By Tony Roseingrave, Masterton

Knowing a trout’s diet can help you catch your dinner. Off-season this includes nymphs and mayflies. So for your lures consider Hare & Copper, Hares Ear, Black Nymph, and Pheasant Tail flies - bigger sizes 14-10 early season and 18 -14 later. Include small fish (bullies) and crustaceans (koura/scrimp) when available.

The classical bully patterns of Hamills Killer, Mrs Simpson and rabbit’s colours are a good start. Likewise Fuzzy Wuzzy Bomber patterns, Crayfish and Shrimp lures are crustacean imitations. These become food as they spawn, live in or move through water.

Many seasonal land based alternatives end up in the water by mistake. About now, grass grub beetles pupate, hatch, soar, and crash into the water or fall from willows along the river edge. Trout rise after them usually in fading light.

Beetles will be washed down stream all day so a wet imitation can work. Clearly the brown beetle is the designer imitation. In December the green or Manuka beetles emerge. Found in high country they provide a feast in floating and sinking options. The green beetle fly is unbeatable but as with the brown, Coch-y-bondhu and green humpy are options.

December- January willow grubs appear. Many fall off willow leaves into the water and the trout rise enthusiastically. There are willow grub patterns available but as a substitute try Greenwell’s Glory light (yellow) or unweighted yellow caddis Nymph.

Other summer terrestrials include crickets, blowflies, grasshoppers, field mice and especially cicada. Blowflies can end up in rivers as food. Bigger sized Black Gnat and Humpy dry patterns are the go.

Warmer temperatures stimulate aquatic life activity – such as sedge reproduction. On balmy evenings literally millions of them surface to take to the air. A Turkey sedge pattern is the answer! The hatch often starts after dark – don’t go home too early!

Lakes and slower moving rivers provide Damsel and Dragonflies. As nymphs move from the protection of the weed beds towards the shore, their jerking progress attracts trout. So Damsel and Dragonfly nymphs presented from and jerked back towards the shore may interest them!