BTH: West Coast Fly Fishing Areas

Chapter Three: South Island Waters - West Coast - pp 26-30

 © 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

 

WEST COAST

 

The West Coast of the South Island is a narrow and very rugged area of land marked by the northern Heaphy river and, to the south, the Cascade river. Rainfall is heavy and often torrential, and as cloud masses moving eastward over the Tasman Sea encounter the mountain ranges. Many rivers are snow- and glacier-fed, prone to flooding and resulting in sparse trout populations. Nevertheless there are dozens of other rivers that clear quickly, spring creeks that are unaffected by heavy runoff, and lakes and estuaries that sustain some very large trout. Browns predominate and very few waters contain rainbows.

Apart from the fishing, the great thing about ‘the coast’ is the people. West Coasters are renowned for their friendliness and hospitality, and it is still possible to meet up with characters who are the South Island equivalent of Crocodile Dundee. The coast is sparsely populated by pioneer-type people and we still like to think of the area as the last frontier. Employment is dominated by the physical resources that can be harvested from the land; gold, coal, venison, timber, sphagnum moss, possum skins, whitebait and crayfish are important sources of revenue for West Coasters. Tourism is the latest ‘gold’ to be extracted from the environment.

Accommodation can be found along State Highway 6 which connects the West Coast towns of Haast, Fox Glacier, Franz Josef, Harihari, Hokitika, Greymouth and Westport on Route 67, and Karamea.

The Karamea River and its tributaries, the Ugly, Beautiful, Roaring Lion, Leslie and Crow, form the largest river system in the Kahurangi National Park, which is New Zealand’s second largest national park. Except for its lower reaches the Karamea is a wilderness river accessible by walking tracks or by helicopter from Nelson, Motueka, or Karamea. The Karamea and its tributaries are legendary for quality brown trout; the scenery is magnificent, providing wilderness fly-fishing at its best.

The Mohikinui is a similar wilderness river, although smaller. It has two main stems, the North and South Branches. Mohikinui fish are a discerning quarry but can be large. Be especially careful with the weather when entering such catchments; camp on elevated sites and take extra food because enormous floods are possible. We have been stuck in such locations for days in adverse weather, watching huge logs sailing downstream. On one trip we observed a flood that dammed the whole valley, where we could only see trees and brown floodwaters for days. The helicopter made several attempts to reach us before the floodwaters receded enough for a landing site to be found.

Further south the lower Buller and its tributaries, the Ohikanui, Inangahua, Waitahu, Te Wharau, and Larry’s Creek provide another huge watershed for the adventurous angler. Such rivers offer some large trout that are difficult, thus a wonderful challenge to catch.

The Grey River enters the Tasman Sea at Greymouth, and its upper reaches and tributaries provide some of the best fly fishing on the West Coast. The upper Grey and tributaries, the Robinson and Blue Grey, offer some challenging angling, as do the Little Grey, Rough, Slatey, and Moonlight Creeks. The Ahaura and tributaries, including the Haupiri, are also well worth a look.

The Arnold River is a major tributary of the lower Grey and has its source in Lake Brunner. The Lake Brunner area has a good number of inflowing freestone streams and spring creeks; notable names include Molloy’s Creek, Crooked River, Orangipuku and Bruce creeks. The Arnold River itself is a fine fishery, with daytime nymphing and evening fishing producing big tallies on occasion. If anglers have access to a boat then Stillwater angling on Lake Brunner and Lake Poerua should not be neglected. As well as these, the most significant tributaries, there are many smaller streams, lakes and spring creeks that are too numerous to describe. Greymouth, Moana, Ikamatua, Reefton and Springs Junction can all be used as bases when fishing the Grey River drainage.

Driving south on State Highway 6 toward Haast Pass, there are literally hundreds of rivers, streams, estuaries and lakes that offer interesting fly fishing opportunities. The following is a brief description of some of the best.

The upper Hokitika and the Whitcombe tributary have some rainbows, unusual for the West Coast. Duck, Harris, and Murray Creeks stay clear after heavy rains; they join the Kokatahi near the town of the same name.

The La Fontaine Stream is located near the town of Harihari and is one of the best known West Coast spring creeks.

There are possibly another dozen or so equally productive spring creeks for the adventurous angler to locate. The Waitangitaona River is spring fed and stays clear after heavy rains. Lake Moeraki and the Moeraki River hold good stocks of browns, the lake being best fished by boat or canoe. The Haast river is huge and unstable but has some notable tributaries such as the Thomas and Burke. The Okuru and Turnbull rivers are some more enticing wilderness fisheries. Further south, the Waiatoto, Arawata and Cascade rivers offer some exciting potential.
During spring and summer don’t overlook fishing the tidal zones of the west Coast rivers, as sea-run browns are usually in residence and prepared to do battle.

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