Mataura River · fly box
Southland's big dry-fly river, where browns average 1.5 kg and rise all summer.
| Pattern | Imitates | Size | Technique |
|---|---|---|---|
| Klinkhamer | Emerging mayfly | #12-14 | The Southland standard for rising browns in flat water; fish it on a 5-metre leader. |
| CDC Mayfly Dun | Coloburiscus dun | #10-12 | Afternoon hatch on the weed lanes; sight-cast to individual fish. |
| Hare's Ear Nymph | Mayfly nymph | #12-14 | When nothing is up, fish it blind through the deep weed edges. |
| Cicada / beetle | Terrestrial | #10-12 | February wind-blown terrestrials; cast tight to the grassy bank. |
The dressing plate
On this river
Spotting fish in flat water
The Mataura's middle reach is flat and weedy and most fish are found by their rise rather than by searching. Walk the bank 5 metres back from the edge, scan for the rings, and only then plan a cast. A fish rising steadily in the same spot for ten minutes is catchable; one that is moving is usually not, so wait.
The downstream presentation
In flat water a fish faces upstream and sees everything coming. The standard Southland trick is to walk below a rising fish, cast upstream but well to the side, and let the fly come down into the fish's window on a slack line. The fish sees the fly first, not the leader.
Evening caddis on a windy day
Southland wind is a fact of life and the Mataura's evening caddis hatch is often fished in a 20 km/h nor'wester. Counter-intuitively, the wind helps: it puts a chop on the water, hides your line, and pushes the caddis onto the lee bank, where the big fish are waiting. Fish the windy bank, not the sheltered one.