In addition to lowland waters, the high country rivers are now open (apart from the upper Ahuriri, which opens in December).
Fishing has been rather testing so far in November, as heavy rain and plenty of strong winds are limiting opportunities.
We have managed to find, fish, including some nice browns in the waters that have been fishable.
There have been large numbers of spawning rainbows in several backcountry rivers, and in some others there is a remarkable lack of numbers compared to usual.
While we have managed to get takes on dry flies such as blowflies and parachute adams, the majority of sighted fish have been caught using tungsten bead mayfly nymphs. There have also been a few on damsel fly nymphs and when things get a bit desperate, bully imitations in still waters.
Looking ahead, it will take some time for many rivers to become fishable again, with more unsettled weather on the way.
It is good use of time to look at the available river flow gauges on line, as well as wind and rainfall predictions, before heading out.
