Reel Life March 2026 - Southland

Well, just like that, it feels like autumn.

There’s a real change in the air. The mornings are cooler, the light’s a bit softer, and the rivers have that “fishy” feel all day after the heat of mid-summer.

If you’ve been meaning to get out one more time — now’s the time.

This is what we’ve been observing lately…

• There’s good fish activity throughout the day,
• The cooler weather has spurned the mayfly hatches,
• The blowfly and terrestrial activity continues on hot afternoons,
• There’s smelt moving in the lower reaches and trout are hunting them in the shallows,
• Angling pressure on our most popular waterways is starting to taper.

We encourage you to use these observations to inform your fishing trip locations, and tactics once you’re there.

With March drawing to a close, that only leaves one month of the season remaining for the majority of our rivers and streams.

Hopefully the weather will remain settled and our waterways fishable.

We encourage you to bump fishing up your priority list over the next 4-5 weeks and to etch out as much value from both our resource, and your licence as you can.

Check out this awesome footage of a mayfly hatch on the lower Mataura that we shot this week -https://www.facebook.com/share/v/18XJTuxihc/  It’ll get your heart racing!

Also, the Department of Conservation is currently monitoring the beech forest mast that is occurring this summer. Their modelling suggests that the mouse population may start to climb from as early as next month….

Fishing for Farmers – A Small Group, but a Big Impact

Last Sunday’s Fishing for Farmers proved a very meaningful day.

We had families, couples, and one particularly enthralling storyteller (you know who you are) travel from as far afield as Balclutha and Lorneville to enjoy the event.

The highlight? Watching young Carter land his first fish on the fly - all on his own too! A guide we shall not name fished that same stretch days before and got skunked, so Carter enjoyed the bragging rights. A perfect reminder of how fishing can surprise us.

Carter with his first fish on the fly. The first of many we suspect.

Most importantly, everyone left inspired to keep fishing — and that’s what it’s all about.

Big thanks to everyone who helped make it happen.

On the fishing side of things, that was local guides Graeme Watson (a previous Chair of Southland Fish and Game), Mike Dennis and Joel Hughes. Their time, knowledge and encouragement made all the difference.

On the coordination side, it was the Upper Mataura Fishing Connect Group and the Southland Rural Support Trust. Without their commitment these events simply wouldn’t happen.

Some of the action from Fishing for Farmers at Nokomai.

Fly Fishing at the Shepherdess Muster, March 7-9

Guest writer: Kristina Placko

A big thank you to Southland Fish & Game for generously providing fly rods for a fly fishing workshop at the The Shepherdess Muster in Tokanui this month.

The Muster is a three-day gathering designed to bring rural women together for connection, creativity, and wellbeing through a wide range of workshops and shared experiences.

Fly Fishing at The Shepherdess Muster

With rods supplied by Fish & Game, I was able to introduce a fantastic group of wāhine to the basics of fly fishing. Many were picking up a fly rod for the very first time. We covered the fundamentals of casting, learned a little about the gear, practiced landing a trout and most importantly spent time laughing, encouraging each other, and enjoying being outdoors.

Fly fishing proved to be a perfect fit for the event’s wellbeing focus. The workshop created space for women to step outside their comfort zones, learn a new skill, and connect with nature and each other. From early concentration to plenty of laughter, the session captured exactly what the weekend is about — confidence, community, and trying something new.

Thanks again to Southland Fish & Game for supporting the session and helping make fly fishing accessible to a whole new group of rural Southland women.

I have a feeling this won’t be the last time some of these ladies pick up a rod.

A Trouty top-up for Lake Thomas

Last month, we released 2000 juvenile rainbow trout into Lake Thomas.

Each year, we take a tank full of fish to Gore’s On the Fly event for show and tell. Then afterwards, we deliver them to Lake Thomas.

Lake Thomas is a little-known gem. It’s off the beaten track and worth an exploration. With no tributaries and outflows as such, it is a closed system and suitable for a ‘Put and Take Fishery’.

No motorised craft are allowed on the lake, so it’s prime for kayaks, canoes and pack rafts…or a classic rowboat!

Southland Fish and Game staff have also cleared the access track along the Southern lake edge.

Trout for future seasons!

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