Sea runs

Went to Anderson's corner at Waipopo. There were whitebaiters and swimmers there.  Warm nor-wester breeze was blowing down to the sea and I had to cast into it. It was dreadful with 'wind knots' and poor casting.  Lost gear and ran out of tippet.  Lost a white booby, a woolly bugger and a doll fly.  Caught a very small sea-run on a Parson Glory [?]. Was about 200g!  Left after 2h 30m.  Mixed session.

Hanging Rock 12 Oct

Got out for couple of hours to Hanging Rock.  Meant to go to the confluence of the Opuha and the Opihi but took wrong turn.  Parked near true right of Hanging Rock Bridge and dropped off the dike to that backwater pool there [-44.192182, 171.042418].

Saw two fish in this pool.  One a good size.  They fed from the surface and also thrashed around in shallows after something. Some territorial disputes between them but did not seem to see me, there's good cover there. They spent a lot of time stationary on the bottom of quietly cruising it.  Couldn't see what they were eating.

Tried a wee dry at first (Dad's Favourite?) then a Collie nymph (floated too much).  Then tried a blood worm, then a heavily weighted nymph off the blood worm's hook bend, then a wicked blue terrestrial. The blood worm/weighted nymph created most stir but no real interest.  Big thunderstorm came in, it hailed like being strafed by a warplane. Exciting stuff.  No loss of gear despite all the trees. Only used bow nd arrow casts, so little room.

Other ideas would be a willow grub, a royal woolf , water boatman or weighted nymph by itself.  Good little trip despite no fish!

Catlins 2 Oct until 8 Oct

Sucesses

5 fish in total. Two released because of size, <500g. 1 Sea run 610g and two river browns 1.25kg and 670g.

All caught in the Owaka just as the Pounawea Road enters Pounawea and all Woolly Buggers, Mrs Simpson or whitebait imitations (white Woolly Bugger, Parsons Glory and a white rabbit fur job [white zonker?).

No time to get up the valley but did try Hinahina and Catlins Lake but didn't even see a fish there. Whitebait weren't running much but not surprising with so many fish around.  Saw the biggest shoal of herring ever.  All in one spot for an hour; over a thousand fish I would have thought. Craig caught a barracouta in the set net. That's a new species for down there.

Not yet successes

Tried fishing at night with things that glow.  No luck and lost too much gear too.

Fished along the edge just before Surat Bay.  Caught a Stargazer!  Lots of them there and herring but no good fish.

Derek has told me of a spot [-46.469395,169.664872] near the Hinahina bridge that a skin diver has told him as holding fish.  Too much wind and tide when I was there.

Next trip. 

Probably 10 Nov. Try and get up the valley and get over to Hinahina but put food on the table by fishing the Owaka

Opening Day

-44.304011, 170.962669

Much anticipated but oh so disappointing.  Went to O'Neills reserve and walked towards Cave.  Saw plenty of fish in one pool but no luck. Don't thin I fished that well to them either.  One was feeding energetically. Saw a black one too.  Used two nymphs then a dry fly nymph combo.

Old Cromwell Town on Lake Dunstan

 -45.054364,169.196617

Got out before 7am. Short drive down to the lake.  Walked a few kms  around to a spot that I chose because it seemed relatively debris-free but still near a entrance of a culvert to the lake.  I lost a newly purchased yellow spoon on my first cast so I switched to soft baits.  Gave up after 30 min.  Plenty of "rises" in lake but possibly gas Walked back to culvert and saw a fish in the deep pool that the culvert discharged into.  Flicked my soft bait into pool but too far and over a log.  Lost soft bait on retrieve (hook snapped). Fitted a Woolly Bugger into pool.  Taken by fish bolting out from under cover. Surprised me and it think may have been foul hooked, perhaps I struck too soon.  Lost it anyway.  Put fly back in and a fish examined it.  Didn't have enough room to give the fly life; it was on a threadline. Retrieved it and weighted with split shot.  Caught on debris and lost it.  Left the lake.

Must convert more strikes and hook ups to landings.  Would probably help if I took the hook setting as part of my craft and approached it calmly and with respect to the prevailing circumstances. Good to get a strike and a follow though.  Well pleased with how things are going really. 

October 1st! Come on!

So here we are waiting for the start of a new season (must buy my licence!)

What I liked about last season:

Opihi
Caught a fish in the lower Opihi (-44.269339,171.327457). fishing with a black and gold spoon
Hooked a fish in a backwater by the Opihi/Opuha confluence (-44.178061,170.992927) using a Royal Wulf. It broke.
Hooked a fish in the Temuka in a backwater (-44.237021,171.267966) . The line broke. The fly was a water boatman.  I did not sight the fish I just thought it was a good spot and I had seen boatmen there. I was very surprised when the fish showed up!
Deliberately fished using wee wets and caught a very small fish early season in the Te Ngawai at (-44.245414,171.113041). Released.
Caught a fish and landed it (but it got away from the land!) in the Te Ngawai at Cross Road (-44.264595,171.051458).  Took a blood worm in a backwater.

Catlins
Lots of fun and a few fish in the Owaka River. Especially near -46.467911,169.687826.  Small though. Two within 15 minutes once! One foul hooked and released. One on a Mrs Simpson, two on spinners.
Three strikes on soft baits. Not using them right.

Want I want this season:

More hook ups landed.
Some action with my new line  (Rio gold $140!)
Good use of soft baits

The Catlins Sat 13 July- Sun 20 July

The thing about the Catlins is that it is dominated by tidal waters.  This, in Otago at any rate, makes it a year round fishery.  This week I have caught 4 fish.  All less than 0.5kg.  One had to be returned as it was foul hooked (flouro pink Tassie through the gill cover) the other three were taken event though they were small; one had to be it was so wrecked by the lure that it was piercing an eye.

One of the taken was caught on a Mrs Simpson (red) as it was patrolling/crabbing in 500mm of water about 500mm from shore. You see a lot of fish at this depth and distance here.  You can spot their bow waves, and if you don't you'll spot their bow waves as they bolt having seen you first.  I had a couple of strikes on the new soft baits I started using but I think I need to not strike at the swirl and wait a breath ("God Save the Queen" is the English waiting phrase).

Two were taken within a fifteen minute spell (a third got off the hook whilst I was trying to adjust the drag and let the pressure on the fish go) chucking out a "Trout Quiver" (a nice wee  lure) and a black and gold Kobra. There was a lot of activity in mid-stream and I was chucking lures out to it and retrieving fairly quickly. I subsequently lost the Trout Quiver.  I must remember to check knots after a catch or a brush with snags; it flew comically, in a long arc, out to mid-stream after catching the first fish).

Still no luck over at Hina Hina, will try again. And as yet no luck with getting lures into the channels at low tide, might try using the surf casting rod here.