Travers River

The Travers drains the mountains of Nelson Lakes National Park and winds north across wide tussock flats into the head of Lake Rotoiti. The lower valley is open grassland between beech-covered slopes, and further up the river runs through untouched beech forest. The water is cold, snow-fed and very clear over a bed of shingle and stone, so on a bright day you can see the brown trout before you cast. Fish & Game's guide puts them at 0.9 to 1.8 kg (2 to 4 lb). The Travers is a designated water, so you need a designated waters licence on top of your sports fishing licence.

Once you get there, the Travers is a kind river to fish. The banks are wide and grassy, and the Travers–Sabine Circuit track runs beside most of the fishable water, so you can walk, spot a fish and stalk it. Small unweighted nymphs such as a Pheasant Tail, Hare's Ear or Hare and Copper suit the clear water. Beetle patterns work in early summer and cicadas in late summer. A Greenwell's Glory, Coch-y-Bondhu, Humpy, Royal Wulff or March Brown covers most other days. Small Mepps or Veltic spinners work in the faster water and deep pools. Keep low and make the first cast count: in water this clear, a careless approach sends fish running.

Getting in is the work. From St Arnaud, walk the Lakehead Track along the east shore of Lake Rotoiti to Lakehead Hut in about 3 hours, or take a water taxi to the head of the lake and walk 15 minutes from the jetty. Coldwater Hut sits on the lake edge across the river. John Tait Hut is 4 hours 30 minutes up the valley, so the upper water is an overnight trip. Most streams on the track are bridged, but after heavy rain some are not safe to cross. Book Lakehead and John Tait huts on the DOC website, and expect trampers on the circuit in summer. Lake snow and didymo are in Lake Rotoiti, so dry your gear for 48 hours before you fish another water.