Wairau Salmon

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fraser hocks
Posts: 915
Joined: Sat May 10, 2014 3:25 pm
Location: Queenstown

Re: Wairau Salmon

Post by fraser hocks » Fri Feb 27, 2015 6:55 pm

The Clutha used to have huge runs many many years ago. Then the Clyde and Roxburgh dam were built and that prety much put an end to those big runs.

Fish do still run up, but the season before last a total of 52 fish were reported to have been landed.

There is a group of keen people in Dunedin that are rearing their own salmon smalt and attempting to improve stocks. I personally would love to see something done about the dams blocking the passage of these fish, as id like to think that this would restate the runs of salmon. Imagine how amazing our salmon fishery would be if these sea run fish could reach the spawning grounds that the quinnat salmon currently use?


Bucking trends in fly fishing since 1970!

Andy W
Posts: 272
Joined: Tue May 13, 2014 2:01 pm
Location: Christchurch

Re: Wairau Salmon

Post by Andy W » Tue Mar 03, 2015 9:58 am

Historically the Clutha fish were the heaviest of the NZ runs due to the length of river the fish had to travel to spawn - all the way up the Wilkin and Young. Now of course the fish are smaller in the Clutha as they only run as far as Roxburgh although there is a small run up the Pomahaka that flies under the radar.

20 years ago I talked to an older gent in the Bullock Bar at Wanaka and he told stories of landing 80 lb. salmon in the Wilkin in the 40's.



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