Media release from Eastern Fish & Game

Rotorua lakes turn it on for anglers, says Fish & Game

The Rotorua lakes are “firing” in the wintry weather with some great fishing reports coming in from around the district.

Fish & Game Eastern Region says that as reported last month, the spawning runs appear to have come early.

“It’s probably a result of the wet weather, high lake levels, and cooler than normal average water temperatures”, says Fish & Game Officer Mark Sherburn.

He says the Te Wairoa fish trap at Lake Tarawera, used to catch breeding fish, is always a good indicator of trends. “The trap has had a constant run of fish since early April. We are also seeing some nice size and condition in the Tarawera fish.”

The most fish found in the trap in a single morning this winter was 30, and the heaviest fish weighed in so far reached the 4kg mark.

Mark Sherburn says that as always with trout fishing, it’s a case of swings and roundabouts, and some anglers doing better than others, some striking just the right time to be out there.

Meanwhile, Fish & Game Officer Matt Osborne, who oversees drift dives to count fish numbers, says a recent dive at the Tarawera outlet produced some pleasing results.

He says it’s normal to see less than 200 adult fish diving there in May, but on this occasion they saw more than twice that number – 590 large rainbow trout. “And the peak of spawning is yet to come – in June or July.

“The fish do seem to be spawning earlier as a result of climatic conditions, and as seen in the number of fish coming from the Te Wairoa trap.”

Mr Osborne says they also spotted around 700 juvenile trout of around 15 centimetres on the drift dive. These young trout would have been hatched last winter and will make their way into the lake shortly, growing on to a catchable size by next summer.

More drift dives to assess trout numbers in the Tarawera outlet are planned for the months of June, July and August.

Fish & Game says Lake Rotoiti continues to be one of the lakes producing some of the larger fish.” The winter shoreline fishing at locations such as Ruato Bay is in full swing and our staff have already weighed in a number of trophy fish,” Mr Sherburn says.

And he notes that a veteran angler has caught a 4.3 kg fish at The Landing on Lake Tarawera.

“As always, remember that a dark night, bad weather and an onshore breeze are the best conditions for this type of fishing – clear, still conditions with a bright moon tend to limit success, so pick your nights for the best results.”

Shallow harling, a method known to work in spring and autumn, is also producing some nice catches on many of the lakes. “A large smelt fly trolled slowly along the weed beds is hard to resist for hungry trout at this time of year.”

Mark Sherburn says the upper Ngongotaha stream has just a few weeks to run before it closes over winter. “Anglers have been encouraged by some great runs of brown trout here. It’s worth remembering that the lower section and mouth of the Ngongotaha below SH5 is open year- round to spinning and fly fishing.
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