Fishing News index> November 2008

FISHING PROSPECTS IMPROVING FOR WELLINGTON REGION RIVERS

Similar weather patterns to what we experienced in October have continued to now, thus giving anglers in all areas within the Wellington Region a stuttered window of opportunity for quality fishing time.  However in saying that, the few times that anglers have been out fishing when the rivers have been decent enough to allow them, the fishing has been of a reasonable standard.

In the Wellington area, the Wainuiomata and Hutt rivers have been seen to be holding good numbers of trout. The common factor arising from failing to catch a fish is the lack of time spent scoping or viewing the stretch of water you are about to fish. Many anglers approach a piece of water without taking the time to observe what is happening in that piece of water. And due to the exposed nature of these rivers trout will see you first and on most occasions they end up getting spooked and disappearing to another pool or stretch. So next time you are approaching a pool or stretch to fish, stay at a distance from the river and spend ten minutes or so observing the activity in that area. Trout seem to feed in particular patterns or ‘beats’ and understanding this behaviour will increase your chances immensely.

 
Fishing the ‘change of light’ can be very rewarding

With whitebait still lingering around in those lower sections of most rivers or creeks so too are trout it seems. More reports of trout working in groups to herd and feed on whitebait have been reported, and trout themselves have been caught on a regular basis at the bottom end of most rivers. With the economy how it is, do not hesitate to fish those waters that are ‘at your backdoor’. The rivers in Kapiti Coast are fishing well, so to too are the Wellington rivers and their tributaries. A positive aspect of these rivers is that they clear up relatively quick from a fresh (flood) compared to some other rivers and many say that during these freshes trout are less active and a good time to fish is immediately after a fresh has gone through when the trout are starved. 

In the Wairarapa region the fishing has been standard for this time of season. Reasonable numbers of trout are present in most rivers, and many anglers have been successful. Both brown and rainbow trout have been caught on numerous occasions, ranging from 1-3 lbs. At this stage the rivers have been flowing on the higher side of normal, and as we get closer to those warmer days and nights the trout will become more prominent and the fishing will reach its potential quality standard with well conditioned trout.
 
Further north from Palmerston upwards, the Manawatu, Pohangina, Rangitikei and Hautapu rivers have all had their fair share of flood time in the last month or two. In the last two weeks with decent sunshine and warmer temperatures the majority of rivers in this area have shown promising signs for the rest of the season. With summer just around the corner, the fishing is only going to get better. With some rivers flowing so close to home they are often overlooked, but on numerous occasions these rivers year after year produce fish of outstanding quality.

 
A keen spin fisherman on the Rangitikei River

Looking ahead it is predicted that we are in for a relatively stable dry summer, so hopefully all the stuttering and poor weather will disappear and in turn give anglers the opportunity to get consistent fishing time with great quality and gin clear waters. Keep up the good fishing and good luck to you all.

 
A great day on the Rangitikei River

In other news:
Signage and access pamphlets are all very near the point of getting released. For any queries or concerns please do not hesitate to get in touch with us at Wellington Fish and Game or check out our website www.fishandgame.org.nz. We are constantly adding information to our site and we also have a new fishing line that informs you of the current river status and weather it is fishable or not. Call 0900 TROUT (0900 87622) to see if the river you are heading out to is fishable. This information is also on our website. Click on the ‘Wellington’ region, then click on ‘fishing’ and on the main page there is a river levels link. Beside each river is a value for which the river is fishable when at or below this level. This information can save money and time when heading to a river that isn’t fishable.

To contact the Wellington Fish & Game office call (06) 359 0409

 Back to Reel Life