For the last couple of seasons I have intended to get inland and fish in the Maniototo area and until yesterday all I had done was think about going.
I was invited to join a friend on a trip to Lake Onslow as he was going to take his boat up and have a look around… I of course accepted the invitation and set off with my eldest daughter and met up with my mate and his son.
The weather forcast was for strong winds and they weren’t wrong but we did get out on the lake for a while, being a high country lake it wasn’t that rough but the dull gloomy light conditions along with the tanin stained water made it hard to spot much so trolling was pretty much the order of the day.
Lake Onslow on a blustery dull day
We fished for a couple of hours and caught one nice little brown and lost another.
I liked the look of the lake and certainly believe that it could be worth visiting a bit later in the season when the cicadas are around.
Lake Onslow
McAtamneys Head Pond
It did brighten up a little around the time that we had taken the boat from the water but the wind remained.
We decided to go and have a look at McAtamney’s head pond which I believe is a small storage lake associated with a small hydro power station.
The lake was rather low around one and a half metres below what looked like the normal water level but it was slightly sheltered form the worst of the wind and the weather had stayed a little brighter.
The lake was a bit small to boat in and there wasn’t much in the way of a launching ramp so we fished from the shore. My daughter and I never even saw a fish but my mate and his son who went the opposite direction from us caught a couple of smallish browns and had a bit of excitement besides.
Fishing at McAtamney's
It was a great time in a fantastic area and I will be back hopefully in slightly more favourable conditions.
Filed under: Fishing, Fly Fishing, General Fishing Stuff | Tagged: Fishing, Fly Fishing, New Zealand, Trout
Wow those pictures are incredible! The lake looks so sinister.