Fishing News index > January 2008

NEW MANAGER FOR THE BAY

The beginning of January this year saw the Hawke's Bay Region begin a change of direction with its management.  With the resignation of Steve Smith who saw the region through eight years of shared management with the Eastern Region the Hawke's Bay Region took the chance to employ its own manager based in the Bay.

Long time Napier based Senior Fish and Game Officer, Iain Maxwell was the successful appointee.  Iain has had a long and extensive involvement with the management of sports fish and game bird resources stemming from post graduate study at Massey University.  Iain has been involved in the management of the Taupo fishery and Rotorua Lakes fisheries.  Iain is a keen trout fisherman and game bird hunter thus bringing both the management skills and recreational interests to the job.

The Council is looking forward to beginning a new approach to the regions management says Bruce Bates, Chair of the Council.  The new focus is very much on the users of the resource and we want to regain the grassroots contact with anglers and hunters.  Also important to the Council is reconfirming its identity in the region to assure anglers and hunters that Fish and Game are alive and well in the Hawke's Bay.

PURIMU LAKE RESTORATION TAKES A BIG STEP

A small and almost unknown lake to the south west of Waipukurau, Purimu was all but forgotten until recently.  The well publicized storm that hit the Manawatu in February 2004 touched this lake and severely eroded the outlet to the point where the lake began to drain.  Local hunters approached Fish and Game and plans were implemented to save it.  The lake was formally recognized as Crown land through a survey process at which point Fish and Game began seeking funding and consents to undertake the work required to save the lake.

In 2006 the outlet area was cleared of willow and a new culvert structure installed.  This outlet has taken some fine tuning to get it functioning it properly.  The other significant work required was to control the significant crack and pussy willow forest to the west of the lake.  The spraying was recently completed using new spray technology from Heliteam in Waipukurau.  The type of boom they use allows very accurate, no drift spray application.  This was important in this lake with a large area on production forest adjacent to the lake.

Future work at the lake will include some further spraying and retirement fencing.  The project has been a joint venture between the Game Bird Habitat Trust Board, The Hawke's Bay Regional Council and Hawke's Bay Fish and Game.

BAY FISHING AS HOT AS THE WEATHER

The trout fishing in the Hawke's Bay is simply stunning at the moment.  The regions rivers are punching above their weight and the fish are in superb condition.  The equinoxal winds that plagued the Bay over the early part of the summer have passed and the rising temperatures have seen fishing conditions that rival anything the country has to offer. 

Of note the Tutaekuri River has fished very consistently.  A fantastic resource so close to town the river has been in great condition with little weed issues and consistently well conditioned fish.

The Ngaruroro and Mohaka rivers have also produced consistent fishing and great fish.  The flows in these rivers have dropped considerably but the fish have remained in their traditional spots.  The low conditions and warm weather has seen some spectacular dry fly action with caddis and mayfly hatches pretty much any where you find a good pool.

Couple the world class fishing with the great weather the Bay has been experiencing and it makes for a great holiday destination.

Access guides to these rivers and more are able to be downloaded from our web page or email us at hawkesbay@fishandgame.org.nz and we can post some out to you.

WATERFOWL BANDING IN FULL SWING

Banding mallard and grey duck is an important aspect of the regions species monitoring programme.  Capturing birds allows staff to age and sex the birds to assess productivity.  This information along with information gained from band returns via hunters allows the Council to make informed decisions on the management of these birds.  The work continues through January and February.  Approximately 1,000 bird will be captured and have a leg band attached to them during this period.

NGARURORO RIVER INVESTIGATION DRAWS TO A CLOSE

The Council is close to concluding a programme to assess the merit of a Water Conservation Order (WCO) on the Ngaruroro River.  The Ngaruroro has specifically been targeted by hydroelectric development as an area of potential.  The value of the river from a national context is now being examined to determine if a WCO should be pursued.  Size and weight data from over 100 trout has been collected for comparison with other rivers in the Central North Island complex (Rangitikei and Mohaka) that already have WCO’s on them.

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