Big trout in the Mackenzie canals and high country
Sight fishing the edges of the hydro canals for very large trout when the water runs clear, with a day on a braided high-country river.
- Best months
- Dec–Feb
- Method
- Fly and lure
- Fish
- Rainbow trout, Brown trout
- Group
- Just you, or you and one other, with your guide
Prices in AUD
- 3 days, 1 with a guidefrom $1,400
- 5 days, 2 with a guidefrom $2,600
No deposit. Nothing to pay until a guide confirms your dates.
Two ways to do it
3 days 1 with a guide
from $1,4005 days 2 with a guide
from $2,600The order of the days is set around the weather and the guide.
When to go
December to February, the main summer season on the canals and the rivers. On clear days, big fish cruise the canal edges where you can spot them. The canals fish all year, and their biggest fish gather at the canal heads from late autumn into spring.
With a guide
A canal day for the big fish
A full day on the canals with a guide who knows where the big ones sit, sight fishing the edges when the water is clear.
A high-country river
A day walking and wading one of the braided rivers.
Waters the guides fish here
- The Tekapo, Pūkaki and Ōhau canals
- The Tekapo River
The shorter trip has one of these days, chosen with you. Which water you fish depends on the season, the flows and the weather that week, so your guide picks it close to the day.
On your own
Your days on your own are on the canals, with a road along their length. Your plan covers the spots, rigs that fit the local rules, and where the safety barriers are.
- The Tekapo canal
- The Pūkaki canal
- The Ōhau canals
Your plan picks from these for your dates and the conditions that week, and comes with the trip. See a sample plan, from our trip to Tasmania's Central Highlands.
Getting there and where to stay
- Fly into
- Queenstown or Christchurch, both direct from Australia
- Drive
- Twizel is about 2.5 hours from Queenstown and 3.5 from Christchurch
- Base
- Twizel, central to all three canals
We send you a shortlist of places to stay near the water. You book the one you want, so the room, the price and the cancellation terms stay in your hands.
Ask about the best water
A helicopter into a backcountry Mackenzie river, or a river reached across a high-country station, where the landowner gives permission.
You can ask for it on the form’s next step. It costs extra, and it depends on the guide, the landowner and the weather, so we can’t promise it.
Before you go
- Christmas and January are the busiest time on the canals.
- The canals are very deep and swift, and their flow changes with the power stations. Take care on the edges.
- No camping on the canals, and that includes campervans and sleeping in your car. It's enforced.
- Felt-soled waders and boots are banned in New Zealand. Check, clean and dry your gear between the canals and the rivers.
- The canals belong to the power scheme. Keep out of fenced areas: ignoring the barriers can cost everyone access.
- Some river access is on rough gravel that needs a high-clearance 4WD.
- The basin is open and treeless, and the sun is strong. Cover up.
- A Fish & Game licence is required. Your plan says which one.
How it works
- Tell us your dates. It’s free, with no deposit.
- If you like, tell us how much you’ve fished and what you’re after: one big fish, plenty of them, or a day of learning.
- We ask the local guides on this water which of them are free on your dates, and choose the one who suits what you told us.
- We send you their name, what their day includes (hours, gear, lunch, where you meet), a shortlist of places to stay and one price for the trip. With it comes our view on your dates: where they sit in the season, and whether another week would fish better. If the price or the dates don’t suit you, say no; nothing is charged.
- To book it, you pay that price once. Then you get your day-by-day plan, and book your bed and car. Ask us anything about the plan before you go. In the week before, we check the water and the forecast, and send you any changes.
If your guide can’t make it, we find another or refund that day. Paying, cancelling, the weather and bringing someone are covered below.
Questions
When do I pay?
It costs nothing to send a request. When a guide confirms your dates, we send you one price for the trip. Pay it once, in full, and the trip is booked. Say no and nothing is charged.
Can the price change after I’ve paid?
No. Once you’ve paid, the price is fixed, even if the guide’s rate goes up before you go. It’s in Australian dollars, and if the New Zealand dollar moves, that’s ours to carry.
What happens before I go?
Once you’ve paid, your plan arrives. Until your first day you can ask us anything about it. In the week before, we check the water levels, the forecast and any closures or fire bans, and send you changes to the plan if the water needs them.
What if I need to cancel?
Cancel 30 days or more before your first day and we refund it in full. From 14 to 29 days before, we refund half. Closer than 14 days we can’t refund it, because the guide has kept those days for you. If the guide can move your dates instead, we move them at no charge.
What if the weather turns?
Your guide decides whether the water is safe and worth fishing. If they call a guided day off for flood, high wind, fire danger or a closure, we move it to another day of your trip, or refund that day’s share of the price if it can’t move. Rain on its own doesn’t call a day off. For your days on your own, your plan names backup water for high rivers or wind, where the area has some.
What if my guide can’t make it?
If your guide is ill, injured or has an emergency, we look for another local guide for the same day. If none is free, we refund that day’s share of the price.
What if no guide is free on my dates?
Then nothing is booked and nothing is charged. We tell you, and suggest dates when a guide is free, or another trip that suits.
Can someone come with me?
Yes, on request. Choose 2 or 3+ under Anglers when you send a request, and with three or more, say how many on the next step. The price for everyone comes with your confirmation, before anything is paid. Guides on foot take one or two anglers as a rule, so three or more usually means a second guide on the same water.
Do I need to have fished before?
No. Tell us on the next step how much you’ve fished and what you want to learn, and we’ll choose a guide who teaches. If this water is a hard place to start, we’ll say so and suggest one that suits you better.
Will I catch fish?
Nobody can promise that. What we can do, before you pay, is tell you how your dates sit in the season, what the fish are usually doing then, and whether a different week would give you a better chance.
What about flights and accommodation?
You book your flights, car and bed yourself, so their prices and cancellation terms are yours. If you cancel the trip, those bookings follow their own terms, so travel insurance that covers cancellation is worth having.
The full terms are in Booking a trip.
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