Fishing News index > April 2008

Hawkes Bay Fishing Report
By Thomas Winlove

This past summer the fishing in the Hawkes Bay region, as stated by one of our local guides, has been “Awesome! Best summer nymph fishing in ages!” It seems that most of our main rivers from the Tuki Tuki to the Mohaka have produced some top fishing for the region over the summer. The fish have been in top condition presenting many an angler with long aggressive fights, giving them that rush of excitement which continuously draws them back for more.

 The fight is on!

Such excitement, high fish numbers and the ever growing popularity of the Mohaka as seen high numbers of anglers hit the river throughout the summer. Guiding companies such as Poronui Station and others have also helped see these numbers increase. There has also been an increase in helicopter use for river access, even in areas that can be walked to choppers seem to be landing and off loading anglers. Such use of machinery for access may be seen as ‘disturbing the peace’ or just lazy, but it is however good to see healthy numbers of anglers out there.

 The mystic Mohaka

When the words; meetings, debates, river, quality, and poor are put together, many of us will start to think of the ongoing discussions surrounding the water quality of the Tuki Tuki river. For many anglers though these thoughts have been put to the side as the river has been producing some top fishing. The upper reaches have been hard going though as the fish have been pushed down by the build up of silt and the lower reaches have been pretty good, but it’s the middle reaches that have produced some spectacular fishing. The fish have been extremely healthy, again producing some top sport for any angler or dared to take them on. The fish numbers have also been very high, possibly too high considering the water levels we have been seeing, and this could reflect on the fact that only two or three double figure fish have been heard of coming out of the Tuki Tuki.

Two anglers into the action

This great quality of fish and fishing is still ongoing throughout the region and is looking good for the future months. The heavy rain we have experienced of late may also flush down the silt from the upper reaches so we may see some fish move up into these areas as they clean up. With the warmth and reasonably low levels in some of the smaller rivers, the fish have tended to hold up in the deeper, cooler pools. The experienced anglers out there have made the most of this by concentrating their efforts on such areas and having good success as a result. This will still be the case as it is still reasonably warm but with winter ahead of us we are sure to see more movement of fish through the rivers.

Action in a deep pool!

So with all that said the number one tip we can give you at present is to get off your computer, grab your fishing rod and head to the river. The fish are there to be caught and are as sporting as ever!

A big fish, still out there, with your name on it!

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