Reel Life February 2023

March is a great month for fishing, the peak of summer has passed, and waters should be cooling down meaning trout will be more active.  

Some fish will be starting to pack on the food in preparation for spawning in the winter months, so may be more susceptible to being tempted by anglers.  

In the South Island, the salmon season is well underway with catches being recorded consistently in most rivers.  

Our five-part sea-run salmon fishing video series has been released, and anglers can check out the combined video here.  

Due to the devastation caused by Cyclone Gabrielle in the Hawke's Bay region, we regret to inform our readers that there will be no regional news report for this issue.  

At this time, it is difficult to ascertain the extent of the impact on sports fish and their habitat in the area.  

Our hearts go out to those who have experienced loss from this event.  

Our annual fishing licence photo competition starts on March 1. 

There’s $3000 in prizes up for grabs, plus the kudos of having your photo on next season’s fishing licence. 

Click here to enter! 

Our sea-run salmon video series has finished, but we have combined all the episodes into one video which you can watch here.  

You can now sign up for weekly fishing reports from Otago, Central South Island, North Canterbury and Wellington regions.  

And every Thursday, we’ll email you the latest fishing conditions, weather and river flow info, and tips for your next fishing mission.   

Click here to subscribe.     

Some of our regions are well into their annual drift dive programme and have provided updates in their region sections above.  

Drift dives are an important habitat assessment tool and also provide an indication of fish numbers which can be compared to a data set that goes back many years, decades in some cases.

Tight lines 

The Team at Fish & Game