Reel Life November 2024 - Hawke's Bay

I can’t remember when we last had a more settled start to a  trout fishing season, the 2024 Hawkes Bay Trout fishing season started on 1 October, with one of the nicer opening days we have had for many years, with bright calm weather conditions and clear rivers, there was lots of anglers out and about, enjoying the great conditions. The great river conditions have continued through into November; in fact, many of our rivers could do with a fresh to clear some of the weed and top up some of the rivers particularly those in central Hawkes Bay where they are starting to get very slippery  due to the weed on the rocks.

The settled weather has really benefited the fish and fisheries - the trout caught are continuing to put on condition, with maiden fish in great condition and spawners continuing to recover well, even in high country areas. With not much rain and lower flows many high-country rivers have been getting a lot of attention and have been fishing well, although many anglers are finding the fish are getting very easily spooked; a quiet, gentle approach and spotting the fish before they spot you will help.

The Tukituki, Waipawa and their tributaries continue to fish very well with some really good sized browns being seen, some hooked and far fewer landed due their habit of diving into the nearest snag. Some nice rainbows are being caught, but fishing has become a little more challenging with them becoming easy to “spook” as water levels dropped and the water became very clear, a stealthy approach with fine leaders and small flies should help.   

We saw some anglers on the Waipawa the other day close to the main highway bridge, one of them caught three nice fat maiden rainbows all in the 1-2 pound range in 40 minutes. From all reports the Tukituki,  Waipawa and their tributaries have had good some good rises on the warm evenings, and great nymph fishing  during the days. Some of the Tukituki system access points have been closed lately – some due to post cyclone reparations, some due to farmers concern over gates being left open and the risk of their stock getting on the road by a small minority. We are working with property owners and HBRC to reopen some of these and we request anglers patience; it is likely Fish and Game HB maybe able to hold keys for licenced anglers to gain driving access through some of these gates, but only if it safe. One access point has a mob of 3 year old Friesian bulls on the other side, understandably in the interests of everyone’s health and safety it is locked!

The Tutaekuri was badly affected by the cyclone, so it’s been great to hear reports of anglers catching a few fish in there lately – whilst most have been 1–2-year-old maiden fish, there have been a few recovering spawners caught too, all of which is quite positive. One of our team found a mature fish rising one evening recently, and caught   (and released) it on a caddis dry fly pattern, we also saw a couple of nice fish in a backwater not far from EIT.

Tutaekuri Rainbow on a caddis dry

The Mohaka - We have had mixed reports from the Mohaka, with reasonable numbers of small/medium sized fish  in the Glennfalls area, with reports of some nice trout in the 3 - 5 pound range in the McVicars Road area.

With the predominately hot dry weather, the lower river levels have made crossing the river easier, opening up opportunities that would normally only be accessible later in the season. The Hawkes Bay Fish and Game team have cleared the track down to the river, that drops off the road between the Fish and Game Hut and Jock Sutton Road at Glenfalls last week, which will be helpful if the river is a bit full to cross or you need an alternative access point.

The Ngaruroro and Mohaka systems have provided good fishing, although some will have been disappointed when they got to their chosen access point and found the river high and dirty. These rivers that rise in the western ranges have had some several spikes in flow due to heavy showers in the high- country over the last month, the latest the weekend of 16/17 November - they tend to rise and fall quite quickly under such conditions. It’s a timely reminder that some of our bigger rivers, particularly the Ngaruroro and Mohaka may get significant rain in their headwaters from “westerly conditions” or from thunder showers when we see no rain down here on the coast; checking the Regional Council river flows and keeping an eye on the Turangi forecast as well as the Hawkes Bay forecast may avoid the frustration and lessen the risk of getting caught out by a rapidly rising river.

Before heading out, remember to check the Hawke’s Bay Regional Council website for up-to-date flow levels in all Hawkes Bay Rivers. Visit lawa.org.nz for water quality readings.

A solid HB rainbow recovering well post spawning.

The Kuripapango lakes - The larger Kurapapango lake is a great little lake fishery where most anglers enjoy a high catch rate; it has great scenery and offers a family outing around an hours drive from town, but don’t forget your sandfly repellent. With a high catch rate and relatively small trout size it would be great place to take a young angler.

 A gravel road takes you through Pan Pac exotic forest to the Lakes Carpark at the foot of the Kaweka range, from here a walking track takes around the western side of the lake. It should be noted that walking entry into the Pan Pac exotic forest is by permit only, so we advise anglers to use the designated route via the DOC walking track. The track is in pretty good condition and is well signposted, a 20 - 30minute scenic walk takes you to the junction where you drop down to the lake. One of our staff went up there the other day and in a short time caught 4 feisty brown trout around 200-250 mm long; they don’t grow particularly big, with most in the 20-30cm range,  but there are lots of them and most people find them easy to catch on spinning tackle, with Rapalas, Veltic style lures, Tassie Devil and traditional spoons all working well, if you plan on releasing them, single barbless hook will make releasing them safer and easier. Flyfishing with damselfly, dragonfly and small baitfish imitations will also work well, but be aware if the lake is high, back cast room is limited by surrounding trees in some parts.

Hawkeston Lake opened for fishing on 1 November and some fish have already been seen and caught- landowner permission is required.

Looking after your fish and the fishery

With relatively low bag limits, and regulations that state an angler must cease fishing once the daily bag limit has been reached, anglers may find that they want to catch and release, so they can continue fishing.

All anglers need to be aware that how they handle the fish is critical to its survival after being released.

Here are our ‘Quick 5’ tips for handling fish with care:

• Always wet your hands before handling a fish and if possible, use a knotless landing net.
• Keep the fish in the water while removing the hook – a specialized hook remover or forceps readily available on your vest, will definitely help.
• Do not squeeze the fish and never touch the gills.
• If you feel you must photograph your fish, do it in or over the water and make it quick - the fish should never be out of the water for more than 5 seconds.
• Revive the fish by facing into the current long enough for it to regain its swimming strength.

In the unfortunate instance that a fish you intended to release does end up bleeding from the gills or cannot maintain itself upright, so long as you can legally take that fish, we recommend you should keep it as part of your bag limit and utilize it.

Flyfishing Courses

Here at Hawkes Bay Fish and Game we have been running introductions to flyfishing courses, we just finished hosting two student flyfishing courses and a women’s flyfishing course. These courses are 6 sessions long, progressing from setting up a flyrod, tying leaders, fly casting and reading the water. We hope to run additional courses through the summer so keep an eye on our Facebook page to see what’s coming up. https://www.facebook.com/HBFishandGame/

Know before you go

The favourable weather looks set to continue for our region for a while, so read the regulations and remember to carry your licence with you, because this season there is a better chance than ever, that you will get to meet the ranging team out on the river. Click here to get your licence now! https://fishandgame.eslltd.co.nz/shop