Wellington Weekly Fishing Report - 1st April 2021

Swollen rivers will greet any anglers out today, however, levels are rapidly dropping and we've got an Easter bonus of extra days off this weekend which should give most waters time to clear.

A few days should see rivers settling back to normal in the lower half of the region, though a front moving through again on Friday night will bring extra rain to the high country and may keep river flows up.

As it stands, the forecast means most waterways should be a in fishable state come Sunday, and Easter Monday provides a great opportunity to get out with water levels falling and plenty of pre-spawning trout hungry after a few days of rivers in spate.   

Remember that the fish are already starting to migrate to the headwaters and tributaries for spawning; these smaller waters will clear faster over the next day or so and will therefore provide ideal opportunities to get into well conditioned trout.     

If you're travelling out of region for Easter, don't forget our neighbouring Fish & Game regions have some excellent angling on offer too - just make sure you've got a Whole Season Licence to fish them.   

This is our last report for the season - thanks for for reading. Don't forget, though, that even though the main season concludes after April, there is plenty of excellent angling in the Wellington Fish & Game region right through winter too.      

Here's the outlook:   

Pictured: A superbly conditioned late season brown caught in a small Wairarapa stream last weekend (Credit: Ben Ellison).   

Hutt River and tributaries 

Click here for live weather updates.

The Hutt and main tribs - including the Akatarawa and Pakarutahi - are not huge this morning but certainly high and coloured. The good news is they are starting to fall pretty quickly. At this rate they could be fishable by tomorrow. Watch the rain coming through on Friday night and check the flows before venturing Saturday.                

The Hutt River at Moonshine this morning (Credit: Steve Doughty)

Kapiti Coast 

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The Otaki, Ohau and Waikanae are high but rapidly falling back to normal flows. The Waikanae could be worth a look tomorrow, otherwise watch the flows after the front moves through on Friday evening - if it doesn't come to much, there could be some hot Easter angling action on offer on the Kapiti Coast.           

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

Wairarapa 

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The Ruamahanga is carrying a good flood at the moment and will take several days to clear. The larger tributaries, with big headwater catchments, are also swollen. Look to the smaller tribs this weekend as that is where the trout will be heading as they get into their spawning runs.                      

The Waiohine River at SH2 this morning (Credit: Hamish Carnahcan) 

Manawatu 

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The Manawatu River is up and dirty and still on the rise after heavy overnight rain. All rivers and streams in this part of the region are carrying high flow and will take a good day or two to clear, provided there isn't too much more rain. Sunday and Monday are going to offer the best prospects, and look to the known spawning tribs for best results.                               

The Manawatu at Teachers College this morning (Photo: Horizons)

Rangitikei 

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The Rangitikei River has a clear edge that is fishable at time of writing but there's plenty more water to come through the system by the looks of the flow gauge. The Hautapu and Kawhatau are also up and with more rain likely in the high country, particularly overnight Friday, all but the smallest tributaries are going to be touch going for anglers. The larger rivers may offer a shot by Monday.                                          

Rangitikei River at Mangaweka this morning (Photo: Horizons)

Webcams

Click the screen shot below to go to Horizon's website showing the list of available river webcams.

Notice board  

• Don't get an unwelcome surprise by Greater Wellington Regional Council's river bulldozing ruining your day on the river. The upcoming activity schedule can be found here.

  Email Wellington Communications and Field Officer Hamish Carnachan if you'd like any fishing or freshwater-related items posted to this noticeboard.

​*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.