Every part of the season has something going for it.

October and November. The main season opens on trout that have not seen a fly for up to 7 months. They have finished spawning, are hungry and fairly relaxed. Mostly nymph fishing early on, with more fish looking up for a dry as November warms.

Late November. The first warm evenings bring on the nocturnal brown beetle hatches and some very good dusk dry fly fishing. Whitebait entering the lower reaches of east and west coast rivers pulls resident trout onto them.

December. Long, settled days and more insect activity. Lower rivers make fish easier to spot, and they often give themselves away rising to terrestrials.