Weather: 10.8° Cloudy periods with rain at times. Southerlies, becoming strong in exposed places for a time in the afternoon.
River Flow: 27.2 Cumecs (m³/s)
After a blustery, slightly wet night, we saw the river rise to around 30 cumecs. It wasn't quite the lift we were hoping for, but it's certainly better than nothing. The river had a slight brown tinge this morning, showing that at least a small fresh moved through. While the wind has eased from last night's conditions, it's still making its presence felt.
The good news is that the forecast has it easing further tomorrow before settling into much nicer conditions for the long weekend.
Reports coming through the shop over the past few days have been very encouraging, with a number of fresh fish caught across the Central Plateau rivers. It's great to see, especially after what has been a slower start to the winter runs than many of us were expecting.
Out on the lake, anglers have been landing plenty of fresh, fat fish, which suggests there are still more waiting to make their way into the river systems to spawn.
With the rivers still sitting fairly low and clear, egg patterns have been doing the damage first thing in the morning. As the sun gets higher, switching over to more natural patterns has continued to be the most productive approach.
Milzie has been out covering several of the local rivers and found success on all of them, sending through some great intel from his time on the water.
We approached each pool with long leaders and fine winter tippet (5–6 lb fluorocarbon). Larger, brighter "slushie" patterns worked well in the early morning, while more natural, subdued bomb patterns came into their own once the bright conditions set in.
For those who enjoy swinging flies, wet lining also fished well. Light, presentation-focused heads such as the Rio Scandi and Guideline ULS performed exceptionally, as their delicate presentation was much better suited to the low, clear flows. We found the heavier, splashier nature of Skagit heads was more likely to put fish down in these conditions.
A good friend also sent through this fantastic photo of his daughter, Pihanga, celebrating her birthday by catching her first fish on her brand-new kids' rod and reel combo we set up for her.
It's always special to see moments like this. Father and daughter sharing time on the water and creating memories together. The excitement and joy that fishing brings is what it's all about. Even more fitting, Pihanga's birthday was just a day after mine, and she got to spend it in the same incredible place, doing something we've both come to love. What a great way to celebrate!
Looking ahead, we're set to see the sunshine return as we head into the Matariki weekend. Southerly winds will be bringing some chilly temperatures with them, so expect some crisp, frosty mornings before the days warm up.
With the clearer skies, the fish are likely to become a little more cautious again. As we've seen over the past couple of weeks, more natural patterns should continue to be the go-to option during the brighter parts of the day. Keep covering water, fish each run thoroughly, and don't be afraid to move on if nothing is happening.
We're also hoping to see some rain around the middle of next week to give the rivers another fresh and encourage more fish to move through.
For those who have been patiently waiting, our Magnum Neoprene waders are finally back in stock. They'll be just the ticket for staying warm during those frosty morning starts or late-night sessions at the river mouth.
Stay warm, enjoy the Matariki weekend, and as always, tight lines!
~ Niamh (Bluey)