Wellington Reel Life January 2019

Last month we reported a sighting of a 10lb-plus fish right below State Highway 1 during our drift diving – that’s right, a trophy trout within easy striking distance of the nation’s capital!

Well, there’s more good news about the state of the fishery following our latest drift dives.

In another fishery less than an hour’s drive of central Wellington, we recorded twice as many large brown trout as we've ever counted in over a decade of monitoring.

Some of these trout were of enormous proportions too, eclipsing the magic 10lb mark!

Further north, the floods that hammered the Manawatu region over winter appear to have taken a toll on the large population of smaller rainbows.

On the up side however, the browns have thrived with more larger specimens counted than ever before.

The condition of all the brown trout we’ve counted right through the region has been superb.

This could be put down to the fact the rivers are in very good shape for this time of year.

All the rivers we've been investigating have much less algal growth than is normally encountered, a welcome feature of the regular freshes we've been having over summer.

All up, the fishery is in good shape - the only thing left is to put yourself in the picture.

Grab your licence - click here - if you haven’t already got one.

Hot fishing in the lower Ruamahanga

Finn Harding with a good perch from the lower Ruamahanga.

There's hot fishing happening down at the lower Ruamahanga!

Trout - both rainbows and browns - along with perch are in abundance and readily catchable, whether you've got a small boat or are fishing from any of the numerous shoreline access points.

Any fly or lure that imitates a baitfish will do the trick. Look to cast these into structure, under or around willows and overhanging banks.

Real hot spots are where streams or drains flow into the mainstem river, as this is where prey items such as small fish congregate.

Aside from the ease of access and large amount of fishable water in the lower Ruamahanga, it’s also a great family-friendly fishery.

Wide banks with no trees to impede back casts and casting mean less time for mum and dad untangling lures from obstructions.

The very high catch also keeps the kids interested for longer.

Please be aware though that the river is deep in places right to the bank, so keep a close eye on the little ones and consider making them wear a lifejacket for added safety.

We have a dedicated access pamphlet for the Ruamahanga River which includes the access points for the lower section.

It can be found at the bottom of thisweb page

Places to consider fishing are around the boat club, the barrage gates and cut off. You can also check theWalking Access Commission website for other access points.

This information is an excerpt from Wellington Fish & Game’s Weekly Fishing Report – if you’d like to sign up to receive our reports which cover much more info including live weather and river flow updates, please email us: wellington@fishandgame.org.nz

Wellington Fish & Game action

Be inspired by the latest angling action from the lower North Island caught on camera by Andrew Harding. Click here to watch the video

Moawhango flushing flows

Please be aware of the flushing flows from the Moawhango Dam, whi.ch will cause the rivers downstream (including the Rangitikei) to rise. Water will be released from the dam Tuesdays at 9pm: Wednesday 30 January 2019 – 5 hours

• Wednesday 20 February 2019 – 5 hours
• Wednesday 20 March 2019 – 5 hours
• Wednesday 1 May 2019 – 5 hours
• Wednesday 1 May 2019 – 5 hours

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