Reel Life October 2018

29/10/2018

Thanks to all anglers who have joined the battle against the anti-trout sections in the new Conservation (Indigenous Freshwater Fish) Amendment Bill.

Thousands of you signed the petition on the Bill and others made submissions to the Parliamentary Select Committee which is now considering the proposed legislation.

And while the petition and submissions closed on October 25, you can still take action.

Write or email your MP, along with the Prime Minister and party leaders.

And while you are at it, send an email to the Minister for Recreation Grant Robertson telling him how highly you value trout fishing and the recreation and relaxation it provides.

His email is g.robertson@ministers.govt.nz

You can also arrange to meet your MP face to face in their electorate office and tell them why the Bill needs to be changed.

Have a look here for advice on what to do and how to do it.

Rest assured, your unhappiness with the Bill’s anti-trout content is being noted by politicians and officials, so keep up the effort!

What a great month October has been, with enough fine and settled weather to provide a good start to the new trout season and some great days fishing throughout the country.

Even better, with summer and warmer weather ahead, and a whole raft of waterways around the country re-opening to fishing, anglers can look forward to exploring new spots and establish how many fat trout are living in them.

At the moment, trout are intent on piling on the weight after spawning and are on the hunt for food.

The latest reports in from the lower North Island indicate trout are in great shape after a relatively mild winter.

Wellington staff are raving about the condition of the trout they have seen in their waters, saying they are “stand out… very fit and heavy for so early in the season.”

Rivers in many regions are reported to be in great condition thanks to the lack of heavy rain and flooding – and the weather’s been angler friendly!

High country waterways in regions including the Central South Island and North Canterbury reopen in coming days.

In the CSI region alone, the opening will practically double the amount of fishing available.

CARAVAN WEB In case you missed it, from our WTF files, we have the caravan folks who were trolling for trout on Opening Day on Lake Tarawera…

P.S. - Thanks to Peter McGahan who sent in our cover shot of his eight year-old grandson Tyson, with a nice 3.5lb rainbow he caught on Lake Wanaka on holiday with grandad.

P.P.S - If you think you've got a freshwater fishing image worthy of featuring on our 'cover', email it to Richard Cosgrove for consideration.

Fishing News
	Win a fabulous Swift flyrod Loyal Reel Life readers will soon have the chance of winning a unique hand-crafted Epic flyrod! In November, you will receive a survey asking for your views on Reel Life – complete the survey and you could be enjoying a 590c or 690c fly rod made just for you, worth more than $1,200. Our thanks to Epic fly rods for supplying this desirable prize and if you want to start selecting which rod you want, click here to see their full range.
	Biosecurity heads up All anglers should be following the well-established ‘Check, Clean and Dry’ advice to fight the spread of pests like didymo and lake snow. Lake snow has now been found in the North Island and anglers have a key role in helping stop its spread. Click here. Fish & Game has worked with Federated Farmers and MPI to provide advice for anglers on what to do to reassure farmers that they are taking the threat of this cattle disease seriously. Have a look here on what you can do.
	Election Results The Fish & Game council elections have brought in a raft of new councillors in the 12 Fish & Game regions around the country. Interest in the elections was high this year, with enough candidates putting their names forward to require elections in nine regions. For full details on the election results and to check out who your new councillors are, go to the Fish & Game website results page.
	Orange tag trout nets reward The only angler to catch an orange tagged trout in the Rotorua lakes “fishy lucky dip” has described just how lucky he was to catch the special trout. The Fish for Gold promotion, with a $10,000 prize at stake, ended on Sunday with the major prizes going unclaimed. But Hamurana local Sven Tetenburg (pictured) said it was “absolutely brilliant” to receive a $250 voucher from Outdoorsman Headquarters as the reward for his orange tagged trout. Read more here
	New manager for Fish & Game in Hawke’s Bay As the new fishing season rolls on, Hawke's Bay Fish & Game has a new Regional Manager, Jesse Friedlander. Jesse’s background includes work in wildlife management and conservation throughout New Zealand, in Canada and the Seychelles. He is originally from Hawke's Bay and says he owes a lot to the hunting and angling community. Click here for more information.
	Banding details ‘pays off big’ for hunters For you anglers who also hunt comes word that helping Fish & Game’s research has “paid off big time” for five game bird hunters who’ve each been rewarded with a $600 prize package – for returning their duck band details. To enter the Banding Together draw, hunters had to send in the duck band details from birds they’d harvested by August 31, 2018. For details, click here.

Streamside with...

Graeme Marshall tells of an ordinary Opening Day that improved as time went on…Find out more

Chris Dore writes about what’s been working so far this season…Find out more

Will Spry reflects on a great month in the South Island …Find out more

NZFFA’s David Haynes worries that little has changed environmentally under this Government …Find out more

Creasy's Column

By Hugh Creasy

Geese are creatures of little brain. But what they do have gives them a courageous and cunning streak that leads to survival against the odds. Being confronted by a domestic goose defending its brood can be a disconcerting experience, and their attacks on trespassers often end with a feathered victory. I’ve come across Canada geese, nesting in deep forest but always within reach of water, or in gorse-covered headwaters where bogs give protection against predators. Their selection of nesting sites denotes a practical application of what little intelligence they possess. If a goose has a brain smaller than a pea, its survival must mean the brain is made full use of – much to the chagrin of humans whose brains are hundreds of times larger, yet we build leaky homes on flood plains and on earthquake faults... Continue reading here.