maurice-07-dec-01

When you want to go fishing and can't,
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TROUT FISHING WITH MAURICE RODWAY - Weekly Column: December 8, 2001
Southland, New Zealand

Life of the Waituna Lagoon

On the South Coast of Southland, lies the Waituna Lagoon, a shallow expanse of brackish water that is a favourite retreat for many local anglers who seek solitude and large trout. This is a place that lies barely a stone's throw from the icy southern ocean. Its beauty is not found on postcards. It is discovered by stubborness, and gritty determination.

Over the years it has produced some of the largest trout in the region. These trout are difficult to catch and it is only those who have served a long apprenticeship in a westerly gale qualify for success.

Despite the climatic obstacles, some would call them initiation rites, Waituna Lagoon is a valuable recreational and spiritual asset. It has defied the swamp plough, and the hydraulic digger. Nearly half a century ago visionaries recognised its special qualities and had it declared a reserve. In more recent times the lagoon and its surrounding swamps have been recognised as a place of international significance. Could they offer an opinion, its most frequent international visitors, the transequatorial wading birds would no doubt agree with this status.

While on maps the lagoon is marked as an area of special importance the streams that flow into it do not have the same privilege. They must find their way over farm land, much of which has recently been converted into rich dairy land.

The farmers of the Waituna catchment have formed a Landcare group. They enthusiastically advocate for sustainable land management practices that will protect the water that flows into the lake. They live by the streams that drain into the lake. They see the big trout that come into the streams during the winter to lay their eggs in the golden gravels that the water travels over.

They know the special qualities of the lake and its wild inhabitants. Many have spent cold hours facing down the icy souwester as they complete their trout fishing initiation trials.

But there are others who care little for the culture that surrounds the lagoon. The wildlife and fish that make this body of water a body of life and a heritage for all of us are apparently of little consequence to them. Recent spills of waste water into the Waituna Creek are a sad return to the days when rivers were just regarded as dumping grounds.

The life of the Waituna Lagoon should be allowed to continue to supply special fishing adventures to those who have spent the time to discover its secrets, and to those who are prepared to follow their footsteps. Filling its waters with left overs from a booming economy is not good enough in days where we all claim to be concerned about the environment, but where the evidence to support those claims becomes smothered in sludge on the bed of an otherwise sparkling stream.

Return to Maurice's Columns 2001-2002

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