 |
A Motueka River WCO came
into force in 2004, in recognition of outstanding recreational,
wild and scenic characteristics, along with fisheries and
wildlife habitat features. The order included restrictions
on damming or altering river flows to protect spawning by
brown trout.
To read the full legislation document for the WCO applied
to this waterway click
here |
| Fish type |
Brown
trout (some sea run) |
| Situation |
Approx one hours drive from
Nelson.
A 5 minute drive from Motueka. |
| Setting |
Very scenic
throughout its length. Water quality and clarity is exceptional
even after heavy rain as the river clears very quickly. The
river contains a range of water types from long riffles, long
glides, boisterous rapids and deep pools. A beautiful and challenging
river to fish. |
| Maps |
Access
map
Access
map with topography
LINZ
topographic maps: 1:50,000 (260
series)
|
| Check conditions |
River flow
View graphs at the TDC website of recent
river flow at:
-
Woodmans' Bend (lower Motueka)
-
Woodstock (middle reaches)
-
the Gorge (upper Motueka)
Rainfall
View graphs at the TDC website of recent
rainfall at:
-
Woodstock (middle reaches)
-
the Gorge (upper Motueka)
Weather forecast
View MetService
weather forecast for Motueka |
| F&G pamphlet |
Motueka
River access pamphlet |
| Description |
A premier fishing water running
over a boulder and stony bed. The many facets of this river
from deep clear pools to long still glides between banks fringed
with overhanging vegetation make this a river that suits all
angling methods. Fish can be easily spotted in the very clear
water making this a challenging though rewarding fishery. Several
tributaries are important fisheries in their own right. |
| Fish numbers and size |
Very high
numbers of fish in the 2-3lb range below the Wangapeka confluence.
Fish numbers in the upper reaches above the Wangapeka are lower
but average 3 - 5lb with some very large trophy fish present.
|
| Ease of fishing |
The river is mostly wadeable,
especially during the drier summer months. Some areas have vegetation
along the banks restricting access but mostly the river has
wide margins allowing for easy fishing. The very upper reaches
beyond Golden Downs are challenging and are seldom fished. |
| Access |
There are
roads running along both banks of most of the river and angler
access points are clearly signposted. However, the headwaters
are in challenging terrain and are seldom fished.
Anglers seeking access to the Motueka River
and tributaries other than the Fish & Game access points
identifed on the maps will need to gain permission from the
landowner first.
Please see the
Motueka access map. |
| Recommended lures |
Nymphs:
Pheasant Tail
, Hares Ear
or Hare and
Copper and halfbacks or any mayfly nymph imitation (sizes
14 or smaller)
Dry flies:
Coch-y-Bondhu,
Twilight
Beauty. Brown
or Green Beetle
in early summer and Cicada
patterns in late summer.
Wet flies:
Small wets such as Hardies
Favourite or a larger Hamills
Killer or Mrs
Simpson in the evening. Large dark patterns such as Hairy
Dog or Fuzzy
Wuzzy can work well after dark. Try using lighter patterns
such as a Grey
Ghost or Parson's
Glory at the mouth of the river when the whitebait are
running.
Spinners: Black
Toby and bladed spinners such as Veltic
or Mepps work
best, especially when the river is high. |
| Tributaries |
The Motueka
has three major tributaries that are important fisheries in
their own right. They are the Motupiko,
the Wangapeka
and the Baton.
Other smaller tributaries can provide good fishing are the Pearse,
Dove,
Tadmor and Rainy. These are all small streams but do hold good
fish. The mouths of these streams are well worth exploring at
any time of the year but especially in the hotter months when
the trout will congregate in the cooler water they supply to
the main river. As well as these streams there are a large number
of small feeder streams that also can be attractors to feeding
trout where they enter the Motueka. |
| Biosecurity
requirements |
| Biosecurity |
Because of the presence of the invasive alga didymo in these waters, anglers must
clean their fishing gear including waders and boots, especially when moving between
rivers. See Didymo Biosecurity Alert
for details. |
| Regulations
(1) |
| Applicable to |
Motueka River downstream from
the Peninsula Road Bridge at Ngatimoti |
| Region |
Nelson/Marlborough>>> |
| Season |
All year |
| Methods |
Artificial fly, spinner, bait |
| Bag limit |
2 |
| Size limit (cm) |
None |
| Regulations
(2) |
| Applicable to |
Motueka River upstream of its
confluence with the Wangapeka River |
| Region |
Nelson/Marlborough>>> |
| Season |
1 October to 30 Apritl |
| Methods |
Artificial fly, spinner |
| Bag limit |
2 (with only one fish exceeding
500mm in length) |
| Size limit (cm) |
No minimum size |
