Fishing Calendar
The fishing season on the South Island lasts from october 1st to April 30th, which covers spring summer and autumn. The fishing techniques employed are much the same throughout the season but monthly changes in length of day, air and water temperature produce different insects to appear for the angler to imitate. The time boundaries of the insect hatches are blurred however and hatches of aquatic insects can appear at
any time throughout the season.
However the fishing does hold to a general pattern and the following is typical of what you can expect during the fishing season.
October/November
Our fishing season opens on October 1st, the weather can be cool and changeable but it is one of the best times to catch big numbers of fish. Dry fly action can be limited but sub surface nymph fishing is spectacular.
December
One of the best months to fish at Western Rivers. Aquatic insects particularly Mayflies begin to emerge and fish start to feed actively on the surface. Caddis and Mayfly are emerging and the terrestrial insects begin to appear, particularly Green Beetle towards the end of the month.
January
The middle of our summer and both aquatic and terrestrial insects are present. The weather is warm and settled and insects will hatch most of the day. Terrestrials such as the Blowfly are in profusion and the last 2 weeks of the month heralds the arrival of the cicada, an annual in NZ. Rivers are clear and as the month progresses finer tippets (4x or 5x) are called for.
February
Rivers are gin clear and at times low water can call for delicate presentations. Terrestrial insects particularly Cicada, Blowfly, Cranefly
and Sawfly abound along with aquatic hatches of Stonefly, Mayfly, Caddis and Dobsonfly make February the dry fly anglers month. Accurate presentations and long fine tippets are the order of this month.
March & April
Late summer and the first two weeks of March offer similar fishing to February with terrestrial insects still present although hatches of the aquatic insects are beginning to tail off. Late hatches of Caddis occur throughout March and April but can be sporadic. Stonefly and Mayfly nymphs are preferred late in the season for fish in prime condition.
