Reel Life January 2025 - Hawke's Bay

Finally some rain arrived. 

Although many would have been cursing it arriving during their Christmas break, and with it a long period of strong cold southerly winds, and cloudy skies even if it wasn’t actually raining. There were some days that weren’t too bad and those that got out fishing had some great fishing, although picking a sheltered stretch, definitely helped! It seemed like all the fish were in great condition and extra hungry, after a long period of hot dry weather where most rivers; particularly those in central Hawkes Bay had become just too low and weedy.

On the positive side, most rivers remained fishable, and those such as the Mohaka that had some heavy thunder showers came up and dropped again quite quickly. The cooler temperatures dropped the water temperature, and the cooler overcast conditions seemed to keep the trout feeding actively longer through the day.

The amount of rain seemed to vary considerably from one catchment to another, so some got a good clean out, whilst others have remained quite weedy making fishing frustrating at times. As the day warms up the amount of drifting weed increases, add to this the tendrils of weed on the rocks, it seems like every second cast you are having to clean the weed off your nymph; such conditions make lure or spin fishing even more challenging, fishing a dry fly or a dry with a nymph as a dropper is often a good option in these conditions.     

With a bit more water in some rivers and a bit of colour spinning or soft baiting has been working well. The windy conditions have been blowing all sorts of terrestrials onto the water, from green beetles to big grasshoppers, artificials imitating these, coupled with a variety of nymphs and normal waterborne dry flies have been working well.

The Tukituki, Waipawa and their tributaries

The Tukituki, Waipawa and their tributaries continue to fish very well, with high numbers of fish seen in some stretches, the rain over the last couple of weeks has helped reducing some of the weed levels and sparking up fish activity. The higher water levels, increased flows and a little bit of colour often makes it easier for anglers of all skill levels to catch fish, the fish have less time to inspect the artificial and coloured water makes it harder for them to see the angler. As the rivers drop and clear, it’s a great time to spot and fish to a particular fish rather than fishing a stretch “blind”, such fishing is really satisfying , stalking and watching the trout take your fly is a real highlight, but  challenging with the clear water, meaning a stealthy approach with fine leaders and size 14 flies or smaller, often needed for success.

There have been some really impressive trout spotted, with 6- 7-pound rainbows and browns estimated to be over the magic 10 pound mark seen in the Tukituki recently.

Some of the Tukituki system access points have been closed lately – some due to post cyclone reparations, some due to farmers concern over gates being left open and the risk of their stock getting on the road by a small minority. We are working with property owners and HBRC to reopen some of these and we request anglers’ patience.

One of the drive in access points near Red Bridge (Waimarama road) has been permanently closed to the general public, but anglers have been given permission to walk through to the river, for those who are mobility impaired, Fish and Game HB now holds keys for licenced anglers to drive through to the river.

As we reported in our December Reel Life, some rivers have been affected by the toxic algae - Microcoleus; a website check confirmed these warnings are still in place for the Tukituki River. Microcoleus is of particular concern to dogs, because matts of algae can break away from the river bottom and be washed up along the river margins, as it dries it gives off a musty, enticing smell to dogs, poisoned them, when they have eaten it. There is also a separate swimming warning in place for the Esk River.

The following is an abridged version, for further information please see the link below.

Health New Zealand - Te Whatu Ora has issued a health warning for Tukituki River at Black Bridge and Walker Road. The warning follows finding moderate to high cover of potentially toxic algae (Microcoleus *previously referred to as benthic cyanobacteria*) at both river locations following recreational water monitoring by Hawke’s Bay Regional Council. People should avoid swimming in the area and animals, particularly dogs, should not be allowed near the water until the health warning has been lifted. Dr Bridget Wilson, Medical Officer of Health for the National Public Health Service in Hawke’s Bay, says the algae looks like dark brown or black mats and can produce toxins harmful to people and animals. “Exposure may cause skin rashes, nausea, stomach cramps, tingling and numbness around the mouth and fingertips. “If you experience any of these symptoms, visit your doctor immediately, also let your doctor know if you’ve had contact with dark brown/black algal mats or water in this area,” Dr Wilson says. “We would also like to remind the community that Esk River at Eskdale Park which was heavily impacted by Cyclone Gabrielle is not currently recommended for swimming.  Check LAWA before you head out to swim as it will give you the most up-to-date information on all the swimming spots in our region this summer,” Dr Wilson says. Pets that show signs of illness after coming into contact with algal mats should be taken to a vet immediately. For further details visit:https://www.tewhatuora.govt.nz/corporate-information/news-and-updates/health-warning-algal-bloom-in-tukituki-river-at-black-bridge-and-walker-road here are the links to check water quality:https://www.lawa.org.nz/explore-data/swimming

The Tutaekuri

It’s been great to hear further reports of anglers catching and seeing a few fish in there lately, from down around Taradale through to the middle reaches.

We have seen a mix of juveniles, maiden fish and recovering spawners so things are looking a little more positive for this catchment. Whilst the numbers haven’t been high, we are hopeful that given the chance to spawn, these fish will continue to repopulate this popular close to town river.   

The Mohaka

We have had some good reports from the Mohaka and its tributaries. The great thing with the Mohaka system is there are more brown trout than most other HB river systems, adding variety to an angling day out.

The predominately hot dry weather pre - Christmas, made crossing the Mohaka easier, opening up opportunities that would normally only be accessible later in the season. The recent rain, lifted river levels, so  anglers are reminded that the Hawkes Bay Fish and Game team have cleared the track, that drops off the road between the Fish and Game Hut and Jock Sutton Road to the river, at Glenfalls, which will be helpful if the river is a bit full to cross or you need an alternative access point.

The Waipunga

The Waipunga is a great fishery with nice scenery and tight native bush along the sides, it’s an interesting and challenging river to fish, but like most high-country waters it doesn’t have particularly high fish numbers, the fish that are there are wonderful, fit strong fish that we all need to value and look after.

If it’s a nice hot day, “wet wading” with good wading boots is a good option, the fish are predominately rainbows and tend to be explosive at times, leading the angler in a mad dash downstream that the fish often win; mayfly and stonefly nymphs and various terrestrial dry flies should work well from now on.

Illegal Fishing

We had a report recently, of illegal bait fishing in the Waipunga catchment below the falls, near the Napier/ Taupo Road. If you see evidence of illegal fishing, please contact the Fish and Game team as soon as possible, if you can safely take photos and record vehicle registration numbers that will be greatly appreciated – but only if it is safe.

Illegal overfishing will quickly destroy such a fishery, so we all need to work together to protect our fragile fisheries; this is more important now than ever before, after the damage Cyclone Gabrielle did to some of our rivers.

The Ngaruroro

The Ngaruroro has provided good fishing, particularly in the mid reaches. With the cold, wet weather over the Christmas break, the upper river might have had a bit of a rest, good wading boots and being prepared to get wet is the recommended approach.

In big powerful bouldery rivers like the upper Ngaruroro and Mohaka, where there is a higher chance of slipping over, waders aren’t recommended from a safety point of view, ideally pick a warm sunny day if they are going to wet wade.  

The mid sections of the Ngaruroro have been fishing well, with some great fishing to be had to trout holding on the drop offs into the pools, whilst the scenery isn’t quite as stunning as the headwaters, the more shingly riverbed makes for easier and safer fishing.

These rivers that rise in the western ranges have had some several spikes in flow recently due to heavy showers in the high- country - they tend to rise and fall quite quickly under such conditions.

Before heading out, remember to check the Hawke’s Bay Regional Council website for up-to-date flow levels in all Hawkes Bay Rivers.

Visit lawa.org.nz for water quality readings.

A solid HB rainbow jack recovering well post spawning.

The Kuripapango lakes

The larger Kurapapango lake is a great little lake fishery where most anglers enjoy a high catch rate; it has great scenery and offers a family outing around an hour’s drive from town, but don’t forget your sandfly repellent. With a high catch rate and relatively small trout size it would be great place to take a young angler.

Anglers are advised that Sport Flyfish NZ are planning on running a catch and release competition on the larger of the lakes on Saturday 8 February, whilst there will be space for non-competing anglers to fish, anglers are warned that they won’t have quite the level of solitude there on that particular day, as some might expect.  

Flyfishing Courses

Here at Hawkes Bay Fish and Game we have been running introductions to flyfishing courses, we recently hosting two student flyfishing courses and a women’s flyfishing course. These courses are 6 sessions long, progressing from setting up a flyrod, tying leaders, fly casting and reading the water. We hope to run additional courses through the summer so keep an eye on our Facebook page to see what’s coming up. https://www.facebook.com/HBFishandGame/

Know before you go

The favourable weather looks set to continue for our region for a while, so read the regulations and remember to carry your licence with you, because this season there is a better chance than ever, that you will get to meet the ranging team out on the river. Click here to get your licence now! https://fishandgame.eslltd.co.nz/shop