North Canterbury Fishing Report 18th November 2021

Lowland fishing

The L11/Ararira, Selwyn/Waikirkiri and Harts Creek/Waitatari are all fishing very well this year.

The condition of the fish in these rivers indicates that there is plenty of food in the lake to fatten them up.

Night fishing can be very productive in these waters.

If you can escape for some fun once the sun goes down, your chances of catching a fish are increased.

In early November, those anglers fishing the Selwyn/Waikirikiri were lucky enough to observe the Aurora Australis.

Check out this photo taken above by talented angler and photographer Vaughan Morrisey.

Above Right: The  Selwyn/Waikirikiri Aurora Australis. Photo: Vaughan Morrisey.

Lake Forsyth/ Te Wairewa is picking up now, with sea-run trout and perch being caught.

A Perch caught by Emilie Craighead at Lake Forsyth/ Te Wairewa. Photo: Vaughan Morrisey.

Attached is a photo of a nice perch caught on a soft bait 1/8oz jig head.

For more info on how to fish Lake Forsyth/ Te Wairewa, go to https://fishandgame.org.nz/news/north-canterbury-fishing-report-28th-october-2021/.

Big rivers & salmon

The nor-wests have brought a late snowfall to our beautiful southern alps backdrop and sent a fresh down the big rivers.

These rivers are likely to stay unfishable for the weekend…. much to the disappointment of salmon anglers on the Rakaia and Rangitata.

They had started to bring in a few salmon before the rivers went dirty.

Salmon have also been seen in the lower reaches of the Waimakariri, although no one has owned up to catching one yet.

If you are salmon fishing this season, you need a salmon endorsement card to go with your licence.

Get your free one online at Fish & Game if you have not done so already https://fishandgame.eyede.com/Endorsement/SearchLicenceHolders.

Keep it on you when salmon fishing and safely return it to Fish & Game at the end of the season.

This will significantly help us monitor and manage the fishery.

Coleridge 

Lake Coleridge is fishing well at the moment with reports of plenty of salmon about - they are on the smaller side but still a welcome catch!

The rainbows that have been caught have been in excellent condition.

The weather is looking a bit iffy for the high country this weekend, with some strong nor-west winds predicted, so if you want to head up, check out the conditions beforehand.

Check out www.windy.com https://www.windy.com/-43.269/171.497/meteogram?cbase,-43.765,171.953,8,i:pressure,m:cs2akUY or the Metservice Canterbury High Country forecast: https://www.metservice.com/mountains-and-parks/national-parks/canterbury-high-country

Note that the road into Ryton Bay is open so anglers can access the lake, although you need a good 4WD vehicle.

Remember, there is no camping on private land at Ryton Bay, but camping is available at the Trust Power Harper campsite.

Fish & Game and Ballinger’s hunting and fishing were disappointed to delay the Lake Coleridge fishing competition due to Covid-19.

But the plan is to reschedule it for the first quarter of next year. So we will update you when we have a date for this popular event.

Tight Lines