Fishing reports

Naturally we are in contact with a huge number of fishermen, many of which are happy to supply us with reports of areas that are fishing well, and often times some tips on the best tackle. Below you will find a range of fishing reports ordered by date.

Fishing Reports

Trout 8.7.10	Fishing in the Canterbury lakes is starting to show signs of picking up with some encouraging reports coming in. The river mouths of lake Coleridge have been producing some good condition Rainbows. Trolling with a downrigger or lead line has proved successful on the salmon. Trolling the edge on the southern side of Mt Kaka is a great spot to pick up the Salmon. When the river is clear the Waimak is a good option to pick up a few feisty football shaped Rainbows. Drop offs just off the main current are a favourite spot to target. These rainbows usually hang out in groups so if you catch one it pays to put a few more casts over that spot. Last winter I caught seven of these at the mouth of the Kowai without moving more than five metres. A mid sized Glo bug tied of the back of a size 10 tungsten bead nymph did the job that day. All took the Glo bug. The Ellesmere rivers are always worth a look during the winter as staff member Scott found out last week, see pic below. Make sure you check the winter regulations

Trout 4.6.10	Now that the winter season is underway for some of the Canterbury lakes there are some good day and night time fishing options around. Lakes that are open from June 1st till September 30th include Coleridge, Lyndon, Selfe, Pearson, and Taylor. Early reports indicates fishing has been a little slow but should improve. Spotting conditons look good for Saturday with light winds and clear skies. Unfortunatley rain and snow is forecast for Sunday night and Monday for the Canterbury high country. If anyone is planning a trip up to the Taupo, Rotorua Lakes area, early reports suggest that fish condition is better than in the last few years.

Trout 5.5.10	Although trout fishing options locally this month are a bit limited there are still some good fishing around. Fishing for rainbows in the Waimakariri from about mid way across the plains up to the foothills can be great fun. These rainbows aren't generally big but this time of year they are in great condition and fight well above there weight. They often sit deep, downstream of drop-offs so a bit of weight is needed to get down. A double nymph rig consisting of a glow bug tied off the back of a size 10 - 12 tungsten bead flashback nymph works well. The main thing is to move around untill you find the trout which usually sit in groups. Lake benmore has been fishing exstremely well recentley. The top end of both the Hawdon and Ahuriri arms have provided fantastic sight fishing in recent weeks for both rainbows and browns. A red glass bead damsell has been fishing well.

Trout 20.4.10	This is the last weekend to fish most of the high country before it closes for the winter. A lot of the North Canterbury lakes close at the end of April with a few re-opening in June for a four month winter season. Night fishing with a lumo doll fly at the river mouths of Coleridge has been productive in the last few weeks with Salmon and Rainbows gathering there. In the lakes fish have been most actively feeding when the sun has been at it's highest so having a sleep in isn't the end of the world. There is still a last minute chance this month to take advantage of the "mouse year" and catch a trophy. I know of a 14lb brown caught in a North Canterbury high country river last week, that was taken on a mouse imitation.

Salmon 20.04.10	The Rakaia has been quiet across the plains, but there is still fish been caught in the gorge. The lower Waimak has slowed but there is still a few fish been caught most days at the mouth and at McIntoshes rocks. The best bet is from Browns rock up through the gorge. When the river is low and clear it is best fished early morning.

Trout 6.04.10	High country trout have proven very hard with many experienced anglers getting skunked in recent weeks as fish have become very leader shy after experiencing high fishing pressure. Some brown trout will be moving towards there spawning grounds from now on. River mouths in lakes and the rivers that run into them can produce at this time. There have been good dry fly action on mayflies recently. Lake Lyndon is very low at the moment which has made for good sight fishing in the shallow flats when the sun is out and fish can be seen. Otherwise twitching back an unweighted nymph between the weed beds has been successful.

Salmon 6.04.10	The run of fish that came through the Waimak a week and a half ago are now well up the river with catches in the lower reaches now dying off. Some fish will still be held up in holes. Recent reports confirm this. The Rakaia is still slow with no substantial runs to speak of in the last few weeks.

Salmon 24.3.10	Over the last week the Waimakariri has produced good numbers of fish in the lower tidal reaches but no runs heading further up stream. Hopefully this is about to change. With up to 250mm of rain falling around the main divide over the last 3 days the river is now up and dirty and won't be fishable for a couple of days. This fresh should spark a run of fish up the river. The Rakaia has been slow, not helped by the mouth closing for a while. Although with a bit of luck this fresh will produce a run. The Rakaia peaked at 844 cumecs on Tuesday and is rising again today due to another burst of rain. With clearing rivers over the next few days this weekend could be a good time to chase the Salmon.

Surf Casting 17.3.10	Surfcasting in general has been pretty good this summer but is starting do die off a little. There is still the odd rig around to be caught if you get the conditions right. The best conditions for Rig fishing from Birlings and Baileys is on the incoming tide when the water is a bit dis-coloured or at night. Use whole paddle crabs with a large 8/0 - 10/0 hook. Make sure there is a good gap between the point of your hook and the bait.

Salmon 17.3.10	Yesterday produced the best fishing in the lower Waimakariri for the season so far. Reports of up to 25 caught at the mouth and more than15 at MacIntoshes rocks. Over the last couple of weeks the mid reaches have been producing a few fish. This is likely to improve with the current cool tempertures and yesterday's results. The Rakaia has been quite slow with the lagoon completely closing recentley with the high seas and low flows. For the best results especially in low clear flows fish the change of light. Lighter line and smaller lures can also help when the fish are there but not taking.

Trout 17.3.10	There has been mixed reports over the last week or so for the Canterbury high country. Fishing has been hard in the headwater streams after receiving alot of pressure over the last couple of months. Large terrestrial dry flies have been working well in recent weeks but are probably about to come to an end. A naturally presented fly can still do the job when fish are feeding. Watch out for good mayfly hatches after a southerley change. Lake Brunner has been a stand out this season with larger fish than normal. High smelt numbers in the lake are providing great food for trout which are in top condition.

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