'Reel Life' Newsletter
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Reel Life April 2023
While the regular season is all but done, there are still some great opportunities out there to put a bend in your rod.
Reel Life March 2023
Staff have had a busy month in the rivers, completing multiple drift dives across the region.
Reel Life February 2023
As we enter March and the autumn period, we arrive at one of the best months for fishing.
Reel Life January 2023
After a prolonged hot period, many of our rivers are heating up from the middle of the day onwards.
Reel Life December 2022
Recently, we carried out a helicopter release of 600 1kg rainbow trout into the Branch & Leatham Rivers.
Reel Life November 2022
DOC have advised Fish & Game that the Roaring Lion Hut is going to be painted around the first weekend in December.
Reel Life October 2022
The season is off to a good start, with plenty of sun and river flows perfect for fishing during most of the season so far, and we’ve been hearing some...
Reel Life September 2022
Making a prediction on how the fisheries may be going into a new season is always challenging, however let’s take a quick glance anyway.
Welcome to the first Reel Life issue of the 2022/23 fishing season
Your new season fishing licence will unlock the wonderful New Zealand rivers and lakes to you for a fishing season that is looking awesome.
Read more about 'Welcome to the first Reel Life issue of the 2022/23 fishing season'...
Reel Life April 2022
With fuel prices at an all-time high and not looking like they'll be dropping in a hurry, it may be in your best interest to fish local this month.
Reel Life February 2022
Summer has well and truly arrived; the blazing sun has rapidly browned the earth and lowered the rivers to a great level for fishing.
Reel Life January 2022
Staff were delighted with the recent Branch River heli-release. 300 rainbow trout (1-1.5kg) were liberated into the Upper Branch River on December 2.
Reel Life December 2021
Anglers should be delighted to hear Fish & Game have carried out a release of 250 1kg+ rainbow trout in the Leatham River into the mid-lower Leatham by vehicle.
Reel Life November 2021
With a minor amount of apprehension, anglers entered the 2021-22 season on October 1st due to the monumental flood event in July and the regular floods since.
Reel Life October 2021
The whitebait season is in full swing, and now is the perfect time to fish the lower parts of our rivers for trout.
Reel Life September 2021
On Saturday, 17 July 2021, a weather bomb hit the northern end of the South Island and caused widespread severe flooding to most of the Nelson Marlborough region.
Reel Life April 2021
While the regular season is done and dusted don’t hand up your fishing gear just yet, May is still a good month to have a fling on open waters before...
Reel Life March 2021
The Motueka, Wairau, Pelorus, Rain and Maruia Rivers have been dived in recent weeks making for some interesting reading.
Reel Life February 2021
Angler feedback suggests there has been some great fishing on our backcountry waters recently, and with autumn fast approaching, there is no better time to head into the wild.
Reel Life January 2021
Staff have recently dived the Opouri River and Spring Creek, and, despite a rather wet early summer, have completed half of the planned drift dives for this summer.
Reel Life December 2020
One of our dedicated voluntary Rangers, Bruce McKenzie, bumped into a couple from the North Island, fishing with Family Licence.
Reel Life November 2020
The rather wet spring experienced in the top of the South has been a source of frustration for anglers, though don’t fret – the rivers will come good at some...
Reel Life October 2020
Spring fishing is generally characterised by changeable weather patterns and full river flows, and this year has been no exception.
Reel Life September 2020
With the season looming ever so closer, excitement is building nicely as we look forward to hitting the water which has been rested for the past five months.
Reel Life August 2020
The new fishing season is only five weekends away and your new season fishing licence will unlock the full fishing potential of New Zealand for you to explore.
Reel Life February 2020
Staff have been busy over the summer carrying out our annual drift dive monitoring, and at the time of writing 15 rivers (26 sites) have been dived in this region.
Nelson/Marlborough Reel Life January 2020
On Saturday Fish & Game held their inaugural family fishing day at Lake Argyle, a day for new and learning anglers to come up to the lake and learn about...
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Nelson/Marlborough Reel Life December 2019
While you are enjoying NZ’s iconic rivers and lakes this summer, invasive and often microscopic pest weeds may be hitching a ride, using you or your equipment as a vector,...
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Nelson/Marlborough Reel Life November 2019
Fish & Game are hosting a free family fishing day at Lake Argyle on 18 January 2020, as a way to encourage new anglers to take up trout fishing.
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Nelson/Marlborough Reel Life October 2019
Nelson /Marlborough Fish and Game are pleased to advise that a mutually satisfactory agreement has been reached with Trustpower to alleviate the impacts of their power station on the Branch/Leatham...
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Nelson/Marlborough Reel Life September 2019
On Saturday our team of dedicated voluntary rangers and staff met for tri-annual Situational Safety and Awareness training.
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Nelson/Marlborough Reel Life August 2019
Following yet another relatively stable winter period, rivers are looking in good shape for the season ahead.
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Nelson/Marlborough Reel Life April 2019
A local Blenheim man who won the $500 Henderson’s voucher has gifted the prize to junior anglers.
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Nelson/Marlborough Reel Life March 2019
As the days shorten and evening dew sets in, the night chirruping of crickets signals that autumn is well and truly here.
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Nelson/Marlborough Reel Life February 2019
Due to extremely low flows, recent Fish & Game fish counting dives have met with mixed results.
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Nelson/Marlborough Reel Life January 2019
Salmon delirium has well and truly affected anglers in the top of the South.
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Nelson/Marlborough Reel Life December 2018
A rather wet November and early December has put the region's waterways in good stead for the summer ahead.
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Nelson/Marlborough Reel Life November 2018
Staff have released hundreds of rainbow trout into the Branch and Leatham rivers, thanks to funding from Trustpower.
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Nelson / Marlborough Reel Life October 2018
We are now a month into the new season, and word on the street is that fishing's been fantastic in both lowland and back country fisheries.
Read more about 'Nelson / Marlborough Reel Life October 2018'...
Nelson/Marlborough Reel Life September 2018
Don’t handle your fish like a tennis racquet!
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Nelson/Marlborough Reel Life August 2018
With a new fishing season nearly underway, we've had a reasonable winter.
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Reel Life May 2018
We’ve got a simple message as May rolls into June and the start of winter…there is still some terrific fishing out there!
Nelson / Marlborough Reel Life April 2018
Staff were delighted with the response to the Lake Argyle fishing competition, where 200 tagged fish were released before the school holidays with a $500 voucher at stake.
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Nelson/Marlborough Reel Life March 2018
Cyclone Gita wreaked havoc on the Tasman area, with unprecedented damage to Riuwaka, Brooklyn, Marahau and parts of parts of Golden Bay.
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Nelson/Marlborough Reel Life February 2018
In mid-January, staff released more fish into Marlborough waterways.
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Nelson/Marlborough Reel Life January 2018
The reset button has been hit, and our rivers have received a much needed boost from recent rainfalls.
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Nelson/Marlborough Reel Life December 2017
Catch a specially tagged rainbow trout and win a $500 voucher!
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Nelson/Marlborough Reel Life November 2017
Rainbow trout were released into four Marlborough waterways this week as part of Nelson / Marlborough Fish & Game’s fishery enhancement programme.
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Nelson Marlborough Reel Life October 2017
Last week 420 rainbow trout were released into the Branch and Leatham rivers, as part of Fish & Game’s annual restocking programme.
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Nelson/ Marlborough Reel Life September 2017
The Upper Wairau (above Wash Bridge) and Upper Matakitaki (above Horse Terrace Bridge) have now been designated as back country fisheries, which means a licence endorsement is needed to fish...
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Nelson/Marlborough Reel Life August 2017
It’s that time of year when river mouths start to come alive. Smelt and whitebait can be found in large numbers in the lower reaches of many rivers, and it's...
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Nelson / Marlborough Reel Life May 2017
The Motueka River is currently our river of second highest importance (the Wairau taking the number one slot) for the Nelson Marlborough Fish & Game region in terms of angler use.
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Nelson / Marlborough Reel Life April 2017
The Kaikoura earthquake had many impacts far and wide, however Fish & Game could not have foreseen the effect this quake would have on the Riuwaka (Riwaka) River.
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Wellington Reel Life Mar 2017
Okay, the weather has been crazy, and at least in some rivers that normally fire the fish have been fickle...
Auckland / Waikato Reel Life Mar 2017
An ambitious tagging program has been started on the Whanganui River by Fish & Game councillor Nigel Juby.
Hawke's Bay Reel Life Mar 2017
After another hot dry summer, it was refreshing to get some decent rain in early March to give the rivers a flush out and add some volume to their flows.
Taranaki Reel Life Mar 2017
With only one significant fresh in the last month, Taranaki ringplain streams and rivers have been very fishable – and there’s even been a nice period of settled weather to...
Nelson Marlborough Reel Life Mar 2017
Trout flying bright green streamers were released into the Riuwaka River during a day long operation in mid-March.
West Coast Reel Life MAR 2017
Conditions have certainly come right recently, with great fishing available.
Both opportunities for salmon and trout fishing have been excellent this month, as the weather has settled down and the river flows have stabilised.
North Canterbury Reel Life Mar 2017
Late March and early April often brings settled weather to the Canterbury region. Insect activity is high, especially on calm days.
Southland Reel Life Mar 2017
Finally, in a clear patch of weather Southland staff were able to get out and undertake drift diving surveys as part of their annual trout monitoring program.
Central South Island Reel Life Mar 2017
April is the last month of the ‘summer’ fishing season.
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Northland Reel Life Mar 2017
Autumn has arrived – with the mornings noticeably cooler and some heavy dews happening.
Eastern Reel Life Mar 2017
Autumn has rolled around quickly and seasonal changes are evident in the Eastern Fish & Game region.
Southland Reel Life FEB 2017
In this month’s Reel Life article, field officer Cohen Stewart interviews retired fishing guide and honorary ranger Len Prentice to find out how the average angler can make their fishing...
West Coast Reel Life FEB 2017
Over the past week and a half, weather conditions have improved significantly on the West Coast, with a period of excellent settled weather.
North Canterbury Reel Life FEB 2017
High hopes for March fishing
Nelson / Marlborough Reel Life FEB 2017
If you step outside on a warm February day, the cicada choir will fill the airwaves around you, in some cases drowning out normal domestic sounds like traffic or the...
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Northland Reel Life Feb 2017
With warm temperatures and a “medium adverse event” declared in Northland, water levels have been getting very low.
Taranaki Reel Life Feb 2017
At last...after a long period of westerly conditions bringing cool winds and lots of rain, we've finally enjoyed some settled summer weather in Taranaki, not a moment too soon!
Hawke’s Bay Reel Life Feb 2017
With February air temperatures peaking at 33OC at the airport, it was nice to receive some decent rain in the middle of the month to give the rivers a good...
Eastern Reel Life Feb 2017
Lake Rotoiti has been one of the top performers so far this summer, serving up some “solid” catches.
Auckland / Waikato Reel Life Feb 2017
The weather has been less than ideal recently but the heat has brought out the cicadas – and the trout that feed on them.
Southland Reel Life JAN 2017
As mentioned in previous Reel Life articles, there have been isolated increases in mouse populations in some parts of Southland.
North Canterbury Reel Life Jan 2017
As I write this report, the East Coast rivers in Canterbury have peaked in flood, with flows higher than seen for some time.
Northland Reel Life Jan 2017
We hope everyone has had a good summer break...or are still enjoying your holidays.
Eastern Reel Life Jan 2017
Lake Rotorua’s shoreline fishery has been slow to get underway this summer due to cooler and windier than normal conditions.
Otago Reel Life JAN 2017
It’s fair to say that the summer holiday period has been severely interrupted by some abysmal weather over the past month and leading up to the New Year.
Central South Island Reel Life JAN 2017
It has been a fickle summer weather-wise, with welcome small but regular rainfall events occurring across the region.
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West Coast Reel Life Jan 2017
Large numbers of hunters turned out in the West Coast Region for Opening Weekend this year, both local hunters and many from other regions.
Nelson/Marlborough Reel Life JAN 2017
The Taylor River fishery is in good shape after a 50 medium to large brown trout were released before Christmas.
Wellington Reel Life Jan 2017
Spring and now 'summer' continue to be a real mixed bag when it comes to weather and fishing prospects.
Taranaki Reel Life Jan 2017
Regular freshes, persistent westerly winds and even an early dump of snow have conspired to provide great conditions for the trout, but not so flash for the anglers.
Hawke’s Bay Reel Life Jan 2017
December and early January have seen many of the rivers running low and clear as we progress through the hot summer months here in the Hawke’s Bay.
Auckland / Waikato Reel Life Jan 2017
Fish & Game staff were recently on the Whakapapa and Whanganui Rivers monitoring water quality and witnessed some amazing hatches in the late evening, and heard cicada sounding off all day.
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