It is hard to imagine hooking into a ‘slug’ of a trout weighing 18kg, but such fish are being caught in one special place in the South Island.

Recent large flows of water from Lake Ohau into the Ohau A Canal have attracted some huge rainbow trout into the waterway, especially the area just downstream from the control gates at the southern end of Lake Ohau. 

In what has become one of the most exciting trout fisheries in New Zealand, rainbows of up to 18 kilograms have been taken on a range of gear, including flies drifted down the current with lead weights and Glo-bugs drifted off the Ohau A Canal wall. Dead-drifting soft-baits down the current and then letting them swing has also been effective. 

Many of the rainbows are well proportioned and fight extremely hard in the heavy current. 

The canals fish best when there are big flows, which often coincide with sudden cold weather snaps as demand for electricity increases and more water passes through the turbines and is released into the canals. When flows decline, the fishing tends to become harder. 

The Mackenzie Canals remain open all year round and are now the most popular trout fishery in the South Island, attracting thousands of local and visiting anglers every year. The brown and rainbow trout can spawn naturally in the canals along the stony edges, which have cold, flowing water and stones, providing a good spawning habitat. 

The canal fisheries have also led to a seasonal tourist boom in Twizel, which makes an ideal base for exploring the canals. 

A load of rubbish!

While there is an increased volume of anglers passing along the canals, locals are requesting that anglers make a point of removing all their rubbish and debris, as there has been a noticeable increase in the amount of trash left along the banks.

There are private road signs at all the entry points stating the roads are owned by Meridian Energy, so if the situation doesn’t improve, it wouldn’t be hard for them to install gates. Let’s not run the risk of losing easy access to the truly amazing fishing opportunities offered here!