Catching trophy trout

Reflections of catching trophy trout- challenges and rewards from a South Island perspective.

The trophy trout formula

Peter Langlands




After ten years of local fly-fishing I am now sure that catching trophy trout is often by planning and less by accident. Trophy trout (say fish over 3.5 kilograms) often occur in the same locations year after year. They have what is termed a high level of “site fidelity”, and given the fact that the trout often take up residency, and can live for up to ten years, often the same trophy fish will be re-encountered in the same location. Also after a while you reflect on the circumstances in which trophy fish were caught and common themes start emerging, despite the geographically diverse range of locations from which trophy fish are caught, there are several common factors. The opportunities for fishing new waters based from my home in Christchurch are vast, and even after ten years there are Wilderness Rivers, containing trophy trout, within 50 miles straight-line distance of the city that I have yet to fish! I look forward to applying some common themes and encountering trophy trout in some new waters.
Lets run through the formula.

Trophy fish like areas, which have stable environments. Often these stable environments occur in the rivers’ head-water regions. Stable riverbeds have the greatest diversity of insects and often proportionally a higher abundance. Also the headwater rivers have more edge environments relative to the flow of water, than the river has further downstream. The increased proportion of edge environments also increases the availability of terrestrial food sources. Often the head-water rivers will have a variety of gravel environments from fine pebble to large boulders and this diversity in stone size will allow a higher diversity of insects to thrive.

Yet as a qualification rivers that have frequent freshes, as opposed to large floods, will often have the most productive insect populations. The head-water rivers are often in areas of high rainfall. It is often while the river is slightly coloured after a fresh that the trout will feed most actively, and if the river has had high angling pressure, the trout will often be relatively easy to catch at such times, as they are more easily deceived in the discoloured waters.

Another common requirement of trophy trout is that there are some sanctuary points such as a large tree fallen into the river, an undercut bank, a deep pool nearby, or a cluster of large boulders, or large open runs, where the trout can hold well clear of the edges and “feel safe”. The more permanent these features are in the river, the higher the chances are that trophy fish will be found there.




Often trophy trout will be located in a pocket of quiet water next to
the main current, where the flow acts as a giant conveyor belt. Trophy fish need to be located next to an area where the main flow is focussed through a small space, but which has some cover nearby, as they need to optimise their feeding. Often such lies will be in heavy water and the large trout will lie deep next to boulders, where they can hide in the smallest spaces. Experience has shown me that trout love holding in these pocket water spaces as they seek more cryptic lies in response to the angling pressure nowadays. Trophy browns are also invariably close to the river’s main flow.

Another factor to consider when seeking out fish above the average size is that often rivers with fewer fish will have larger fish! Many rivers are characterised by a standard sized trout, such as many waters on the South Island’s West Coast, where the trout will average 2 to 2.5 kilograms. Given the moderate numbers of fish, and competitive feeding situations, trophy trout are less likely to be found in these rivers.
If you are fishing a river with a wide variation in trout size, the signs are promising that the river may hold trophy fish. Especially in the upper reaches.

There is also no doubt that certain region’s consistently hold trophy trout such as the rivers in the Lewis Pass. The environment is rugged enough to flush out the smaller fish, yet stable enough to allow larger trout to thrive. It is this ratio in which trophy fish will be encountered. Often there is also what my brother Martin terms “a golden ratio”, in which certain sized rivers are most likely to have trophy fish. Many rivers, which consistently have trophy fish in them, are in the 3-15 cumecs (cubic metres of water per second) range, (and often in the 5-12 cumecs range to be more specific). These rivers have the perfect ratio of flow to have enough insect life to support large trout, but also have a high proportion (to flow) of river bank habitat, and are large enough to afford the trout enough flow to seek sanctuary in. Trophy fish love the medium sized rivers.

A mix of habitat types around the river is another factor to consider as well. We all know that rivers with patches of beech forest, which the mice will move between, fish outstanding well in beech mast years. Rivers with stable edges, in which a diversity of algae grows, will often be places that attract trophy fish, as the mix of algae allows a diverse range of insects such as caddis flies to flourish.

Finally seek out the remoter rivers by all means; as they will often have the highest portion of trophy fish. But also stay open minded. If you spot a good pool next to a bridge, checked it out, as often anglers will race away from their cars and overlook such locations. It is the old saying sometimes- “fish your feet first!”

Another part of the trophy trout formula is getting in on the scene early in the season. November to December are prime months. Lets look at some trophy trout locations through the regions. These are well known for being consistent trophy trout produces and worth a look, but also stay open-minded and follow your own judgement. Some pointers………….