Lake Clearwater | |
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Location | Canterbury, South Island |
Coordinates | 43°36′12″S 171°02′37″E / 43.6033°S 171.0437°E |
Basin countries | New Zealand |
Surface area | 5 km² |
Average depth | Average 30-40m |
Max. depth | 40m |
Surface elevation | 620m |
Lake Clearwater is in the Canterbury Region of New Zealand and is subjected to the strong prevailing northwesterly winds. The outlet feeds into the south branch of the Ashburton River / Hakatere. Located in the upper reaches of the Rangitata River a small village of holiday homes is located between Lake Clearwater and the smaller neighbor Lake Camp. The lake borders, and is proposed to be included in, the Hakatere Conservation Park which covers nearly 60,000 hectares of rugged mountain country, tussocklands, beech forest and sparkling clear rivers and lakes between the Rakaia and Rangitata Rivers [1]. Road access to Lake Clearwater is approximately 38km past Mount Somers and the last half is an unsealed gravel road. No dogs or motor powered craft are permitted on the lake as it is a wildlife reserve, however strong and consistent winds funnelled off the bounding mountains make it an ideal lake for windsurfing and kiteboarding. The adjacent, and smaller, Lake Camp is used by motor powered water craft.
Fishing
Lake Clearwater is a challenging and at times frustrating fishery. There is little shelter on the lake from the wind which can make fishing very difficult at times. The water appears slightly tinged with colour but is clear enough to be able to spot cruising fish on those days when the wind is absent. Due to the wind, the best time to fish is early in the morning, or during the evening when the wind sometimes drops. When flyfishing from the shore it is possible to move around the lake so that the wind is blowing from behind. A good population of brown trout and rainbow trout averaging around 1.5 kg [2][3].
See also
References
- ^ Hakatere Conservation Park. http://www.doc.govt.nz/Documents/parks-and-recreation/places-to-visit/canterbury/raukapuka/hakatere-conservation-park.pdf
- ^ Fish & Game NZ: Central South Island Fishing. http://centralsouthisland.fishandgame.org.nz/content/local-fishing-locations-access-3
- ^ Lake Clearwater Fishing. http://www.nzfishing.com/FishingWaters/CentralSouthIsland/CSIFishingWaters/CSIClearwater.htm