Reel Life February 2026 - Nelson Marlborough

Terrestrial Time!

It took a while, but the cicadas finally turned up, and now their chorus is filling river valleys across the region. Anglers have been having a ball fishing cicadas over the past month and enjoying the sight of trout moving metres to smash these large artificial offerings.  Passionvine hoppers are present, however seem to be slower to arrive and possibly less prolific than normal.  As such, trout haven’t become fixated on these morsels yet, as they can do this time of year.

Motueka angler Weesang Paaka has had a good time of late, fishing terrestrials on the Motueka River and tributaries and regularly taking fish on large terrestrial flies, not commonly used in these waters.  This style of fishing has raised excitement levels due to more dramatic surface takes, and he is enjoying this window of opportunity before Autumn begins and the usual mayfly imitations are used.

We are entering one of the best months to fish, with settled weather and optimal water temperatures for trout feeding activity. Soon the days will be shortening up, and we will be reducing our length of time on the water – get out there and make the most of it!

Image above: Weesang Paaka Motueka fish. Caption: Weesang Paaka with a stunning Motueka trout, taken on a blowfly imitation. 

Taylor River – Whanau Fishing Day and Follow-up Fishing

A recent whanau/family fishing day on the Taylor River was a huge success, with over 100 people attending.  Sponsored by Marlborough Hunting & Fishing, with support from Te Piki Oranga, Marlborough Freshwater Anglers Club and Fish & Game, dozens of people were introduced to trout fishing and pitted their skills against cagey Taylor River brown and rainbow trout. 

This event was inspired and organised by Nelson Marlborough Fish & Game Councillor, Guy Gardiner, who sees a positive connection between fishing and physical/mental health, and has a vision to see more kids off seats and getting outdoors.  The Taylor River, being in the middle of a large urban area and full of trout, provides the perfect opportunity for this.

What was most pleasing was the number of kids out after the event.  A casual drive-by on the way to a fishing outing revealed an extraordinary and heartwarming sight for Guy – kids everywhere fishing on their own.  Sterling work from Guy!

It was pleasing to see so many kids out fishing the Taylor River on their own – one of the objectives of the Taylor River whanau/family fishing event.

Drift Dive Update

Staff have been making the most of the fine weather and getting into local rivers for drift diving. Since the last Reel Life update, the Baton, Upper Motueka, Branch, Leatham and Wangapeka rivers have been dived.

It has been pleasing to see decent numbers of fish in the Motueka tributaries, with a solid count in the Baton and upper Motueka rivers.  The Wangapeka was again excellent, despite the huge October flood and the two winter floods that ripped apart the Motueka.  For the top site at Chummie’s Creek, 46 large fish were seen over the 1.2km dive, which is on par with previous years’ high counts.  The lower site showed a marked reduction in small-sized fish, as expected with large floods; however, a decent count of 116 large and 66 medium-sized fish was observed, with only 4 smalls seen.

The Branch River had a poor count, with very few fish seen below the Leatham confluence and at the Nesbitt’s Creek site.  The Leatham site below Enchanted Creek held 22 hatchery-origin fish and 8 medium-sized fish.

We are hoping to dive the mainstem Motueka in the next couple of weeks, completing the full drift-dive analysis of the Motueka catchment, which was our aim for our monitoring programme after the large winter floods.  Our expectation is that there will be a reduction of fish in this part of the river, though by how much we won’t know until we float it.  We will keep you posted next month.

The lower Wangapeka had a decent count of large/medium fish, though it showed a reduction in small fish.

Key Wangapeka Access Under Threat 

Staff have been made aware of anglers not playing by the rules at access point #6 on the Wangapeka, at the end of Wangapeka Plain Road.  The arrangement we have with the farmer, who kindly grants access, is for anglers to fish upstream and return via the river edge, as per the sign posted at the entry point.  Some anglers have been taking liberties and walking back through the farm, interrupting farming activities and causing disturbance to stock and the landowners.  This poor form jeopardises one of the key access points to this river, so please comply with any signage or requests to maintain access. 

Motueka River Diversions 

Tasman District Council contractors are still working on a couple of problematic sections of the Motueka River in the next month or so.  After a few recent days of instream activity to divert the river at two sites, which caused significant river disturbance and cloudy water, we expect things to settle down until the work is completed.  Contractors will be working near Thorns Hop farm (access # 13) for the next month, however this should mostly be away from the water flow and cause minimal disturbance. 

While Fish & Game have been consulted for some sites, the Council are still operating under emergency powers in the wake of the June/July floods.  From a fishing and river health perspective, we hope these land protection activities conclude soon and that things return to normal.

Motueka River Fly Fishing Workshop Coming Up - 8 March

Come along and learn how to fly fish the Motueka River on Sunday, 8 March. Last year, around 40 people attended our inaugural event, and we received excellent feedback. The Motueka River is one of our region's top trout fisheries, but understanding its intricacies is key to regular success.

Taught by experts with in-depth knowledge of the fishery, the course will cover your gear, flies, the best times and conditions for fishing, and where to locate the fish. Although recent floods have likely reduced the adult fish population somewhat, early reports suggest that there are still plenty of fish there, and we expect them to pile on condition as we enter summer. Further details on trout numbers will be available after our drift dives are completed in the new year. 

Register here.