Fishing News index > June 2008

Hawkes Bay Winter Fishing News and Issues
By Thomas Winlove

Winter is well and truly here, with plenty of cold frosts, heavy rains and high rivers. Trout throughout the region would have started their spawning runs up the rivers and tributaries to begin the process to produce fish for the following season. During these months fish making early spawning runs can be targeted as they head up river. This can be a successful  time for anglers as fish will become plentiful in certain stretches. Certain sections of river and most tributaries will be closed during the winter season to let the spawning fish complete their spawning runs undisturbed. With these regulations in place we encourage you to check the regulation book or our website to ensure you don’t end up fishing in closed waters.

During the winter anglers are going to find it frustrating at times as their favourite pools on the river are going to be flowing high and dirty. This doesn’t mean that fishing is fully out of the question, as Lake Tutira will start to fish well in the next month or so. As spawning begins fish will start to come in closer to the shore to attempt spawning, giving better opportunity to the awaiting angler. After a good southerly with plenty of wind and rain fish can also be found closer to the edges as they use the conditions to come into the shallow water. Flies such as Hamill’s Killer, Red Setter, Mrs Simpson and Parson’s Glory are good options to start with when using a sinking line, nymph patterns using Half back, Pheasant tail, Hare and copper and Glo bugs are also good options when choosing to nymph.

Lake Tutira

After a heavy rain that has raised river levels and made them dirty, the Mohaka will generally be the first river to clear up. After a decent rain the Mohaka will be clear generally within 1-2days. With rivers average flows during the winter being higher than in summer, a lot of areas that were once calm and narrow, may now be wide and swift. This necessitates the use of heavier gear. Heavier weight rods with sinking lines will be very effective in areas of higher flow. The ability to cast long across the current, letting the line drift down stream before retrieving, enables the angler to cover vast areas of water with one cast, increasing the chances of catching a fish. Flies such as Yellow Rabbits and Red-setters are popular options for this type of fishing.

New access tracks to the Mohaka are due to get underway within the month with the first one going in between the Glenfalls Recreation Reserve and Jock Sutton road. This will be a walking track that will drop down to the river from Waitara Rd. The initial track will just lead to the riverbed, but the idea is to latter extend this down stream as far as possible towards Jock Sutton Road. The track will open up a whole new section of good fishable water, which we are excited about. The second track is to go in above the McVicor Rd Bridge, following the river edge as far up as possible, allowing anglers to fish as far up as they can.

So as a roundup, Tutira will be starting to fish well in the next month or so as fish come in closer to the shore, the Mohaka cleans the quickest and will provide more fishable conditions than the others and wetlining will be a good option where river levels are high.

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