Turnbull River Trout Fishing

The Turnbull River is a wilderness river offering anglers the chance to fish for trophy size trout in a pristine environment.

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Fish type	Brown trout
Situation	Approximately 13 kilometers from the Haast junction on the Jackson Bay Road
Setting	The Turnbull River runs through a pristine environment that offers anglers a chance to fish for truly wild fish in gin-clear water. The forest setting and the mountain backdrop make this a wonderful fishing venue but beware the sandflies and prepare to get rained on at any time - this is one of the wettest areas in the world.
Maps	Access map Access map with topography LINZ topographic map: (260 Map Series, 1:50,000) F37 Haast
F&G pamphlet	West Coast Sports Fisheries access pamphlet >>>
Description	Despite the high rainfall, the river is generally clean and clear (and does quickly clear after any heavy rain). The very lower reaches are estuarine and are really only of interest when the whitebait are running between the months of October to December. The section that flows over farmalnd and through bush below the pwoer station offers the angler a wide variety of waters to fish to sighted fish that can grow to impressive sizes. The river holds a lot of debris such as tree trunks and skill is needed to land one of these hard fighting fish.
Fish numbers and size	Inthe lower reaches below the power station in Venture Gporge there are numerous very large trophy size trout that range up to 10lb in size. Above the power station however there are no fish at all.
Ease of fishing	The lower reaches offer good access to a wide range of excellent fishing areas. While it may be easy to cast to the fish you see, fooling them into taking your offering however is another story.
Access
Recommended lures	Nymphs: Small nymphs such as Hare and Copper, Pheasant Tail and Caddis imitations all work well in sizes 14 or smaller. Dry flies: Small flies such as Royal Wulff, Hardies Favourite, Dad's Favourite and March Brown all work well at all times of the day. Fish bushier flies such as Coch-y-Bondhu and Humpy over the faster water which can also work as indicators with a ligthly weighted nymph suspended below. Wet flies: Small wets like Greenwell's Glory, March Brown and sedge emerger patterns work well when fished sub-surface. These flies are particularly effective when fishing the evening rise. Large flies such as a Parson's Glory or Grey Ghost are excellent when the trout are chasing the whitebait in the lower reaches and estuary. Use large dark patterns such as a Hairy Dog or Scotch Poacher during the night. Spinners: Small bladed spinners (Mepps or Veltic) fished upstream into the faster water or through the deep pools. Spinners such as a Gold or Silver Toby also work well in the lower reaches when the whitebait are running.
Regulations (1)
Applicable to	Turnbull River upstream of Haast/Jackson Bay Road
Region	West Coast >>>
Season	1 Oct-30 Apr
Methods	Artifical fly, spinner, bait
Bag limit	Brown trout: 4 Rainbow trout: 2 Salmon: 2
Size limit (cm)	No limit
Regulations (2)
Applicable to	Turnbull River downstream of Haast/Jackson Bay Road
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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