Nic Cudby; Fish & Game Officer – Wellington
Temperatures are continuing to rise and anglers in the region are presented with a promising weekend of fishing! Most rivers in our region are clear and fishable and with some exceptional weather expected this weekend anglers are blessed with a great opportunity to get the line wet.
The fish are still preying on whitebait lower down in the river systems and those that arent are mostly nymph feeding along the bottom. As this weather continues to warm up we can expect more hatches during the day and trout will be taking dries off the surface in no time.
Brown beetles are starting to emerge and if we get a few days of fine warm weather in a row you may find this a popular choice especially if the trout are starting to rise.
Hutt River & tributaries/ Wainuiomata River
The Hutt River and tributaries and the Wainuiomata have been fine all week and should be great for the coming weekend. The week ahead is expected to be wet and reduce the fishing opportunities.
Waikanae, Otaki, Ohau rivers
The Waikanae, Otaki, Ohau rivers along the Kapiti Coast are fishable at present and should remain this way for the coming weekend. With the expected weather conditions, this weekend would be a great time to chance your luck in the head waters of the Otaki River.
Manawatu River & tributaries/ including Mangatainoka, Pohangina, Oroua rivers
Most of the Manawatu river is fishable at the time of writing. It is fishable from Dannevirke to as low as Opiki and it is lkely to be good further downstream as well. When these lower sections are clear they can be very rewarding for anglers! The Mangatainoka and Pohangina rivers all seem to be flowing low and are fishable. The weather is expected to be fine from now until early next week.
Note that there has been some work on the Mangatainoka River between Tutaekara Road and Bridge Road in the past few weeks but it may have finished by now. Just be weary that there may be sediment in the river.
Rangitikei River & tributaries/ including Hautapu and Kauwhatau rivers
The Rangitikei River and tributaries including the Hautapu are low and fishable at present but may become slight discoloured with some rain possible later next week. Spin fishing with Rapala lures has been devastating early in the season!
Ruamahanga River & tributaries/ including Waiohine, Waipoua, and Kopuaranga rivers
The Ruamahanga river and its tributaries are flowing clear at present and most of them should be in peak condition for the coming weekend. Rain is expected next week and fishing may become marginal. Rivers are clearing up quickly after rain events. |