Fishing in Waikato

Waikato stretches across the middle of New Zealand's North Island, taking in a wide sweep of country from the volcanic plateau in the south to the lowland plains and Coromandel ranges in the north.

The fishing here is almost entirely freshwater — rivers, hydro lakes, spring-fed streams, and a handful of coarse fisheries — and the Waikato River is the thread that ties most of it together. That river is big, powerful, and not wadeable.

Between the Karapiro Dam and Hamilton, it holds high stocks of both brown and rainbow trout, with browns averaging around 1. 5kg and fish over 2. 5kg common.

The most productive stretches often require a boat, and trolling with Tobys, Rapalas, or Tasmanian Devils is the standard approach on the hydro lakes.

Spin fishing and wet fly work well from the banks where access allows, though willows block a lot of the water below Arapuni Dam.

Winter is generally the better season — water clarity improves as algal growth drops off, and early morning or the hour after dusk tend to produce best.

The brown trout have an interesting seasonal pattern: they spend summer in the cool headwaters of the Waipā River, drop back into the Waikato after spawning in April and May, and stay through to around December.

Rainbow trout are present year-round in the Hamilton stretch and upstream to Karapiro, and while they run smaller than the browns, they're more willing to take a lure. South of Hamilton, the character of the fishing changes.

Spring-fed streams in the south Waikato fish differently from the main river, and the King Country backcountry holds some genuinely remote fisheries — the headwaters of the Waipā and other rivers that require more effort to reach.

The Coromandel ranges also hold trout, with rivers like the Kauaeranga offering good access and scenery.

For anglers closer to Auckland, the Mangatawhiri reservoir holds wild trout, and several stocked lakes within an hour of the city give beginners a reasonable starting point.

Coarse fishing — rudd, perch, and others — is available in most lakes north of Hamilton, including Hamilton Lake itself, and in the lower Waikato and Whangamarino rivers.

A Fish & Game licence is required for all freshwater fishing here; the Auckland/Waikato region is managed by Fish & Game, and current rules, seasons, and bag limits are best confirmed directly with them before you go.

If you're fishing anywhere near the Taupo fishery boundary, note that a separate Taupo licence applies for that water.

The Waikato isn't a place you come to for solitude on every stretch — the river through Hamilton sees plenty of pressure — but the range of water means there's always somewhere less fished if you're willing to put in the time to find it.