Drift Fishing
Scenic float trips with NZ’s top guides.
Floating past the snow capped mountains and gin clear waters in itself is an experience to behold. But to learn the intricacies of fly fishing or to encounter a wild brown or rainbow trout while doing so is an experience as unique as the landscapes you’ll find yourself in.
Why Drift Fishing?
If you’ve made it this far then you probably realise that NZ is one of the most highly regarded trout fisheries on the planet. Traditionally, trout fishing here is done on foot and of course, we do a whole lot of this but it’s not necessarily the best way to approach every variety of water or even each day. That’s why we are excited to offer a drift fishing program specific to some of the bigger rivers and lakes in our region.
Trout exist everywhere from the most delicate of spring creeks to the mightiest of rivers on the South Island. Many of these larger waterways are not practical or even possible to fish from from shore but are no problem from the comfort of a drifting raft. This was perhaps one of our biggest motivators in developing a drift fishing program for our guests. We are now able to take on a a bigger variety of water, weather and fishing styles - maximising angler opportunities and experiences.
The appropriate rivers for the rafts have a great ability to handle more varied weather conditions too and generally maintain good fishing conditions despite potentially high or dirty water in other systems. Same goes for the abundant lakes in the region.
And last but certainly not least - drift fishing is fun!! It offers a fantastic way to enjoy New Zealand's waters and epic scenery, accommodating anglers of all levels and physical abilities, ensuring no one misses out on this magical experience. While a drift boat or a raft may not be an uncommon sight in the western United States you won’t see too many of them here in New Zealand. We are proud to offer one of the few commercial guiding experiences in this capacity and hope we can share it with you sometime.
What is the Fishing Like?
The style of fishing varies from river to river and changes depending on the season, even the varying river levels can change how we fish. Early and late season can bring may fly hatches and the height of summer can bring caddis and cicada’s. We fish everything from dry flies and nymphs to articulated streamers.
We rig multiple rods each day so we are prepared for whatever scenario we encounter. The bigger rivers such as our home waters of the Clutha Mata Au are most effectively fished by casting to the edge of the river with a streamer from the drifting raft. This allows us to cover the faster paced, higher volumed water most efficently until we are in more controlled scenarios where we can practice more traditional techniques, sometimes even sight fishing trout with dry flies on the edges of the river.
We will commonly get out of the rafts to fish at a slower pace from shore, thoroughly working drifts with weighted nymphs under an indicator and venturing into back channels and harder to reach spots that are less accessible with the rafts.
Certified Streamer Junkies.
We are streamer junkies at heart and there is no better way to approach these big rivers than from the front of the boat with a seven weight in your hand and an articulated mess on the business end. Your guide will skilfully manoeuvre you downstream hitting all of the likely pockets along the way. Stripping streamers is exciting in the gin clear waters where we commonly witness hungry trout chasing down your fly from the rivers edge only to eat it mere meters from the raft - all in plain sight.
If you’re unfamiliar with this style of fishing don’t let it intimidate you, it’s a great skillset to learn and a very fun way to fish. We are more than happy to help you in your journey and actively encourage as many as we can to come to the dark side.
The Boats.
Our friends at NRS have created a lean, mean (green), New Zealand fly fishing machine. The 13ft 6in slipstream inflatable raft. These boats accommodate two anglers with their own comfortable swivel seat, your guide and enough room for everything you could need for a day’s (or more) fishing. They are purpose built and incorporate the latest technology including a super stable drop-stitch floor and leaning bar, creating a comfortable area to cast from and eliminating any need for pesky casting platforms. The rafts are also equipped with rod racks for two additional rods, allowing us to rig a total of four rods for the day, covering all possibilities.
Aotearoa Anglers have two rafts and can accommodate groups of up to four anglers at a time.
Winter Fishing.
While many rivers close over the winter months we are lucky enough to live on some of the most productive winter fisheries in the country and you guessed it - there is not a better way to fish them than from a raft! Fishing the winter migrations for brown and rainbow trout in the upper Clutha basin is a highlight of our angling calendar and can be one of the best times of year to fish these systems. The notorious NZ wind usually subsides over the winter months and some pretty impressive fish move into the system.
Wanaka is regarded as one of New Zealand’s best snow skiing regions too - so what better way to spend a week than on the slopes and on the river? We provide high quality waders, boots and hot drinks insuring your comfort on the day. Winter, Spring, Summer or Fall we have you covered.
Where Will We Fish?
We live within 15 minutes of Lake Wanaka and Lake Hawea, two of New Zealand's largest lakes. The Clutha Mata-Au river, which drains these lakes and merges with Lake Wakatipu's inflow, is the country's largest river, making it ideal for drift boat fishing so we have no shortage of water right here in our backyard. Day trips from Wanaka are our staple and often only require 15-30min. drive time. If you are coming from Queenstown you can often meet us on the water and will be there in about an hour.
We also like to hook the raft up and drag it along on our famous road trips if the conditions and location allow. We love our rafts and like to take them anywhere we can!
What About the Lakes?
We have always believed that New Zealand’s still waters are some of the most overlooked trout fisheries in the nation. We love flowing water as much as the next guy but there is a time and a place for everything. We’ve fished the still waters around the South Island for years but doing it from a raft takes it to the next level.
The quiet nature of an oar boat and the shallow draft allow us to sneak up on fish in the skinniest of water, not to mention keeps your feet out of the mud. You’ll have a distinct height advantage while standing in the boat and spotting fish tailing in the shallows is not an uncommon sight.
We often fish with a dry dropper set up or a wooly bugger on a floating line. A cruising brown trout at 50ft is an exciting sight and enough to test the steadiest of nerves.
We also regularly fish the deeper weed beds by drifting with the wind and retrieving small streamers over the tops of them. This inaccessible water can be very productive if you get the timing right.
A few more shots from around the traps….
Is AA a safe a reputable company and what is an adventure activity?
Great Question! We are a reputable company and hold safety as our highest priority! Aotearoa Anglers as an organisation has undergone lengthy audits by WorkSafe New Zealand and assessed by industry-leading experts to ensure that we meet and surpass all relevant safety standards. All our guides are also fully qualified raft guides who have spent years perfecting their craft and knowledge about the river systems and how to safely navigate them. Comprehensive and up-to-date outdoor first-aid training and current New Zealand Rafting Association Qualifications are a requirement for us to operate.
An adventure activity is an activity fuelled by nature and as a result, personal safety cannot be 100% guaranteed. As rafting is an activity that inherently involves risk, you must be aware that we will fish in a water environment where not all aspects can be fully controlled. Having said all that, trout like calm & stable environments and this is where we spend most of our time. If you’re looking for an adrenaline-pumping, whitewater experience, we’re happy to recommend other places to go!
