South Canterbury Report – November 2007

Right on cue the salmon have begun to show up in the lower Rangitata with a trickle of fish being seen negotiating the gut. To date I’ve only heard of a few being caught but with the river in great condition the numbers should increase as the month progresses. As with last season the surf will be the place to be once sea conditions improve. Big swells have frustrated whitebaiters and salmon fishers alike lately.

Reports are coming in of good numbers of large sea run browns in all rivers at present. Change of light seems to be the time to target them. Yellow feathered lures and whitebait patterns are always a good bet. Your reporter caught a beautifully conditioned fish on a zed spinner while fishing for salmon in the lower Rangitata.

Good numbers of resident browns are present in the Opihi at present but they are not always easy to catch. I struck a falling barometer situation recently and the fishing was hard with very little insect activity. Once the frontal system moved on it was business as usual.

Both the Opuha and Tengawai tributaries are in fine condition with some excellent fish in residence. Be prepared to fish with fine tippets and small flies in the latter. Catch and release is recommended in both these streams as numbers are not high in some sections.

Lake Opuha goes from strength to strength with plenty of nice browns cruising the edges. Anglers familiar with this water report an improvement in both size and condition of fish. I’ve enjoyed success on both damselfly nymphs and midge pupa.

November and December are my favourite months for evening dry fly fishing. Keep an eye out for grass grub beetles. They tend to fly right on dark from mid November until well into December, especially after a particularly warm day.

Hot tip. Try the good old coch-y-bondhu in sizes 12 and 14 in the evening. It’s a great beetle pattern but also fishes well during the day, especially when fished in joggly water. The only down-side is that it can be hard to keep an eye on due to its dark colour.

Graeme Marshall is an independent fishing guide; his reports are not officially representative of Fish & Game NZ

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