Mid Winter Options
There's a number of great fishing opportunities opening up in the Mackenzie Country over the winter these days. From the amazing lakes we enjoy on our doorstep, many of which are open all year round, to the hydro canals and more recently, the Upper Ohau River. For those anglers keen to try their luck in the coldest of months in NZ, you are spoilt for choice. The most important thing is to remember to dress for the conditions as it can be pretty inhospitable out there, especially if the action is a bit slow.
Upper Ohau River
This section of the river now opens on the 1st of September for this season and next at least. Fish and Game, along with Meridian Energy have been active in developing this fishery and spawning area, which represents one of the few places in the world where anglers can target some very large trout in a river situation. I've had a couple of goes over the past couple of seasons on both single and double handed rods, with some huge fish being the reward for some time spent out in the cold. 20 plus pound fish are not uncommon, but not necssarily easy to target, so maybe it's time you had a go!
2019 - 2020 Season
The season has filled up mostly for us over the winter, with only a few very limited spaces left to fill. However, with our Take Two package on offer still and a few people looking to team up with another angler to enjoy a week of fishing together, do drop us a line to take advantage of any spaces that are still left. Late season in particular is looking good, with a bit of space into April this year, when the mayflies are up and about and the fishing pressure is way down on the summer. The river and lake levels at this time of the season are very mangable and at great temperatures for the first of the spawning trout moving through the system.
Single anglers should contact us on willspry@xtra.co.nz to drop me a line to enquire about available dates and prices for the year, as well as anyone who is hoping to get over for a week or so.
