Rakaia River Mouth Salmon and Searun Trout Fishing - Dobbins Ford, Griggs Road and Maginisses

Rakaia River mouth viewed from the south side as salmon anglers gather to fish the incoming tide.

Typical track running off Acton Road down to the river. This track runs off the Deer Fence Track and is 4x4 only.

Four wheel drive vehicles out on the lower Rakaia River bed during the annual salmon fishing Competition. A 4x4 saves a lot of walking!

Above: A Woolridge jet boat with outboat jet unit on a shingle island just inside the rivermouth. This island will becovered by water with the incoming tide. Note the salmon in the net that has just been landed at the head of the gut.

The lower section of the Rakaia River from the mouth to several kilometers upstream is extremely popular with trout and salmon anglers. The best salmon fishing is between December and March. The best searun trout fishing is between November and February. At this time of year there are enormous numbers of silverys (smelt) in the surf and the lower river. The big searun brownies literally gorge themselves to overflowing on this high protein food source. Hence the trout grow very big quickly.

The best fishing is just as the river is clearing after a flood. Often quite a few salmon will be caught here over a day of two before they quickly move upriver. Sometimes salmon fishing at the mouth both in the surf, gut and lower river, can be red hot with dozens of fish being caught within just a few hours.

There is good 4x4 vehicle access of rutted tracks running off Acton Road on the south side of the lower river. The best spots are Dobbins Ford, Griggs Road and Maginisses. These tracks are quite long and not suitable for cars. Don't forget to close all the gates behind you. Even when you do reach the river from these side tracks there is often quite a distance to travel to fishable water. Many salmon anglers own 4x4 trucks and drive these through shallow side streams on their way to deeper water fishing spots.

See also: Searun Trout Fishing at the Rakaia River Mouth.

Return to: Rakaia River Salmon and Trout Fishing See lower Rakaia River access map.