Lake Coleridge Trout and Salmon Fishing Guide 2015

Lake Coleridge Trout and Salmon Fishing Guide A detailed location guide to the Lake Coleridge fishery written by Peter Langlands summarising 25 years of angling information at the lake with detailed location maps, spin, trolling and fly-fishing techniques and access information. 1200 words, 10 maps and twenty photographs by the author. Guide supplied electronically as a PDF and /or Word file To order for $10 Email - Peter Langlands E:langlands@xtra.co.nz

The legendary Hope River

Hope River Profile Peter Langlands 11 March 2004 The Hope River is one of the most consistent producers of large brown trout in the North Canterbury Region. The rivers’ size offers good protection for the brown trout. Indeed the river is large enough to take anglers on either side of its course. One of the tricks to fishing the Hope is to realise that the river suddenly becomes smaller above the Hope River Bridge. Above the bridge the river braches into the Lewis and Hope and divides almost 50 / 50 into each river accordingly. So do not be imitated the bulk of water flowing down the Hope at the main bridge. Also just above the bridge the flow hits in against a cliff and discolours the Hope’s waters, again giving anglers a misleading impression and mistakenly thinking that clear angling opportunities are not available upstream. The Hopes’ waters often run clear above the Lewis confluence, a factor that allows the browns, which are visual feeders, to consistently reach large sizes. I fish the Hope when the recorded main flow is up to 120 cumecs. Also while the Hope does fresh, and does so frequently, it also clears up quickly and in the first day or so after clearing after a fresh the river provides great angling. Despite its open shingle riverbed in many places, the Hope is remarkably stable allowing the river to support a healthy insect population. Mayflies and a range of caddis nymphs form the bulk of the trout’s diet. Being part of a large river system, the Waiau system, the Hope has a constant movement of trout in it. The greater Waiau catchment has a reputation for some of the largest browns in the South Island and the Hope is certainly part of this picture. In late summer and autumn large searun browns move up the river along with chinnok salmon in April. This constant movement of fish, with many of the searuns defending prime lies, allows the trout to reach respectable sizes. Many guides from Nelson, West Coast and Canterbury, along with local anglers, target the Hope as a consistent producer of large browns. The large browns will feed on salmon smolt according to former South Island Fishing guide David Moate. Swinging heavily weighted lures such as woolly buggers becomes an effective tactic in high water conditions. The keen trout angler should also have a spinning rod (telescopic) along with a few small brown and rainbow trout smolt imitation Rapalas- that are especially effective in discoloured water. Fish them on at least six-pound line, due to the size of the trout in the Hope. The trout feed freely after the river freshes and often fishing it when slightly discoloured produces results. When the river has remained low and clear for long periods the trout can become hard to catch. The trick then is to then make the first cast count, and to make sure that your presentation is drag free, as the large browns are highly sensitive to line drag. Often a dragging fly will spook the trout, which are highly alert to any un-natural movement in their environment. Using small nymphs also gives you an edge in low water conditions. On one “mouse year” a guide got his client onto a 12 pound brown on a size 18 pheasant tail nymph! High water quality also means that the river has a lot of free swimming mayflies, the nymphs of which are imitated by small slender nymphs tied with golden pheasant ear tuff fibres used as tails. Keep your nymphs drably coloured to deceive the highly discerning trout in the Hope. Tungsten bead-heads are favoured to get down quick in the Hope's flow and many people favour black beadheads. Small, naturally coloured and nondescript nymphs often work well on these trout, which often shy away from more brightly coloured flies. Yet flashbacks can work well along with large black beadheads when the rivers’ waters are discoloured. The trout in the Hope also rise freely to dries over much of the angling season. Early in the season mayfly patterns work well, with a large Kakahi Queen or Adams being effective. Shy away from regal dries such as the Royal Wulff as trout often shy away from such patterns. A flash of the white wing on a dry fly will often spook cautious trout. In summer large cicadas flies work well. I use a large black indicator fly, which also doubles as a cicada imitation. Also over the summer the trout feed on green beetles and a wide range of terrestrials (such as wasps). On “hard trout” sitting on the edge a soft hackle nymph on a short dropper under a dry or a Carty’s spider fly also works well. The Hope River is easily accessed, with a Department of Conservation walking track, all the way along the rivers’ true left bank. DOC huts are also available adjoining the Hope for anglers to use. The whole river can be walked in three days and is ideal for a high country campout. A four-wheel drive track goes a considerable way up from Glynn Wye Station on the Hope Rivers’ true right bank and offers good access (obtain permission from the local framer). In recent years the Hope has become a popular destination for anglers using helicopters for access. While out of the price range of many people this option is worthwhile for people with a short amount of time available. If you are fishing on the river make sure that any choppers flying up the river can see you. Either wave or get out a bright towel. The choppers should leave you at least three kilometres of river upstream from were they sight you. Being a large river, with two fishable banks, often something can be worked out when you encounter other anglers. The Hope fishes well throughout the whole season from October to April. In February and March the trout are often well educated, so use light tippets and small flies with a delicate drag free presentation. Having clear waters the Hope is one of the best rivers in the South Island for sight fishing to large brown trout. Yet over the busy months of February and March aim to fish the river immediately after a fresh as the educated trout are more catchable then. October and November are great months for angling on the Hope before the angling pressure increases, especially from guides and overseas tourists. An early morning start can also secure you a good “beat” on the Hope. In April groups of large searun trout re-colonise the river and offers you a crack at fresh run fish, with some of the largest trout of the season caught in this twilight month. April is a great time for local anglers to fish the river in relative solitude. The Hope River is a place of giant brown trout in years when there are plaques of mice in the adjoining beech forest. The mice feast on seeds from the beech forest, which are produced, on average, every five years. Fish from 8-15 pounds are frequently caught on the mouse years. Yet even during an average (non- mouse year) the browns average six pounds, with double figure fish being consistently caught throughout the season.

Stalking lake edges

Stalking lake edges

By Peter Langlands

One of my favourite memories of summer angling is sight fishing on lake edges. Trout cruise in the lakes shallows and become vulnerable to the quick-witted angler. Brown trout spend more time on lake edges than rainbows which habitually stay in deeper water.
Often when trout are cruising the edges they are on the move. They feel vulnerable and or may be chasing fast moving prey items. Often I have found that it is not so much matching the exact prey item that the trout are feeding, but making a delicate presentation that doesn’t splash on the water. For this reason a long tapered leader is required. 5-6x tippet is typical.
Good Polaroid’s that cut out side glare along with a wide-brimmed hat are recommended. They will help you spot the trout. It is important that you conceal yourself. Camouflaged clothing I best that blend in with the background. Often on windy days tout will almost invariably be cruising into the direction that the wind is blowing. You can use this to your advantage and often walking into the wind is recommended. Often trout will cruise right into the waves. The closer you are to the trout the quicker your cat has to be to hit the mark.
On calm days it I often worth doing away with n indicator and casting a lightly weighed soft hackle nymph in front of the trout, that will slowly sink the leader through the water. Often browns will spook at the sight o an indicator or dry fly. Other favoured edge flies are water boatman and the black and peacock. At times a small woolly bugger or Hamills Killer comes into its own. Lake edge fishing with nymphs often requires that you use a small fly. Lake edge fishing is one of the most challenging forms of trout fishing that I am aware of, like stalking bonefish on the flats. Your casts need not only to be accurate, but delicate and quick. Learning to be able to walk along the lake edge with some slack fly line in your hand without in tangling up is an important skill to learn. Avoid at all cost putting the fly line over the trout, have the leader turning over so that the fly lands about 1.5 metres in front of the trout, not necessarily right in front of the trout, but lightly off to the side, as to avoid alerting the trout with your presentation. Olive green fly lines or clear fly lines are recommended for edge fishing. Lake edge fishing is one of my favourite types, it really tests your skills and the whole experience is so visual, you see it all happening from when the trout is seen cruising to the sudden eruption of white water has you hook up. It pays to be quick -witted and allow the trout line as the first run with often happen with sudden power and lightening speed. Trout tend to bolt when hooked in shallow water which further adds to the excitement of fishing lake edge.

Soft hackle nymphs ill create an impression of movement as they ink in the water which will induce the trout to take. Sometimes a light twitch of the fly will also induce a strike, especially when fishing water boatman patterns.

Choosing the right lake I important as on some lakes the trout will remain edge shy or they may be primarily rainbow trout lakes with the trout staying in deeper water.

As lake edge fishing is best done when their I good light on the water for you to spot the trout fishing from 9 am to 4 pm is the best time. Look for areas where the lake gently shelves away. Sand flats interspersed with we patches are ideal, sand flats are also good. Stony margins with interspersed boulders are also good, but I have found fine shingle beaches with little future have fewer trout cruising over them. Other features to look for are a sudden change in depth, where there is a clearly defined drop off. Trout will often cruise on the inside edge of the drop-off. Trout like cruising along the edge zone where they is a change in the bottom type.

brown in mid air

For me the most exciting aspect of trout fishing is the hook-up and that split second when within hooking up the trout jumps !

South Island fly-fishing

In the South Island we live in a very privileged location from the view point of flyfishng opportunities. Centrally located in the South Island, the remainder of the island offers an unsurprised range of flyfishng options. I would argue that no other place in the world has as many clear flowing streams and rivers in such a small space as the South Island. With numerous rivers and lakes with clean water we have some of the best trout fishing in the world. Both brown and rainbow trout where introduced here in the 19th centaury, and now the brown trout thrives, from the Heathcote River to the remotest high country river. Brown trout are an esteemed sportfish and when they go out into the sea to feed they can reach impressive sizes. Rainbow trout spice up the equation being found more in clear mountain streams.

Fly fishing, the ideal excuse to travel to some of the most scenic parts of our high country.

As a guide I have been privileged to see just what a special feature our trout fishery is, as seen through the eyes of visitors, and being increasingly ignored by local anglers. In the last year I have taken people from as far a field as Alaska, Norway, Japan , England, California and increasingly more and more visitors from across the ditch. So why not give it a go, people are flocking from around the world to fish here. Fortunately the waters in most areas are still not to crowded and it is easy to “disappear into the landscape“.

While many of our North Canterbury high country rivers offer challenging fishing, best suited to the experienced angler, there are many other rivers that are within a weekends travel of Christchurch that offer high numbers of trout which can be caught. Twizel is one base much favoured, bright sunlight and clear water here allows the trout rapid growth with the Tekapo River having literally hundreds of trout in it per kilometre. The arena of snow-capped mountains, in the Mackenzie Basin, gives the feeling of spaciousness, hard to describe. Once you start fly-fishing you become one, in a mediative way, with the landscape.


Recommended rivers for the beginner, location location, locatiion-

When starting out flyfishng ,blind fishing, ideally in a river with high numbers of trout is the best approach. Look for riffles where the waters’ surface is broken ,and trout feed. Use a floating indicator with a nymph attached. Blind fishing (when you simply cast your fly up the river without being able to see the trout) with indicators is ideal for the beginner, but you must choose a river that has a high trout population, some key rivers are the Clarence, Maruia, Arnold, Hurunui, Opihi, Twizel and Matuara. Lakes Brunner and Benmore are also good lakes for the beginner with their high trout populations offering the confidence boost and thrill of that first catch.

Eye to eye with giants

Clear water is favoured as it allows the angler an opportunity to sight fish to individual trout, undoubtedly one of the most exciting forms, and informative ways of fly fishing. With polarised glasses you peer into the water, another realm, a liquid , often gin clear world. The trout sits , or rhythmically sways , from side to side, head first into the current, on the look out for the tiniest of insects drifting down the river. For this reason the trout can see a high proportion of food in the river, and allows then to grow to considerable size compared to other countries. Indeed what we New Zealander consider commonplace- a trout anywhere from two to four pounds, which is a trophy sized fish in most other parts of the world.









For that reason, combined with the wilderness experience that is still readily available in our high country, anglers come here from all over the world on trips that are for many nothing less than a trip taken with the fever of a religious pilgrimage. For the new comer, or inexperienced angler I would recommended a day’s guided sight fishing to appreciate this part of the sport, it is only a small part, but sight fishing is a pinnacle experience. It turns fly-fishing from being more than mere fishing but into an active form of hunting.

Fly-casting

The art of fly casting is one, which like a golf swing, really needs to be taught, as it is not an intuitive thing for many people. Once the fundamentals are set you will then be on the gradual road towards improvement which each fishing trip. A flick of the twist, and a pause on the back cast, are terms that any experienced teacher will repeat to the point that it becomes like a mantra. The cast is a work of art and you will know once you have acquired if as the fly line will shoot out of the fly rod with little effort. The weighted line is used to propel the flies through the air, as the flies themselves often have very little weight. Once a proper cast is made the sound is also distinctive as you write your “signature” in the sky.

Several people run fly casting schools in Canterbury, the best known instructors are Malcolm Bell and Chappie Chapman. September to October is a good time to flick your fly rod skyward. The whole experience of fly fishing is an uplifting experience, trout often inhabit the most scenic parts of the country, they need clean, clear water, which bring associated with gives us a primal sense of relaxation. Fly fishing teaches us virtues which are quickly becoming dismissed by the fast pace of our society. It teaches us the virtues of patience and acceptance. But it is not a passive sport, requiring ever present vigilance, and once you tune into sight fishing is an active process of locating trout, not like the classical image of standing still at the waters edge for hours on end- far from it.


Setting up for flyfishng

Fly-fishing is not an overly expensive pursuit. I recommend that if you are keen on picking it up then Canterbury is a great place to learn. Malcolm Bell’s , of the Complete Angler, fly fishing school is a good start. Many guides also will offer tuition with September and October often being quite months and good time to learn fly fishing with a couple of friends and a guide ( to keeps costs down). For about $800 you can kit up for flyfishng with the fly rod ( the wizards wand) being the most expense item. A decent , graphite fly rod, will cost about $400, although you can bend most tackle retails around this one, no pun intended), the reel, about $60, fly line $100, nylon for tippets, $20 and have a selection of lies (say about 20) a few will be sacrificed to the riverside vegetation and with luck chewed up by a trout !. Polarised sunglasses are recommended and cost about $50. The flies and nylon need constant replacing, but a fly line will last three or four years, the rod and reel will last a decade. So once you get over the initial cost of setting up, after a few years you will look back and see that flyfishng is a relatively inexpensive sport.


Once you have the gear I can highly recommend one of three fishing clubs in Christchurch which have a range of fly fisherman in them. Hiring a guide at the start of the fishing season, with a friend or two, is often a great investment to learn, on the water, some of the refinements of fly fishing. But learn these basics first by yourself and through some outings with a club member before hiring a guide, as that will pick up on the subtleties that only an experienced guide can show you, from that most valuable ingredient of all with fishing, “time on the water“, so that you will learn the subtleties that give you the edge. It is often narrow line between success and failure with fly fishing. A season’s fishing licence (Fish and Game) will cost you $90 a year, but remains very cheap compared to overseas.





The feminine advantage.

It is the delicate , and intimate (with the environment) nature of fly fishing that gives it some appeal to woman. Increasingly each year more and more woman, in proportion to men , are participating in flyfishng in North America, a trend that I am sure will occur in New Zealand. I have no doubt that woman have a slight edge of picking up fly-fishing, compared to their male counter parts, remember those virtues of patience and acceptance ? Woman also have a finesse that blends to the refined nature of fly fishing.

Returning back to nature

While you look in the water for trout, or for fish sitting on the river’s edge your eyes sharpen up to the slightest movements. Terns flying over the water are often hard to ignore with their frenetic movement and squawking calls. Pipits flitter along the rivers edge with the sun lining their silver wings as they pursue insects such as mayflies on the waters’ edge. When the birds are active it often signals an insect hatch in which the trout also participate. That sudden ring of water as a trout rises on the surface quickens the angler’s heart like no other sight. A delicately placed dry fly will often entice the trout, which will rise in slow motion, as if time itself has suddenly become suspended, and the angler must wait, for what seems like an eternity before lifting the rod to set the hook (known as striking).

Often after hooking the trout it will either jump skyward in an eruption of white water, or bolt in the shallows , sending of a “V’ of water as it races off to seek refuge. Quick relaxes are something that can only really be acquired with time and the “school of hard knocks“. Once you experience striking a rising fish in the high country, on a river, with no one else, except perhaps valued friend on the landscape, you have reached a pinnacle and the questions suddenly arises, can life get any better ?

Blending flyfishng with other outdoor activities.

It would certainly be a crime not to combine flyfishng with photography, tramping, kayaking, even mountain biking- it can easily be combined with a range of other outdoor activates. In some cases even with a helicopter or jet boat trip- forget the cliques of standing still at the waters edge with a tweed hat on while smoking a pipe ( although fortunately a few people are still around to keep this quintessential image alive and well).



End game

Forget the clique remarks that trout have a muddy taste ! Catch a well conditioned trout and it’s taste will rival that of the finest salmon. Trout are ideal for smoking, and when smoked with manuka wood, are a uniquely New Zealand statement that will leave your tastebuds tingling. Nowadays many people choose “catch and release” as the sport in catching the fish itself is reward enough.










Some final thoughts

Flyfishng is filled with improbabilities, but when it all comes together in that moment of revelation, it is like magic which we are privileged to have on our doorstep. With the new season about to arrive, why not give it a go ?. Cast your signature in the sky and keep the heritage alive. Fly fishing is basically a simple pursuit, but with the luxury and allowing you to make it as complex as you like !

Top foam beetle pattern for sale - black beetle- foam with poly yarn post

A top dry with a small pink poly yarn post to increase flies visability. Imitates brown and green beetles- a great fly pattern for high country lakes . designed and tied by Peter Langlands

Top foam beetle pattern for sale

http://www.trademe.co.nz/Browse/Listing.aspx?id=350297355