North Canterbury Fishing News November 11

High country fishing update
The high country has been open for a month now and those anglers who have managed to grab a break in the weather have reported good results.
Although the weather has been bad we did not see a serious flood until the November 21 which took both the Waimak and Rakaia to about 1200 cuemcs.  
The remaining high country rivers open on December 1; namely the Ryton River, the Harper River and tributaries including the Avoca.
These rivers open late as rainbow trout can still be spawning in November. Of these the Ryton provides the best rainbow trout fishing.

Spring Lake Ellesmere/Te Waihora opening leads to some fantastic fishing
The opening of Lake Ellesmere at Taumutu is often a fraught affair, with tens of thousands of dollars being spent by the council and local ratepayers to open it, often to have it close again two days later when a southerly swell comes through.
October and November, however, saw the lake remaining open for a five week period. This is the longest it has stayed open in the spring for a long time and is the ideal time to bring in sea run trout.
As a result we have seen some excellent fishing at the Selwyn River and the Taumutu lake mouth. We hear the whitebaiting hasn’t been half bad either.
If you missed your chance and want to receive email notification of upcoming lake openings email Leigh.Skerten@ecan.govt.nz and ask for your name to be added to the list.

Lake Ellesmere was open for five weeks this spring attracting a number of sea run trout.

Watch for rare birds when out fishing braided rivers
Anglers can unwittingly harm endangered braided river birds such as the Wrybill and Dotterel when out fishing.
The following actions can reduce your chance of harming these birds:

• Watch out for agitated birds – “rat running”, swooping, or calling loudly.  This means eggs or chicks are nearby.  The bird won’t go back to the nest until you have left and if this is longer than 10 minutes the eggs can overheat or chill, and will not hatch (a wasted season).
• If you can, choose a pool to fish that is close to trees such as willows (birds prefer to nest on open shingle).
• Stick to well-worn tracks if you have to drive on riverbeds.
• Keep accompanying dogs under control.

Note: Breeding season is from early September to late January.

Waimakariri Rivercare Users Group (WRUG) is a new group, with the aim of “Maintaining, protecting and enhancing the natural characteristics of the Waimakariri River and it’s wildlife, while recognising all river users”.
If you would like to be involved, please contact Mimouk Hannan  or 03 323 5269

When fishing this season mind you don’t harm nesting birds such as the Wrybill
(the only bird in the world with a beak that is bent sideways – always to the right).