The 2023-24 trout fishing season has got off to a flyer, with great catches reported by anglers. In Nelson Marlborough, the opening day of the new season saw challenging conditions for anglers, with grey skies and gusty winds making things difficult at times, however those in headwater beech-clad fisheries had better visibility and enjoyed some spectacular fishing.
Elsewhere in other rivers, anglers made the most of willow edges, which help to reduce glare in order to find fish, and when occasional patches of sun broke out it was evident there were plenty of fish around, and nearly all anglers spoken with had enjoyed some great fishing. Some of the fish pictures seen from the day were superb indicating in most rivers trout had enjoyed a stable winter with plenty of food on offer throughout. Fish condition in most cases was fantastic, indicating that post-spawning recovery of the mostly brown trout was swift, making for some great fighting fish followed by some memorable grip ‘n’ grin photos.
Spin/soft baits anglers are more immune to these conditions, and staff had some excellent feedback from anglers who were quickly into the fish on opening day, the
fish being absolute suckers for well-placed soft baits after five months of not seeing anglers. Staff were out and about during the first week of the season and were impressed with the efforts of local anglers who were making the most of the sun and stable flows.
Some of the rivers were receiving plenty of attention more akin to peak tourist times, though most of the effort was by local Kiwi anglers who were clearly excited
about the start of the new season.
Similarly, reports from the West Coast have been positive with some fantastic catches. Some of these are from the lower reaches of rivers, which have abundant
baitfish resources and have seen fish up to 3kg taken. Slightly elevated river flows experienced over opening day proved beneficial for fish catchability for spin anglers, and rangers encountered some successful family groups making the most of the school holidays to reel in some fish. Early-season lake fishing has also resulted in some hefty specimens being caught.
Spring is arguably the best time for lake fishing on the West Coast, and during periods of wet weather and high river flows, anglers are urged to fish the abundant lake resource on the Coast, where fish can be found cruising the lake edges and making the most of the food source pouring into lakes via swollen rivers and streams.
The West Coast is undoubtedly famous for its headwater fisheries rising out of beech-clad forests, and as river flows stabilise and sunshine increases, these rivers come into their own. After several years under the influence of La Nina weather patterns where low flows and warm water temperatures prevailed, anglers can expect better river flows and ideal water temperatures this season.
