BTH - North Canterbury Fly Fishing Areas

Chapter Three: South Island Waters - North Canterbury- pp 30-33

© Brown Trout Heaven – Fly fishing New Zealand’s South Island

© Zane Mirfin / Graeme Marshall / Rob Bowler / Jana Bowler.

Shoal Bay Press, Christchurch 2000, 144pp - 2nd Edition Now Out of Print

NORTH CANTERBURY

Situated on the east coast of the South Island is the district of North Canterbury. This is the quinnat salmon capital of New Zealand. Salmon fever sweeps the area during summer, and the great trout fishing available is often neglected. Dozens of lakes make this a mecca for stillwater anglers.

Six major river systems of interest to anglers are the Waiau, Hurunui, Ashley, Waimakariri, Selwyn, and Rakaia. Fish on offer include browns, rainbows, brook char, mackinaw, splake and quinnat salmon – both landlocked and anadromous.

North Canterbury lies in a rain shadow area and receives far less rain than the west coast of the island. The summer weather is dominated by dry winds that sweep over the western ranges and can produce intolerable fly-fishing conditions. Low pressure on the West Coast often means howling high winds for North Canterbury, and it is best to check the weather forecast before any excursion into the high country. The dreaded ‘nor-wester’ can cause windblown sediment to colour streams for weeks on end. Fortunately the Christchurch area has some pleasant fishing in more sheltered lowland rivers in such weather conditions. Rain-fed rivers can dry up during mid-summer, but high pressure systems bring settled weather produce some excellent conditions for angling in the upper reaches of the district’s rivers and in the many lakes and tarns. North Canterbury continually and consistently produces big trout for the knowledgeable angler.

Hanmer Springs is a good base for exploring the upper reaches of the Clarence and Waiau river systems. Like many of the large river systems in Canterbury the Waiau braids in its lower sections, and the upper reaches are best for trout. Waiau tributaries such as the Hope, Boyle, Nina, and Doubtful require a lot of walking but can be worth visiting.

The Hurunui river below Lake Sumner produces some trophy browns . Drift divers have consistently counted in excess of 50 large fish per kilometre in the gorgy stretch below Lake Sumner but be prepared for some walking and challenging wading. The area around Lake Sumner is a state forest park, and Lakes Sheppard, Taylor, Mason, Katrine and Marion all hold trout.

The upper Ashley River can provide some good fishing throughout the season, as can the Selwyn. Two Selwyn tributaries, the Hororata and Hawkins, are good in the early season. The upper Waimakariri River and its tributaries, Poulter and Broken rivers, provide some decent fishing before the low water of mid-summer. Lake Ellesmere, a huge coastal lagoon, is a prolific producer of large brown trout, mostly caught at night. Ellesmere tributaries such as the Halswell, Irwell, L2 and Hart’s Creek provide angling opportunities close to Christchurch city.

North Canterbury is well known for its high country lakes, and anglers who are enticed by the challenge of large cruising trout should have a go at these lakes. South-east of Arthur's Pass National Park off Highway 73, Lakes Grasmere, Sarah, Lyndon, Pearson, and Marymere vary in fish-ability.

The upper Rakaia provides some good trout fishing for browns and rainbows in the Lake Coleridge area. Tributaries such as the Hydra waters, Glenariffe, Ryton, Harper, Wilberforce, and also Lake Stream in the Central South Island district, provide excellent angling possibilities.

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