Backcountry trout from Queenstown and Wānaka
Sight fishing for big brown and rainbow trout in clear backcountry rivers, at the time of year the cicadas are on the water.
- Best months
- Jan–Mar
- Method
- Fly
- Fish
- Brown trout, Rainbow trout
- Group
- Just you, or you and one other, with your guide
Prices in AUD
- 3 days, 1 with a guidefrom $1,350
- 5 days, 2 with a guidefrom $2,500
No deposit. Nothing to pay until a guide confirms your dates.
Two ways to do it
3 days 1 with a guide
from $1,3505 days 2 with a guide
from $2,500The order of the days is set around the weather and the guide.
When to go
January to March. Cicadas usually come on in late January. In a dry summer they can be finishing by mid-February; in a wet one they peak later.
With a guide
A backcountry river, on foot
A full day walking a backcountry river with a guide, finding fish before you cast to them.
A second backcountry river
Another day on foot, on a different river from the first.
Waters the guides fish here
- The Greenstone and the Caples, out of Glenorchy
- The Matukituki and the Makarora, out of Wānaka
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 water a short walk from the road. Your plan names the spots, the flies and the time of day to be there.
- Moke Lake and Lake Kirkpatrick, off the Glenorchy road
- Diamond Lake, north of Glenorchy
- Deans Bank on the upper Clutha, fly only
- Lake Wānaka's bays, at first and last light, away from the closed water by the town wharf and marina
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, direct from Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and the Gold Coast
- Drive
- Glenorchy is about 45 minutes from Queenstown, and Wānaka a little over an hour over the Crown Range
- Base
- Queenstown, Glenorchy or Wānaka. Your shortlist says which suits your days.
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 day onto a remote backcountry river, or a booked stretch of the upper Greenstone, where angler numbers are capped in February and March. Those stretches can only be booked a few days ahead, so that one is never certain.
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
- The Greenstone and the Caples are designated waters, and so are the Wilkin and the Young off the Makarora. On top of a whole-season non-resident licence, you need a designated-waters licence from Fish & Game for each day you fish them; a one-day licence doesn't cover them.
- In February and March the upper Greenstone also needs a beat booked with Fish & Game Otago, in your name.
- On hot days lake trout go deep by mid-morning, so your plan puts you on the lakes early and late.
- The upper Clutha runs big and fast out of Lake Wānaka. It fishes best below 300 cumecs. Below the Hāwea River, dam releases can lift it within hours, so check the flow on the morning you fish.
- The roads to Diamond Lake and the Greenstone are gravel, with fords that flood in heavy rain.
- Felt-soled waders and boots are banned in New Zealand.
- The New Zealand sun burns fast. Cover up on long days on open water.
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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