Otago Weekly Fishing Report - 30 October 2025
- Otago
- 30/10/2025
High Country Fisheries Open This Weekend
There’s nothing like a massive spring snowfall the week before the high country opens to remind everyone to pack an extra pair of thermals for their backcountry trip. The combination of snowmelt and rain has left many rivers unsettled.
On the positive side, the weekend weather looks favourable, with plenty of fishing options available. Smaller tributaries and beech-lined rivers that clear quickly, or large stillwaters that haven’t discoloured, should both fish well. With these areas likely to attract more anglers, please remember to share the water, respect others on the river, and leave an intentions note at your vehicle before heading out.
Pictured above: When the main rivers are in high flow, smaller tributaries such as this river from a previous season can often produce clearer conditions. Credit: Allan Carpenter.
Saturday, November 1, marks the opening of all remaining fisheries in Otago. Rangers will be out. Don’t forget your Designated Waters licence if you’re heading to any Designated Waters Fisheries.
A screenshot from CawthronEye clearly showing the amount of snow present and the discoloured waters at the top of lakes Wānaka and Hāwea.
We’ve Moved to Mosgiel
Otago Fish & Game Council has moved to a new, purpose-built headquarters at 5 Hazlett Rd, Mosgiel.
We’re now open in the new building just off Dukes Rd North next to the Otago Equestrian Centre in North Taieri. Click on this Google Maps link.
The new facility replaces our ageing premises and reflects a future-focused, financially responsible approach to delivering better value for fishing and hunting licence holders.
We’ve reinvested the proceeds from the sale of our Dunedin site to create a building that’s modern, practical, and fit for purpose — with little extra cost to our reserves.
Designed for efficiency and accessibility, the new single-storey building brings office, workshop, and storage spaces together under one roof. It features level entry access for all visitors, on-site parking, and facilities tailored to the needs of a small team and field operations.
Guides Planting
Helping at the planting day at Bendigo Wildlife Management Reserve are (from left) Jeff and Adam from Aotearoa Anglers, Santillan de Pinto from Patagonia NZ, Dean Bell, president of the New Zealand Professional Fishing Guides Association, his wife Helen, and Otago Fish & Game officers Cole Briggs and Mason Court.
Despite challenging weather and rising water levels, a dedicated group of guides, partners, and friends joined Otago Fish & Game staff for a successful planting day at the Bendigo Wildlife Management Reserve, at the top of Lake Dunstan.
Overnight, the lake had risen significantly, submerging the previously prepared planting area. However, a nearby backup site was quickly cleared, holes were dug, and planting went ahead as planned.
While many guides were unable to attend due to the start of their busy guiding season, several were still able to be involved. Among those joining the day were Jeff and Adam from Aotearoa Anglers, Dean Bell, president of the New Zealand Professional Fishing Guides Association, and his wife Helen, and Santillan de Pinto from Patagonia NZ.
More than 120 native plants were established in the wetland area, including flax, cabbage tree, toetoe, Carex secta, and mingimingi. Plants were eco-sourced locally and grown at the Milton Correctional Facility, before being hardened off at the Cromwell Fish & Game field base in preparation for planting.
Otago Fish & Game officer Mason Court said it was great to see the guiding community contributing to local restoration efforts.
“It’s encouraging to see our guides getting involved in conservation and helping improve the health of our wetlands and river margins. We really appreciate their support and look forward to running more planting days,” he said.
The planting day forms part of ongoing efforts by Otago Fish & Game to enhance game bird and sports fish habitat values and biodiversity within the Bendigo Wildlife Management Reserve.
Watch Your Step
Two rainbow trout observed spawning during a survey on a small Lake Wānaka tributary this month. Credit: Mason Court.
With the amount of water in the upper catchments, many of the larger and medium-sized rivers are likely to remain high and discoloured, pushing anglers to seek out smaller, clearer tributaries.
These waters are often favoured by salmonids and may still contain redds (trout nests), so take care when wading. Redds can be hard to spot but often appear as slightly oversized dinner plates of clean gravel or cobbles within an otherwise algae-covered streambed. In the upper Clutha this can be hard to notice, so take care to protect the next generation of sports fish.
Drift Dives Rescheduled
Due to recent wild weather, our scheduled drift dives to monitor fish populations in several of Otago’s Designated Waters have had to be postponed.
These dives are normally carried out before the start of the fishing season to avoid disrupting anglers. However, this season’s conditions have made that impossible.
It’s likely the dives will be rescheduled for December. Notification of new dates will be shared on our Facebook page and published in the Weekly Fishing Report to keep anglers informed and minimise disruption as much as possible.
Roads Update
Due to recent severe weather, many roads in the upper catchments remain closed or damaged.
If you’re planning to fish the Greenstone, Caples, Rees, Dart, or Matukituki Rivers, please be aware of the following closures, as they are likely to affect access. Other roads and tracks may also be impacted, so take extra care when travelling.
Current Road Closures:
- Mt Aspiring Road – Closed at the Treble Cone turn-off. No access to Mt Aspiring National Park. The road is expected to remain closed until at least today; next update due this afternoon.
- Glenorchy–Paradise Road – Closed at Priory Road (limited access for residents only). Next update expected Friday afternoon.
- Rees Valley Road – Closed at the Oxburn Bridge. Expected to remain closed until the middle of next week
- Kinloch–Greenstone Road – Closed. Next update expected Friday afternoon, though any reopening is likely to be limited.
For the latest updates please visit the QLDC Facebook page.
Waipahi Gold Medal this weekend
The Waipahi Gold Medal will be held this Saturday, November 1, in South Otago.
Run by Otago Anglers Association, it is believed to be the Southern Hemisphere’s longest-running fishing competition. Twenty-four anglers have drawn their beats along the Waipahi River and will be hoping the trout are feeding.
Otago Fish & Game staff will be on hand collecting trout otoliths (ear bones) from the weigh-in to help track where fish have lived during their life cycle — research that’s been valuable for identifying and managing important spawning streams in the lower Clutha/Mata-Au catchment.
Fletts Tackle Tench
Thea, Ellie (top right) and mum Karena show some serious-looking tench, a coarse sports fish species.
“We did it!” writes Richard Flett, from Southland.
The Flett family can tick tench off the list on their mission to catch various species of freshwater sports fish around the South Island. The tench were caught near Christchurch two weekends ago.
“That is the last species that they can fish for in the South Island until they learn how to flyfish and take on brook trout!” Richard says.
Click on this article link in the Fish & Game Issue 56 magazine from last year to read some great family fishing advice from dad and mum Richard and Karen.
Soft Bait Fishing Clinics
Learn how to catch more trout, salmon and perch at free soft bait fishing clinics this November.
The hands-on sessions, hosted by Otago Fish & Game and Okuma pro-angler Lance Gill, will be held at two locations:
DUNEDIN
- Taieri River, near the red bridge on Taieri Ferry Road, Titri
- 6.30pm to 8.30pm, Wednesday, November 5
CROMWELL
- Lake Dunstan, McNulty Inlet
- 10am to noon, Saturday, November 15
The clinics will cover the essentials of soft bait fishing — lure selection, rig set-ups, casting techniques, and how to retrieve soft baits to trigger strikes.
Free to attend. Select here to register online on the Fish & Game website.
Patagonia Summer Events
Patagonia Tāhuna/Queenstown is pleased to announce the Summer at the Fly Bar event series!
Designed to bring the angling community together, these free events and clinics are open to everyone and aim to share knowledge, tips, and stories from the water. The series kicks off on 19 November with Techniques for the Backcountry featuring Ollie Basset. Check out the full line-up and RSVP to secure your spot: patagonia.co.nz/pages/patagonia-queenstown
Club Updates
Teviot Angling Club
This month Teviot Angling Club had a successful weekend for the Grand Tavern Trophy Competition. The weather was challenging and rivers were high. 15 fish were weighed in, heaviest bag of four fish was 18.49lb. The next club competition is the Harper Memorial on November 2 at Poolburn Dam. A Take A Kid Fishing day will be held on November 23. Keep an eye on the Teviot Angling Club Facebook page for further 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
Buy early to get best value for the 2025-2026 season. 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.
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 mostly fine weekend is on the cards for the Dunedin area. Clear skies and easing westerly winds on Saturday should create ideal fishing conditions. Sunday is expected to be overcast but with light winds, offering another pleasant day to be out on the water.
The Taieri River at Outram was at 33.7 cumecs this morning. The water temperature was 9.8 degrees C.
Click here for live MetService weather updates.
Wānaka
What a difference a week makes! This high country opening weekend is shaping up to be very favourable for anglers, with clear skies and northerlies developing late on Saturday, followed by light winds on Sunday. The only concern may be river conditions after recent snow and rain, so consider seeking out smaller tributaries that tend to clear more quickly. If you’re heading out on the lakes, take care — there’s still some logs and other debris that have been washed down during the past two weather events.
Click here for live MetService weather updates.
Alexandra
Like much of the region, it feels as though this is the first truly favourable fishing weekend of the 2025/26 season. Clear conditions are forecast for Saturday, with westerly winds and calm, overcast weather expected on Sunday. Saturday morning should provide great opportunities for sight fishing around the larger reservoirs. Please take care when using access tracks, as recent weather may have caused some damage. As shown in the image below, the Alexandra boat ramp is currently unusable due to high flows in the Clutha River.
Click here for live MetService weather updates.
The swollen Clutha River/Mata-Au had submerged the Alexandra boat ramp, closed to traffic yesterday afternoon. Credit: Bruce Quirey.
Clutha Regional Forecast
For the Lower Clutha, Saturday is expected to bring fine, clear weather with westerlies easing throughout the day. Sunday is forecast to be overcast with light winds. Anglers should take care if planning to fish the Clutha, as the river remains high and discoloured due to recent snowmelt and rainfall.
The Pomahaka River was flowing at 26 cumecs this morning.
The lower Clutha River at Balclutha was at 1360 cumecs.
Click here for live weather updates.
Roxburgh Dam spills at high volume yesterday afternoon. The Clutha River/Mata-Au at Roxburgh was flowing at more than 1300 cubic metres per second at the time of writing today. Credit: Bruce Quirey.
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.
Disclaimer:
The information presented in these news items is based on the context and regulations in place at the time of publication. Please note that some articles may include reference to laws and regulatory standards that have since changed. For the most current and accurate information please check our Fishing Licences & Regulations pages or our Hunting Licences & Regulations pages.