Fishing Reports

10^th June

Rain, rain and more rain. That seems to be the story at the moment. Well at least it has been for any time that I plan a Trout hunting expedition. In between the rain there has been some good fishing throughout the region.

Some nice fun Rainbows have come to the net at Lake Pupuke over the last few weeks plus the odd Brown. Generally the bait fishers are catching the most Trout but a reasonable number are still falling to both the spinners and the fly-fishers. No particular spot is doing better than the others but the secret has been to go to the spots with the least activity from other Lake users, i.e.: if the Kayakers are all out then stay away from the Kayak Clubrooms, if the divers are doing their training then stay away from the Pump-house wharf.

The Ohinemuri has apparently been producing some nice fish to the guys from Rod and Reel, using the Yoshi Bugger, a Brown Woolly Bugga with an orange bead head. At this time of year you can, if you are lucky, get into some very nice fish moving up the rivers to their spawning grounds. These fish are full of fight and in great condition.

The Waipa tributaries are holding good fish numbers and although they can be more interested in sex rather than eating there are still plenty that will take your flies. The secret is to use just a little more weight to make sure that your flies are passing close to the fish. In summer you can often get the Trout to move a fair distance to intercept your hook hiding deception but at this time of year you normally have to drift your flies right past their nose.

Also for those keen on trying out the Waikato River itself here is a report from Michael Lynch. Michael is heavily involved in running the annual Lower Waikato river trout contest, which will be on - 10th to 16th October. Increased sponsorship means they have raised the prize pool to $5,000 retail, and they now have a teams event and ladies section. Entry fee is still the same, $25 adults and $8 juniors under 17. Final details are still being sorted out, but when more info comes through I will post it here.

“Just a short note to tell you the fishing around Huntly is hot at the moment- temperature great and level about 8m at Huntly Power Station. Optimum level in Huntly is approx 7.6m to 8.5m.

Fish are full of fight, having good success spinning with Storm soft baits or Zed & Toby lures. Not unusual to have a fish take on the first cast in most spots.

Caught my first rainbow in many years at Huntly over the weekend, was takeable at about 33cm but I released it, normally 40mm is the limit most fishermen stick to locally. 1,000 rainbows were released by Fish & Game into the river in Hamilton last year, they should now be 35-45cm, all have yellow tags below the dorsal fin. They (Fish and Game Auckland / Waikato)  are very interested in returns.”

Tight Lines – Duncan