Reel Life February 2025 - North Canterbury

February has been relatively settled here in North Canterbury, with the landscape looking greener than usual. This has led to excellent summer flows in most of our lowland rivers and streams, meaning we haven't encountered any stranded fish - something that's typically common during the summer months. However, our big, braided rivers and some backcountry streams are experiencing low flows due to the lack of Northwest weather systems in the mountains, which usually bring rain and help boost river levels.

Autumn Fishing Opportunities

With autumn on the horizon, now is a great time to explore new fishing spots. As temperatures cool, trout become more active throughout the day, making them easier to spot. This provides anglers with a great opportunity to assess whether an area is worth revisiting in future seasons.

Exploring new waters also helps improve your techniques and adds an extra challenge - there’s nothing more satisfying than catching fish in a place you've never fished before!

Just a reminder that Glenariffe, Double hill, Goat Hill, Manuka Point and the Hydra Waters are closed for fishing from Friday 28^th February.

Rakaia Salmon Competition

This year marks the 40th anniversary of the Rakaia Salmon Competition, taking place from February 28th to March 2nd. There are some fantastic prizes up for grabs, so be sure to enter before the deadline (February 17th at 5 PM). It’s set to be a great weekend on the river, connecting with fellow anglers and making the most of the fishing action.

Compliance Update

Since October 1st, the North Canterbury team and our Honorary Rangers have been actively checking licenses across the region. So far this season, we’ve checked over 700 anglers.

Some anglers have been surprised to see us in certain locations, but the majority have been great at producing their licenses, making our job much easier.

Below is a table of the various locations that we have visited.

Lakes	Rivers
Sumner	Nina
Loch Katrine	Lewis
Taylor	Boyle
Sarah	Hope
Grasmere	Hurunui North Branch
Pearson	Hurunui South Branch
Lyndon	Ashley
Selfe	Waimakariri
Evelyn	Broken
Coleridge	Glenariffe
Georgina	Rakaia
Ida	Selwyn
	Harts Creek
	L2
	Halwell