Lower North Lowdown Weekly Fishing Report - 27 February 2025

Good Times Keep Rolling  

It has been a cracker season weather wise and the good times just keep on rolling!

The settled weather and sunny skies are set to continue for most of the Wellington and Taranaki Fish & Game regions this weekend, affording anglers more opportunities to get amongst the awesome fishing we're experiencing.

Pictured - Terry Ashburn with a lovely Manawatu River rainbow caught under sunny skies.

A brief southerly front yesterday brought some rain to the lower North Island and while we've seen a spike in some river flows they are dropping back quickly again and should be perfect by Saturday.   

Once again the extra water was needed and the added flow and cooler temperatures will ensure the fish are back on the bite. 

Cicadas are still around but they've probably peaked; anglers should now look to passion vine hoppers and willow grubs if they can't entice trout to take large terrestrial imitations. 

Caddis are also around, hatching periodically throughout the day when conditions are right so mix up you fly selection until you hit on what the fish are taking.

There's plenty of summer angling ahead and the dry fly action is running hot.          

Jump online if you haven't got a licence yet and get into the awesome fishing. 

Here's the outlook this weekend...    

 

Hutt Valley

Click here for live updates and forecasts for the Hutt Valley.

The Hutt River received a small fresh yesterday but it still low and just carrying a hint of colour. Local anglers are still reporting taking a few fish on cicadas; others are using size 18 flies and nymphs when the big terrestrials don't work. Drift dives carried out by staff this week on the Hutt showed very good numbers of trout right throughout, and the condition of the fish is exceptional.

The Hutt River at Silverstream this morning (Photo: Al Markham)

 

Kapiti Coast

Click here for live updates and forecasts for the Kapiti Coast. 

The Otaki, Waikanae and Ohau are all carrying extra flow and a slight tea colour after yesterday's light rain pushed a small fresh through. This will help scour some of the algae from the rock bed. While the rivers are up and moderately coloured, they are falling fast and should be nicely reset by tomorrow. Excellent angling prospects for Kapiti Coast anglers this weekend.   

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

 

Wairarapa

Click here for live updates and forecasts for the Wairarapa region.

The Ruamahanga River and main tributaries - the Waiohine, Waingawa and Tauherenikau - have benefitted from yesterday's rain, up slightly and still a bit colour-tinged but falling fast. Only the Waipoua River didn't register any of the rainfall and is low and clear at time of writing. The rivers in this part of the region will be perfectly reset by the time the weekend rolls around.                                          

Check out the latest conditions for the lower Ruamahanga by calling this free-phone number - 083229069.             

The Ruamahanga River at The Cliffs this morning (Photo: Hamish Carnachan).

Manawatu

Click here for live updates and forecasts for the Manawatu region.

The Manawatu River received a nice freshen up from the rain that the southerly brought through yesterday - not enough to colour things up but a perfect little pulse of cooler water to reinvigorate the fish. The Pohangina and Oroua aren't registering any extra flow from the front; the Mangatainoka is slightly elevated but should still be fine for fishing from today and into the weekend.         

The Manawatu River at Weber Road this morning (Photo: Horizons).

Rangitikei

Click here for live updates and forecasts for the Rangitikei region.

There's no rain effect measured in either the Rangitikei or Hautapu rivers at time of writing, with both running clear and low and perfectly fishable. A few scattered showers are forecast for the Central High Country today and Saturday but, as it stands, these shouldn't impact the flows so it should be all go for anglers in this part of the region.                           

The Rangitikei River at Mangweka this morning (Photo: Horizons).           
 

Taranaki Ringplain

Click here for live updates and forecasts for the Taranaki Ringplain region.

Following a very minor fresh on February 18/20, stream flows are now back to their summer lows. The fresh was not sufficient to remove accumulated streambed algal growth, but the temporary increase in flow was certainly welcomed. With autumn approaching, late afternoon water temperatures are starting to come off their summer highs and cooler nights have resulted in trout feeding more actively. 

Fishing the middle and upper reaches of streams will continue to be productive. Cicada are still abundant and an imitation drifted down foam-lines, through pocket water or cast to feeding fish will be well received. A small nymph drifted through pocket water under a bushy dry fly will also be worth a try. With the low flows, brown trout can also be spotted cruising a beat in the pools, backwaters and deeper runs.

Check out the up-to-date data on rainfall and river flows. 

The lower Waiwhakaiho River at the Powerhouse Pool yesterday (Photo: Allen Stancliff).

Waimarino

Click here for live updates and forecasts for the Waimarino region.

January and February have brought some particularly warm, dry weather for the Ruapehu district, with most rivers sitting right on their summer low flows. Some rainfall arrived on February 22, which slightly elevated flows, but this was short-lived with rivers already back down to their January and February averages. There have been reports of the larger rivers, such as the Manganuioteao, fishing well with great water clarity and fish moving into the faster runs and pocket water. The Mangawhero River upstream from Raetihi, including through Ohakune and up into the National Park will also be worth a visit. This is a perfect time to cast dry fly imitations such as cicada, blowfly, wasp and passion vine hopper to entice fish feeding from the surface. 

Click here to keep track of water temperatures and flow data within the Waimarino.

The Mangawhero River at SH4 this morning (Photo: Horizons).

 

Photo Competition - Win A $300 Hunting & Fishing Voucher

Isaiah Noakes not letting a broken finger stop him from a cicada day on the Hutt River.

Send in your favourite fishing photos from this season and you could be in to win a $300 voucher to spend in store at Wairarapa Hunting & Fishing.

We won't blow your secret spot, just include the name of the angler(s), photographer's details, and general location in the Wellington-Taranaki Fish & Game region.

• Click here to submit your entry.

You can send us as many fishing photos as you like. By submitting images to enter the competition you acknowledge that Wellington Fish & Game can publish and use the photos for publicity material.

Entries must be in by 5pm Tuesday, April 2, 2025. The winner will be announced in the Lower North Lowdown report on Thursday, April 4, 2025.

Tip Of The Week - Sattler's Dam Fish Release

Sattler's Dam is a picturesque stillwater fishery close to the towns of Ohakune and Raetihi (Photo: Hamish Carnachan).  

For those interested in getting out for a spin or bait fish, we have recently re-stocked Sattler’s Dam with some solid rainbow trout, with help from the Tongariro National Trout Centre hatchery and staff from Wellington Fish & Game.

The fish are in awesome condition and will offer plenty of fight. 

Sattler's Dam is a lovely little still water body close to Raetihi and offers open and safe casting areas so is a great place to introduce kids to fishing. 

To get to Sattler’s dam, head west on Seddon Street through Raetihi onto Pipiriki-Raetihi Road.

Turn right onto Mangaeturoa North Road. Follow the gravel road for about 5.5km, and the dam is on your right.

You can park right next to the dam, away from the road.

The dam is a great spot for families to go for a day’s fishing while taking a picnic basket.

However, we advise people to be extremely careful on Mangaeturoa North Road as it is frequently used by logging trucks and has several narrow stretches and blind corners.

Evenings after work and weekends will likely be safest.

Rangers will be checking the dam regularly, so make sure you have your fishing license on hand.

 

High Summer Means Caring For Your Catch

Looking after the trout you catch begins with your equipment.

• Use the heaviest line you can get away with.  Too light a line means you will have to fight the fish for longer and that takes a toll – an exhausted fish has much less chance of surviving.

• Use a single hook and consider trying barbless hooks.

• Aim to land your fish quickly. Modern reels have great drags, so make the most of these and the rod’s leverage to get the trout close enough to net.

• Use a net to land your fish, preferably a knotless one.

• Keep the trout in the net and in the water while releasing it.

• Unhook the fish gently, preferably with long nosed pliers.

• Work quickly and avoid touching the fish at all.

• If you want a photo, make it quick and get the fish back into the water without delay.

• Wet and cool your hands before handling the fish and consider using gloves.

• Ideally, take the photo of the fish still in the water.

• If you have to hold the fish, do it gently with one hand around the tail and the other carefully cradling the fish.
• Keep your hands, hooks and anything else away from the trout’s gill.

What Not to Do

• Don’t drag the fish onto shore and leave it flapping around on hot rocks, beating itself up on the unforgiving shore. This is a death sentence.

• Don’t touch the trout’s gills. 

• Don’t squeeze the fish, especially around its belly.

• Don’t keep the trout out of water any longer than necessary. Remember, fish don’t breathe any better in air than we do underwater.

        

Catch and Release - Top Tips From Fish & Game

When releasing a fish there are a few simple steps that you can do to ensure the fish has the best chance of survival.

Click the screenshot above to watch this short video by Fish & Game NZ.

 

Check, Clean Dry - Help Protect Waterways

Now is the perfect time to familiarise yourselves with the NEW North Island Check Clean Dry procedures. Click here to watch. 

 

Noticeboard

• Wellington Region River Works: Don't let bulldozers in the river ruin your fishing plans. Click here to download a schedule of Greater Wellington Regional Council's latest planned river engineering works.
• Manawatu Flood and Drainage Works: Anglers can access Horizons Regional Council's latest schedule of flood and drainage river works here.   
• Access to Lake Namunamu, near Hunterville, is closed as the access road is upgraded in preparation for the logging of Ngaruru Forest over the next three to five years.

If you have any angling-related information you'd like posted to this noticeboard, including upcoming angling club meetings and outings, please get in touch with us.  

*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.