Fishing News index > April 2007

Trap runs suggest good fishing ahead – Matt Osborne

Fish traps being run by Eastern Fish and Game have produced promising results for March and the early part of April 2007; suggestive that winter is well on its way, and that angling prospects for the autumn and early winter are good.

The Ngongotaha trap, which is used largely for monitoring purposes, is set for 10 days per month throughout the year. Fish are trapped both on their up and downstream journeys, weighed and measured and at times tagged, then released in the direction they were travelling when caught. Unlike many, the Ngongotaha trap often catches non spawning fish which appear to migrate into the stream during warmer spells to feed. During the ten days of trapping during March 53 fish were caught (see table below). In recent years anglers have come expect ‘oversize’ brown trout form the Ngongotaha, however large well condition rainbow trout are often also caught there. March rainbows, although not overly abundant, averaged over 3kg – impressive by any standards!

With early rain at the start of April firing things up, three Ngongotaha brown trout were caught by anglers that weighed in between 5.5 and 5.9 kg. To date numbers through the Ngongotaha trap for April have been slow (report out next issue), but the stream has also been low and clear, so with further rain fish should be on the move.

The Te Wairoa trap situated at Lake Tarawera has also indicated the possibility of some good fishing. This trap is used every day between April and August and in recent years records catches between 1500 and 2000 fish for the period. Essentially the trap is used to catch mature brood fish for use in the Ngongotaha hatchery breeding program but also as monitoring for the Lake Tarawera fishery itself. The first 20 days of April produced a moderate 33 fish, probably reflective of mild weather, but with colder conditions and rain imminent these numbers and the shoreline fishing throughout the region will without doubt improve. The Te Wairoa stream mouth is open to fly fishing up until June 30^th. Only female trout may be taken at this location.