Zane Grey described New Zealand as an “Angler’s Eldorado”.
The famous American author/angler Zane Grey described New Zealand as an “Angler’s Eldorado”. He was right on the mark—especially when you look at the trout fishery. Over the years, New Zealand has developed a reputation for having the best sighted river fishing for trout in the world.
You may have heard New Zealand’s rivers described as being “Gin Clear”—well it’s true! Imagine stalking a 10lb brown trout in water, so clear, that water that looks 12 inches deep is actually up to your waist! Owen River Lodge is located near Murchison, in the Nelson Lakes area of the South Island (the top of the South Island). While mountains and forests abound, the area enjoys a remarkably mild climate.
The lodge is centrally located, with easy access to the Nelson, Marlborough and West Coast Fisheries. Thus you can enjoy fly fishing on numerous blue-ribbon streams and rivers, with over 30 waters accessible by road (most within 1 hours drive) and countless others by helicopter.
The fishing in this region is done by walking and wading up stream and fishing for sighted brown trout. The South Island of New Zealand is world renowned as a “sighted” brown trout fishery, with the average trout size ranging from 3lb to 6lb (there’s nothing average about that!). This means, for the majority of the rivers, the angler must see the fish, before the fish sees you. Hunting or stalking our brown trout requires the angler to use a dull colored fly line, long leaders & fine tippet. Unlike lake fishing, the majority of the casting you will do will be medium to short distances—accuracy being much more important than the ability to cast the complete fly line. Generally anglers use a 5 or 6 weight rod, 9 to 10 feet in length.
The region has a huge variety of rivers to choose from, small intimate rivers like the Owen River, to iconic freestone rivers such as the Wairau. Each season, our fishery has granted many an angler’s dream of landing a 10 pounder.
