'Reel Life' Newsletter
Reel Life September 2023
Our rivers are in great shape and opening day is just around the corner, so it is time to start planning.
Reel Life August 2023
It took only 17 minutes for the first licence to be sold last Thursday when the new season’s licences went on sale at midnight.
Reel Life April 2023
Twenty-one-year-old Ollie Bassett won the National Fly Fishing River Championships held on the Whanganui River on April 15th and 16th.
Reel Life March 2023
Although large floods don’t often kill fish, catastrophic 100-year events can wipe out lowland fisheries.
Reel Life February 2023
Our rivers have taken a hammering, but the bad weather came late enough in the year that most fish will survive and our rivers are clearing up fast.
Reel Life January 2023
The summer has finally arrived, and due to poor conditions this spring and early summer, fish are hungry and aggressively feeding.
Reel Life December 2022
Auckland/Waikato Fish & Game would like to thank all of you who took the time to fill in our media survey.
Reel Life October 2022
This is the time of year to go low; many of our large brown trout have migrated to the lower reaches of local rivers to feed while.
Welcome to the first Reel Life issue of the 2022/23 fishing season
Your new season fishing licence will unlock the wonderful New Zealand rivers and lakes to you for a fishing season that is looking awesome.
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Reel Life April 2022
The land downstream of Toa Bridge on the Waipa River is primarily private until you reach the council metal pit (three kilometres below the bridge).
Reel Life February 2022
The warm hot weather has pushed fish to higher elevations where they can find cool, oxygenated water.
Reel Life January 2022
Freedom Day has come at last and as a special treat, we have made a list of the top picks for fishing if you are driving south for the summer holidays.
Reel Life December 2021
About 80% of anglers that fish our King Country streams have been in lockdown for months, so it is an excellent time for Waikato anglers to take a road trip south.
Reel Life November 2021
We would like to start this Reel Life with a huge thank you to Auckland anglers for doing their part to keep our country safe.
Reel Life October 2021
The excitement of hooking a fish on opening morning never gets old; that rewarding feeling of taking the hook out to watch them swim away can change your entire mindset.
Reel Life September 2021
Winter fishing on the Waikato is in full swing and there have been good reports of browns being caught from Mercer to Karapiro Dam.
Reel Life March 2021
The annual Lake Arapuni Fishing Competition was a huge success for participants and Fish & Game.
Reel Life February 2021
The 27th annual Lake Arapuni Fishing Competition will be held at Bulmer’s landing starting at 6 am Saturday the 20th of March with the prize draw at 2:30 pm on...
Reel Life January 2021
The Tokoroa Sports Fishing Assn puts on one of New Zealand’s largest kids fishing events at Lake Moana-nui in Tokoroa.
Reel Life December 2020
Do not be discouraged if you have not seen a lot of fish in the early season.
Reel Life October 2020
Although nymphing with an indicator is still very effective, nearly all competition fly fishers have given up their strike indicators and transitioned to Czech Nymphing.
Reel Life September 2020
If you have not done so already it is time to get your new licence and start planning your summer fishing trips.
Reel Life August 2020
The new fishing season is only five weekends away and your new season fishing licence will unlock the full fishing potential of New Zealand for you to explore.
Reel Life February 2020
Fish & Game staff have just completed a drift dive survey of the lower Whakapapa River near Owhango and found a record number of large rainbows in the river.
Auckland/Waikato Reel Life January 2020
Although there were low numbers of juvenile fish detected in some streams last year the reduced pressure has allowed for an increase in the size and number of larger fish...
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Auckland/Waikato Reel Life December 2019
The early December rain has kept river temperatures cool and most rivers are going to be in great shape for the summer holidays so don’t forget your rod.
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Auckland/Waikato Reel Life November 2019
New Zealand Walking Access Commission has been working diligently on the Whakapapa Intake Road access but have not made any progress to date.
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Auckland/Waikato Reel Life October 2019
The Whakapapa intake road has been closed after the Crown and the Whanganui Land Settlement Negotiation Trust signed an Agreement in Principle that included the Landcorp farm on the Whakapapa...
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Auckland/Waikato Reel Life September 2019
The Auckland Regional Council has received a large amount of funding to remove pest fish and has proposed a perch removal plan from a handful of Auckland Lakes including Lake...
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Auckland/Waikato Reel Life August 2019
The initial consultation about safety improvements to the Awakino Gorge Highway with the NZ Transport Agency did not go well.
Auckland/Waikato Reel Life April 2019
Fish & Game Staff have been investigating the impact of the Lake Otamangakau discharge into the upper Wanganui River.
Auckland/Waikato Reel Life March 2019
The Lake Arapuni Fishing Contest is still going strong after 25 years.
Auckland/Waikato Reel Life February 2019
Hamiton Anglers Club will be holding a kids' fishing day on March 31st, at Lake Te Koutu (Cambridge Lake) from 9am.
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Auckland/Waikato Reel Life January 2019
Staff completed a Whakapapa River drift dive in January with some great results.
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Auckland/Waikato Reel Life December 2018
This question normally provokes an “it depends” response from experienced anglers.
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Auckland/Waikato Reel Life November 2018
Fish are on the move and it’s time to start fishing the Waipa tributaries.
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Auckland / Waikato Reel Life October 2018
The new season is here, and we have had some great reports from those who went out on Opening Day.
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Auckland/Waikato Reel Life September 2018
The very popular Kilwell Lower Waikato River Trout Contest will be held from October 6 to the 13th.
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Auckland/Waikato Reel Life August 2018
Don’t ignore any emails from fish & Game – as one may contain a free fishing licence!
Reel Life May 2018
We’ve got a simple message as May rolls into June and the start of winter…there is still some terrific fishing out there!
Auckland/Waikato Reel Life April 2018
University of Waikato staff recently electro-fished Hamilton Lake (Rotoroa) and found an “infestation of tench.”
Auckland/Waikato Reel Life March 2018
Staff have been in the field water sampling on the upper Whanganui River and have seen some huge fish and only a handful of anglers.
Auckland/Waikato Reel Life February 2018
Summer has turned into some hit or miss fishing in terms of the weather.
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Auckland/Waikato Reel Life January 2018
Staff have just returned from sampling 17 tributaries of the upper Whanganui River and found plenty of large fish lurking.
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Auckland/Waikato Reel Life December 2017
Staff members David Klee and Adam Daniel recently took a trip to a local stream to find relatively warm water and lots of hungry trout.
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Auckland/Waikato Reel Life November 2017
Despite some challenging weather, the Tokoroa Sports Fishing Club put on a great kids event this month with plenty of happy anglers.
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Auckland Waikato Reel Life October 2017
It was a wet opening as per usual but the sun has come out several times this month to reward anglers with some great fishing.
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Auckland/Waikato Reel Life September 2017
It’s time to start making plans for Opening Weekend! Fish & Game staff are preparing for a big opener with school holidays overlapping with the weekend for most of the region.
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Auckland/Waikato Reel Life August 2017
Although many anglers have been taking a break, there are still fishing opportunities available when the sun comes out.
Auckland / Waikato Reel Life May 2017
The use of actively fished scented soft baits and opening fishing in Hydro lake tributaries will be discussed at the June 17th Council meeting.
Auckland/Waikato Reel Life April 2017
Last season the browns were moving into small tributary streams and by late April they will be migrating upstream in preparation for spawning.
Wellington Reel Life Mar 2017
Okay, the weather has been crazy, and at least in some rivers that normally fire the fish have been fickle...
Auckland / Waikato Reel Life Mar 2017
An ambitious tagging program has been started on the Whanganui River by Fish & Game councillor Nigel Juby.
Hawke's Bay Reel Life Mar 2017
After another hot dry summer, it was refreshing to get some decent rain in early March to give the rivers a flush out and add some volume to their flows.
Taranaki Reel Life Mar 2017
With only one significant fresh in the last month, Taranaki ringplain streams and rivers have been very fishable – and there’s even been a nice period of settled weather to...
Nelson Marlborough Reel Life Mar 2017
Trout flying bright green streamers were released into the Riuwaka River during a day long operation in mid-March.
West Coast Reel Life Mar 2017
Conditions have certainly come right recently, with great fishing available.
Both opportunities for salmon and trout fishing have been excellent this month, as the weather has settled down and the river flows have stabilised.
North Canterbury Reel Life Mar 2017
Late March and early April often brings settled weather to the Canterbury region.
Southland Reel Life Mar 2017
Finally, in a clear patch of weather Southland staff were able to get out and undertake drift diving surveys as part of their annual trout monitoring program.
Central South Island Reel Life Mar 2017
April is the last month of the ‘summer’ fishing season.
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Northland Reel Life Mar 2017
Autumn has arrived – with the mornings noticeably cooler and some heavy dews happening.
Eastern Reel Life Mar 2017
Autumn has rolled around quickly and seasonal changes are evident in the Eastern Fish & Game region.
Southland Reel Life FEB 2017
In this month’s Reel Life article, field officer Cohen Stewart interviews retired fishing guide and honorary ranger Len Prentice to find out how the average angler can make their fishing...
West Coast Reel Life FEB 2017
Over the past week and a half, weather conditions have improved significantly on the West Coast, with a period of excellent settled weather.
North Canterbury Reel Life FEB 2017
High hopes for March fishing
Nelson / Marlborough Reel Life FEB 2017
'exhilarating' cicada season in full swing
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Northland Reel Life Feb 2017
With warm temperatures and a “medium adverse event” declared in Northland, water levels have been getting very low.
Taranaki Reel Life Feb 2017
At last...after a long period of westerly conditions bringing cool winds and lots of rain, we've finally enjoyed some settled summer weather in Taranaki, not a moment too soon!
Hawke’s Bay Reel Life Feb 2017
With February air temperatures peaking at 33OC at the airport, it was nice to receive some decent rain in the middle of the month to give the rivers a good...
Eastern Reel Life Feb 2017
Lake Rotoiti has been one of the top performers so far this summer, serving up some “solid” catches.
Auckland / Waikato Reel Life Feb 2017
The weather has been less than ideal recently but the heat has brought out the cicadas – and the trout that feed on them.
Southland Reel Life JAN 2017
As mentioned in previous Reel Life articles, there have been isolated increases in mouse populations in some parts of Southland.
North Canterbury Reel Life Jan 2017
As I write this report, the East Coast rivers in Canterbury have peaked in flood, with flows higher than seen for some time.
Northland Reel Life Jan 2017
We hope everyone has had a good summer break...or are still enjoying your holidays.
Eastern Reel Life Jan 2017
Lake Rotorua’s shoreline fishery has been slow to get underway this summer due to cooler and windier than normal conditions.
Otago Reel Life JAN 2017
It’s fair to say that the summer holiday period has been severely interrupted by some abysmal weather over the past month and leading up to the New Year.
Central South Island Reel Life JAN 2017
It has been a fickle summer weather-wise, with welcome small but regular rainfall events occurring across the region.
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West Coast Reel Life Jan 2017
Large numbers of hunters turned out in the West Coast Region for Opening Weekend this year, both local hunters and many from other regions.
Nelson/Marlborough Reel Life JAN 2017
The Taylor River fishery is in good shape after a 50 medium to large brown trout were released before Christmas.
Wellington Reel Life Jan 2017
Spring and now 'summer' continue to be a real mixed bag when it comes to weather and fishing prospects.
Taranaki Reel Life Jan 2017
Regular freshes, persistent westerly winds and even an early dump of snow have conspired to provide great conditions for the trout, but not so flash for the anglers.
Hawke’s Bay Reel Life Jan 2017
December and early January have seen many of the rivers running low and clear as we progress through the hot summer months here in the Hawke’s Bay.
Auckland / Waikato Reel Life Jan 2017
Fish & Game staff were recently on the Whakapapa and Whanganui Rivers monitoring water quality and witnessed some amazing hatches in the late evening, and heard cicada sounding off all day.
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