CSI Weekly Fishing Report - 12 March 2026

Local angler Paul, an absolutely addicted fisherman and all-round good bugger, kindly sent us this exciting report about a new personal best brown trout he landed last week.

“Last Thursday I decided to fish a river that I hadn't tried this season. It can be a hit and miss kind of river, depending on the flow, it's usually good early in the season.  With the wet summer it was probably a good time for a look.  In hindsight, it was.

I decided to fish the most likely holding section of this river, a long run with pocket water and boulders breaking up the flow, with good holding water.  On the way up there I spooked a big brown from its feeding lie.  Knowing this river gets a lot of foot traffic from holiday makers and day trippers, I marked the spot for a look on the return journey as this trout had probably seen a lot of people and was used to the traffic.

Pictured: Paul with his 8lbs PB from a local low country river!

Fishing the above fore mention run I was able to hook and land a 6lb brown, a PB for me on this river.  The other 7 browns I spotted weren't interested in what I had to offer.

On the return trip back to the car, I gave the section where I spooked the big brown, a wide berth, and came up behind the area from a good distance. Slowly moving up stream I spotted two objects moving in a shallow run next to the bank. The closer one looked to be smaller than the further one.

I had my standard rig setup of an Adams Parachute with a Proteus nymph (good luck in finding this nymph online) dropper.

A close up of the impressive 8lbs brown trout.

I got a cast to the closer trout, that rose to the Adams Parachute and took the fly, and fortunately for me, I missed the strike and failed to set the hook. The other brown wasn't disturbed and kept feeding I proceeded to cast to him and on the 3rd or 4th cast, he took the nymph.

To say he was "mad as a cut snake", would have to be an understatement.  He ran and jumped and trashed about, as if someone had stolen his beer. Then he decided to play dirty and dove into the undercut bank. I couldn't budge the bugger, so I moved up and tried to poke him out of his hidey hole with my net. That didn't work, so, I placed the net on the bank and stuck my hand and arm down to annoy him. That got him going and off he shot out like a "bat outta hell".  Down the river through the crevasses of water he bolted, leaving me holding my rod high and with line peeling off my reel. I floundered like a beached whale and then followed downstream after him with my net waving in one arm and the rod held high in the other trying not to have the line break off on the rocky edges of the crevasses. He slowed down once he made it to the holding pool below.  After a few more half-hearted jumps I managed to bring him to the net where he proceeded to pull down the scales to 8lbs thus updating my PB on this river.

If I had a YouTube channel you could watch this whole calamity of fly fishing, but alas, the video only stays on my computer.  I tend to suffer from "salmonid maximus amnesia" so I can't remember the name of the river where this all occurred.  Tight lines!”

South Canterbury Anglers Club Annual South Island Trip

Phil Winter a SCAC member with one of numerous trout caught and released during the clubs recent 5-day trip.

Report provided by Garry Parker from SCAC.

“Last week the South Canterbury Anglers Club held its annual five-day South Island fishing trip, with this year’s base camp set in Kurow. Twelve members made the journey, travelling from as far afield as Wanaka and Christchurch, including one angler who had been a club member for several years but decided to finally join the trip after hearing plenty of stories about previous adventures.

Over the course of the week, anglers fished a variety of rivers and lakes within roughly a 120-kilometre radius. Fishing methods ranged from fly and spin fishing to both shore-based and boat fishing, giving everyone the chance to explore different waters and techniques.  Fly anglers reported success using a range of patterns including Pete’s Prayers, Woolly Buggers, Red Hamels Killer, and various nymph.

In total, 166 fish were landed, with an impressive 160 released and just six kept to share with friends and family. A couple were even cooked up for a quick snack before the main evening meal — and as many anglers will agree, there’s nothing quite like freshly caught trout straight from the water to the pan.

Every angler on the trip managed to hook into fish, and reports from the group were that the trout were in outstanding condition. Several anglers commented that some fish took five minutes or more to finally bring to the net, a testament to the strength and quality of the fishery.

The club holds 1 & 2 day fishing trip throughout the year. If you’re interested in joining the South Canterbury Anglers Club on a future trip and if anyone knows of budget accommodation in the South Island that can accommodate around up to 15 people - click here for more information about the South Canterbury Anglers Club.”

Changes to Public Access at the Hydro Canals

Public vehicle access to close around part of Pūkaki Canal.

Meridian is changing public access to part of their private roading network around the Pūkaki Canal.  Meridian allows the public to use some of its roads to access parts of the canal system for fishing and other recreational activities. However, the road on the northern side of the canal from Glen Lyon Road to Lake Poaka Campsite has seen a high number of accidents and will shortly be closed to public vehicles.  People will still be able to walk, bike and fish along this stretch of canal and new gates will go in to restrict vehicle access in late March or early April.

This change is part of wider safety improvements Meridian is implementing to reduce the number of accidents on its roads in Waitaki Valley and help meet its obligations under the Health and Safety at Work Act.

Other improvements include safety signage, reduced speed limits and a revised maintenance schedule.

Many large pieces of infrastructure across the country have restricted or no public access. Meridian wants to continue the positive partnership it has with the community in the Waitaki Valley and maintain as much public access as possible but emphasises that everyone plays a part in respecting and upholding safety requirements, including following onsite signage.

Weather Outlook

A colder southwest front is predicted to briefly come across the South Island on Friday but a fine weekend is predicted according to Metvuw.

High country rivers may receive a slight bump in flow and colour from Friday but are still fishable to those who are willing to adapt. Lakes and low-country rivers are looking great for all fishing techniques. So, get out there and enjoy these cracker autumn days!

The Wind

According to YR.NO the winds in Temuka (low country) the predicted long-range forecasts that Saturday will have gentle breezes from the northeast. Sunday sees a light breeze from the west

Winds in Twizel (high country). Saturday will see light to gentle breezes from the south to southwest. Sunday is predicted to have similar winds.

The Flows

As of Thursday morning, 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 -  10.503
• Ashburton -  20.662
• Hakataramea - 2.729
• Ōpihi –  16.532
• Otematata - 4.604
• Rangitata - 59.303
• Tekapo -  9.709
• Twizel –  2.649
• Waitaki -  332.932

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

NOTICE BOARD

Ashburton Lakes Catchment Group - Planting Day at Ashburton Lakes

Volunteer support to get 5000 plants in the ground in the Ashburton Lakes is needed. Planting will take place at the fisherman’s access through Arrowsmith station to Lake Heron (2 sites) and the continuation of the planting along Gentleman Smith Stream and around spring heads. A BBQ will be supplied to follow at Castle Ridge station shearer quarters. Please bring a spade.

Where: The Castle Ridge station gate
When: Sunday 22 March at 10am

CSI Council Meeting Tonight

Licence holders and members of the public are welcome to attend the bi-monthly meeting of the Central South Island Fish & Game Council.

Where: 32 Richard Pearse Drive, Temuka
When: 7pm Thursday 12 March

Return Your Sea-Run Salmon Bag Card

If you have finished your sea-run salmon fishing for the season, please remember to return the details of your salmon bag card to us.  Even if you didn’t go fishing, or catch or keep any sea-run salmon, your information is very important.

You can do this online by clicking here, give us a call on 03 615 8400, or email csi@fishandgame.org.nz or post the card to us at P.O Box 150 Temuka 7948.  

Please send us your Fishing Reports!

Whilst this report is crafted by the CSI Fish & Game team, it’s your stories that truly bring it to life. We’d love to hear about your own fishing adventures. Please share your short trip reports, photos, go-to lures, or favourite recipes etc.

Email your reports to Fish & Game Officer Jase Van Beers at jvanbeers@fishandgame.org.nz

Click here for Central South Island Fish & Game on Facebook

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