BTH: Nelson-Marlborough Fly Fishing Waters

Chapter 3: South Island Waters – Nelson / Marlborough – pp 21-26

© Brown Trout Heaven – Fly fishing New Zealand’s South Island
© Zane Mirfin / Graeme Marshall / Rob Bowler / Jana Bowler.
Shoal Bay Press, Christchurch 2000, 144pp - 2nd Edition Now Out of Print

The rivers, creeks, streams and lakes of the South Island are as varied as the topography and climate. Tea-coloured streams flow into the Tasman Sea from the dense vegetation of the West Coast. Clear mountain rivers emerge from the high country and fill large lakes used for huge hydroelectric projects. Glaciers cloud the headwaters of large rivers but spring creeks stay clear after the heaviest rain. The eastern plains are crossed by braided, unstable rivers, and smaller streams nearly dry up during hot Canterbury summer days. Back-country lakes and tarns tempt the adventurous fit angler, and huge lakes provide many kilometres of shoreline. Sea-run browns migrate up some of the larger rivers and cruise and feed in estuaries and tidal, brackish rivers. Almost all of the waters of the South Island hold trout, and the angler is faced with an almost limitless variety of waters to fish.

The South Island is divided into six Fish and Game regions, which are administered by regionally elected Fish and Game Councils and operated by professional staff members. A fishing licence purchased in any of these regions is valid for the whole island. The cost is identical for New Zealand residents and non-residents alike. Overseas anglers should consider buying a full season licence despite the amount of time they intend to spend fishing and should view this as a donation toward the fishery.

Angling seasons vary between regions and specific waterways, although most angling occurs between October and April. Information on the waters, the fish they contain, and regulations are available from each district or can be found in the annual South Island sports fishing regulation publication that should be provided with your licence. In some cases angler’s access locations are also published and can be helpful for anglers unfamiliar with individual waterways.

Nelson – Marlborough

 

This region has a rich diversity of rivers, streams, and lakes. The region is known mostly for brown trout angling, with about 10% of waterways holding some rainbows and the occasional quinnat (king) salmon.

The area’s rivers, rain-fed and snow-fed, often flow through orchards and farmland. Beaches, numerous vineyards in Marlborough (producing excellent wines), rugged mountains, sheltered valleys and more days of sunshine than any other South Island location are attractions that draw many visitors and anglers.
With summers usually being warm and dry, the Nelson area is more like California than any other part of the South Island. The port city of Nelson offers all the amenities the visiting angler needs and is close to excellent fishing. Other well-located bases to fish from are Motueka and Ngatimoti to the west of Nelson, St. Arnaud and Murchison to the south, and Blenheim to the east.

The Motueka has been called one of the best South Island rivers, a reputation earned by consistently high stocks of browns, previously recordedat approximately 200-500 fish per kilometre in some lower reaches. However, fishing in the Motueka is usually quite challenging. Good roads parallel the river for almost its entire fishable length. The river bed is stable and provides good wading. Sea-runs inhabit the lower river and periodically repopulate upper reaches and tributaries. The lower reaches of the Motueka, below the Wangapeka confluence, receive most angling pressure, as the most trout reside there.

The Wangapeka drains the eastern slopes of the Northwest Nelson Ranges and provides good angling opportunities in the lower reaches. The upper Wangapeka is remote , accessed by the Wangapeka Track, and provides the more adventurous angler with wilderness angling for larger trout.

Other significant tributaries of the Motueka are the Motupiko, Baton and Pearse, all of which offer picturesque scenery and fine angling.

Other popular angling rivers in the western zone are the coastal Riwaka stream and the rivers of Golden Bay. Takaka Hill is a formidable barrier to many travellers and has resulted in Golden Bay being one of the least visited areas in the South Island. This area has excellent fishing in tidal reaches and some wild and scenic fisheries such as the Aorere and the Takaka and its tributaries, the Cobb and Waingaro.

The Buller system rivals the Motueka in popularity and quality. The best part of the main Buller is the upper 50 km above Murchison; the browns average 3-4lbs and are usually in good condition, especially in the rough-and-tumble water of the upper section as it emerges from Lake Rotoiti near the small settlement of St. Arnaud.

The Travers River, which flows into Lake Rotoiti and drains part of Nelson Lakes National park, is a wilderness stream with a good track along its banks. The scenery is worth the walk, and well-conditioned browns populate the river as it makes its way across a tussock-covered valley. Also in the Nelson Lakes National Park are the D’Urville and Sabine rivers, which flow into Lake Rotoroa. The Sabine is gorgy and tumbling with good-sized browns and some rainbows. These valleys are accessible via hiking tracks and have well-maintained huts for overnight accommodation.

Flowing out of Lake Rotoroa is the Gowan River which, when it joins the Buller, doubles its flow. The Gowan is a fast white-water river where wading is difficult and dangerous but where a large population of well-conditioned trout is available to the skilful angler. Other notable tributaries of the Buller are the Owen, Mangles / Tutaki, Matakitaki, and Maruia all of which are very good fisheries. The Maruia is a must visit, with high fish counts and some rainbows present above Maruia Falls.

To the east of Nelson lies the delightful Wakapuaka Stream, with good numbers of smaller brown trout. Further east, about 45 minutes from Nelson City is the Pelorus River. The Pelorus has very high numbers of smaller fish, about 30 per cent being rainbows. A smaller tributary, the Rai, is willow-lined with a mixed fishery.

In eastern Marlborough the three major river systems are the Wairau, Awatere and Clarence. The Wairau and its major tributaries, the Rainbow, Goulter, Leatham, Branch and Waihopai, are popular with local and visiting anglers, and all contain some good fish in varying quantities and are very scenic. Spring Creek, which flows into the lower Wairau near Blenheim has some lovely fish present and stays clear during the heaviest rains.

The Clarence River, paralleled by a hydro road, accessible from St. Arnaud or Hanmer Springs, runs through Molesworth Station, and emerges from Lake Tennyson, and in the upper reaches holds some good-sized browns. The same hydro road also leads to the tarns at Tarndale which hold some scrappy browns. The Acheron is a major tributary of the Clarence and is well worth a cast or two.

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