Rotorua Fishing Report - December 3rd, 2021

Rotoiti continues to be star performer

On the local lakes the trout fishing is just starting to really heat up,  Lake Rotoiti in particular for the trout jigger and soft-baiter will fish superbly up until the New Years madness.  

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At this time of year, the smelt population explodes and the trout pretty much switch over to only feeding on them.  The trout round the shoals of smelt and drive them into banks and reefs where they smash them up and feed ferociously.  Over this time it will be common to catch and land well over 20 fish in a session.

The lake temperature is now over 19 degrees so the thermocline is starting to be become more defined and has seen the fish concentrating in the range of 22-28 metres depth.

Last weekend Pat Swift landed a beautiful rainbow that went just under 11lb and caught several fish over 7lb.  The standout fly has been the yellow lady but as we near Christmas the slimy and grey ghost will come into their own.

Similarly, Lake Tarawera has produced very good fish and these are in better condition than we have seen over the last couple of years.  Jigging and trolling have both been productive and also for the fly fishers drifting around the White Cliffs area casting at smelting fish has seen anglers produce some great action.

On lake Rotorua there are a few very keen shoreline anglers chasing browns who have been going really well on the edges of the big lake.  These big brown bruisers are starting at 8lb so if you enjoy a good stalk, then hunting around the willows of the lake will give you plenty of chances, otherwise look at stalking the flats in front of the Ngongotaha stream mouth.  You will want very little wind and the sun out and high overhead for the best stalking conditions.

The mouth of the Waitite stream is fishing well and over the next couple of weeks as the air temperature and lake temperatures rise, the river mouths of Awahou and Haumurana will start to fire.

Out on the ocean we have been catching some lovely snapper soft baiting the shallows well before the sun gets up at first light.  As the sun rises, the fish have been dropping into deeper water so have to be concentrating on both ends of the day if you wish to fish the shallows.

The surf casters along the Matata straits have also reported some great catches into the evening and after dark, with some lovely snapper, kahawai and trevally coming in.

I have pretty much been fishing the ocean when conditions are calm and when the wind blows have been freshwater fishing, our options are endless throughout our region so make the most out of the next couple of weeks, put in the effort and go fishing, it is about to get red hot. 

Mike Smith - Rotorua Hunting and Fishing

Hunting & Fishing New Zealand

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