Kaniere River Trout Fishing

The Kaniere River is a good spin fishing river as it flows through bush lined valleys.

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Fish type	Brown trout with some slamon runs possible in Jan to April.
Situation	Approximately 10kms from Hokitika
Setting	The Kaniere River drains Lake Kaniere and flows west to join the Hokitika River just upstream from Hokitika township. It has a tea stained water and for much of its length flows through a bush-lined valley that makes access difficult in many places. There is a power station approximately half way along its course.
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	The Kaniere is a small river and best suited to spin fishing as it runs through a heavily bush lined valley. It is not easy to cast a fly in much of the river as a consequence. The best fishing is below the power station.
Fish numbers and size	Fish numbers are not high and average arond the 2-3lb mark
Ease of fishing	A reasonably good river for spin fishing in the lower section but the vegetation above the power station can make for frustrating fly fishing.
Access	Access is via Lake Kaniere Rd. A track runs along the river above the powerstation for those who wish to explore this section. See eh Kaniere River access map.
Recommended lures	Nymphs: Small unweighted nymphs such as Pheasant Tail variants and Hares Ear, Hare and Copper. Dry flies: Cicada patterns are very effective from late summer and beetle patterns work well in early summer. Otherwise use small flies of the Greenwell's Glory or March Brown type. Wet flies: Small wets such as Dad's Favourite, Hardies Favourite or March Brown work well especially in the evening rise or down and across the rapids during the day. Spinners: Small bladed spinners (Mepps or Veltic) fished upstream into the faster water or through the deeper pools are best for this small river.
Regulations
Applicable to	Kaniere River
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

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