NZ Fishing Calendar
October
Season opens for back country streams. Fish are at their least wary as they have had no angling pressure for 5 months. A weighted nymph generally does the trick. Water and weather is still cool.
November
Temperatures are warmer and fish are mainly caught on the nymph but opportunities with the dry fly do regularly occur.
December
Warm temperatures and surface feeding begins in earnest. Dry flies or dry fly/nymph combination are the norm. From Christmas onwards the annual NZ summer vacation is in full swing. Readily accessible streams can be under angling pressure.
January
Warm temperatures - surface feeding in full swing. Holiday makers at their most prolific.
February
Hot. Waters are low. Trout are wary but when surface feeding are suckers for a well presented dry fly. The NZ holiday makers have gone back to work.
March
Temperatures cool off. Holiday makers are not common. Trout take nymphs and dries. Often very good dry fly fishing.
April
Cool. Mainly nymphing with dry combo, but I've had some wonderful dry fly fishing on small streams during this month.
May - June
Back country season closes June 30. Fishing very similar to April but water temps are dropping and wet wading is only for Spartacus. Good nymphing and on occasions very good dry fly activity up to mid-May.
July - September
Our winter months, cold temperatures. Many of the back country rivers close to allow the fish to spawn in peace. My guided fly fishing is confined to the Lake Taupo feeder river system for river running rainbows. This is not back country fishing and the water is very accessible from public roads. There are lots of other anglers. The fishing is very similar to Western USA steelhead fishing - big fighting fish caught on nymphs and wet flies.