Lake Sedgemere
From the Rainbow Road side, Lake Sedgemere is the first lake reached on foot in the Tarndale collection of lakes and tarns. A good portion of the lake is occupied by Raupo but it still holds a reasonable number of small fish. The south and east sides of the lake perimeter are mostly undulating tussock around swampy ground but it can be walked and fished with careful footing. The north side is completely inaccessible due to Raupo. It can offer a good days fishing if you are happy to target fish averaging 1.5 to 2 pounds with the occasional bigger fish present. The frequent and heavy sedge hatches in the evenings and early mornings can be impressive. A nice lake to fish on a calm still day but not so much in a strong norwest.
The south side of Lake Sedgemere
The south side is the first section of the lake you reach by using the walking track. The majority of this stretch is very shallow right the way across the lake. There are a few small inlets mid way which are worth careful approach as they normally have fish patrolling around them. This entire stretch can be walked however with no elevation for spotting it can be hard sight fishing on glary overcast days. Other than the odd tall tussock there is nothing significant to use for cover but either keeping a low profile or keeping well away from the water's edge are successful approaches when stalking.
At this end of Lake Sedgemere it is very shallow and unfishable until you get 1/4 the way up the lake
An early morning caddisfly hatch
The east side of Lake Sedgemere
At this side there is a long slender section of water where the outlet exits from the most southern point. The entire edge can be accessed on foot however some sections can be boggy/muddy to navigate. The outlet can be waded across at select points however care is needed, although the bottom is mostly firm there is normally 2 feet+ of silty material to get down to the solid base. The outlet gets narrower the further downstream you follow it but you have to go approximately 1.5km down before it reduces to the width that you can step (leap) over it.
Sedgemere outlet
The north side of Lake Sedgemere
This side is entirely occupied with Raupo, it is not accessible by foot.
Lake Sedgemere General Information
- General location
- Lake Sedgemere is one of the lakes in Tarndale located in the South Island High Country
- Access Cost
- No cost
- Access Permission
- No permission is needed, free public access
- Access Route
- Lake Sedgemere is accessed from Rainbow Road (Tophouse Road). You park up at the car park that allows access to the Tarndale lakes. From the car park the lake is a 2 minute walk following the walking track
Lake Sedgemere Camping and General Facilities
- Toilet facilities
- Toilet facilities at the car park and Sedgemere Sleepout
- Rubbish disposal
- Not serviced for rubbish, please take ALL rubbish with you on departure
Lake Sedgemere Fishing Information
- Fishing license
- Required
- Fishing region
- Nelson Marlborough
- Fish present
- Brown trout
- Fishing regulations
- Nelson Marlborough fishing regulations
- Catch and release
- Catch and release is not enforced but very highly recommended on such a small lake
Lake Sedgemere Cautions and Safety Information
- Weather cautions
- The weather in this area can be subject to extreme conditions. Both night time and daytime temperatures can plummet without warning, make sure you are well prepared with the correct gear. Snow is a regular occurrence in winter time and can also occur in any season
- Weather report
- High Country weather report
- Sandflies
- Sandflies can be present in low numbers, insect repellent is recommended
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