First Swing Of The Winter Season

First time out with my double hander rod for the year today and boy it felt good to feel the line tighten, then the weight go on at the end of the swing ! I was stoked to land a solid 5lb rainbow along with 4 other fresh wee rainbows in the 2-3lb range all fighting fit and in great condition. The takes ranged from small ‘taps’ or ‘plucks’ to full on hits that pulled the fly line from hand. Most were at the end of the swing as the fly lifted slightly or on the first small strip after having the let the fly “hang” in the current briefly. Many times a fish will follow the fly closer, until taking it or rejecting it. Generally when swinging flies you don’t see the fly or the fish and one can only imagine and guess what is going on under the surface. Knowing where fish will hold during the winter months and swinging your flies through these pieces of water is the key to success.

A solid fish on my first winter session.

Dan who works for Swift Fly Fishing here in Wanaka as their Epic Social Media Manager dropped me off a few flies he’s recently been fishing and getting some good results with.. Dan’s a Steel Header and originally hails from Oregon in the US .It’s been interesting talking with him about the similarities and techniques used when fishing for Steel Head that he now applies to fishing with his two handed rod here on our New Zealand rivers.

One thing to keep in mind is the size of the fly, the density of the sink tip and diameter and length of your tippet. Use a tip with a sink rate appropriate for the depth and current speed of the run you are fishing. Pays to always carry flies of different weight and size and don’t be afraid to change things up if its just not happening !