Introduction

Northland, sometimes known as the winterless north, does not provide optimal conditions for trout as the summer can raise the water temperatures above the comfort level for the fish. That said, there are hundreds of kilometres of rivers and streams plus 5 stillwaters where fishing can be found.

Rainbow trout are the predominant species though in Wilson's Dam and the Wairua River system some brown trout have been released. Most fish are released as fingerlings and some waters do allow trout to spawn providing anglers with some wild fish. Many fish, while not growing to trophy size, are in remarkable condition and those from the Kai Iwi lakes are renown for their clean flavour.

The lakes, reservoirs. rivers and streams can hold three kilo-plus fish, with the average around 1kg. They are generally very hard fighting.

Premier fishing waters

The Kai-Iwi Lakes are Northland's premier fishing water, offering top quality fishing for well-conditioned rainbow trout in pristine water, two of the three lakes hold fish all of which are from stock released by Fish and Game. This water is best fished in the cooler months when the fish come in close to the shoreline.

The largest river system is the Wairua River which with its tributaries provide many kilometres of easily accessible water.

There are several other rivers that hold fish as well as some small reservoirs near some of the larger towns. Due to the warm temperatures in the summer many of these fisheries are best fished in the cooler months.

Only one water could be described as providing a wilderness experience and that is the Waipapa River that flows through a beautiful forest near Kaitaia.