Burn and Acton, Irthing and Cromel.

High country tributaries such as the Dome Burn and Gow Burn which flow into the Waikaia are always popular but anglers who fish these should remember the low bag limits of 2 fish per day which are required to preserve the stocks in these waters. 

Anglers heading to the Upper Oreti are asked to be particularly mindful of angling manners. This area gets pretty crowded so anglers may have to share the water with others. We have developed a new beat system in the Catch and Release Zone which you will discover when you get there.  We expect angler etiquette to fix the problems that have been developing there over the past few years. The upper Mataura can suffer from the same problems so we ask anglers to respect others on the river so all can enjoy their fishing and not come home grumbling about others cutting them off.

So wherever you go tight lines and have a good day.

Maurice Rodway
Manager

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