Wellington and Wairarapa Fisheries Firing  

Peter de Boer tries to tame a feisty Hutt River brown - one of 50 fish he and mate Andrew Harding hooked into last weekend (Credit: Andrew Harding)

All rivers throughout the region are looking absolutely stunning this morning and the fishing has been on par too - at least in the lower part of the region. 

While we haven't had many reports from the central high country, the Wellington and Wairarapa fisheries are firing at the moment. 

It was good to see plenty of anglers making the most of the bonus day off last weekend with exceptional catches for some of those who fished the Hutt and Ruamahanga rivers.

The run of great weather we've been having over the weekends looks set to continue too; the only blip is the rain coming through this afternoon and then later on Sunday.

At the moment the forecast doesn't look too ominous though, with any extra flow likely to have pushed through by the time Saturday rolls around.

Use the river links we provide below to check the latest flows before heading out.        

Grab your licence online here and get into some amazing angling!

Here's the outlook:

Hutt River and tributaries

Click here for live weather updates.

The Hutt and Akatarawa rivers are sitting at great fishing flows this morning. The forecast scattered rain this afternoon shouldn't be enough to affect the fishing this weekend which is great news with some exceptional catches being reported on the Hutt.    

The Hutt River at Heretaunga this morning (Credit: Steve Doughty) 

 

Kapiti Coast

Click here for live weather updates.

The Waikanae, Otaki and Ohau rivers are all looking prefect at time or writing this morning. As with the neighbouring Hutt River catchment, only scattered rain is forecast so it shouldn't put a dampner on anyone's fishing plans for the weekend.       

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

Wairarapa

Click here for live weather updates.

The Ruamahanga and its major tributaries - the Waiohine, Waingawa and Tauherenikau - are at good fishable flows, with the mainstem fishing exceptionally well for spin anglers at present. Reports suggest the smaller rivers such as the Waipoua and Huangarua are holding fish in the lower sections but trout are few and far between higher up.

The Mangatarere Stream at Carterton this morning (Credit: Hamish Carnachan)

                   

Manawatu

Click here for live weather updates.     

It is all systems go with the mainstem Manawatu River looking great this morning right the way through; the Pohangina, Orua and other smaller tribs are well worth a look this weekend, particularly if the nuisance rain today brings the mainstem river up. The Mangatainoka River has fished well in the lower reaches according to local reports. 

The Manawatu River at Teachers College this morning (Credit: Horizons)

 

Rangitikei

Click here for live weather updates.

Lovely conditions for fishing in the Central High Country this morning with the Rangitikei, Kawhatau and Hautapu rivers looking stunning at time of writing. Watch closely to see what the forecast rain this afternoon does to the river flows before making a long journey to fish this part of the region - fingers crossed the weather won't come to much.                

The Rangitikei River at Pukeokahu this morning (Credit: Horizons)

 

Whet Your Appetite!  

The latest season of the acclaimed Pure Fly TV series is online.  

Season 4, episode 6, takes us to the East Coast of the South Island in search of some classic high country brownies!      

Click the screen shot below to check it out. 

 

Top Tip - Spinning For Success 

With good spring flows, spin fishing is proving to be a really effective method on the likes of the Hutt, Raumahanga, Manawatu and Rangitkei rivers at the moment.

This highly effective technique allows you to cover plenty of water quickly, and combined with trout currently targeting an abundance of migratory fish at this time of year, catch rates can be very good. 

Click the screen shot above for some of Fish & Game's top tips for spin angling.       

Webcams

Click the screen shot below to go to Horizon's website showing the list of available river webcams.

 

Notice board  

• Capital Trout Centre Open - The Centre is open under level 2 for family groups. Anyone interested should contact Strato Cotsilinis on (04)3863740 for further details and bookings.  

• Don't get an unwelcome surprise by Greater Wellington Regional Council's river bulldozing ruining your day on the river. The upcoming activity schedule can be found here.

  Email Wellington Communications and Field Officer Hamish Carnachan if you'd like any fishing or freshwater-related items posted to this noticeboard.

​*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.