Southland

Ōreti River

Southland·Southland Plains·45.50° S, 168.13° E

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About Ōreti River

The upper Ōreti is a nationally significant trout river, and anglers come from around the world to sight fish its big browns. Above Mossburn the river runs through open tussock and farmland over a wide, shifting gravel bed, and it does not hold many trout, but the ones it holds are large: Fish & Game drift dives average about 37 browns of 45 to 75 cm per kilometre. A Water Conservation Order protects the river from Rocky Point near Mossburn up to the forks as outstanding brown trout habitat and angling water. The rest of the river is a different trip. Below Mossburn the Ōreti becomes an easy farmland river that runs past Lumsden, Dipton and Winton to Invercargill, with smaller fish, plenty of them in the lower river, and sea-run browns in the lower river and the New River Estuary.

On the upper river you walk, look and wait. The fish are spread out, so expect long stretches of empty water between them, and stalk carefully in the open country, since these are wary fish. Sight fish to them with a nymph or a dry. The prevailing nor'wester makes upstream casting hard. Below Mossburn the river is long glides and riffles with plenty of backwaters, and trout up to about 2 kg take nymphs, dries and spinners. Bait is allowed from the State Highway 97 bridge down. From Centre Bush to the estuary fish are plentiful, and in spring sea-run browns of 2 to 3 kg feed on whitebait and smelt in the lower river.

The upper river is a Designated Water and needs some planning. Above the State Highway 97 bridge near Mossburn you need a Designated Waters licence on top of your sports fishing licence. Only fly and spinner are allowed, the limit is 1 trout a day, and the season runs 1 October to 30 April. The river is split into eleven voluntary beats of about 4 to 7 km, each with a sign and a parking spot. Park beside the sign to claim the beat, and pick another one if a car is already there. The top beats with easy access are the busiest. Summer is the busiest time, and overseas anglers have made up most of the summer pressure in the past. Below Mossburn the limit is 2 trout a day, and the river below the Wallacetown bridge is open all year.

Species

Brown Trout
Primary · Oct-Apr · 45-75 cm on the upper river, 35-50 cm below Mossburn
Wild browns. The upper river above Mossburn holds few fish, but large ones: Fish & Game drift dives average about 37 browns of 45 to 75 cm per kilometre. The middle river holds low to moderate numbers up to about 2 kg, and the lower river more fish, mostly medium-sized with the odd big one.
Sea Run Brown Trout
Common · Oct-Nov · 50-65 cm
Sea-run browns of 2 to 3 kg feed on whitebait and smelt in the lower river and the New River Estuary channels in spring. The river below the Wallacetown bridge is open all year. Spinners and bait work best.

Species	Abundance	Best Season	Size
Brown Trout	Primary	Oct-Apr	45-75 cm on the upper river, 35-50 cm below Mossburn
Sea Run Brown Trout	Common	Oct-Nov	50-65 cm

Sections

4 reaches

Upper Ōreti (Mt Nicholas Road to Mossburn)

WadeBrown Trout · Rainbow Trout

The Designated Water: deep pools and long runs over a wide, unstable gravel bed in open tussock and farmland, from the Mt Nicholas Road bridge down to the State Highway 97 bridge near Mossburn. Trout are few and spread out, but large: Fish & Game drift dives average about 37 browns of 45 to 75 cm per kilometre. It is split into eleven voluntary beats of about 4 to 7 km, from Mt Nicholas at the top to So Big near Mossburn. Park beside a beat sign to claim it, and move on if a car is already there. The top beats with easy access are the busiest. Fly and spinner only, 1 trout a day, and you need a Designated Waters licence. The prevailing nor'wester makes upstream casting hard.

Best for: Sight fishing to large brown trout with a nymph or a dry, with plenty of walking between fish.

Middle Ōreti (Mossburn to Centre Bush)

WadeBrown Trout · Rainbow Trout

Long glides and riffles in open farmland, with many backwaters, past Lumsden, Dipton and Benmore to the Centre Bush bridge. Trout numbers are low to moderate and most fish run up to about 2 kg. The State Highway 94 bridge just north of Lumsden, the Dipton bridge and the Benmore bridge give access. Bait is allowed from the State Highway 97 bridge down. Fishing from a boat or any flotation device is banned down to the State Highway 94 bridge. No confirmed live gauge reads this reach.

Best for: Walk-and-wade nymph and dry fly fishing for brown trout, with bait and spinner allowed.

Lower Ōreti (Centre Bush to Wallacetown)

WadeBrown Trout

Bigger, slower water on the Southland Plains past Winton to the Riverton to Invercargill Highway bridge at Wallacetown. Fish are plentiful, mostly medium-sized with the odd big one. The Wallacetown gauge sits at the bottom of the reach and reads the whole river. Open 1 October to 30 April.

Best for: Nymphing, spinning and bait fishing for brown trout, with easy access close to Invercargill.

Wallacetown to the New River Estuary

WadeBrown Trout · Rainbow Trout

From the Wallacetown bridge down past Invercargill to the New River Estuary. Locals call the river around Invercargill and its estuary the New River. It is open all year. Trout slash at whitebait and smelt in the lower river, and sea-run browns move through the estuary channels. Sandy Point Domain, 7 km west of Invercargill, gives access to the lower river. Read the Wallacetown gauge.

Best for: Sea-run brown trout of 2 to 3 kg on spinners and bait, best in October and November when the whitebait run.

At a glance

Ideal wading flow: 7.9–35 m³/s
Blow-out: >80 m³/s
Ideal water temp: 10–18°C

Best seasons

The flow numbers here are for the Wallacetown gauge, on the lower river at the Riverton to Invercargill Highway bridge, which reads the whole river. As a rough guide, the river is easy to wade at about 8 to 35 m³/s (280 to 1,240 cfs) at Wallacetown, and above about 80 m³/s (2,830 cfs) it is high and coloured. The upper river carries only a part of that flow, and no live gauge reads it yet, so after rain judge it by eye. The season above the Wallacetown bridge runs 1 October to 30 April. October and November bring sea-run browns into the lower river with the whitebait. Summer is the busiest time on the upper river's beats. Trout feed best at about 10 to 18 °C (50 to 64 °F).

Regulations

Above the State Highway 97 bridge near Mossburn the Ōreti and its tributaries are a Designated Water: you need a Designated Waters licence, only fly and spinner are allowed, the limit is 1 trout a day, and the season runs 1 October to 30 April. Downstream to the Riverton to Invercargill Highway at Wallacetown, the season is the same, bait is allowed, and the limit is 2 trout a day. Below that highway the river is open all year.

Licence: A Fish & Game New Zealand sports fishing licence, carried while fishing. Above the State Highway 97 bridge near Mossburn you also need a Designated Waters licence, or must be named on one. Get it from Fish & Game before you fish.

Designated Water. Upstream of the State Highway 97 bridge near Mossburn, river and tributaries: open 1 October to 30 April. Fly and spinner only. Daily bag limit 1 trout. No fishing without a Designated Waters licence, or without being named on one. No fishing from any boat or flotation device. Scented artificial lures may be used when fished to imitate a bait fish.
State Highway 97 bridge to the State Highway 94 bridge just north of Lumsden: open 1 October to 30 April. Fly, spinner and bait. Daily bag limit 2 trout. No fishing from any boat or flotation device.
State Highway 94 bridge just north of Lumsden to the Riverton to Invercargill Highway: open 1 October to 30 April. Fly, spinner and bait. Daily bag limit 2 trout.
Riverton to Invercargill Highway to the sea: open all year. Fly, spinner and bait. Daily bag limit 2 trout.
Southland-wide: no angler may take or hold more than 4 sports fish a day, or more than 1 salmon. Perch have no limit. No salmon may be taken from any river in April and May.
There are no minimum or maximum lengths for sports fish in Southland.
Molluscs may be used as bait where bait is allowed.
Everywhere in New Zealand: one rod, no more than 3 flies or spinners, stay within 15 m of your rod, and no felt-soled waders or boots.

Fish & Game runs a voluntary beat system on the upper Ōreti, with eleven signed beats from Mt Nicholas down to So Big. Park beside a beat sign to show you are fishing it, and move on if it is taken. Older guides list a 400 mm minimum size on the upper river. The 2026–27 Southland rules have no minimum or maximum lengths. Ask the land occupier before crossing private land unless a Fish & Game access sign is present.

Source: Fish & Game New Zealand, Southland region: Sports Fishing Regulations 2026–27. Regulations change annually. Verify before fishing.

Getting there

Mossburn, Southland

Mossburn is about 1 hr 30 min (113 km) from Queenstown, 45 min (58 km) from Te Anau and 1 hr 25 min (100 km) from Invercargill. Lumsden is about 1 hr 25 min (106 km) from Queenstown. The lower river at Wallacetown is about 20 min (15 km) from Invercargill.

Camping: The DOC Mavora Lakes campsite, 39 km of gravel road from State Highway 94 at Centre Hill or Burwood Station, is the nearest campground to the upper river. Book it on the DOC website. Mossburn, Lumsden and Winton have accommodation, and Invercargill has every kind.

For the upper river, turn off State Highway 94 at Centre Hill, west of Mossburn. Centre Hill Road and the Mavora Lakes Road run up the valley, and Mt Nicholas Road crosses the river at the top of the beats. Each beat has a signed parking spot. The beats cross working farms, and at least one has been closed for lambing in spring, so obey any signs. The Around the Mountains Cycle Trail follows the south bank of the river from Centre Hill to Mossburn. Lower down, road bridges at the State Highway 94 crossing near Lumsden, Dipton, Benmore, Centre Bush and Wallacetown give access, and Sandy Point Domain, 7 km west of Invercargill, reaches the lower river. The Queen's Chain does not cover every bank, so use signposted access or ask the land occupier.

Ōreti River

Southland·Southland Plains·45.50° S, 168.13° E

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Fishing: Prime
Flow: 27m³/s; Steady · normal; Oreti River at Wallacetown
Water temp: —

Flow

27m³/s

Steady ·

Oreti River at Wallacetown

Water temp

—

Normal range

20–36m³/s

Median 25 m³/s

Weather

14°C

Heavy Rain

See the full conditions on the Ōreti River

Flow and temperature charts for every station, the weather, and the days ahead. Free, with an email.

A free account also gets you

5-day Fish Index forecastSee how each of the next 5 days rates on every river and lake, from the flow or wind, water temperature, weather and moon forecasts.
A dashboard for your watersSave your rivers and lakes and compare them on one board, with the last week and the days ahead.
A logbook that fills in the conditionsLog outings and trips with photos, even with no signal in the app. Troutline adds the flow, water temperature and weather for each day.
Your angler profileSee other anglers' public outings, and share yours.

Already have an account?

Want history, unlimited alerts and more? , with the first 14 days free for new members.

Solunar · next 7 days

About Ōreti River

Species

Brown Trout
Primary · Oct-Apr · 45-75 cm on the upper river, 35-50 cm below Mossburn
Wild browns. The upper river above Mossburn holds few fish, but large ones: Fish & Game drift dives average about 37 browns of 45 to 75 cm per kilometre. The middle river holds low to moderate numbers up to about 2 kg, and the lower river more fish, mostly medium-sized with the odd big one.
Sea Run Brown Trout
Common · Oct-Nov · 50-65 cm
Sea-run browns of 2 to 3 kg feed on whitebait and smelt in the lower river and the New River Estuary channels in spring. The river below the Wallacetown bridge is open all year. Spinners and bait work best.

Species	Abundance	Best Season	Size
Brown Trout	Primary	Oct-Apr	45-75 cm on the upper river, 35-50 cm below Mossburn
Sea Run Brown Trout	Common	Oct-Nov	50-65 cm