Zane Grey, famous American author and angler, described New Zealand as an “angler’s Eldorado”. He was right on the mark, especially when you look at the trout fishery.

Over the years, New Zealand has developed a reputation for having the best sighted river fishing for trout in the world. And Owen River Lodge, with its easy access to the Nelson, Marlborough, North Canterbury and West Coast fisheries at the top of the South Island, is perfectly positioned to put you at the center of all the action. Our Eleven Angling sister lodge, Cedar Lodge, located outside of Wanaka, offers a unique heli-assisted fly fishing program farther south, giving anglers another amazing opportunity for big trout in incredible scenery.

Top of the South Island

Here you can enjoy fly fishing on numerous blue-ribbon streams and rivers, with over 30 waters accessible by road (most within one hour’s drive) and countless others by helicopter. The region offers a huge variety, ranging from small, intimate rivers like the Owen River, to iconic freestone rivers such as the Wairau.

The average trout size ranges from 3lb to 6lb, but each season our fishery grants many an angler’s dream of landing a 10 pounder.

A Sighted Brown Trout Fishery

You may have heard New Zealand’s rivers referred to as being “gin clear”. Well, it’s true! Imagine stalking a 7lb or 8lb wild brown trout in water so clear that it looks 12 inches deep when in fact it’s up to your waist.

You should use a dull-coloured fly line, long leaders and fine tippet. Unlike lake fishing, the majority of the casting you will do will be medium to short distances—accuracy being much more important than the ability to cast the complete fly line. Generally, anglers use a 5 or 6 weight rod, 9 to 10 feet in length.

Catch and Release Fishing

We practice catch and release fishing, given many of our trout are resident browns, we have witnessed that the vast majority of fish, if handled & released correctly, live on to be caught again one day.

Fishing gear at Owen River Lodge and Cedar Lodge

Naturally, we have the world’s very best fly fishing equipment available and our tariff includes the use of all the fishing gear you may need:

We have New Zealand’s largest section of loan gear available for the world’s leading suppliers: Simms G3 Gore-Tex waders (ladies’ and men’s sizes available), Simms Gore-Tex wading jackets, Simms Guide and G3 wading boots. We stock from Ladies size 5 up to a mind numbing Men’s size 16 in wading boots and from Small Ladies waders to Men’s XXL.

Additionally, we have a huge range of current model Sage and Thomas & Thomas rods and Sage Spectrum LT wide arbor reels. And you don’t need to worry if we will have enough loan gear; with over 54 pair of Simms G3 waders and over 70 pair of Simms G3 wading boots, we have more than enough to outfit all of our guests.