Thread: Fishing tomorrow!

@axeman had a hunger

Success

That's how you get a guy hooked on floundering, what a nice afternoon.
With Stingray lending his net and a wetsuit for Axeman, we were set.
Once drag done just as Stingray arrived, and then I got kicked off the shallow end of the net.... Just as well there were fish to gut.
Its a bit rough when the fish you catch have already been chewed on by something else. bloody Rays.
Big, fat fish and damned tasty to boot. Dropped off a couple of flatties to a fellow form member who was stuck working a night shift.
Cheers @stingray, @axeman. Tonight's tea was a very nice feed of fresh cockles steamed with honey, soy sauce and lots of butter. with a delicious side of fresh flounder.

Epic weekend on the coast, sea flat calm !!!
Hopefully @screamO you were rampaging

No shortage of surf casting action for us, just simply feasting on Kia moana



Great to see you you guys got @axeman on the drag !!

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I get up Saturday at 0400 to sit on the hook for 7 hours and nothin. Take the lucky ladies out mid day today for 2 hours and shablamma!!!

Nice, what type of salmon is that Matt?

Our spring chinook is the holy grail in the NW US and my life's work (you'd think I'd be better at catching em), they're endangered and the #1 reason for salmon research in the hydropower system on the Columbia and Snake Rivers. This was a hatchery fish but the truly wild ones that I work with/on are headed to Idaho headwater which are 1500km from the ocean and 1800M in elevation.

@Joe Schmo bring your knowledge …we had a magnificent salmon ( introduced) run down south Canterbury and south wards .. but recently it has fallen apart I’m sure your knowledge will be helpful !

Originally Posted by stingray

@Joe Schmo …we had a magnificent salmon ( introduced) run down south Canterbury and south wards .. but recently it has fallen apart

Anything to do with irrigation?

Went on a trip around the S.I. recently, I couldn't believe the amount of lush green verdant pasture, that was arid stoney plains, when I was kid.

Parts of the trip I thought I was in the Waikato.

Originally Posted by MarkN

Anything to do with irrigation?

One of several contributing factors.

https://fishingmag-co-nz.cdn.ampproj...salmon-returns


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our salmon no longer have a big long un dammed river in the waitaki to run up.....there are still fish there and if the hatchery keeps poking out small stuff there will always be SOME fish to return...in the 30 years I have been living in south canterbury Ive heard endless bleating about how its the trawlerss off shore,its boats too close to river mouth,its too little water in rivers,its fish going into irrigation canals and getting lost,its chemicals in water,its cow shit in streams.....very seldom do we hear.....maybe we catch too many.....or there are too many dickheads driving souped up 4X4 through rivers.

if you look back far enough the very best salmon river was actually the ashburton...yip that is correct...Ashburton...and they had a fish trap to capture and KILL trout to ensure salmon had better chances.....its in the older magazine article's if you look hard enough.

funny we hear the same things about the Taupo trout fishery too.... simple maths at play here...more humans =more demand on the same sized resource=less to go around.

I have waited all my working life to retire and salmon fish.. My take on it.

1. Lack of fish screens and lack of effective fish screens and ECANs complete lack of willingness to ensure fish screens are either in place or working.
2. Ocean warming.
3. Removal of water from the river for irrigation causing the river to be warmer and lack of flow causes silting of the river.
4. Poor genetics in the form of hatchery bred [farmed fish genetics ] fish being added to the wild fish genes that have evolved to run our rivers.

Well all my nieces, nephews etc had no issues catching salmon this year. They reckon was the best season on the Rakaia for ages.

Yes mikee it was a good season on the Rakaia and no doubt the pick of the rivers. One could fairly describe the other rivers as a disaster though.

Hey, I’m uneducated on the salmon so what are the best months please guys?…, there is a season right?
I plan to come down next year and take the jet boat up the Rakaia (or any other recommended river), to hunt and fish and look about for a bit.