Reel Life February 2025 - Southland

Summer dry fly action

Mid-January through February has brought fantastic weather to the Southland region, with warm, sunny days and minimal wind. These conditions have made for excellent terrestrial dry fly action.

Image above: A nice brown trout observed during our resent upper Oreti drift dive.  

To successfully target trout that are feeding on terrestrial insects, keep the following tips in mind:

• Focus on grassy banks and overhangs – Terrestrial insects often fall into the water from trees and grassy edges, making these prime feeding areas. Methodically blind fishing your dry fly along grassy edges can be a great way to pick up trout.
• Be patient – When arriving at a likely-looking spot, take your time. Trout won’t always be feeding aggressively, but a careful approach may reveal a subtle rise and help you locate a fish you might have otherwise passed by.
• Stay stealthy – Many rivers are running low at the moment, so approach carefully, using available vegetation to conceal yourself. You may also need to lengthen your leader and use a finer tippet.
• Use the right flies – Top dry flies for the summer period include blue blowy, Royal Wulff, and realistic cicada imitations in sizes 12-16.
• As long as the warm weather continues, trout will keep ‘looking up’ for larger terrestrial insects through to mid-March—so get out there and make the most of it!

Fish on! A trout takes a dry fly on the Waikaia River. (Photo credit G. Watson)

Bait fishing – A great option for beginners

Bait fishing is an excellent and straightforward method for beginners to try their hand at trout fishing. It requires minimal casting skills and can be highly effective when done correctly.

Some happy young anglers with a six pound trout they caught on a worm in the Mataura River (Photo credit: S. Taylor).

Best baits for Southland trout

In Southland, some of the best baits to use include:

• Garden worms
• Mussels (can be purchased fresh from the supermarket)
• Squid (often available in fishing supply stores)

Setting up your bait fishing rig

A simple and effective bait fishing rig consists of a:

• 1oz barrel sinker
• 50cm trace
• Size 6 bait holder hook

Choosing the right spot

Bait fishing can be effective in rivers and lake across Southland but the location you choose when at the river or lake is important. If fishing in rivers, look for deep, slow-moving water, as trout are often actively swimming around and feeding in these areas. If fishing in our lakes, stream/river mouths are a great spot to try.

Fishing technique

When you have found a spot, cast your bait into the targeted area, put your rod in a rod holder or lean it against a stick, and wait for 15 minutes or so.

If you don’t get a bite, wind in your bait, check that it still looks okay (replacing if required) and re-cast in a different spot (within the pool) to increase your chances of intercepting a moving trout.

When you do get a bite, give the trout time to take the bait before gently setting the hook.

For a video explaining the bait fishing technique, click here. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W7iQ65iXKRM&t=19s&ab_channel=FishandGameNZ

If you follow these tips, you will have a great chance of success when you are next out bait fishing. 

Drift dive results

Fish and Game staff drift diving on the Oreti River.

Every summer, Southland Fish & Game staff undertake drift dive surveys on several of our large rivers.

Undertaking these dives at the same locations and the same time of year enables us to monitor changes in the population from year to year as well as trends in the population over time. Below are the numbers of trout (>400mm) we saw per kilometre:

Mid-Aparima: 30

Upper Oreti: 23

Mid-Mararoa: 7

Monowai: 9

Upper Mataura: 18

Numbers on the Aparima, Oreti, Mararoa, and Monowai were consistent with recent years, while the Mataura showed a reduced count. Overall, fish condition was notably good across all sites, which was great to see.

We’ll be completing our drift dives on the upper and lower Waiau soon and will share the results as they become available.

For video footage of some of our recent dives, check out the links below:

Mid-Aparima: https://fb.watch/xQNzIC7wod/

Upper Oreti: https://fb.watch/xQNyQSzIPd/

Upper Mataura: https://fb.watch/xQNxQpzgQj/

Monowai jetty construction begins

For years, anglers and hunters have been calling for a jetty at Lake Monowai and we’re making it happen.

It might not look like much yet, but this is the start of a long-awaited jetty at Lake Monowai. 

This project has been made possible through weeks of work by Southland Fish & Game staff—securing plans and consents, coordinating with stakeholders, and securing funding. We’ve utilised licence holder funds, grants, and received generous contributions from members of the public—thank you to everyone who donated.

Jetty construction started on the 18th of February and is expected to be completed by the 28th.

A new ramp is also set to be constructed at a later date. With the lake level dropping away, we hope to have the new ramp in as soon as practical.  

This is an exciting project so we will be sure to keep everyone updated on progress via our Facebook page and next month’s Reel Life.

 

Tight lines,

The Southland Fish & Game team