Otago weekly fishing report - 24 October 2024

Return of the rain

Significant rainfall is forecast across the entire Otago Region this Labour Weekend, which is likely to cause many rivers to rise and become discoloured—similar to conditions seen earlier this month.

However, it’s not all bad news! Recent reports suggest that fishing in slightly discoloured or rising waters can still be productive. Adjusting your approach by considering size, colour, and weight can make a big difference. Ensuring your bait or lure is visible and attractive to fish is half the battle.

Don’t overlook the effectiveness of the humble garden worm, either. Whether you use an imitation or the real thing (where regulations allow), worms can be highly successful in flooded conditions.

As always, check Otago Regional Council's data portal for the latest river flow information, and remember to take extra care around flooded or rising waterways.

Top of the lake

The top of Lake Dunstan can produce some excellent shore-based fishing as we approach summer. Credit: Ben Sowry.

An exciting development in the shallows, particularly at the head of Lake Dunstan and the lower section of the Clutha River where it meets the lake, is the presence of vast schools of juvenile brown trout.

These smaller fish, measuring around three to five centimetres in length, attract larger trout, which are more than willing to cannibalise them. Anglers should be on the lookout for larger trout that might be hunting stragglers from these schools.

To effectively mimic these small trout, using small lures, soft baits, or streamers that match their size and colour is best. For lures, options like the Rapala CD-3 or the Shimano Waxwing 48mm in ‘brown trout’ colours are highly effective.

Soft bait enthusiasts should opt for small, brown-coloured lures; if needed, the front end of the soft bait can be trimmed to reduce its overall length before threading onto the jig head. Fly anglers, on the other hand, should consider using brown woolly buggers and rabbit flies.

Beetle Bonanza

Thanks to the recent warm weather leading up to Labour Weekend, beetle hatches have provided excellent opportunities for anglers at local Dunedin reservoirs and dams.

Brown beetles typically hatch around dusk and feed throughout the night, offering our first real taste of terrestrial fishing action for the summer.

Popular fly patterns, including the Coch-y-Bondhu and various brown beetle imitations, are highly effective. Ryan from Hunting & Fishing Dunedin recommends that if you're not seeing much success or there’s limited surface activity, try trailing a small pheasant tail nymph underneath your beetle fly for added appeal.

For non-fly anglers, or if the weather isn't suitable, you can still find success with a small clear bubble float and a spin rod, you can find some advice on this method here.

Drift Diving

Fish & Game staff drift diving the upper Lochy River earlier this week. Credit: Jakub Kanok.

Staff have begun drift dives on select rivers as part of the annual work plan. Drift diving simply involves divers swimming down certain sections of rivers, counting the fish and recording the size and species distribution.

This data is then compared with surveys from other years, and gives us an idea of what the fishery is doing over time.

Most of this work is carried out prior to the start of the season in order to avoid disturbing anglers and to provide an indication of how the populations are doing before anglers affect them, however, sometimes this is not possible, in which case anglers will be informed of dates and locations to minimise disruption.

A selection of rivers in our region have been earmarked for these surveys, this year we plan to dive the upper Lochy, the Greenstone, Caples, Makarora and the upper Clutha.

Jet boat event- Upper Clutha River

Jet Boating NZ are running an event on Sunday the 27^th of October on the upper Clutha River around the Oliver Road area.

The event is scheduled to run from 8.30am through to 3pm. Anglers wishing to avoid disturbance should plan their fishing trips accordingly.

Clyde Dam live webcam

A screengrab of the Clyde Dam webcam taken at the time of writing.

Want to know conditions at Clyde Dam? Check this live webcam sponsored by Contact Energy updated every 15 minutes.

Here’s the weekend outlook:

Dunedin

Rain and southerly winds will dominate the weather forecast for Dunedin this Labour Weekend. Heavy rain and strong southerlies are expected to develop on Friday evening and persist through to Sunday night. Monday morning brings some relief with a cloudy forecast, but rain showers are expected to develop again in the afternoon.

For Dunedin anglers, local reservoirs and lakes will be the best option, as the Taieri and other rivers are likely to rise quickly once the rain starts on Friday.

The Taieri River at Outram was flowing at 22 cumecs but expect it to rise over the weekend. The water temperature was 14.7 degrees C.

Click here for live weather updates.

Wānaka

Heavy rain is forecast for Saturday, with conditions easing on Sunday and Monday. A positive aspect of the weekend outlook is the forecast for light winds from Friday evening through to Monday. Raincoat-wearing anglers should focus their efforts on lake edges or the upper section of the Clutha River above the Cardrona confluence.

Click here for live weather updates.

Alexandra

Like the rest of the region, Alexandra is set for a wet Labour Weekend. Heavy showers and strong southerlies are expected to develop throughout Saturday, easing slightly by Sunday. Light winds and scattered showers are forecast to persist through to Monday. Anglers heading to local reservoirs or dams should exercise caution, as tracks will become slippery after rainfall.

Click here for live weather updates.

Clutha Regional Forecast

A cold spring weekend is on the way for the lower Clutha, with temperatures not expected to reach double digits. Friday will start fine before occasional rain moves in during the afternoon, as fresh westerlies turn to lighter southerlies later in the day. Saturday brings heavy rain in the morning with snow down to 600 metres and strong southeasterlies. On Sunday, occasional rain will gradually clear as southeasterlies ease. Showers are likely to develop on Monday, accompanied by westerly winds.

Anglers should expect both the Pomahaka and Clutha River to rise significantly with the forecasted rain.

At the time of writing:

The Pomahaka River was flowing at 17.5 cumecs.

The lower Clutha River at Balclutha was flowing at 767 cumecs.

Click here for live weather updates.

For more ORC water monitoring and alerts information click here.

Grab your licence online and let the angling adventures begin.

Got any Otago fishing news?

Send your fishing news and photos (with anglers’ names) to otago@fishandgame.org.nz for consideration in the weekly report.