Central South Island News
Graeme Hughes, Fish and Game Officer.

Trout Fishing Season shaping up to be one of the best.
Although early days yet, the 2007 / 2008 trout fishing season in the Central South Island Region is shaping up to be a “biggy” The catch rate in popular trout rivers and several lakes is particularly high. Waters of note, Lake Benmore, Lake Alexandrina, Tekapo River, Ahuriri River, Hakataramea River, Maerewhenua  River. Anglers who know how to fish these waters are still landing numbers reminiscent of the opening weekend.  Despite the cold and unseasonable weather, already encouraging hatches of insects are providing fly casters with good fish catching opportunities.

Salmon donation to benefit anglers.
100,000 chinook salmon have just been released, 80,000 into Lake Benmore and 20,000 into Lake Opuha. The salmon from Sanfords Waitaki Hatchery were gifted to the Central South Island Region and released on the 14th and 15th of this month. These are 7th generation sea cage reared all-female stock and ideally suited for release to land-locked salmon fisheries. Opuha and Lake Benmore release sites was made on the basis that Didymo is already present so there would be no spread of the organism. 

The salmon weigh about 6 grams (about 80 mm long) and while they are small and vulnerable to predation the survivors will provide anglers in seasons to come with another species to catch, a fish which is usually much easier to catch compared to trout and  a great favourite with the youngsters. Thanks to the hatchery staff who provided their large tanker and their time to transport the salmon. Fish and Game paid the fuel costs for transport however no other charge was levied by Sanfords.

Authorities from Ministry of Fisheries and BNZ to release the fish required permission under Section 52(d) of the Biosecurity Act 1993 to be obtained and this was largely completed by Sanfords.  As the Ikawai hatchery receives Waitaki River water containing Didymo any transfer of stock from the hatchery results in a known release of a pest organism. 

Sea run Salmon in the Rangitata.
 During the last week 9 salmon have been caught in the Rangitata River, 3 the week before and anglers are hopeful that this is a good omen. The fish in excellent condition weighed up to 11kg.  To date the Waitaki has not produced the goods however most consider November too early for the Waitaki, Historically, Canterbury show weekend produces the first salmon in the Rakaia River , not long after the Rangitata anglers catch a few and then the Waitaki run begins, usually in the  Christmas to New Year period. 

Didymo continues to invade precious trout fisheries.
Didymo was located in the Hakataramea River during the weekend of 10th /11th of November. The find is not surprising, the length of time it took to get into the Haka is. The largest tributary of the Waitaki, well fished and with migrations of spawning fish moving in and out during the spawning period, it was assumed that it too would quickly become infected. As time elapsed it was thought that like some spring fed streams didymo had found the water chemistry of the Haka uninhabitable, but unfortunately not. To date the only other large tributary, the Maerewhenua River  is still didymo free.

Back to Reel Life