Weekly Fishing report for Central South island and North Canterbury - Holiday Edition 1 - 28-12-2023

Above: Lake Benmore is kiwi-classic summertime fishing destination-Photo by Rhys Adams

Welcome to the first of the weekly report's two ‘Holiday Editions’.

In this report, we provide information and tips to help you have safe, fun, and successful fishing trips this summer. 

Top Tips for Summertime Trolling on Lakes

Many boaties could improve their success rate if they learn to work around summertime water temperatures. If the water reaches 19°C, trout and salmon can go off the bite and move to cooler water.

Here are some tips for fishing lakes during hot summertime conditions: 

1. Fish shallow lake margins in the early morning while the water temperatures are at their coolest.
2. In the afternoon and evening, when water temperatures heat up, target cooler deep water – make sure your lure is fishing at least 2 metres deep. 
3. Fishing deep can be achieved by using lead-lines, and downriggers or if using a standard spin rod, rig a sinker about 1.5 metres in front of your lure.
4. Troll slow to allow your lure to sink and remain at depth. It’s fishing – not waterskiing!
5. Fish near inflowing rivers and streams as the inflowing water may be cooler.

For more trolling tips, check out this helpful YouTube video here. 

Finding a fishing spot is easy as…

If you are new to fishing Canterbury and North Otago or just looking to fish a bit further afield, we have some super valuable online resources!

For Central South Island Region:

Click here for fishing tips, fishery information and downloadable brochures covering our popular fisheries.

Click here for our brand-new online access map website detailing hundreds of access spots throughout the region.

For North Canterbury Region:

Click here for fishing tips, fishery information and downloadable brochures covering our popular fisheries.

Click here for our brand-new online access map website detailing hundreds of access spots throughout the region. 

Waterway and weather conditions

• Keep a close eye on river and lake levels at Environment Canterbury’s River Flow Website here and rainfall website here.
• If live stream webcams are your thing, you can pay to view many of Canterbury’s favourite fishing spots live at Outdoor Access NZ. This is a subscription-based service, but they do offer a 30-day free trial.
• There are some great weather forecasting websites available, like Metvuw, Metservice and YR.NO. 

Sea-run salmon tips 

The annual sea-run salmon runs are underway.

Catches have been reported during December and the peak months of the run are still ahead of us.

For those anglers wishing to try their hand at catching one of these elusive fish of a lifetime, we have a handy video series here. 

The fundamental thing to remember when fishing for sea-run salmon in the Central South Island and North Canterbury regions is you must have a sea-run salmon licence. 

This licence will get you a sea-run season bag limit card mailed to you. 

You must have the sea-run season bag limit card on you when fishing for salmon and you must have a pen to fill out your card immediately when you keep a salmon. 

A photo of your card on your phone won’t suffice - as your card can’t be filled out when it is a picture and you don’t want to be one of those that gets their salmon seized and criminal charges laid in the District Court like some last season. 

If you want to learn a bit about the science behind the adaptive salmon management in Canterbury you can watch this video stuff.co.nz filmed during the last season. 

Best trout baits

1. Prawn and cocktail shrimp – these crustaceans would surely win the award for the most popular bait in the Mackenzie Basin canals. Fish them whole or trim them to suit your hook size.
2. Huhu grub. Dig these insects out of a rotten log. They stay on the hook best if you hook them through the mouth.
3. Anchovy. WARNING: any fish used for bait must be whole and intact. If any portion of the fish is not intact, it cannot be used for bait.
4. Scented soft baits – these come in all shapes, sizes and scents and can be fished in all sorts of ways.
5. Worms – dig them up from your garden bed or, better yet, around a cattle yard. A favourite of brown trout, incredibly successful when rivers are up in flow a little after a rain event.  

Message from Meridian

Summer is nearly here, and there are a few things to remember when you’re out and about near our canals and hydro assets. 

• Remember to park safely, well clear of the roadway and in designated parking areas. 

• The rocks on the edge of the canal are super slippery, and the canals quickly reach a 10M depth. Please be careful. 

• Don’t climb fences around our structures – the fences are there to keep you safe.    

• Take it easy when walking down the side of the canals - it’s easy to slip, fall and break something. 

• Our hydro station’s water intake and discharge areas have fast-flowing aerated water, undercurrents and unpredictable water releases. Please follow the safety information on our safety signs. 

Enjoy the canals and hydro assets safely over the summer!

Happy fishing!

The Meridian team

Check, Clean and Dry

Invasive aquatic organisms are scattered around New Zealand’s waterways; let’s do our bit to stop them from spreading any further.

For example, lakes Benmore and Aviemore have an infestation of the aquatic weed Lagarosiphon major (oxygen weed), and there is a huge cost to keep it at suppressed levels.

Over a million dollars is spent each year to control Lagarosiphon in Benmore and Aviemore for the benefit of recreational users, biodiversity, and power generation.

There are other nasties out there, too, and the only way to ensure none are spread around is to always check, clean and dry before going to a new waterway.

This helpful Check Clean Dry pocket guide gives you great information on how to clean all types of equipment. 

Tight Lines

From the teams at Central South Island and North Canterbury Fish & Game