Fishing News index> March 2009

Good Late Summer Fishing For The Rangikitei and Manawatu Rivers

The fishing is continuing its good run of form within the whole region. The weather has remained reasonably consistent over the past month and thus hasn’t hindered the fishing opportunities either! With a small amount of rain, the rivers have retained their low flows and the trout are keeping to their hideouts and not venturing too far from shade and well oxygenated water.

With the abundant supply of cicadas tailing off it seems the fish are still keen to take dry flies from the surface.

With the large window of fishing opportunity we have had over the last month, Wellington Fish and Game has continued with its drift diving programme. And from our observations there are generally good numbers trout in close proximity to urban bridges. On several occasions in different rivers reasonable numbers of trout have been present above, under or below a bridge. At these sites the access is normally quite easy and would encourage anglers to not overlook these areas of opportunity!

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In the northern area the Rangitikei and Manawatu Rivers are ruling the roost, with reasonably good catch rates continuing through the whole season. Success has been had on numerous occasions especially when fishing with dry flies, nymphing has also been rewarding.

Rangitikei River: Still quality fishing in the mid-reaches – some algal growths reported but these should dissipate in early autumn

The Hautapu River has also been rewarding, although it requires a slightly higher level of effort to get the rewards.

The Oroua River seems to require a lot of effort for little reward, where the Pohangina River tends to be slightly more efficient in terms of effort and reward.

Further south, the Mangatainoka bridge would be a great section to fish, being not too far from home, access doesn’t come much easier and there are a few trout in the area.

Continuing south, the Makuri River has been rewarding those anglers who are willing to put the effort in, to fish this river, landowner permission must be obtained to fish in certain sections; however there is the odd piece where access is available.

With the low flows continuing across the whole region, the trout have tended to stay where there is shade and a good supply of oxygen, and this seems to be prominent on the rivers near Masterton, willow lined areas are good places to begin fishing, however Rainbows have been observed in bunches swimming round in the larger pools, they are normally quite happy to rise and take a dry fly off the surface. With the flows as low as they have been recently, some rivers are not worth the effort until the levels begin to increase a bit more.

Not far from the capital city there good fishing to be had. The Wainuiomata River has again been productive, whereas the Hutt River and tributaries have been fairly hard going recently. Good places to fish will be those areas where there is a slight barrier or obstacle in which the trout cannot easily pass. Again on our drift dives, trout seem to accumulate near areas where a weir is present, maybe seeking refuge on their migration upstream.

On the Kapiti Coast the levels are relatively low as well. The odd fresh has passed through the system and provides a welcomed flushing effect and a slight change to the river. The Waikanae River has been consistent with the previous months as too has the Otaki River. Trout are in reasonable numbers within 1km above and below the bridge and is well worth a look on your way home from work.

Fishing seems to be hard going in the upper Ohau, whereas downstream seems to be fishing slightly better.

With the summer period on its way out, we not have the same ‘window of fishing time’ we have had for the past few months, so make the most of every opportunity we are dealt with over the next month. With a bit more rain, we hope to see a lot of the cyanobacteria that is present in most rivers get flushed out of the system and see the trout moving around more freely.

As we approach the tail end of summer, we may not be presented with those long periods we have recently had where the rivers are fishable. The odd shower of rain may start to sneak back in and upset things temporarily so when we do get the opportunity to fish, make the most of it. Our river line is a good way to see if certain rivers are fishable or not. Simply ring 0900 TROUT which is 0900 87688. It is updated as often as possible and may save you an hours drive. The same information is also provided on our website www.fishandgame.org.nz from the main page click on ‘Wellington Region’ and then click the River levels link. It will show you a list of rivers with a value beside them. This is the value that if exceeded by the water level – the fishing isn’t recommended.

Hope to hear many more success stories over the next month and we will catch you on the next reel life article. Happy Fishing to all!

Cheers,
Nic Cudby
( Field Officer )

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