Lower North Lowdown Weekly Fishing Report - 30 October 2025

Great Fishing Conditions This Weekend! 

A welcome fine spell of weather and clearing rivers are on the cards for anglers this weekend.

Things seem to be - finally - turning a corner with a high-pressure system expected to sit over much of New Zealand, bringing a spell of settled weather with light westerly to north-westerly winds. 

This should make for a very promising weekend on the water.  

Pictured - Despite recent adverse conditions, Ben Ellison of Trout Frontier Guiding found some clear water in Wairarapa and caught this beautiful rainbow. 

There was some good fishing on offer for parts of the lower North Island last Saturday and Sunday before another front on Labour Day brought in more rain and wind.  

Around the Taranaki Ringplain region, stable river flows during the long weekend offered some good fishing opportunities, despite the mixed weather.

Another beautiful Taranaki Ringplain brown courtesy of Michael Baker.

Up on the Central Plateau the smaller streams were really firing with plenty of fish still holding in these smaller waterways after the spawning period; they are also clearing quickly after the frequent freshes. 

While some of the main rivers are still running quite high, there'll generally be close to fishable after another 24-36 hours of flushing this flow through. 

So, conditions are all go - there's no excuse not to get out on the water this weekend. 

Both Wellington and Taranaki Fish & Game staff have been busy stocking some of our closed-system waterways with two-year-old rainbows this week.     

This includes supply fish for a host of upcoming kids/novice fishing events coming up - read on for more information about where these are being held and how you can take part.       

Don't forget to send in some photos of your angling exploits this weekend - you'll go into the draw to win a $300 voucher from Wairarapa Hunting & Fishing (entry details below). 

We hope to see you out on the water soon. 

Grab Your Licence Now!

Anglers have finally got the weather they've been waiting for!

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

 

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Wellington Fish & Game is now on Facebook!

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

Here's the outlook this weekend...    

Hutt Valley

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

The Hutt River is clearing nicely and should be absolutely firing this weekend. There are excellent numbers of large brown trout around so be sure to use this opportunity to get amongst them! With a hint of colour in the water today, consider swinging some streamers through likely looking riffles, pools and edges - this technique has been working well. The Pakarutahi, Whakatikei and Akatarawa are also looking great, already having dropped most of the extra flow they received from the rain that arrived with Monday's front.           

The Hutt River at Heretaunga 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 some residual flow and colour from Monday's rain event but they are all fishable at time of writing this morning and will continue to improve as we head into the weekend. There are still plenty of whitebait in the lower reaches of the rivers, so consider spinning or softbaiting to target the trout that are chasing them. And don't forget that the Otaki Kids Fishing Event is on this weekend. Want to take your youngster along? Check out details below.           

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

 

Wairarapa

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

The Ruamahanga River is running high and has colour through it this morning but with a fine weather forecast it should be fishable come Saturday - spinning, softbaits and streamers might be the best option. The Waiohine, Waingawa and Tauherenikau are starting to clear quickly and there's a fishable edge already on these rivers. We're picking the eastern streams will be set up well for fly anglers this weekend - possibly the top spots to target this weekend.                                

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 very high and brown in the town section running through Palmerston North. It looks like much of the colour is coming in from the Mangatainoka, as upstream of the confluence it appears clearer and could be fishable in this upper section come Saturday given the fine weather forecast. While the Pohangina and Oroua still have some flow to push through to clear, the Mangahao River is falling back to fishable quickly and could be a good pick for this weekend. Likewise, the smaller Manawatu tribs upstream of the gorge and up to Dannervirke are well worth a scout. For those anglers who want to fish some easily accessible stillwater, we've just released a whole lot of two-year-old rainbows into the reservoir at Tutaenui Reserve, Marton.           

A consignment of trout from Fish & Game's Ngongataha hatchery being prepared for release at Tutaenui Reserve, Marton, yesterday afternoon (Photo: Hamish Carnachan).

Rangitikei

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

The Rangitikei River is still running coloured with a large flow pushing through at Mangaweka after the rain on Monday. While this is dropping steadily, it is going to be marginal with perhaps just a clear edge in the middle reaches that might allow spin anglers some success. Dark softbaits patterns could also be worth a try. With good weather and no rainfall forecast, the upper reaches around Mangaohane and Springvale will likely be fishable and, coming off this fresh, should provide some good angling.                 

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

Taranaki Ringplain

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

The long weekend presented some great fishing conditions and lovely fish being caught before a fresh on Monday saw river levels spike. They’ve since recovered well though and are heading back to normal spring flows. If you’re heading out, try your luck at the local lakes such as Ratapiko, Rotomanu and Mangamahoe. All of these have recently been restocked with browns and/or rainbows from the Hawera hatchery within the past six weeks. These easily accessible locations are fishing well and make great options for a weekend outing, particularly for the family or novice anglers.

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

The Waiwhakaiho River at Audrey Gale Reserve yesterday afternoon (Photo: Jack Harland).

Waimarino

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

Flow recorders on the Mangawhero and Makotuku River (at SH49A) showed that regional waterways will have experienced small freshes on Tuesday. Note that these were small and rivers are expected to settle in time for the weekend. Forecasts point to light westerly to north-westerly winds, with a mix of sun and cloud and the occasional light shower. Overall, conditions look favourable for anglers.

The Mangawhero River is a good reference for regional flow levels (information found here). For more info on fishing opportunities in the Ruapehu region, click here. 

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

Photo Competition - Win A $300 Hunting & Fishing Voucher

One of several browns Stephen Phillips managed to land recently between breaks in the recent weather. 

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. 

Electric Fishing Survey Update

Juvenile rainbow being measured as part of a recent survey.

Last week, Fish & Game staff carried out the annual electric-fishing survey on a Taranaki ringplain stream to assess trout recruitment success.

Ten sites were sampled to count young-of-the-year trout (fry). Results showed minimal brown trout fry, but an abundance of rainbow fry. In fact, this was one of the highest levels recorded in 30 years of survey data for this area.

This is great news, especially given concerns that the major flood event on July 3 (the largest of 2025) could have impacted newly constructed trout spawning redds.

It’s encouraging to see rainbow trout recruitment thriving despite that event, and it will be interesting to see if the same trend holds true for other regional waterways when they are surveyed.

Upcoming Fishing Events 

• Otaki Kids Fishing Day - Saturday 1 and Sunday 2, November. Winstone Lakes. Phone Otaki Hunting & Fishing to book a spot - (06)364-8969.  
• Capital Trout Centre - Sunday, November 2. Happy Valley, Wellington Central. Tickets available at Capital Fishing, Ghuznee Street and Hunting & Fishing, Petone. 
• The Lake Rotomanu Kids' Fishing Event will take place on Saturday, November 8, 8am to 1pm. For more information on this event and your options for free registration, check out the Facebook event here.
• Taranaki Fish & Game is holding the Stratford Kids' Fishing Day on Saturday, December 6. We'll bring your more details in the coming weeks. 
  
  

Wellington and Taranaki Access Maps  

There's no better resource to help you plan your fishing missions this season than our new online interactive access maps.

Click the map below to start planning your weekend angling outing!

 

Noticeboard

• Check out Greater Wellington Regional Council's latest schedule of flood protection operations here.
• Access to Otaki Forks in Tararua Forest Park - Another slip just 50m from the completed Blue Bluff works sites has again closed the access. Repairs are expected to take around one month. Check the 'Road Updates' section on this webpage for the latest details.  
• Moawhango Flushing Flows - Confirmed dates are as follows:

December 09/10, 2025
January 20/21, 2026
February 17/18, 2026
March 17/18, 2026

• 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.