Taranaki Fish and Game

28/01/2026

With our recent game bird trend counts all tallied up, Taranaki Fish & Game is pleased to confirm the 2026 special summer hunting season for paradise shelduck.

The special season provides seven days of hunting spread over three weekends from Saturday 21st February through to and including Taranaki Anniversary Day on Monday 9th March.
The hunting season is only for paradise shelduck and only in game management Area C, which extends from the north bank of the Waitotara River to the Mohakatino River and includes all of Stratford district.

Hunting hours on each of the seven days will be from 6.30am until 8pm. The daily bag limit has been set at 10 parries per hunter.
Hunters who want to take part in the special season must hold a 2025 game bird hunting licence and obtain a $5 permit from Fish & Game’s New Plymouth office or Magnum Sports in Stratford, or over the counter at Taranaki Hunting and Fishing The Valley or Ocean View Parade.

The permit is free to land occupiers who want to hunt their own land, but they still need to hold a permit. Hunters who didn’t purchase a 2025 game licence can still participate in the special season by purchasing day licences on-line at: www.fishandgame.org.nz

This period provides an excellent opportunity to introduce youngsters to gamebird hunting, exercise working dogs, and help break up post-moult congregations of shelduck.

For further information or if you have any questions, please message us directly or call 06 757 9676

11/12/2025

As part of the biosecurity response to the recent discovery of Gold Clam (Corbicula fluminea) in Lake Rotomanu, the Lake is being drained to determine the extent of the infestation and to stop the clams’ spread.

As a result, all fish in Lake Rotomanu are to be removed and destroyed under strict biosecurity requirements. This includes trout that Fish & Game recently stocked. Given that licence holders funded these fish, they will have priority to make use of them once the required biosecurity procedures have been completed. The lake also holds a good population of perch that may be suitable for eating once recovered.

Trout and Perch removed from the lake will be frozen on site at –18°C for 24 hours immediately after removal. This is a compulsory biosecurity measure to ensure any Gold Clam inside or attached to the fish are killed and cannot be spread to other waterways.

Once the freeze period is completed, we expect these fish to be suitable for eating, though quality may vary, or for use in saltwater only as bait. If you would like to receive some of these fish once they’ve cleared the biosecurity process, please let us know in the comments. Your responses will help us plan a fair and practical distribution system.

This is a disappointing situation for all involved, but stopping the spread of Gold Clam within the Taranaki region is critically important for the future of our waterways.

04/12/2025

We’ve just wrapped up a Central North Island electric fishing survey of headwater streams near Mount Ruapehu, which took us into a range of pretty remote waterways.

The results are encouraging, showing healthy trout numbers across the sites we sampled, with these findings adding detail to our understanding of trout distribution and key spawning areas.

A big thank you to Wellington Fish & Game and Earnslaw One for their support and assistance throughout the survey!

04/12/2025

The 28th annual Stratford kids’ trout fishing day is being held this Saturday!

This event involves the release of 300+ large rainbow trout into the scout den pool in the Patea River within King Edward Park, in the heart of Stratford. Children will be able to fish from 8am until 1pm with help from Stratford Fishing Club members and volunteers.

Parents and caregivers can now book a 15-minute time slot for their kids by visiting the Stratford i-Site in Miranda Street Stratford or ringing them on 0800 765 6708. All fishing gear will be provided, though if you have a good supply of worms for bait they’ll be much appreciated.

The Stratford Fishing Club and Taranaki Fish & Game are very grateful for the longstanding support from the Taranaki Electricity Trust for this event, as well as the Stratford Lions.

Hope to see you all there! 🎣

11/11/2025

Recreational lake users are urged to take extra care when moving between waterways, following the recent detection of the invasive Asian Gold Clam (Corbicula fluminea) at Lake Rotomanu.

The gold clam poses a significant risk to our freshwater ecosystems. This species is highly invasive, possessing both male and female reproductive organs enabling self-fertilisation. Gold Clam larvae are extremely small (around the size of a grain of sand) and can be very difficult to detect.

To prevent the spread of gold clam, all waterway users must follow the Check, Clean, Dry method:

-Check gear and equipment for any visible plant matter, mud, or debris.
-Clean thoroughly using hot water (60°C or higher), a bleach solution, or an approved decontamination solution. For slow to dry items, freezing these until solid is a proven solution.
-Dry completely for at least 48 hours, ensuring no moisture remains before using gear in another waterway.

If you come across suspicious shellfish or freshwater organisms in a waterway where you suspect they shouldn’t be, do not move them, take a photo and record the location, and report immediately to MPI via 0800 80 99 66.

For more information on the gold clam and the appropriate Check, Clean, Dry process, you can view the following resources from MPI and NIWA below:

https://www.mpi.govt.nz/biosecurity/exotic-pests-and-diseases-in-new-zealand/long-term-biosecurity-management-programmes/exotic-freshwater-clams-corbicula

https://niwa.co.nz/freshwater/stopping-gold-clam-its-now-or-never/about-clam/gold-clam-life-cycle

https://www.mpi.govt.nz/outdoor-activities/boating-and-water-activities-preventing-the-spread-of-pests-weeds-and-diseases/check-clean-dry

Lake Rotomanu will be closed to motorised watercraft from tomorrow (12 Nov), following the discovery of the freshwater clam Corbicula fluminea.

Here's what you need to know 👇

* As an interim measure, New Plymouth District Council will close Lake Rotomanu to motorised boats, which are at the highest risk of spreading clams.
* Other recreational users will be required to thoroughly check, clean and dry all gear before leaving the lake shore.
* The road access and carparks will remain open.
* Surveys are being carried out this week, checking for clams in the nearby Waiwhakaiho River as well as other lakes across Taranaki.
* Once those results are available, further decisions will be made as to how to manage the incursion and what, if any, restrictions will remain in place. We will keep you informed.

This is the first discovery of the clam in New Zealand outside of the Waikato River and Lake Taupō Aqua Park. We’re disappointed that the clam has made its way to Taranaki, as we had been working hard to keep it out. But our focus now is on working with Biosecurity New Zealand and local partners to ensure it does not spread into other Taranaki lakes or rivers.

We appreciate it is coming into summer and the lake is a favourite spot for many boaties. But you will understand how important it is we act quickly – Corbicula can take over a waterway and have long-term effects on recreation and the environment.

We are asking for your support. Whether it’s Lake Rotomanu or any other waterway, it's more important than ever you check, clean and dry everything that has been in contact with the water before moving between waterways.

09/11/2025

A big thank you to everyone who came along to our Lake Rotomanu Kids Fishing Day last Saturday, with particular thanks to the Inglewood Rod, Hunting and Clay Target Club, and Taranaki Hunting & Fishing for their support and help from volunteers on the day. Also, thanks to New Plymouth PaknSave for their sponsorship support.

It was a great day out in the sunshine, with kids landing both perch and trout in a variety of sizes, including some impressive catches from children as young as two years old.

There are still plenty of fish in the lake, including four rainbow trout over 10lb that, as far as we know, are yet to be caught.
Thanks again to everyone who took part and helped make the day a success!

06/11/2025

The rainbow trout are now in Lake Rotomanu ready for Saturday's Family Trout Fishing Day. Along with the 500 usual-sized fish, there are four “trophies” weighing 3 – 6kg from the display pond at Eastern Fish & Game’s Ngongotaha hatchery. They will certainly be a handful for some lucky young anglers.

With the weather looking fine and sunny for Saturday, a hat and sunscreen will be a good idea, perhaps along with fold-away chairs, a sun umbrella and picnic lunch 😊

Thanks to sponsorship from New Plymouth’s PaknSave and courtesy of Hynds Pipe Systems BBQ trailer there’ll be free bbq sausages available at the Inglewood Rod, Hunting & Clay Target Club’s marquee set up by the boat ramp, plus chocky fish. Jade’s Vibe coffee van will also be onsite.

Taranaki Hunting & Fishing will also be there to provide advice, and they’ll have spin fishing sets available for purchase for $40.

Fish & Game will have a selection of spinners, floats and softbaits available free while stocks last. If you have a supply of worms, they are a good bait for trout and perch, either on a ledger rig, or suspended under a bubble float.

Please note that the lake will be closed to power boating and jet skis for the duration of the event, with the boat ramp reopening from 1.30pm.

30/10/2025

Staff recently carried out an annual electric-fishing survey on a Taranaki ringplain stream to assess trout recruitment success. Ten sites were sampled along this stream to count young-of-the-year trout (fry).

Results showed minimal brown trout fry, but an abundance of rainbow trout fry, alongside healthy populations of mayflys and stoneflys, Kōaro, Kōura, Eel, and other species.

Finding such an abundance of rainbow fry is great news, especially given concerns that the major flood event on July 3rd, the largest of 2025, could have impacted newly constructed trout spawning redds. It’s encouraging to see rainbow trout recruitment thriving despite that event, and it will be interesting to see if the same trend holds true for other regional waterways when they are surveyed.

30/10/2025

Keep up to date with all things angling by following weekly publications of The Lower North Lowdown email newsletter - a joint initiative between Wellington and Taranaki Fish and Game - linked below!

The latest issue of our weekly fishing report - the 'Lower North Lowdown' - is out now.

Weather forecast is looking good for the lower North Island with clear and sunny skies, so make sure you hit the water this weekend!!!

Read the report to find river conditions near you...

https://www.fishandgame.org.nz/freshwater-fishing-in-new-zealand/follow-the-fish/regional-fishing-reports/lower-north-lowdown-weekly-fishing-report-30-october-2025/

24/10/2025

100 hatchery-raised rainbows (some up to 2 lb) were released on Wednesday into the lower Pātea River below the Pātea Dam, thanks to support from Manawa Energy.

This release is the first of two scheduled for the lower Pātea this season (rainbows now, browns later). Brown and rainbow trout have been stocked here since 2017, initially as yearlings, but now as larger 17–18-month-old fish.

Spring is a great time to be on the lower Pātea with water temps currently sitting around 14–15°C, and if you can catch a window of lower flows, it’s well worth a visit for those looking to explore a productive and scenic stretch of water.

The landowner has permitted anglers to access the river via Maben Road; however, please remember this is private farmland, park away from gates, and no dogs.

14/10/2025

We’re pleased to confirm that this year’s Lake Rotomanu Kids Fishing Event will take place on Saturday, 8 November, 8am to 1pm.

To keep anglers busy in the meantime, 120 healthy rainbows were released into Lake Rotomanu today, with many of these fish exceeding the 2lb mark. Anglers are encouraged to make the most of this latest release by grabbing a licence and heading out for a fish before the next scheduled stocking in the first week of November.

For further information and to register for this year’s event, please see the details below:

-

Taranaki Fish & Game are pleased to announce the 6th annual Lake Rotomanu Family Trout fishing day scheduled for Saturday the 8th November, 8am – 1pm.

Taranaki Fish and Game is funding the release of 500 good-sized rainbow trout into the lake for the event and Lake Rotomanu also supports a healthy population of perch, a white-fleshed good-eating species that are fun to catch.

The event will again be run in conjunction with the Inglewood Rod, Hunting and Clay Target Club and Taranaki Hunting & Fishing.
This year, to save on paperwork, if your child is aged under 12 on the 1st of October 2025 we’re encouraging you to head to the Fish & Game website (https://fishandgame.eslltd.co.nz/shop) to obtain their free fishing licence. Click on “buy a new licence”, then “Fishing 2025/26”, then “resident licences” and scroll down to “Child Fishing Licence Whole Season - Resident ($0)”. Enter your child’s details and once you put in the birth date it will come up that the licence is free and you can either print out the receipt or keep it on your phone.

If your child is 12 or older on 1st of October 2025 you can register via this link (https://www.fishandgame.org.nz/freshwater-fishing-in-new-zealand/follow-the-fish/fishing-competitions-and-events/lake-rotomanu-family-trout-fishing-event/).

Alternatively, you can go to your local Taranaki Hunting & Fishing store as both stores have hard-copy registration forms. This information will be used to write a permit that allows your child to fish at Lake Rotomanu until 30th April 2026.

Parents and caregivers can assist their children to fish even if they do not hold a license, but please just one rod per licence holder.
Families need to bring their own fishing gear to this event and are encouraged to bring what fishing gear they have to the Rod & Hunting Club’s marquee tent set up on the grass by the boat ramp prior to fishing and volunteers will assist with gear set-up, lures, bait etc if need be. Families can then distribute themselves at suitable fishing sites around the lake. Volunteers will also circulate to provide advice and assistance where needed. If you have a supply of garden worms, they are a great bait for trout and perch. Fish & Game will have 100 spinners and soft baits to give away to get you going.

Taranaki Hunting & Fishing will also have ready-to-go fishing sets available for purchase from $40.

The objective of the day is to create an angling opportunity for families by providing them with the knowledge, skills and support to successfully fish Lake Rotomanu as well as providing parents and caregivers with the skills to be able to bring their children or grandchildren back fishing in the future.

We look forward to seeing you at this year’s event!

06/10/2025

Attention Anglers! Due to the poor weather forecast for this weekend, we have decided to reschedule the kids fishing event.

To give the kids the best possible chance to enjoy themselves and catch a trout, the event will now be run on either Sunday the 19th October, or Saturday the 1st November.

We will confirm new dates shortly and post another update once these are locked in.

In the meantime, please keep an eye on this page for more information.