Central South Island Weekly fishing report - 31 October 2024

High Country Opening Weekend is here

This Saturday, the 2^nd of November is a big day on the fishing calendar.

For many anglers, High Country Opening marks the start of their season, so be sure to purchase your new 2024/25 season licence, here.

Check out our Angler Access Website here for some high country spot info.  

Not only is Saturday the opening day for many of our high country rainbow trout fisheries and other sensitive fisheries, it is also our annual Kids Salmon Fishing Day at Loch Cameron, Twizel.

Make sure your tackle is in tip top shape before the weekend to prevent disappointment of the big one getting away from using last season’s worn-out gear.  Refresh your tippets and leaders, check your lures are shiny and hooks are sharp…. and that your net doesn’t have a hole in it!

If you are heading to Lake Heron / Ōtūroto and plan to drive to Harrison’s Bight – the DOC vehicle access permit website is now live, click here.

If you are crossing private farmland, be sure to gain permission if required and make the effort to avoid disturbing ewes with newborn lambs.    

Pictured above: boat anglers on Lake Alexandrina, high country opening last season enjoyed a beautiful day. Credit: George Empson.

Spey Rod Success on the Waitaki

Rick Connelly stoked with a healthy Waitaki rainbow trout caught and kept for the table on a spey rod.

Jet boating the Waitaki River proves effective for adventurous anglers to target prime trout feeding grounds.

On the weekend of 19/20 October, Rick Connelly and Harry Graham Samson fished the Waitaki River via jetboat between Duntroon and Kurow for trout using fly rod, both traditional and spey (double-handed).

They used floating line with sink tip and woolly bugger flies, utilising classic woolly bugger colours, olive, brown and black and in both beaded and unbeaded was very productive.

The double-handers gave them an edge in covering water, landing rainbow trout ranging from 1 to 4 pounds. Just one brown trout was caught but they sighted quite a few in the shallows – so shallow their fins were out. The brown trout weren’t receptive to woolly buggers but perhaps a small nymph or dry would have worked well, Harry said.

One notable catch was a rainbow packed with caddis, confirming river conditions are providing a good food supply for trout now. Harry said they saw nine other anglers enjoying the river over the weekend. It was a rewarding weekend of fly fishing with the spey rods!

Upper Ōhau River – Opens 2nd November

Please keep away from Tern Island while fishing the Upper Ohau River.

The controlled period on the Upper Ōhau River ends with the opening of the high country season on Saturday - this means all licence holders can fish the river from the 2nd of November. 

DOC have closed a small section of the river’s track network to protect nesting black fronted terns/ tarapiore at ‘Tern Island’, a critical breeding colony for this nationally endangered species.

Please avoid fishing close to the breeding colony, it is signposted and notably the birds will dive bomb you – if this happens move to a new area.

Upper Ahuriri River remains closed

The Ahuriri River, its tributaries and tarns and lagoons upstream of and including Longslip Creek remains closed until the first Saturday in December.

How to Safely Release a Caught Fish

Use these careful catch-and-release techniques:

• Cool your hands and landing net by wetting them before touching the fish.
• Keep the fish in the water while removing the hook.
• Do not squeeze the fish and never touch the gills.
• Photograph the fish in or over the water. Do this quickly as the fish should be out of the water for no more than 5 seconds.
• Revive the fish facing into the current until it regains swimming strength.

Try Silver Lures for Sockeye-Eating Trout

'Top-to-bottom, 14g silver toby, 7g silver daffy, 57mm sockeye salmon and 14g ticer or hex wobbler. Credit: R Adams.

Hundreds of thousands of sockeye salmon fry (babies) have made their way into Lakes Ōhau, Pūkaki, Benmore and Aviemore recently. 

They are the product of last season’s spawning run of 51,000+ adult sockeye into lake tributaries such as the Lower Ōhau River.  Our latest sockeye salmon spawning populations report can be found here.   

We recommend matching your fly, spinner or soft baits with the natural food on offer for trout currently by using a shiny silver lure that looks like a sockeye fry.  We estimate sockeye fry will range in size from 30 – 60 mm currently.

The photo above shows how toby, hex wobbler and daffy spinners look like the 57mm sockeye fry.

Fly anglers or trollers that use flies should use a grey ghost or similar. Soft bait anglers could try a relatively small 2–3-inch grey-silver coloured soft bait.  

If you catch a Lake Benmore trout and find sockeye salmon in its stomach content, we’d be keen to hear from you and receive any photos - email bharper@fishandgame.org.nz, or phone the CSI office at 03 615 8400.

Next week we want your High Country Opening weekend yarns!

After this coming high country opening weekend, no doubt you’ll have some memorable experiences so please email your reports to Jase, here. We would love to hear from you.

Photography Tips:

Kept Fish: Make sure your fish and hands are clean of any blood — a respectful and tidy photo makes for great presentation.

Released Fish: Remember to use careful catch-and-release techniques as described earlier in this report.

High Country Opening Weather and Water Outlook

This Sunday is looking like a cracker day!

Current long range weather forecasts across CSI are indicating a north westerly breeze for the weekend. There’s potential for light rain lingering about on Saturday morning but clearing eventually to become calm and dry for the rest of the weekend.

After Labour Weekend’s heavy rain and big snow dump inland many of the CSI regions rivers are still flowing at higher volumes and clarity is mixed making sight fishing a challenge.  Snow melt is having a big role in this. See the ECan river flow rates for the river you are hoping to fish.

Lakes will provide a reliable clear water option for opening, and it will pay to have a lake in mind as a back-up plan in case your favourite river is a bit high.

So, all in all conditions are looking decent for High Country Opening! The Ashburton Lakes would certainly be a great area to visit come Sunday.

Be sure to check forecasts on the YR.no forecast website and or Metvuw.com for yourself before committing to heading out.

Notice Board

Kids Salmon Fishing Day

Kids Salmon Fishing Day is happening this Saturday the 2^nd of November!  Come along to Loch Cameron, 5km from Twizel in the morning.

• Registration is on the day from 8:30am, fishing starts at 9am. 
• The event is strictly for kids between the ages of 4 and 11.

The event is proudly sponsored by Mount Cook Alpine Salmon, Meridian Energy, Shaws Hardware, Southern Alps Outdoors, Four Square Twizel, Chopped Butchery.

For more info email: ndellaway@fishandgame.org.nz