| Fish type |
Brown
and rainbow trout.
The Maruia River has 186 brown trout per
kilometre or 296 per mile (as surveyed by the Ministry of
Agriculture and Fisheries). |
| Situation |
20 minutes from Murchison: 30
minutes from Westport |
| Setting |
The Maruia
joins the Buller 12kms south of Murchison and offers over 70kms
of easily accessible fishing in a pristine mountain environment.
This is delightful water to fish and despite areas of vegetation
that need to be negotiated to get to the river, once on the
river most is easily waded and the angler is offered many kilometres
of water to explore. |
| Maps |
Access
map
Access
map with topography
LINZ topographic maps: (260 Map Series,
1:50,000)
L29
Inangahua for lower reaches
L30
Reefton for middle and upper reaches |
| Weather forecast |
View MetService
weather forecast for Westport. |
| F&G pamphlet |
Buller River access pamphlet
>>> |
| Description |
The Maruia
is an excellent water to fish offering all forms of angling
experience from spin fishing through to delicate dry-fly fishing
for large wary browns. The river runs over a gravel bed though
there are areas where it runs between rock outcrops that can
really test anglers who have spotted large fish in the depths.
The lower reaches mostly flow through willow
lined banks while above the Mairuia Falls, the river flows
through beech and manuka trees. The Maruia Falls (formed during
the 1929 Murchison earthquake) also form the boundary with
both rainbow and brown trout above the falls while only Brown
trout are found below them.
Above the confluence with the Woolley River
there is a braided section that holds fewer fish though those
that are there tend to be quite large.
|
| Fish numbers and size |
Fish numbers
are high, especially in the middle and lower reaches and lower
in the braided upper reaches. Fish are in the 3-4lb range but
do grow much larger. Fish of trophy sizes can be expected to
be seen (though are hard to catch). |
| Ease of fishing |
After pushing through the dense
bankside vegetation, the river is generally easy to fish being
wadeable in most parts. There are areas however where the steep
banks that rise out of deep pools make getting to the river
impossible. The upper reaches which flow over open tussock country
are much easier to fish. |
| Access |
Access
is via Highway 65 which runs from joining SH6 12 kms south
of Murchison and traveling to the small settlement of Maruia
Springs near the rivers headwaters.
See the
access map.
|
| Recommended lures |
Nymphs:
Small nymphs such as Hare
and Copper, Pheasant
Tails and Caddis
imitations all work well in sizes 14 or smaller.
Dry flies:
Small flies such as Hardies
Favourite, Dad's
Favourite and March
Brown all work well at all times of the day. Fish bushier
flies over the faster water. Very small flies are best in
the upper braided reaches.
Wet flies:
Small wets like Greenwell's
Glory, March
Brown and emerger
sedge patterns work well when fished sub-surface. These
flies are particularly effective when fishing the evening
rise.
Spinners: Small
bladed spinners (Mepps
or Veltic) fished
upstream into the faster water or through the deep pools are
best for this small river. |
| Tributaries |
The major tributaries, the Woolley,
the Warwick and the Rappahanock streams hold fish. The Woolley
is a delightful small stream that rises in the Victoria Range
and runs through bush covered valleys to join the Maruia River
near the small settlement of Maruia. The lower reaches are easily
fished as theyc cross farmland while the upper reaches are in
a deliighful bush setting. This small tributary tends to remain
clean even afer heavy rain and other rivers in the area have
discoloured. |
| Regulations (1) |
| Applicable to |
Maruia River downstream of Maruia
Falls |
| Region |
Nelson/Marlborough >>> |
| Season |
All year |
| Methods |
Artificial fly, spinner, bait
|
| Bag limit |
2 |
| Size limit (cm) |
None |
| Regulations (2) |
| Applicable to |
Maruia River upstream of Maruia
Falls |
| Region |
Nelson/Marlborough >>> |
| Season |
1 October
- 30 April |
| Methods |
Artificial fly, spinner |
| Bag limit |
2 |
| Size limit (cm) |
None |
