Fishing News index> May 2009

Season’s perspective

Our regular anglers tell us that this year fish numbers are generally down across the entire region, with an apparent limited recruitment in many catchments.  The exact reasons for this are unknown, but one factor known to have a dramatic influence on salmonid numbers in this region is the issue of flooding.  Research work in the Motupiko and Rainy River systems over the last 5 years has involved tagging both adult and juvenile brown trout within these systems.  The initial tagging research work using radio tags on adult fish in the Motupiko, revealed some graphic results of the effects of large floods on adult brown trout.  Following a very significant flood event in this catchment, most of the tagged fish were wiped out, with many tags being retrieved from underneath piles of gravel deposited by the floods.

More recently, tagging work on juvenile fish in the Rainy River has also indicated that flood events are responsible for catastrophic reductions in juvenile salmonid numbers within individual catchments.  Most anglers will know that wild fisheries are cyclic by nature, and it is hoped that the observed recruitment decline will pick up in seasons to come, although the effect of predicted possible increased flood frequencies in this region in the future due to climate change remain to be seen.

Fish & Game drift divers certainly observed a reduction in the numbers of medium sized brown trout in the Motueka River, and this appears to have led to a much larger average size than usual in this system as discussed in the last issue of reel life.  Excellent conditioned fish in the 4 pound plus range have been the norm rather than exception this season, whereas historically this fishery was dominated more by medium fish in the 2-3 pound range.  As well as the reduced numbers of smaller fish competing for food, the presence of large shoals of smelt throughout much of the lower-mid Motueka probably also contributed to the excellent conditioned feisty fish landed in the latter part of the season for this river.

Large numbers of smelt were also observed in several other rivers in this region this season, possibly leading to better conditioned fish over the winter season.  So for those addict’s whom just can’t face putting the rod away this winter, try the lower Motueka, Waimea, Pelorus, and Wairau systems and let us know what the fishing was like! 

A lovely Pelorus rainbow (photo courtesy Ben Grady)

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