Lake Coleridge Fishing Competition

The Lake Coleridge Fishing Competition is back for the 2025 High Country Opening!

When and Where

Saturday 1st November 2025

Location: Harper Campground

Fish entries from 9 am – 1:30 pm

Prizegiving starts at 2 pm  

This year, the competition is being held at the Harper Campground at Lake Coleridge. Just look out for the big blue Fish & Game tent!

We’ll be there for entries starting from 9 a.m. until 1.30 p.m. We’ll also have a FREE SAUSAGE SIZZLE going on at the tent from 9 am till the prize-giving has finished (or we run out of sausages!).

How to enter

The Lloyd sisters, Hannah (left), Charlotte (middle) and Lucy (right) from Rangiora with catch from Lake Coleridge.

No pre-registration is required; just turn up at the Fish & Game tent before 1:30 p.m. to enter your fish with a current 25/26 licence!

If you don’t have any luck or don’t enter a fish, you can still present your 25/26 licence at the tent any time before 1:30 pm to go into the draw to win some great SPOT PRIZES (adults and junior categories). 

Note: You MUST be in line by 1.30 p.m. Anyone arriving after 1.30 pm will not be able to enter their fish. One of our Rangers will jump in the line to mark the cut-off! 

The Lake Coleridge competition is proudly sponsored by your local Hunting & Fishing stores (Christchurch, North Canterbury and Ashburton).

They’ve given us some great prizes that are up for grabs with a total value of over $7,000!

Prize categories

There are adult and junior categories, with prizes for 1^st, 2^nd and 3^rd for rainbow trout, brown trout and chinook salmon caught out of Lake Coleridge and the surrounding lakes.

If you don’t have a boat, the smaller lakes are a great alternative!

Adults: 1^st, 2^nd and 3^rd - rainbow trout, brown trout, chinook salmon

Juniors: 1^st, 2^nd and 3^rd - rainbow trout, brown trout, chinook salmon

Adult spot prize draw

Junior spot prize draw 

How to get there

This year, we are holding the event at the Harper Campground. Here is a bird's-eye view of where you need to go if you are not a regular at the Harper Campground. 

 

Please check out the links below:

1. Harper Campsite at Lake Coleridge - Lake Coleridge High Country

2. Harper River Campsite | Selwyn District New Zealand​

Accommodation

The Harper campsite is free, but there will be limited space.

Some of the stations in the area may have accommodation available.

No camping is allowed around the smaller lakes.

For more information on accommodation in the Selwyn region, check out: https://selwyn.nz/stay/ 

Where to fish

Any of the lakes surrounding and including Lake Coleridge, there are boat launching areas at Ryton Bay and at where the Wilberforce Diversion enters Lake Coleridge.

Cellphone coverage

There is very limited cellphone coverage in the Lake Coleridge area, so please be prepared.

There is some cellphone reception around the Harper Village area.

Fish & Game will have coverage maps for Spark and One NZ at the tent, and will also have emergency communications with them.  

A VALID SPORTS FISHING LICENCE IS REQUIRED TO ENTER THE COMPETITION OR SPOT PRIZE DRAW.

RANGERS WILL BE IN THE AREA CHECKING LICENCES THROUGHOUT THE COMPETITION.