Thread: Fly advice for a beginner

Josh, I've spent many happy days shooting the flats at dawn & dusk and fishing the days along the edge of the flats. In clear water use a Pheasant Tail and it probably doesn't need to be super small either, a Size14 should be OK, and if the water is clearing then a Hare & Copper Size 12 for a bit more visibility. If you want to try and have them take off the top then a Coch-y-Bonddu seems to look sufficiently as much like a fly as a manuka beetle to generate some interest. Those three have always worked for me. If you start at the bottom of the main flat then stalk them up the true right edge looking down into the water is easy enough from cover. Once spotted and the holding position is well identified, drop back, climb down (quietly) to river level and cast upstream to them to avoid getting snagged on the backcast. The visibility is good from the bank for a few hundred metres up to the Sayers crossing point. It resumes above the gravel fan just above the old lodge site where the bank is again a bit higher, then you can weave in and out of the kanuka up towards the corner slip - the height of the bank along this portion means you are looking right down on them even in low water, but it is more difficult to climb down to river level without a few rocks being loosened on the way. All browns, few if any rainbows; there were some released in the 90's and for a few years were in the upper gorge up to Mid-Waiohine. They may come back given time from the Ruamahanga.
The bottom pool (off the little flat) always has cruising fish that have more time to inspect your offering, and more time for line drag too, so are likely a bit trickier than in the faster water. I landed my first trout in that pool many years ago, a plump 3lb hen. Sounds like it'll be a good weekend.