NZ Beetles and How To Fish Them
When the soil temperatures begin to warm in late spring, the grass grubs begin to get rowdy. Brown beetle generally hatch out at dusk around our grassland streams and then feed throughout the night, offering our first real taste of terrestrial action for the summer. However it is when they return to the willows at daybreak to rest, bellies full, that these clumsy fliers end up on the water in surprising numbers.
The dusk fall of beetle is the most convenient event for anglers to fish however if you put in the effort, and set that alarm clock super early then the early bird will often get the, er, beetle. Throughout the day, plopping a beetle pattern into established foam lines or working upstream along high, grassy banks will produce the goods as fish look to take advantage of this highly nutritious event.
Even in the absence of rising fish, a beetle or small blowfly, which shares a similar prey image but offers a visible light / dark contrast for low angle light will bring noses to the top. A handy tactic when nothing seems to be moving. And don’t overlook the edgewaters, backwaters and eddies if you’re a later arrival in the AM. Drowned beetle will often become concentrated, and eaten in these areas long after the dawn fall... a submerged dry, or B&P soft hackle can work wonders in these scenarios.
My childhood favourite and one of the first dries I ever tied to hit the beetle falls North of Dunedin with. Try clipping the underside of the hackle flat for a flush footprint in the surface or fish as is through joggly runs.
Very buoyant with super sexy legs and hi viz sighter, this is an all-round favourite in the evening light.
Low riding, this is my pick for dropping along the calmer, slower moving edges or around stillwaters.
Have trouble seeing your beetle in in low light? Use one of the new Manic Fly Collection Hyper Humpies or tie your True Beetle on a short dropper behind one of these bad boys.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Chris Dore is a battle-tested fly fishing guide with over 20 years of professional guiding experience, battling the demanding, ever-changing conditions that our New Zealand rivers throw at us.
In 2006 Chris became one of the first New Zealanders to successfully pass the internationally recognised Federation of Fly Fishers Certified Casting Instructors examination and has since taught many thousands of anglers to up their skillset.
For more in person and on river fly fishing advice and upskilling why not book Chris for a day or three?