Duck Creek Trout Fishing

The Duck Creek is a small spring-fed stream that provides good fishing for a good population of trout in crystal clear water.

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Fish type	Brown trout
Situation	10 kms from Hokitika
Setting	Duck Creek is a small spring fed stream that runs over open farmland. It joins the Kokatahi River near the small settlement of Kokatahi.
Maps	Access map Access map with topography LINZ topographic map: (260 Map Series, 1:50,000) J33 Kaniere
F&G pamphlet	West Coast Sports Fisheries access pamphlet >>>
Description	A beautiful small river to fish that meanders over open land. As it is mostly spring-fed it will remain clean even when other rivers dirty up. It contains a lot of weed in the bed which provides good cover for the fish as well as being a source of aquatic insect life for them to eat. There can be an excellent rise at any time though this usually happens in the evening and this time offers the best chance to fool one of these difficlt fish. Best fished early or late in the season. A river for those that love the challenge of wary fish in clear water.
Fish numbers and size	Good numbers of fish mostly in the 2-3lb range
Ease of fishing	Although easily accessible this can be a challenging river to fish due to the clarity of the water.
Access	Access can be gained for much of the rivers length via the Upper Kokatahi Road. Ask farmers permission before fishing on their property. See the Duck Creek access map.
Recommended lures	Nymphs: Any weighted Caddis nymph, Pheasants Tail or Hare and Copper are favoured though they should be in small sizes (16 is best) Dry flies: Fish respond to dry flies such as Adams, Geenwell's Glory, Dad's Favourite or Twilight Beauty throughout the day and into the evening when there can be an excellent rise. Keep sizes in the 16 to 18 range however. Wet flies: Small wets fished subsurface can be effective (such as Greenwell's Glory or March Brown or try a dark lure such as a Scotch Poacher or Hairy Dog fished deeper at night. Spinners: Very small bladed spinners such as Veltic or Mepps are best but this is not a river best suited to spin fishing.
Regulations
Applicable to	Duck Creek
Region	West Coast >>>
Season	Trout: 1 Oct-30 Apr Salmon: 1 Oct-30 Apr
Methods	Artificial fly, spinner, bait
Bag limit	Total sport fish: 2
Size limit (cm)	No limit

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