- Auckland/Waikato
- 20/11/2025
Perch in Karapiro
Earlier this month, Tokoroa angler John Carey informed Auckland/Waikato Fish & Game staff he had caught an adult perch in Lake Karapiro. Staff set nets in the lake to determine if the population was established and captured five adult perch, one rudd, and a large rainbow trout near Horahora. A second angler called to inform staff he had caught 21 perch from the boat ramps on HW1 at Lake Karapiro.
There is no way of knowing how perch got into Lake Karapiro, but the lake has a long history of intentional and accidental introductions. In 2016 and 2019, workers at Karapiro Dam reportedly opened a passage through the dam from the downstream end, completed maintenance, and then closed the passage. The process was repeated from the top of the dam, potentially allowing fish to pass through the dam into Lake Karapiro. During the 2019 maintenance, workers reported seeing koi cap in the passage when it was opened. After the 2019 event, a boat electrofishing study was conducted at Lake Karapiro, and an adult koi carp was captured near the dam, indicating fish may have been able to pass the dam through the open tunnel during one or both of the maintenance operations (Hicks et al., 2019). In 2020, a biologist spotted a single perch in Lake Karapiro at Horahora. Fish & Game and DOC staff set nets and snorkelled the area but did not detect perch at the time. Fish & Game are very disappointed that perch have established in the Lake, as it will have a negative impact on the trout and native fish populations.
Image above: Perch caught by Fish & Game Staff at Horahora.
Whakapapa comp weekend of Dec 6
Sport Fly Fishing New Zealand will be holding a competition on the Whakapapa on December 6th and 7th. The competition will cover most of the easily accessible water, but there will not be any beats in the fly fishing-only water upriver of Owhango or at the mouth of the river. The Whakapapa will not be closed to fishing during the competition, but anglers should just be aware of the event. The Auckland/Waikato Fish & Game Council allows only one competition on a river each year and requires the water temperature to be below 19°C.
Do you know where the new fly-only areas are?
The fishing regulations for the 2025/26 season have changed so please be patient with other anglers. If you do see someone breaking the new rules, feel free to give them a polite reminder but please be kind. The changes to the fly fishing only areas have caused some confusion. The fly fishing only area on the Whakapapa River has been extended downstream to include 9 km of additional water that begins 1 km above the Ohinetonga Road Bridge (42 Traverse). The new fly fishing only area is signposted on the track (see map). The Whakapapa fly-fishing-only area was due to a 266% increase in fishing pressure over the last 20 years. The spin and fly area on the Kaniwhaniwha has also been moved upriver to the Quarry Road bridge to allow for some quality spin fishing water in the Hamilton area (see map).
Whakapapa map
Kani map
Tutorial videos for the new fishing access map online now
To help anglers understand all the features of our new fishing access map (available online at https://fishandgameaccessmap.org/) we have created three videos that go through some of the key features. We hope the new access map makes it easier to understand the regulations and plan your next fishing trip.
Click below to view the videos on our Facebook page.
If you have any feedback or questions, please contact bjarvis-child@fishandgame.org.nz
Select on the images below to view the video.
