Reel Life October 2020

High Country Opening

The first Saturday in November marks the opening of high-country lakes in the North Canterbury Region.

This year the Saturday falls on the 7^th of November.

Last year was a spectacular day on the high-country lakes.

One of the best days weather wise we have had in recent memory.

Check out the link below for a video of the opening last year at Coleridge.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BqePyM5oomI

We are hoping for the same weather this year but even if it is windy it is still a popular day out.

Coping with wind is something Canterbury anglers are used to.

Lake fishing often provides little refuges or sheltered ends from the wind.

A rough choppy lake does not bother the fish at all, catch rates are often better when the lakes are rough as the wave actions stirs up invertebrates and the trout become more active.

As well as the lakes, the Porter and Broken Rivers also open on the 7^th of November.

These are mainly dominated by rainbows hence the later opening.

These are fast broken rivers with not much holding water.

However, rainbows do hold just out of the current and can be hard to spot.

So, any likely looking water should be fished blind.

Please remember that the Ryton, Harper, Avoca and Wilberforce diversion are still closed until the 1^st of December.

This is because the spawning run of rainbows in these fisheries can be very late.

Lake Coleridge Fishing Competition

Ryton Bay, 7th November 2020, FREE ENTRY

This year, the opening of the North Canterbury high country lakes is Saturday 7th November, which will be celebrated again with a fishing competition at Lake Coleridge, with a great prize pool generously sponsored by Hunting and Fishing.

The focus of the competition is on participation, and every angler who shows their licence at the weigh-in will be in the draw for many spot prizes.

The competition will be based at the turn off to Ryton Bay from the Harper Road, where there will be a Fish & Game tent and weigh station.

Weigh-in is from 9am – 1pm, with the prize draw around 1:30pm.

Please ensure you arrive at the weigh-in before 1pm to avoid missing out.

All fish must be caught in Lake Coleridge or the nearby Coleridge lakes.

They must be whole and not gutted for the weigh-in.

There will be a free sausage sizzle all day.

Lake Coleridge is the most popular lake in the region for fishing and this event is a great way for anglers to celebrate the traditional high-country opening.

Please note that the landowners are giving us permission to hold the competition in the paddock on the left as you onto the road to go down to Ryton Bay off Harper Road.

Camping is permitted in this paddock for the weekend.

If you are staying the night please take all your rubbish with you, use the toilet down at the lake or in the portaloo provided by Fish & Game.

No dogs are allowed due to lambing.

Thanks, and good luck for the competition.

Salmon Heads

This season North Canterbury Fish & Game are looking to see which of our rivers have significant “spring run” salmon entering and improve our understanding of how these early run salmon contribute to the fishery and angler harvest.

For this to be successful, we need anglers who catch a salmon in November or December in any of the North Canterbury rivers to record the date, location caught, length (from nose tip to the fork in the tail), weight (if possible), sex, fin-clipped or not, as well as keep the head with pectoral fins attached, stored in their freezer to be analysed by Fish & Game.

A $200 tackle voucher will be drawn from each river for information collected (one entry for each head returned).

Please contact Fish & Game (03) 366 9191 to arrange pick-up of these heads.

Tight Lines

Tony Hawker, North Canterbury Fish & Game Officer.