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

Start of trout fishing season to bring busy Rotorua lakes

Rotorua Daily Post
29 Sep, 2018 01:00 AM3 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

Willemina Krebs caught this fish on Lake Tarawera on opening day 2017. Photo / Supplied

Willemina Krebs caught this fish on Lake Tarawera on opening day 2017. Photo / Supplied

Fish & Game is expecting Lakes Tarawera and Rotoiti to be teeming with fishermen and women on Monday morning.

On Monday at 5am Lakes Rotoiti, Tarawera and Okataina will re-open to anglers after being closed and rested over winter.

Fish & Game officer Matt Osborne said Tarawera and Rotoiti were usually the busiest on opening and most trout caught over opening would be 2-year-old fish.

He said those were the most abundant group above the minimum size of 35cm.

"The older 3 and 4-year-old fish have spawned during winter and are either still in the spawning streams or have migrated back in the lakes to recover," he said.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"Some of the older fish have recovered adequately while others will be longer and a little slabby.

"These 2-year-olds will average around 50cm on Tarawera and 52cm on Rotoiti and Okataina given differences in recent lake growing conditions.

Kevin Bach, 12 (left) with his father David Bach and Gary Coker (centre) fishing the  Ohau Channel. Photo / Supplied
Kevin Bach, 12 (left) with his father David Bach and Gary Coker (centre) fishing the Ohau Channel. Photo / Supplied

"Hatchery-released 2-year olds can easily be identified by them having had their left pelvic fin removed. They were released during 2017 as yearlings."

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Osborne said there had been a record run of fish through the trap on Lake Tarawera which was used to source the best fish for breeding, and that indicated there would be plenty of fish.

Drift dives carried out, where staff count fish in the Tarawera Outlet, also point to high fish numbers in Tarawera, he said.

Fish & Game's 2018 Fish for Gold promotion also starts on Monday and runs for two weeks.

Thirty rainbow trout, marked with specially numbered orange tags have been released into Tarawera, Rotoiti and Okataina in the lead up to the opening.

Discover more

Tagged trout worth $10,000 up for grabs at season opening next month

18 Sep 10:19 PM

Bert Robinson: Lack of consultation over bill slap in the face

22 Sep 12:50 AM

Waka ama paddlers to raise awareness of breast cancer

25 Sep 10:00 PM

New targets for improving river swimmability in Bay of Plenty

25 Sep 02:42 AM

Each of the tags corresponds to a prize, with one worth $10,000 and another a Yamaha 2HP outboard motor valued at $945.

Fish for Gold is free to enter. Anglers just need to have a 2018-19 Fish & Game sports fishing licence and register online prior to opening day.

Where and how to fish
- Purchase a day or a season licence either online at fishandgame.org.nz or retail outlets like Hunting and Fishing. Day licence $21, season licence $130.
- There are 10 different licence categories in total.
- When taking a boat out of the water check it and other equipment for aquatic pests.
- For more tips and information visit the website or call (07) 357 5501.
- Lake Rotoiti is popular during opening but becomes quieter later in the season. Fish can be targeted by trolling, harling, and spin of fly fishing around stream mouths and drop offs.
- Lake Tarawera is one of the largest lakes and is considered by many to produce the best eating fish. Festivities begin the evening before opening. Early season shallow trolling or harling works well.
- Lake Rotorua is fished mainly by trolling or spin and fly fishing at stream mouths.
- Lake Okataina lends itself to trolling, jigging, and the use of downriggers. Shore-based fishing is limited.
- There are 13 lakes open to fishing in the Rotorua district.
Source: Fish & Game

Save

    Share this article

Latest from Rotorua Daily Post

Premium
Rotorua Daily Post

'Feeding kittens': Debate on supporting Rotorua's rough sleepers heats up

17 Jun 06:00 PM
Rotorua Daily Post

'I wept': White Island tragedy doctor’s anguish at child’s death

17 Jun 05:00 PM
Rotorua Daily Post

'Hot-box' murder: Accused says rival gang bigger issue than patched member's theft

17 Jun 07:00 AM

Jono and Ben brew up a tea-fuelled adventure in Sri Lanka

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Rotorua Daily Post

Premium
'Feeding kittens': Debate on supporting Rotorua's rough sleepers heats up

'Feeding kittens': Debate on supporting Rotorua's rough sleepers heats up

17 Jun 06:00 PM

About 50 people attended a public meeting to discuss homelessness in Rotorua.

'I wept': White Island tragedy doctor’s anguish at child’s death

'I wept': White Island tragedy doctor’s anguish at child’s death

17 Jun 05:00 PM
'Hot-box' murder: Accused says rival gang bigger issue than patched member's theft

'Hot-box' murder: Accused says rival gang bigger issue than patched member's theft

17 Jun 07:00 AM
CCTV of rider released after blind, deaf cancer survivor struck in hit-and-run

CCTV of rider released after blind, deaf cancer survivor struck in hit-and-run

17 Jun 04:05 AM
Help for those helping hardest-hit
sponsored

Help for those helping hardest-hit

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