Get in quick to book a slot for Stratford Kids’ Trout Fishing Day

Stratford Fishing Club member Brian Davies nets a rainbow trout for a successful angler at a previous event.

Stratford’s young anglers are invited to catch a trout on the 25th annual Stratford Kids’ Trout Fishing Day.

While there are still plenty of places available, time is running out to book in and Taranaki Fish & Game acting manager Allen encourages people to get in quick.

The annual event takes place this Saturday at the Scout Den pool on the Patea River.

Time slots can be booked by visiting or ringing the Stratford Information Centre on 0800 765 6708. The event will run from 8am, with the last fishing time slot at 12.45pm.

All fishing gear is supplied and with the help of Stratford Fishing Club members and volunteers, children will be able to fish for 300 good-sized rainbow trout.

At the event’s conclusion at 1pm the nets will be removed and the remaining rainbow trout will be available to anglers who hold a current trout fishing licence.

Licences are free to children under 12 years old at the start of the current angling season (October 1, 2022) and a whole season licence for under 18s costs just $29, with a junior 24-hour licence costing $5.

Past experience has shown that trout remain within a few hundred metres of the release point for weeks after the event, complementing the angling provided by the Patea River’s wild brown trout population.

There is a bag limit of two trout per angler per day and anglers must cease fishing for the day once they have killed their second fish.