Fly Fishing in New Zealand — the South Island
Large wild brown trout in water so clear you can count the stones: the Mataura and the rivers of Southland, the Greenstone above Queenstown, the lakes and rivers of Wanaka, the Mackenzie canals and the valleys around Murchison — the rules that govern them, and where to sleep.
Curated by Our Guild Explorers · Checked against Fish & Game New Zealand, 7 October 2026
New Zealand’s South Island is where many fly fishers go for the fish of a lifetime. The trout are not native — they came from Britain and California in the 1800s — but they took to the cold, clean rivers so well that a brown trout of five pounds is ordinary and one of ten is a real possibility. What makes it different from anywhere else is the way you fish: you walk the bank, you look, and you cast only when you have seen a fish. A good day may be a handful of shots. Each one counts.
This page covers the four parts of the South Island a visiting angler is most likely to fish from a town with hotels: Southland and the Mataura; Queenstown, Glenorchy and Wanaka; the Mackenzie Basin around Twizel; and the top of the South around Murchison, Motueka and Nelson. Everything below that is a rule, a date or a price was read on 7 October 2026 from Fish & Game New Zealand’s own Sports Fishing Regulations 2026/2027 and licence pages, from the Department of Conservation, and from Biosecurity New Zealand. Where we could not confirm something, we say so and send you to them.
Book it. Then fish it.
Destinations Guild is a travel reservation site as well as a fishing library. Every water on this page has a town beside it, and every town has a button. Each button is pinned to that town on Trip.com — we checked that Trip.com places every one in New Zealand — so it opens a list of hotels in the right place, not a search by name.
Rooms are booked through our partner Trip.com. Destinations Guild earns a small commission when you book, at no extra cost to you. Vacation-home buttons for these towns are coming.
The season — 1 October to 30 April, with exceptions worth knowing
The southern spring, summer and autumn. A northern angler leaves home in the cold and fishes in the warm.
Most rivers open on 1 October and close on 30 April
Across the South Island the default river season is 1 October to 30 April. The exceptions a visitor is most likely to meet: several of Otago’s backcountry rivers, including the Greenstone and Caples, open a month later, on 1 November, and run to 31 May; the Ahuriri in the Mackenzie opens on the first Saturday in November; and the big lakes, the Mackenzie hydro canals and the lower reaches of many rivers are open all year.
The best months, plainly. November and December bring settled water and fish that have not seen a fly in months. January to March is the heart of the summer: long days, terrestrial insects on the water, and the busiest time for guides and lodges — book early. April is cooler, quieter and often lovely. In winter, the year-round waters — the canals, the lakes, the lower Clutha — keep a few guides busy.
Confirmed with Fish & Game New Zealand, 7 October 2026 — Sports Fishing Regulations 2026/2027: the Southland default is “1 Oct – 30 April” with a daily bag of 2; the Otago default “1 Oct – 30 Apr”, bag 2; Central South Island “1 Oct – 30 Apr”, 2 trout and 2 salmon; Nelson/Marlborough “1 Oct – 30 Apr”, where “the daily bag limit permits the taking of two fish, although only one fish may exceed 500mm in length”. Every water has its own line in the regulations, and the line for your river is the one that counts. Check it before you fish.
Southland and the Mataura
Farmland, willows and famous rises of mayfly, an hour or two from Queenstown and Invercargill.
The Mataura River, around Gore
The Mataura runs south through open Southland farm country to the sea, and the town of Gore, halfway down it, calls itself the brown trout capital of the world. It is a lowland river: easy to reach, wadeable in many places, and best known for its hatches of mayfly, when fish rise in numbers that are unusual for New Zealand. It is the gentlest introduction to South Island fishing, and the place to learn to spot fish before you pay for a helicopter.
What to expect. Wading and walking the banks for brown trout, with dry flies and nymphs. On the right afternoon, a river full of rising fish; on the wrong one, a long walk in the wind. A local guide earns his fee here by knowing which reach to be on.
Flies. We have not yet worked through a Mataura hatch calendar with local guides, and we will not invent one. Ask your guide, or the tackle shop in Gore, what is hatching the week you go.
Confirmed with Fish & Game New Zealand, 7 October 2026 — Southland regulations 2026/2027, Mataura River: upstream of Gore Bridge “1 Oct – 30 April”, fly, spinner or bait, bag 2; Gore Bridge to Mataura Island Bridge “1 Oct – 31 May, excluding 1 and 2 May 2027”, bag 2; Mataura Island Bridge to the sea “All year, excluding 1 and 2 May 2027”, bag 2. “There are no minimum or maximum lengths for sports fish in Southland region.”
The upper Oreti — a Designated Water
The Oreti rises in the tussock hills above Mossburn and is one of Southland’s best-known sight-fishing rivers. Its upper reaches are a Designated Water, which means a visitor needs a separate day licence to fish them (see Licences & rules), and the rules are tighter than downstream.
Confirmed with Fish & Game New Zealand, 7 October 2026 — “Oreti River and tributaries upstream of State Highway 97 Bridge near Mossburn”: “1 Oct – 30 Apr”, fly and spinner only, daily bag 1. It is the only Designated Water in the Southland regulations.
The Waiau, below Lake Te Anau
The upper Waiau runs out of Lake Te Anau towards Lake Manapouri, on the edge of Fiordland National Park, and holds both rainbow and brown trout. Much of it is reached by boat; a Te Anau operator runs guided days on it by jet boat. Te Anau itself is the gateway to Milford Sound, which makes it the right base when the fishing is half of a wider holiday.
Checked with Fish & Game New Zealand, 7 October 2026 — we have not quoted the Waiau’s own line from the Southland regulations here. Read it in the regulations, or ask your guide, before you fish.
Queenstown, Glenorchy and Wanaka
The busiest corner of the South Island, with an international airport — and backcountry rivers an hour from the hotels.
The Greenstone and the Caples, above Lake Wakatipu
From Glenorchy, at the head of Lake Wakatipu, two beech-forested valleys run west into the mountains: the Greenstone and the Caples. Both are clear, fly-only backcountry rivers fished on foot, for brown and rainbow trout that are few in number, large, and very easily frightened. The Greenstone Track and the Caples Track follow them, with Department of Conservation huts along the way, so they can be walked over several days as well as fished for one.
What to expect. A lot of walking and a few chances, every one of them at a fish you have watched for minutes before you cast. This is sight-fishing at its purest, and it rewards a guide — and quiet feet.
Confirmed with Fish & Game New Zealand, 7 October 2026 — Otago regulations 2026/2027: “Greenstone River and tributaries, including the Caples River, between the swing bridge at the Greenstone Station Road car park and the outlet of Lake McKellar” — “1 Nov – 31 May”, fly only, bag 1; “Caples River and tributaries” — “1 Nov – 31 May”, fly only, bag 1. A further stretch, “between the confluence of Sly Burn and the outlet of Lake McKellar”, carries its own controlled period, “1 Feb – 31 Mar”. Both rivers are on Otago’s list of Designated Waters, where “Only single-point hooks may be used, and a lure (including flies) may not have more than one hook attached.” The controlled period has its own booking rules. Check with Fish & Game Otago before you plan a February or March trip.
Wanaka: the Clutha, the Makarora and the Matukituki
Wanaka sits where the Clutha, New Zealand’s largest river by volume, leaves Lake Wanaka. The upper Clutha is big, fast water with brown and rainbow trout and a fly-only stretch just below the lake, Deans Bank, popular with locals in the evenings. North of the lake the Makarora comes down from the Haast Pass, and to the west the Matukituki runs out of Mount Aspiring National Park. Lake Wanaka, Lake Hawea and Lake Wakatipu are all open all year.
What to expect. A mix that suits a family holiday: lake and big-river fishing near town, and backcountry days up the valleys. Several of the backcountry tributaries north of the lakes — the Hunter, the Wilkin and the Young — are Designated Waters.
Confirmed with Fish & Game New Zealand, 7 October 2026 — Otago regulations 2026/2027: Clutha River/Mata-Au, “Lake Wānaka Outlet to Roxburgh Dam (excluding Deans Bank section)” — “All year”, fly, spinner or bait; “Deans Bank section” — “1 Oct – 31 May”, fly only. “Makarora River and tributaries” — “1 Nov – 31 May”, fly and spinner, bag 1. Matukituki “and tributaries above Glenfinnan Stream confluence” — “1 Nov – 31 May”, fly and spinner, bag 1. Otago’s Designated Waters: the Caples, Dingle Burn, Greenstone, Hunter, Lochy, Nevis, Pomahaka (upper river), Wilkin and Young. Lake bag limits differ by lake and species, and parts of Queenstown Bay and the Wanaka launch area are closed. Read the lake’s own line before you fish.
The Mackenzie Basin — the canals and the Ahuriri
Tussock country under Aoraki/Mount Cook, and the most unusual trophy fishery in the country.
The hydro canals around Twizel and Tekapo
The Mackenzie’s hydro-electric scheme carries glacier water between the lakes in long, man-made canals, and rainbow and brown trout have grown very large in them — partly, it is said, on feed escaping from the salmon farms that use the same water. It is not pretty fishing in the classic sense, and it is not quiet, but it is where many of New Zealand’s heaviest trout are caught each year, and it is fishable in winter when the rivers are shut.
What to expect. Deep, steady water, heavy tippets, and days spent along the banks with other anglers in sight. Guides out of Twizel know where the fish hold and what they are eating.
Confirmed with Fish & Game New Zealand, 7 October 2026 — Central South Island regulations 2026/2027: Tekapo Canal upstream of the SH8 bridge “1 Oct – 31 May and 1 – 30 Sep”, downstream “All year”; the Pūkaki–Ōhau A Canal, the Ōhau Canal and the Ōhau B and C canals “All year”; all fly, spinner or bait, “2 sports fish” a day.
The Ahuriri River
The Ahuriri runs out of the mountains past Omarama through a wide tussock valley — a classic South Island sight-fishing river, for brown and rainbow trout, opening later than most so that the spawned fish can recover. It is about half an hour from Twizel.
Confirmed with Fish & Game New Zealand, 7 October 2026 — “Ahuriri River and tributaries”: “1st Saturday Nov – 30 Apr”, fly and spinner only; upstream of and including Longslip Creek, 2 trout and 2 salmon a day; downstream, 4 trout and 2 salmon. We did not find the Ahuriri among the Designated Waters.
Murchison, Motueka and Nelson — the top of the South
More rivers within an hour’s drive than anywhere else in the country, and some of the most famous lodges.
The Buller, the Matakitaki and the rivers around Murchison
Murchison is a small town where several river valleys meet: the Buller runs through it on its way to the West Coast, and the Matakitaki, the Mangles, the Owen, the Glenroy and others come in from the hills. It is a brown trout country of clear, bouldery rivers, fished by walking and spotting, with a backcountry river in every direction. Several fishing lodges are based here for exactly that reason.
Confirmed with Fish & Game New Zealand, 7 October 2026 — Nelson/Marlborough regulations 2026/2027: the Buller upstream of Gowan Bridge is fly and spinner only, 1 October to 30 April; downstream, all methods, all year. The Matakitaki “and tributaries upstream from Horse Terrace bridge” is a Designated Water, as are the Travers above Lake Rotoiti and the upper Wairau above Six Mile Creek. Bag: two fish, “although only one fish may exceed 500mm in length”.
The Motueka
The Motueka runs north through a valley of orchards and hop gardens to Tasman Bay. It is known for holding a lot of wild brown trout, it is easy to reach from the road, and it is a good river for a first day. Nelson, with its airport, beaches and wineries, is under an hour away.
Confirmed with Fish & Game New Zealand, 7 October 2026 — “Motueka River upstream of Baton Bridge at Woodstock”: “1 Oct – 30 Apr”, fly and spinner only, bag 2. Downstream, fly, spinner and bait all year.
The Karamea, over the hill on the West Coast
The upper Karamea, deep in Kahurangi National Park, is a true wilderness river, reached on foot over several days or by helicopter. It is in the West Coast Fish & Game region, not Nelson’s, and its upper reaches are a Designated Water.
Confirmed with Fish & Game New Zealand, 7 October 2026 — West Coast regulations 2026/2027: Karamea River upstream of the Kakapo confluence is a Designated Water, “1 Oct – 30 Apr”, bag 2 brown and 2 rainbow.
Licences and rules, plainly
One licence for most of the country, an extra day licence for a few special rivers, and a country that takes the cleanliness of its rivers very seriously.
The Non-Resident Licence
Everyone who fishes needs a licence, at any age. If you do not normally live in New Zealand you need Fish & Game’s Non-Resident Licence, bought online before you go. It covers every Fish & Game region — the whole South Island — but not the Taupō fishery on the North Island, which needs its own licence from the Department of Conservation.
Confirmed with Fish & Game New Zealand, 7 October 2026 — a non-resident is “a person who, on October 1, is NOT ordinarily a resident in New Zealand”. “The NRL Whole Season Licence for adults costs $273, NRLs for juniors (12-17) and children (under 12) cost $52.” “…you can buy a One Day Non-Resident Licence for $39 (Adult), or $24 for a junior or child.” Whole-season licences are valid “1 October to 30 September”. “Fishing licences are non-refundable.” Prices are in New Zealand dollars. The licence page did not name the season these prices are for. Check the price when you buy. DOC, for Taupō: “Licences are for the Lake Taupō district only and do not cover Fish & Game areas.”
Designated Waters — the extra day licence
A small number of the most popular backcountry rivers are Designated Waters. On this page those are the Greenstone and Caples, the Hunter, Wilkin and Young, the upper Oreti, the Matakitaki, the Travers, the upper Wairau and the upper Karamea. To fish one you need a whole-season Non-Resident Licence and a Designated Waters day licence for each day you fish it. A one-day licence will not do.
Confirmed with Fish & Game New Zealand, 7 October 2026 — Designated Waters Licence page: non-residents buy a “Designated Waters Day Licence on the day/s they want to go fishing” at “$40 per day”; these are “for one calendar day rather than a 24-hour period”; and non-residents may “purchase a maximum of five (5) Designated Waters Day licences for each Fish & Game region.” Non-Resident Licence page: “This One Day NRL does not allow you to fish in a Designated Waters Fishery.” Fish & Game’s Non-Resident page words the same fee as “$40 per region”. The two pages disagree; the Designated Waters page is the detailed one, and the shop will show the true charge. Fishing with the wrong licence is treated as fishing with none.
No felt soles. Check, Clean, Dry. Declare your gear.
Felt-soled wading boots are banned in New Zealand when fishing. Pack rubber soles. Between rivers, check your gear for weed, clean it and let it dry — the invasive alga didymo is already in some South Island rivers, and anglers are the easiest way for it to reach the rest.
At the airport, declare your waders, boots, nets and rods on the arrival card. Biosecurity officers will inspect them and may clean them. Declaring costs you nothing. Not declaring can cost you an instant fine.
Confirmed with Fish & Game New Zealand and Biosecurity New Zealand, 7 October 2026 — Fish & Game regulations 2026/2027: “No person shall fish for sports fish by using felt-soled waders or footwear incorporating or having attached a sole of felted, matted or woven fibrous material”; “CHECK, CLEAN and DRY all your gear before entering another river or lake anywhere in New Zealand.” Biosecurity New Zealand (Ministry for Primary Industries): declare “Equipment used with animals, plants or water – including for gardening, beekeeping, fishing, water sport or diving activities” and “Items that have been used for outdoor or farming activities – including any footwear”; “The penalty for a false declaration is an NZD$400 infringement fee – commonly called an instant fine.”
National parks and DOC land
Many of the best rivers — the upper Karamea, the Matukituki, the Greenstone’s headwaters, the rivers of Fiordland — run through national parks and conservation land run by the Department of Conservation. Your Fish & Game licence is what lets you fish there; DOC runs the tracks and huts you will use to reach them, and huts on the popular tracks are booked through DOC.
Checked with DOC, 7 October 2026 — we did not find a separate DOC fishing permit for South Island national parks. Check DOC’s page for the track or park before you go, especially for hut bookings and helicopter landing rules.
Outfitters and lodges we have checked
Seven, each opened on its own website on 7 October 2026. We list what they do, not how good they are — we do not copy ratings.
Fly Fish Mataura — Gore, Southland
A Gore-based guide, Barry Perkins, fishing the Mataura with dry flies and nymphs for wild brown trout, and by his own site more than 25 other rivers and streams within an hour of the town. flyfishmataura.co.nz
Fishjet NZ — Te Anau, Fiordland
Guided fly and spin fishing on the upper Waiau River between Lake Te Anau and Lake Manapouri, reached by jet boat, for wild rainbow and brown trout; a good fit when not everyone in the party is an expert. fishjetnz.com
Fly Fishing Expeditions — Queenstown
Owner and head guide Gavin McAuliffe runs Queenstown day trips, Southland and road-trip expeditions and helicopter fishing across the lower third of the South Island, for wild trout in clear rivers. flyfishingexpeditions.co.nz
Aspiring Fly Fishing — Wanaka
Guide Paul Macandrew, a member of the New Zealand Professional Fishing Guides Association, runs half-day, full-day, multi-day and helicopter trips and tuition from Wanaka, ranging to Queenstown, Te Anau, Westland, Twizel and Tekapo, including winter fishing on waters open all year. aspiringflyfishing.co.nz
NZ Trout Adventures — Twizel, Mackenzie Basin
Guide Anton Donaldson, a member of the New Zealand Professional Fishing Guides Association, offers tailored fly-fishing trips from Twizel — backcountry, lowland streams and heli-fishing — with accommodation and sightseeing packages. nztroutadventures.com
Owen River Lodge — Murchison
An all-inclusive fishing lodge for twelve guests in riverside cottages in the Owen valley, guiding on some 29 rivers and streams within 90 minutes across three Fish & Game regions, for brown trout; its published 2026-27 season runs 10 October to 20 April. Run by Eleven Experience, whose page we opened. elevenexperience.com — Owen River Lodge
Stonefly Lodge — Motueka valley, Nelson
A small, family-owned lodge of four suites on 140 acres in the Motueka valley, about 50 minutes from Nelson airport, with fly fishing on the Motueka and nearby rivers from October to April. stoneflylodge.co.nz
Not listed, because we could not open a working website of their own on the day: several well-known guides in Queenstown and Twizel and on the West Coast. We will add them when we can check them properly. Most good South Island guides are members of the New Zealand Professional Fishing Guides Association, and many are booked up months ahead for January to March.
Where to base yourself
Eight towns, each pinned to the right place on Trip.com.
The towns that serve each water
For the Mataura: Gore, a farming town on the river, with motels and guides.
For the Waiau and Fiordland: Te Anau, on the lake, with every kind of room and Milford Sound up the road.
For the Greenstone and Caples: Queenstown, with the international airport and the widest choice of hotels in the south. Glenorchy, 45 minutes up the lake, is closer to the rivers and much quieter.
For the Clutha, Makarora and Matukituki: Wanaka, an hour from Queenstown airport, smaller and calmer than Queenstown.
For the canals and the Ahuriri: Twizel, a small town built for the hydro scheme, now a base for fishing, cycling and Aoraki/Mount Cook.
For the rivers of the top of the South: Murchison for the Buller and the backcountry, Motueka for the Motueka valley, and Nelson for the airport and a city’s worth of hotels.
Booking each town. Each button on this page is pinned to its town on Trip.com, and we checked that Trip.com places every one of them in New Zealand — there is more than one Nelson and more than one Gore in the world. Many anglers in Murchison and the Motueka valley stay at a full-board lodge instead; those are booked directly with the lodge.
Questions
When is the trout season in the South Island?
For most rivers, 1 October to 30 April. The Greenstone, Caples, Makarora and Matukituki in Otago open on 1 November and run to 31 May; the Ahuriri opens on the first Saturday of November; and the big lakes, the Mackenzie canals and the lower reaches of many rivers are open all year. Those dates are from Fish & Game’s 2026/2027 regulations.
What licence does a visitor need?
Fish & Game’s Non-Resident Licence. On 7 October 2026 Fish & Game listed the adult whole-season licence at NZ$273 and the adult one-day licence at NZ$39. It covers the whole South Island but not the Taupō fishery on the North Island, which needs a DOC licence.
What is a Designated Waters licence?
An extra day licence for a few popular backcountry rivers, including the Greenstone and Caples, the upper Oreti, the Matakitaki and the upper Karamea. Non-residents need a whole-season licence first, then a Designated Waters day licence for each day — NZ$40 a day on Fish & Game’s Designated Waters page, at most five days per region. A one-day licence does not cover them.
Can I wear felt-soled wading boots?
No. Felt soles are banned when fishing in New Zealand. Check, Clean and Dry your gear between rivers, and declare your waders, boots and fishing gear when you land — Biosecurity New Zealand’s instant fine for a false declaration is NZD$400.
Where should I base myself?
Gore or Te Anau for Southland; Queenstown or Glenorchy for the Greenstone and Caples; Wanaka for the Clutha, Makarora and Matukituki; Twizel for the canals and the Ahuriri; Murchison, Motueka or Nelson for the top of the South.
What we have not checked, and will not pretend to have
The part of a fishing page most sites leave out.
Four honest gaps
No hatch calendar. Our main fly fishing book carries month-by-month hatches for the American waters because they were worked through river by river. New Zealand has not had that work done yet, so we have left it out rather than guess.
Licence prices. Fish & Game’s licence pages listed the prices above on the day we checked but did not say which season they belong to, and its two pages word the Designated Waters fee differently. Check both when you buy.
No photographs yet. We use only freely licensed photographs whose licence and author we have confirmed. We could not complete that check today, so this page carries none rather than one we are unsure of.
More of New Zealand to come. The North Island — Lake Taupō and the Tongariro, Rotorua’s lakes — the West Coast’s rivers and lakes, and the North Canterbury backcountry deserve their own entries. They will follow at the same standard.