The end of April usually means the end of fishing for the headwaters streams in the vicinity of Poronui. While winter brought the runs of spawning trout to the Taupo tributaries, for most anglers their season ended when the summer season came to a close. This year is different! The upper reaches of Hawke’s Bay Rivers, which includes the Ngaruroro, Mohaka, Taharua and other tributaries will remain open until 30 June. NZ Fish & Game have made the change to provide additional angler opportunity. They are confident that that the increased fishing pressure will have no impact on the fishery. Fish & Game notes that the peak of spawning occurs after June and with the huge amount of potential spawning areas in the catchments there is simply no reason not to fish during these months if anglers want to.

The water will certainly be colder but it could be a great chance for anglers to get a winter break or a mixed fishing and hunting trip.

So what will the fishing be like? As this is the first season it has been legal for anglers to fish during May/June it really is too early to tell. Fish will be moving during this period and we could easily get aggregations of fish around the smaller tributaries. The limited fishing that has already taken place has been very successful – so the signs are good!

Leave the dry flies at home as it is important to get right down to fish level in the cooler waters. The fishing is still predominantly to sighted fish, and they are strong fighters as they are in peak condition after a summer of feasting.