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Fishing News index > Seasons Prospects
Taranaki Region Seasons prospects
Taranaki Ringplain
Season Prospects - Taranaki ringplain
Well, it was a pretty eventful end to last season, with an intense rain storm in the early hours of 30th April causing lahars containing a mix of sand, shingle, boulders, partially weathered volcanic ash and water to surge down several watercourses within Egmont National Park. Unfortunately, the Stony River fishery has again been wiped out and will not be worth visiting this season. Other coastal streams affected were the Okahu and to a lesser extent the Mangahume and Waiaua Rivers near Opunake. F&G will carry out a drift dive survey of Okahu Stream this summer to confirm the extent of the damage, but it is likely that the trout population has been decimated in similar fashion to the Stony. On the eastern side of the mountain, a lahar came down the Little Maketawa, a tributary of Maketawa Stream and despite the flushing effect of winter freshes, the Maketawa mainstem is still carrying a fair bit of sand into the new season. While the Manganui River headwaters were also affected, further downstream, the Manganui remains in good shape and the river will continue to provide good fishing in much the same vein as last season.
Thankfully, the 30th April flood was much more benign in northern and southern ringplain streams, with the Waiwhakaiho reaching its 5-year flood level (Figure 1) and rivers like the Waiongana, Patea, Waingongoro, Kapuni and Kaupokonui barely reaching their average annual flood. Surveys confirmed there was little damage to trout spawning gravels and in some cases the flood had a beneficial effect by breaking through the cobbled layer armouring the riverbed and exposing good quantities of gravel for spawning.
And while more than 3 metres of rain fell at North Egmont between 21st June and the end of August, ringplain streams received a series of only moderate winter freshes, with the largest in mid-July reaching only the average annual flood level in the Waiwhakaiho (Figure 1). These freshes were just what was needed to restore water tables after the dry summer and autumn. They removed much of the sediment and algal mats that had accumulated during the drought and provided good conditions for trout spawning. They also had a positive effect by redistributing sensitive mayfly, stonefly and caddis larvae to downstream reaches, where winter water temperatures were favourable for their survival and growth. As a result, fly anglers will benefit from some good insect hatches in the lower and middle reaches of streams as water temperatures increase during October and November.
So, while erosion on Mt. Taranaki will have ongoing effects on some ringplain streams, most fisheries have come through the winter in good condition and anglers will still have plenty of places to go fishing in the coming season.
FIGURE 1. After a significant flood on 30th April, ringplain streams received only moderate winter freshes and most trout fisheries are in great condition for the start of the new angling season.
FIGURE 2. Flow recorder trace for the Stony River at Mangatete Road, showing a record flow of 530 m3/s that decimated the trout fishery in the early hours of 30th April 2008. The difference in the base height of the trace after 30th April is due to the riverbed filling with sand and aggregate.
PLATE 1. A lahar surging down Maero Stream, a headwater tributary of the Stony River, on 30th April 2008 failed to take a corner and obliterated an area of bush about a km long and 200m wide (Photo: Bryan Williams, DOC).
Wanganui
Whanganui River
Though both rainbow and brown trout are present in the river it is the brown that predominate and provide most of the sport. The best fishing is undoubtedly in the upper reaches towards Taumarunui, but the lower sections still hold good fish. All legal lures and baits can be used and wet fly, dry fly, nymphs and spinners are all popular and are used to great success. The daily bag limit is set at 4. Try your hand at spinning in the in the city stretches of the river for the chance to catch a sea run brownie or the even the odd Kahawai.
Lakes Wiritoa and Kohata
The prospects for Lake Wiritoa and Kohata are looking good for this season; Wiritoa will be the recipient of a stocking program in the form of 300 - 350 2 year old rainbow trout in early October. This will coincide with the annual Kids Trout Fishing day which is scheduled to be held on Saturday 4th of October. The kids account for a number of the trout but there are always plenty that remain available to anglers throughout the rest of the season.
Both lakes are known to hold very healthy populations of perch. The perch is a voracious predator, which will quite happily predate on its own young given the chance. The fact that there are perch in the lakes being caught up to 2kg in weight testifies to the health of the population. While a number of purists will argue that they are not game fish in the classical sense, Perch are excellent sports fish in their own right and can be both hard fighting and good eating. See the article on Perch fishing at Lake Wiritoa for more detail. All fishing methods work well on the lakes and the best time to fish in the summer months is early morning and in the evening. All legal lures and baits can be used on Wiritoa and Kohata and the daily bag limit is 2 for trout and no limit for Perch.
Lake Namunamu
Lake Namunama remains a popular spot for those wanting to get out of town, but not have to go too far into the back blocks. Located only 14km west of Hunterville on the Turakina Road, this rainbow stocked fishery provides anglers with the opportunity to fish for trout up to 2kg or more in weight. The lake is set in a in a sheltered wooded valley. Fly fishing with Hamills Killer, Red Rabbit, Olive Matuka, Wooly Bugger or Yellow Parsons Glory have all been successful in the past, as have various nymphs such as damsel or dragonfly patterns. Spinning is also recommended, especially from the jetties and should also account for a good number of fish.
Mangawhero
The recent freshes have continued to affect the lower Mangawhero River, meaning that visibility has been pretty poor and the fishing difficult. However, the forecast of a drier spring than last year should hopefully mean the river clears and the fishing improves along with the clarity of the water. Spinning deeper stretches of the Mangawhero below and above the Raukawa Falls will produce some good sized trout. Fish up to 4kg have been reported in these stretches. All legal baits and lures can be used on the Mangawhero and there is a daily bag limit of 4 trout.
Ruapehu
Manganui-o-te-ao
Recent reports of difficult fishing conditions on the Manganui-o-te-ao have gone hand in glove with sightings of some very nice brown and rainbow trout. The river level has been high recently, but is now dropping and with a drier spring forecast the fishing should improve. The river contains a good number of large fish and will no doubt continue to provide anglers with trout in excess of 3.5 kg. Even the smaller pan-sized specimens are in great condition and being fit river fish, they will provide plenty of excitement in the coming season.
The Ruatiti Domain Campsite continues to be a favourite spot with a large number of anglers who want to combine the fishing trip with a family camp out. There is a large information board just inside the Camp Site which details all the local pools, access points and the contact numbers of land owners. Please ensure you obtain permission to access the river across private land. Local landowners in this area have been very cooperative and there is usually no problem getting to the river. Please also be mindful where cars are parked and avoid blocking farm gates. All legal baits and lures can be used and the daily bag limit is 3 trout.
Toikahuru Stream
The spring-fed Toikahuru Stream is also worth a visit as it can provide good fishing while other rivers are discoloured by rain. Though predominantly populated by rainbow trout of a smaller size, a number of fish up to 2kg or more have been caught. The Toikahuru is located near Karioi and offers an excellent variation to fishing in the area. All legal baits and lures can be used and the daily bag limit is 4 fish.
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