Reel Life October 2026 - Nelson/Marlborough

Season Off to a Solid Start

The 2026-27 season kicked into gear on October 1^st, bringing once-a-decade fishing conditions.  Clear water and sunny skies delivered ideal conditions as anglers headed to rivers near and far for the season opener. 

Angler feedback was mostly positive, with anglers on the Motueka River and its tributaries doing well, although we received mixed reports from the Wairau River despite ideal conditions. 

Fish condition was reported as above average, indicating a stable winter period, with post-spawning fish recovering quickly as food sources are less impacted. 

Since then, we have enjoyed a remarkable October run, with sunny skies providing optimal fly-fishing conditions.  Early season often suits spin/softbait angling; however, with low flows and clear water making things challenging as the season progresses, lure anglers will do well when flows bump up a touch after rain events.

As concern over El Niño conditions mounts, we hope our rivers get regular small-to-moderate rainfall as we head into summer to ease summer low flows.

The next month is a fantastic time to get on our waterways. After the initial opening-week action, fishing activity drops off a notch, and plenty of space is available on our waterways before the annual influx of non-residents and holidaymakers.

Image above: Weesang Paaka. Caption: Weesang Paaka with a solid brown trout from Opening Day. Photo: Jacob Lucas

Nelson Fishing, Hunting & 4x4 Expo a Winner

What a fantastic weekend at the recent Nelson Fishing Hunting & 4x4 Expo in Nelson.  We shared a stand with the Nelson Trout Fishing Club and used the event to showcase local angling opportunities, particularly family-friendly options, our local conservation work, and promote our range of free fishing workshops coming up this season.  Sharing with the Trout Club worked well; many punters enjoyed the fly-tying demonstrations, and it was a great opportunity to grow Club membership.  It was a fun weekend, with plenty of sunshine and a fantastic public turnout for this inaugural Nelson event.

Jacob Lucas and Lawson Davey had a busy weekend at the expo. Photo: Gebhard Krewitt

Shona Kelly from the Nelson Trout Fishing Club held these young anglers' attention while demonstrating fly tying. Photo: Gebhard Krewitt

Rainbow Station Road Open Labour Weekend

Rainbow Station Road will be open this Labour Weekend from 7am Friday morning till 7pm Monday evening. This opportunity offers fantastic fishing access to the Upper Wairau River and into Molesworth Station, where you can fish a suite of epic rivers and the famed Sedgemere Tarns. A reminder that there is a $60 toll, which is paid at the old Rainbow Homestead, where Helen and the team will be located for the weekend.

Get yourself into Molesworth over Labour weekend if you want to sample some of this action. Darren Lyle hooked up to a Bowscale Tarn brown trout. Photo: Jacob Lucas.

Softbait Clinics Coming Up

We have four soft bait clinics in the pipeline, kicking off in November.  Local legend Josh Ponder will lead the 3-hour events alongside Fish & Game, where he will run through how to rig your rod, the best lures to use and how to fish them, plus tactics for stillwater and river fishing.   We are sure you will learn a heap of tips from Josh, and feedback from these events has been fantastic.

Registrations are essential; please click this link to join one (or more) of the clinics and we will be in touch with confirmation and details of the event.

Wairau River - Saturday 21 November (5-7pm)

Lake Argyle - Sunday 29 November (9am-12pm)

Waimea Park - Saturday 12 December (5-7pm)

Motueka River - Sunday 13 December (9am-12pm)

Four soft bait clinics are scheduled during November and December.

Junior Fly Fishing Course, Starting 2nd November

We’re holding a junior fly fishing course, starting on Monday 2 November.  The 3-part course, held over three Monday afternoons, covers the principles of fly fishing (class-based at the Richmond Fish & Game office), knots and casting (week 2, Saxton Fields), and concludes with a trip to Waimea Park in week 3, where the young anglers will be able to fish for rainbow trout.

We held this course for the first time last year and received great feedback, with 15 or so junior anglers introduced to fly fishing and learning the basics quickly so they can become independent anglers on our local trout waters.

Register here.

Young anglers enjoyed a few hours at the Waimea ponds catching rainbow trout.