Lake Argyle is one of the regions most popular fishing destinations due to our hatchery release programme here. It is a small man made hydro storage reservoir about 220m wide, 1300m long and 3.5m deep.

Access is excellent with a gravel road following most of the shoreline. Self contained camping and boat launching facilities are available at the south eastern end of the pond.

Lake Argyle is a focus fishery - regular releases of rainbow trout take place at the lake. Many of these are in the 1-2 kg range, however Fish & Game frequently release monster trophy trout in the 10+ pound class - a fish of a lifetime!

The lake is fed by the Branch River, which during times of flood brings dirty water into the lake, so check the Branch flows before you go.

Useful links:

MDC river flows

  • Lake Argyle Pamphlet
    7 MB Adobe Acrobat PDF file

Lake Argyle tips and tricks

Fish & Game Ranger Bruce McKenzie with some tips and trips for how to tackle Lake Argyle.This popular fishery is located in the middle of the Nelson Marlboro...

Lake fishing tips at Lake Argyle

Lake fishing can be quite daunting for some anglers, but Nelson/Marlborough angler Sam Hayman has some simple tips that will boost your chance of success. Fi...

Lake Argyle: fishing the canal

Nelson Marlborough Fish & Game Ranger Bruce McKenzie offers some tips and a profitable technique for fishing the canal at Lake Argyle. The technique he uses ...