The Chinook salmon were large - in anglers' terms "pan size" - in excellent condition and have a very high survival rate, Kurow-based Central South Island Fish and Game Council officer Graeme Hughes said yesterday.
They ranged in size up to about 300mm long and half a kilogram.
"Because of their size, predators, large trout, gulls and shags, will find them too large and too fit to catch," he said.
However, anglers would benefit.
The salmon were easy to catch, very fast and lively when caught. They were also excellent eating.
"On days when trout are not co-operating, a school of Chinook salmon can instantly turn a slow day into a memorable one, often with multiple hook ups making for very exciting fishing, especially for junior anglers," Mr Hughes said.
Council officers and volunteers on Thursday and yesterday transported and released the salmon into the Ohau C hydro power station tail race at the top of Lake Benmore.
The salmon were donated by Margaret and Richard Logan, owners of High Country Salmon on the Wairepo Arm of Lake Ruataniwha near Twizel.
They will live for three to four years and many will migrate down lake to the Benmore dam.
A percentage will pass through the turbines reaching Lake Aviemore and eventually Lake Waitaki.
"The trip through the hydro station's turbines is hazardous and some mortalities occur. However, as anglers will testify, an unknown but significant number survive unharmed," Mr Hughes said.
Because of the large size of the salmon, Fish and Games' fish transporters could only take 250 to 300 salmon each release trip, so about 20 trips had to be made to release the fish.
About 100 salmon were tagged with yellow streamer tags to track fish migration and growth rates.
Anglers were asked to keep a watch for tagged salmon and to record fish length (nose to the fork in the tail), weight and location of catch.
All were females and coming up to a year old. Chinook salmon were regularly released into Lake Benmore and other lakes, but were juveniles, so some were lost to predators and natural attrition.
Lake Benmore is open all year to anglers with a full season licence.
