Moakurarua River Trout Fishing

The Moakurarua is a small tributary of the Waipa river located near Otorohanga. The Moakurarua flows through farmland with pathces of bush. It contains both brown and rainbows up to 4 pounds.

The main access to the Moakurarua river is from the Honikiwi road bridge at the junction of Carlin Rd and Honikiwi Rd. From here the river is easily followed upstream until it become too small for fishing about 12km upstream from the road. There is good water all through here with an enjoyable series of pools, runs and riffles. This river lends itself well do fishing upstream with a nypmh or dry fly. My favourite rig is here is an attractor dry such as a royal wulf with a small hare and copper on the dropper, although some areas are better fished with a pair of nymphs.

There is often a huge population of small rainbows under a pound. These small trout make the river a brilliant place to take beginners fly fishing if you want to make sure they catch something. In fact this would probably be my first choice for a beginner in the Waikato region. Although the trout population is not quite as high as in the spring fed streams of the south waikato they seem to be easier to catch, possibly because the water isn't quite as clear. The larger browns which can often be found in the eye of the pools also provide a good challenge for the more experienced angler, as do the rainbows that lye tucked in under the trees in certain pools. Sometimes good fish will come from shallow riffles too, although you'll have to get your fly past the suicidal wee rainbows first.