Fishing
The natural and unspoilt splendour of Southland’s ever-changing scenery claims visitors’ hearts and minds like few other places. With the Hokonui Hills as a backdrop this rural wonderland amid its picture perfect landscape has something for everyone. Renowned as the world brown trout capital, from October through to March the dictrict takes on an international feel as anglers come to pit their skills with the local Brown Trout.
“I have had the opportunity to fish Tasmania, Iceland, & the US. Southland offers the best angling experience I have ever encountered. Clear water, unpressured trout, large browns, and spectacular scenery.
“Unbelievable - huge fish - beautiful rivers & valleys. Maintain these places!
“The Southland fishing experience offers peace and solitude, far from the madding crowd.
Rainbow trout can be caught in the rivers & lakes of the Fiordland area, but it is the quality of the brown trout fishing that gives Southland it’s deserved worldwide reputation as one of NZ’s premiere fishing destinations.
Many respected anglers suggest that anyone can catch a rainbow but it takes real experience to land a brown, as they are particularly wiley fish and provide a real challenge.
The Mataura river has a worlwide reputation for being one of the best trout fishing rivers in the world. This is due to the fact it has the highest population and catch rates of any river in NZ. It is also famous for its hatches and spinner falls and is the best “match the hatch” fishing in New Zealand.
Trout Fishing in New Zealand
The pursuit of trout in New Zealand is viewed as a national birthright. Anyone with a valid angler’s license may fish New Zealand lakes and rivers. With only few exceptions, there is an absence of riperian rights to restrict one’s access to fishable water. Once on the water, the angler is free to roam countless miles in search of trout adventure, free of charge and without hindrance.
With water so clear it is often described as "gin-clear", easy public access and plentiful fish, Southland is an anglers paradise.
Southland rivers have long provided wonderful trout fishing not only for local anglers but also for the many visitors around New Zealand and overseas. They travel to our region to test their skill in some of the best brown trout fisheries in the world and to fish for rainbow trout in the most spectacular mountain streams.
You can read more about our fantastic fishing history in the following PDF. This is a 1.9Mb file and will take approximately 20 minutes to download on a dialup connection. There is also a map of Southland fishing waters, which you can view here.