Monthly Highlights
Below are photos and a story from the recent month's guided fly fishing trips in New Zealand's Central South Island.
April 2026
The latter part of the 2025/2026 season was surprisingly good. Usually come March most rivers are getting low and slow but a lot of rain earlier in the year boosted flows and allowed for more activity. Low flows and consequently warmer water is far from ideal for trout fishing and this is often the case late season in this region.
The other Autumn feature around Twizel is the presence of Sockeye salmon in most of the streams and rivers. These industrious little guys are hard at work doing 'their thing'. Mother nature can be cruel and the salmon literally spawn themselves to pieces until they ultimately die. I believe the decaying flesh is actually good for the health of the stream but it is still sad to witness.
The upside for anglers is the arrival of brown trout following up behind the salmon to feast on stray eggs floating down the current.
With regulars Pat and LeAnn, we enjoyed good conditions for our two day stint together with bright sunny days and little wind. On a spring creek, we enjoyed success using a dark sub-merger pattern for finicky brownies intermittently rising.
The next outing was entirely different. Sockeyes were there a plenty so we targeted the browns (and occasional rainbows) that were also present. You need patience and accuracy for this game and luckily Pat and LeAnn have that in spades!
Hard to beat fishing like this - just ask Pat!
LeAnn with a beauty!
A fine spring creek resident brownie
And again!
A very accurate cast caught this fine rainbow
Another one with a happy guide in the background
The unfortunate end for a spawning sockeye salmon
SBN nymphs used are available to buy here
[click image to enlarge]
