Otago Weekly Fishing Report - 2 April 2026

Easter holiday special

The Easter holiday weekend has arrived, and with it, a classic autumn transition across the Otago region.

While the long weekend offers a welcome stretch of time on the water, anglers will need to keep a close eye on the sky. We’re looking at a mixed bag of weather: a fine start on Good Friday with building northerlies will give way to a southerly shift and occasional rain across most of the region through Saturday and Sunday. However, for those who time their missions between the showers, the cooling temperatures and recent freshes are firing up the fishing.

Picture above - Benjamin Boss tricked this absolutely fine specimen with his hand-tied spent spinner. Photos supplied.

Spent spinner, big battle

Benjamin Boss has capped off his season in style, landing what he describes as “probably my best fish of the season” — a powerful, likely sea-run trout, taken on a dry fly in an Otago river.

The fish, estimated just under double figures, came during an afternoon spinner fall. Benjamin first spotted the trout while walking downstream, tucked hard against a rock wall in a deep, dark corner — the sort of lie you’d easily miss if it wasn’t actively rising.

An initial cast with a small mayfly pattern was ignored.

When the spinner fall began, he downsized and waited for the right moment. His hand-tied spent spinner pattern, tied with hackle, was placed perfectly — and the fish rose.

What followed was a 10–15-minute battle, with the fish trying to bury itself in sharp rocks along the bank. Fishing 4X tippet (around 5.5lb), Benjamin had to stay patient. Described as very healthy, with black fins, no red spots, and plenty of power, the trout had “so much gas in the tank” and refused to give in easily — classic sea-run behaviour.

“Everyone’s telling me I should get my scales checked. It looked bigger than the scales said!”

Slow metal

Jordan Mace with a 7lb rainbow from Lake Dunstan. Photo supplied.

A slow retrieve with a little blue and silver metal lure has landed Jordan Mace a solid rainbow in Lake Dunstan.

“I fish these little metal lures with a very slow retrieve to get the most action out of the lure with a few twitches in-between winds,” Jordan says.

“Sometimes they will hit it on the drop also. As the fish are getting ready to spawn and putting on great condition they are very aggressive and full of energy.”

Jordan, who was using an Ocean Angler 6gm slug, says sometimes fish will also hit the lure on the drop.

Dropping terrestrials on the nose

This beefy brown took a large terrestrial pattern at Poolburn Dam last weekend. Credit: Jakub Kanok.

Fish & Game honorary ranger Jakub (Kub) Kanok and his mate Jeff made the most of settled conditions at Poolburn Dam last weekend, taking their daughters Matilda and Alex (both 8) along for a memorable trip.

With air temperatures reaching 27°C and the lake level very low, the group focused on deeper water from a high vantage point while spotting fish cruising the edges.

Kub says cicadas were still firmly on the menu, despite being so late in the season. Presentation proved critical. Fish would only commit if the fly landed right on their nose — anything even a metre short was ignored. Fishing large terrestrial cicada patterns, they managed four quality trout.

Fishing buddies Matilda and Alex (both 8) had a great time with their dads at Poolburn Dam. Credit: Jakub Kanok.

Earlier, the group had also enjoyed success around Lake Wakatipu, spotting large numbers of fish in glassy conditions. While many were reluctant to take dries, persistence paid off with a handful landed, and results found casting back toward tree-lined shores and weedy margins.

Freshes fire up river mouth fishing

Trolling river bends – especially the sharper corners in larger systems – is an effective strategy.

Recent scattered rain — ranging from light showers to heavier falls — has pushed a fresh down many Central Otago rivers, with positive results already being seen at river mouths.

Tim from Cromwell Hunting & Fishing says spawning browns are beginning to congregate, and fishing in these areas is improving nicely.

Trolling has been particularly effective, with anglers picking up fish on fast-diving bibbed lures, such as Halco Poltergeist, as well as weighted fly lines rigged with booby flies. These buoyant patterns hover just off the bottom when fished on a sinking line, rising and falling with a slow retrieve to imitate an easy meal — a tactic that’s proving hard for trout to ignore.

Elsewhere, trolling river bends — especially sharper corners in larger systems — is also producing results. These areas create natural feeding lanes, with faster, deeper water on the outside of bends and slower water on the inside. Trout tend to hold along these seams and drop-offs, where food is funnelled past while they conserve energy.

In the lakes, lure colour remains important. Mark from Southern Wild reports darker lures are working best on Lake Wānaka, while brighter patterns continue to perform well on Lake Hāwea.

Club reports

Participants at the introduction to fly-fishing workshop staged by Women on the Fly and Otago Anglers Association last weekend. Credit: Bruce Quirey

Women’s fly-fishing workshop

Otago Fish & Game was proud to support a fantastic women’s introduction to fly-fishing workshop in Dunedin last weekend, staged by Women on The Fly NZ and Otago Anglers Association (official club page).

We were delighted to see such strong interest in creating more inclusive pathways into fishing. Initiatives like this are a great step toward encouraging more women to give it a go and build confidence on the water.

Women on The Fly NZ coordinator Leigh Johnson summed it up perfectly: “This is just the start of something. It’s about making fishing accessible for Dunedin women with the support of the club. Women on The Fly is the catalyst — and a big shout out to president Mark Barrett and the Otago Anglers Association for their commitment to mentoring these ladies through the next stage of their fly fishing journey. Watch this space.”

Otago Anglers Association president Mark Barrett also highlighted the momentum building from the day: “Thanks to all the volunteers and participants — it was a great time. This is just the groundwork, and we’re here to help them continue if they’d like. We’d love to see this grow, including potentially a women-led group within the club. There’s already strong interest in another course, and we’re likely to run something similar again in September.”

If you missed out this time, please register for the wait list and they will do another session later. Register here.

Don’t Forget Your Licence

Get your licence online or visit a local agent.

Click the link for a list of the agents in Otago where you can buy a licence

Event calendar

Click here for upcoming fishing events throughout New Zealand.

Lake Hāwea webcam

A screengrab of the Lake Hāwea webcam taken at the time of writing.

A real-time webcam at Lake Hāwea is provided by Snowgrass Solutions and Contact Energy and can be accessed through their website or directly via this link.

Please note conditions at the southern end of the lake (near the dam) may not always reflect those north of The Neck. Weather can change quickly, so be prepared

Lake Wānaka live webcam

A screengrab of the Lake Wānaka webcam taken at the time of writing.

Want to know conditions at Lake Wānaka? Check this live webcam from the Wānaka Watersports Facility.

Bookmark the ORC Environmental Data Portal for real-time flows, temperature, and lake levels.

Here’s the weekend outlook:

Dunedin

Good Friday fine, northerlies, becoming strong for a time in the afternoon and evening. Saturday rain before dawn, then cloudy. Southwesterlies, turning southeasterly in the afternoon. Sunday a few showers. Easterlies developing in the morning. Monday holiday occasional rain and northeasterlies.

The Taieri River at Outram was low at 8.1 cumecs this morning. The water temperature was 13.8 ^oC.

Click here for live MetService weather updates

Wānaka

Friday mostly cloudy, with the chance of a shower from morning. Northerlies, becoming strong for a time in the afternoon and evening. Saturday rain easing to a few showers in the morning. Northwesterlies, turning southeasterly in the morning. Sunday a few showers. Light winds. Monday rain easing to the odd shower in the morning. Light winds.

Click here for live MetService weather updates.

Alexandra

Friday fine, but cloudy in the afternoon and evening. Northerlies, becoming strong for a time in the afternoon and evening. Saturday a few showers. Southerlies, easing for a time in the morning. Sunday occasional rain. Light winds. Monday rain clearing to fine in the morning. Light winds.

Click here for live MetService weather updates.

Clutha Regional Forecast

Friday is fine, but becoming cloudy in the evening. Northwesterlies, becoming strong in the afternoon. Saturday a few showers. Westerlies, turning southerly in the afternoon. Sunday mostly cloudy with isolated showers, becoming widespread for a time in the morning. Easterlies developing in the morning. Monday occasional rain clearing in the morning but remaining cloudy. Northeasterlies.

The Pomahaka River at Burkes Ford was at 9.01 cumecs.

The lower Clutha River at Balclutha was at 527 cumecs.

Click here for live weather updates

For more ORC water monitoring and alerts information click here.

Grab your licence online and let the angling adventures begin.

Got any Otago fishing news?

Send your fishing news and photos (with anglers’ names) to otago@fishandgame.org.nz for consideration in the weekly report.