Hi All,

I'm going a wedding in Christchurch Friday next week and following that have 3 or 4 days based in and around Hamner Springs on the way up North.

I was wondering if anyone could point me in the right direction for some good fishing in the area. I'll be looking at doing maybe 1 or 2 full day fishes and perhaps a couple of evening or morning missions.

Any info would be well received.

Cheers Toby

PS I'm very good at keeping secrets

Hammner is just beyond my roaming area. So most of my thoughts are from what others have told me and are not from first person observations.

There are several good rivers a short distance drive away.

Upper Waiau: Never been there but it has a good reputation, requires a 2 hour walk I believe over private land. 10lb fish are suppose to be relatively common.

There is also good fishing to be had in the middle waiau, but I have never tried.

Upper Wairau: This is a river I have fished a few times, many people love it and can catch many fish a day. Would be around a 30-40 minute drive. The rainbow river is also worth a look. Good numbers of fish and a real possibility of a few big ones. The wild gooseberries should be ripe but their location is a secret because I plan on raiding them shortly.

The tarns of Tarnsdale are also little gems. I like Fish lake (relatively short walk) but I know someone who works with DOC up there and he claims that trout are easiest to spot in bowscale. They are quite plentiful, but it does get windy.

Clarence: Quite a scenic looking river, every time I driven pass it is being heavily fished. One time I drove around three corners in a road and saw three different people parked and fishing..... It does hold fish but it does get thrashed over the holidays.

The rivers in Molesworth are highly scenic, but never fished them. I plan to one day. They are worth a visit for the scenery alone and I believe the fishing can be productive but the going is hard. There is a large gooseberry patch at the accommodation house campground just before the start of molesworth. They should be ripe and tasty. They are even growing high up the side of the hills in damp spots.

Lake Tennyson is a option, plus there is a secret patch of gooseberries hidden at the side of the lake.... I do not believe the fishing is that good.

If you are prepared to drive over the Lewis pass, then you would have access to the Maruia. This river holds a impressive number of trout. I have seen the most fish below the spring junction but above the waterfall. River access can be tricky. The best fishing is in the gorge section but it is a large day to walk through... really requires two days to fish.

So I really only have first hand experience fishing the Tarns, Upper Wairau/Rainbow and the Maruia. I spent a evening spinfishing in the clarence but that does not count. 

Thanks guys.

Yeah its going to be tough to pick. The more I look the more I find and there is certainly a wide range of river types as well. Great problem to have however ! 

herring wrote: Dont know if Kerren is winding you up or not Mili. But its a awesome idea.  Have spent alot of  time in that area. More black berries than gooseberries. Use to make our years supply of jam when we where kids.

Seen a few Black berries plants up there but I did not take them to be common, thought it was a touch to dry for them. They grow like weeds around mauria where it is a bit wetter...

There is also a few Black and Red currant plants. Seen them at the accommodation house and at Tennyson.

Think I might visit my patch up the Wairau this weekend to see if any are ready to eat

mad men both of you .... the c2c is pretty hardcore .... good luck.

Oh i'm sure with all that water down there I'll find somewhere.

If the main rivers are flooded I would try a dry fly, say a paracute adams size 12 on the  river edges. I once had luck at the mouth of a small stream where it entered the main river. Not far from where I parked the car at the top of this hay paddock was this bridge. This small stream wasnt to effected by the rain and there was fish in just a few inches of water in the main river downstream from where this stream entered. I later wondered up the small stream past that small bridge and found a couple more fish.

Not sure if that sort of info is helpful or not Toby

There is also this other stream further down the river from the spot I mention above. I have been told thats the house where you let people know if your intend to venture further up river. Anyhow that small stream is accessed by a rugged as road behind the house past the wool shed, that road will rip the bottom out of a normal car. The road follows the small stream side for about 7kms but its probably more effective to walk. This stream dosnt get dirty and holds a small number of nice browns - good if that rain hits. There is also quite a few deer at the tops of that road so walk quitely and you will see them in the summer coming down to the stream edge for a drink.

I know its all a bit vague Toby but a guy cant give to much away. Hoping the general information might give you a starting point.