Auckland / Waikato News > December 2007

Auckland/Waikato Report

More fish for Pupuke
We will be releasing another 1000, two-year-old fish into Lake Pupuke this week.  The fish are from the Turangi hatchery and average 0.7 kg. 

Awakino River
As I noted in the last Reel Life report there was a massive flood in the Awakino on the 5th November, so it was with some trepidation that we undertook an electric fishing survey of the upper reaches.

The flood has had a major impact on the pool/run structure of the river.  It was disconcerting to see that many of my favourite pools had gone. Nevertheless, I like fishing rivers that I haven’t fished before, and the Awakino certainly holds a lot of new water to explore over the summer.

The electric fishing survey revealed that the river was holding reasonably numbers of trout fry – fish from last winter’s spawning.  So despite the major riverbed movements, there does not appear to have been any major impact on trout recruitment.  However invertebrate numbers were well down, as you would expect after a major flood, and this may impact on juvenile growth rates and survival.

From angler reports the Awakino is still fishing well, especially in the middle reaches downstream from Mahoenui.  Other rivers in the Waitomo district may have suffered more as fishing is reputedly quite slow on the  Mangaotaki and Mangaohae Streams 

Hydro-lakes
 The fishing has been pretty good in the upper reaches of both Arapuni and Karapiro.  Growth rates in Arapuni are well up from recent years with two-year-old hatchery fish averaging about 58cm, which is an increase of about 5cm from last year.

Moakurarua Stream
There is a new landowner on the farm above Honokiwi Road.  There is no Queens Chain so you must ask for permission at Montrose Farm, 104 Tapuae Road, ph. 07 873 0796. 

Angler survey
Over the next year, Fish and Game will be telephoning anglers requesting details on where they have been fishing over the previous two months.  Most licence holders are likely to be contacted at least once.  The survey is being carried out by a research company based in Invercargill, so please be patience with the interviewers as their local knowledge will be minimal.

The data from the survey will be extremely useful, especially for RMA negotiations with power companies and their like.  Thus it is crucial that the surveys are seen to be as unbiased as possible, which is why it is being conducted by an independent company. 

Summer fishing
From the reports that we have received the fishing has been generally pretty good throughout the region with the possible exception of some of the west coast rivers that are still recovering from the November flood.  Brown trout should be moving up from the Waikato into the headwaters of the Waipa over the next couple of weeks, so you should expect to see some large browns in the these rivers including the Mangatutu, Puniu, upper Waipa and Pirongia streams.

Ben Wilson

Fisheries Manager
Auckland/Waikato Fish and Game

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