Gone Fishin'

I was invited on Saturday morning by my cousin to go fishing with him on Lake Coleridge which is something he has talked for a while and it was a perfect warm, windless if slightly overcast day for it. We were taking his boat out and this in itself is a special event as it's been out of the water for the last 14 months and long overdue for an outing.

The lake is situated about an hour or so drive north west of Christchurch and is in a very isolated location surrounded by mountain ranges and desolate scenery giving it a feel of empty grandness which is both awe-inspiring and very plain as there is a distinct lack of colour making the glorious landscape somewhat mundane.

On our way there we encountered a staging point for the Coast to Coast race which takes place every year. Competitors start on the west coast and make their way to Sumner beach in Christchurch through 2 days and 4 gruelling stages. The first day includes a 55km cycle stage and a 33km mountain run and the second day concludes with a 67km kayak trip on the Waimakariri and a 70km cycle. The first competitors are expected to finish by early afternoon with stragglers coming in as late as midnight. It all sounds like too much hard work for two days and something that would be great to do if you had a week to do it!

By the time we arrived at the lake it was early afternoon and our attempts to get out fishing were hampered by the boats engine refusing to start which proved to be down to a dead battery. However, the saviour came in the form of Stephen's father-in-law whose 4x4 runs on two batteries and we used one of them to get us out on the lake.

We made our way around to an inlet and according to the computer, there were plenty of fish at a depth of 15 feet. We attached additional weights to the line and spent half an hour in vain to catch anything. Unfortunately, (I'm not sure how this happened other than bad luck and butter fingers), the anchor and rope found their way to the bottom of the lake and there was nothing to stop our boat from drifting towards the rocky outcrop and we had to return to the middle of the lake where it was too deep to fish.

Despite the setbacks and lack of fish(ing) it was an enjoyable afternoon and I hope to do it again sometime soon. In respect of the day and to quell our hunger, we stopped at the pub/restaurant in Cust and picked up some battered fish and chips - hopefully next time we'll have caught our own supper.