Rotorua Daily Post
  • Rotorua Daily Post home
  • Latest news
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
  • Sport
  • Video
  • Death notices
  • Classifieds

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • On The Up
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Residential property listings
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
  • Rural
  • Sport

Locations

  • Tauranga
  • Te Puke
  • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Tokoroa
  • Taupō & Tūrangi

Media

  • Video
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-Editions
  • Photo sales

Weather

  • Rotorua
  • Tauranga
  • Whakatāne
  • Tokoroa
  • Taupō

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Rotorua Daily Post

No lake like Rotorua for keen angler

By Alison King
Rotorua Daily Post·
15 Jan, 2012 11:00 PM3 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

In the first of a series on Rotorua's lakes we visit Lake Rotorua, the largest in the district and the most productive trout fishery in New Zealand.

Bert Robinson loves Lake Rotorua - he fishes for trout six days a day each summer from various spots on the lake and moved to the city for the fishing thrills.

Mr Robinson, who is also The Daily Post's trout fishing columnist, spends his lunch breaks trying to hook a trout and says he has experienced some magical moments on the lake's shores.

"I got called out one night last week out of the blue," he said.

"I was heading home and a guy was just leaving [my usual spot]. I got into the water about 10.15pm, the moon was out, not a cloud in the sky or a breath of wind. I was looking directly at the township and you could see Mokoia Island. The stars were out, it was a magical evening - then the fish started biting. It was brilliant, just perfect."

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Mr Robinson started fishing on Lake Rotorua 30 years ago while living in Hamilton. He moved to Rotorua in 1992 as jobs were "fierce" in Hamilton but there were plenty here.

"It went from there," he says.

He has a few favourite spots and often drives to Hamurana from Rotokawa School where he is caretaker, to get a spot of fishing done in his lunch break.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Last summer he caught 700 fish in six weeks. He reckons it's not unusual for an angler to hook between 60 and 100 trout in a day with novices able to score themselves up to 40.

"I landed three at lunch on Monday," he says.

"In the summer I will fish six days a week, probably seven. It's easy access for me. I started fishing at Hamurana and Awahou stream mouths, then at Waiteti and Ngongotaha [stream mouths]. They drew me over. Sometimes I'll fish at Holdens Bay but mostly at Hamurana.

"Over the year I'm probably out two to three times a week."

He says Lake Rotorua holds a large number of fish and there are "some enormous" brown trout.

"I could go to other places, and I do from time to time, but I prefer to fish Rotorua because it's close. It can also be quite challenging."

He says that is because anglers have to work out what the fish are feeding on and find a fly to match.

Save

    Share this article

Latest from Rotorua Daily Post

Rotorua Daily Post

Heavy rain warnings: BoP acts like 'scoop' for wild weather

02 Jul 09:19 PM
Rotorua Daily Post

Heating or eating a tough call for some after rates rise, says councillor

02 Jul 09:13 PM
Rotorua Daily Post

Armed police block Rotorua street

02 Jul 09:10 PM

There’s more to Hawai‘i than beaches and buffets – here’s how to see it differently

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Rotorua Daily Post

Heavy rain warnings: BoP acts like 'scoop' for wild weather

Heavy rain warnings: BoP acts like 'scoop' for wild weather

02 Jul 09:19 PM

A severe thunderstorm watch is in place for the region tonight.

Heating or eating a tough call for some after rates rise, says councillor

Heating or eating a tough call for some after rates rise, says councillor

02 Jul 09:13 PM
Armed police block Rotorua street

Armed police block Rotorua street

02 Jul 09:10 PM
Students cap off 9h endurance challenge by hauling loaded fire truck

Students cap off 9h endurance challenge by hauling loaded fire truck

02 Jul 09:00 PM
From early mornings to easy living
sponsored

From early mornings to easy living

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • Rotorua Daily Post e-edition
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Subscribe to the Rotorua Daily Post
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP