Fishing News index > February 2008

HAWKE’S BAY FISHING HOTS UP

The continuing dry summer for the East Coast of the North Island has been both a positive contributor to some great fishing and made the fishing challenging in the smaller streams.  The insect activity has to be seen to be believed in the evenings, with the caddis hatches being nothing short of spectacular!  Catching trout on the dry fly is as good as it gets and the conditions for this right now in the Hawke's Bay are perfect.  The warm evenings and still nights make for great fishing.  With the days beginning to shorten and the night temperatures dropping we can sense that autumn is at the back door.  Make the most of the remaining weeks of summer to take advantage of the great fishing that this region has to offer.

The lower river levels and high water temperatures have also caused a few problems.  You may have heard about water quality issues on the Tukituki.  The news is not all bad and the fishing in the Hawke's Bay is still right up there with the best that the country has to offer.  The Hawke's Bay Regional Council tell us that the Tukituki water quality is pretty good compared to other rivers in New Zealand and the fishing continues to be good with the trout in this catchment now moving to the cooler groundwater inputs in the mid reaches.  For those of you with an interest in the water quality issues please keep an eye on http://www.hbrc.govt.nz for notification of a public meeting to inform interested people on what is really happening in the Tukituki.

One of the better performing rivers in the region at the moment is the Mohaka.  The flows in the Mohaka seems to have held up longer than the others and the fishing in the mind reaches around SH 5 is great.  Check out our access guides on  http://www.fishandgame.org.nz/Site/Regions/HawkesBay/fishingAccess.aspx if you can’t find what you want, email us on hawkesbay@fishandgame.org.nz and we will help you out.

UPPER MOHAKA DIVES

For the first time in the recorded history of the region Fish and Game staff drift dived the Taharua River, a significant tributary of the upper Mohaka.  Dives were also conducted in sites in the Mohaka itself.  Drift diving is a simple method that Fish and Game staff use to monitor the abundance of trout.  Divers swim down stream with the current and count trout that swim past them.  Typically this involves teams of 2- 6 divers.  The diving in the upper Mohaka is part of the continuing investigations of land use changes impacting on water quality in the upper Mohaka.  The data will provide a useful guide to the health of the trout fishery that is protected by a Water Conservation Order.  The Taharua dives were completed with the generous assistance of Poronui Station staff.

TUTIRA CLEAN UP CONTINUES

The angler access area at the northern end of the lake was recently sprayed to kill the regenerating willow and blackberry that was cleared a few years ago.  The regrowth has been spectacular and threatened to take over the shoreline once more!  We have noticed a few people camping around this area and lighting fires.  Anglers using this area are reminded that camping is not permitted nor are fires.  If you spot anybody doing this would be keen to find out so that we can move them on.

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