West Coast Fishing News November 11

Brunner browns in top condition

West Coast Fish & Game staff are currently surveying the brown trout population in Lake Brunner.

Lake Brunner is the West Coast’s most popular fishery and could become even more popular with the current health of the trout population. The last time the lake was surveyed was 2005. Compared to 2005 the fish are an average of 15mm longer, and are almost half a pound heavier.

This noticeable increase in weight means they are in great condition. There are a couple more days of surveying to complete before the exact lengths and weights will be confirmed.
There have been plenty of reports of good fish in Brunner in the last two years and the survey is backing up those claims. Gut samples have often contained Koura (freshwater crayfish) which could be the reason why the fish are so big.

Staff training

Fish & Game field officer Rhys Adams recently attended electro fishing training in Dunedin.
Electro fishing is one of the tools Fish & Game use to survey sportsfish populations. In brief, a battery pack is worn that provides an electric current to a pole which the operator submerges in the water to stun fish. While the fish is stunned the operator can net the fish or another person is waiting downstream with a purpose-designed net to catch the fish as it drifts with the current.
Electro fishing is a great way to catch juvenile sportsfish which are almost impossible to find otherwise. Electro fishing can catch big fish also. It is a great way to assess spawning dynamics in small streams.
With this information we can advocate for the protection of streams that to the naked eye do not appear to contain sportsfish.

Salmon fishing kicks into gear
It is about that time of year when the salmon move in from their ocean feeding grounds in preparation to ‘run’.
Already two salmon have been caught in the Hokitika River mouth, which is early for the West Coast. Salmon where released in the Hokitika catchment in 2010 and could boost the numbers of salmon around this season.
It pays to fish for salmon in the lower reaches/river mouths early season. There is always the bonus of catching a trout or kahawai around these places too.

AGM
The Annual Public meeting of Fish & Game NZ West Coast Region will be held at the Ashley Hotel in Greymouth, at 8.00pm on Tuesday, December 13, 2011, all welcome.
Staff will present the annual report for the year ending August 2011. Bryce Johnson, CEO of NZ F&G Council is in attendance as the guest speaker.
Bryce will talk about the strategic direction of Fish & Game NZ.
Copies of the Annual report will be available at the meeting, or may be obtained by contacting Fish & Game at PO Box 179 Hokitika, Ph. (03) 7558546