Torrent River

The Torrent runs off the Long Range to the sea at Hawke's Bay, on the Northern Peninsula's west coast. It is short, and its run is strong for its size: thousands of grilse pass the fishway at the falls each summer, and the count there holds up better than on most of the island's rivers. The fishway opened the river above the falls to salmon, and DFO counts the run as it passes.

It fishes from late June through August, with July the heart of it. Bristol's Pool, at the gauge near Hawke's Bay, is the best-known water, and the river above the falls holds fish through the summer. As a rough guide from the Bristol's Pool gauge, it fishes well between about 10 and 50 m³/s and is high over about 90. Fish small wet flies and a riffling hitch on a floating line, and try a dry fly in low, clear water.

It is Class 4: two salmon a season under 63 cm on tags 1 and 2, and 3 released a day. The river is closed from the lower end of the fishway down to 20 m below Clifty Falls, and no one may fish within 23 m below any falls. A non-resident needs a licensed guide or a resident relative. Hawke's Bay and Port au Choix have places to stay.