A chain of small fishing lakes make up the Coleridge group. Lake Coleridge is by far the largest measuring some 16 km in length. The smaller relatives are: Henrietta, Selfe, Evelyn, Georgina, and to a lesser extent, Lake Ida which is popular during winter with ice skaters. All of these lakes are well stocked with brown and rainbow trout by the Fish and Game Council. Lake Coleridge is also very well stocked with
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The landscape surrounding Lake Coleridge is spectacular. |
landlocked Chinook salmon. Lake Coleridge in particular is very popular with anglers on High Country Opening Day. This is the first Saturday in November. As many as 700 anglers make the annual pilgrimage for what is generally very good fishing. Many anglers catch landlocked salmon spin fishing around the shore of Lake Coleridge. Often the best spin fishing is when the weather is wet, wild and windy! In recent years a fishing competition has been run on Opening Day at the Coleridge group of fishing lakes by the North Canterbury Fish & Game Council. See the pictures from the 2009 Canterbury High Country Opening Competition. Fishing clubs have been running Opening Weekend fishing contests for decades, and still do.
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A good size Lake Coleridge landlocked quinnat salmon taken on a wet Opening Weekend. |
Lake Coleridge is always unpredictable. Sometimes you can wake up on opening morning with the wind blowing so strongly down the lake that boat launching is out of the question. A big chop on the water and a sizeable swell being enough to deter even the most determined of boaties. In this situation you have no option other than shore fishing. To this end it pays to take along a spinning rod and a box of spinning lures; such as Tassie Devils, in case you do have to park up the boat for much of the day. If you only have bibbed minnow trolling lures these won't be much use for spin fishing around the shore line of this deep lake - particularly if casting into a head wind! Older anglers report that thirty odd years ago most would travel up and camp for at least three or four nights. In those days the road was shingle all the way from Hororata and the trip took much longer. Nowadays most stay only Friday night. Indeed many are now driving up early on the Saturday morning! I guess sealed roads and modern cars make the country smaller! There have never been any real amenities at these lakes. It is rough camping - the way many anglers like it to be.
Many angling groups make the annual fishing trip to Lake Coleridge every year without fail. Often these merry bands include sons, dads, and grandads, as each angler in turn passes the tradition on to their own kids.
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The late night combined with an early morning start has got the better of of these Opening Day anglers near the Picket Fence, Lake Coleridge. |
There are also the groups of mates who party into the night keeping others awake with their laughing and singing. The best fishing is early morning between first-light and sunrise. Such an early morning start (4.30-5.00am) soon sorts these guys out. They are often found sleeping off the excitement around the lake shore by mid-morning. This all adds to the colour of opening weekend!
The area is rugged and exposed to the elements. In winter the whole landscape can be completely white. When it is really cold the surfaces of the smaller lakes can freeze over. Lakes Ida, Henrietta, Evelyn, and Georgina are particularly susceptible to freezing. It is always great fun to skim a flat stone across the frozen surface - not that I would of course!
In high summer though the days can be very hot; the nights can also be freezing cold. You are at high altitude in the mountains of the Southern Alps after all. Take heaps of extra blankets with you if sleeping in a tent. I find it is a good idea to sleep wearing an
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A landlocked Chinook salmon taken casting from shore with spinning gear. In this case a 28g black ticer with three chartreuse prism tape strips. This lure has often taken fish for the author especially when fished early in the morning. |
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Everwarm balaclava. It might look odd but much body heat is lost from your head even in a quality sleeping bag. Another idea is to put up a small tent and load all your gear into it. Then sleep in your vehicle. This is warmer and also helps to block out some of the noise from other campers.
During the warmer months the renowned nor-wester can blow constantly. This creates numerous problems for anglers. The strong nor-wester causes the lake to cut up rough. The wind can howl down Lake Coleridge funneled by the mountains to greater intensity. A 1.5 metre swell and big white tops are not that unusual. Sometimes the lake surface can be calm and then a wind-shift can cause it to become very dangerous in minutes. In a small boat this is no laughing matter, and the utmost caution should be exercised to keep a constant vigilant eye on the weather. If you do get caught out it is better to head to the nearest shore rather than risk heading the extra distance back to your launching place. Quite a few anglers have lost their lives on Lake Coleridge. Even the smaller lakes like Selfe can also be a very risky idea when the wind gets up. Lifejackets should always be worn on these lakes.
Lake Coleridge is fished in the main by trolling anglers and spin fishermen casting from the rugged shoreline. More here on trolling in Lake Coleridge. The smaller lakes are generally the realm of the fly angler but not exclusively so.
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Rainbow trout taken on Opening Weekend . |
Spin anglers fishing for trout and landlocked salmon in Lake Coleridge include the 28 to 42 gm ticers (hex wobblers) in their tackle bags. This relatively heavy trout hardware is needed to get distance and to sink down in the deep water. The heavier lures also make it easier to cast into a gusty head or side wind. Black and gold, or silver and green are successful colours for ticers used in Lake Coleridge.
Another tip is to park your car facing into the wind. Many years ago I stopped at Lake Georgina on the way home for a “few casts.” It was a hot blustery nor-west Canterbury day. As I opened the door of my old Toyota sedan a sudden wind gust pulled the handle from my grasp and bent the door back flush with the front mudguard. It made a horrible mess of the door. Thankfully it was an old bomb car and no great loss. But a lesson learnt all the same.
On the southern side nestles Lake Coleridge Township created to service New Zealand's first major hydro-electric development. A vigorous tree planting programme in earlier years has made the township area very picturesque, in an otherwise largely barren landscape.
A visit to the power station and a short drive up the hill for a view of Lake Coleridge, makes a great picnic destination for day trippers. Coleridge is about 90 minutes from Christchurch by car on sealed roads. Lake Coleridge Lodge, near the power station provides both very comfortable accommodation, and morning and afternoon teas, and can organise guided tours of the power station. The whole area is a magic place to fish or just to visit! Lake Coleridge Trout Fishing Map.
Trolling and Spin Fishing For Trout by Allan Burgess
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| A couple of land-locked quinnat salmon taken trolling from Lake Coleridge. |
I have written a 156 page book about trolling and spin fishing for trout and landlocked salmon. The book contains quite a bit about fishing Lake Coleridge and nearby Lake Selfe, including trolling depths, the best lures to use, downriggers, trolling speeds, and heaps more! It is only sold on this site and nowhere else. There are over 150 colour pictures and you get a free exclusive bonus book 4x4 Motor Bikes & Sport Utility Vehicles for Fishing! You can read more about these books by clicking the link: Trolling and Spin Fishing for Trout by Allan Burgess. We also have a much smaller ebook you can down load for free by clicking it's link here: Spinning for Trout in New Zealand.
How to Catch Trout Fishing in New Zealand Also see trout fishing near Christchurch. |
