The Hangaroa river rises in the eastern section
of the Urewera National Park. The headwaters and upper reaches flows
through virgin native bush in before emerging onto open farmland.
It joins the Ruakituri
river just upstream from the Te Reinga Falls.
Brown
and rainbow trout are present in good numbers fish averaging
just under 2 kg. In the upper reaches rainbow trout are the
most common with brown trout preferring the lower reaches.
Situation
The Hangaroa river rises in
the eastern section of the Urewera National Park. In its upper
reaches and headwaters flows through native bush and then emerges
out over open farmland before joining the Ruakituri
river upstream from the Te Reinga Falls.
In the upper reaches and
headwaters the Hangaroa River flows through bush over a rock
and stone bed. The water quality is good and fish can be easily
spotted in the clear water. The river itself is made up of
a series of well-defined pools and long glides punctuated
by short rapids. The most popular section however is over
private farmland and so permission should be sought from the
owners.
As the river increases in volume as it flows towards the
Ruakituri, the water quality deteriorates markedly. The last
section of the river does not provide great fishing as the
river tends to be slower moving and the river carries a degree
of colour.
Access
Turn off the road at Te Reinga
towards the Tiniroto Lakes and continue on to the small settlement
of Tahunga.
Methods
In the upper reaches and headwaters,
the Hangaroa river provides high-quality dry fly and nymph water.
Recommended tackle
A 9 foot rod capable of casting
a weight five to seven line. A short leader (around nine to
12 feet) with a four to six pound tippet is all that is required.
In the clear waters in the upper reaches, it is best to use
flourocarbon.
Dry flies:
In the early season use may fly patterns such as Kakahi
Queen and Adams.
Sedge
patterns throughout the season and in the early summer, beetle
patterns can be very deadly and try cicada
and cricket
patterns during the height of summer. These flies are also
good indicator of flies when fished with a small nymph trailing
below.
Wet flies:
In the upper reaches, small wet flies such as a March
Brown and soft hackled spider
patterns can work well particularly in the evening when
fish are often taking insects just subsurface.
Tributaries
The Hangaroa river has a number
of small tributaries that join it. These provide excellent fishing
at the confluence and during the hotter weather when trout will
often congregate around some cooler in flowing water.
