Reel Life December 2025 - Southland

Summer appears to have arrived and our rivers are running nicely.

However, the wind has been a constant companion and topic of discussion between anglers.

The metal offering of lure anglers can punch into the wind, however, wind can cause havoc for fly and lightweight soft-bait anglers.

Image above: Hi-five to that! A father and son taking care of dinner.

Besides from seeking out sheltered areas, successful fly anglers can also buck the wind by tightening up their casting loop and/or increasing their line speed. A quick youtube search will show many videos on dealing with wind.

Soft-bait anglers should aim to keep their cast low, and adopt the mantra of ‘fish your feet’ and really focus on thoroughly covering a likely area.

Lake anglers may also be aware that wave lap action, along shorelines exposed to an onshore breeze, can attract fish to feed. The waves dislodge and mobilise food items from the beach and prey items on the lake bed; and the decreased clarity of the water can make for some aggressive takes. The downside of this is that the wind is in your face, and not pleasantly broken on your back.

Cruise Milford Take a Kid Fishing – What a Day!

What an awesome turnout for this year’s Cruise Milford Take a Kid Fishing competition! We had 99 keen young anglers take part, with 66 fish weighed in and well over 100 salmon caught throughout the day. Plenty of smiles, plenty of excitement, and plenty of great memories made out at McGregor Pond.

A huge thank-you to Te Anau Events and to everyone who pitched in to make the day such a success. A special shout-out to Scotty Slater, who put in a huge effort helping kids catch salmon and making sure as many young anglers walked away with a grin as possible.

And of course, a big thanks to all the parents and caregivers who brought their kids along and gave them the chance to experience the fun of fishing. These days don’t happen without your support.

Great to see so many young people out enjoying the great outdoors and the sport of fishing — we’re already looking forward to the next one!

clockwise from top-left: The moment of a hook up, At the end of a (53.5cm) rainbow, Learning the ropes, and The start of an anglers journey.

The 18th Stabicraft Te Anau Manapouri Fishing Classic – A Big Success Despite the Hurdles!

Despite the postponement and the wind and rain that rolled through over the weekend, Southland Fish & Game were hugely impressed by the fantastic turnout of anglers and families who made the most of the event. Your enthusiasm and dedication truly made the day something special.

There was an excellent range of fish weighed in, with several standout perch coming from the Waiau Arm, and a number of well-conditioned rainbows from the Upper Waiau River and South Arm. These fish suggest these places are worth exploring for any keen anglers looking for their next mission!

Even with the trying conditions, most anglers managed to come away with a fish, showing the quality of the local fishery and how committed our anglers are.

A massive thank you to Te Anau Events and to everyone who helped make the day a success — especially the volunteers who put in so much time and effort behind the scenes. These events simply wouldn’t happen without you.

Southland Fish & Game were also particularly impressed with the new Catch & Release App, which saw 400 fish returned to the water. Fewer fish being brought in meant a smoother, quicker weigh-in process and faster turnaround for the prizegiving.

And of course, a huge thank you to the 1,230 anglers who came to Te Anau to take part. Your support is what keeps these events thriving.

We were also encouraged to see anglers being proactive with their licences — a Te Anau–based Ranger conducted 183 licence checks, and every single angler had their fishing licence. Fantastic work team!

Thanks again to everyone involved — we’re already looking forward to Classic number 19!

Fish and Game Ranger, Dwight Grieve recently bumped into (compliant) local angler and guide, Dean Bell. Not during the Te Anau fishing competition.

Southland Access Maps

We’ve dedicated a lot of time recently to upgrading and updating our online access maps.

So, if you haven’t used them yet this season, then we encourage you to explore them here and add a shortcut to them on your phone.

There are over 500 access points identified in Southland, so there’s plenty to explore over many seasons!

(Note: This is a different web address to the previous version)

Don’t overlook the humble smoked trout this summer

Make a delicious and healthy meal this summer with smoked trout. You could use a cheap smoker box, a hooded BBQ, or employ a bit of Kiwi ingenuity to fabricate something for a one-off cook or something that’ll last a lifetime.

A simple seasoning of all, pepper and some brown sugar is all it takes, or you can experiment and develop your favourite blend.

Smoked trout is a novel Christmas party snack on crackers, or is a great addition to salads, wraps, or rice or couscous-based meals.

It may be old-fashioned, but it’s become a ubiquitous method of cooking trout for a reason!

After seeing the quality of the fish weighed in during the Stabicraft Te Anau Manapouri Fishing Classic fishing competition, our recently employed Senior Field Officer, Josh Tabak, went for an evening’s fish in the Waiau Arm. With the largest perch weighed in at the Classic making 1.2kg, the plan to net one was in motion. Josh, originating from the upper North Island, remarks the humble perch is surprisingly similar in taste and texture to that of snapper; and so, a welcome sight in the net. The Waiau Arm did not disappoint with  five perch and a bonus rainbow trout, in top condition, to the bank within two hours; two making the grade for the frypan

That’s a couple of dinners sorted for the week.

If you have any photos or fishy stories that you think other anglers might like to see or read about in next month’s Reel Life, then email them to southland@fishandgame.org.nz

 

All the best, 

From the team at Southland Fish and Game