Streams open quietly, good fishing going begging, says Fish & Game

Not many anglers are taking full advantage of the summer stream fishing opportunities now on offer near Rotorua, and set to ramp up over coming weeks.

That’s the word from Eastern Region Fish & Game officers after a ranging operation which focused on streams which opened at the weekend, including the upper Ngongotaha, Utuhina and Waiteti streams.

Three teams of rangers patrolled the streams speaking to a number of anglers in the dual purpose operation – anglers are checked for compliance with rules such as a carrying a fishing licence, but it’s also a chance to “fly the flag and have a friendly chat.”

Fish & Game Officer Matt Osborne says angling pressure was low, and fish numbers reflected the recent dry weather conditions.

“The streams were low and clear after the sunny weather which didn’t help fishing conditions, however some nice fish were spotted – including some nice browns of three or four kilos on the Waiteti.”

Matt Osborne says the stream fisheries are driven by factors including water temperatures in Lake Rotorua. “When the lake gets warm – and we have a spell of hot, still weather followed by rain, there should be an influx of fish into the streams.”

Our advice to anglers is to get out on the streams in the early morning or late evening, he says.

Fish & Game officers didn’t issue any offence notices at the weekend, complimenting anglers for sticking to rules such as carrying their fishing licence. Matt Osborne says they took the opportunity to push the ‘check, clean, dry’ message to keep anglers wary of the threat of Didymo to North Island waters.

Spin fishing is now permitted in the Utuhina Stream, between Devon Street Bridge and Pukehangi Road Bridge, from December 1. The upper section of the Ngongotaha remains fly fishing only.

Contact Fish & Game for any details on the new spin fishing regulations in particular.
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