....... to the August 2008 edition of Reel Life.

The days are getting longer. The new season is just around the corner. There is a sense of anticipation in the air!

There’s also a general election coming up, and this month Fish & Game have polled all the main political parties on the most important topics facing fishing, freshwater and related issues. It is a brilliant and comprehensive analysis of policy options, and well worth a read.

Readers of Reel Life also have the opportunity to buy their new season licences online now – there has been a minor increase in prices, and you can read an analysis of licence costs and revenue allocation here, or a general licences FAQ here. New season regulations for each region are now online as well here.

The issue of the ban on felt-soled waders has been hotly debated. You can read the latest FAQ on this important issue here.

Updated course information is now available from the Becoming an Outdoor Woman initiative here, with details on the latest course dates.

Now, despite the appalling weather, there has been some fishing around the country, and of course F&G staff have been busy as usual, so here’s the latest news from around the regions.

In the North Island....

Having experienced some of the worst of the rain, Northland fishing has been a bit of a washout, so they take this opportunity to bring us more pictures from their recent, and very successful fishing competition.

Auckland / Waikato provide their bi-monthly newsbrief, and also update us on local water pollution and the impact of floods in the region. Bye-bye drought (for now, anyway).

In the Eastern Region, this month’s news is that Rotorua has been fishing well. The Lake Rotoiti wall is also complete.

Torrential rain has eliminated Hawke’s Bay rivers as a fishing opportunity in recent weeks. Luckily, Lake Tutira has been going really well.

Despite more than 3 metres (yes, that’s right) of rain on the northern slopes of Mt Taranaki in the last couple of months, the freshes have not been excessive, and prospects for the spring look pretty good. The Taranaki waters that are open at this time of year have been fishing quite nicely.

Wellington highlights local changes for the new season regulations. Make sure you are aware of these before heading out.

Into the South Island......

North Canterbury provide us with a full news round-up of staff activities and local news. At time of going to press, very heavy rain was drenching the region, so fishing may bhe off the menu for a week or two.

In the Central South Island Region, there’s plenty of salmon news, as well as an interesting piece entitled Fishing the Secret Squirrel!

Southland completes the SI picture this month by telling us that they are confident of some really good fishing come October 1.

Our new fishing clubs page is filling up with local club newsletters. If you want to publish your club’s newsletter here, just drop me a line (reellife@inbox.net.nz)

Regular columnist Hugh Creasy is finding the weather tough going, as we see in a lyrical yet discontented At the end are the rainbows this month.

Finally for this month, the Idle Thoughts of an Idle Editor looks at recent weather, analyses a couple of possible explanations and their consequences for trout fishers. Idle thoughts indeed.

Best wishes

Jerry

Jerry Flay, Editor, Reel Life
reellife@inbox.net.nz