Cicada Safari

High summer on a tussock lake.

In the British angling tradition, Duffer’s Fortnight is the period during a big drake hatch when even a “duffer” can hook otherwise shy, large browns. Otago’s equivalent is the cicada hatch. Central Otago has a clutch of high tussock country lakes and reservoirs where on warm summer days cicadas crawl up the tussock stems and are blown into the water. Large fish can feed ravenously close to shore.

Trips can be based either from the Maniototo Plain or Dunedin.

A brown taken on a cicada.