Lower North Lowdown Weekly Fishing Report 25 September 2025

Exciting New Season Beckons!

Welcome to the first Wellington-Taranaki fishing report for the 2025-26 season. 

It's less than a week 'til the new season kicks off and it's shaping up to be another cracker!

We're coming off the back of one of the best seasons many lower North Island and Taranaki anglers can recall in years - the weather was great, the rivers held their flow well right through summer, and the condition of the trout was sensational. 

Pictured above: A superbly conditioned rainbow trout caught from the Ruamahanga recently (Photo: Hamish Carnachan) 

While the recent spring weather has been rough - but normal for this time of year - Opening Day for most parts of the two regions looks pretty good with predominantly clear skies and light winds.  

With no major floods over winter, there's been good spawning and fish have been able to put on condition quickly so we're certainly set up superbly for the 2025-26 season 

On that note, those who have been out on the rivers recently will have noticed how fat the trout are in most of the main catchments. This is a good indication of how beneficial the benign weather has been for our fisheries.   

A Hutt River brown trout - not a huge specimen for this waterway but still in great condition for late-winter (Photo: Nick Bode).

From next week onwards and throughout the season, every Thursday, we'll email you the latest angling news and events from the two regions, along with weather forecasts and links to live river flows to help you plan your 2025-26 angling adventures.

As always, we encourage and welcome feedback and pics of your fishing adventures - you can even win a $300 voucher from Hunting & Fishing (read on).         

The team at Wellington-Taranaki hope you have a fantastic season. Following are some snippets of info and online resources we've put together to help make your Opening and upcoming season a success...  

 

Opening Day Weather Looking Good For Most

The extended weather forecast for the Wellington and Taranaki Fish & Game regions on Opening Day looks good for most parts. 

If you can't skip work on Wednesday October 1, don't worry - the weather for the rest of the week is looking pretty good at this stage too and should carry into the weekend. 

With many rivers coming off a fresh on Monday and Tuesday, the fishing could be red hot!

Check out the latest weather forecast for your region here and start planning your new season angling adventure.       

Grab Your Licence And Get Into The Action 

The countdown to Opening Day is on, with only six days 'til the season starts on Wednesday, October 1, 2025.

Please don't leave it to the last minute to get your licence, jump online now and get sorted - click the image above to get started. 

If you've already bought your licence, we'd like to sincerely thank you. Not only is it your passport to adventure this season, you're making a direct contribution to the freshwater angling resource and investing in the future of the pursuit you love. 

Here's where the funds from your licence are directed:

 

Kids Driving You Mad?

Fishing is the ultimate school holiday boredom buster (Photo: Hamish Carnachan)

Get the kids off their devices and out into nature, learning new skills and enjoying being outdoors these school holidays.

There are heaps of kid-friendly fishing spots in both the Wellington and Taranaki Fish & Game regions, with many of these either walkable or bikeable in the main urban centers - get in touch and we'll happily point you in the right direction. 

The great thing is kids under 12 can fish for free, those aged 12 to 17 can grab a whole season licence for just $31 or $6 per day for shorter stints.   

We've got plenty of handy info like what gear is needed (it doesn't cost much to get them started) and techniques and tips to set them up for success. Check out our resources here.    

 

Win A $300 Hunting & Fishing Voucher

After receiving some stunning entries into last year's photo competition, we're running it again for 2025-26.  

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. 

Pre-Season Checklist

Here's a checklist we've made to help you get set for Opening and make sure your first outing of 2025-26 is a success:

• Grab your Whole Season Licence for 2025-26.
• Check your regulations guide for any changes this season (details for Taranaki region below). 
• Sort your Designated Waters Licence/s if planning to fish these waters.
• Clean fly line and check for cracks (replace if required).
• Check spinning monofilament or braid for wear/strength.
• Replace lost flies and lures from last season.
• Sharpen hooks.
• Test waders for leaks.
• Practice you casting - get out on the lawn and throw some loops.
• Plan you Opening Day outing (check out our interactive access maps below). 

Regs Changes for 2025-2026

Wellington Fish & Game Region: NO changes for the new season. 

Taranaki Fish & Game Region: 

There have been three small changes for the new season - 

•  Return to a 2-fish limit and the use of all methods (fly, spin, and bait fishing) for the Waiaua River and Opunake Lake. Opunake Lake is not currently fishable, but we are hopeful that it will be when the hydro scheme gets up and running again.
• A new clause (1.5) has been added to Note 1: Scented artificial lures may be used in all waters other than fly fishing only waters, when actively fished to imitate a bait fish. Scented soft baits can now be used in fly and spin only waters (e.g. Hangatahua [Stony], Kaiauai and Kapuni) when actively fished as a spinner. These days it’s hard to tell the difference between scented and unscented soft baits and so this is a change for practical reasons.
• And another new clause (1.6) has been added to Note 1: No licence holder shall use as bait any fish taken from any water other than where the fishing is occurring. This is a biosecurity measure to reduce the risk of disease or organism spread (e.g. gold clam).

For the full regulations, click here.  

 

Wellington and Taranaki Access Maps  

There's no better resource to help you plan your Opening Day fishing mission than our new online access maps.

The resource is fully interactive, allowing you to 'fly' around the Wellington and Taranaki Fish & Game regions, find fishing access points, zoom in for more detail and even download or print off access brochures for storing on your mobile device.      

We encourage anglers to explore further afield this season and hope this resource is helpful for your upcoming adventures. 

Click the map above to start planning your next angling outing!

(If you notice any access points that need updating or have changed, please get in touch.)

 

All The Latest Angling News, Tips and Info 

The latest issue of Fish & Game NZ magazine is out now. 

If you purchased a licence last year, you should have received a copy in the mail.

Those who didn't fish last year can still catch up on all the action and get primed for the awesome season ahead by reading the magazine online - just click on the cover above.    

 

Noticeboard

• Moawhango Flushing Flows - Proposed dates are as follows:

• Access to Lake Namunamu, near Hunterville, is closed as the access road is upgraded in preparation for the logging of Ngaruru Forest over the next three to five years

If you have any angling-related information you'd like posted to this noticeboard, including upcoming angling club meetings and outings, please get in touch with us.  

*This report was accurate at time of writing. For your safety, please ensure you check the latest weather and river flow information before you head out on the water.