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Mangaroa River

 

A small tributary of the Hutt river that flows over open farmland and fishes well early in the season when fish often remain in the stream after spawning. It holds a reasonable population of resident fish throughout the year and is known as a good dry-fly water.
Fish type Brown trout
Situation The Mangaroa rises in the hills to the east of the Hutt Valley and flows north over mostly open farmland to join the Hutt River just north of Upper Hutt.
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Description The Mangaroa is a small river and a tributary of the Hutt River. It is also a major spawning stream for the Hutt river system and so will usually be at its best early in the
season when water flows are still good and a number of larger fish have yet to return to the main river.In the upper reaches the water is quite small and flows over a rock and stone bed with plenty of bank-side vegetation. The fish population in this area is low however though there is usually a fish or two in the deeper pools particularly where there is also overhanging vegetation and some faster water flowing in at the head of the pool.

The lower reaches are very peat stained from the water that enters the river from the Te Pango wetlands. Despite the rather tannin stained water, this section holds the highest fish population but due to the poor water clarity are usually difficult to spot. Most fishing is therefore done blind. The river does have a reputation for excellent evening rises however and carries a reasonable population of fish throughout the season. It is a fishery where catch and release should be always practiced as it is small and near a major population centre.
Methods All methods work on the Mangaroa though many regard this as a great small stream for the dry fly especially during warm evenings when fish will often rise freely. It is also a good stream for using small wet flies fished just below the surface when fish can be seen feeding as they will usually be attracted to the more visible flies that are fished in or just below the surface film. Nymphing is also productive during the day.
Recommended tackle Rods of between 4 - 5 weight are ideal.  Leaders in the more prolific lower section of the river can be quite short (9 feet) as the stained water means that they are less easily spooked.
Recommended lures

Nymphs:
Weighted stoneflies , mayfly   (throughout the season) and caddis patterns (from early summer). And of course a Hare and Copper is always a good standby, particularly when tied in a dark and rough pattern.

Dry flies:
Popular patterns include Royal Wulff, Adams (particularly parachute adams), Blue Dun, Coch-y-Bondhu, beetle patterns (during the early summer) and cicada and cricket
patterns later in the summer. As the water in the lower section can be heavily stained from the swamp it flows through, slightly larger patterns can be more effective in the evenings.

Wet flies / Streamers:
Use small wee-wets such as March Brown, Red Governor, Spiders and Hardies  Favourite and swing these just sub-surface and in front of rising fish in the evenings.

Spinners: Small bladed spinners such as Mepps or Veltic
Tributaries There are no tributaries of note.
Regulations
Applicable to Mangaroa River
Region Wellington
Season 1 Oct - 30 April
Methods Spinner and artificial fly
Bag limit 1
Size limit (cm) 45cm maximum (i.e. no fish over 45cm in length may be taken)

Other fishing waters of the region



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