Fishing News index> June 2008

Season closes in some areas…
Boat fishing on Lakes Tarawera, Rotoiti and Okataina will come to an end for the season at midnight on the 30th of June. This will also include fishing the upper reaches of some of the local Rotorua streams (Ngongotaha, Waiteti and Utuhina) as well as the Ohau Channel, and those waterways not listed within the regulation guide that fall under the heading all other waters.
Make sure you are aware of the regulations before you go fishing.
This need not be the end of opportunities for trout fishing though, as Lake Rotorua and Rotoma, Rerewhakaaitu, Okaro and Ngapouri all remain open to boat fishing. Rotorua especially provides excellent opportunities and some great action. Also consider dusting off the fly rod out and have a crack along the areas of the lakes that remain open to shoreline fishing (known as the ‘winter shoreline areas’ ) A map of these locations can be downloaded from our site by clicking here

 Lake fishing closes on some lakes at the end of June

Winter angling news
Winter Creel surveys are now well underway on Lakes Rotoiti, Okataina and Tarawera. Surveys are conducted by Fish & Game rangers and run from the start of May till the end of July 2008. This provides us with important information regarding the health of the fishery and assists in making management decisions such as liberation strategies. These surveys are relatively painless, and involve a few questions as we weigh and measure your catch. Please ensure you carry your fishing licence on you at all times when fishing and we thank you for your co-operation. Here is a summary of results to date:
Lake Rotoiti has been producing some excellent fish this winter for the shoreline angler. The rainbows caught between Ruato Bay and Hinehopu (The Pipe) are coming in at an impressive average weight of 3.3kg.
Lake Tarawera is attracting high numbers of anglers with fish quality continuing to be excellent. The average fish is pulling the scales down to 2.2kg. A real improvement was seen on Lake Tarawera during opening day (October 1st 2007) and it’s good to see this carry on.
Lake Okataina is still producing good quality fishing. The catch rate is more than respectable and shoreline caught fish are averaging 2.3kg. There has been little angler pressure, so those who enjoy fishing in solitude should head over.

Night fishing Rotorua lakes style

Children’s fishing program begins
The annual children’s fishing program from the Ngongotaha hatchery site begins on Sunday July 6th. This not-to-be-missed event is open to kids between 6 and 14 years. All equipment and expert tuition is provided. For further information click here.

Te Wairoa Trap
To the 18th of June 2008 we have seen 1048 trout move upstream through the trap. This is up 10% at the same stage last year. This increase is perhaps due to the amount of early rainfall we received during May. We have experienced some good fish runs recently with the rainfall during the 16th-17th of June.
Rainbow trout have averaged 575mm in length and 2.3kg in weight, and this is exactly the same size as fish through the trap to this point during 2007. The largest fish so far has been a hatchery liberated 4-year-old at 680mm long and 4.4kg in weight. Approximately 10% of the run has been made up of wild fish.
The Te Wairoa trap operates as both brood fish collection for the Ngongotaha hatchery breeding program and as a monitoring system for the lake. Each year over 4 tons of trout move thru the trap and are weighted and measured. The largest 5% are selection for use at Ngongotaha and the others spawn naturally in the upper reached of the stream.
Anglers are reminded the Te Wairoa Stream mouth is closes to angling at the end of June.

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