Fishing in Southland

Southland sits at the bottom of New Zealand's South Island, a province of wide plains, deep fiords, and some of the country's most storied trout water.

The landscape shifts dramatically — from the pastoral flats of the east to the remote mountain systems of Fiordland in the west — and the fishing shifts with it.

Brown trout dominate, and the rivers here have a reputation that draws anglers from a long way off. The Mataura River is the anchor of the region.

It runs for around 140 kilometres through accessible farmland, and Fish & Game describe it as having the highest population and catch rate of brown trout of any river in New Zealand.

The fish aren't always large — locals talk of browns in the five-to-seven pound range, with the usual caveats — but they're numerous and they rise well. Dry fly fishing on the Mataura is the kind of thing people plan trips around.

The town of Gore sits on the river and takes its brown trout identity seriously enough to have put a monument to it in the town centre. The Ōreti River, further west, is another river worth time.

Lumsden is a natural base, and the upper Ōreti is managed as a designated waters fishery — check current rules with Fish & Game Southland before you go.

The Aparima and Waiau rivers round out the lowland options, each with their own character and access points across the plains. Fiordland is a different proposition entirely.

Lake Te Anau and Lake Manapouri are large, deep systems where boat fishing opens up water that bank anglers can't reach. The rivers feeding into them — the Eglinton, the Mararoa, the Hollyford — run through remote country and reward anglers prepared to walk.

The Clinton and Worsley fisheries operate as controlled fisheries with their own permit requirements through Fish & Game; these are limited-entry waters and worth planning well ahead for. Freshwater fishing in Southland requires a Fish & Game licence.

Overseas visitors need a non-resident licence. The licence doesn't grant land access — if you're crossing private farmland to reach a river, ask first.

Current bag limits, size limits, and season dates change annually, so check the Fish & Game Southland regulations before each trip rather than relying on what worked last season. The Mataura alone would justify a visit.

The rest of the region is a reason to stay longer.