Otago Weekly Fishing Report - 6 March 2025

Low flows, high hopes

Low flows on the Upper Clutha River/Mata-Au are creating exciting opportunities for both fly and spin fishing.

With the lower flows, the river is offering plenty of accessible holding water, including braided sections forming slow-moving pools.

Pictured above: Caleb Marfell with an excellent conditioned rainbow trout caught on the Upper Clutha River. Credit: Mason Court.

Anglers should focus on slower runs and edges, as these are prime holding areas for fish. Another key hotspot is where a braided section reconnects with the main stem, as these areas often create productive back eddies and pools. For more information on reading water to find fish click here.

In large rivers like the Clutha, ensuring your lure or fly reaches the bottom where fish are feeding is essential. Tungsten-beaded Pheasant Tails and Stonefly patterns are excellent fly choices, while jigheads in the 1/4 to 1/8 oz range work well for soft baits in swifter conditions. Please note that the Deans Bank section of the Upper Clutha River is fly-fishing only.

Due to current environmental conditions, there is a high presence of didymo in the upper Clutha River, which can foul your line. Be sure to clean your gear before casting and always Check, Clean, Dry before moving between locations or waterways.

There are access points scattered around the Upper Clutha which can be viewed through the Fish & Game Access Map here.

Up for the challenge

The Waipahi River at Old Coach Rd, State Highway 93, last week. Credit: Steve Dixon.

The Waipahi River’s 40km of fishable water is worth exploring, especially on fly or with small soft baits.

The Waipahi is often described as an early-season fishery. It can be challenging, but some anglers have had their best days on the river in summer. Later in the season, caddis can be abundant and offer good fishing opportunities.

Deep holes and rocky runs should be fished carefully and methodically. Fish the water close to the banks before covering the rest of the stream.

While there’s been 20mm of rain at Slopedown since the above photo was taken, the river is back to low flows at 0.88 cumecs today.

Try weighted to unweighted Hare’s Ear Nymphs, sizes 12-14. When the fish are active near the surface, use unweighted nymphs. Another option when fish are rising is a Cul de Canard dun or emerger, sizes 14-16.

Cromwell Cubs

Aaliyah-Rose Allison caught this perch during the Cromwell Cubs fishing event.

Otago Fish & Game staff ran a fishing event last week with the Cromwell Cubs at a pond in Central Otago stocked with rainbow trout from Macraes Hatchery.

Although only one perch was caught due to the pond being weedy and low, the kids had a great time practising their casting and reeling in monster “weed fish”.

We support educational events and community activities like these to foster successful and responsible fishing practices and habitat management.

Seeking sea runners

Not the desired catch, but this kahawai provided an excellent fight at the Clutha River/Mata-Au mouth. Credit: Hadlee Edmund.

Reports are coming in that anglers are catching sea-run brown trout among the kahawai around the Clutha River/Mata-Au mouth.

Baitfish-coloured soft baits have been particularly effective, says Hadlee, from Hunting & Fishing Dunedin, who has made the trip himself to chase these sea trout. These trout often push baitfish right into the shallows, so be sure to fish your lure all the way to the end of your retrieve.

Hadlee says the lower section of the river is also fishing well for resident brown trout and perch. Targeting the weed beds on either side of high tide has proven to be the most productive approach.

A reminder to anglers that while no fishing licence is required to target kahawai, anyone without a licence must release any sports fish (trout, salmon, or perch) they catch. Anglers should also be prepared for a ranger check if they are using gear that could reasonably catch sports fish within 500 metres of a river mouth. This is to ensure they are aware of licence requirements and are only targeting kahawai.

Fish salvaged from stranded waterways

Otago Fish & Game officer Mason Court places stranded trout into a fish transportation unit after recovering them from the pool in the Lindis River behind him. Credit: Ben Sowry.

Otago Fish & Game staff have successfully relocated more than 500 trout from a stranded pool in the Lindis River in Central Otago after being alerted by a member of the public. The brown and rainbow trout were relocated to Lake Dunstan.

In the same week, about 100 trout and native bullies stranded in a creek near Lake Hawea were successfully relocated back into the lake. 

Electric fishing equipment was used to carry out the relocation in the most effective and least harmful manner possible for the fish, with the fish transported using oxygenated tanks to give them the best chance of survival. 

Read more here.

Wildlife survey

Rachel Crawford, from Wildlands, counts birds on Lake Dunstan with Otago Fish & Game last week. Credit: Ben Sowry.

Teamwork makes the dream work. Otago Fish & Game supported a wildlife survey on Lake Dunstan last week.

Clutha Fisheries Trust commissioned Wildlands Consultants to undertake the survey to improve understanding of the lake as a habitat for water-dependent bird species and to provide a resource for use by schools, lake managers and council planners.  

Counts were conducted on transects around the lake. Monitoring also included counts at stationary points over 15-minute periods where every bird in the visible radius was recorded.

CFT chair Ian Cole says the Trust is grateful for the support of Otago Fish & Game Council in providing boat access and local ecological support for the surveys.

Once completed, the assessment report will be available online.

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.

Lake Wānaka live webcam

A screengrab of the Lake Wānaka webcam taken at the time of writing.

Want to know conditions at Lake Wānaka? Check this live webcam from the Wānaka water sports facility.

Here’s the weekend outlook:

Dunedin

A mixed forecast is expected for Dunedin this weekend, with rain and south-westerlies predicted for Saturday, followed by clouds clearing on Sunday as westerly winds ease throughout the day. Night-time lows are beginning to dip towards single digits, and with the influence of southerly winds, daytime temperatures are unlikely to climb too high. This should provide some relief for local rivers, with water temperatures dropping slightly, as seen in Taieri River.

The Taieri River at Outram was flowing at 4.54 cumecs at the time of writing. The water temperature was 15.1 degrees C.

Click here for live weather updates.

Wānaka

Early showers on Saturday should set the stage for an excellent fishing weekend, with light winds and clear skies forecast from Saturday afternoon through to Monday evening. Conditions will be ideal for heading out on the lake or walking up a river.

Flows remain low in many smaller rivers, so anglers may have better success targeting larger rivers or fishing along lake edges.

Click here for live weather updates.

Alexandra

Sunday is shaping up to be the best day of the weekend around Alexandra, with light winds and clear skies providing perfect conditions for anglers. This could be a great opportunity to head up to the local reservoirs and dams to target what might be the tail end of the cicada hatch. Friday and Saturday will see southerly winds and scattered showers, which may make fishing conditions more challenging before the weather improves on Sunday.

Click here for live weather updates.

Clutha Regional Forecast

Autumn has well and truly arrived in the Lower Clutha region this weekend, bringing cool air temperatures and scattered rain showers. Westerly winds are expected to build on Saturday before easing late Sunday evening. Sunday could provide excellent fishing opportunities, as recent rain will help refresh smaller rivers, and the combination of clearing skies and easing winds should make for great conditions on the water.

The Pomahaka River was flowing at 4.5 cumecs.

The lower Clutha River at Balclutha was flowing at 271 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.