Freestone · Mixed · Nelson

Motueka River

Motueka River venue image
Poor · Brown Trout
Hare & Copper Nymph · 12-16
Closed season
Season reopens 1 October. Plenty of other water available now.
Closed — confidence not applicable today.
What moved it
  • Level1.54 mDropping after lift
  • Water temp11.8°C
  • ClarityColouredColouring up
Today's fly
Hare & Copper Nymph
Hare & Copper Nymph12-16
High-confidence seasonal pick
Conditions on the water
Live gauge
Level
Steady
1.54 m
Dropping after lift
Water temp11.8°C
ClarityColoured
Weather8°C
WindW 19 km/h
Pressure1002 hPa
Rain · recent12.7 mm
Rain · ahead0.0 mm

Live readings — water temperature is an estimate where the gauge does not record it.

How these readings are sourced

Weather-only: no live gauge wired. Colours after rain but clears quickly — sight-fishing best on low, clear water.

Water temperature for Brown Trout
Ideal
12°C est.ideal 10–16°C
0°14°28°
How to fish it · for Brown Trout
When
Nymphing can work through most of the day.
Where
Cover mixed depths.
Method
Start with tight-line nymphs and adjust if fish rise or drift higher.
Kit
9 ft #4 rod, floating line, 12 ft tapered leader to 4–5 lb fluoro tippet.
Hatch timeline · todayQuiet day

Hatch predictions

Today's headline hatch shown — see all 3 active hatches hour by hour with Pro.

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Sub-surface · on the nymphunder the surface

Hatch predictions

See the full sub-surface read with Pro.

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Evidence
ModelledModerate confidence

Modelled from regional ecology — no survey or occurrence data for this water yet.

Through the year
0–3 scale · July highlighted
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Trout seasonSeason
2
2
2
1
1
2
2
Deleatidium / NZ Mayfly DunHatch
3
3
3
3
2
2
3
3
3
Burrowing Mayfly / Green MayflyHatch
3
2
2
Caddis / SedgeHatch
3
3
3
2
2
3
Cased Caddis / CreeperHatch
3
3
3
2
2
3
3

Numbers are intensity 0 (none) to 3 (peak) — a guide, not a guarantee.

Ranked for today
Brown Trout fly box
Permits & access
Permit required — see local rules.
  • Nelson-Marlborough Fish & Game region — a Fish & Game licence is required
  • Check the current Anglers Notice
  • Check Clean Dry (didymo present)
  • Respect private-land access.
What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
Gallery · 1
  1. Terrain map of the venue
    Terrain map
The full read · show the working · for Brown Trout · confidence 75%
How the 0 is built — score × weight = contribution
Temperature100 × 28%28.0
Flow80 × 22%17.6
Clarity40 × 18%7.2
Feeding Time40 × 13%5.2
Pressure80 × 7%5.6
Insect activity44 × 12%5.3
Conditions total= 69
Can you trust it?
Water temperatureair-to-water estimateestimated
Level / flowon-river gaugeobserved
Prey activitymodelled from regional profilemodelled
What would change the calculation
The dawn and dusk windows score higher than the midday lull.
Directions
Apple MapsGoogle Maps
Seasons & zones
  • Trout 1 October (main river) / 1 November (upper reaches) → 30 April (upper) / year-round (lower)

    Nelson-Marlborough Fish & Game licence required. Legal status: guidance_not_permission.

Related guides
Euro Nymphingsubsurface methods
Booking & contacts