Click on any photo for an enlarged view.As you enter Kaka Point coming from Dunedin or Balclutha there is a sign at the side of the road which says "Welcome to Kaka Point." From that sign up to the Cluth River Mouth (I estimate the distance at 8km) there is a beach.
It is a very strange beach because it's not sand and it's not shingle but a sort of hybrid between the two. The important factor is that it's a deep water beach very similar to a shingle beach in that it has a deep shelf in very close and big oceanic swells. It is also right next to a rivermouth which as every good fisherman knows is generally a hotspot for catching fish.
Sevengill sharks can be caught all along this beach and probably much bigger sharks in midsummer. Elephant fish can on occassion be caught here (use shellfish for bait) over the Christmas holiday period. Throughout summer there will be big rig and school sharks. Also spiny dogfish, red cod and mullet. If the mullet are running then there should also be barracouta in the surf. This beach is fishable on all tides and has full 4WD access for the whole length. An excellent spot for an all night shark session at the river mouth end. This is an excellent beach for kite fishing during a NW wind or kontiki fishing on any tide and wind.
The Clutha River MouthAt the Clutha (north) end of the beach is the Clutha River Mouth.The Clutha River / Mata-Au is the second longest river in New Zealand. It is also the highest volume river in New Zealand, and the swiftest, with a catchment of 21,960 square kilometres, discharging a mean flow of 614 cubic metres per second.
In most other places around NZ with river mouths even half the size of the Clutha you will find fishermen everywhere. Not so at the Clutha because it has rarely been fished at the mouth except during whitebait and salmon season. Certainly the mouth is generally completely devoid of surfcasters despite the obvious potential.
Rivermouths all over the world are almost always good fishing spots. The smaller fish run in and out with the tide while the big fish usually sit on the edge of an outgoing current and feast on the non-stop smorgasbord flowing past. I would imagine that a live bait sitting in the current at the mouth in midsummer wouldn't last very long at all.
The trick to fishing most river mouths is clean water. The Clutha is particularly tricky because it is so big so it takes a long time to clean up properly. If you can get clean water then the fishing should be good if you strike it right. As well as the fish species mentioned above it may also be possible to catch Trumpeter and Moki around the river mouth. It is eminently fishable and it absolutely screams out big fish under the right conditions.
Shark Fishing from Beaches
Neil Bridson caught and released this sevengill shark while surfcasting at Rangitata in March. Rangitata is a similar River Mouth to the Clutha except it is located in Canterbury. Estimated at 3m long, the sevengill took him about 35minutes to land with the assistance of his brother-in-law, Wayne Buxton.
I include these photos as an example of the type of fish that is easily and regularly caught off beaches similar to the steep Kaka Point Beach that runs to the Clutha River Mouth. All over NZ sevengill sharks come into the shingle beaches and deepwater sand beaches in the early to mid summer. They cruise just beyond the dropoff and prefer live bait or fresh fish fillets. They are bottom feeders but will take a bait in open water on occassion.
Sevengill sharks (all sharks actually) are much easier to catch at night. Usually on the tide change of a high tide and a full moon seems to bring them on the bite as well.
The beach between Kaka Point and the Clutha River has a lot of history. It used to be the site of the thriving town of Port Molyuneux. Read about the history of this beach right HERE.
Don't forget the Kaka Point Easter Fishing Competition every Easter. Open to everybody and open to all styles of fishing from sea, shore and river. Not just a fishing competition but a true Kaka Point social event.
