Another season is just around the corner after a fantastic previous season on mice. This population explosion of these furry critters induces rapid growth in the trout. They put on great condition very quickly and often this carries through until well after the spawning season and into the spring. The trout respond very well to large...no...very large flies. I heard of a guide this year whose clients landed 14 double figure fish. One of those fish was unable to be weighed because the scales on his net went only to 15 pounds! Well there will be a carry over for some of these fish in the coming season.
We had some early winter floods and I think that they will have cleaned the spawning gravels in the streams well prior to the spawning. As long as we do not have any further floods of that size we will be in good shape for a first class fishing season.
It's just about time for me to do my pre-season walks up the rivers that I go to. I enjoy the exercise and it is always fun to see how the rivers have changed over the winter. It's a bit like going to a new river! Many of the old pools and familiar back waters have gone and been replaced by brand new ones!
The fly schools continue to be popular and the new seasons bookings are well under way now. I run fly schools at two levels. The Introductory Course is designed for beginners through to anglers with up to three years or so experience. Each of these classes is of two days and over a weekend. No equipment is needed for this course and everything is included lunches and morning and afternoon teas. On completion of enrollment you will be sent a 30 page book of notes together with a covering letter. Bookings are essential for these courses as each one is limited to five students. Please note: you will NOT need a fishing licence to do either of these courses as you will NOT be fishing!
The Advanced Class is more suited to anglers who have had at least one year's experience on the water. The idea if this course is to give your fly casting a pre season tune up and then to take your fly casting very much to the next level. In this class you really learn what your fly rod is capable of doing (often with surprising results). You will learn how to cast in tricky situations such as a strong wind, distance casting, and several presentation casts. This course is one and a half days in duration. The first day is on the grass and the half day is done on the water. This course has fifteen students on it and is usually over subscribed.
