Central South Island Weekly Fishing Report - 22 January 2026
- Central South Island
- 22/01/2026
CSI Lakes are Full of Water and Fish
Local angler Paul sent in this report from a Sunday session at Lake Opuha/Ōpūaha.
“Lake Opuha is fishing extremely well at the moment thanks to high water levels, with the lake full, the flooded margins are proving super productive! Fish are cruising these margins, and I caught and released over 20 well-conditioned trout by noon on Sunday, mostly browns in the 2–3lb range. Most success came on small nymphs, with a few fish taken on emergers. Worm patterns and woolly buggers would do well in these conditions.”
With so much fish activity on the lakes edge, now is the time to get there. Same goes for other lakes in our region such as Lake Clearwater, Lake Pūkaki etc. It’s fishing that suits kids just as much as experienced anglers, with plenty of visible, catchable fish on offer.
Pictured above: A healthy Lake Opuha brown trout putting up a good fight on the fly in the flooded margins.
Paul gently releases one of many trout caught, cared for and released.
We Encourage Best-Practice Catch and Release
A salmon angler releases a salmon.
Please follow this link to the Fish & Game website for our full advice.
The catching and releasing parts are common practice and it’s the “care for the landed fish” part in between that is really important to do well to ensure a successful release. We are encouraging anglers to increase their skills and use best-practice techniques for handling salmon.
Some anglers may practice catch and release as an intended conservation tool, as it may potentially allow more salmon to reach the spawning grounds. Other anglers may practice catch and release to enable them to continue to remain actively fishing for the season, as once an angler has kept their one sea-run salmon season bag limit, their season ends. There are also some legal requirements where you must release a sea-run salmon e.g. You cannot continue to fish after having caught your season bag limit.
Best-practice catch and release techniques take knowledge and experience to perfect. When done well, it will often result in a healthy fish reaching the spawning grounds.
Poor catch and release that fails to care for the fish, has a high chance of causing injury and or death; therefore, can impact the sea-run salmon fishery. In the case that an angler fails to care for a salmon, we suggest it’s better to keep it as their one fish season bag limit.
As catch and release is a new mindset and skill for many salmon anglers, we want to help you become a catch and release expert by sharing Central South Island and North Canterbury Fish & Game’s best-practice catch and release three key principles and top tips to achieve these.
Best Practice C&R for Sea-Run Salmon Three Key Principles
Top Tips for the Best Practice C&R for Sea-Run Salmon Three Key Principles
How to Fish High Flows at the Canals
Connor Cavaney from Hawkes Bay (15 yo) with a canal giant!
The consistent heavy rain events along the Southern Alps during recent months have caused large volumes of water to flow through the hydro canal systems.
In response to this, a common question we are getting from canal anglers this summer is how to effectively fish the canals with the high flow rates.
Egg rolling is not the norm for this time of year because the canals usually have low flows and are far clearer. Egg rolling is especially effective during winter, when trout and salmon are spawning and loose eggs are naturally carried downstream.
However, egg rolling can produce results at any time of year if conditions are right. Especially when high flows are present like they are currently!
Egg rolling involves casting a lightly weighted artificial egg into flowing water and moving downstream at the same speed as the current, allowing the egg to naturally tumble along the canal’s stony bottom. When high flows are present the strong current gives fish less time to inspect before committing to the bite!
To watch our instructional video on the basics of the egg rolling, click here! And learn how to egg roll the canals and give it a go for yourself. We collaborated in this video with knowledgeable young canal angler Harvey Metcalf from Harv's Hydro Canal Fishing.
Angler Nets Big Rainbow for Birthday
Mack with a trophy rainbow trout cake he and his brother Jock helped make for his dad Jase Van Beers’s birthday last week.
Weather and Water Outlook
The Waitaki River at State Highway 1 pictured on Sunday. Photo John Bisset, The Timaru Herald.
Please always check the weather and waterway conditions yourself before heading out to ensure an enjoyable day on the water, click on the links below to the weather and water condition forecast providers we use.
- Keep a close eye on river and lake levels at Environment Canterbury’s River Flow Website here and rainfall website here.
- Outdoor Access NZ offer high quality live stream webcams of some of Canterbury’s favourite fishing spots. This is a subscription-based service, but they do offer a 30-day free trial.
- There are some great weather forecasting websites available, we use YR.NO, Metvuw and NIWA Weather.
NOTICE BOARD
Environment Canterbury
Waitaki River Flood Warning
Last updated: 9.52am Mon, 19 Jan 2026
The Waitaki River flow below the Waitaki Dam will remain high for the remainder of the week.
While flooding is mostly expected to be contained in the river, it’s possible some flooding of low-lying areas on the river flood plain may occur. Landowners adjacent to the river should consider moving stock away from vulnerable areas and take any other necessary action.
Meridian Energy Limited
Due to high lake and river levels, and ongoing inflows, Meridian continue to release water from Gate 19 at Lake Pūkaki, as well as from Lakes Ōhau, Benmore, Aviemore and Waitaki.
Take care around all lakes and rivers as water levels can change rapidly. Do not enter the water under any circumstances and remember to obey all warning signs as currents will be unpredictable. If you see anyone who may be at immediate risk of harm, call 111 immediately.
There is currently no end date for these releases – they will end as inflows reduce.
Updates will be made via the Meridian Energy Ltd Facebook page, here.
Exploring Regulatory Changes To Increase Sea-Run Salmon Spawning – Your Feedback Is Sought
Sea-run salmon populations are at critically low levels currently requiring the Central South Island and North Canterbury Fish and Game Councils to explore further regulation options, in addition to the season bag limit, that enable a greater proportion of the run to spawn. Changes to the regulations may impact your fishing activities and your sea-run salmon fishery values, so we are seeking your feedback to support future decision making.
The survey period closes on the 31st of January 2026. All submissions must be made by 11:59 pm NZDT.
Have your say: Potential Fishing Rule Changes at Lake Heron
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. These 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 is now open for submissions and closes on 30 January 2026. Please educate yourself with the consultation pack before completing the survey.
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 still 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 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.
Disclaimer:
The information presented in these news items is based on the context and regulations in place at the time of publication. Please note that some articles may include reference to laws and regulatory standards that have since changed. For the most current and accurate information please check our Fishing Licences & Regulations pages or our Hunting Licences & Regulations pages.