The trophy trout are just one of many things Mainland contributor Peter Langlands loves about Twizel. He shares a few tips for any anglers lucky enough to make this small town their next holiday destination.

Twizel lies in the heart of the Mackenzie Country in the South Island. It is a township of several thousand people and surrounded by a wealth of both natural and artificial waterways set in stunning alpine scenery. It also offers some of the best trout and salmon fishing opportunities in New Zealand – year-round!

The region also has very good roading access and there are a lot of opportunities to explore the area by mountain bike, 4WD and boat. From an angling perspective, it is the stability of the high-country environment which means that, even when extreme weather events take place, you will often find somewhere near Twizel in the Mackenzie to go fishing. This relatively settled weather is due to the Mackenzie sitting in a basin surrounded by an amphitheatre of spectacular mountains. So, let’s look at some key fishing options and a few insider tips to make your fishing trip to Twizel a successful one.

Canal fishing base

Firstly, Twizel is an ideal base for canal fishing. The most productive canal, Ohau C, which lies between Twizel and Lake Benmore, is only five minutes away. The salmon farms on Ohau C have rapidly expanded in recent years and, accordingly, the productivity of the canal has also increased. Farm escaped salmon between 1-5 kilograms are often caught, but it is the big rainbow trout that are the draw card. Egg rolling is effective year-round on these trout, and nymph patterns can also draw a bite. The key with the egg rolling/drift technique is to use small sinkers to place your flies very close to the bottom where the fish sit for most of the time, and then walk down the canal with the drift at the same speed the current is flowing. When the canals are flowing hard with current, there is no doubt that fishing the drift (egg rolling) is the most consistent day time method for catching big fish.

Staying at Twizel also makes it easy to head out for a night fishing session, which is a great time to catch some XOS brown trout in the Ohau C Canal. Working dark paddle tail lures is effective but keep the retrieve speed very slow as a lure quickly darting in the current is often ignored by the wily canal fish. Fishing large marabou flies on a sinking line can also work.

Boating option

Lake Ruataniwha is a good boating option and is immediately south of Twizel. The lake has the Ohau B Canal current and Ohau River currents flowing through it, and is connected to many salmon farms, so there has been a dramatic increase in the average size of trout in the lake in recent years.

Farm escaped salmon are also often caught here. Trolling deep and slow in the lake can be very effective at both the inflow and outflow of Lake Ruataniwha. A series of embayments at the northwest end of the lake also offer good shoreline fishing and a sheltered spot when the northwest wind cranks up. Ruataniwha is a top lake for a range of family boating activities, but you can also have a lot of fun exploring the lake’s shoreline fishing opportunities with a kayak.

Farm escaped salmon are often caught in Lake Ruataniwha.

Benmore a hot spot

At the end of the Ohau Canal system is Lake Benmore which undoubtedly is one of the most productive trout fishing lakes in the South Island. The lake has a very healthy population of brown and rainbow trout, and no doubt the extra nutrients pushed through by the Ohau C Canal system and its associated salmon farm aids this. Lake Benmore’s Haldon Arm is only 15 minutes’ drive from Twizel, and you can easily spend a day exploring the lake, which also has some islands at its southern end. Drifting along the shoreline and working the edges with soft-baits is a very effective way of fishing Lake Benmore. Trolling also works but keep your trolling speed very slow as many people tend to go too fast (I prefer a trolling speed that is around walking pace).

Many of the lakes near Twizel are open year-round and venturing just 20 minutes from Twizel can get you to the boat launching ramp at Lake Ohau, which offers a real wilderness high country lake fishing experience. For those with larger boats, Lake Pukaki is also worth a look on a calm day as the water clarity in the lake has improved markedly in recent years.

Another big plus with fishing the lakes and canals around Twizel is that all the approved freshwater fishing methods are allowed. Many choose to bait fish, which is a good family option, and the huhu grub, prawn or anchovy are favoured baits. Spin fishing tends to work better in the lakes than the canals where many of the fish have wised up. Overall, though, soft-baits have really come into their own when prospect fishing waters in the Mackenzie and having a range of jig head weights can allow you to match your soft-bait presentation with the depth of water. I like to keep the weight as light as possible, while still allowing the soft-bait to get close to the bottom.

Many anglers catch their personal best trout close to Twizel.

Successful techniques

As mentioned, drift fishing egg and nymph patterns on a spin rod is a technique well worth learning about. The area around Twizel also offers a lot of flyfishing opportunities, especially in the warmer months when large numbers of brown trout will cruise close in along the canals’ edges. It’s ideal if you can take 3-4 rods down and keep one dedicated for each technique as otherwise you can lose a lot of time changing between rigs! I personally love trying the full spectrum of methods until I get a result. If you are fishing somewhere and you haven’t had a response after 30 minutes, then move locations or change techniques as you don’t want to waste hours fishing with an unproductive technique. Taking time to watch and learn from other anglers is also a key to fast tracking success.

Twizel has two very well set up fishing shops that can supply the full spectrum of gear required to fish locally. The township has a good range of bars and eateries too and a wide range of accommodation options, with Airbnb becoming popular. I like to avoid the summer peak and school holidays when visiting Twizel, but for most of the year there is a steady trickle of people going through. The region also has a lot of special native wildlife, with the black stilt being an icon for the township. The thing I really love most about Twizel though is that you can fish such a wide variety of waters 365 days a year within a stone’s throw of the township.

Know the rules: 

For those who are buying a freshwater licence for the first time, you must know the regulations which are on the Fish and Game website here.

October 2021 - Peter Langlands
New Zealand Fishing News Magazine.
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