Reel Life September 2023

Welcome to the New Fishing Season

The new fishing season is almost here and anglers across Aotearoa are getting excited for the day, when many of our rivers re-open. 

It has been widely stated that in this region, we have had the most stable winter period for some years, which will have been beneficial for trout recruitment/survival, and fish should be in good condition come Opening Day. 

As always, there is a fair bit of interest on Opening Day, and being a Sunday, there will likely be plenty of anglers out. 

Some may have the same idea and be fishing in your neck of the woods too – so a quick chat about intentions may be needed and at times a plan to fairly share the water. 

For everyone heading out on Sunday, enjoy your time on the water whether on your own or in the company of mates – tight lines!

Above right:  Caption: Hopefully you will be enjoying scenes such as this on Opening Day.

Fish Releases

A tanker load of 1kg trout have been released into Lake Argyle and Waimea Park, in time for the new season. 

We also release around 20 double-digit bruisers into Lake Argyle which should get a few people rushing for their rods and heading up to the lake! 

Of course, we have over 5,000 fish available for release over the course of the season, so we’ll be sticking fish into Lake Argyle and Waimea Park periodically over the full season.

Motueka River Clean-Up Day A Success

Nelson Trout Fishing Club stalwarts Don Clementson and Tony Entwistle removing rubbish from one of the many public access points in the Motueka Valley

A large trailer load of rubbish was removed from public access points and picnic areas in the Motueka Valley yesterday - on both sides of the river from the Baton Bridge down to the Motueka township.

With help from the Nelson Trout Fishing Club, 20 large bags of rubbish, hundreds of bottles and cans, two mattresses, a lawnmower + a heap more were taken out of the valley and into landfill.

Anglers value our rivers and lakes, and the Motueka River is one of the region's most iconic and popular fisheries, so this was just a small gesture by anglers to help keep the Motueka Valley looking great. 

Designed Waters Licence

This season we have a new pressure-sensitive fisheries management tool coming into effect: Designated Waters Licence. 

This mostly affects non-resident (overseas) anglers, though if you wish to fish the Upper Wairau (above Six Mile Creek), Travers (above Lake Rotoiti), or Upper Matakitaki (above Horse Terrace Bridge) rivers, you will need to get yourself a Designated Waters Licence on top of your normal whole-season licence. 

For more information, including the ‘why’ behind it all, hit the link here. 

Online Fishing Access Tool

Staff have been working on a new online fishing access tool, which is now live, and you can view here. 

Here you will find all the information for the 200+ access points in this region, and also for some other Fish & Game regions.

The site is mobile-friendly, and a great asset for anglers exploring new waters or a new Fish & Game region.

Annual Fisheries Report Out Now

Fish and Game licence holders sometimes ask where their licence money goes. 

We encourage you to read our annual fisheries report, which highlights what we’ve been up to in the 2022-23 season, including all our drift dive results and other monitoring work, RMA advocacy, and more. 

Take a read here.

Tight Lines

Jacob Lucas, Nelson Marlborough Fish & Game