Reel Life January 2012

January 2012

High-summer angling action

Welcome to 2012 and another issue of Reel Life – your angling newsletter.

Summer fishing activity and action should be in full swing by now with long days and warm weather. This is the time of year anglers relish as the larger terrestrial insects start to appear on the smorgasbord and fish start 'looking up' to dry flies.

It's also when we're more likely to encounter increased angling activity and pressure on our favourite fisheries. This makes summer the perfect time to seek out new fishing water and new access opportunities.

We hope our brand new website, with its interactive mapping function, will make it easier to locate water you haven't fished as well as the angler access Fish & Game has secured to these spots for you, the licence holder. The website is due to go live in early February so we encourage you to take a look and enjoy the new info, interactivity and functionality it offers.

The Walking Access Mapping System (www.wams.org.nz) is another excellent resource for anglers embarking on 'voyages of discovery' and we strongly recommend you take the time to familiarise yourself with the site – who knows, it could help you discover 'Spot-X'!

Before you go door knocking to access a new fishing spot, it might pay to heed Walking Access Commission (WAC) chief executive Mark Neeson's advice on etiquette when crossing private land. His article is here . You can expect to hear more from WAC on the subject of educating the public in this area over the coming year.

So, go forth and seek out some new summer fishing water and please ensure you treat any access granted with respect.

And don't forget to sign up as a friend of Fish & Game NZ on Facebook & Twitter – it's an excellent way for you to stay in touch with all our news and alerts!

Until next month - happy angling!

P.S - This month's cover image sent to us by Tim Angeli is a spectacularly marked wild rainbow from 'Spot X' in the North Island.

If you want to submit a photo to be considered for the Reel Life 'cover', email your image to hcarnachan@fishandgame.org.nz with the appropriate details – i.e angler's name and rough location (we're not asking you to divulge your secrets spots!).*

* Fish & Game NZ reserve the right to use any images submitted in other communications, publicity or promotional material so make sure you're looking your best!

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Creasy's Column - By Hugh Creasy

As good as it gets…

The night sky holds its mystery, I prefer it that way. In the deep south, when the sun sets and the twilight turns to purple haze and darkness fills the valleys, the first stars are seen, clear, unblinking in the dust-free air. Then skeins of stars drift across the darkness, and the darkness comes alive with planets, with asteroids, gases and nebulae, with galaxies and billions upon billions of heavenly bodies that if the Big Bang Theory is correct are travelling away from the centre of the universe.

Does that mean the ones travelling away from us are seen at their youngest, while those travelling towards us are seen in their dotage, perhaps already dead of old age, but their light is young and strong. Perhaps there is some Newtonian gravitational fold in space that brings time and galaxies closer?

In the light of the morning we ride old water, glacier melt from the Tasman Glacier, with a little help from the Godley. The flour, ice-ground from ancient rock, hangs suspended in the water, colouring Lakes Tekapo, Pukaki and Benmore, a quick flow through Aviemore and this old liquid keeps us afloat on the Waitaki River... Read More

Angling Club Newsletters

Fish & Game New Zealand is proud to support angling clubs from around the country. You can read their monthly newsletters on the New Zealand Federation of Fresh Water Anglers website here.