Access map

The headwaters of the Tawarau River are very remote and require some considerable walking. There is a DOC track along much of its length though this tends to be some distance from the river and will require a little bit of bush bashing to get to the best fishing spots.

Access

See the Tawarau River access map.

Just upstream from the confluence with the Mangaohae River, the Tawarau river flows through a steep sided valley over a rocky bed. The river tends to be quite channeled and fast moving in this section making fishing difficult. Further upstream there are many more open sections providing both good spin fishing and fly-fishing opportunities. Fishing here requires you to spend some time as access is difficult and a reasonable degree of fitness is essential. The scenery however is quite spectacular and worth the effort.

Access

See the Tawarau River access map.

Downstream from the confluence with the Mangaohae River to the end of Speedies Road, the Tawarau is still a remote back country water but is considerably easier to access. The best fishing requires some walking along the DOC track. While walking the track anglers would usually need to push down through the bush to get to the water. As the river in this section tends to run through reasonably steep banks it is often necessary to move back onto the track to find other sections of the river to fish. The scenery is very attractive and the fish hard fighting. For those looking for some back country fishing, the Tawarau is highly recommended.

Access

See the Tawarau River access map.

Spin fishing requires rods capable of casting lures around 7 g in weight. As the water carries some colour, and there are a number of snags in the river, use lines in the 2 to 3 kg range.

As anglers must push through bush to reach much of this river, shorter fly rods capable of casting a weight five line or similar are recommended. Leaders of around nine to 10 foot are all that is required as the water generally carries some colour providing some protection for the angler.

Nymphs: Hare and Copper, Pheasant Tail, Halfback, and caddis patterns in sizes 14 to 16.

Dry flies: Small flies such as Kakahi Queen, Twilight Beauty, Royal Wulff or Adams work well throughout the year especially in the evenings. During the day, Brown Beetles work well in early summer and Daddy Long Legs and cicada patterns from mid-to late summer.

Wet flies: Small wet flies such as March Brown, Greenwell's Glory and Invicta are particularly effective especially when trout are rising. Often these flies fished just subsurface work better than a dry fly when the fish are rising in the evenings.

Spinners: Small bladed spinners such as Mepps or Veltic are  best especially when fished through the deep pools or brought under overhanging vegetation. Best colours tend to be red and gold.