West Coast Reel Life November 2019

Summer Angling Only Days Away!

After a very wet spring, I’m sure we are all looking forward to some sunshine.

The wet spring has topped up all the rivers and lakes, which will greatly benefit the trout and salmon if this summer is anything like the last couple, hot!

Anglers are reporting great angling in the rivers during the short fine spells.

Right: Junior angler Antonio Verhoeven finds success river fishing with his grandfather Christopher McLoughlin. (Photo Baylee Kersten)

 This is likely due to the lack of angler pressure this season and trout being hungry, with limited feeding success in dirty rivers.

Those lucky enough to live near a lake have had some fantastic fishing, with trout making the most of the abundance of food with high lake levels.

Field officers have heard cicadas over the last couple weeks when the sun shines, so fingers crossed they are as abundant as last season.

Sea run trout fishing is still a great option, as smelt runs peak around now and are a favourite snack for estuarine trout.

Larger than normal trout are being caught this season so get out and make some memories this summer!

Fish & Game Officer Glen Newton taking measurements of a trout caught in the Lake Brunner Catchment survey. (Photo Baylee Kersten) 

Lake Brunner Catchment Trout Survey Yields Excellent Results

A survey completed this month has found that trout numbers are high and are in great condition.

As much the average weight may be slightly down on the last survey, which was exceptionally high back in 2011, some individual trout where still bigger than any previous trout surveyed in the Lake Brunner Catchment.

What this means for anglers is that you can expect high catch rates of good condition table fish averaging a kilo, whilst on rare occasions hooking into a beauty that hasn’t been good at sharing the food supply.

Sounds like a good fishing outing to me, so we hope to see you out there utilising this great resource this summer!

Fish & Game Officer Glen Newton showing off a larger trout caught in the Lake Brunner Catchment survey. (Photo Baylee Kersten)

For more information about other West Coast Fish & Game reports and council minutes on our web page click here.

We will also be notifying licence holders via Facebook when documents become available so ensure to give our page a like to keep up to date. Click here to go to our Facebook page.

Compliance Update

So far, the vast majority of anglers talked to have been compliant and many reporting it was pleasing to see Fish & Game putting extra effort into compliance this season.

Most anglers appreciate having a friendly chat with the local ranger as they can get local fishing information and tips on how to improve their success.

It is valuable talking to anglers for Fish & Game also as we get feedback from anglers on their thoughts and concerns regarding the West Coast sports fishery.

Unfortunately, we still have the odd exception with anglers in breach of the regulations this season.

In most cases a few minutes online purchasing a licence or reading the regulation guide would have avoided penalties.

Upcoming Events

This year’s Annual General Meeting for West Coast Fish and Game will be held on Tuesday December 3, 2019 at the Ashley Hotel, 74 Tasman St, Greymouth starting at 8:30pm.

Remember licence holders are welcome to attend, and it’s always good to have local licence holders present.

Both the Lake Brunner Fishing Competition and the Reefton Tusk, Tine and Trout Competition will be held on November 29 -December 1, 2019.

Summer marks the start of the annual drift dive season.

Last year’s results can now be found on our web page for those interested.

If there is any experienced divers out there who are keen to assist with our drift diving programme, please get in touch by clicking here. 

Hope to see you out there!

Baylee Kersten, West Coast Fish & Game Officer.