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Comments 0 | Posted by: Global Administrator,
With the summer fishing season in full cry we are already getting ready for the autumn rut which heralds the new hunting season. The fishing has been fantastic. Consistent spring rain has enabled rivers to hold their level and they are in much better shape than this time last year. Warm weather has promoted terrestrial activity resulting in some great dry fly activity. The autumn is shaping up well and March and April should produce some outstanding fishing. Cooler evening temperatures makes fish more active and with a bit less fishing pressure there can be big catches at this time of the year.
The stags are currently carrying big heads of velvet – a sure sign of some great trophies this year. Antler growth is heavily influenced by the availability of feed during spring and summer. The wet warm conditions have encouraged grass growth and the antlers are responding! It is now only a matter of weeks until the first stags will start stripping velvet in mid February.
In the meantime we are heading to SCI in Reno 21-24 January 2009 (booths 1523, 1525, 1527, 1622, 1624, 1626). Come long and catch up with us then. We’d love to share our Poronui hunting experiences with you!
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Comments 0 | Posted by: Global Administrator,
A boom flowering for the native beech trees of the Central North Island has triggered predictions of a beech mast year in 2009. Department of Conservation forecasts suggest there will be between 16,000 and 18,000 beech seeds per square metre. That's the equivalent of having the whole forest covered in seed 10-20cm thick! A very large plate of muesli!
If the prediction comes true, the number of mice will increase rapidly and are expected to be in plague proportions come spring 2009. This is bad news from a conservation perspective particularly as it is sure to be followed by increased numbers of stoats and other predators. Vulnerable hole-nesting species such as short-tailed bat, kaka, and kakariki are likely to suffer significantly from predation.
On a positive note the huge increase in mice numbers will have an equally dramatic but positive effect on trout. With literally millions of mice scurrying everywhere many end up in the water. It does not take the fish long to work out that the furry mouthful is tasty. With a diet of mouse-sized bits of protein, trout grow fat very rapidly. They also feed aggressively and provide tremendous surface action.
Beech mast years are thought to occur on average every seven years. This one is overdue and by all accounts looks like being a bumper. These conditions produce the best back country fishing imaginable. Huge trout aggressively feeding on large surface flies – the stuff of every angler’s dreams!
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