Donation to boost local anglers

BY JACOB LUCAS from Nelson Marlborough Fish & Game

A substantial donation to Fish & Game is set to boost the skills of new and experienced anglers.

Legendary angler Jim Ring and his wife Fleur (both now deceased) have left a substantial donation which they wish to be used to get new anglers into fishing and help develop the skills of the anglers we have. This will be a real game-changer to grow our angler base in this region.

Jim was arguably one of the most successful anglers this region has seen, and the meticulous diaries he kept are the stuff of legends. They were also a perfect angling match, with Jim aiming for perfection in the art of fly fishing, and Fleur a qualified entomologist.

The new trout fishing season kicked off on 1 October and opening day saw anglers out in force on rivers across the region.

Although the start of the season fell on a weekday, Fish & Game rangers observed one of the busiest opening days in some years.

The day coincided with an approaching weather front which many anglers found to affect fish behaviour. They were harder to find and, when located, many fish were not actively feeding, and catches were lighter than expected.

However, anglers can fear not, as trout numbers in most of our rivers are in great shape and catches will definitely improve as river conditions stabilise and we get some more sun.

Thanks to Jim and Fleur’s donation, Nelson Marlborough Fish & Game is introducing a series of spin/softbait and fly-fishing clinics to help realise the couple’s wishes.

We will also be hosting a ‘Women on the Fly’ practical fishing workshop and developing a mentoring programme where learning or intermediate anglers can be paired with fishing gurus. We also want people to catch more fish on our accessible lowland fisheries, so targeted programmes to improve success on the Wairau and Motueka (Jim’s favourite river) will be held.

These clinics will kick off in November and run through to April. Email [email protected] to register.