Fishing spots: Angling lessons for life

By HARVEY CLARK

Lake Rotorua's claim to fame is its fish population and its catch rate, especially for boat fishing.

It has the highest trout population of any lake in New Zealand, and the average catch of two to three an hour is the highest in the world.

The region includes 14 lakes and more than 60 rivers, streams and tributaries, most open to fishing all year round.

The Eastern Region Fish and Game Council runs a selective breeding programme in Lakes Rotoiti, Tarawera and Okataina to provide trophy trout (5kg and up) for big-fish hunters.

The region is splendidly served by top guides who can take you on a lazy day's boat-fishing ($400-$600, or $250 a half-day), by trophy-fish specialists whose local knowledge can make all the difference, and, if you really want to spend money, by helicopter charters that take you to remote rivers and streams for that most delicate form of the hunt: the dry fly (a chopper from Rotorua costs $3000, or $1500-$1700 from Murupara).

But if you are a novice on holiday and you want to learn a bit more about fishing from shore, then beg, borrow or hire some basic gear from a tackle shop (rod and waders $30 a day, $150 a week) and head for Ngongotaha, that laid-back settlement on the western side of Lake Rotorua that is only a couple of hours' drive from Auckland and just far enough from busy Rotorua city.

Ngongotaha, apart from offering excellent cabin accommodation at cheap rates ($45 for two), is the gateway to top fishing spots along the lake edge such as the mouths of the Ngongotaha, Waiteti and Awahou streams and Hamurana Springs, all just a few minutes' drive away.

At this time of year, as the lake warms, the trout come in from the deeper lake to the comfort of the cold stream water, which invigorates them and promotes feeding activity, either on smelt, which congregate at the beaches to breed, on the numerous cockabullies which inhabit the shallows, on nymphs washed down the main currents and on the koura which come out at night.

The best fishing is usually an hour before dawn and until 10am, and a couple of hours before nightfall and up until midnight. Each spot has a big reputation, especially for the nocturnal big browns that comein close to feed after dark.

All sites are easy for wading, although at Awahou you need to wade out about 200m until you're at least waist-deep and close to the weedbeds. You'll need a landing net out there, and a length of cord around your waist on which to tie your catch. You might find, on a long dark night, that a hip flask can be helpful.

And don't go blundering into the sunken supermarket trolley that's about 200m out along to the right.

In the daytime use silicone smelt flies, green and orange rabbits, brown and green woolly buggers, the ginger mick, lord's killer, mrs simpson and my personal favourite, a large dragonfly nymph. At night I reckon the craig's night-time, scotch poacher, black woolly bugger and mrs simpson are hard to beat.

Hamurana Springs, north of Awahou, has a strong river current running into the lake, often curving around depending on the wind and running parallel with the shore. While big, hard-to-catch browns loll on the edges of the cold current, usually ignoring any fly you drift their way, the area is often alive with smelt under attack from rainbows.

On a bright summer day you can have a lot of fun wading about sight-fishing (you need polaroids) with two or three silicone smelt.

Of all the spots around the lake, Hamurana on a fine day is a great place for the novice to come to grips with technique, for the seasoned angler to teach a beginner or a parent to teach a child, and at the same time expect to catch fish.

After a summer's day at Hamurana learning the basics of these techniques (it's a great spot for a family picnic, too), you can go trout fishing anywhere in the world.

* TOMORROW Coromandel

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