North Canterbury Fishing Report Friday 3rd November 2017

Tomorrow is the opening of the High Country lakes, which will be celebrated again this year with a fishing competition at Lake Coleridge, with a great prize pool generously sponsored by Hunting and Fishing.

The focus of the competition is on participation, and every angler who shows their licence at the weight in will be given a ticket for spot prizes.

Above Right: A sight all dry fly anglers wait eagerly for!-Photo Dave Jones.

The competition will be based at Ryton Bay where there will be a Fish & Game tent and weigh station.

Weigh-in is from 9am – 3pm, with the prize draw around 3:30pm.

Those anglers that are lucky enough to weigh a salmon or trout in are reminded they are to be whole and not gutted for this.

Please also ensure you arrive at the weigh-in before 3pm to avoid missing out. 

Lake Coleridge is the most popular lake in the region for fishing and this event is a great way for anglers to celebrate the traditional high country opening.

Fish & Game have been stocking the lakes in the area for many years and over the last twelve months, have again released tens of thousands of Chinook salmon smolt and Rainbow trout yearlings into Lake Coleridge and its tributaries, with an additional 5,000 odd rainbows released into the surrounding lakes.

Hopefully we get a break in the weather Saturday morning, with Nor-west winds rising through the day and into Sunday, where fishing may become challenging.

Boat anglers please take appropriate life jackets for all those on board and don’t wait for the waves to grow before deciding to come in, as things can change very quickly on Lake Coleridge.

The larger east coast rivers have not seen a decent fresh for well over a month and it looks like the Nor-west season has finally arrived.

Leading up to Christmas, anglers should make the most of any drop in flows before the next Nor-wester brings the rivers down.

These main rivers should fish well when flows drop off, especially for sea-run trout in the lower reaches as they fatten up on silveries and whitebait.

As seems to be the norm for this time of year, I have heard unconfirmed reports of two salmon taken from the Rakaia and another couple sighted, and it won’t be long before we get confirmation of the first salmon caught for the season. 

A good prospect for low country anglers this weekend would be the lower Ashley River, as there is a good flow there which will not be affected by the nor-west rain in the alps.

Good numbers of sea-run Brown trout should also have entered Lake Ellesmere when it was open recently and the lake tributaries would also be worth a look in the evenings and at night over the next month or so.

On the weekend of November 11-12, the Central South Island & North Canterbury regions will be hosting a Salmon Symposium at the Hotel Ashburton for anglers and other interested parties to review the state of our sea-run salmon fishery and the disappointing runs of recent years.

We will have a range of topics and experts to talk to them during the two day symposium.

If you are keen find out more about the event and register to attend please click here to link to the Fish & Game website.

Good luck if you are heading out for a fish over the weekend.

Steve Terry, Fish & Game Officer North Canterbury.