Lower North Lowdown Weekly Fishing Report - 1 January 2026

Summer Angling in Full Swing   

Happy New Year! Hopefully you'll soon have a chance to kick off 2026 with some awesome summer angling.

If you're lucky enough to be on leave, you'll appreciate there's nothing quite like taking your time when fishing rather than racing against the clock, squeezing it in after work or around other commitments.

Pictured above -  Jackson Funnell caught and released this stunningly spotted rainbow from near Masterton in Wairarapa. 

That makes the summer break the perfect opportunity to introduce friends or family to the pursuit.

Need some tips and ideas on how to get a mate started? We've got you covered!

Click here to check out our YouTube channel which includes a range of introductory videos through to advanced angling tips.

Get your friends and family schooled up, grab them a licence, and get out on the water together.     

We've got abridged reports over the Christmas and New Year period, but all the information including links to live weather and river flows is provided below to help you plan you next angling adventure.

We'll be back to normal reports in mid January. Hope to see you on the water. 

Get In to The Action! 

Jump online and get your licence the easy way - it only takes a minute.

Click the image above to get started. 

We're On Facebook

Wellington and Taranaki Fish & Game are on Facebook!

To keep up to date with all the news and events from the two regions, be sure to check out our page and follow us.  

Here's the outlook for the weekend:

 

Hutt Valley

 

Hunting & Fishing Photo Comp - Win $300 To Spend in Store

Terry Ashburn landed this sizeable rainbow from the Manawatu River (Photo: Gorge McCall).

Send in your favourite fishing photos from this season and you could be in to win a $300 voucher to spend in store at Wairarapa Hunting & Fishing.

We won't blow your secret spot, just include the name of the angler(s), photographer's details, and general location in the Wellington-Taranaki Fish & Game region.

  

Click here to submit your entry.             

You can send us as many fishing photos as you like. By submitting images to enter the competition you acknowledge that Wellington Fish & Game can publish and use the photos for publicity material.

Entries must be in by 5pm Sunday, March 29, 2026. The winner will be announced in the Lower North Lowdown report on Thursday, April 2, 2026. 

Latest Newsletter - Top Tips And Heaps More

Click the image above to download the latest issue of our Wellington-Taranaki newsletter. 

It's packed with tips, reports and other useful info to help you have a successful season.   

 

Summer Holiday Reading

If you missed it in the mail at the start of this season, you can click on the cover of Fish & Game NZ magazine above to download a copy.

There you'll also find issues going all the way back to 2016. So, there's heaps of summer fishing and hunting reading just waiting for you.      

Take One For The Table

A prime eating fish from the Ruamahanga River caught by Ben Ellison.

With the rising cost of food in the country, particularly protein, there's no better way to help offset the grocery bill than taking the occasional fish for the table. What's more, this prime, free-range meat is a readily available resource for licensed anglers.   

While some purists prefer to put everything they catch back, remember that Fish & Game specifically sets bag limits to ensure sustainable harvest that doesn't impact local trout populations. That's the primary purpose of the thorough and extensive population monitoring work we carry out each season.

We've developed a range of resources to help anglers make the most of the fish they take home. From advice on how to prepare the catch, to gutting and cooking - check out the tips here.   

You'll find delicious recipes that the whole family will enjoy, including these mouthwatering ways to cook your catch: Thai Steam Trout, Smoked Trout, Trout Tian and Trout Tacos to name just a few... 

Keep a fish this festive-holidays season, and treat your family and friends to some wonderful wild, free-range food.