Otago Weekly Fishing Report - 12 November 2026

Otago Fish & Game appoints regional manager

Otago Fish & Game Council chair Adrian McIntyre is pleased to announce that Kat Hardisty has been appointed as the new Otago regional manager.

Kat grew up in Evansdale, just north of Dunedin, and has recently returned to Otago with her partner and three children after spending several years in Wellington. She brings more than 15 years of leadership experience across government and the private sector, most recently with Te Uru Rākau – New Zealand Forest Service.

Kat is looking forward to joining Otago Fish & Game and working with anglers, hunters, staff and the wider community to support recreational fishing and game bird hunting, protect our freshwater environments and strengthen stakeholder relationships across the region.

Pictured above: Incoming Otago Fish & Game regional manager Kat Hardisty starts officially on November 16. Credit: Bruce Quirey.

She will be based at the Mosgiel office and officially starts in the role on Monday, November 16. Her appointment follows Ian Hadland’s resignation in April. We look forward to welcoming Kat to the Fish & Game team. The Council also thanks Central Otago-based operations manager Jamie Ward, who has led the Otago team in the interim.

For the full story, click here.

Beauty Clutha trout

Murray Begg with a fine brown trout jack caught on a soft bait in the lower Koau branch of the Clutha River. Credit: Supplied.

Murray Begg landed this beauty 6.5lb brown trout while fishing the lower Koau branch of the Clutha River near Balclutha.

Murray, who grew up and lived in Balclutha and now splits his time between there and the Gold Coast in Australia, caught the fish on a soft bait that imitated a smelt.

He was fishing weed banks on the incoming tide, casting out and retrieving the bait across the top of the weed beds using a ¼oz jig head. The fish was in good condition and proved to be the only one caught during his two-hour session.

Murray filleted the trout and enjoyed some for lunch, rolled in flour, salt and pepper before being cooked in butter. A pretty good reward for a morning on the river.

Ayla’s surprise catch

Ayla Aitken (7), with her brother Ollie (6), reeled in this brown trout on a soft bait rigged with a spinner blade from a swollen Pomahaka River. Credit: AJ Aitken.

A high, dirty Pomahaka River didn’t look particularly promising after heavy rain, but that didn’t stop 7-year-old Ayla Aitken from landing a nice brown trout.

Ayla was fishing with her dad AJ, mum Crystal and 6-year-old brother Ollie at the Leithen picnic area on Sunday afternoon. They had three rods baited with worms, but AJ’s rod still had a soft bait fitted with a stainless-steel spinner blade from a recent Te Anau fishing competition.

On just the second cast, Ayla hooked the brown trout, estimated at 3-4 lb, about 10 metres from the bank. AJ said it was Ayla’s first trout from a river, although she had caught fish from a boat before. “She was stoked,” he said. Ollie was pretty excited too.

The family, who live on a small farm near Tapanui, get out fishing regularly, splitting their time between lake fishing from the boat and getting to the rivers when they can.

AJ said the children were getting increasingly interested in lure fishing and becoming quite good at casting. “They’re having a bit of fun with that.”

 If you haven’t already got your fishing licence, buy one online, or drop into your local licence agent.

Soft baits proving hot

Lydia Quirey hooked this nice brown trout on a paddletail soft bait in Lake Waipori last week. Credit: Bruce Quirey.

A hot afternoon prompted a last-minute decision by Lydia Quirey to go canoeing on Lake Waipori last week, resulting in an estimated 2 lb brown trout.

The fish hastily took the soft bait in a wind-rippled bay, whereas other fish seen cruising in calm sections were cautious.

This evening (Thursday, November 12), we are running a free soft bait fishing clinic at Butchers Dam near Alexandra from 6.30pm to 8.30pm. You can find more details about the clinic here: 2026 Otago Soft Bait Fishing Clinics - Fish & Game

Unfortunately, we had to make the tough call to cancel yesterday’s soft bait clinic at Lake Waihola, because of a severe weather warning. We apologise for any inconvenience and thank those who registered for your understanding. If you missed out, please click this soft bait fishing link from our Fishing Knowledge Hub to learn more about:

• the equipment you’ll need,
• selecting a soft bait and jig head,
• how to successfully use soft baits,
• and watch a video.

Sea lion returns to Shag-Waihemo

Fly fishing in the Shag/Waihemo River early this season. Credit: Bruce Quirey.

We have received reports of a sea lion in the Shag/Waihemo River, with sightings as far upstream as Dunback.

We understand this is likely the same animal that has entered the river in previous years and have discussed the situation with the Department of Conservation. Sea lions are fully protected under New Zealand law and must not be harassed or disturbed.

We appreciate the concerns of anglers who have observed declining trout numbers in the Shag-Waihemo and are concerned about the sea lion’s presence in the river. Fish & Game has been asked whether the sea lion could be deterred from moving upstream, or whether trout could be restocked.

Otago Fish & Game does not stock rivers such as the Shag-Waihemo. While we stock a number of put-and-take fisheries (small lakes, ponds and reservoirs) where natural recruitment is limited, the Shag-Waihemo is managed as a wild trout fishery. Improving habitat and maintaining water quality are the most effective ways to support healthy trout populations over the long term. Stocking hatchery trout would not address the underlying factors that determine the quality of the fishery.

We will continue to monitor the situation and remain in contact with the Department of Conservation.

Club updates

We welcome updates from Otago angling clubs.

Waipahi Gold Medal competition place-getters (from left) Tim Gibson, Neil Sinclair, Craig Cookson and Steven Tosh at the Waipahi Gold Medal on Saturday. Credit: Jayde Couper.

Good conditions for Waipahi Gold Medal

The 143rd Waipahi Gold Medal was held in good conditions last Saturday, with 27 fish weighed across the competition.

Otago Anglers Association reported it was a welcome change after several recent years of poor weather or river conditions.

Fishing was best in the morning before a strengthening wind made conditions more challenging. The average weight of fish (gutted and gilled) was 1.12kg.

Fish & Game attended the event and collected otoliths from the entries as part of ongoing fisheries monitoring.

Results:

• Gold Medal: Neil Sinclair, Beat 5 – three fish weighing 3.41kg.
• Silver Medal: Craig Cookson, Beat 13 – two fish weighing 2.84kg.
• Bronze Medal: Steven Tosh, Beat 7 – two fish weighing 2.82kg.
• Jaff Hansen Trophy for heaviest fish: Steven Tosh – 1.55kg.
• Waipahi Cup for heaviest bag of Otago Anglers member: Tim Gibson, Beat 17 - 3 fish weighing 2.81kg.

Danny Thompson won the 2026 Mahinerangi Gold Cup fishing competition last Sunday. Photo: Bruce Quirey.

Mahinerangi Gold Cup

Lawrence Angling Club member Danny Thompson won the 2026 Mahinerangi Gold Cup fishing competition last Sunday, with his brown trout tipping the scales at 1.66 kg (3.6 lb in old weights) gutted and gilled.

Danny says the trout took a worm bait after he’d been fishing for about an hour in the morning. A large perch was his only other catch of the day.

This is Danny’s second Gold Cup win throughout 30 years of fishing at Mahinerangi. He has been fishing since he was a young fellow, introduced to the sport by his father. He’s now passing on the passion to his family — nine of them made a day of it at the lake on Sunday.

Otago Fish & Game attended the Mahinerangi Gold Cup run by Taieri and Lawrence Angling clubs and checked almost 30 anglers around the lake. We were pleased everyone was following the rules. Staff also took otolith (ear bone) samples from some of the brown trout that were entered at the weigh-in for future research.

Taieri Angling Club president Ron Blankestyn said the successful event attracted 60-70 entrants – lower than last year due to the weather. The event is sponsored by several organisations, including Otago Fish & Game. Its main sponsor is Contact Energy, which manages the Waipori power scheme. Contact took over the management of the scheme after acquiring Manawa Energy last year.

Lake level high

The Mahinerangi lake level is currently high, in marked contrast to levels this time last year when it was very low.

Contact Energy generation site leader Max Skerritt explained the lake level was high because of good rainfall over winter. He said the level would likely be maintained at about 70 per cent of its capacity until late autumn.

Why not join a local fishing club?

Select here for a list of Otago fishing clubs.

If your club has any news or photos for inclusion in the Weekly Fishing Report, please email [email protected] by the Monday prior to publication on Thursday.

Lake Wānaka live webcam

A screengrab of the Lake Wānaka webcam taken at the time of writing.

Want to know conditions at Lake Wānaka? Check this live webcam from the Wānaka Watersports Facility.

Here’s the weekend outlook:

Dunedin

With tomorrow looking fine, rivers should be settling for the start of the weekend, but more damp weather is coming. Saturday partly cloudy, with the chance of a shower in the afternoon. Light winds, then northeasterlies developing in the afternoon. Sunday partly cloudy, with a few showers in the morning. Northerlies, dying out in the evening.

The Taieri River at Outram is rising at 26.1 cumecs this morning. The water temperature is 11.8 deg C.

Click here for live Dunedin weather updates.

Wānaka

Get out on the lake early on Saturday while it’s calm and fine. Northerlies developing in the morning, with a fresh breeze late in the day. Sunday occasional rain from morning. Northerlies developing in the morning.

Click here for live Wānaka weather updates.

Alexandra

Clear skies on Saturday should offer sight fishing opportunities. Fine, with northwesterlies developing in the morning. High country lakes look choppy from Saturday afternoon. Sunday, lakes are rough with strong winds. Mostly cloudy, with the chance of a shower until evening. Northerlies, dying out in the evening.

Click here for live Central Otago weather updates.

Clutha Regional Forecast

Cool, overcast or showery conditions are linked to mayfly hatches, particularly if the wind is light. Saturday a few showers. Westerlies, dying out in the afternoon. Sunday cloudy, with occasional rain from evening. Northwesterlies, dying out in the afternoon.

The Pomahaka River was above median at 13.9 cumecs at Glenken this morning. The water temperature is 14 deg C.

The lower Clutha River at Balclutha is flowing at 866 cumecs.

Click here for live lower Clutha weather updates

For more ORC water monitoring and alerts information click here.

Grab your licence online and let the angling adventures begin.

Got any Otago fishing news?

Send your fishing news and photos (with anglers’ names) to [email protected] for consideration in the weekly report.