Otago Weekly Fishing Report - 29 January 2026

Making the most of the long daylight hours and semi-settled weather has been key for many anglers, none more so than Jordan Mace and his partner Kate Macleod.

They have been enjoying some excellent fishing around Lake Dunstan, particularly in the evenings.

Kate Macleod with a thumping brown trout caught working a grub soft bait along the margin at Lake Dunstan. Credit: Jordan Mace.

Soft baiting has been their method of choice, with Jordan noting that evenings, when the wind dies off, are especially productive. Changing the colour of the soft baits to include small amounts of bright tones — either on the head or tail, while the rest remains natural — has worked well, particularly on overcast days. This may be due to the slightly discoloured water from the extra summer inflows. Early mornings and evenings in low light have also been effective.

Jordan also recommends making sure your jig head is heavy enough to cast past where the fish are cruising and adjusting your retrieve speed to avoid snags. Once a fish shows interest, you can slow down and add subtle motion to entice a bite.

Jordan Mace with one of many rainbow trout caught recently in Lake Dunstan on a chartreuse-tailed soft bait. Photo: supplied.

Give jigging a go

Harry from North Canterbury Fish & Game with a rainbow trout caught while filming the “Introduction to Jigging” video. Credit: Jackson Meecham.

Tired of spending all day trolling around the lake and keen to try something different?

Jigging is a viable option on many of our large lakes and can be an effective way to target a feed of lake-locked salmon or trout.

If you’re just starting out, you don’t need specialised gear. A soft-tipped spinning rod or soft bait rod can be easily adapted to give jigging a go, although purpose-built jigging gear will help refine the technique once you get into it.

Popular jigging locations include the major river mouths on our large lakes, such as the Timaru and Hunter rivers on Lake Hāwea, the Greenstone and Dart rivers on Lake Wakatipu, and the Matukituki and Makarora rivers on Lake Wānaka. Deep drop-offs near smaller creeks and areas where sport fish are known to feed can also be productive.

North Canterbury Fish & Game has recently released a video on jigging in their high-country lakes, which covers the fundamentals and is well worth a watch for anyone keen to give this technique a try. Click here to watch it.

Greenstone controlled fishery

A nice rainbow trout, sitting in some catchable but gin-clear water for which the Greenstone River is famous: Credit: Jason Kelly.

Greenstone Controlled Fishery bookings are now open.

A Controlled Fishery Period applies from 1 February to 31 March each season on the Upper Greenstone River, from the swing bridge at McKellar Hut to the Sly Burn confluence.

During this period, anglers are required to book a beat to fish the Upper Greenstone River. This booking system ensures anglers have exclusive access to a defined stretch of river for the duration of their booking. All bookings are made through the online booking system and operate on a first-come, first-served basis.

Anglers must hold a valid Whole Season Fishing Licence and an Otago Designated Waters Licence. Bookings can be made up to five days in advance of the intended fishing date, including the day of fishing, with a maximum of three consecutive days per booking.

Select here for more information and bookings.

Earlier in the season, Fish & Game staff completed drift dives on the Greenstone River as part of routine monitoring. Initial observations indicate trout numbers were similar to last year and remain below historic counts. Trophy-sized brown trout were still observed holding in pools and runs, along with good numbers of medium-sized rainbow trout, which were often favouring faster water.

A reminder that the Greenstone DOC Hut must now be booked through the Department of Conservation’s online booking system.

Low levels at Poolburn

Poolburn Reservoir, as seen from the air last week during the paradise shelduck monitoring flights. Credit: Mason Court.

Anglers have been reporting that Poolburn Reservoir remains low despite the recent rainfall.

During paradise shelduck monitoring flights last week, staff also observed that the reservoir level was still down. Both shore-based anglers and boaties are urged to take care, as the exposed margins can be soft and muddy in places, and low water levels have left shallow and exposed rocks that pose a risk to boats.

When reservoir levels recede like this, fish are often concentrated in deeper water or along the edges, which can make for productive fishing. Fingers crossed this current run of fine weather triggers the start of the cicada hatch, setting up some excellent fishing in the tussock-lined reservoirs and lakes.

Ryan from Hunting & Fishing Dunedin recommends that for anglers not confident on the fly rod, or when conditions are unsuitable, pairing a cicada pattern with a small bubble float on a spin rod is an effective and accessible way to target rising fish.

Into the mixing zone

The Manuherekia River running dirty, mixing with the Clutha/Mata-Au just below the Alexandra township on Wednesday morning. Credit: Cole Briggs.

Mixing zones, where clean and discoloured water meet, can be excellent spots to target sports fish.

Both trout and perch often patrol these areas, looking for prey disturbed by the change in conditions. Fishing a lure or fly from the discoloured water into the clear water often entices bites. Don’t be afraid to experiment with different styles of lures or flies, as floods or discoloured water can bring a variety of prey into these zones. Popular options include worm flies, large streamers, soft baits, and spinners. Where permitted, bait can also be effective, as in murky water, sports fish often rely more on scent than sight.

Lake Hāwea Family Fishing Classic

The Hāwea Family Fishing Classic next Saturday, February 7 is fast approaching. Registrations will take place at the Lake Hawea Community Centre.

Registrations: Friday 5.30pm - 9pm and Saturday 7am - 9am

Select here for more information and registrations.

Fly fishing course

Mike Weddell’s fly fishing course teaches how to fish rivers and stillwaters for trout. Credit: Bruce Quirey.

Learn fly casting, tackle, trout behaviour, what trout eat, flies that imitate that food and how to fish them.

These 2-hour sessions over four evenings with Mike Weddell will also cover how to read the water, and how to fish rivers and stillwaters.

• March 9, 16, 23, 30, from 7pm-9pm
• Otago Fish and Game office, 5 Hazlett Road, North Taieri, Mosgiel
• Contact Mike Weddell 027 577 2439 or mike@mikeweddellflyfishing.co.nz

Club updates

If your Otago club has an update or photo for inclusion in the Weekly Fishing Report, please email bquirey@fishandgame.org.nz by the Monday prior to publication on Thursday.

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 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.

Clyde Dam live webcam

A screengrab of the Clyde Dam webcam taken at the time of writing.

Want to know conditions at Clyde Dam? Check this live webcam sponsored by Contact Energy updated every 15 minutes.

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

A yellow object not seen recently in Dunedin weather reports has been spotted. It’s called the sun, and anglers are urged to enjoy it. However, look for clearer tribs, stillwaters, or choose big, bold lures. The lower Taieri River is high and muddy after spiking to 160 cumecs last weekend — better suited for bait fishing. Tomorrow and Saturday are set to be fine with westerlies to northwesterlies. Sunday partly cloudy with northeasterlies in the afternoon.

The Taieri River from the State Highway 1 bridge at Otokia today.

The Taieri River at Outram was at 40 cumecs this morning. The water temperature was 15.2 degrees C.

Click here for live MetService weather updates.

Wānaka

This weekend looks great for fishing. The next three days are expected to be fine with gusty afternoon northwesterlies to northerlies. Mornings will offer better conditions for boat fishing on the big lakes. The Clutha River/Mata-Au at Albert Town is on a downward trend — its lowest flow since the start of January, good news for big river anglers.

Click here for live MetService weather updates.

Alexandra

Fine. Fine. Fine! That’s the outlook around Central Otago for the next three days. Slip, slop, slap and expect some wind gusts from the southwest tomorrow, northwest on Saturday and the north on Sunday.

Click here for live MetService weather updates.

Clutha Regional Forecast

A mixed bag of conditions, but we can work with that. Tomorrow the Clutha looks fine with westerlies, which are forecast to become strong on Saturday morning. Showers on Saturday night.  On Sunday, expect light winds and a few showers before northerlies in the evening. The Pomahaka is still dropping after a high surge at the start of the week. The lower Clutha/Mata-Au is dropping to comparatively more fishable levels.

The Pomahaka River at Burkes Ford was at 24.4 cumecs.

The lower Clutha River at Balclutha was 614 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.