Mohaka River Trout and Fly Fishing

Upper Mokaka River maps

Access map

Access map with topography

Lower Mohaka River maps

Access map

Access map with topography

LINZ topographic maps: 1:50,000 (260 series)

Weather forecast

View the MetService weather forecast for Napier.

The Mohaka River is a large water that drains a considerable area of land. The upper reaches and its many tributaries flow through around 20 km of remote native bush, providing top-quality wilderness fishing for a good population of large, mostly brown trout. The water quality in the section is almost always very good and the river is only unfishable under the most extreme weather conditions. There is an excellent food source for the trout, most of which are in prime condition. However, some sections of the river are unfishable because of the steep inaccessible gorges but the river provides many kilometres of very fishable water.

Winter fishing

After a decent rain the Mohaka generally clears within 1-2 days. A lot of areas that are calm and narrow in summer may become wide and swift in winter, necessitating the use heavier weight rods with sinking lines. Casting long across the current, and letting the line drift down stream before retrieving, enables the angler to cover vast areas of water with one cast, and increases the chances of catching a fish.

Upstream from the Pakaututu road bridge.

Description

The upper reaches are very remote and mostly inaccessible by road. To fish the section requires either a long walk or a helicopter to access the river. The river flows through native bushland and although some sections are inaccessible, there are very large stretches providing many kilometres of top-quality wilderness fishing for the adventurous and energetic angler. The section is particularly well-suited to nymph fishing though during the summer there can be excellent dry fly fishing as fish rise to take any insects that are blown onto the water. There is plenty of opportunity for the wet line fisherman as well, particularly when fishing some of the very deep pools.

Fish numbers and size

Brown trout make up the bulk of the fish in this section, with some reaching trophy size (over 4.5 kg).

Access

There is very limited road access to these upper reaches and most anglers either walk in (between five to eight hours) or fly in by helicopter from Poronui station.

Above the McVicor Rd Bridge, an access track follows the river edge as far up as possible, allowing anglers to fish as far up as they can.

See the upper Mokaka River access map and list of access points.

Downstream from the Pakaututu road bridge

Description

The middle reaches are much more accessible in the upper reaches can provide the angler with the opportunity to fish for a large population of predominantly rainbow trout. The bed of the river is mostly stone and as the current can be deceptively strong, great care should be taken when wading. There is wide variety of water along this stretch from some easily accessible water through to quite remote stretches of river.

Fish type and size

Rainbow trout can average around 1.5 kg though many much larger fish are regularly caught.

Access

The Taupo-Napier Road (State Highway 5) crosses the Mohaka River, and Waitara Road follows the river along the true right bank, with side roads leading off it offering good access to many stretches of the river. There are many other roads such as Willowflat Road, Pohokura Road and Pakaututu Road all providing access to sections of the river.

Despite these access points however, a large section of the middle reaches is still very remote and only able to be accessed by walking or using a raft or kayak.

From 1 Oct 2008, new walking access tracks will be ready for use:

• Between the Glenfalls Recreation Reserve and Jock Sutton road. This track which will drop down to the river from Waitara Road, initially just to the riverbed, but later downstream as far as possible towards Jock Sutton Road. The track will open up a whole new section of good fishable water.
• Above the McVicar Rd Bridge, following the river edge as far up as possible, allowing anglers to fish as far up as they can.

See the upper Mohaka access map, the lower Mohaka access map and the list of access points.

The very lower reaches of the river are not highly regarded but still hold a good population of trout. The section is best fished when the whitebait are running in October and November when the trout move downstream to take advantage of this food source. Some sea run trout also venture into the river in autumn.

See the lower Mohaka River access map and list of access points

Nymphs: Dark weighted nymph patterns in sizes 12 to 14 such as Hare and Copper, Pheasants Tail, Prince nymphs and Halfbacks all work well.

Dry flies: During the summer large size 10 to 12 flies fished over the faster water can be very effective. Dry Royal Wulff, cicada patterns, Parachute Adams, Humpy, and beetle and cricket patterns.

Note: On some years during the summer mice feed upon the nuts that grow on the beech trees lining the banks of the river. Many of these fall in the water to become a meal for the large brown trout that lie in wait for them so a mouse fly fished across the surface can be very effective during these times.

Wet flies / Streamers: 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, Yellow Rabbit and Red Setter.

Spinners: Many spinners work well though when fishing the upper reaches use duller colours as brown trout predominate, and use brighter colours in the middle and lower reaches where there are mainly rainbow trout present.

There are a large number of tributaries to the Mohaka, the biggest tributary being the Waipunga River which is an important fishery in its own right.

In the headwaters the Oamaru, the Kaipo and the Taharua all join near Poronui to become the Mohaka. Other tributaries include the Ripia river, the Makino River and the Inangatahi. There are also a number of other small streams that flow into the Mohaka that can be worth exploring, particularly early in the season.