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TROUT FISHING WITH MAURICE RODWAY - Weekly Column: 03-December-1999
 Southland, New Zealand

Geology of Rivers

Wandering Southland's river banks after the floods brings a mixture of relief and worry. In the tributaries of the Makarewa it is largely relief but on the middle reaches of the Mataura and the Mararoa there is cause for concern.

The  streams originating in the Takitimus, the Hokonuis, and the Catlins have not been significantly altered by the recent floods. In the middle reaches of the Aparima some quite major river works are being undertaken to restore floodbanks but generally the floods will have not done a great deal of harm to trout habitats. Indeed some of the new pools created, where the river takes a sharp bend, will provide good homes for trout over the summer.

Alluvial rivers such as the Aparima do alter their courses a great deal in large floods, but large trout seem to be able to cope with the upheaval and return to the new habitats that can be found amongst the rearranged landscape. In the rock bound streams of the Hokonuis and the Catlins, pools do not change so we can expect trout to be where they were before the high flows, sometimes some new occupier will be present to surprise us.

Although the underlying geology of a river largely determines its form, very large flows can make big changes to rivers that have for many years remained relatively stable. In Southland one of our finest trout fisheries has undergone a transformation, and whether this is for the better is, at present, uncertain to say the least.

High in mountains between Queenstown and Milford where the rainfall was greatest, the Mararoa begins its scenic journey to Lake Manapouri.  At first it flows across a wide plain of tussocks, fringed with beech forest. It rests for a while in two pretty lakes, then descends rapidly through small falls and rapids, wild enough to attract kayakers at normal flows. It tumbles briskly between beech forests on one side and new farms on the other down to a tangle of willows and broom before it arrives at the Mararoa Weir where it finally comes to rest by mingling with lake Manapouri.

For as long as most of us can remember is best waters, from the Key Bridge to the lakes flowed beside tussock banks, with deep undercuts sheltering big brown trout. Its runs, deep and fast, hid hefty rainbows. Landing a trout in these waters usually involved a sprint downstream to keep up with them.

Now, however, the flood waters have changed much of that. The Mararoa resembles a wild west coast stream with beech trees and acres of bare gravel strewn over the berms. Its lower reaches are still dirty, its banks still raw and bleeding from the wounds of its war with the floodwaters.

Trout may still find a place in this tormented river but it is not the same home for them that it was only a few weeks ago. 

Maurice Rodway
Southland, New Zealand                           E-mail: information@southlandfishgame.co.nz

Article © 1999 Maurice Rodway, All Rights Reserved.

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