It was the 10th of April 2021. The forecast was for northeasters with showers becoming heavy in the afternoon. Larry reckoned that was perfect weather for fishing. We put the canoe in at Murupara at nine AM armed with a spinning and fly rod. What else would we want to do on a rainy Saturday?
It was a dark day with lots of wind and drizzle. Our raincoats were already on. It was also a slow start. The trout were following the spinner, which is very typical, but they were not attacking it.
When we got down to the first big spring creek, Larry had landed seven trout and they were all on the larger side. About a month before, Larry had landed 17 at this point.
The river was even lower and clearer this time and we saw just as many fish. There were plenty rising and we did try an elk hair caddis a couple of times but the fish were spooky.
Larry began to pick up fish after fish on the spinner as we floated down river.
We noticed a lot of wasps on the water and I suspect the trout were targeting them and the still abundant caddis flies. I do not have a wasp pattern so I will need to do something about that. In our area the wasps swarm on the willow trees in summer and autumn as the leaves exude some kind of honey dew. It only makes sense that the wasps will fall in the water. But this was more than just a few random wasps in the water; they were everywhere when we started to notice them. Wasps are a significant introduced pest here in the Bay of Plenty and I know they are poisoned in many places. With the way this government throws poison around, I can't help but wonder about the food chain and if the trout are gorging on poisoned wasps. I suspect they are just dying off from natural causes but one never knows.
This stretch of river has so many fish it is ridiculous. It is barely fished at all and people need to get in there and kill their daily limits. It is a difficult river to access in many places but make the effort to access the farmland along its banks all the way down to Lake Aniwhenua. If you are going to float down in a canoe, kayak or raft, be cautious. There are lots of challenging bits mostly in the form of trees in the water. It was a few years ago now but a couple of fishermen in a canoe got into trouble and called for the rescue helicopter.
Next time we go there I think I will get a couple of counters (clickers) to keep track of the numbers. I counted hook ups and Larry counted trout landed. By the time we pulled out at Rabbit Bridge, he looked 114 and landed 48. Last month he landed 59. Yes, it is ridiculous. The wind was pretty bad but we mostly escaped the heavy rain.
Also, check out the wound on the brown trout to the right. Does anyone know what might have caused it?
Ok, I have since done some research on German and common wasps. In April and May, the old queen, males and workers die. Well, hell, that would explain all of the wasps on the water. Let the design of a vespula wasp dry fly begin. Here is a link if you want to read more on the subject : https://www.landcareresearch.co.nz/discover-our-research/biosecurity/invasive-invertebrates/vespula-wasps/life-cycle-of-a-wasp/#:~:text=After%20five%20moults%20over%20about,is%20determined%20by%20environmental%20conditions