Otago weekly fishing report - 31 October 2024

Otago high country opening tomorrow

Clear water success

Angus Clareburt with a battle-scarred brown trout caught from the Greenstone mouth. Credit: Angus Clareburt.

With last week’s snowy and damp conditions, finding clear and fishable water proved effective for the few anglers who braved the challenging weather.

River mouths, particularly along the clear edges, have been productive, especially when flicking soft baits, spinners, and streamers along the margins. Trout often use discoloured water to hunt, making these areas ideal to target.

Sheltered bays and shorelines have also fished well, with the calm, cold conditions perfect for stalking along the edges. Be sure to lead a cruising fish by a good distance, retrieving your fly or lure to intercept its path. Casting too close to the fish often results in spooking them away.

Estuarine opportunities 

Matching the hatch with whitebait imitation patterns can be incredibly rewarding. Credit: Ben Sowry.

Whitebait season closed across the country yesterday, October 30. While the riverbanks may be devoid of two-legged baitfish eaters, there is still plenty of activity occurring where the river meets the sea.

Spring marks a highlight in the estuarine angler's calendar, as this time of year brings an influx of diverse life into the lower reaches of the region's rivers. This period not only features the famed whitebait run, where juveniles of five Galaxiid species return to freshwater, but also sees an abundance of common smelt, yellow-eyed mullet, juvenile eels, adult lamprey heading upstream, juvenile lamprey heading downstream, and the year-round staples of estuarine stargazers, flounder, and crabs.

The first two hours of the outgoing tide present an excellent fishing opportunity. High currents push a variety of small fish into the eddies and slack water along the edges, where trout cruise in search of an easy meal.

Fly anglers should focus on using streamers, while spin anglers can opt for pearl-coloured soft baits or the classic silver Toby.

Waipahi Gold Medal

Anglers will test their skills in the 141^st Waipahi Gold Medal this Saturday, November 2, in an annual tradition dating back to the 19^th Century.

The event is held by Otago Anglers Association on the Waipahi River on the first Saturday in November and never fails to throw up challenging conditions.

This Saturday’s forecast in the area is for a mixed bag of rain, sunshine and fresh breezes, meaning anglers will need to be at the top of their game for a chance to medal. Fish heads will be collected and analysed by Otago Fish & Game for research.

Luggate track upgrade

The Luggate Boulder angler access will be temporarily closed for a track upgrade.

From Monday, November 4, the Luggate Boulder anglers’ access from the bouldering rock to the river corridor will be closed for a major upgrade. The works are expected to take six to eight weeks and will be open again mid-late December. This will include an upgraded access way, car parks and a continuation of the bike trail.

Click here for other angler access points near Luggate.

Beasts of Blakely

Lovely conditioned rainbow trout caught by Hadlee Edmunds at Blakleys Dam. Credit: Hadlee Edmunds.

Blakelys Dam has been yielding some exceptionally large rainbow trout this month, with anglers taking advantage of the early season opening to escape the high and discoloured rivers.

Hadlee Edmunds, a staff member at Dunedin Hunting & Fishing, was among those who hooked a monster, reeling in a trout that tipped the scales at over 7 pounds. Hadlee says this impressive catch struck a green pumpkin-coloured PowerBait soft bait and put up quite a fight on an ultra-light spin tackle.

Fly anglers at Blakelys have also reported success using damsel fly and Corixa (water boatman) imitations.

Hut bookings

Anglers planning to fish the Greenstone and Caples Designated Waters this season should note that bookings will be required for all DOC-managed huts and campsites (including camping beside huts) starting on November 1, 2024.

Bookings can be made here. Additionally, the NZDA huts along the circuit also require advance bookings; more information is available here. 

Otago anglers, beware!

Those intending to fish our northern neighbouring region’s high-country waters are reminded they do not open until the first Saturday in November, which is this Saturday, November 2.  

The Central South Island regulations can be found here.

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.

Here’s the weekend outlook:

Dunedin

Showers are forecast for Dunedin from Friday morning to Saturday evening, before clearing up. Fresh westerlies will shift to north-easterlies on Sunday, bringing overcast conditions. Given the expected rain, fishing the local lakes and dams might be the best option this weekend if the rivers rise.

The Taieri River at Outram was flowing at 56 cumecs. The water temperature was 11.8 degrees C.

Click here for live weather updates.

Wānaka

The forecast rain on Friday will likely raise the water levels of the rivers surrounding Wānaka by Saturday, when the weather is expected to clear. Sunday promises clear skies, with northerly winds developing in the evening. For anglers, spring creeks and quick-draining, forest-lined rivers might be the best options on Sunday. As always, exercise extreme caution when attempting river crossings.

Click here for live weather updates.

Alexandra

Like most regions, Alexandra is forecast to have rain showers on Friday and Saturday. Sunday is the pick of the weekend, with overcast conditions and light winds expected. Don’t forget to carry plenty of warm clothes if you’re heading up to the exposed dams like Poolburn or Manorburn, as temperatures are expected to drop into the low single digits.

Click here for live weather updates.

Clutha Regional Forecast

Heavy rain is forecast to fall around the lower Clutha on Friday, before easing to isolated showers on Saturday. Brisk westerlies will ensure that the air temperature remains in the early double digits. Sunday is the pick of the weekend, with overcast conditions and westerlies easing as the day progresses. Expect the Clutha River to still be carrying significant colour.

The Pomahaka River was flowing at 33 cumecs.

The lower Clutha River at Balclutha was flowing at 1080 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.