Reel Life September 2024 - Nelson-Marlborough

Nelson/Marlborough
24/09/2024

We are counting down to the 2024-25 season, and with the days getting longer and the weather warming up, many of you will be dreaming of hitting the water again when the season starts on October 1.

We’ve had another remarkably stable 12 months (meaning lack of big flood events) which is great news for our trout fisheries. River stability is a key driver of our trout population, and this season is shaping up to be a real cracker!

We’ve got plenty happening this season, with a focus on upskilling anglers which we hope will lead to a higher catch rate (more fish = more fun). Read on to find out about upcoming fishing clinics and mentor programmes, whether you want to up your game as a fly or spin angler, or you are starting from scratch and simply want to learn the basics.

If you haven’t done so already, grab yourself a licence here to get a piece of the action.

Fish releases

Finn caught this cracking rainbow at Lake Argyle last season – his first trout.

We know many of you love our trout release programme and what it offers.

So much so that Lake Argyle and Waimea Park are now in our top 5 regional fisheries. We have another big year of fish releases, starting just before the new season where we will be releasing a mix of 1kg young bucks and larger brood stock into Lake Argyle and Waimea Park (these releases will continue throughout the season as normal). We’ll also be releasing fish into the Branch and Leatham rivers in late November, a fantastic option for new and seasoned anglers.

We’re stoked to bring you another round of Henderson’s Lake Argyle Tag Competition, kicking off in late December, where you can win some great prizes, so keep an eye out for pre-Christmas communications with more details.

None of this would be possible without principal sponsorship from Manawa Energy, as well as generous contributions from New Zealand King Salmon and Provincial Coldstores Ltd – thanks team!

Big news! Game-changer bequest for getting anglers into fishing

The Master, Tony Entwistle, leading a casting clinic in Nelson.

We have some great news which will be a real game-changer to grow our angler base in this region.

Legendary angler, Jim Ring, and his wife Fleur have left Fish & Game a substantial donation which they wish to be used to get new anglers into fishing and help develop the skills of anglers we have.The feats of Jim and Fleur are impressive and too numerous to write here, needless to say, Jim was arguably one of the most successful anglers this region has ever seen, and the meticulous fishing diaries he kept are the stuff of a legend (and are a book in itself). They were also an ideal angling pairing with Jim aiming for perfection in the art of fly fishing and Fleur a qualified entomologist (study of insects = trout food).

In light of this, we are planning to run spin/softbait and fly fishing clinics in Tasman and Marlborough, hold a Women on the Fly practical fishing workshop, and develop a mentoring programme where learning or intermediate anglers can be paired with gurus – one of the fastest ways to slingshot your success. We also want people to catch more fish on our accessible lowland fisheries, so targeted programmes for the Wairau and Motueka (Jim Ring’s favourite river) will be held.

If this sounds like you, please complete this short survey so we can contact you and help direct our programme.

Anglers doing great work

Shona Kelly and Don Clementson from the Nelson Trout Fishing Club recently spent the day tidying up public access points and picnic areas in the Motueka Valley.

Your local Fish & Game staff are active in raising the profile of Fish & Game and performing a key role in preserving trout habitat, but it’s also been great to see anglers chipping in for the benefit of nature too.

Recently, members of the Nelson Trout Fishing Club have been getting busy helping the environment, running a trapline in the Baton Valley to help protect whio (blue duck), tackling Old Man’s Beard at Haycocks Bush, and holding a Motueka River clean-up day - removing rubbish from public access points alongside the river. Superb work team!

Join the Club!

Members of the Nelson Trout Fishing Club in action on the Motueka River.

While on the topic of fishing clubs, we are lucky to have two great fishing clubs in this region: the Nelson Trout Fishing Club and the Marlborough Freshwater Anglers Club. Both these clubs are welcoming and run plenty of great events (both social and informative/technical), and we will be working closely with these clubs to help deliver on the wishes of Jim & Fleur Ring.

You can read about what the clubs have been up to, including future events here:

Women on The Fly

A packed house at this years’ Women on The Fly event, held in Nelson.

Interest in angling from females is on the rise and this is fantastic to see.

This is an exciting place to be in and Fish & Game will be working with key partners like Women on The Fly, to help grow and upskill our base of female anglers. Some great Women on The Fly events are coming up across Aotearoa, including in this region which will run a practical skills event. If you want to join the movement to keep updated on events and developments, click here.

Short casts

Regulations update

Motueka River winter extension – from this season you will be able to fish up to the Woodstock Bridge all year (this excludes tributaries). This regulation change will allow around 12kms of additional winter water, offering some great runs which can now be fished.

Designated Waters (DW) Licence – no new DW’s have been introduced this season, however, the Travers, Upper Matakitaki and Upper Wairau remain as DW fisheries.

Some eagle-eyed anglers may have also noticed an error in the printed regulations booklet which says there is a zero take for salmon. We will be doing another print run of the regional pamphlet with the correct regulation of 1 salmon per day for our permitted salmon fishing rivers.

Get the scoop on the state of our fisheries

Each year we produce our Annual Fisheries Report which details what staff have been up to, including the dirt on all our drift dives, where we’ve been releasing fish, important environmental advocacy work, and more! Take a read here – we think you’ll like it.

Fish & Game magazine

Did you know Fish & Game produce a great magazine which is free to whole season licence-holders? Packed with feature articles and local information, it’s a top read. You can take a look here, or call in at the Richmond office and grab a copy.

Fishing the Branch River

Due to active logging, access to the Branch River is now restricted to weekends only (Friday 3pm to midnight Sunday), and public holidays. Anglers can walk up the Branch River itself (from the Leatham confluence), but the road will be busy with logging trucks and crew during the week. For anglers who regularly fish the Branch on weekdays, some weekday access may be able to be procured after an initial induction with the forestry company if you have access to a forest radio. You can still access the Leatham at any time. Contact the Fish & Game office if you have any questions.

Rise Fly Fishing Film Festival

Get a piece of the pre-season hype and head to the Rise Fly Fishing Film Festival in Nelson on 26 September. The film festival showcases a range of short fly-fishing films from across the globe and is sure to get you fizzed up for the season ahead (not that you should need it!). Click here for more information and to book tickets.

Fly Fishing with Tony Entwistle

Top guide and now top fly-fishing mentor, Tony Entwistle, offers a range of future learning opportunities to suit fly anglers of any skill level. From ‘first steps’ classes, and private fly casting tuition to trout tactics and river skills sessions, he has plenty to offer. Check out his website to book a session or course, and while you’re there take a read of his informative articles – for example “When the Going Gets Hot” – a piece on water temperature and how it affects trout – quality stuff!

Office hours

Our office star, Karen, is stepping down to 3 days a week, so Monday to Wednesday is when she’ll be there. From now until April, staff will be more active in the field and there will be days when there will be no one at the office. If in doubt, give us a shout before you head down.

Online resources

Fish & Game has a stack of online resources to help you in your pursuit of trout, whether you’re getting started or new to the area and looking for a place to fish. Here’s a short selection:

Regional Fishing Access Information – click here. For an interactive map of fishing access points, with downloadable maps of individual rivers, please select here.
Getting started? A one-stop shop for everything you need to get started, including some great videos on the Fish & Game YouTube channel here.
Reel Life e-zine – for monthly updates over the fishing season, sign up here.

Reel Life September 2024 - Nelson-Marlborough

Fish releases

Big news! Game-changer bequest for getting anglers into fishing

Anglers doing great work

Join the Club!

Women on The Fly

Short casts

Developer tools

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