Lake Grassmere

Lake Grassmere is on the Canterbury High Country Lakes in the Waimakariri Catchment.

The water quality is ok-ish but it's suffered from cows and increasingly intense farming practices. If Grassmere Station has it's Resource Application accepted it will draw off more water and result in further degradation of the surrounding environment. I hope that doesn't happen.

Anyway, back at the lake. Lake Grassmere has typical access. Pass through a gate and follow a track across a couple of paddocks and there is the lake. It's beautiful and while it's easy to get to, it's not as heavily fished as some of the other high country lakes you can pull off the road and you're there.

The afternoon was warm but the sou'westerly wind a pain. The fishing mate stoically paddled around and across the lake. Having already run 1.5 hours on the Port Hills early this morning, I'd had enough exercise and opted for waders and casting.

Fence lines like this are often around water ways. This one is in dubious order. Their purpose it to keep stock out of the lake and reduce fouling. They make for an extra piece of trickiness for a woman in over-sized waders. Do I go over or under?

I amazed a couple of blokes by coming ashore with a decent Rainbow Trout in my grasp, then doing the deed to swiftly put it out of it's misery, cut the gills out, gut and bury it, then calmly put the fish on ice in the chilly bin.

I expect their jaws are still around their ankles ;-)

A great day.