​Well, it’s spring – and mostly, it feels like it. The average temperature has definitely lifted in the last week or so, the days are noticeably longer, and bugs and trout alike are more active than they’ve been in months. Polaroiding, tailers and midge feeders have been the main game lately, and excepting a couple of days of gales, the fishing has been great. Of course, the problem is (as for much of this weird year) pretty much only us guides have been able to enjoy it!  
 
Anyway, we suppose it’s better for morale to have good fishing than bad, and is that a peek of guiding light we see up ahead? The next couple of weeks will tell. Meanwhile, happy fishing to those who can wherever you are, and to those who can’t yet, we’re really looking forward to showing you around soon.       

​It’s always a great moment at Millbrook when the lakes fill and spill. As that’s happened a lot in the last few years, it’s easy to assume we can take that for granted. But not so. In recent decades, some of Millbrook’s best lakes have become perilously low on the back of successive dry years (remember the aptly named ‘Noughties’?) True, even in the worst years, we’ve always had good fishing somewhere, but it’s fantastic when every lake is brimming. Not only does that guarantee water for this season, it covers next season as well. (Once full, most of our lakes can provide at least 18 months good fishing, even if – heaven forbid – the tap was turned off tomorrow.)      
 
Well, today’s the day. After a pretty good year anyway, in the last 24 hours, August up here has shot past its long-term average on the back of 35mm of rain in the last 24 hours. This was the run-off downpour we’ve been waiting for, the one when heavy rain falls on already-saturated catchments. As Mark says, this is when we’re reminded why we go to the trouble of putting trout-proof screens on lake outflows!
 
Besides water security, these big inflows/ outflows also help water quality by, if you like, flushing the lakes (changing the old water over with new). Meanwhile, lake water which floods revegetated ‘new ground’, not only gives the trout an initial food boost through all the drowning worms, grubs, ants, beetles etc., the subsequent rotting vegetation is much appreciated by aquatic insects and midge in particular, which really boom on this flooded bounty. (Yum, rotting grass!)
 
So, it might have been snowy, icy and wet over the last few days, but at Millbrook, we’re smiling from ear to ear!          

Well, just as Millbrook bookings were booming in mid July, that nasty little virus shut us down for a second time. As we write, we can fish personally for recreation and exercise, but we can’t guide or offer accommodation.

And we hate to say it when there’s only the guides to take advantage, but the actual fishing has been really good! Yes, there’s been the inevitable winter blizzards and quite a lot of rain, but the former haven’t lasted for more than a day or two, and the latter has been steadily adding to lake levels. All other things being equal, trout like rising water, and Millbrook’s trout have been as active as you might expect. Midging trout have been the big deal, but there have been tailers too, and excellent polaroiding.
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Meanwhile the wattle is blooming everywhere, daffodils are flowering, mayfly nymphs are writhing by the handful under the rocks, and there’s just a little less edge to the cold. It’s going to be a cracking spring; let’s hope you can come up soon and enjoy it with us! 

The hardest part of winter fishing at Millbrook can be stepping out of the warmth of the car or the cabin. But once you’re in the open air, dressed appropriately, you quickly forget the single-figure temperatures and start thinking trout. They are of course, a cold water species, and both browns and rainbows will continue to feed even in snow. Many of the things trout eat are similarly out and about in gloves-and-beanie weather, especially midge (chironomid) which famously have anti-freeze in their blood. Some of Millbrook’s lakes also have Australian smelt, a baitfish active all winter and attacked spectacularly by the trout at times.
 
Perhaps the greatest attraction is the presence of the real monsters, the fish which, for a lot of the year, spend their time being nocturnal or feeding in the depths. For some reason (perhaps the duller light or the location of easy prey?) these really big trout seem to be more visible through winter, presenting more chances – if not guaranteed captures!
 
So don’t worry about the weather, put on some of that great outdoor gear (see, there is at least one advantage of living in the modern age) and head out for a cast and a chance at a beauty.

Well, after nearly two months of ‘look, but don’t touch’, it sure has been a relief to be able to put Millbrook’s excellent lake conditions and trout to good use! We hit the ground running with our first guided anglers on Wednesday 13 May, and we’ve had plenty of guests since. On that, we must say thanks for the heartening support of both Millbrook regulars and first-timers. As of June 1st our accommodation is open - we look forward to welcoming our guests back to the lodge.
 
To the fishing, and highlights over the last week and a half have been midge feeders (sometimes from midday right through until dark) great polaroiding, smelters, plus a few obscure hatches which we’re still trying to nut out!
 
Of course, anyone hoping that the fish would have suddenly gone all silly and obliging after an angler-free break would be mistaken: trout are trout, and they can be as exasperating and unpredictable as ever. Still, as winter approaches, we’re blessed with really good lake levels, water quality and fish stocks – it’s up to us to do the rest!  

As a guide, you learn not to talk up the fishing too much. However as these pics from the last few days show, this autumn, it's not proving easy to abide by that!
 
Take yesterday with Mick and Luke. It was warm (26C), often windier than ideal, and mostly cloudy. Yet from the very first cast of the day at Cabin Lake to a 4 pound brown, the fishing never really slowed down no matter which lake we fished. There was polaroiding the edges (yes, even in full cloud), a big dun hatch for 2 hours with every fish on them, smelters, damsel leapers, and a finale of midges so thick, the trout rose in squadrons and we literally could not turn on a torch without choking on midge. From our mid-morning start until walking off the water exhausted but happy at 8.30pm, we never went more than 10 minutes without casting to a sighted fish, and often it was non-stop targets.
 
A combination of a wet 2019 with full lakes, then a cool, wet late summer, has us blessed with lots of trout in excellent condition (that won't change); and a bug bonanza (at least for now. See? We're being cautious!)

Autumn is here at Millbrook... well, autumn of sorts has been here since the start of February!
We've had no 30C days since January, and maximum temps for Feb and March are running about 2C below average. And we've received nearly 200mm of rain for the year.
To put that in context, last year, it took until well into May to hit 200mm for the year.
 
The result is a very good head of water in the lakes for what is traditionally our low water minimum, and unseasonable trout feeding patterns.
Dun hatches and spinner falls, normally something we don't see until at least mid-March, have been a possibility for weeks now.
Smelters are more typical of autumn, but they too have been going virtually non-stop through summer. Meanwhile, damselflies are hatching in their millions, and stick caddis are abundant. And in the last few days, it even looks as if midge hatches may be starting in earnest.
 
Overall, it's a weird season with unpredictable days and a 'be ready for anything' approach necessary.
As Jim and Bill from the USA found last week though, fish size and condition is excellent, and there are moments of truly spectacular fishing to be had - just bring some warm clothes!             

​A group of half a dozen beginners from PWC visited for an end-of-week trip under conditions that weren’t as bad as forecast – for a change! The wind stayed at reasonable levels, the temperatures peaked in the teens, and the only rain was an annoying but tolerable burst for a few hours on Friday evening. Fortunately, this rain wasn’t heavy enough at ‘midge o’clock’ to stop the rise (or even a few late mayfly duns) and we spent an exciting evening out in the elements chasing some very big trout in very shallow water.
 
Speaking of mayfly, the dun hatches continue, making spring 2019 one of the best we’ve ever seen. That’s now well over 2 months of decent hatches – and the spinner falls have been handy too. Late September to early December is a remarkable run. When the hatches finally stop, they won’t owe us much!
 
But back to PWC and all anglers except Matt (who had to leave early) managed their first trout on fly. What’s more, most got at least two, and there were several caught on the dry.
 
As we report (fortunately on a guest-free day) winter appears to have returned yet again, with gales, sleet and temperatures in single figures. No doubt we’ll soon be complaining about the heat, but meanwhile, maybe the extended cool spell has helped the mayfly and we should be grateful!    
    

​We’ve just finished our latest Girls Weekend at Millbrook. The weather was cool to cold and cloudy, but the battering winds and rain of recent weeks finally eased off. The duns came out to play both days, providing some excellent dry fly fishing; the evening midge fishing was great too. In between, the girls fished up some beauties pulling wets, and dined like royalty après fishing!  
 
A feature of this weekend (as with the last few months) was the number of really big trout. Val and Brenda each caught 8 pounders (Brenda’s a PB and Val’s a technical PB) and there were several others landed in the 5 pound plus range. Strangely, there were fewer middle-sized fish in the 2-4lb range caught, although the littlies were abundant and it’s great to see some of this year’s class already pushing the 1 pound mark. (Guests think it’s very funny when we guides get all excited about these fat youngsters, but it’s always good to know next year’s trout are doing well!)   
 
All up, a really nice weekend. Special congratulations to Erynn for breaking her 10 year ‘trout drought’ with a 6 pounder on the Shaving Brush. It was absolutely remarkable that she struck and then played that fish - which was exceptionally strong – like master. Many a more experienced angler would have lost that big buck rainbow. Obviously born to fish 😊!