Didymo is returning to the lower Waitaki river, but for
anglers it is not as bad as before big flows in January.
In January, Meridian Energy Ltd released about 950cumecs down
the river for 48 hours, which flushed out didymo from the
main braids.
Central South Island Fish and Game Council's Kurow officer
Graeme Hughes recently inspected the river and said
"blisters" of didymo were reappearing in areas where it had
been stripped by January's high flow.
"But it's 100% more fishable than it was before then," he
said yesterday.
Didymo had taken "a fair hiding" and Mr Hughes estimated
about 90% of it had been cleared from the main braids by the
January flows.
However, didymo was still present in side braids which had
escaped the most powerful effects of January's flushing, he
said.
The didymo-free areas were good news for salmon anglers, now
enjoying the peak of the season, Mr Hughes said.
The salmon fishing season closes on March 31.
Mr Hughes also expected that the current situation would
continue for trout anglers until the end of the trout season
on April 30.
"What then happens over winter will be interesting," Mr
Hughes said.
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