Fishing News index>September 2007

Fishing News
 
August has come and gone and hopefully the weather anomalies are well and truly behind us. The region has been receiving smaller rainfall events now that the days are growing longer so we can expect to break into a more settled weather pattern and hopefully better fishing conditions.

Our Regional office has just recently finished organising and running the annual Kai-Iwi Lakes fishing competition. A fantastic weekend was had by all with great prizes and good quality fish was weighed in. Fish numbers landed were down on 2006 but this is attributed to the late spawning and later warmer water temperatures than in past years.

The lake levels rose some 400 – 500mm in one month so surface temperatures were milder than normal. Shore based anglers out fished those in watercraft which is certainly a turn up for the books. Eighty anglers landed 50 plus fish, which were a respectable size. The largest specimen landed was a 2.01-kilogram hen that rates well with previous years heaviest winners.

The fun of this competition is only exaggerated by the areas scenic beauty and great camping locations. It is truly a family orientated competition, which is reflected in the prize format and the amount of families that enter. Roll on next year!!!

The rivers and streams have had a real battering this year with two of the largest recorded flood events since records started. Despite this irregularity, there seems to be no lack of reasonable fish available to anglers. The new season will indicate to us whether the juvenile’s ranks have been battered. Fingers crossed.

On a brighter note, liberations have been completed with the inclusion of some restocking of the upper Wairua river catchments with Brown fingerlings for the first time in almost 20 years. These fish will help bolster the flood damage stocks and introduce a fresh strain of Ngongotaha Browns to the region.

On the subject of Brown Trout, a local eel fisherman who regularly nets the Wairua system told me that he has caught the same Brown in the same location for the last couple of years. What makes this extraordinary, is the size of this fish. He describes it as the largest Brown he has ever seen. How big? He estimates that it is in its late teens and he gently releases it every time. This fisherman has fished this water for some 20 years. He also said that there were plenty of others over the ten-pound mark throughout the entire Wairua system. Trophy hunters will be pleased.

The new season isn’t that far away so dust off your river tackle and prepare for a trophy Brown. Beats driving to Rotorua!

Until next month. Good prospects.

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