Waiatoto River

The Waiatoto River is a small river that holds some large fish. Not highly regarded as a fishery though it is very scenic.

Fish type	Brown trout
Situation	Rising on Mount Aspiring the Waiatoto flows north though very remote countryside to enter the Tasman Sea 10kms south of Okuru
Maps	Access map
Check conditions	View MetService weather forecast for Hokitika.
F&G pamphlet	West Coast Sports Fisheries access pamphlet >>>
Description	The best fishing on this river is in the lower reaches especially when the whitebait are running
Access	A very remote river requiring a lot of walking to reach the upper reaches. The Haast - Cascades road crosses it in the lower section giving access to the lower reaches.
Recommended lures	Nymphs: Hare and Copper, Pheasants Tails, Hare's Ear Dry flies: Small winged patterns such as Greenwell's Glory, March Brown or Adams or Royal Wulff, Wet flies: Whitebait patterns in the lower reaches. Small wet flies such as March Brown, Greenwell's Glory in the upper reaches Spinners: Small bladed spinners such as Veltic or Mepps
Regulations (1)
Applicable to	Waiatoto River upstream of Haast/Jackson Bay Road
Region	West Coast >>>
Season	1 Oct-30 Apr
Methods	Artificial fly, spinner, bait
Bag limit	Total sports fish: 2
Size limit (cm)	No limit
Regulations (2)
Applicable to	Waiatoto River downstream of Haast/Jackson Bay Road
Region	West Coast >>>
Season	Trout: All year Salmon: 1 Oct-30 Apr
Methods	Artificial fly, spinner, bait
Bag limit	Total sports fish: 2
Size limit (cm)	No limit

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