Summer conditions make for hard fishing.
Although summer has been late in arriving the weather and river conditions are now about as they should be at this time of year. In fact the almost sudden arrival of long hot days appears to have surprised the trout populations as well with anglers reporting good numbers of fish seen but most report that they are not the easiest to catch.  Trout populations have become quite selective after experiencing optimum flows and good invertebrate production. “Matching the hatch” is essential, longer light weight leaders and text book presentations will help. After the traditional holiday period Hakataramea and Maerewhenua trout are definitely more educated now compared to the early part of the season.

Fish and Game Officer Hamish Stevens reports on rivers to the north. The rivers around Temuka are providing some excellent fly fishing. The Opihi, Orari and Temuka are all crystal clear and he advises extra care needs to be taken when presenting to these fish however if you get it right some exciting fishing can be had. The best time to visit these rivers is early morning or late in the evening when the heat of the day has worn off as this is when the fish let their guard down and are feeding more actively. On one of his recent sorties to a local river, five fish were landed and another two lost in an hours fishing! Hamish said the fish rarely let a small “Hare and Copper” or “Parachute Adams” float past without giving it some attention.

Angler Salmon catch.
Chinook salmon have been caught in low numbers in the Waitaki River and it is difficult to estimate if the run is better or poorer than last year and it wasn’t good last year . The river has been running at 400 to 500 cumecs which is higher than many would like also the didymo being swept downstream is a frustration to anglers. Keeping line and hooks clean is a constant task.  To the north the Rangitata River salmon run started very well however the catch rate has slowed considerably. Along with the Opihi River salmon continue to be caught on a less numerous but regular basis.

Salmon by catch.
Fish and Game Officer Mark Webb reports on the subject of salmon by catch . i.e. salmon caught at sea during commercial trawling,  that no trips were made by named vessels in the Salmon at Sea Agreement into the Salmon Conservation Area (SCA) prior to Christmas. 

After New Year the “Ikawai” had one exploratory tow in the SCA with a volunteer verifier on board.  No red cod were caught so fishing effort shifted to half way between the mainland and the Chathams.  Until red cod appear in the SCA there will be little trawler activity and much reduced likelihood of salmon as a by catch

Sockeye Salmon.
Several sightings and recorded catches of Sockeye salmon in the Haldon Arm of Lake Benmore  have been received in the last few days. Sockeye are early spawners and will be moving into spawning tributaries about now and during  March. Spawning will be completed by the end of April. Larch Stream a traditional Sockeye spawning stream is closed to fishing during the months of February, March and April.  An unconfirmed report this week indicates that “Sockeyes” are migrating into the lower Ohau River in their hundreds.

Boat Angler Education
Mark Webb assisted with  a successful  angler education programme during the holiday period. As part of a three-stop boat fishing road show organised by Southland, Otago, and CSI, a seminar for boat anglers was held in Omarama on 7 January.  The seminar covered fishing methods including trolling, harling, jigging, leadlining, tackle options, fish handling, fish behaviour and life cycle, local access, hot spots, and successful lures.  About 80 people attended which far exceeded expectations for the last day of many anglers’ holiday.  Similar numbers attended at Te Anau and Wanaka.

Compliance
Eight rangers in the three boats carried out compliance duties on Ahuriri and Haldon arms of Lake Benmore on 28th December.  Approximately 100 anglers in 60 boats were interviewed and 20% were found not to be carrying their licences.  This was a much poorer compliance rate than during the same event in 2005 and suggests further enforcement is required.  To date two licences have been submitted by anglers to indicate they were licenced at the time.  These licences are not as legitimate as the anglers would have us believe.  Further instances of unlicenced angling are expected.

A similar event scheduled for the Ashburton lakes was abandoned when 50 mm of snow fell in the basin.

Ranger training weekend
Fish and Game had a great turn out of volunteer rangers for their annual  February  training weekend held at Temuka. The Saturday consisted of ranging on the hydro canals, Lake Opuha, Opihi, Orari and Rangitata rivers. There were a total of 73 licences checked with only two failing to produce one on the day as they had left it at home. This was an improvement on the  Lake Benmore where 18 anglers failed to produce a licence that day. Carrying your licence is important as not carrying it creates an inconvenience for both yourself and the ranger. So when going fishing be sure to carry your licence and you will save yourself the hassle of sending it to the office. 

The Sunday was a training day for the rangers with presentations covering didymo, past prosecutions and firearms safety certification. This day provided rangers with a bit of extra knowledge and a chance to ask questions hopefully making their future ranging operations easier and more successful.

“Didymo”.
Surveys of rivers in the region continue on a regular basis. To date no new infestations have been discovered. This would indicate that anglers are very aware and are taking the necessary cleaning procedures after fishing and before entering another water way. Several reports of “didymo” have been received however on investigation all have been the indigenous “look alikes”. Fish and Game investigate all sightings, if you see an algae which you think may be “didymo” don’t hesitate to call Fish and Game staff, the Kurow or Temuka office.