Central South Island Weekly Fishing Report - 08 January 2026

Junior Anglers Net Big Salmon in the Mckenzie Country

Over the holiday season some impressive chinook salmon have been caught in the hydro canals and Waitaki lakes, here are a couple of angler reports we have received. More next week!

Pictured above: One stoked angler! Booka Andrews (9yo) with his big Lake Benmore chinook salmon. 

Stacey Andrews kindly sent in this report about her son’s epic salmon catch on Lake Benmore.

Cooper Hessell (15yo) loves his hunting and fishing and will happily take any kid out for a fish (with parental consent). One morning, he took his younger brother Booka Andrews (9yo) out in his wee dinghy. I’d hate to think how many fish this boat has caught over the years—most of them released.

The boys struck gold and hooked a big salmon! Booka was struggling to wind the fish in, so Cooper had to help. Booka tried to net it, but the fish was too big for the net, so Cooper grabbed the tail while Booka held the head in the net. The net scales max out at 15lb, so we didn’t get a proper weight, but Cooper reckons it would have gone around 17lb!

We’ve got one stoked little fisherman. Cooper is fishing every spare minute he gets, whether it’s the canals, lakes, or rivers. God help us when he’s allowed to drive.

Booka Andrews (9yo) with older brother Cooper Hessell (15yo) with their prized salmon.

Delicious fillets for the whole family from Booka and Cooper's salmon.

While undertaking compliance at the canals Fish & Game Ranger Jase Van Beers met Regan Anderson and his daughter Fleur Anderson (10yo). That morning Fleur had caught Christmas lunch for her family, netting a very impressive 14.3lb salmon. Regan said “I have the best time hanging with my daughter on the banks. It’s pretty hard to keep up with her fishing stories, as they are all true!”

Fleur Anderson (10yo) with her beast of a salmon, 14.3lb, caught on a prawn.

Have your say: Potential Fishing Rule Changes at Lake Heron 

Angler Thomas Hampton with a lake-type salmon caught from Lake Heron.

Fish & Game is inviting angler and public feedback on potential rule changes that manage the catch of sub-adult lake-type salmon at Lake Heron.

Lake Heron is a distinctive salmon fishery that provides a popular fishery of sub-adult lake-type salmon. After rearing in the lake for 2-4 years, lake-type salmon migrate to the Pacific Ocean and return to Lake Heron as adult sea-run salmon to spawn in a tributary stream. Although the sea-run salmon populations of Canterbury are at critically low levels, the salmon numbers returning to spawn in the Lake Heron tributary remain stable.

The Central South Island Fish & Game Council is consulting its fishing licence holders and the wider public on a range of options. Rules could be introduced to manage sub-adult lake-type salmon catch when sea-run salmon populations of the Canterbury fishery are within the “severe” population management band. The options may impact both trout and salmon anglers at Lake Heron and include: reducing the daily bag limit for salmon and temporary closure of the fishery to trout and salmon fishing.

The consultation period opens for submissions on 5 January 2026 and closes on 30 January 2026.

Central South Island Region sports fishing licence holders will be emailed the survey directly, and the survey is also publicly available on the Fish & Game website - Click here

An information pack outlining the rule change options and fishery background is available to read before completing the survey.

The Council will review the submissions before making any recommendations on regulatory changes.

Act Now for Sockeye Salmon

Pristine salmon on ice destined for the dinner table from Lake Benmore.

Don’t forget that from now through to early February is the prime window to target sockeye salmon on Lake Benmore.

At 300–440 mm in length, these fish are in peak eating condition and make excellent table fare. At this time of year, sockeye tend to school tightly near the lake bottom as they stage prior to their spawning run, which typically occurs from late February through March.

Last season, CSI Fish & Game staff member Blake Harper had the opportunity to learn and film effective sockeye-specific angling techniques from experienced anglers Howard and Nathan. To watch the video, click here.

Top trolling spots for sockeye in January are around Benmore Dam and up the lake towards Black Jacks and Turn Again islands.

If you catch a sockeye, ensure you troll back and forth over that same area as sockeye travel in schools. Remember to have plenty of ice in your chilly bin on those warm summer days.

Most sockeye salmon are caught while trolling at depths of 4 – 17 metres using lead lines or downriggers with classic trout lures, such as a Tasmanian devil. Smaller lures are preferred.

Don’t be afraid to let out plenty of leadline! Anglers fishing with leadlines generally think they are getting a lot deeper than they are. Each colour on the leadline represents 10 yds / 9.14m.

When trolling, your lure will sink approximately 2 meters deeper for every colour of line, but this lessens the deeper the lure sinks due to the angle of your line back up to the surface. 

For sockeye on Lake Benmore try letting out 8-10 colours minimum - more if your you have them on your reel. Also, make sure that the leader from the leadline to their lure is 3-6 meters long. Often anglers aren’t making their leaders long enough.

A downrigger is the only mechanical tool that allows you to fish at depth accurately so are highly recommended. They can be easily adjusted to find what depth they fish are at.

Troll slowly to allow your lure to maintain depth- the ideal speed for all trolling is around 1.4-1.9 knots / 2.6-3.5 km/h.

Also, check out our older video on trolling for sockeye salmon which still has plenty of relevant information.

Sockeye fishing isn’t exclusive to boat anglers. Shoreline anglers can take advantage of schooling sockeye around the Benmore Dam during January. A great opportunity for junior anglers to try catch their first fish.

To learn more about this unique New Zealand fishery only found here in the Central South Island you can read the 2025 Sockeye Salmon Population Monitoring Report, here.

Boating Safety Notice

Don’t be like these people, keep your boat out Ōhau B Canal, the boundary marker is clearly visible.

On 30 December 2025, a fishing boat was reported to be anchored within the Ōhau B Canal between 6:30am and 11:30am.

Under the Canterbury Regional Council Navigation Safety Bylaw 2016, as amended 19 July 2023, boats are not permitted in the hydro canals. This behaviour is both dangerous and disappointing, posing risks canal operations.

Clearly marked white and black marker poles indicate the boundary where Lake Ruataniwha flows into the Ōhau B Canal. These markers must be observed at all times.

Boaters are reminded to abide by the rules when operating on Lake Ruataniwha and other Central South Island lakes to ensure everyone’s safety.

Weather Outlook

The Wind

According to YR.NO, the long-range wind forecast for Temuka (low country) predicts that Saturday starts with light northerlies, shifting westerly and strengthening through the afternoon and evening to a fresh west wind. Sunday will remain westerly, fresh early before easing to moderate during the day.

Winds in Twizel (high country): Saturday will see calm to very light, variable winds with rain through the day, tending light south-easterly in the afternoon before dropping calm in the evening. Sunday begins with light easterlies, shifts south-east during morning rain, then turns northerly in the afternoon and strengthens to a moderate north-westerly by evening.

The Flows

As of Wednesday evening, the ECan River flow data website shows the following river flow rates, read in cubic meters per second (m³/s). Click on the river name to go to the ECan website for more information.

• Ahuriri -  29.412
• Ashburton -  17.795
• Hakataramea - 3.87
• Ōhau – 12.703
• Ōpihi –  16.532
• Otematata - 4.312
• Pareora - 2.729
• Rangitata - 89.097
• Tekapo -  16.331
• Twizel –  7.213
• Waitaki -  555.793

Please always check the weather and waterway conditions yourself before heading out to ensure an enjoyable day on the water.

NOTICE BOARD

Lost & Found

A fly box was found on the northern side of Lake McGregor on the 27^th of December. Please get in touch with us if you believe it could be yours.

Meridian Energy Limited

For any information on controlled releases of Lake Pūkaki: updates will be made via the Meridian Energy Ltd Facebook page, here.

Please remember to email your angling reports to Fish & Game Officer, Jase Van Beers, at jvanbeers@fishandgame.org.nz.  We’d love to hear from you!

Click here for Central South Island Fish & Game on Facebook

For any questions, please email csi@fishandgame.org.nz or call 03 615 8400.