FLY fishing is about offering an imitation of an insect that is bountiful on any given day.
Problem is, there are literally hundreds of freshwater fly patterns to choose from.
When trout are feeding on the surface, say on Kosciusko mayflies, you might want to offer a Royal Wulff, or perhaps a fly that doesn't exist in the entomological world, a Geehi Beetle. Despite being classed as a beetle pattern, the Geehi Beetle is a general purpose pattern.
If trout are feeding on smelt, the patterns like the Chaser, Woolly Bugger, Mrs Simpson or Lazer Minnow are worth trying.
I recall being on the water with Philip Weigall and when we arrived, a mayfly dun hatch was under way.
Fly fishers like Philip become amateur entomologists. He was specific about these duns, calling them Atalophlebia australis and explaining that there are two hatches a year, the first from mid October to early December and the second in March.
In the nymph or mudeye stage, these insects crawl about the bottom and then one day get the urge to move up the water column to the surface.
Once at the surface, these nymphs force their way through the meniscus or surface film, break free of their exoskeleton and then sit on the water waiting for their wings to dry.
We were on a private lake, the surface looking like a floating tent city as the emerged insects drifted and waited for their wings to dry. The trout were active, feeding on the duns as they were coming out of their exoskeletons or emerging. This is when the insects are most vulnerable, and the hatch lasted for about three hours.
"They're caught with their pants down so to speak and can't escape the trout," Philip said. He was casting a small Barry Lodge Emerger fly. When trout feed on emergers, it is a sip or gulp, whereas when taking the insects off the surface, the action is splashier.
For Philip, the only problem was keeping the fly in view. If you lose sight of it, a trout can take it and spit it out before you have time to react.
It's that time of year when grasshoppers play a major role in the feeding habits of trout, particularly in mountain streams and rivers. I haven't heard much about grasshoppers this year but you can usually count on them being around.
Once the grasses brown off, grasshoppers seek greener grasses found along the streams, and on windy days, when above average numbers of hoppers are blown on to the water, trout will rise to the occasion.
Eildon fly fisher Mick Hall explained that areas with high banks, and overhanging grasses were often the best, and gave a valuable tip: when possible, have a friend kick the grasses or drive a bunch of hoppers over the edge.
"As they drift down, most hoppers will kick and if there is a trout around, you will be able to see the rise," he said. Alternatively, you can catch a handful of hoppers, toss them in the river at a point where you can see downstream for some way, and watch for rising trout.
Presentation is all-important when fly fishing.
In streams, Mick's advice is to cast the fly along and close to an overhanging bank, then let the fly drift back down towards you, twitching it occasionally to impart a little life: "If the fly sinks a little, don't worry as the fish often take hoppers that have drowned. Some fly flickers even prefer to fish sinking versions of hopper patterns saying they catch more trout."
The best time of day to try hopper pattern flies is from about 10am on hot days - and the hotter the better.
Another bonus is if the wind comes up, as this will blow more hoppers on to the water and really bring the fish on.
