Conditions looking good for this weekend’s Waimakariri salmon fishing competition

Following on from last weekend’s Rakaia Salmon Fishing Competition, anglers will have the chance to try their luck on the Waimakariri River this weekend.

The annual Waimakariri River Salmon Fishing Competition starts at daybreak on Saturday and finishes at 3.30pm that afternoon with a prize-giving in Kairaki Beach at 5pm.

Above Right: Anglers during last weekend’s Rakaia River Salmon Fishing Competition at the Rakaia River mouth.

Over a hundred anglers have pre-entered for the event, as the event is a popular family occasion and the number of junior anglers entering has been steadily rising.

Anglers who haven’t pre-entered can enter between 7-9am on Saturday at Kairaki Beach to be eligible for the prize draws.

Entry forms can be dropped off at Hunting & Fishing Tower Junction, KATS in Kaiapoi and at the Kairaki Beach Camp Office.

The weather forecast is looking good with a southerly change due overnight on Friday which will entice the fish to move.

Competitors will be hopeful of catching a salmon following the good numbers caught during last weekend’s Rakaia Competition.

Perfect timing by the organisers of the annual Rakaia River Salmon Fishing Competition meant that 75 salmon and 18 trout were caught in the competition.

This was more than three times the total number of fish caught in last year’s competition and with 48 salmon caught on the first day over 670 anglers spent all daylight hours trying to catch the elusive salmon.

Left: Kevin Belcher with his winning 8.3kg or 18.3 pound salmon.

The Canterbury salmon season had a hard start with a series of almost constant nor-wester weather patterns making the rivers unfishable for days on end.

There was one period of 18 days in a row where the rivers were up and unfishable, frustrating many an angler.

However with the Rakaia competition’s biggest fish being caught above the Rakaia Gorge bridge; it shows the salmon have been coming in during that period which is a positive sign.