Fishing Reports

Fresh rainbows are still dribbling into the tributary streams of Lake Rotorua. A few days of rain could easily turn this dribble into a flood though so it pays to be prepared to drop everything and head for the rivers. The frosty mornings of late seems to have sucked a lot of water out of the system so streams and rivers are dropping slowly but surely. A sinking line and smelt pattern fished after dark will produce a few surprises for the patient angler. The numbers of brown trout moving upstream will decrease markedly from now on and there should be an increase in spent browns coming down stream.

With the level of Lake Rotorua dropping a little more each day there will soon be an opportunity to walk out into Lake Rotorua and fish back towards the weir. The yellow, black and white poles on either side of the entrance to the Ohau Channel mark the start of the closed fishing area so one’s fly is not allowed to cross this line when fishing back to the weir. This means that you have to be well out into the lake in order to fish legally.

With the smaller lakes most of the spawning is over, though there are a few exceptions to the rule. Rerewhakaaitu is one as is Lake Rotoiti which has several spots where fish are still congregating. Lake Rerewhakaaitu has been typically tough where anglers continue to target spawning fish and a look around a little further afield should see some untapped water with fish that haven’t been exposed to large numbers of anglers. It is small predominantly brown flies, in the size 10 to 12 range, that are retrieved very slowly, that have tempted these fish. Gumboot point is still producing fish, though there is a mix of fresh and post spawning fish. The boat ramp jetty is also producing fish. A floating line and grey ghost or similar works best during the day. Trolling hasn’t been too bad. Casting or jigging from a drifting boat has been more successful though.

Lake Rotoiti is still producing fresh spawning fish from a number of areas. The Kaituna River, directly below the control gates is one spot that fishing fairly well. A fast sinking line and almost any green fly seems to tempt hard fighting fish in this river. The main challenge here is to get in during the week as most weekends there are rafters and 150 plus canoeists disturbing the water. A few of each seems to improve the catch rate as the cause fish to move further down into the slower water, too many and the fish disappear completely. The true left bank seems to be fishing better than the true right, though both sides are worth fishing. A few fish have been seen spawning further downstream, below the state highway bridge, though they are hard to get at.

The Dump, Emery’s Reef, Wai iti, and Ruato Bay all have fish moving through, though having been targeted by anglers for some time now they are more than a little timid.

Lake Okataina is still producing good fish off the main beach, though few in numbers. A stiff southerly wind here makes for tough casting conditions but the fish coming in are much less line shy. While the moon is still fairly full and high in the sky, flies that have a little flashabou tied in at the head work wonders.

Anglers chancing their arm at Lake Rotoma will be pleasantly surprised to find fish moving back and forth along the shoreline, in areas that are still open to fishing. The beach, to the right of the boat ramp, at the Eastern end of the lake is one spot where there have been fish. The stream mouth to the right of the western boat ramp is worth a visit as well, though waders are needed to reach it.