Lake Aniwhenua drained - Is Matahina a good altern

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    Posted: 17 Apr 2016 at 5:39pm
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My favourite haunt for 20 years, Lake Aniwhenua has been dewatered (drained) over Feb/March to allow for some work on the lake edge at the picnic area by the dam. This has both killed off all the weed beds (left high and dry) and turned the water into a solid brown from all the mud sliding off the exposed mud/weed banks and the silt scoured off the bottom by the current in the old river channel. Result? - Not a fish to be found anywhere until you get up to the top among the delta area and into the various river runs.

I expect it will take many months, if not years for the Lake to recover so I'm thinking I will try fishing Lake Matahina which I have always driven past and ignored thinking is way too deep for my spinning/fly fishing methods.
A bit of reading though suggests it might actually be quite good there so can anyone indicate what the fishing is like on Matahina lake for me please?
Bending rods since the 70's
www.kiwifisher.com
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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote lemmy Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 19 Apr 2016 at 7:07pm
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Had a few good days there over the years would be awesome to see some photo,s of it drained if someone is passing ,I heard there was lots of old  fencing, old sheds and heaps of trees in the lake from when they originally flooded the valley.

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Post Options Post Options   Likes (1) Likes(1)   Quote Kiwifisher1 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 29 Apr 2016 at 8:50pm
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It was dewaterd twice - 10 days in Feb and 10 days or so again in March - both times I thought I'd head down for a fish not knowing it was dry. They have cleared all the raupo from the shoreline at the camping/picnic area and had started building a rock wall along the beach the second time I was there.
Here are just some of the many pics I took.
Tide out at Aniwhenua
Mid way up the lake


Up in the delta area

De-watered Lake Aniwhenua
Middle of lake looking upwards.


Top of lake looking downstream.


Looking up stream the first time it was dewatered.


The one and only dead trout I found.


But there were plenty of dead carp - obviously not as smart as the trout.

It was facinating to see what it looks like empty, but there were no old fences or buildings from before it was a lake and the only trees were a few that had come down in recent floods. Was actually a fairly clean and tidy landscape considering.

I do fisgure thoug that with all the big weed beds and banks now dead and gone, it may take a year or two to recover back to the great fishery it has been for so many years.... time will tell.
Bending rods since the 70's
www.kiwifisher.com
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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote Wayne.L Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 29 Apr 2016 at 9:13pm
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Wow, looks different since I last saw it! Interesting and thanks for sharing the pics.
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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote advtracing Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 10 May 2016 at 7:42am
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**** i have my uncle flying in and heading down in 2 weeks ...so this is a lost cause 
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