Southland Reel Life Mar 2017

Drift diving results

Finally there has been a clear patch of weather and Southland Fish and Game staff have been able to get out and undertake drift diving surveys as part of our annual trout monitoring program.  

Above:  Southland Fish and Game staff drift diving down the upper Oreti River.

Mataura River results

The Mataura River (2km either side of the Garston Bridge) was a standout, with our second highest count in over 25 years.

Above: A stunning Mataura brown.

Our Mataura dive has shown that on average, there are 65 medium-large trout per km.

The trout population in the upper Mataura has been steadily increasing over time which is great news for anglers. This should be caption for photo 3

When fishing the upper Mataura make sure to focus your attention on the edges.

When doing our drift dive, it was interesting to see many trout sitting very close to river’s the edge.

Above: “The trout population in the upper Mataura has been steadily increasing over time which is great news for anglers”

Oreti River results

Our upper Oreti count was slightly lower this year compared to last year.

However, fish numbers are still good and counts are within the bounds of historical averages.

There are about 17 trout per km.

As would be expected, pool habitat tends to hold a majority of the fish.

However, the trout are widely distributed amongst many different habitat types.

We saw fish sitting at the bottom of pools, along bank edges, behind boulders in the runs and every now and then, in deep, turbulent water. 

Monowai River results

Have you ever fished the Monowai River?  

If not, you should, because our drivers saw some impressive fish on their recent drift dive.

The small mouse population increase we had earlier in the year has made for some chunky trout in the Monowai River.

To improve river access, Southland Fish and Game staff recently cut an 800m access track down the true left of the Monowai River, downstream of the dam. 

Make sure you make the most of this track.

Lower Mararoa River results

Want to chase some big rainbows? Consider heading to the Lower Mararoa (below the Whitestone). 

During our dive of the Lower Mararoa, we saw plenty of large rainbows.

In one pool in particular, we counted seventeen large rainbows.

These rainbows should rise to take a blowfly or cicada imitation (if things stay warm enough).

If that does not work, a nymph with a bit of colour or ‘bling’ should also get their attention.