Mataura River · access
Southland, South Island, New Zealand · New Zealand
- Athol / GarstonThe upper middle river; the classic dry-fly water.
- GoreThe main town, with tackle shops and access to a long stretch of river.
- Wyndham / FortroseThe lower river, slower and more coloured, with fewer anglers.
Licence and rules
Licence and rules. A New Zealand freshwater fishing licence is required for anglers 12 and over, and a day, week or season licence all work. Southland Fish and Game manages the Mataura and enforces the season, which opens on 1 October — a date that matters because the river is closed through the winter and the first week is busy. There are gear restrictions on some reaches; check the Southland regulations for the current year.
Season
1 October to 30 April on most water; some sections open year-round
Flow
400–2,500 cfs; a spate river with a very fast rise
The Mataura is a spate river: heavy rain in the Eyre mountains can put it up a metre overnight and colour it brown for two to three days. When it clears it fishes superbly, because the flush moves the weed and the fish feed hard. In a dry summer the middle reach can drop very low and warm, at which point the fish move into the faster, broken water and the best fishing is early morning.