The 23rd of January, 1995, I got my first limit bag for the season. The first was 14.3lb/6.5 kg and tagged, a well-conditioned hen fish of 29"/73.5cm length and 19"/48cm girth; I did not that season record the time I caught fish but would think it was the morning. The second fish was slightly bigger and longer, a jack of 15.5lb/7kg), 31"/78.5cm long with a 19.5"/495cm girth. My next fish was a bit of a let down, a precocious tagged jack of about 2 lb/1kg, 16" length and 10.5" girth. These little salmon are only about 18 months old but are spawning fish, as you can tell by their body shape and bright silver colour. It is nature’s way of ensuring every egg on the spawning grounds has a chance of being fertilized. They are fat little fish and great on a barbecue. A lot of anglers say they all should be killed as they will produce smaller returning salmon; however, studies and experimental breeding from them has shown otherwise. I then had 13 days until I got another fish while the rest of crew, those fishing the other side of the river and boats, were getting some big fish! That season there were always good numbers of fish taken and our crew were well in amongst it.
One day there were a lot of anglers fishing the other side of the Kaiapoi and there was a lady fishing about 20 metres or so above the men. From the conversations we heard, it seems she and her husband had come down to salmon fish from Hastings, after hearing about the number and size of fish being caught. She was a good angler from the way she fished but had not fished
