Reel Life September 2026 - Hawke's bay

Hawkes Bay Regional Update - 2026/27 Season Prospects.

Well, the countdown to the 1^st October is on, when the trout fishing season opens across all waters of Hawkes Bay. We are sure there are lots of flies being tied, leave being applied for applied for, new season licences being bought and gear being prepared ready for the big day. Many of the middle and lower stretches of our larger rivers have remained open for fishing through the winter, whilst smaller rivers, streams and the headwaters have been closed to maximize the chances of the mature trout spawning free of disturbance. The reopening of these waters on the 1 st October is eagerly awaited by anglers young and old; the trout will be hungry and less wary and there is always the excitement of getting back out onto our favorite river or stream.

 The 2026/27 trout fishing season promises to be great, after our very successful 2025/26 season that was outstanding for the size, condition and number of trout caught in most Hawkes Bay rivers. We have had a few periods of rain that brought rivers up briefly but so far, we have avoided any major floods, and the generally stable river conditions will have been great for spawning and the trout to recover post spawning. The increased flows will have helped the mature trout to travel upstream to spawn whilst the generally settled river conditions without long periods of flooded silty rivers will have had minimal impact on trout feeding and their recovery post spawning.    

Image above: A mature rainbow from October 2025

The Tukituki and Waipawa systems really stood out in the 2025/26 season, with incredible fish numbers in some stretches, which had some anglers complaining; albeit a little “tongue in cheek” that there were too many fish. With such high fish numbers, it was easy to “spook” a trout at the bottom of a nice stretch and as it fled upstream, it frightened all the other trout above it making catching any trout in that stretch more difficult, this was especially noticeable when the rivers were clear; with 10 or more fish visible at times in one spot. All we can say is; what an awesome problem to have so close to major cities!

Our staff have been out conducting spawning counts on spawning streams through the winter months and have been impressed by the size and condition of many of the rainbows sighted with some in the 3kg bracket seen, but what impressed us the most was the size of some of the brown trout seen, with several 4kg plus brown trout seen in the Tukituki catchment.

A nice early season Waipawa rainbow

The Mohaka really picked up over last summer with an increase in average size around SH5 and the Glenfalls area, with really good numbers of mid-sized trout, we expect to see good numbers of juvenile through to 3 year olds in this  area this summer with a higher percentage of these trout in the 1.5 -2.5kg class. This area had been impacted by Cyclone Gabrielle in February 2023 and many anglers had commented on the high number of juveniles but lower numbers of larger trout in that area in 2024 and 2025.

Mohaka at Glenfalls

The Ngaruroro also fished well, we heard of good catches close to Hastings and Fernhill, with some great conditioned 2-3 kg trout caught by young anglers spinning or soft baiting. The wonderful thing about this part of the river is, many methods are successful; add to that it’s close proximity to town coupled with easy access, making it a great option for families, juniors and skilled anglers alike.

 It is a timely reminder that we have a great range of world class rivers in the bay, from the big, powerful and bouldery Mohaka, through to the smaller spring creek style fisheries like the Manganuku and upper Waipunga and everything in between.

We expect that the coming season will continue this theme, with the Tukituki, Waipawa, Ngaruroro and Mohaka rivers recovering well post Cyclone Gabrielle, and suggest that if you are wanting to harvest a trout to take home, that you head for the Tukituki, Waipawa, mid to lower Ngaruroro or Mohaka.  We have also released more rainbow trout into lake Hawkston, which will provide opportunity when the rivers are dirty – please contact the landowner for access.

Mohaka River access via jock Sutton Road

Pan Pac Forest Products have advised that Jock Sutton Road at Glen Falls will close from October 2026 – please see exerts from their communications below

Re: Mohaka River – Temporary closure to public access via Jock Sutton Road

We are writing to advise you of an upcoming temporary change to access via Jock Sutton Road. Pan Pac has harvesting operations scheduled to commence in October 2026, with harvesting and associated forestry operations expected to continue through to 2029. Unfortunately, due to the nature and scale of these operations, we will be unable to keep Jock Sutton Road open to the public during this period.

The closure is necessary for health and safety and security reasons. Active forestry operations involving heavy machinery, logging trucks and other vehicles will be operating on the road and within the surrounding forest. Maintaining public access during these operations would create unacceptable risks to road users and forestry crews, as well as security concerns associated with an active harvesting operation.

Our Public Access Agreement provides for public access to be closed where necessary for health and safety or security reasons. The planned harvesting operation falls within these provisions.

We have not made this decision lightly and appreciate that this closure will be disappointing and may inconvenience people who regularly access Mohaka River via Jock Sutton Road. We remain committed to enabling access to Mohaka River where it is safe and practicable to do so. Access to the river is still available via Aurora Road, 1km further along Waitara Road

Thank you for your understanding and cooperation while these forestry operations are undertaken.

Weather

The long range weather forecast suggests we will get some rain between now and the 1 October but at this stage it doesn’t look like will get any major rain events so hopefully anglers will have nice clear rivers on the 1 October. The long-range weather forecast suggests we may be in for an El Nino summer which will give dryer conditions on the east with more westerly quarter winds and wetter conditions on the west coast, this may result on low clear rivers that rise in the foothills but potentially higher levels on the big rivers that have their headwaters further west. The key takeaway message from this is; just because the smaller coastal rivers are low and clear there is no guarantee the likes of the Mohaka and Ngaruroro will be too, we suggest you check the HBRC rivers levels page before heading out and be prepared because the Ngaruroro is notorious for rising very quickly in its upper reaches.

River Levels & Flows | Hawke's Bay Regional Council

Fishing Regulations Changes for the 2026/ 27 Season.

The Council has not made any changes to the license this season, other than a slight change in wording for areas covered by the open summer season to improve clarity, which runs from 1 October through to 30 June. Anglers are reminded that the upper reaches and tributaries of the big rivers and most of the smaller rivers closed on the 30 June allowing trout to spawn undisturbed.

Please check your licence very carefully, particularly if you fish between 1 July and 30 September. A 2 fish limit applies on some stretches, and 1 fish limit still applies to most tributaries and smaller rivers. Anglers may wish to practise selective harvest, so please treat any trout you release with care, returning them to the water as soon as you can.  Anglers are reminded that once they have taken their daily bag limit, they must stop fishing.

We urge all anglers to buy a license, check the regulations, enjoy the great and varied fishing Hawkes Bay has to offer and remember to carry their license with them.

If you need to buy a licence please visit your local retailer or follow the link below for online sales.

Fishing Licence New Zealand - Fish & Game NZ

Check, Clean, Dry - protecting our trout fishing and the next generations Trout Fishing.

Over the winter many angler swill have travelled out of the bay to fish other regions ; particularly the canals down south and the Taupo district.

We remind all anglers to ensure they check, clean, sterilize, then dry to be sure – dry to touch inside and out , then leave to dry for another 2 days before using again, when moving between rivers and lakes, this is particularly important for anyone travelling in from the Waikato or the South Island, with their respective gold clam and didymo risks.  Once cleaned of any dirt, weed or other matter, all gear should be sterilised, Biosecurity NZ recommend soaking in a 5% bleach solution for a minimum of 1 hour, then dried as above. We have some great rivers, offering wonderful fishing in the north island, but the last thing anyone wants is someone introducing a pest species or organism. If you need any more information please check 'Check Clean Dry': help protect New Zealand's waterways | NZ Government