Fishing News index> February 2008

Rotorua’s Best Season Ever?

Early in January we reported that Lake Rotorua’s stream mouths were quite literally buzzing with action. After we wrote that article things really got hot (the weather and the fishing) and the summer developed into what many anglers are now calling the ‘best season ever’.

Typically, the Rotorua lakes provide action year round. From late autumn through to early spring adult fish congregate at stream mouths or their liberation points prior to their spawning runs. During the summer, when lake temperatures are at their highest, biological needs push fish into cold water plumes (at stream and river mouths), into tributaries and to deep, cooler water. This summer has been hot, dry and calm and this seems to have been a factor in the excellent fishing.

Shallow trolling and fly fishing at location such as the Awahou stream mouth have been the best methods with most anglers catching near limit bags of good quality rainbows. Additionally, the lower reaches of most of the tributary streams are full of fish targetable fish and are drawing large numbers of anglers. 

Summer lib for Lake Tarawera

Five thousand rainbow trout fingerling were liberated to Lake Tarawera during February as part of Eastern Fish & Game’s Rotorua lakes stocking program. Originating from the Ngongotaha hatchery the fish were all marked by having their adipose fin removed and 500 of the group carry one of our data watch tags. This ‘summer’ liberation which has run since 2000 has proved to be very successful. The progeny of early returning fish, the ‘Ad’ group (for adipose fin) as they have become known, hit the lake early and seem to grow exceptionally fast. They will turn up initially in the catch on October 1st 2008, then just 16 months of age, and touching 40cm in length. Available to boat and shore based anglers for the next two summers, they will finally return to spawn as big three year olds in the winter of 2010 – then over 60cm in length.

The good news is that you don’t have to wait till 2010 for some great fishing! This winter, at key locations like the Landing, Orchard and the Te Wairoa stream the liberation from 2005 will make an appearance. Watch out for them – all hatchery fish are marked with fin clips of the pelvic, adipose or a combination of both.

Lake Tarawera received around 18,000 fingerling rainbows from the Ngongotaha hatchery yearly. 

 

Ngongotaha stream enhancement

A joint community effort including Ngongotaha Streamcare group, Friends of Ngongotaha and Eastern Fish & Game are making a big effort to clean this iconic waterway for the benefit of all users. The lower reaches of the stream have been extensively enhanced by volunteer groups with thousands of native plants. The stream is now much more accessible to all users and the banks stable. Fish & Game officer in charge of access Matt Osborne said the improvements made have vastly enhanced the area’s opportunities for anglers and habitat for trout. Cleaning the stream of man made debris, seen very much as an on-going task, will take place on Tuesday 26th of February with groups meeting at the Taui Street car park at 9.00am. Fish & Game staff will be equipped with diving gear, ropes and hooks to remove rubbish. 

Rangitaiki River drift dive

An experienced Eastern Fish & Game dive team, led by Lloyd Gledhill have just completed a drift dive count of trout in the upper Rangitaiki River.  The divers counted very similar numbers of fish to those counted during the 1995-2000 summers.  The counts were conducted above Eastern Boundary Road and the divers observed between 15 and 20 catchable sized fish per kilometre in the two dive sites.  Rainbow trout dominated the count of fish seen, but the divers did note some very nice brown trout in both sites dived.

Anglers fishing the Rangitaiki system have reported great catches recently on dry flies, including large cicada patterns and nymphs.
Permits for the forest can be obtained from Independent securities tel Rotorua 347 8880 

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