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TROUT FISHING WITH MAURICE RODWAY - Weekly Column: 21 November 1997
Southland, New Zealand

Trout Fishing in Southland

The trout fishery in Southland has been praised by many over the years, but so have trout fisheries elsewhere. In the past there has been little concerted effort to promote the fishery overseas or to other parts of the country. It has been viewed as a recreation rather than a tourist attraction or a reason for people to come to the region.

Southland's trout fisheries could be an important part of the region's attraction, but so far there is little evidence that this is happening. Recently a new study has shed some light on why this may be so. Daniel Agar, a student of Otago University has recently completed a dissertation for his Postgraduate Diploma in Tourism entitled "The Mataura Mayfly, a special event to promote the Mataura fishery".  Daniel suggests a number of factors that limit the usefulness of the river as a tourist destination. These apply equally to Southland as a whole. These are listed as the unpredictable weather, shortage of accomodation during the most popular months, lack of funding (for promotion) and concerns of Fish and Game and local anglers on how any promotion might affect the fishery.

In these statements lie most of the truth for the lack of the development of the resource as a tourist attraction. Local managers and anglers do have fears about the impact of large numbers of visitors on their fishery. So it is not promoted as much as it might be. The weather is uncertain and it is true many people in the rest of the country have a negative view of Southland because of this. Although some Southlanders deny it, the weather is cooler and cloudier here than most other places in New Zealand. Daniel has identified real issues, and rather than deny them we must use them to our advantage.

Anglers don't have to have warm windless days to have successful trout fishing. We don't have to compare our trout fishing with Taupo or Rotorua. We need to be honest and say trout are hard to catch here, but they are a challenge. Visiting anglers need to recognize they are likely to encounter cool blustery weather and that they will need to seek out and find alternative places to fish when the main rivers are high and flooded.   They need to be made aware that locals are jealous of the fishing here, but provided they respect local rules they will be welcome.  We must identify the uniqueness of Southland's trout fishery and promote that to a specific audience. The trout fishery has special attractions. The challenge is to identify and promote these, but at the same time ensure they are not damaged.

Maurice Rodway
Southland, New Zealand                           E-mail: fishgame@southnet.co.nz

Article ©1997 Maurice Rodway, All Rights Reserved.
 

14 Nov 97

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