Otago weekly fishing report - 7 November 2024

Backcountry beauty

The opening weekend of the Otago high-country season will be one to remember for angler Lowell Smyth, who landed a magnificent 14-pound rainbow jack.

Pictured above: Lowell Smyth with a 14-pound rainbow jack on one of Otago’s back country rivers last weekend.

“He could not resist an olive streamer,” Lowell says.

Lowell was one of the many keen anglers who ventured out for the high-country opening.

Most high-country rivers were discoloured after heavy rain, however, anglers fishing Wanaka’s tributaries found success blind-fishing, using worm patterns or orange glow bugs.

Friday and Saturday will likely have rain and showers and in the next few days most inland fisheries are forecast to have predominantly warm north-westerlies.

This will fire up beetle activity and the wind may blow these onto water, but be prepared for some precipitation before more settled weather. 

Head to the hills

Tim Johnson with a rainbow trout caught on a koura pattern at Upper Manorburn Dam. Credit: Cameron Hudson

Otago Fish & Game honorary rangers and staff were active over the weekend, checking licences and conducting surveys on high-country waterways, including Designated Waters. We’re pleased to report a 100% compliance rate among all anglers checked.

For his opening high-country foray, Tim Johnson sought out clearer waters at Upper Manorburn Dam.

Tim, from Central Otago Hunting & Fishing, fished the flooded margins and among the boulders. He landed a fish on a koura pattern and hooked another using a damselfly imitation, though it managed to escape.

Soft bait clinics

Lance Gill, from Okuma, discusses soft bait fishing techniques at Henley last night. Photo: Bruce Quirey

About 75 anglers turned up for Otago Fish & Game’s soft bait fishing clinic with Lance Gill, from Okuma, at Henley last night.

Lance shared his knowledge about soft bait techniques before people put their skills into practice on the Taieri River with support from Fish & Game staff and honorary rangers.

If you missed out and want to sharpen your fishing skills for the season, another soft bait clinic will be held in Queenstown on Wednesday, November 13, from 6.30pm-8.30pm, at the Shotover Delta, Shotover Delta Rd, Frankton.

Please click here to sign up for this free event.

Hatchery celebrates 20 years at Macraes Mine

Flynn Caldwell (14), Mike Weddell and Greg Caldwell at Blakelys Dam, one of 16 Otago dams where the OceanaGold Macraes Hatchery trout are released by Otago Fish & Game. Credit: Callie Morgan, OceanaGold

Macraes may be a gold mine with a byproduct of fish, but some say it’s a fish hatchery with a byproduct of gold.

This year the Otago Fish & Game Council and OceanaGold are celebrating the 20th anniversary of a glittering partnership, which created the Macraes Trout Hatchery.

To read the full story, click here.

You can also watch a report from last Tuesday night on Seven Sharp. 

Mahinerangi Gold Cup

The annual Mahinerangi Gold Cup will be held at Lake Mahinerangi this Sunday, November 10.

The weigh-in will be at 4.30pm. There will be a free BBQ, prizes and raffles. Adults $10, children $5 (under 18). Go to the Taieri Anglers Club Facebook page for more details.   

Waipahi Gold

The 141st Waipahi Gold Medal was held last Saturday by Otago Anglers Association in difficult conditions.

Contestants faced gale-force southerlies, driving rain, hail, sleet and intermittent sunshine. A total of 16 fish were weighed with all trout heads kept by Fish & Game for research on trout migration to gain knowledge of important spawning streams. Results: Gold medal Tim Gibson, silver medal Dean Kibble, bronze medal Shane Hansen. Jaff Hansen trophy (heaviest fish) Dean Kibble. Waipahi Trophy - Tim Gibson.

Whoops!

Finally, thanks to all the readers who contacted us to point out the obvious error in the caption of our main photo in last week’s weekly report. Mason was clearly holding a brown trout in Lake Wānaka, not a rainbow. It was a typo after we swapped a photo at the last minute.

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

Warm weather is stirring up beetles and the weekend is looking good for fishing around Dunedin. Occasional rain and northerlies are expected on Friday. Saturday and Sunday are looking partly cloudy with the chance of a shower.

The Taieri River at Outram was flowing at 35 cumecs at the time of writing. The water temperature was rising above 14 degrees C.

Click here for live weather updates.

Wānaka

North-westerlies are expected to bring warm, wet weather for the next few days. The forecast on Friday is cloudy with occasional rain developing in the morning, clearing in the evening. Similarly on Saturday, showers, some heavy, are expected before clearing to fine in the morning. Sunday is expected to be cloudy with the chance of a shower.

Click here for live weather updates.

Alexandra

Occasional rain on Friday morning is forecast to clear in the evening. North-westerlies are tipped to bring temperatures of up to 25 degrees Celsius on Saturday. Temperatures will be cooler at higher altitudes and you might need to look for shelter from the wind. Consistent north-westerlies may push beetles onto windward shores where fish may concentrate to feed.

Click here for live weather updates. 

Clutha Regional Forecast

On Friday, the forecast is cloudy with rain developing in the morning, clearing in the evening. Fresh northerlies should ease in the morning. A few showers are expected on Saturday. Sunday may be the pick of the days, partly cloudy with north-easterlies easing.

Here is a view of the Pomahaka River near Tapanui on Tuesday evening.  The Pomahaka River at Burkes Ford was flowing at 17.6 cumecs at the time of writing today.

The lower Clutha River at Balclutha was flowing at 896 cumecs, which is still a lot of water, so you’re best to focus on the tributaries.

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 [email protected] for consideration in the weekly report.

Tight lines, 

Otago Fish & Game