Hamills Fishing Report for July/August 2023
River and Lake Conditions
It has been a few seasons since we have had these turbulent weather conditions!
From a biased perspective, this means we are having some terrific fishing on the local rivers as some nice runs come through. The continual ‘fresh’ conditions as heavy rains colour up the rivers are stimulating for our trout (and bringing out the keener fishos as well).
Despite the rough surface conditions, there have also been some positive reports of Lake success; the fierce winds have been turning over the surface most days and quickly dropping the water temperatures at the top. The best results have been on the Harl with 2-3 colours in the more sheltered bays. Acacia Bay and Mine Bay have been very productive with the 12g Toby patterns standards, and the Yellow Lady is still the superstar, go-to streamer.
Silvereye Flies - Yellow Lady Shop Here
All the rivers on the eastern side of the Great Lake are back in form! The sou-wester winds have certainly helped the push into the Waitahanui, Hinemaia and Tauranga-Taupo rivers with local and visiting anglers enjoying their days out. Glo bugs in the 4mm to 8mm range seem to be the way to go with all colours in the red spectrum doing their part. The trend toward softer, gel eggs continues this year as they prove highly effective. Nymphing will always be productive with red/fluro tungsten beads on most traditional patterns working a treat. The overcast conditions have been an immense help as shadows even out but still take care of approaching pools and take time to set yourself up.
Kudos to Young Fisher-People!
It is a great pleasure to see so many young people heading to the rivers this year. They are spending a lot of time in the store having a chat and sucking up any information they can get. Some are truly knowledgeable about their gear and what flies they are looking for. The future looks to be well cared for as they are respectful, well-mannered, and very conscious about the environment within the fishery.
Read more about the Taupo Check, Clean, Dry advice here
Trev Terry and Hamills Getting it Done!
We have a fishing ‘newbie’ on staff who has really taken to his fly-fishing this year and we introduce Matt. Matt is our senior Boat Salesman and has been spending his spare time on the rivers in various conditions. Taking out his new Taimer 9’ #6, modelling his Desolve kit and throwing some Silvereye Flies, Matt picked up this beauty and was clearly chuffed. The team were quick to congratulate Matt and the banter was positive for the most part.
Come and Visit Us In Store or Online
We are open 7 days a week for your fishing needs and can get you started with some cool Taimer (Okuma), Reddington and Orvis combos. While you are in, climb into some Kilwell, Orvis, CDX or Desolve waders and boots to look cool like Matt on the rivers. We also carry an excellent range of consumables including Silvereye, Category 3, and Pat Swift flies to complete your prep for your day out.
As always, stay safe and watch your footing when wading and walking the tracks around the rivers.
