Freestone · Mixed Sedimentary · Manawatū-Whanganui

Rangitīkei River

Rangitīkei River terrain map
Poor · Rainbow Trout
Hare & Copper Nymph · 12-16
Closed season
Season reopens 1 October. Plenty of other water available now.
Closed — confidence not applicable today.
What moved it
  • Level3.06 mDropping after lift
  • Water temp13.6°C
  • ClarityColouredColouring up
Today's fly
Hare & Copper Nymph
Hare & Copper Nymph12-16
High-confidence seasonal pick
Conditions on the water
Live gauge
Level
Steady
3.06 m
Dropping after lift
Water temp13.6°C
ClarityColoured
Weather11°C
WindNE 14 km/h
Pressure1011 hPa
Rain · recent10.1 mm
Rain · ahead9.5 mm

The nearest gauge doesn't record temperatures, so we've estimated it — defer to the river keeper's advice.

How these readings are sourced

Weather-only: no live gauge wired. Colours after rain off soft papa country — time visits to falling/clearing flow.

Water temperature for Rainbow Trout
Ideal
14°C est.ideal 10–18°C
0°14°28°
How to fish it · for Rainbow Trout
When
Nymphing can work through most of the day.
Where
Cover mixed depths.
Method
Start with tight-line nymphs and adjust if fish rise or drift higher.
Kit
9 ft #4 rod, floating line, 12 ft tapered leader to 4–5 lb fluoro tippet.
Hatch timeline · todayQuiet day

Hatch predictions

Today's headline hatch shown — see all 3 active hatches hour by hour with Pro.

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14-day free trial. Cancel anytime.

Sub-surface · on the nymphunder the surface

Hatch predictions

See the full sub-surface read with Pro.

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14-day free trial. Cancel anytime.

Evidence
ModelledModerate confidence

Modelled from regional ecology — no survey or occurrence data for this water yet.

Through the year
0–3 scale · August highlighted
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Trout seasonSeason
2
2
2
1
1
2
2
Deleatidium / NZ Mayfly DunHatch
3
3
3
3
2
2
3
3
3
Burrowing Mayfly / Green MayflyHatch
3
2
2
Caddis / SedgeHatch
3
3
3
2
2
3
Cased Caddis / CreeperHatch
3
3
3
2
2
3
3

Numbers are intensity 0 (none) to 3 (peak) — a guide, not a guarantee.

Ranked for today
Rainbow Trout fly box
Permits & access
Permit required — see local rules.
  • Wellington Fish & Game region — a Fish & Game licence is required
  • Some upper reaches open later (1 November); check the current Anglers Notice and respect private-land access.
What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
The full read · show the working · for Rainbow Trout · confidence 75%
How the 0 is built — score × weight = contribution
Temperature100 × 28%28.0
Flow80 × 22%17.6
Clarity70 × 18%12.6
Feeding Time70 × 13%9.1
Pressure75 × 7%5.3
Insect activity44 × 12%5.3
Conditions total= 78
Can you trust it?
Water temperatureair-to-water estimateestimated
Level / flowon-river gaugeobserved
Prey activitymodelled from regional profilemodelled
Directions
Apple MapsGoogle Maps
Seasons & zones
  • Trout 1 October (lower) / 1 November (some upper reaches) → 30 April (upper) / year-round or 30 September (some lower reaches)

    Wellington Fish & Game licence required. Legal status: guidance_not_permission — confirm reach opening dates in the current Anglers Notice.

Related guides
Euro Nymphingsubsurface methods
Booking & contacts