Lower North Lowdown Weekly Fishing Report - 28 November 2024

Abundant Bugs For Hungry Trout  

A spell of warm and, at times, humid weather has kicked the insect life into gear!

That, combined with more fine weather for most parts of the Wellington and Taranaki Fish & Game regions, equates to plenty of opportunities again for anglers this weekend. 

Pictured above: Isaiah Noakes with a lovely golden Hutt River resident. 

We're starting to build quite a good picture of trout distribution after a long spell of settled weather.

In general it looks like the mature trout are split between the lower reaches, where they're chasing whitebait and smelt, and the upper reaches, where they're yet to drop back into the mainstem after spawning. 

There's an abundance of small fish in the 1 to 3lb range in the middle reaches.

This will change as we head into the summer, stream flows fall away and the baitfish disperse, but that's roughly the lay of the land at the moment. 

We're well and truly on the final straight to Christmas now. We know this can be a hectic and stressful time for many so make the most of the great start to the fishing season and get out on the water to decompress a little while you can.

And please keep those fishing pics rolling in - we love seeing how you're getting on and it could net you a $300 Hunting & Fishing voucher (read on for details about how to enter).   

 

Get Amongst The Action!

Jump online and get your licence the easy way - it only takes a minute. Click the image above to get started. 

Here's the outlook this weekend...    

Hutt Valley

Click here for live updates and forecasts for the Hutt Valley.

The Hutt River level is down but still has a good spring flow. Hutt Valley Angling Club members report catching some nice fish in the mid reaches. With no rain forecast, the river should be spot on for the weekend. With the good flows, there are still plenty of good fish holding in the smaller streams that feed into the the Hutt mainstem - the Pakarutahi, Whakatikei and both branches of Akatarawa. These are well worth targeting early season; trout can be sight fished as the water is clear after negligible rain.   

The Hutt River at Silverstream this morning (Photo: Al Markham)

Kapiti Coast

Click here for live updates and forecasts for the Kapiti Coast. 

The Otaki, Waikanae and Ohau are holding moderate flows this morning, with clean clear water - conditions look great for a fish at time of writing this morning. The forecast is for a spot of light rain (at most), so this is not likely to affect flows too much meaning there should be plenty of opportunities for anglers to get out on the Kapiti Coast rivers over the weekend.   

The Otaki River at SH1 yesterday (Photo: Phil Teal).  

 

Wairarapa

Click here for live updates and forecasts for the Wairarapa region.

It's a stunning day in Wairarapa - warm conditions and a clear blue sky. There is a nor-wester building but still plenty of places to shelter if you pick your spot. The Ruamahanga River and tributaries - the Waiohine, Waingawa and Tauherenikau - are in perfect condition for fishing and should remain that way over the weekend. Lack of rain over the past week has seen the Waipoua, Kopuaranga and Huangarua starting to drop flow; water clarity is excellent so sight fishing is on in these smaller waters. Lots of small rainbows are around in the Ruamahanga at the moment before the larger fish move in from the lower reaches and start to dominate. This makes for a great opportunity to get the kids into some trout as they are taking flies and lures readily. There's been surface feeding activity during the day so the season is truly starting to heat up!                           

Check out the latest conditions for the lower Ruamahanga by calling this free-phone number - 083229069.             

The Ruamahanga River at the Cliffs this morning (Photo: Hamish Carnachan).

Manawatu

Click here for live updates and forecasts for the Manawatu region.

The Manawatu River is looking great for a fish all the way through this morning, with lovely conditions even in the town reaches if you fancy a quick flick at lunch time or after work.The Pohangina and Oroua are also sitting at good fishable flows. We've had reports of good trout numbers on the Mangatainoka in the mid-lower reaches from Pahiatua downstream to the confluence. The Mangahoa is falling back quickly after a small fresh on Tuesday, so this should fish well from tomorrow onwards. The Hokowhitu Family Fishing Weekend in Palmerston North is coming up too - details below.  

The Manawatu River at Ashurst this morning (Photo: Matt Kavermann).

Rangitikei

Click here for live updates and forecasts for the Rangitikei region.

The Rangitikei River looks very inviting at Mangaweka this morning! For the first time, in a long time, it is clean and clear right through the water column. This means the angling at all the mid/lower reach access points should be good to go. The Hautapu, Kawhatau and Moawhango rivers could all be worth a look at these current flows. There is some scattered rain forecast for the weekend so do keep an eye on the latest river level information before heading out on the water. As it stands, though, there's isn't anything too ominous in the weather outlook so hopefully the Central High Country fisheries will be firing.                

The Rangitikei River at Mangaweka this morning (Photo: Horizons).           
 

Taranaki Ringplain

Click here for live updates and forecasts for the Taranaki Ringplain region.

Taranaki is in for some fine, warmer and dryer weather over the next few days with south-westerlies shifting to westerlies later in the week. There may be some slight showers here and there, but these should be short-lived if they do eventuate. For the past week the region has seen a minimal amount of rainfall, so rivers such as the Waiwhakaiho are looking great for a cast, with settled flows and good water clarity. If you are unsure of where to go, check out the abundant fisheries we have on offer on the Ringplain. 

Check out the up-to-date data on rainfall and river flows. 

The lower Waiwhakaiho River yesterday (Photo: Jack Harland).

Waimarino

Click here for live updates and forecasts for the Waimarino region.

In a similar fashion to Taranaki, the Waimarino region is forecast to have some warmer weather with light westerlies moving to easterlies in the weekend. There may be some slight rainfall on Friday as the wind switches, but this is only forecast to be minor with minimal effect on regional waterways. Clouds may develop from Sunday onwards bringing some rain, but again this is forecast to be light. The live monitoring for the Mangwhero River is showing settled flow rates over the past 10 or so days. There should be plenty of opportunities to get out for a fish this weekend; for more information on productive spots click here.   

The Mangawhero River at SH4 this morning (Photo: Horizons).

 

Photo Competition - Win A $300 Hunting & Fishing Voucher

Herbert Meyer with his best rainbow so far this season.

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 Tuesday, April 2, 2025. The winner will be announced in the Lower North Lowdown report on Thursday, April 4, 2025.

  

Tip of the Week - Early Season Dry Fly Action

A Ruamahanga brown trout happily feeding off the surface (Photo: Hamish Carnachan)

We've had reports of evening rises in Wairarapa, the Hutt Valley and Taranaki lowlands when conditions have been right, and elsewhere trout have been feeding off the surface in the middle of the day.

It's possibly still a little cool in the Rangitkei high country and Waimarino, however, it won't be long before the bugs kick into gear up there too.      

Now's the time to get you're entomology hat on and keep a watchful eye on what insects are about so you can match the hatch. 

If you've got cobwebs around the house, inspecting what the spiders are catching will give you a good gauge on what the trout are dialed in on.

At the moment the main bugs coming out at night are brown beetles and caddis, with small (size 16) black mayflies hatching during the day on the likes of the Ruamahanga. 

If you find rising trout that aren't interested in your mayfly imitation, it's likely they're picking up spent beetles or caddis. I recently had a run of medium-sized rainbows and good brown eagerly hitting a size (14) Royal Wulf - probably mistaken for one of the latter insects.

Sometimes the spent insects are just submerged beneath the surface of the water so wee wet flies fished across and downstream can work well at this time of year. Expect a take when the fly starts to swing.

- By Hamish Carnachan.    

Family Fishing Weekend - Hokowhitu Lagoon  

Families enjoying a relaxing day at last year's Family Fishing Event at Hokowhitu Lagoon, Palmerston North. 

The Hokowhitu Family Fishing Weekend is on December 7 and 8. 

Wellington Fish & Game is releasing around 750 two-year-old rainbow trout into the Hokowhitu Lagoon ahead of the event, so catch rates should be high.

No time slots - just turn up with the family at your leisure and enjoy the fishing!  

All anglers must have a licence. Grab your gear and licences from Manawatu Hunting & Fishing - 35 Grey Street, Palmerston North. 

Kids fish for free; junior licences (for those aged 12 to 17) are $6 per day.

For more info on licence options, click here.    

  

Check, Clean Dry - Help Protect Waterways

With summer fast approaching and the days getting longer, now is the perfect time to familiarise yourselves with the NEW North Island Check Clean Dry procedures. Click here to watch. 

 

Noticeboard

• Council River Works: Don't let bulldozers in the river ruin your fishing plans. Click here to download a schedule of Greater Wellington Regional Council's latest planned river engineering works.
• 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.