Waioeka River Trout Fishing

Access map
Topographic map

LINZ topographic map: (260 Map Series, 1:50,000)
W17 Urewera
W16 Waimana
W15 Whakatane

River level and rainfall

View graphs at the Environment Bay of Plenty website of recent Waioeka River water level and rainfall: 
- at Cableway
- at Opotoki town wharf

River flow

The one hundred year flow for the Waioeka River at the Cableway recorder has been assessed by the East Coast Catchment Board at 2100 cumecs (cubic metres per second). Mean flow for the Cableway is 32 cumens. (See the Environment Bay of Plenty website for more details.)

Weather forecast

View the MetService weather forecast for Whakatane.

The upper reaches of the Waioeka River provide excellent wilderness fishing for those anglers prepared to walk some distance. Parts of the Waioeka River headwaters are accessible only over private land and it is necessary to contact the owner before crossing it. Two huts in the headwaters allow anglers to experience some excellent evening and early morning fishing conditions. Highly recommended to the more adventurous angler looking for a wilderness fishing experience.

Access:

Wairata Rd (which leads into Redpath Road) turns off State Highway 2 and follows the river for approximately 5 km. After this there is a walking track leading to the Nikau Flat Hut another 8-10 km upstream, and to the Koranga Forks Hut a few kilometres further upstream. This is a beautiful walk with ample fishing opportunities along the way.

See the Waioeka River access map.

The middle reaches of the Waioeka River provide ideal trout habitat and are easy to access. The water is generally very clear though sometimes has a tinge of colour from the surrounding vegetation. The river here is a sequence of rebels, glides and deep pools flowing between well vegetation banks. Its bed is a mixture of shingle and stone with plenty of open spaces for the angler. The trout population is high and despite its proximity to a major highway, anglers will still find plenty of opportunity to fish in solitude.

Access

Access to the middle reaches of the Waioeka river is easy as State Highway Two follows the true right bank for its entire length. See the Waioeka River access map.

The lower reaches of the Waioeka river are best for spin fishing as the river here is much wider and slower. There are still good fish numbers however mostly in the 1 to 2 kg range.

Access:

State Highway Two follows the river for some distance. However in the lowest reaches it is necessary to cross private land and so farmers permission must be sought. See the Waioeka River access map.

Spinning tackle should be capable of casting 7 to 10g lures.

In the headwaters, rods capable of casting a four to six weight line are recommended. In the middle and lower reaches anglers can get away with using slightly heavier lines

Nymphs: Dark weighted nymph patterns in sizes 12 to 16 such as Hare and Copper, Pheasant Tail, Prince Nymph and Halfback all work well particularly in the upper reaches

Dry flies: During the summer large size 10 to 12 flies fished over the faster water can be very effective. Dry Royal Wulff, Parachute Adams and Humpy work well throughout the season. During the summer, cicada patterns, beetle and cricket patterns all work well and in late summer Daddy Long Legs (crane flies) and lace flies are very effective.

Wet flies: Small wet flies such as Invicta, March Brown, Greenwell's Glory, Grouse and Claret and Mallard work well particularly in the evening when fish are taking emerger patterns just subsurface. When fishing deeper try Hamill's Killer, Mrs Simpson or Red Setter.

Spinners: In the lower reaches larger spinners such as black and gold Toby or a Rapala pattern work well though in the upper reaches small bladed spinners such as Veltic or Mepps fished upstream and retrieved near the river bed just faster than the current works best.

The Waioeka river headwaters has a number of tributaries including the Opato stream which is easily accessed from State Highway 2. The Koranga River and the Kahanui Stream are major tributaries which provide true wilderness fishing for large trout in beautiful, scenic surroundings.

There are a number of small tributaries in the middle Waioeka river including the Waiata Stream, Oponae Stream, the Omaukora Stream, the Okurata Stream, the Wairata stream and the Te Pato Stream all of which provide top-quality fishing on small scenic streams.

Note that some of these waterways cross private land and so anglers are requested to obtain permission from the landowner before fishing them.