Reel Life April 2025 - Northland

Conditions Update

The drought in Northland has broken with two weather systems bringing rain to the region in April. The majority of this has fallen on the east coast, so the west coast which has suffered worst in the drought could still use some more rainfall. At the time of writing this article the tropical low that was Cyclone Tam is moving away from Northland having dropped well over 100mm on much of the east coast and as little as 15-20mm around Dargaville where it was really needed. This will still see many of the eastern and central catchments recover from the low flows of the recent drought. High flows in the likes of the Wairau catchment may even trigger some adult fish to start moving into the smaller tributary streams to spawn.

Image above: A flooded Wairua River on 17 April taken from Rushbrook Road

Despite the low flows and warm water there were still reports of fish being caught recently in the Wairua catchment and in the Whau Valley Dam. The Whau Valley Dam was getting very low due to the lack of inflow however in the last 24hours it has filled back up almost to capacity.

Considering the waters are now cooling and the flows are increasing any of the waters in the region will be worth investigating again. Be aware that eastern catchments will likely be recovering from flood conditions but fishing should improve once they drop to more normal levels and start to clear.

Changes in the reservoir liberations

Keep an eye out for browns when fishing the reservoirs in the coming months, our annual liberation into the reservoirs will see brown trout yearlings going into Wilsons Dam and Whau Valley. Whau Valley will receive a mix of rainbows and browns and Lake Manuwai will get rainbows only. The annual liberation occurs in May each year.

From 2026 onward Northland Fish and Game will be releasing two-year old fish into the reservoirs to see if the growth rate and catch rate improves. Anglers are encouraged to report their catches to the Northland office so that data can be used to develop stocking rates that get the best results for anglers.

We need your help!!

Keep sending in those fish photos. It’s good to see what Northland is producing. Weight and length information would also be appreciated for research purposes.

Winter licences now available

Winter licences are now available for those who like to fish the cooler months. Winter licences allow you to fish anywhere in New Zealand outside the Taupo fishery between 01 April and 30 September inclusive.

With Northlands streams and reservoirs now being open all year round there is no shortage of opportunity to get plenty of fishing done.

For more information about licences check out our website: www.fishandgame.org.nz