Nelson/Marlborough Reel Life September 2019

Ranger training

On Saturday our team of dedicated voluntary rangers and staff met for tri-annual Situational Safety and Awareness training.

We have a strong team of a dozen excellent rangers in this region who give up a great deal of their own time, not only to carry out compliance duties, but also act as ambassadors for Fish & Game.

Above Right: Nelson Marlborough rangers receiving tri-annual safety training.

The team must be doing a great job, for in the past 12 months, this region had very low incidences of non-compliance.

Staff did, however, field many complementary anecdotes from anglers whom our rangers had contact with and assisted to help them catch fish.

Rangers helping anglers catch fish

In light of this great work from the compliance team, the Nelson Marlborough region will be providing our rangers with starter packs.

They will be dishing out to anglers they identify as perhaps needing some assistance in order to help them catch fish.

These packs contain all the tackle you need if the angler wishes to try soft baits, artificial worm, or bubble and fly techniques.

They also have links to instructional videos on how to set up the rig and fish it in a way that will catch fish.

Many of our rangers (at their own expense) already dispense flies, spinners and softbaits, and have always done so.

Remember - they are a great source of information about where to fish and what flies/lures work best.

As Rangers are sometimes the only face to face contact anglers may have with Fish & Game, they also provide an avenue for licence holders to have their say on any relevant Fish & Game matters.

These concerns can be passed on directly to staff or the Council – your elected decision makers.

‘How To’ Videos out now

Fish & Game have released three short ‘how to’ videos, aimed at helping our regions anglers to catch more fish at Lake Argyle. These are:

• Fishing artificial worm – Sam’s Top Tip
• Soft bait techniques
• Bubble and fly

These YouTube videos can be viewed on the Nelson Marlborough website homepage: fishandgame.org.nz/nelson

While these instructional snippets provide great information for fishing at Argyle, the methods shown also apply to any situation and can be used extensively in other lakes and rivers around New Zealand.

Argyle release

Fish & Game will be releasing a tanker load of trout into Lake Argyle in late September, in time for the new season.

While most fish will be in the one kilogram range, a few thumpers will also be thrown in the mix, which will be a trophy for anglers lucky enough to catch one.

No release will take place into the lower canal, as Trustpower are scheduled to drain water out of the canal and top end of the lake for routine maintenance in November.

Fish & Game will be on hand to undertake a fish salvage at this time, but it is envisioned a good proportion of the released fish put into the lake will be caught by then.

Many of the un-salvaged fish will make their way into a residual pool towards the dam wall at Lake Argyle where they will be completely fine for approximately two weeks while maintenance takes place.

Post this event, a further tanker load of fish will be released into the lake and lower canal once the flow into the lake is restored and the lake fills up again.

Lake Argyle closure 12-13 October

Lake Argyle will be off limits for anglers between 10am-5pm on 12/13 October for a Powerboat regatta.

These events take place once or twice a season, as the lake is an important venue for other recreational groups also.

Anglers are advised they can still fish before 10 am or in the evening once the day’s activities have concluded.

Upper Wairau access restricted

Due to unstable slips affecting the Upper Wairau Road, anglers are advised that vehicle access will not be granted above Six Mile Creek for the early part of the fishing season.

Rainbow Station are currently working to reinstate the affected part of the road and will advise Fish & Game when this is completed.

Annual Fisheries report for NMFG

If you’re keen to read about what Nelson Marlborough Fish & Game have been up to in the past year, you’ll find some great information in the 2018-19 Annual Fisheries Report.

Download a copy here.

Tight Lines

Jacob Lucas, Nelson Marlborough Fish & Game Officer.