Central South Island News

Fishing in the Waitaki Valley.
Graeme Hughes.
As usual, the valley’s lakes produced good catches for the many holiday makers who camp in the serviced camping areas available. About mid January the catch rate slowed markedly, however since February, anglers’ reports suggests that the catch rate has resumed. Every year a large fish. other than a salmon farm, canal reared monster is caught locally and earlier in the month a 4.9 kg Brown trout was caught in the Ahuriri Arm of Lake Benmore. 

The Ahuriri River has been at a low flow and this appears to have been beneficial to anglers success rate.  Latterly however the long hot days and decreasing river flows have affected the catch rate with anglers reporting that while plenty of trout can be seen they are not moving about intercepting food items and casting nymphs or flies to them is a waste of time. The next “norwest” rain should remedy this not uncommon occurrence. 

The Waitaki River is still producing a good harvest with Brown trout retaining excellent condition however several reports from anglers suggest that some of the Rainbow trout may not be as good as in previous years. With some “rainbows” spawning very late it is difficult to know if these are kelts or if didymo is affecting their food availability..
 
Salmon Fishing.
Graeme Hughes.
The Waitaki River salmon run has begun but slowed after a promising start. Many of the fish caught have been large with the majority of fish in the high 20’s (pounds). During the last week several trophy fish have been lost and one was rumoured to be in the high 30’s possibly a 40 pounder. The season is shaping up to be very similar to the 2007 year with the runs beginning in late February  with most fish taken during the month of March.

Salmon have been seen and hooked in the upper stretches of the Waitaki River indicating there has been some movement from the lower river and that any likely “salmon hole” could be productive through the remainder of the season.

Sockeye Salmon.
With February almost over, if anyone wanted to target pre spawning Sockeye salmon, now would be the time to do some exploratory fishing in the Haldon Arm of Lake Benmore concentrating on the water around Ohau “C” and across to the confluence of the Tekapo and Ohau Rivers. Trolling trout lures has worked in the past, I suspect smaller than larger patterns would work best. According to last years diary,  Sockeye salmon were migrating up the Ohau river and unnamed tributary on the 27th February. From the numbers I saw and the distance they had travelled my guess is they had been on migration for several days. If their timetable is the same as in 2007, from  now on will be about the right time to catch schooling “Sockeyes”.

Fish Salvage 
Graeme Hughes
The very welcome rain has raised levels of the fisheries in crisis, especially the Hakataramea  and Maerewhenua Rivers. To date approximately 8000 to 9000 salmonid juveniles, Brown and Rainbow trout and Chinook salmon smolts  have been netted or electro fished from drying areas of the Hakataramea River. 60 adult trout from 1.0 kg up to 3.0 kg were also captured and released into the Waitaki River. About 4 kilometres of river bed required fish salvage from receding pools. Extreme low flows up and downstream of the affected area is unsuitable habitat for most fish species. Some 40 eels and several thousand Common and Upland bullies, have also been rescued. A small number of Common galaxids, 20 to 30 , were also captured. Due to the long sunshine hours the increase in filamentous algae growth combined with Ranunculus, Potamogeton and didymo has negated the use of seine nets. Electro-fishing of 75% of the total catch has been a slow process. Assistance has been received from local volunteers and Fish and Game Officer Hamish Stevens.

Recent rainfall saw many pools reconnected and following thunderstorms and heavy rain on the 11th February flows increased slightly. Rain on the 14th and 15th of February has significantly lifted levels and the recorded flow at the time of writing this report is1.5 cumecs in the Hakataramea River and  1.7 in the Maerewhenua River

Access improvement
Graeme Hughes
A narrow wooden stock  bridge located on Glenburn Station has been used by anglers for many years since the road access to the Ahuriri River mouth was closed to public back in the 90’s.  This is the only route to the river mouth unless anglers have  access to a boat. Due to the decking support  beam rotting it has almost collapsed and is now more of a hazard then a help when crossing the drain which flows into Lake Benmore.  There have been several angler inquiries regarding replacing the walkway at this crossing point.  The writer made some inquiries about concrete power poles being removed and after a request was donated  6 of them. A local contractor working on the property was employed to lift the poles from the road side and  with the permission of the landowner, they have been carried to and placed across the drain at the site of the old crossing  point.  Laid together on their edge, a half meter wide crossing is now available to those who want to access the lower Ahuriri River, river  mouth or the top of the Ahuriri Arm of Lake Benmore.

Didymo 
Graeme Hughes.
Acting on information received I visited the mid reaches of the Otiake River a small ephemeral tributary of the Waitaki River. The Otiake Stream is  choked with didymo.  The Otiake River seldom reaches the Waitaki River , it is not a fishery , it’s only a metre wide and 100mm  deep,  no one fishes in it . The only vehicles that cross it are 2 farm trucks which don’t go anywhere near water with didymo. It is highly unlikely that the cells of didymo were transported here by humans.

A similar call to inspect the Awakino River resulted in the identification of Gomphoneis an indigenous “look alike.”

In mid December I received a report from the Maerewhenua River where didymo was reported to be dying. The situation remains. Didymo in the Maerewhenua River below the confluence of the North and South Branch can be brushed off the substrate with a hand. Healthy didymo has a strong grip on the stream bed and is difficult to dislodge.

A farmer on the Hakataramea River informed the writer that the didymo near Wrights crossing was found on the undersides of stones in the riverbed. On inspection the growths of didymo seen here are remnants of dead and dying infestation being washed downstream and settling in the indices between the stones.

Two different rivers and two unknown causes of dead and dying didymo.  ECAN has been informed.

With higher flows in the Waitaki River, up to 440 cumecs, didymo has been “pruned back” and salmon anglers in the lower river say that spin  fishing for salmon can be almost didymo free.

Christmas Ranging
Mark Webb.
Ashburton Lakes – 28 December, 7:00 am to mid day
Six rangers checked 32 anglers on Lakes Heron, Clearwater, Camp, Emma, and
Roundabout.  No infringements were detected.  Most angling activity was at Lakes Heron & Clearwater.
Lake Benmore – 2 January, 8:00 am to 2:00 pm. 
Seven rangers in three boats checked approximately 70 boats and 110 anglers fishing on the Haldon or Ahuriri arms of Lake Benmore.  Sixteen infringements were detected of which one, a no licence offence, was dealt with by reparation. 

This was the fourth year the Benmore exercise has been held and the first for Ashburton Lakes.  While it is sometimes difficult to get rangers to commit to ranging during their Christmas Holiday the exercises are very worthwhile in terms of the number of anglers interviewed and their appreciation for seeing rangers about.

Ranger Training
Mark Webb.
A weekend training programme for CSI and Otago rangers was held over the weekend 10/11 November at Kurow.  Twenty CSI rangers and staff and 21 Otago rangers and staff attended on the Saturday co-ordinated ranging throughout the Waitaki Valley and en route to Kurow netting 213 angler interviews.  Four anglers were not carrying licences and a further four admitted to fishing without a licence.  Offenders were fishing Lake Aviemore, Lake Benmore and Pukaki canal (2).

A return visit to Central Otago is likely for the next training event.

Prosecutions
Mark Webb.
Sixteen offences were detected by rangers between Nov 07 and February 08.  Twelve have been dealt with via reparation including three fishing out of season, seven fishing without a licence, one taking of foul hooked fish and one trolling in Lake McGregor. One further unlicensed fishing offender and one case of spin fishing in a fly fishing only water are in the reparation process. 

One case involving two people using a gill net in the Tekapo canal was completed on 19 February in Timaru District Court. This was an almost identical offence to that committed by three Asians a few years ago, right down to it being on the same crossing. They were found guilty, fined $500 each and ordered to pay court costs and prosecution solicitors fees. On the same day an unlicenced fishing offender was found guilty and fined $300 plus costs.

New Ranger
Gerald Whiting of Timaru has completed his field and theory training and will receive his warrant as soon as it arrives from Wellington. As team leader of the Timaru St Johns Ambulance paramedics he should be any ranger’s first choice as a partner! Congratulations Gerald

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