The Clutha / Mata-Au is the big stable giant of the South Island — New Zealand's largest river by flow, lake-fed from Wānaka and Hāwea and held by the Clyde and Roxburgh dams, so it runs big and clear where rain-fed rivers blow out. It holds large brown and rainbow trout, fished from the wadeable margins, the side-braids and the slower edges rather than the heavy main flow. A powerful river to be respected; its size and regulation make it a reliable option when others are out.
New Zealand's largest river by volume, the Clutha / Mata-Au pours green and powerful out of Lakes Wānaka and Hāwea and drives through the schist gorges and orchards of Central Otago to the Pacific. Lake-fed and dam-held, it runs big and stable where lesser rivers rise and fall, its margins and side-braids holding large brown and rainbow trout.
Wading: Very powerful big river current, dam controlled level changes — wade margins only, great care
Fish & Game describe the lower river's invertebrate community as predominantly mayflies and caddis — mayfly hatches run midday into late afternoon across the open season, with an evening caddis rise particularly strong in early summer; exact monthly boundaries are an interpretation rather than a stated hatch calendar.
- River
- Schist
- Partly confined
- Large river
- Glide