Wellington Fishing Reports

Latest news: May 2013

Last week just after the weekly report was sent out, it poored down with rain which was more than expected and as a result the rivers came up and became dirty. Looking ahead to this weekend, we are meant to recieve some light rain today and nothing else. Its shaping up to be a primo weekend and next week looks even better!!!!

There will be two more flushing flows from the Moawhanga dam into the Moawhanga River on 19th Feb and 12th March 2013. The flush is scheduled to begin at 9 pm and continue through till 6 am the following day. High river levels in the Moawhanga and subsequently Rangitikei River will occur on the Wednesday following each of the flushing release dates. Please be aware of this of planning a fishing trip to these areas.

The Hutt River and all tribs are clear and good for fishing at the time of writing. Rain is expected briefly today but fishing should still be good for the coming weekend. There is a big high moving over the country so next week will be a beauty!

Anglers have reported the trout are either holding in the runs or hiding deep at the bottom of pools on the Waikanae and Otaki Rivers. No news has been recieved for the Ohau River as yet. Several fly fishermen have caught some good fish on dry flies over the last fortnight but windy conditions have made it difficult at times especially on the Waikanae with narrow casting margins. Calm, warm evenings can be very productive with plenty of bug life around. At the time of writing  the Otaki , Waikanae and the Ohau seem to be at fishable levels and looking ahead to the weekend fishing should be good despite some light rain today. Next week will be a ripper!!

There has been some good fishing in the Ruamahanga catchment over the last week, and fishing in the Waiohine Gorge has also been productive. John indicated that most fish were caught in the runs on a nymph. He said that rivers were dropping quickly after any rain, and catch rates have been outstanding! The western Wairarapa rivers, the Ruamahanga, Waiohine,   including all tributaries appear to be at a fishable level and will be ok for the coming weekend. Next week will be excellent. The eastern Wairarapa rivers, the Kopuaranga, Huangarua, Taweru - are all ok at time of writing and should be fishable for the coming weekend.

The Rangitikei River is flowing low and clear and fishing should be good over the weekend. Next week it be in prime state. Make sure you check the live flows before heading out on the Rangitikei just incase rain from further upstream is more than expected

Recent rain across most of the region has caused the flow in most rivers to increase and also cause some discolouring. Looking ahead to the weekend, most rivers should clear up in time for the weekend and early next week.

The weather is expected to clear as the weekend approaches and it shouldnt be too long before the sun returns and anglers can get back out to clean rivers and hungry fish!

IMPORTANT NOTE: Moawhango River Flushing 2012 – 13

There will be four flushing flows from the Moawhanga dam into the Moawhanga River on 4th Dec 2012, and 22nd Jan, 19thFeb and 12th March 2013. The flush is scheduled to begin at 9 pm and continue through till 6 am the following day. High river levels in the Moawhanga and subsequently Rangitikei River will occur on the Wednesday following each of the flushing release dates. Please be aware of this of planning a fishing trip to these areas

Hutt River and tributaries 

The area has recieved some rain in the last 48 hours and river levels are up a bit and slightly dirty. This should clear within a day or two and should be ok later in the weekend.  

Note there has been some gravel extraction and rock groyne maintenance on the Hutt River at the Kennedy good/ Owen Street area which is scheduled for another week. There is also some channel shaping involved at the Avalon area which is expected to finish next week but may take longer.  

 At the time of writing all rivers and tributaries are marginal. Check out the live flow here The smaller tributaries such as the Pakuratahi and Akatarawa are fine at present.       

Kapiti Coast

At the time of writing the Otaki is dirty and unfishable, the Waikanae is marginal but will be OK by the weekend and the Ohau is fine (click on the river names for live flow data). Most of these will be ok for the coming weekend but the Otaki River may need an extra day to clear.

 Note that there is some channel realignment work and gravel extraction on the Otaki River above Wallaces and some gravel extraction above Mangaene which may occur for the next week.

Wairarapa

Most rivers should clear later in the weekend you can expect fish to move about with this slight fresh.

• Western Wairarapa rivers - Ruamahanga, Waiohine, Waingawa - At time of reporting all rivers are flowing at marginal levels. There is some beach ripping on the Ruamahanga River between Gladstone and the Waiohine confluence, some on the Waingawa River above the rail bridge and some on the Waipoua. There is also some rock groyne work happening in the back yard (Hammonds) area. These activities should have little effect on the rivers. Saturday looks the pick of the days weather wise as there is rain either side of it.
• Eastern Wairarapa rivers - Kopuaranga, Huangarua, Taweru - are all in a marginal state at time of writing

Manawatu

The Upper Manawatu river is fishable at the time of writing but flow levels are increasing and as a result may become dirty. The lower sections were clear on Thursady morning but is likely that the fresh wil have moved through the system and cause some colouring. The Mangatainoka and Pohangina rivers all seem to be flowing at a marginal level but should clear up quickly.

Rangitikei

At time of writing the Rangitikei River is rising but may still be ok especially for the spin fishermen. Make sure you check the live flows before heading out on the Rangitikei just incase things change between now and then.

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.