Fishing the Pomahaka River

Greg Morton shares his experience fishing the Pomahaka River...

The Pomahaka River of South West Otago is a big river. It starts its 125-kilometre journey in the Umbrella Mountains, and then it wends its snakelike way through fertile farmland until discharging into the Clutha River below Clydevale.

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The headwaters are famous for well-spaced out trophy brown trout; the middle reaches have reasonable numbers of moderate-sized trout, while the lower reaches hold numerous fish (but they are smaller on average). In the lower reaches, I have also caught rainbow trout and perch.

It is a river whose water health over the years has suffered from its proximity to intensive farming practices, but local farmers (Pomahaka Water Care Group) have taken it on their shoulders in recent years to try and return it to its past glory. This involves implementing better waterway management tactics, fencing off of the river and creeks, planting of vegetation, public education, work days and student input. Those involved deserve a bouquet.

The Pomahaka is a moody river, with dark water and a history of devastating floods. After a big rain dump, farm debris and uprooted trees litter the riverbanks. During the heat of summer, it withers away and changes into a low, weedy river that winds slowly along.

It has an excellent angling history, so I enjoy fishing here as much as possible. It suits spin fishing, and I have often achieved my bag limit over the years. I release all of them as the high duck and geese population means there are better places to take trout for the table. They are powerful fighting fish.

Two other fish types visit the Pomahaka for a short spawning visit. These strangers are salmon and sea-run brown trout. They appear in the Pomahaka for one reason: being in a strange environment is wary and elusive. I have never experienced any salmon action but recently found myself attached to a salty brown trout stranger in the neighbourhood.

Sea-run brown trout are trout that live mainly in estuaries and inshore waters chasing whitebait, smelt and bully, crabs, and other native fish. They are ambush predators who chase their prey and strike hard in a splashy swirl. Silvery in colour, they grow fast on their fishy diet and can exceed the 4.5kg trophy mark. Dawn, dusk and night are their primary killing time. Then in late summer, the urge comes upon them to start heading for their spawning grounds which in the case of the individual fish I encountered was up the Clutha River then turn left into the Pomahaka.

The encounter date was January 26, and I had an appointment in Dunedin just after lunchtime. On a whim I had chucked my spinning rod and fishing bag in the back of the truck as once the appointment was over I was heading back to Alexandra and there might be time for a homeward-bound fishing session. That was the case, so I did a loop detour past the Pomahaka River. At 3.30pm, I was fishing in 27-degree weather. The river was low, reflecting the big dry that was affecting Otago, so my selected spot was selected because there was some shade under the trees. I gave myself two hours of fishing time before continuing my trip south.

My first two spinners, a white and brown Mepps were ignored, so I tied on the third Mepps colour I had with me. It was gold, and immediately it stirred the local fish into action. First cast it was whacked, but no hook-up then nipped again in the following cast. That fish was getting spooky, so I took a few steps downstream and then started casting again. I plopped the spinner behind a drowned tree and was instantly hooked up. It was no monster but like most Pommie trout gave a spirited fight.

Next cast into the same spot his mate hooked up, and the fight was once more vigorous. Both weighed about 750 grams and were quickly released. I headed further downstream and was disappointed that floods destroyed some of my favourite water. Debris littered the bank, and deep water had been turned into shallow, weedy glides. I contemplated heading back to the truck, but right at the head of the run, there was one section of slightly deeper water, so I decided to fish there first. The weed here was slightly lighter, so I waded out a bit and began casting.

First cast, I caught a small trout, then two casts later, his twin. At least fish were there, so I persevered. Then my spinner just stopped, and when I tightened up, there was a pulsing weight on the other end. Unlike the searing runs of the resident fish, this one just gripped the bottom like a magnet. It was so hard lifting him that I thought I must have him wrapped in the weed and actually had to brace my rod with my spare hand. He steadily started swimming upriver, and I was struggling to turn him. The battle continued for some time, but gradually he turned back towards me, and soon after, I was able to slide him into the bank. The slow current and limited oxygen in the water helped me here. There was no weed on the line, so his strength was all due to his top condition.

I had no net, so I had to photograph him quickly on the bank. The big jack had a massive head made for killing fish. His sea-run silver colour was darker now, and many dark spots covered his frame. I had no scales, but I estimate he was at least 3.5g, probably more. I removed the hooks and released the big boy to continue his spawning run. I headed home with one item off the bucket list.

A big Pomahaka River sea-run brown.