Fishing over the holidays
The holiday season is here, and it’s a popular time for Kiwis to go fishing in their favourite rivers and lakes.
In Nelson Marlborough, the start of this fishing season has been one of the better ones in recent years. The stable winter and spring period has been great for the trout population – trout have come out the other side of their spawning duties in top condition, and by October 1 staff were seeing plenty of pictures of football-like trout and very happy anglers. Since then, minor rain events have kept rivers in prime condition, and we are now entering a golden month on the fishing calendar. The big talking point so far has been not only the quality of the fish but an increase in numbers compared to previous years. Recent drift dives undertaken by Fish & Game staff have shown good numbers of large trout in most rivers we’ve been in, plus a bumper crop of young fish coming through due to the ideal spawning conditions over winter. Most importantly, angler feedback from the season so far has been terrific. Our hatchery programme has been busy and over 5000 1kg-plus trout will be released this season. We have liberated plenty of fish already into Lake Argyle and Waimea Park (two of our most popular fisheries), along with the Branch and Leatham rivers. For a bit of holiday fun, check out our highly popular Lake Argyle tagged fish competition which is coming up from Christmas onwards, where 200 tagged fish are released and some great prizes are up for grabs. We also have around 80 double-digit bruisers that we’ll be slipping into Argyle over the next few months, which certainly keeps some of the big fish fanatics happy. Meanwhile, on the West Coast, a group of enthusiastic beginner anglers recently gathered at the Taramakau River to attend a session on the Basics of Fly Fishing. The event began with a discussion about fly fishing, including the different types of gear available to anglers, as well as fly types and how to set up the rod for the catch. After the discussion, it was time for the participants to test their skills on the water and practice their casting, though, despite the absence of rain, the wind certainly made the session fairly challenging. Summer has arrived on the West Coast; warm days are resulting in river and lake temperatures hitting optimal levels for fishing, so now is a great time to get together and get out fishing.