With spring just around the corner, the trout are finally starting to show a bit of interest in feeding. Rainbows are looking to congregate around river mouths, and the browns are starting to look around the margins of the lakes for some easy food as they continue to recover from spawning.
Winter is in full swing, with cold temperatures resulting in falling lake levels and low river flows as most of the rainfall is locked up in the snowpack.
We have been out and about fishing over the last couple of weeks, and are finding things very quiet, as I would expect at this time of year. There are a few browns about cruising the lake margins, but are proving to be not particularly motivated to feed. We have had a few takes on bully imitations lifted off the bottom.
It’s a brave angler to be on the water this month unless the sun is out! However, when cold fingers allow, and your rod eyelets aren’t frozen, I suggest focusing on incoming river mouths to target rainbows that are moving around in preparation for spawning in a few months. There is the odd brown lurking on the mudflats post spawning, however they are not in very flash condition.
I have been enjoying the fishing recently, much more than the previous month!
Sure, the weather is tough, but the fish are feeding more, and some good ones are moving around into the rivers from the lakes, and also moving into the side streams to think about spawning. The rainbows are by far better in condition than any I have seen previously this season.
All the rivers should be fishing well if the flows permit, and the wind allows you to get a line out!
The big dry and overheat has finally broken and cooler temperatures combined with increased rainfall has produced conditions more favorable for fishing.
A major rain event saw rivers at full flood levels earlier in the month, and many fish have been pushed back into the lakes from the backcountry rivers.
The fishing for January is looking for the mountains, with steady river flows in the backcountry.
Eastern rivers are really suffering with the drought, and many are un fishable due to high temperatures and low flows. We stopped fishing the other day at 3pm when the temp got to 19C as the chances of fish mortality are much greater.
Lake edges are fishing very well, and some windy days have certainly helped stir the water and food up near the margins which brings the trout in.
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