Reel Life September 2026 - Eastern

New Trout Season about to Kick-Off 

For most of us, Opening Day of the new trout season is like Christmas and Birthday all rolled into one! No other days in the calendar of a keen trout angler excite like the first of October. No matter what you have planned for the new season, we hope you truly enjoy it, manage a little quality time with friends and family, feel relaxed, refreshed and recharged, and finally lean into a few rewarding fish in the Eastern Fish & Game Region.

Firstly, a quick look at the weather. The forecast for Opening day looks like light northerly or nor westerly winds in the 6-10km/hr range and reasonably warm weather up to 17 degrees Celsius – both of which will be perfect for a day trout fishing somewhere!

Although El Niño conditions are looming for the Bay of Plenty, October and December wind should be moderate, and the lakes are almost always very fishable early in the mornings, with the breeze only getting up in the afternoon. Even then, with thirteen lakes at your disposal, shelter isn’t hard to find.  

We suggest you check the MetService forecast for up to date weather before heading out.

The good news is lakes have been doing well, with fish condition and size at the end of last season some of the best we have ever seen.

Tarawera and Rotoiti are the most popular for opening, followed closely by Okataina. Lake Tarawera is coming off a high from last season, and we expect the fish to be every bit as good this year.

Your early season catch will normally consist of hatchery liberated 2-year olds which will be fat, silvery and have deep orange flesh – perfect for the smoker. There will be a number of longer, thinner 3-year old fish that are recovering after spawning this winter. Give them a few months, and they will be back in good nick.

You might also see some smaller, fat 1+ year old fish at opening, and these demonstrate just how exceptional the growth is in the Rotorua lakes, often being well over the minimum 35cm length, despite only having been in the lake a few months.

Opening Day Tips

If you do plan to head to Tarawera, Rotoiti or Okataina, then making a pre-trip plan is a good idea. An early start is advisable, but not absolutely critical if you’ve got family on board that perhaps don’t quite share your enthusiasm for the dawn chorus! Often the bite doesn’t actually come on until you have some good sun on the water.

Being prepared to fish a variety of methods is also recommended. Shallow trolling is a good way to start by using straight mono rigs and a Tassie or smelt fly and Tassie attractor. As the sun gets up, and boat traffic increases, you may want to move to deeper methods such a lead line trolling, downrigging, jigging or softbaiting.

Either way, keep changing your method of attack until you hit success. Keep an eye on neighbouring boats and see wat methods they are using.

If the crowds of Tarawera, Rotoiti and Okataina boat fishing aren’t your thing, then don’t worry, there are still another six or seven lakes to fish in the Rotorua region – and you might be surprised to know how good the fishing can be. Lake Rotorua for instance, produces a very high catch rate and recently excellent size and condition. The sighted brown trout shore-based fishery is now well underway and will continue to improve as the lake warms.

Opening Day Surveys and Licence Checks

Fish & Game staff will be on the lakes and at ramps carrying out surveys. They will want to view, weigh and measure your catch and ask you questions about how long you have fished and with what methods. This information is vital to the management of the fishery, so we appreciate your cooperation with this. They will also want to see your fishing licence, so please have it handy.

Okataina Gate Access

Biosecurity conditions imposed by MPI around Lake Okataina mean boaties are required to wash their vessel and trailer before entering the lake. This can be completed at The Wash Place, 338 Te Ngae Rd, Rotorua. It only takes a few minutes. Once complete, you will receive a txt notification with two 4-digit pin codes, one to enter the lake, and one to exit.

Get you new Season Licence!

New season licence are available here. We have a multitude of options available. By purchasing the right licence you’ll be able to get something that suits your specific needs at the best possible price. Purchase the Whole Season Adult Licence now and the cost per day, for example works out at well under 50c per day. Senior or Local Area licences also save you! 

New Mapping – Get the Spot Easier!

Our new mapping system has been updated. Click here for access mapping    

Don’t forget to CCD!

The new season is a good time to remind everyone of our need to Check, Clean and Dry gear between waterways. Pest organisms are sadly on the increase and the precious resource we all love is at risk. Please remember to CCD between your fishing trips, follow the instructions of the Regional Councils and MPI.

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