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Clarence River

Type
Freestone river, Marlborough, New Zealand
Season
Oct–Apr, longer on some reaches
Where the season comes from

Clarence River upstream of Acheron confluence 1 Oct - 30 Apr FS 2

Set for this water by name. Reaches have different dates: the months shown are open on every reach.

Exceptions on the page:

  • downstream of Acheron confluence All year FSB 2

Sports Fishing Regs 2026/27 Nelson/Marlborough
Fish & Game NZ · checked 2026-11-04. Dates change each season: confirm them there.

Live gauges
2 verified
Listed by
1 authoritative list
Guides
None listed
Shops
None listed

Today on the Clarence River

Reading the gauge…

Regulations & lists Guides & shops

The Clarence River running blue past a wide shingle bed below the ranges
Photo credit

The Clarence River. Photo: Ulrich Lange, Dunedin, New Zealand, CC BY-SA 3.0, cropped, via Wikimedia Commons

More about the Clarence River

The Clarence River is a freestone river in the Marlborough and Canterbury regions of New Zealand. Fish & Game Nelson/Marlborough lists it as one of its fisheries. This page covers the Molesworth Station reaches; the lower river runs to the sea north of Kaikōura. Also called Waiau Toa.

Flow now at 2 gauges
Reading the gauges…

Where to fish

About this

Nothing on this page grants or implies access: check the agency map, posted signs and landowner permission before you fish. Most waters here need a rod licence or permit and often a beat booking or club ticket; the listing pages under Regulations say which.

Nothing on this page grants or implies access.

Clarence River on the map

About this

Gauges, shops and guides nearby

Map of Clarence River: gauges, shops and guides

Restrooms

Map of Clarence River with 2 gauges.

Map: © OpenStreetMap contributors · OpenFreeMap · © OpenMapTiles

Restrooms near Clarence River

Restrooms near Clarence River

Restrooms within 2 miles of Clarence River in a straight line, nearest first, with what anglers found when they went. The map says a restroom is there, not whether it is clean or open today.

No restroom mapped within 2 mi yet — add one you know.

Campgrounds, fishing access sites and boat ramps often have one that isn't on the map yet.

Restroom locations and map details: © OpenStreetMap contributors, Open Database License, read Oct 24, 2026. Ratings, answers and photos are members' own; who shared them is never shown, and every photo is reviewed before it appears. Visits older than 18 months no longer count. Distances are straight-line miles, not driving. Nothing here grants access to private land. Community guidelines.

More water near Clarence River (6)
  • Waiau Uwha RiverCanterbury · Freestone river · about 60 km · live gauge
  • Wairau RiverMarlborough · Freestone river · about 66 km
  • Hurunui RiverCanterbury · Freestone river · about 87 km · live gauge
  • Motueka RiverTasman · Freestone river · about 105 km · live gauge
  • Buller RiverTasman · Freestone river · about 107 km · live gauge
  • Pelorus RiverMarlborough · Freestone river · about 112 km

Sources OpenStreetMap via Nominatim (position)Overture Maps places (guide map points)

Where the map point comes from

Position: the OpenStreetMap feature “Clarence River, Marlborough, New Zealand” (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL), found with Nominatim; a point on or near the named feature, approximate.

We hold no access map for Marlborough yet.

The map shows gauges (tap one for its reading on this page), and shops and guides nearby that publish a street address on their own website. Everyone else is in the lists below.

Regulations and official lists

About this

Each line is an official list that names this water. Those pages are the authority on seasons, licences, limits and closures for each beat or reach; read them before you go.

Guides and shops near Clarence River

About this

Listings are unclaimed: confirm licensing, rates, dates and hours directly.

Guides

No guide within 60 km yet.

All Marlborough guides

Shops nearby

No shop nearby yet.

All Marlborough shops

How these are chosen

Guides whose own website names this water come first, nearest first. Distances are straight-line.

Shops whose website names this water first, then fly shops within 100 km when the shop's website gives its location.

Guide and shop listings come from the Legendary directories.

Species

About this

The species the agency lists here; presence varies by reach and season.

Listed by the agency

  • Salmon

Gear checklist

About this

A steelhead and salmon fly-fishing checklist: a switch or spey rod (or 9′6″ single-hand) in 7–8 weight, Skagit lines and sink tips, swing flies, studded boots and cold-weather layers, with estimated prices and where to buy.

Steelhead & salmon

11′–13′6″ two-hand rod, 7–8 weight, Skagit head + sink tips · Steelhead and Pacific salmon

Open the checklist
Videos for this water (5)

Watch: reading a trout stream

About this

Seams, shelves and soft water, shown on real rivers.

Public YouTube videos from established channels, chosen by us to support this page. Not sponsored; the creators are not affiliated with Legendary Fly Gear.

  • How I Learned to Read Water (Fly Fishing)Embedded from YouTube · Mad River Outfitters · not affiliated with Legendary Fly Gear. Watch on YouTube
  • How To Read The Water with Tom RosenbauerEmbedded from YouTube · The New Fly Fisher · not affiliated with Legendary Fly Gear. Watch on YouTube
  • Reading the Water to Successfully Locate TroutEmbedded from YouTube · Orvis Guide to Fly Fishing · not affiliated with Legendary Fly Gear. Watch on YouTube

Not sponsored All videos on reading water

Watch: nymphing basics

About this

Indicator rigs, depth and detecting the take.

Public YouTube videos from established channels, chosen by us to support this page. Not sponsored; the creators are not affiliated with Legendary Fly Gear.

  • 90° Nymph RigEmbedded from YouTube · Huge Fly Fisherman · not affiliated with Legendary Fly Gear. Watch on YouTube
  • Casting with an Indicator & Better Nymphing TechniquesEmbedded from YouTube · The New Fly Fisher · not affiliated with Legendary Fly Gear. Watch on YouTube

Not sponsored All videos on nymphing

Fish Tales

About this

Trip stories anglers chose to share publicly and tagged with Clarence River.

No stories from here yet.

Write the first story Share your day

Sources for this page

Not a statement of access, fish presence or conditions.

Something wrong?

All 7 sources and dates

A water page organises discovery. It does not assert public access, legal access, current fish presence, guide availability or fishing conditions.

Live readings come from the named provider when the page is shown, under the licence shown on each card. Designations, species and the flagship note link to the agency or body that publishes them; this page copies only the list wording and the species names. Guide and shop listings come from the Legendary directories. Position: the OpenStreetMap feature “Clarence River, Marlborough, New Zealand” (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL), found with Nominatim; a point on or near the named feature, approximate. Water type is our own classification.