Fishing season re-opens

Waimarino Bulletin, Volume 2, Issue 19, 9 October 1984, Page 1

Fishing season re-opens

The fishing season opened again locally on the 1 st of October after a three month closed period. Weather conditions werenot good and it got off to a slow start according to local Fisheries and Wildlife officer Dave Johnson. Mr Johnson said the fishing in the Manganui-a-te-Ao River was slow on opening day but all people checked had hooked fish. He said that the Manganui River was becoming increasingly popular with anglers. People were coming to fish the river as it was not altered by hydro schemes and still contained large areas of native bush. Last year saw an increase in overseas tourists down the Manganui along with fishing guides coming to visit from Taupo. Anglers came from all over the North Island to ;amp at the Ruatiti Domain.. Mr Johnson said that he

along with other rangers weighed and measured 1 1 9 trout caught by anglers from the Manganui-a-te-Ao River last year. The average size was 1.48kg and rainbows slightly outnumbered browns caught. This would only be a percentage of the fish that were actually taken or what the river holds. Just as many trout are expected to be caught again this year and the river is to come under quite a bit of pressure from anglers up to Christmas time, particularly

on weekends when the weather warms up. Other rivers that fished well locally last year included the Whakapapa (near Owhango), Upper Wanganui, Mangawhero, Taonui, Tokiahuru and Mangahuehue streams. Rangers will again be checking anglers to weigh and measure fish this fishing season in order to keep an eye on what the rivers are producing and the size of trout being caught.