Hapuka River

The Hapuka River is a slow flowing river that is best fished from a boat using fly or spinning gear.

Fish type	Brown trout with large sea run fish in the lagoon area. A few salmon
Situation	Approximately 12 kms south of Haast township
Setting	The Hapuka drains a swampy area and enters the Tasman Sea near the small coastal setting of Okuru.
Maps	Access map
Check conditions	View the MetService weather forecast
Description	A slow moving river with tea coloured water that drains a lowland swamp area.
Fish numbers and size	Reasonable numbers of fish can be expected especially in the estuary area.
Ease of fishing	This river is difficult to fish for the shoreline angler due to the swampy conditions and the dense shoreline vegetation. It is easily fished from a small boat however.
Access	Access to the lower reaches is from the Haast - Jackson Bay road. Most of the fishable section of the river can be accessed by a small row boat. See the Hapuka River access map.
Recommended lures	Nymphs: This is not ideal nymph water Dry flies: Small winged patterns such as Greenwell's Glory or Adams can sometimes be effective on a warm summer evening, Wet flies: Any smelt pattern such as a Grey Ghost, Yellow or White Dorothy, Yellow Rabbit or Doll Fly can be effective when the whitebait are running Spinners: Spinners such as Gold or Silver Toby patterns are best.
Regulations
Applicable to	Hapuka River
Region	West Coast
Season	Trout: All year Salmon: 1 Oct-30 Apr
Methods	Artificial fly, spinner, bait
Bag limit	Total sportsfish: 2
Size limit (cm)	No limit

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