Wild brown trout on New Zealand's West Coast
Walking clear rivers for wild browns, in the rivers that feed Lake Brunner and up the Grey Valley.
- Best months
- Dec–Mar
- Method
- Fly
- Fish
- Brown trout
- Group
- Just you, or you and one other, with your guide
Prices in AUD
- 3 days, 1 with a guidefrom $1,050
- 5 days, 2 with a guidefrom $1,900
No deposit. Nothing to pay until a guide confirms your dates.
Two ways to do it
3 days 1 with a guide
from $1,0505 days 2 with a guide
from $1,900The order of the days is set around the weather and the guide.
When to go
December to March, when the insects are up. Cicada season brings the big browns to the surface.
With a guide
A clear river on foot
A full day walking with a guide and stalking trout in clear water.
A second river, hunted on foot
A day walking upstream with a guide who works the Coast, spotting single fish before you cast.
Waters the guides fish here
- The rivers that feed Lake Brunner
- The Grey Valley rivers
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 lake shores and rivers with public access. Where a river leaves the road, you ask the landowner. The rivers rise fast after rain, so your plan names what to fish when they do.
- The shores and inflows of Lake Brunner
- The Hokitika River's lower and middle reaches, off Kokatahi Road
- The Grey River above Greymouth
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
- Christchurch, then over the Southern Alps by car or train; or a domestic flight to Hokitika
- Drive
- Allow about 3.5 hours from Christchurch to Greymouth
- Base
- Moana on Lake Brunner, Greymouth or Hokitika
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 into South Westland's backcountry rivers with a guide, who picks the rivers on the day and arranges the landing permits.
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 West Coast is the wettest place in New Zealand. Rivers rise and colour quickly after rain, so your guide picks water that's still fishing.
- A long dry spell leaves rivers low and clear, and the fishing gets harder.
- You need a Fish & Game non-resident licence: a one-day licence for each day you fish, or a whole-season one. On the Coast only the upper Karamea and Mokihinui also need a designated-waters licence, and a one-day licence doesn't cover them.
- Felt-soled waders and boots are banned in New Zealand. Check, clean and dry your gear between rivers.
- If you're not sure a river is safe to cross, don't cross it.
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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