Reel Life April 2025 - Eastern

Writing this from the comfort of my office, news of cyclone Tam battering the north island has filled my news feeds for the morning.

We’ve had one of the most settled summer/autumn periods I can remember which has been excellent for fishing around the Eastern region. Streams that were battered by Gabrielle, over two years ago, have had the opportunity to recover a little more than if conditions been unsettled.

Image above: Connor Bryant with one of his first fish – a cracker from Rotoiti!

East coast streams we have looked at recently continue to be making good recovery, with insect populations bouncing back nicely. Our rivers and streams have needed a flush for some time to move algae and weed build-ups, and generally just to give them a freshen-up or lower summer water temperatures. It now looks like we are going to get a massive rain hit via Tam – be careful what you wish for they say!

The good news about changing conditions is that the winter shoreline fishing has kicked off. Our fish traps have recorded excellent runs already, and fish are being caught from the key Rotorua Lakes areas. Ruato, the Pipe and the Transformer Stream on Rotoiti, The Landing and Rangiuru Bay on Tarawera and the main beach at Okataina are all showing good signs and we can expect these to get better in June and July. Fish we have recorded already from Tarawera are significantly larger than last season, and last season were well above the year before.

Our ‘old faithful’ spot, Lake Rotorua, has cooled and fish are no longer congregating at the river mouths but expect prime condition spawning rainbows and browns to be on the move. River mouth fishing, especially in the evenings is sure to prove successful for the next few months. Trolling on the lake has been highly productive recently with excellent catches made off the Ohau, the airport, Ngongotaha and Kawaha Point. A couple of colours of lead or LED line trolled about the 5m mark is a good place to start with a Tassie Traffic Light #58, Brown Trout #46 or Gold Zebra #88.

Autumn weather still leaves the opportunity for lake edge fly fishing  

Shallow trolling will also be on the improve on the big Rotorua lakes as autumn smelting increases. The best places are in relatively shallow water during the first few hours of the day with Grey Ghosts, Jack’s Sprat and Green Orbits being had to beat. The big lakes remain hot-spots for jigging and soft baiting also – we have seen excellent size and condition fish coming off Okataina.

Duck Hunting Season Commences Saturday May 3^rd

The annual and very popular duck hunting season kicks off during the first weekend in May. A few trout fishing locations are also used for duck hunting, so we suggest you try to keep clear of these areas for the opening weekend on May 3^rd and 4^th.       

Don’t Forget Check, Clean, Dry

Please remember to remain vigilant with pests and weeds that can affect our fisheries. Boat trailers can be prone to picking up weed and should be checked and cleaned before you leave the ramp. 

Check Clean and Dry trailers and equipment

Okataina Update

The new electronic gate is now fully operational. Boats are to be washed at The Wash Place, 338 Te Ngae Rd, Rotorua prior to visiting the lake. See here for additional information; https://www.rotorualakes.co.nz/freshwater-gold-clam

Datawatch tagged Trout

Tagged trout can now be entered online. Entries go into the draw to win one of 10 free whole-season fishing licences: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/QCH5ZR6

Eastern Region Fishing Diaries – All lakes and streams

Fill in your fishing diaries here to help us manage the Eastern Fish & Game region. Participants go in the draw to win a $100 voucher from Kilwell: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/QRSD7D3

 

Mark Sherburn
Eastern Fish & Game