Lake Rotoiti in Rotorua is the most popular freshwater fishing lake in the country, new research reveals.
The 2021-22 National Angler Survey conducted by Niwa for Fish & Game has been released.
The survey records angling activity for all lake, river and canal fisheries managed by Fish & Game and collects data on the number of angling days (one angler fishing on one day, irrespective of the number of hours spent fishing).
About 15,000 people were surveyed from December 2021 to October 2022.
The survey found the top three lakes to fish were Rotoiti in the Bay of Plenty with over 33,000 angler days, Benmore in Canterbury (31,262) and Wakatipu in Otago (26,267).
Eastern Fish & Game chief executive Arash Alaeinia said it was not surprising.
“Rotoiti is an amazing fishery. It produces a high catch rate and some really solid trout, plus it’s a beautiful lake to be on. There aren’t many weeks that go by when we don’t receive positive comments about it. It’s also big enough to handle the high angler use without being crowded — it seems like you have the lake to yourselves some days.”
Contributing to Lake Rotoiti’s popularity were the liberations from the Ngongotahā trout hatchery with 28,500 yearling rainbows being released there annually. Fish & Game also carries out detailed surveys on the Rotorua lakes to better enable it to manage the fishery.
“In our region we sold 12,952 fishing licences, which is significant in a town the size of Rotorua. Unlike most regions, lakes accounted for the majority of the angler days in Eastern, 77 per cent of the total use.
“A wide variety of fishing methods can also be undertaken at the lakes including trolling, jigging, spinning and fly fishing, and some areas are open all year round, which adds to the appeal. While the most popular waterbody in Eastern was Lake Rotoiti, it was followed by Lake Tarawera and then Lake Rotorua.”
Nationally, the survey shows far more people getting out fishing in the South Island compared with the North Island, with 77 per cent of angling activity occurring in the South Island and 23 per cent in the North Island.
About 92,000 angling licences were sold in New Zealand for the survey period — down about 10 per cent from the previous survey, probably due to Covid lockdowns and international travel restrictions — almost 97 per cent of angler days were attributed to New Zealand resident long-term season licences.
Total angler usage was 991,700 angler days — 38 per cent of angler days were for lakes, and 62 per cent were for rivers and hydro canals.
Benefits for mind and body
Fish & Game chief executive Corina Jordan said the survey “highlights the real opportunities for more New Zealanders to get out in nature and rewild themselves by giving fishing a go”.
There are proven benefits to mental health and wellbeing from spending time in nature. Overseas, fishing is a commonly prescribed activity to help people such as war veterans deal with mental and emotional trauma.
“We know many Kiwis are suffering after some tough years, and angling can help. It’s also important that people take time to actively look after their wellbeing as a preventative measure. People wanting to know more should check out our ReWild site for inspiration and advice. Summer is a great time to give fishing a go.”
Fishing is a popular recreational sport. Photo / Supplied
Other key findings:
The top three lakes to fish managed by Fish & Game were Rotoiti in the Bay of Plenty, Benmore in Canterbury, and Wakatipu in Otago. Rotoiti and Benmore each had more than 30,000 angler days, and Wakatipu got more than 26,000.
The top three rivers were the Clutha in Otago, with 30,985, followed by the Waimakariri (30,525) and the Rakaia (19,187), both in North Canterbury.
The Central South Island hydro canals were very popular: Ōhau C (32,655), Ōhau B (29,257), and then Pukaki Ōhau A (26,211).
