Spring weather brings a mixed bag of success

It certainly is awesome to see daylight saving arrive and the evenings becoming a lot more productive. We have had a couple of fresh starts to the day recently, but as a whole it definitely feels like spring has settled in!

Freshwater

Spring weather has been to the fore with a mixed bag typical of this time of year. Wind and rain have seen a difficult start to the trout season for those wanting to spend time in the high country rivers, but taking those windows of opportunity has shown some good early-season trout on offer. 

With the high country being hit and miss, the lowland areas have seen a few more anglers looking around. The night fishing around the feeder streams to Lake Ellesmere have proven fruitful right from opening night, with one of our team getting off the mark with a double-figure beauty to start the season. The lake has been open to the sea for a few days now, and this will add to the food source for these trout as the silveries run into the lake, so there should be some goodies taken soon.

Bryce Marshall with an early-season, low country brown trout.

As the weather warms and the days continue to lengthen, the brown beetles will be out. This is another very effective way to target trout in our lowland waterways, and often reveals trout that we haven’t seen during daylight hours. 

After a slow start to the whitebait season, it has been great to see some awesome catches over the past week, and on both sides of the coast, too. Only a couple of weeks left to secure a feed or two, and Labour Weekend coming up is always a good chance to wet the net.

Saltwater

Last weekend saw conditions favour the boat anglers off our coast for the first time in a long time, and it seems to have been successful for those that got out. ‘Puka and blue cod were the main species targeted, but great to see some gurnard as bycatch, too. Unconfirmed, but there was rumour of a kingfish taken, too. Again rumour, but the words elephant fish were mentioned in store after the weekend. If it’s true, great; if not, they can’t be far away. 

There have been some really good numbers of rig lately, and the some big girls taken, too. Remember with the rig, any shellfish bait is good, paddle crabs are great; take a good bait elastic, too. In the evening, with a fire on the beach, is often the best time, and don’t be afraid to fish into the night for rig, too. Another positive for rig is that dirty water is not a deterrent to catching them, in fact it can often be an advantage. 

Already it seems that the gurnard are back. I know that I mentioned this last summer but having a fish of such good eating quality within reach on our local surfcasting beaches is a real bonus. Complete opposite to the rig though, cleaner water is best for successfully targeting the gurnard, and a fresh fish bait on a pink flasher rig is my go-to.

We have a very active team of keen anglers in our Fishing Department, so please fire any questions our way and we will point you in the right direction to keep you on the fish. Please check out our Facebook page for more info on what we are up to in Canterbury.

Simon McMillan

Christchurch Hunting and Fishing New Zealand

75 Clarence Street, Addington, Christchurch

03 3430212

https://www.facebook.com/ballingershf.co.nz

www.huntingandfishing.co.nz