Reel Life September 2025 - Auckland Waikato

Get ready for opening day

Our rivers are in good condition going into opening day with extremely high drift dive counts during the summer of 2025. Due to the unpredictable weather it is always good to have a backup stream like one of our great spring creeks. Keep in mind that fish will be spread out so it is a good idea to cover lots of water if you are not getting into fish. Remember that the Whakapapa is not the only great river in the southern portion of the region and if you want fish with less people, we recommend exploring the Ongarue tributaries.

2025 Waikato River Fishing Competition

You don’t have to wait for opening day to enjoy great fishing.  The Waikato River has been fishing well and The Waikato River Fishing Competition starts September 24th to 27th (Wednesday to Saturday). The competition is a great way to spend the first week of school holidays. The contest is held in the lower Waikato River from Karapiro Dam to Port Waikato with most fish coming from the Huntley area.  For official contest information and entry forms please go to the contest website. Please note this year there is a cut-off time for entries, they must be in before the start of the contest- so midnight on Tuesday Sept 23rd.

Significant rule changes for the 2025/26 season

There is a desire to make freshwater fishing more accessible for New Zealanders. Staff at Auckland/Waikato have investigated simplifying fishing regulations and reducing restrictions to increase opportunity for anglers while also ensuring the sport remains sustainable. After extensive consultation with anglers, including an online survey and dozens of written submissions, the Auckland/Waikato Fish & Game Council have made significant changes to the fishing regulations based on licence holders’ feedback and staff recommendations. Auckland/Waikato anglers requested that regulations be simplified, fly fishing-only areas be retained, and trout limits be lowered. The regulation changes approved by the council include:

• 2 fish limits on all rivers and lakes with no minimum size limit
• Most rivers with no spawning will be open for fishing all year
• Most fly fishing only areas have been retained, and the upper Whakapapa River has been designated fly fishing only
• Most lowland rivers will be open to all methods of fishing

The new regulations aim to balance the protection of fish stocks through lower limits and closed spawning areas with regulations that increase angler opportunity, uphold traditions, and make it easier for newcomers to enter the sport. The regulations will be reviewed annually by the council to ensure any unforeseen issues are addressed.

The new seasons regulation booklet can be found here

New Mapping System - For Access and Regulations

We’re stoked to launch our new online access map for anglers and it’s available here - Please select here

The map features:

• A short, tailored description for each access point
• Rivers and lakes (with regulations and descriptions) – in Auckland/Waikato, Northland and Eastern (for now) - an easy way to check where and how you can fish! The rivers and lakes will also change colour, so you can tell if they are open or closed.
• 1: 50k Topo and satellite imagery basemaps.
• Land ownership overlays, including unformed legal roads (paper roads), marginal strips, esplanade strips, esplanade reserves, hydro parcels, DOC estate and huts
• A direct link to Google Maps for quick navigation.
• Live location tracking.
• A search function so you can find that spot you may have heard whispered in hushed tones.
• A filter system – so you can hone in on what matters most to you

We’re still adding more detail, so we’d love to hear your feedback—get in touch with us at bjarvis-child@fishandgame.org.nz to let us know what would make it even better.

Create a shortcut to the map on your phone’s home screen for quick and easy reference.