Discover the Beauty of The Waiau River with Jet Boat Fishing

Teeming with brown & rainbow trout and flowing through untouched rainforest, the Waiau river offers a very special wilderness experience.

Combine fishing and jet boating in the Fiordland wilderness for the ultimate kiwi adventure.Unforgettable fun for friends, couples, and families!

This trip is all about giving trout fishing a go for the first time on Fiordland’s mighty Waiau River. It’s the ultimate hands-on Kiwi adventure. Let our friendly local guide welcome you on board our custom-built jet boat, as we drift down the river having a go at trout fishing along the way. There are high numbers of rainbow and brown trout here, and with our stunning clear waters and patient guides providing tuition, you are bound to hook up in no time!

But it’s not just the thrill of catching trout for the first time that makes this such a memorable day. The scenery is truly epic – think Lord of the Rings filming locations combined with the wilderness of the Fiordland National Park.

No experience is required for this private half day or full day experience and everything is supplied. Having your own boat and guide also means complete flexibility with how you want to enjoy your trip.

Enjoy morning or afternoon tea with home baking on half day trips or a delicious BBQ lunch on the riverside with locally-sourced produce on full day trips. It’s so much fun for couples or a group of friends or family of up to 6, or ask us about groups of up to 10. Pre-booking is recommended Dec – Mar as availability is limited.

For the non-anglers in the group, sit back and watch the fishing action or enjoy the cycle trail or Kepler Track which runs along either side of the river. We can organise to meet up along the river so everyone can enjoy what they want to.

Trip options include:

Full Day jet boat with gourmet riverside BBQ lunch - Fish the river at your own pace with riverside gourmet BBQ lunch featuring local fare provided (8 hours)... $2600 for up to two people, $200 per person after two people, $90 junior (12-17 years) children 4-11 years no additional charge. Extra for larger groups Guide $10000

Full Day jet boat with standard packed lunch. Spend more time fishing with a packed lunch of sandwiches or wraps provided (8 hours)... $2,250 for up to two people, $155/adult (18yrs+) per person after two people, $70 junior (12-17 years) children 4-11 years FOC. Extra for larger groups Guide $1000

Evening Rise - Jet boat fishing with riverside canapes (6 hours afternoon until dusk)...$2,450 for up to 2 people, $150 per adult after two people, $80 junior (12-17 years), children 4-11 years FOC. Extra Guide $900

Half Day - A morning or afternoon trip exploring upper Waiau River (4hrs am or pm session)…$1,350 for up to two people, $125 per adult (18yrs+),  $60 junior (12-17 years), children 4-11 years FOC. Extra Guide $650

Drift Boat Fishing - Full Day 8 hours...$1,950 for up to 2 people (maximum 2 people). Ideal to add onto a larger group booking for the jet boat.

Drift Boat Fishing - Half Day 4 hours...$1,100 for up to 2 people (maximum 2 people). Ideal to add onto a larger group booking for the jet boat.

Additional guide or drift boat inclusion for larger groups - If more than 2 anglers are wanting to fish for the duration of your jet boat trip, then adding on a guided drift boat or another fishing guide is the best way for everyone in the group to get the right level of tuition and service by ensuring a minimum 1:2 guide to client ratio. Often the extra guide will be dropped off with clients by the boat to fish otherwise hard to reach beaches and islands along the river.

Extra Guide: Full Day $950, Half day $650

Day fishing licenses additional: $34 per person 18 years and over.

95% of our guiding is on the Waiau River rather than driving to other rivers. Below are some FAQ's.

- The fishing on this river cannot be accessed by walking – it has high terraced sides and bush right to the edge – this is why we use boats and we use jet boats because of the superior maneuverability.

- Because you have to use a boat this river does not have the fishing pressure other rivers have and we never run into conflict on the river with other guides or anglers. You might walk for an hour up a river and discover someone else has just jumped in ahead of you – we don’t have to deal with this at all as we just move down the 28km length of river in the boat avoiding everyone else which is what a fishing experience should be.

- It is 5 minutes from Te Anau so you maximise your fishing time – on a half day most get at least 4-5 hours actual fishing time so far better bang for buck than driving to and from rivers and walking between pools maybe only getting 2-3 hours actual fishing time if any if you don’t see a fish.

- The boat is used only as transport between fishing spots – we can fish from the boat if you want, drift style but largely it is the same experience as walking from pool to pool except we drive you which again maximizes fishing time and the chance of getting onto fish. It is only a mode of transport, most certainly not a highlight of the trip. Elderly or less agile people or those that have had a full fishing holiday itinerary find it perfect if they can’t cover the ground they used to, we simply drive them to the fishing spots, low effort.

- The Waiau River offers lots of variety to suit different styles of fishing – spin, fly and drift experiences, from the very experienced angler to the first time learner. We can choose challenging waters, target big browns in the back waters or target active Rainbow in the fast water. We can effectively cater for everyone on the same river all in a different style.

- Fish and Game drift dive this river and it is consistently 2-300 trout per kilometer – this is impressive by any standard.

- This river is not affected by rainfall like all the other rivers – it is controlled by a dam so it will not rise significantly or turn dirty overnight – it is a very dependable and fish-able river and all weather conditions which gives everyone peace of mind when booking so far ahead.

- The guides know this river like the back of their hands because they spend every day on it during the summer.

- We have hosted literally over a thousand fishing clients and we have not had anyone not appreciate the Waiau River experience, in fact they are blown away by the quantity and quality of our fishery. We are lucky to have this resource right here and I assure you, you will not be disappointed.