The ritual of Opening Weekend at Lake Coleridge. You can just see anglers fishing from the distant shoreline.

Lake Coleridge Map

Coleridge Group Fishing Lakes

The Coleridge group lakes are located in the Southern Alps west of Christchurch. The ten Coleridge lakes make up part of the Rakaia River watershed. The Coleridge group lakes are Coleridge, Selfe, Lilian, Henrietta, Evelyn, Ida, Little Lake Ida, Georgina, Catherine (Monck) and Lake Lyndon.

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. — *Landlocked salmon caught from Lake Coleridge on a black ticer.*

The most popular, and by far the largest at 18km long, is Lake Coleridge. It has a surface area of 47 km². Lake Coleridge is 508 meters above sea level so it can get very cold at night even in high summer.

Spin fishing is the most popular fishing method along with trolling bibbed minnows and Tasmanian Devils from boats. The most popular, and usually the most productive, places to fish from shore are at the mouths of the Ryton and Harper Rivers which flow into Lake Coleridge. These areas are closed during the Winter Fishing Extension from 1 June to 31 August.

Chinook salmon are regularly released into Lake Coleridge by Fish & Game. Salmon do not breed in the lake. All of the lakes are stocked with rainbow and brown trout. Only Lake Coleridge is stocked with landlocked salmon. See also Lake Coleridge Best Fishing Spots Map

You certainly don't need a boat to fish successfully at Lake Coleridge. These anglers are spin fishing at the Picket Fence at the head of the lake on the western side. Generally the best spinning lures are those that sink reasonably quickly such as ticers in black and green or yellow strips weighing up to 20g, or Tassie Devils and Tillins Cobras in green and gold colours. It is important to cast out then wait up to 30 seconds for your lure to sink down before you start slow winding. If you cast straight out then start winding flat-out as soon as your lure hits the water you will be very lucky to catch a fish. The deep diving Dual Depth 20g Tasmanian Devils are the best lures to try. These dive down to over 3m and the extra weight is good for casting distance as well. — You certainly don’t need a boat to fish successfully at Lake Coleridge. These anglers are spin fishing at the Picket Fence at the head of the lake on the western side. Generally, the best spinning lures are those that sink reasonably quickly such as ticers in black and green or yellow strips weighing up to 20g, or Tassie Devils and Tillins Cobras in green and gold colours. It is important to cast out then wait up to 30 seconds for your lure to sink down before you start slow winding. If you cast straight out then start winding flat-out as soon as your lure hits the water you will be very lucky to catch a fish. The deep-diving Dual Depth 20g Tasmanian Devils are the best lures to try. These dive down to over 3m and the extra weight is good for casting distance as well.

There you have it. If you follow this simple plan for Opening Weekend at Lake Coleridge I’m 99 percent certain you will catch a fish. – Allan Burgess

In this video, you can see salmon being caught on spinning gear and ticers at the mouth of the Harper River, Lake Coleridge. This is a magnificent sunny day. Sometimes on Opening Weekend (first Saturday in November), it can be raining or even snowing. The wind can fairly howl down the lake so you have to take plenty of warm clothing and be well prepared for any conditions. Trolling from a boat on Lake Coleridge.

Lake Coleridge Lodge