| Fish type |
Mostly
brown trout with some rainbow trout |
| Situation |
25kms from
Greymouth. |
| Setting |
Lake Brunner is fed by a number
of small rivers and streams all of which offer excellent fishing
opportunites where they enter the lake. It is drained by the
impressive Lake Arnold. At the northern tip is the small settlement
of Moana which consists mostly of holiday homes (though over
the years the numbers of permanent residents has risen). Most
of the lake is only able to be reached by boat though some areas
can be walked to especially when the lake is low in mid to late
summer. |
| Maps |
Access
map
Access
map with topography
LINZ
topographic maps: 1:50,000 (260
series)
|
| Check conditions |
View MetService
weather forecast for Greymouth. |
| F&G pamphlet |
West Coast Sports Fisheries
access pamphlet >>> |
| Description |
Lake Brunner is a wonderful
lake to fish. Although it is deep, fish rise freely across
the whole lake and there can be spectacular evening rises
particularly where rivers or streams enter the lake. Mostly
the lake is surrounded by native bush which provides an endless
supply of terrestrial food for the fish. There is a boat ramp
at Moana. While trolling is the main method of fishing, casting
either a spinner or fly from a boat or the shore also works
well.
Around many bays there is shallow water where fish can regularly
be seen cruising around the weed beds and under the bankside
vegetation. These fish provide great stalking oppoortunities
as they often follow a regular beat and can be ambushed with
a fly placed along their regular course and then twitched
or slowly retrieved as they come close.
A fly cast just behind a cruising fish will often cause them
to spin and take the fly. All methods can be used in these
situations but do stay well camoflaged as they will spook
quickly if they see a profile against the sky. |
| Fish numbers and size |
The lake holds very good numbers
of brown trout and limited numbers of rainbows. Sizes are mostly
in the 2-4lb range though it dopes hold much bigger fish as
well. |
| Ease of fishing |
As most fish are caugh by trolling,
fishing is very easy. The shore-based angler has plenty of opportunities
for both spin and fly fishing, especially when the lake is low
and access to many points opens up. |
| Access |
Access is via the Arnold Valley
road which turns off State Highway 7 at Stillwater which takes
you to the township of Moana at the northern end of the lake.
The Kumara - Inchbonnie road give access to the southern section
around Swan Bay. A small road also leads to Cashmere Bay on
the eastern side of the Lake. See the Lake Brunner access
map. |
| Recommended lures |
Nymphs:
Suspended nymphs that are just below the surface work well
during the evening when fish are crusising the shallows. Fish
will also take nymphs of the Hare
and Copper or Pheasant
Tail variant which can be cast in front of a cruising
trout's path and twitched as they get close.
Dry flies:
The fish are often feeding on windblown terrestrial flies
and so flies such as a Green
Beetle in early summer and cicada
patterns from mid summer on work well. Wasp
patterns can also work well in the summer months. Otherwise
try an Adams,
Greenwell's
Glory, Humpy
or similar pattern.
Wet flies:
Large sunk flies such as a Hairy
Dog, Mrs
Simpson, Hamill's
Killer or Fuzzy
Wuzzy fished deep can induce a take especially on a dark
night or near a stream mouth.
Spinners: As
trolling is the major form of fishing, Cobras,
Tasmanian
Devils and Tobys
all work well when troled at depth. |
| Tributaries |
Several important rivers feed
into Lake Brunner. These include the Crooked
River, the Orangipuku
River and Bruce
Creek. The Arnold
River drains from the lake into the Grey
River. All around the lake there are a number of other small
streams which may appear insignificant where they enter the
lake but can hold some very big fish early (and sometimes late)
in the season. |
| Regulations |
| Applicable to |
Lake Brunner |
| Region |
West Coast >>>
|
| Season |
Trout:
All year
Salmon: 1 Oct-30 Apr |
| Methods |
Artificial fly, spinner, bait |
| Bag limit |
Brown trout: 4
Rainbow trout: 2
Salmon: 2 |
| Size limit (cm) |
No limit |
