I've caught plenty, late winter threw to early summer, on most west coast and southland river systems, The big browns and rainbows will drop down to the tidal estray for the whitebait runs, The lowland rivers at this time of year, are full of high protein small bait fish, by the tens of thousands, the cold headwaters not so much.
Early morning the trout and Kawhai will have the surface boiling, in pursuit of whitebait.
Most other times of the year, their will be good numbers, of well condition trout in the brackish tidal zone and first few Km of fresh water,
Salmon runs in sum rivers, and a few brown run right out to the ocean,
I use grey ghost, or one of the matuaka style fly patters, ie parson glory in yellow or orange,
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