Fishing News index > April 2008

TARANAKI TROUT FISHING – APRIL 2008

Taranaki Ringplain
Most streams and rivers have finally had a reasonable fresh through them as a result of recent rainfall.  In northern and central ringplain waterways, the fresh was large enough to remove accumulated algae and sediment, setting things up nicely for trout spawning.  Peak flows weren’t as high in southern waterways, such as the Waingongoro and further freshes are needed to rejuvenate the habitat after five months of low flows. This year’s drought resulted in exceptionally low flows, with the Waingongoro River at Eltham recording its lowest flow since 1972.  While the reduction in available habitat will undoubtedly have had an impact on juvenile recruitment, the fishery has come through quite well, with adult trout generally remaining the good condition throughout.

FIGURE 1.  Northern and central ringplain catchments (e.g. Waiwhakaiho River) received more rainfall and had higher fresh flows on 14/15 April than south Taranaki waterways.

With most ringplain rivers and streams closing to fishing at the end of April, anglers have only a few days left to make that last visit to their favourite location.  But for those wanting to fish locally in May, there are a number of waters that remain open, including Lake Mangamahoe, the Waiwhakaiho River downstream from the end of the gravel track at the right-hand end of Rimu Street, Opunake Lake and the Waingongoro River and Kaupokonui Stream downstream of SH45.  Lake Mangamahoe has been fishing well lately, with some beautifully conditioned brown trout caught (and released) by anglers using fine tippets and small waterboatman, snail or midge patterns.  Further a-field in the Auckland/Waikato region, the Awakino River is open until the end of June and is well worth a visit now that flows have increased, though a mid-week trip is probably the way to go as it can get fairly busy on weekends at this time of year.
 
Waimarino
Anglers in the Waimarino have had a good season, with the bulk of fishing effort being expended on the Manganuioteao River, where the low flows allowed anglers to easily cross the river to access water that usually receives little attention.  While there were times when the fishing was a bit hard (e.g. over Easter), most anglers didn’t have too much trouble latching onto fish and the scenery and the abundance and proximity of Blue duck always made the river a great place to visit.

With regard to the rest of the season, please check your regulation guide before fishing in the Waimarino, as a number of river sections are closed to angling after 30th April, including the Retaruke River upstream from Oio Road Bridge, the Mangawhero River and tributaries upstream of the SH49 “golf course” Bridge and tributaries of the Manganuioteao River, including Waimarino, Orautoha and Ruatiti streams.  The Manganuioteao mainstem is open until 30th June, with the river downstream of the Orautoha confluence remaining open all year, subject to anglers obtaining landholder permission (please see the sign at Ruatiti Domain).  The Mangawhero River downstream of the SH49 “golf course” Bridge is also open all year and well worth a visit.

Allen Stancliff
Fish and Game Officer

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