Central South Island Weekly Fishing Report - 3 April 2025

CSI a bucket list destination for Tom and Don

Queenslanders Tom Blanchfield and Don White popped across the ditch recently to fish the Central South Island Region which Tom says was a trip that’s been on his bucket list for some time.

Pictured above: Tom Blanchfield chuffed with this NZ brown trout caught on his recent trip to CSI region from Queensland. Photo provided by Tom Blanchfield

Tom says his mission to catch and release some beautiful NZ trout was well and truly accomplished.

The duo hired a guide as they thought that would maximise their chances of success and fished the Central South Island region with a mixture of flies that proved very effective.

Visiting anglers like Tom and Don are a good reminder to appreciate the fishing we have on our back doorstep. 

 

Ranger reports of the week

John Valk fishing the Ohau B Canal with his lucky silver hex wobbler. Credit: Rhys Adams.

This week, Fish and Game Rangers spoke with two anglers who proved that classic lures can outweigh the need for any fancy gear when it comes to landing fish.

On Tuesday we ran into John Valk fishing the Ōhau B canal just a hop, skip, and a jump from where he was staying at the NZMCA Caravan Park. 

He reported that on Monday he brought to the bank a 21lb rainbow trout on his very first cast.  The next day, using the same lure, he landed a 4lb salmon on his third cast.

The lucky lure was a 14gram plain silver hex wobbler.

We also caught up with Stuart Peck who had a successful outing on Lake Alexandrina over the weekend.

He had caught and kept an 8.5lb brown on a Hamills Killer fly while trolling from his row boat. 

The fish was cooked simply by coating the fillets in flour and frying them in butter.

Stuart was stoked with his catch because he said he’s had fish in the 6, 7 and 9lb brackets from the lake and now he’s finally ticked off the 8s.

We look forward to when you land your 10 pounder, Stu!

Sadly, Rangers at the canals this week reported seeing some filleted fish carcasses littering the margins of the canals.

This is disappointing and makes it difficult for Fish & Game to advocate effectively for angler access on what is private property.

At the canals please take a carry in – carry out approach to your rubbish and fish waste to keep the area pristine. There are no rubbish bins provided for anglers to use at the canal fishery.

 

 

Lake Alexandrina abuzz with LACT working bee

Volunteers at North End Huts can be seen grubbing pines and spraying lupins at the working bee. Photo by LACT volunteer Barrie Wood.

Last weekend CSI attended a working bee at Lake Alexandrina held by Lake Alexandrina Conservation Trust (LACT).

Volunteers fine-tuned spawning beds for the upcoming trout spawning season, undertook pest plant spraying, wilding pine removal and serviced some of their 144 predator traps that they monitor in the area.

To round out the day CSI Fish & Game put on a BBQ for the trust to thank them for all the work they do.  Thanks to Kevin and Maureen Ancell for the use of their backyard.

The work doesn’t stop there though, LACT holds multiple working bees annually and fund many conservation projects around Alexandrina.

Their trap line is monitored year-round and has taken out over 900 predators in the Alexandrina area, 55 of those being in the last 30 days.  

Stuart Peck, Chair of the Trust, says most of the recent ones have been juvenile hedgehogs after the breeding season.

You can check out their trapping progress in real time on the trap.nz website.

 

Outlook for the weekend

The sun rises on the month of April, the last month of the “summer” fishing season. – Credit: Stuart Peck.

The weather is looking generally dry and mild with light winds – great for fishing but take some warm clothes.

There is substantial rain forecast for Thursday and Friday on the Main Divide. Water levels for rivers draining the Main Divide such as the Ahuriri and Rangitata are likely to be elevated and unfishable during the weekend.    

Central areas such as Fairlie and Twizel will receive some rain but it is unlikely to flood rivers  and they are likely to remain fishable but may be elevated.

As always, its best to ‘know before you go’ and we recommend checking out the ECan river flows website before heading out to the river so you don’t get caught out.

 

NOTICE BOARD

Fish & Game Salmon Bag Card Returns Now Open

If you have finished salmon fishing for the season please return the details on your card to us.
You can do this online here, give us a call on 03 615 8400, email csi@fishandgame.org.nz or post the card to us at P.O Box 150 Temuka 7948.

Even if you didn’t catch a salmon or if you didn’t go out fishing at all, that information is still important to us so please return the card.

 

Expression of Interest - CSI Councillor Vacancy

The Central South Island Fish and Game Council seeks expressions of interest to fill one extraordinary vacancy on the Council.  CSIFGC is the statutory manager of sports fish and game birds in the Central South Island Region under the Conservation Act 1987.

We are seeking candidates who are current whole-season licence holders, have experience in Governance, and are keen to be part of the organisation safeguarding angling and hunting for future generations of New Zealanders.  Please submit your expression of interest by 5 pm, Thursday 24^th April to csi@fishandgame.org.nz or PO Box 150, Temuka 7948.

 

Triennial Review of Central South Island Region’s Sports Fishing Regulations

The Central South Island Fish and Game Council (CSIFGC) is seeking feedback on eleven proposed changes to the sports fishing regulations across a range of its regional fisheries as part of its triennial regulations review.

The proposals, their assessment by CSIFGC staff, and online feedback forms can be found here at our website here.

For further information about providing feedback please contact our office: ph. – 03 615 8400, email – csi@fishandgame.org.nz 

Feedback will be accepted until 27 April 2025.

 

Water way Health Warnings Website

Active warnings are in place in our region. So, know before you go when it comes to faecal contamination and toxic algae warnings in our local waterways. Check out the ECan website for the current warnings – click here for river health warnings and click here for lake health warnings.

 

Central South Island Fish & Game are now on Facebook and Instagram.

Search for csifishgame on Instagram and Central South Island Fish & Game on Facebook. Please like and follow us to keep right up to date with everything we’re up to at CSI Fish & Game.

Any questions are still best directed towards csi@fishandgame.org.nzor calling 03 615 8400.

 

Please remember to share your angling experiences with us, it helps make our reports more engaging and inspiring for everyone! Please email your reports to Jase, here.