Trout fishing season opens with a bang on the Selwyn River

Photo: RNZ
Photo: RNZ
Keen Canterbury anglers have been cleaning off their rods and gumboots as they get ready for the first cast of the trout fishing season today.

Peter Meecham is a lifelong trout fisherman and was out on the Selwyn River, near Christchurch, on Friday morning for the first day of the season.

Meecham spoke to RNZ's Corin Dann while out on the water:

The start of the new fishing season is a highly anticipated time of the year for anglers.

A recent nationwide Fish & Game survey showed people who reactivated their licences this year said they bought it mostly because they were encouraged to by friends and family, and because fishing was easily added to their holiday plans.

Enjoying nature, escaping everyday stress and spending time with friends and family were the top three reasons why people went fishing.

The "thrill of the catch" came fourth.

Fish & Game officer Bruce Quirey noted the start of the new fishing season on October 1 lined up with Mental Health Awareness Week (from September 27 to October 3) this year.

"For most people who went fishing for the first time and for those who took it up again after a few years’ break, fishing’s a way to enjoy nature and get outdoors," Quirey said.

"It’s really interesting because their top three responses all relate to mental wellness."

Quirey said Fish & Game wanted to find what motivated people to go fishing, and specifically why they bought a fishing licence in 2020-21.

-Additional reporting RNZ and hamish.maclean@odt.co.nz