| Fish type |
The
Tukituki catchment has mostly rainbow trout though some brown
are also present. Fish average around 1.5 kg, with some fish
up to 4 kg caught, especially in the lower reaches. |
| Situation |
The Tukituki River and its tributaries
drain a huge area of land in the Hawke's Bay. The river rises
in the Ruahini Ranges and flows for approximately 80 km to enter
the Pacific just south of Napier. |
| Maps |
Upper Tukituki
River maps
Access
map and access
points
Access
map with topography
Lower Tukituki River maps
Access
map and access
points
Access
map with topography
LINZ
topographic maps: 1:50,000 (260
series)
|
| F&G pamphlet |
Tukituki
River Fishery access pamphlet |
| Check conditions |
River level
View graphs of the Tukituki River level:
- at
Folgers (upper reaches)
- at
Tapairu Rd
- at
Shag Rock
- at
Red Bridge (lower reaches)
Rainfall
View graphs of recent rainfall:
- at
Moorcock (upper reaches)
- at
Awarua (Tapairu Rd)
- at
Shag Rock
- at
the Maraetotara River at Waimarama Road (lower reaches)
Weather forecast
View the MetService
weather forecast for Hastings |
| Description |
In the
upper reaches above the confluence with the Tupiko River the
Tukituki is relatively small and provides excellent fishing
early in the season. The middle reaches is the most popular
area of the fishery and offers a huge range and variety of
waters, making it suitable to all angling methods. The lower
Tukituki is a large waterway and is best fished during the
whitebait season when large trout move downstream to take
advantage of this delicacy.
Covering such a wide area of land the Tukituki
is very difficult to describe as one fishery. Each part of
the section is very different, making it suitable to different
angling methods. It does colour up after rain but tends to
clear relatively quickly, especially in the upper reaches. |
| Upper reaches |
Above the
Tukipo River confluence
Description
This section of the river is much smaller
than the middle and lower reaches and consequently is best
fished with light gear. The water in this section tends to
be clearer and further downstream making sight fishing possible.
During the warmer summer months the rivers flow diminishes
and many trout migrate downstream although there is always
a reasonable resident population of fish present. Consequently,
this section is best fished in the early part of the season
up to mid-December or very late in the season after there
has been some rainfall.
Access
Both State Highway 2 and State Highway
50 cross the Tukituki. Many sections of the upper reaches
of the Tukituki can be accessed by roads that lead off the
State Highways.
See the upper Tukituki access
map and access
points. |
| Middle reaches |
From the
Tukipo River confluence downstream to the Waimarama Road bridge
Description
The middle reaches of the Tukituki River
offer a wide variety of fishing that is suited to most methods.
The river flows through a braided channel and is a mixture
of pools and long runs that is suited to both fly and spin
fishing. A number of tributaries flow into the Tukituki along
this section and so the volume of water increases markedly
as one moves downstream. Mostly the river flows over open
land and as there is limited bankside vegetation, in bright
and warm weather trout tend to lie in the deeper pools. The
river warms significantly over the summer months and at times
weed can be a problem. During dry periods the river flow can
be severely reduced making fishing more difficult. Generally
however, this is a very good fishery providing excellent fishing
conditions throughout most of the season.
Access
This section of the river has excellent
access as roads follow the river close to the banks. At times
the angler will still need to cross private land and so the
landowner' s permission should always be sought before crossing.
See the upper
Tukituki access map, the lower
Tukituki access map and the list of access
points. |
| Lower reaches |
From the
Waimarama Road bridge downstream to the sea.
Description
The river here is much larger and less interesting to fish.
That said, it is still a very popular section of the river especially
for those using spinners or wet flies. From October through
to early December, whitebait enter this section of the river
and trout will feed voraciously on them. Some of the largest
trout in this fishery are caught during this time on either
spinners or on large wet flies that closely resemble the small
whitebait. In late autumn, some sea run trout enter into the
river, especially as the river starts to fall after some heavy
rain.
Access
This section of the river has excellent
access from a number of roads that lead along both banks.
See the lower Tukituki access
map and the list of access
points. |
| Methods |
This river is suitable to all
methods of fishing. In the upper reaches there is excellent
dry fly and nymph water although the angler should use tackle
as light as possible, especially during the summer months when
the water is clearer and water levels low. The middle reaches
are well suited to spin fishing, nymphing, dry fly and wet fly.
The lower reaches are best suited to spin fishing and wet fly
fishing especially when the whitebait are running. |
| Recommended lures |
Nymphs:
Small patterns in sizes 14 to 16 of Hare
and Copper, Pheasants
Tail, Halfbacks
and Stonefly
patterns work well.
Dry flies:
Flies that imitate mayfly
and caddis
work well, especially during the warm summer evenings when
there can be very good rise. Cicada
and cricket
patterns can also be effective during the very height of summer.
Wet flies / Streamers:
In the middle reaches use small Hamill's
Killer and Mrs
Simpsons and in the lower reaches smelt
patterns such as Parsons'
Glory, Grey
Ghost and Jack
Spratt.
Spinners: Black
and gold Toby's, rapalas and bladed spinners such as Veltics
and Mepps. |
| Tributaries |
There are a number of of tributaries
to the Tukituki River, each of which is an important fishery
in its own right. These include the Waipawa
River, the Mangaonuku Stream, the Tukipo River and the Makaretu
River. |
| Regulations |
| Applicable to |
Tukituki River upstream from
the SH50 road bridge, excluding tributaries |
| Region |
Hawkes'
Bay region regulations |
| Season |
1 Oct-30 Jun |
| Methods |
Artificial fly, spinner |
| Bag limit |
4 |
| Size limit (cm) |
None |
| Regulations |
| Applicable to |
Tukituki River downstream from
the SH50 road bridge, excluding tributaries |
| Region |
Hawkes'
Bay region regulations |
| Season |
All year |
| Methods |
Artificial fly, spinner |
| Bag limit |
2 until
30 Sept 2008
4 from 1 Oct 2008 |
| Size limit (cm) |
None |
