Hard Fishing On Rotorua Lakes But Better Times Ahead

Media release from Eastern Fish & Game

Hard Fishing On Rotorua Lakes But Better Times Ahead

The Rotorua lakes have presented some tough going for keen anglers, but Fish & Game officers are confident things will soon pick up.

Eastern Region Fish & Game Officer Mark Sherburn says that anglers have had a tough time on Tarawera and Rotoiti in particular, but some key drivers are now falling into place.

“From reports of increasing smelt activity and a gradual lifting of water temperature, we are picking that things will fire up before long.”

He says that last weekend saw some improvements on Rotoiti, with a couple of anglers taking fish by jigging near the bottom. “Interestingly, the surface temperature on Rotoiti is currently about 16 or 17 degrees, whereas we’d normally expect it to be a couple of degrees higher at this time of year.”

The normal trend at this time of year is to expect smelt on the surface early in the morning where they are easy prey for trout – after feeding on the surface overnight.

Later in the morning and as the sun rises higher the smelt go deeper, Mr Sherburn explains, “which allows anglers to troll, spin or fly fish shallow initially, and then adopt deeper methods later – such as deep trolling, downriggers or jigging.”

On Lake Rotorua, boaties have been picking up nice brown trout trolling shallow around the weed beds. The east side airport and marae runs, and off the Pins have been the best, with brown trout reports from Kawaha Point as well. Successful lures include the Tassie ‘brown and ‘clown’ (#04).

Mr Sherburn notes that brown trout began moving up the Rotorua tributaries in November as usual, though not in great numbers yet. The seasonal movement upstream is to escape Lake Rotorua’s warming waters.

“Browns and rainbows are swimming up the Ngongotaha and Waiteti streams, and shore-based anglers are advised to target the stream mouths after dark.

“At this stage the Hamurana and Awahou haven’t fired, but expect them to pick up as the summer temperatures do.”

Holidaymakers who want to try their hand at trout fishing are urged to buy a family licence before the end of the month, which puts them in the draw for a prize package worth more than $1600, including gear, activities and accommodation (applies to the Eastern Region only before December 31, 2012 ).

“This is really everything you need and more - from fishing rods and reels to expert guidance. With the popular visitor attractions thrown in this is a very attractive prize.”

Fish & Game urges holidaymakers to check out Eastern Region’s web pages for more information and fishing tips: http://eastern.fishandgame.org.nz

Locals and visitors alike are also reminded that a free boat fishing talk for beginners will be held at Stony Point, Lake Tarawera on Saturday, January 5, 2013. It’s described as a simple ‘how to’ talk and demonstration covering the trout and its habits, food supply and life cycle. Anglers will also be given tips on fishing methods and told how to bone and cook their catch.

ENDS

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