Print Page | Close Window

Rotoiti

Printed From: The Fishing Website
Category: Freshwater Fishing
Forum Name: Freshwater Fishing reports
Forum Description: Post your report here
URL: https://www.fishing.net.nz/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=117219
Printed Date: 07 Dec 2023 at 3:38pm


Topic: Rotoiti
Posted By: Redfinger
Subject: Rotoiti
Date Posted: 21 Apr 2016 at 10:49am
Had an evenful day at Rotoiti chasing mudfish around the Lake on the jig (flies).
Quality mudfish here, superb conditioned fish - most of them - North island salmon even?


Typical fat rainbow just over 2kg caught on a grey ghost fly in 28m.

Its not easy, having to present the right fly, in the right place or location, at the right time and most importantly keeping it there for long enough at right depth. Even doing all of this the fish reject your fly most of the time. A quality fishfinder / gps plotter is a must - and you need to know how to use it.
The sight of a large, fat bodied, silver rainbow cartwheeling  10m from the boat before ejecting my fly will stay in my mind a while.
Brendan James , below with fish of the day - 3.6kg weighed 8 hours later and there are bigger fish in this lake for sure.




Replies:
Posted By: Metal Float
Date Posted: 21 Apr 2016 at 11:02am
Nice Redfinger - looks like you're having nice weather up there at present and may get good weather next week too.


Posted By: Redfinger
Date Posted: 21 Apr 2016 at 12:52pm
Hi there - just a Day trip for me from North Harbour , Akld . Long day for sure but worth it most of the time.
Annoying breeze from the west - not fresh at all but just enough to complicate the drift of teh boat. A minekota would be great!


Posted By: Mossy
Date Posted: 21 Apr 2016 at 8:47pm
Thanks for the post, Redfinger. Haven't been to Rotoiti for a month or two now - glad to hear there's still some lunkers lurking around!


Posted By: MacSkipper
Date Posted: 22 Apr 2016 at 3:57am
Nice looking fish Redfinger - sounds a bit tricky to catch.  Me I have been chasing Snapper in the Manukau.

-------------
Good fishing trip nothing breaks, great trip catch fish.


Posted By: Redfinger
Date Posted: 22 Apr 2016 at 8:47am
Hi John, yes I saw your recent post - nice fish. Great to have good saltwater fishing at our doorstep here.
Only a couple of months left before  Lake Rotoiti closes , then probably not back until late this year/next year - Given quality of fish available maybe another trip or two before I switch my freshwater attentions to Taupo/Turangi again.




Posted By: Rainbow
Date Posted: 22 Apr 2016 at 4:08pm
Just back from 2.5 days at Rotoiti.  Fished from day light until dark but not at night.    Sore bum material   Found fishing a lot harder than a month ago with very few fish around the Pipe and along the Nothern Cliffs    Eventually we found reasonable concentrations off the willows before the turnoff to the Pipe.    We drifted from 30m into the shallows to about 17 m and caught  fish regularly around the 20m mark.   In fact most of them were holding at 20m.   Huge smelt were so common that we often  snagged up on all three hooks.    I had several monsters that were actually hooked in the mouth.     While we did not catch the number of the previous trip all the fish were big ( no 2 year olds) around 5lbs with a couple over 7lbs and one just under 8lbs.    Outstanding quality fish when compared to Taupo.
Caught 13 on the SLF smelt I tied, 8 on Grey Ghost and 5 on the bully fly.    Dropped several as well     I also had a small Jack Sprat in the line-up but replaced that when it got ignored in favour of the others.  
 
Rainbow
 
  


Posted By: Redfinger
Date Posted: 22 Apr 2016 at 4:17pm
Interesting Rainbow - we found thermocline reasonably strong in some places (between ruato and gisborne pt) and faint in others but could pick it up in some form in most locations. Much weaker than 3 weeks previously , agreed.
Fish in 20m for us as well and fly choice very simiar to you.
We might have seen you I think up eastern end of lake - we were in a 14foot open tinny , tiller driven with FLEUR on the side - my mates boat.


Posted By: Rainbow
Date Posted: 22 Apr 2016 at 9:19pm
Yes, Once we found fish at the eastern end we came back to that area after twice exploring the northern cliffs without finding much fish sign.    As they say :"Never leave fish to find fish".    No point in paddling for miles exploring new areas when we only had a couple of days and a bit.    The rangers at the hatchery told me that some big fish are coming out of Okataina but Tarawera has been a bit sad with smelt only half the size of the Rotoiti smelts.   I could not believe when I caught a few big smelt of around 4 inches with a hook in their  mouths, hooked from the inside!   Not just snagged somewhere on the body.    Interestingly we never caught a trout on a snagged smelt.
Rainbow
 


Posted By: Redfinger
Date Posted: 23 Apr 2016 at 11:48am
there was nothing much showing around northern cliffs for sure - yet the go to spot last time . Fish definitely move around.
Those smelt are why these Rotoiti trout are so special.


Posted By: Rainbow
Date Posted: 23 Apr 2016 at 8:23pm

A few photos from our last trip to Rotoiti.

Rainbow
 
Brent Sharp fishing blind as his FF packed up on day one     Alfie Amor on his pedal drive yak ideal for holding over fish and fishing at the same time.    Some nice fat fish and huge smelt when compared to the smelt fly we were using.  Correction: Top fish was 9lbs not under 8 as stated above.


Posted By: CEEBEE
Date Posted: 29 Apr 2016 at 5:03pm
Awesome catches there guys.... well done.

-------------
I STARTED THE DAY WITH NO FISH AND I STILL HAVE PLENTY LEFT


Posted By: Rainbow
Date Posted: 30 Apr 2016 at 4:19pm

Brent Sharp's video of our recent Rotoiti trip. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kexAJLawuh8" rel="nofollow - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kexAJLawuh8
 
Rainbow


Posted By: Yoti
Date Posted: 03 May 2016 at 11:20am
Mate and I spent the weekend fishing Lake Rotoiti lost count of fish to boat, brought some nice ones home several over 7lb. all but one caught jigging the best jigging session my mate and I have experienced


Posted By: RC17
Date Posted: 04 May 2016 at 2:29pm
Nice one Yoti, I had a bit of a different weekend but still a couple of nice fish.

Sat morning fished down by the Willows at Hinehopu jigging, 1 nice 6lber and 3 smaller 3lb models between 7am - 9am.

Had a crack back there middle of the day and also tried Ruato Point for a couple of hours - not a touch.

Went out again for an hour in the evening and got another small one.

Sunday morning decided to focus around the Ruato Bay point area and got 1 nice fish just under 7lb, but that was it for 2 hours.

Where were you fishing Yoti?


Posted By: Redfinger
Date Posted: 04 May 2016 at 6:46pm
Heading out tomorrow - will let you fellas know how I get on



Posted By: Yoti
Date Posted: 05 May 2016 at 4:42am
Originally posted by RC17 RC17 wrote:

Nice one Yoti, I had a bit of a different weekend but still a couple of nice fish.

Sat morning fished down by the Willows at Hinehopu jigging, 1 nice 6lber and 3 smaller 3lb models between 7am - 9am.

Had a crack back there middle of the day and also tried Ruato Point for a couple of hours - not a touch.

Went out again for an hour in the evening and got another small one.

Sunday morning decided to focus around the Ruato Bay point area and got 1 nice fish just under 7lb, but that was it for 2 hours.

Where were you fishing Yoti?

Fished around Gisborne Point - Ruato. Fish were spread out over deep water right out to 40 meters, but holding around 22 to 25 meters deep.  Best fishing late morning until midday.Saturday morning was best, Sunday slower. You probably saw us Trailersailer with no mast on, easier fishing without it


Posted By: RC17
Date Posted: 05 May 2016 at 8:45am
Yea I found the majority of fish were holding 21-24m in 28-32m of water, but picked up a couple in closer in 18m. Seems to be very short bite times at the moment.


Posted By: Redfinger
Date Posted: 05 May 2016 at 9:50pm
I was out today on Rotoiti. Nice light northerly and overcast.
Intense schools of smelt everywhere, fish were holding in 22-26m for us.
The fish are moving around a bit - showing in different places each trip.
Kept 5, released 3 , lost 3 - many hits failing to hook up
Biggest 66cm, 7lb.



Posted By: Hunterfisher
Date Posted: 16 May 2016 at 11:20am
Did anyone get out on the weekend? 
I heard Whakatane fishing club had a comp on Rotoiti in the weekend.

I was over last tuesday and had a great morning, any one else do ok in the last week?

Cheers Jamie


Posted By: Redfinger
Date Posted: 08 Jun 2016 at 10:33am
Another marathon trip for just me and the fc390 - 3 and a half hours from Forrest Hill North shore to Hinehopu Rotoiti. Had to be careful with icey roads.
An annoying  easterly limited my options alot, the hot lumo yellow flies that worked last month caught nothing. 2 EACH ON Pat Swift Jack spratt, Grey ghost and traffic light killer pattern. Only kept the one that wouldnt revive - most of them were fat obese 2.5lb footballs. Had another 4 or 5 hits. Snapped off one on jack spratt on a double strike.
Caught fish at the skids, off the willows off emerys store hinehopu, and up just past ski lane on northern shore.
Off the willows fish holding in 26m , similar in other places.
Spoke to a chap fishing hard into one of the cliffs and had some better fish - he said in 17m and got them all around 2pm. Similar bite to me.






Posted By: RC17
Date Posted: 09 Jun 2016 at 12:02pm
was down over the weekend, think i got about 6 or 7 fish for 6 or 7 hours worth of fishing. fished much the same areas, fish were holding in 20-22m, but caught a couple around the 15m mark - definitely worth drifting right in to 12-13m at this time of year. fish were a mixture of 3lbers and 6lbers, all in great knick.


Posted By: Redfinger
Date Posted: 09 Jun 2016 at 1:51pm
Wouldnt of minded the odd 6lber myself!
What flies were doing the job for you?


Posted By: Far Quirk
Date Posted: 10 Jun 2016 at 11:02am
Nice going RF.  Would have been great to join you, but w*** got in the way. A final trip before 30th June?

-------------
Far Quirk - I'm goin' fishn!


Posted By: Redfinger
Date Posted: 10 Jun 2016 at 1:09pm
Probably - will keep you posted Mr FQ.



Posted By: RC17
Date Posted: 11 Jun 2016 at 5:23pm
Orange bodied rabbits and olive wooly buggers. Got 1 on a jack spratt


Posted By: Redfinger
Date Posted: 13 Jun 2016 at 9:27am
Have tried the orange rabbit for a very limited time - will have to give it a longer go. Ditto wooly buggers - my bottom fly that has been going ok is the Traffic Light.


Posted By: Nebuchadnezzar
Date Posted: 21 Jun 2016 at 8:41pm
Just remember that very little color exists at depth. Red is the first color of the spectrum to dissipate; +5m. Followed closely by orange and yellow. The only color to still be present at +20m are shades of blue through purple/violet.
Colors like red, orange and yellow will take on a neutral complexion similar to the surroundings. This is not a bad thing because all of the trouts natural prey will also take on the neutral colors of their surroundings.
The best use of color at depth is through contrast, simple light and dark.   Flies with a light body and dark top or flies with dark bands over a light body for example. Your traffic light fly is a good example of multiple contrasts.  Or even better is jet black all over.  Trout hunt for the majority of their prey by looking upwards for silhouettes.  A jet black fly or lure is very visual against the distant  illumination of the surface and is also very vivid in a some what colorless world.  A jet black rabbit has worked well for me in the past. 



Posted By: Rainbow
Date Posted: 22 Jun 2016 at 12:15pm
Interesting concept and generally well known.    However it does not account for the fact that trout take an almost transparent smelt such as a grey ghost at 25m in preference to a dark fly.    This preference is explained by the universal relationship between predators and prey which is always in favour of prey.    It follows that predators seek out the young, the old and sick as an easier and safer "wounded buffalo" option.  
So how does this relate to the above smelt fly example when there are a million other smelt close by?    IMO the unnatural jigging action identifies the grey ghost as a "wounded buffalo" that triggers the predatory attack instinct of a trout that might not even be looking for food at that time.    It may also account for the attack on completely unnatural looking "Attractor Style" flies.
 
That brings into focus the importance of the jigging action.   What action comes closest to imitate a wounded smelt?    Is it just a slow lowering and raising of the rod or could that be improved?   On my last trip I watched a nearby guy in a dinghy hooking up regularly.  Interestingly he employed a few very pronounced short, almost spastic wrist flicks followed by a pause then more flicks.    Before long his rod bent down with another strike.   The guy was not just fishing a smelt imitation he was fishing a "wounded smelt."
 
 I studied that action for a while and did it myself.    It definitely worked better than my monotonous lift and drop.   
 
Rainbow
 


Posted By: Redfinger
Date Posted: 22 Jun 2016 at 1:03pm
Was plotting a last fling on saturday but looks too windy for us drifters  (from the north east) from midday.  Bugger.
Could try anchoring I suppose.


Posted By: Rainbow
Date Posted: 22 Jun 2016 at 1:36pm
You could try a bigger drogue or use two and or use a heavier sinker.   I think drifting even in fairly windy conditions is preferable as it covers new fish all the time.    When anchored you have to wait for a fish to swim past.    I think this time of the year fish are more spread out and drifting finds more of them.
Rainbow  


Posted By: Redfinger
Date Posted: 22 Jun 2016 at 1:57pm
Interesting that Rainbow - I would believe that and common sense would tend towards covering more area.
However remember a couple of times last year when I was having a tough day and spoke to two anchored boats who were doing considerably better than I. Slow for sure but they put some good fish in the bin.


Posted By: Rainbow
Date Posted: 22 Jun 2016 at 3:34pm
I would try anything to slow the drift down to stay over the flies.    As you have a small boat you could even try a small eclectic motor.    Not the expensive GPS self guided one but an ordinary trolling motor to either hold position or slow down the wind drift by motoring upwind.    Dare I say it you could probably get a staff discount for one of them.
Anyway good luck with whatever method you use.     Better than moving the lawn.
 
Rainbow


Posted By: Nebuchadnezzar
Date Posted: 22 Jun 2016 at 8:00pm
Originally posted by Rainbow Rainbow wrote:

Interesting concept and generally well known.    However it does not account for the fact that trout take an almost transparent smelt such as a grey ghost at 25m in preference to a dark fly.    This preference is explained by the universal relationship between predators and prey which is always in favour of prey.    It follows that predators seek out the young, the old and sick as an easier and safer "wounded buffalo" option.  
So how does this relate to the above smelt fly example when there are a million other smelt close by?    IMO the unnatural jigging action identifies the grey ghost as a "wounded buffalo" that triggers the predatory attack instinct of a trout that might not even be looking for food at that time.    It may also account for the attack on completely unnatural looking "Attractor Style" flies.
 
That brings into focus the importance of the jigging action.   What action comes closest to imitate a wounded smelt?    Is it just a slow lowering and raising of the rod or could that be improved?   On my last trip I watched a nearby guy in a dinghy hooking up regularly.  Interestingly he employed a few very pronounced short, almost spastic wrist flicks followed by a pause then more flicks.    Before long his rod bent down with another strike.   The guy was not just fishing a smelt imitation he was fishing a "wounded smelt."
 
 I studied that action for a while and did it myself.    It definitely worked better than my monotonous lift and drop.   
 
Rainbow
 

A highly visible "wounded buffalo" would attract some attention. Smelt are far from translucent, you may be confusing them with whitebait.  Just trying to point out that color is not as important as some may think.


Posted By: Rainbow
Date Posted: 23 Jun 2016 at 1:22pm
Trouble is we don't really know how and what colours fish see.    As you rightly point out contrast either built in or contrast as a whole certainly works.    it is the way to go in dirty water and at night.   In clear water I tend to go with more imitative designs.    Does UV enhancement really work on fish and not just on fishermen?   A friend who regularly attends the International Fly Fishing circus comes back with new ideas every year, which quite often counters the "hot news " of the previous years.   
 
What all this amounts to is that fly tying/design is an integral and absorbing part of fly fishing that goes way beyond saving a few bucks.
I just could not imagine going to a shop and buying flies for my next fishing adventure. 
 
Rainbow
 
BTW when talking about contrast it reminds me of an experiment I did a few years ago to camouflage my fly line.    I coiled it and immersed half the coil in a die solution which resulted in a 6" pattern of different shades of green.    It looked really sexy on the water until the line moved.   Then every dark section moved on its own and looked like a series of wagons dragged across the surface.  Far from being camouflaged the contrast between light and dark moving made it highly visible .
 
There is currently a fly line company offering the same camo patterns which will have the same effect.
 
There are plenty of suckers who believe anything endorsonators tell them without thinking it through themselves.
 
Rainbow
I know the difference between smelt and whitebait and the difference between smelt from Taupo and Rotoiti.  The photo is of Rotoiti smelt.    If you look carefully you can see a Jack Sprat fly next to the smelt.
 
 
 


Posted By: RC17
Date Posted: 30 Jun 2016 at 2:45pm
Fished Rotoiti over the weekend, one last shot before the season closes. Resisted the urge to pick up the fly rod and jigged all weekend with mixed results. Boated about 12-15 fish over the weekend down the Hinehopu end from the willows around to Gisborne Point, and not a single fish over 3.5lb. Every fish was a replica of a 3lb bullet. Catching them everywhere from 13-20m of water.

Would have thought we might have got a couple of good ones amongst that many but the bigger fish obviously had other things on their mind!




Posted By: Micsam
Date Posted: 01 Jul 2016 at 1:49pm
I'd like to say the bigger ones are in the shoreline line spots but it's been pretty-lame fly fishing overall. Perfect conditions last night at Ruato not a single fish landed. Nobody fishing at all by 11:00pm? Unheard of even a few years ago even the diehard heave and leavers gone home!!


Posted By: The Tamure Kid
Date Posted: 01 Jul 2016 at 3:22pm
Interesting thread, Mr Rainbow, Redfinger and others.

Just catching up on it.

As per my post in one of Rainbow's earlier threads re smelt flies, my experience jigging at Tarawera was interesting in terms of two points made above.

1. I had to row to ensure the old tin dinghy i was in didn't just shoot across the surface in very blustery offshore winds. i just did short choppy strokes to stay in the general area and make sure my line was more or less vertical.

2. That leads to my second point - that being solo and resting the rod on the stern of the dinghy (with my foot on the butt) while I did my short, choppy oar strokes, would have - I'm sure - given the set of smelt flies the jerky action of a dying baitfish as the sinker bounced on the bottom in the chop. That kind of twitchy movement would be hard to replicate with the rod in the hand.

As for the colours discussion: I always found it interesting that Gary Kemsley's fairly well known marabou night pattern, which he has written about on numerous occasions as being absolutely deadly, had an olive body and a red wool tag. You'd think that was pointless at night? But he was very clear about the recipe.

The same discussion above re colours is applicable for those who do softbaiting in the salt. At 18m, is a Nuclear Chicken green and red, or grey and brown? At 45m, all colour is supposed to be gone. But I've seen first hand how one particular colour seems to work better despite five guys doing exactly the same thing.

As Rainbow points out, the fish are the ultimate judge. Even if colours are muted, there may be certain fluorescent factors in certain lures or materials that we can't see with our eyes, including the UV content. Some people swear by it.

My thinking is that fish in the lakes may zone in on the flash which we've all seen smelt give off when the make a sudden change of direction. Stand on a lakeside jetty with smelt swimming around and you suddenly see one fish flutter silver. As do sprats and piper etc in the salt. So even if colours are washed out, and smelt are camouflaged near the bottom by their colouration adapted to the surroundings, they detect that alarm signal - like the underside of a deer's tail, Rainbow?

I get the point re silhouette hunting, but maybe flies which incorporate large eyes, a bit of flash (but not too much), and the right movement, are the 'supernormal releaser' for the lake fish we're targeting.
I certainly caught some great fish at Tarawera on the Swift epoxy jack sprat which would have had almost no silhouette - but it has big, obvious eyes, the right profile, and as it jerked and twitched every so often it would have given off a little flash.

Anyway, just my thoughts.






Posted By: Tagit
Date Posted: 01 Jul 2016 at 4:15pm
Just had Rotoiti smoked trout pate for lunch. Damn fine it was. Trout was from a mate who has fished the Rotoiti shoreline for around 15 years or so. Said the fishing was extremely slow this year and has been in the decline anyway. Thinks it may be a combination of the staggered release policy and the huge numbers of fish being removed by jigging now.


Posted By: Rainbow
Date Posted: 01 Jul 2016 at 8:47pm
Tagit     I am far from an expert on present day Rotoiti.     However, I night fly fished the release points for several winters after the Big Fish programme was introduced,   I caught over a dozen double figure fish and have personally seen 20 lying in the grass at Ruato one frosty morning.    That morning I was the last one out and on my last cast at one of the small rips hooked an 11.5bls jack.     Many will recall the photos of all the big fish adorning the walls at Pat O'Keeve's tackle shop.    Things have certainly changed since those days.
I recall Pat saying that when jigging started he sold 40 sets but the next year he sold 400.    It certainly is a very successful way of caching trout.     I am sure F and G got a handle on the total number of fish in the lake and keep that carrying capacity up to balance that with the available food.     Nor do I believe that the genetics have changed   If anything selecting superior breeders in the Rstrain programme should ensure late maturing fish.    What has probably happened is that a lot of potential double figure fish are caught before reaching this magic weight and jigging may be partly to blame.   
Lets not forget that F&G sole income is from license sales and to sell enough licenses they need lots of happy anglers not a handful of shore line fanatics who guts it out on frosty nights to catch a trophy trout.    They respond to the market and the market is boat based.    the double figure fish are now as rare as hen's teeth but the rest of them are not to be sneezed at .      Try Taupo if you need some comparison 
 
Rainbow


Posted By: *stu*
Date Posted: 01 Jul 2016 at 11:25pm
The fish I have had this year from the shore would average probably 6.5lb but nothing above 8lb (about 20 fish). Nice conditioned just not the monsters everyone is after.

Caught one with a long jigging rig hanging out it's mouth.


Posted By: RC17
Date Posted: 01 Jul 2016 at 11:33pm
Ive fished rotoiti for the last 5 years, and have no idea what impact these things may have, but some variables would be - taupo fishing like crap for a number of years and alot of those anglers making their say to rotorua instead, particularly rotoiti. Tarawera fishing poorly size wise for several years, sending more pressure rotoitis way. Population growth in tauranga, sending more pressure rotoitis way. Personally i cant say my jigging efforts would dent the local population more than any other method, but do hear yarns of guys having 25+ fish days which i would imagine were more uncommon pre-jigging - trolling for example you cant work the same patch of feeding fish as quickly... fish grow to trophy size pretty quick in that lake and we have caught some beautiful 6 and 7lbers in the last 12 months with all fish in great knick so cant imagine they are all getting caught. 2012 was the last decent winter i had from the shore with a couple of fish well into double figures lost and a 7lb average weight. Havent got out as much last few winters though


Posted By: Micsam
Date Posted: 02 Jul 2016 at 9:28am
I along with my close fishing mates all jigg Rotoiti and have for years. We have also flyfished the shoreline since pre jigging. I have absolutley no doubt I am part of the shoreline appalling fishing problem when compared to even 10 years ago. Jigging has meant we are now excited about a 4 pound fish. It's so simple less fish get to grow over 6pound and make it back to spawning. That's obviously what the majority want smaller silver maiden fish over large trophy spawning fish cause there's no less jigging.


Posted By: Redfinger
Date Posted: 02 Jul 2016 at 10:06am
maybe Lake Rotoiti would benefit from a slight reduction in limit bag - maybe down to 4- 5 fish?
I remember the few times I tried shoreline fishing at Night at Rotoiti quite a few years ago now - I was inexperienced then and didnt catch any but on 3 occassions tried didnt see any other  fish caught by the crowd at Ruato either. Maybe just a quiet period which does happen.
Interesting comments from guys that obviously know what they are doing shoreline fishing now. ALTHOUGH A 5-6 LB average is still significantly superior to Taupo at the moment.
I have heard some reasonable shoreline reports from Okataina lately.
Do people think the larger fish were caught jigging back in the summer / early autumn? Is that usual at Rotoiti? That is definitely my experience and observation.
We dont want Rotoiti to go the way of Tarawera and loose all these big fish that have made this lake famous for quite a while now.



Posted By: Coochdog
Date Posted: 02 Jul 2016 at 11:29am
One theory i here often that makes sense to me is the use of ova taken from smaller Tarawera fish.Big fish breed big fish?Back in the big fish days the rangers use to be out alot more collecting large angler donated fish.Hate to think of the amount of good fish Bugsy has donated over the years from Tarawera,a few from Rotoiti were being donated also.Coles stream on Rotoiti is a good example of small fish breed small fish,Most of the fish caught at the mouth and observed in the stream are 3lb max.They appear to be a completly differant sub species of fish.During big rain events when the Rotoiti creeks are up some of the larger fish could easily be harvested for ova ,just one of the many theorys out there.


Posted By: Micsam
Date Posted: 02 Jul 2016 at 11:44am
Red finger I don't think a reduction in limit would have any effect why? Because us jiggers only take the best fish anyway from what is caught. Does it make any difference that I keep two of the largest from 8 fish or two of the largest from 4 fish and release as many as I want. To me it's simply the maths anything over 4 odd pound is being wacked on the head and now there is way more people doing just that. The fish still have the good R strain genes or whatever they are and many would wait until four years to spawn, problem is they are dealt a hefty head blow before making it that old. Only way to increase the amount of bigger trout would be to introduce a maximum upper size limit that can be killed.


Posted By: Rainbow
Date Posted: 02 Jul 2016 at 12:00pm
As I understand it the large fish are all late maturing fish 4+ instead of 3 years.  That extra year's growth and plenty of food makes the difference.     Then there is the question of what happens to the big fish after spawning?    Rotoiti certainly has the food for such fish not only to recover but to pile on more growth.     This happened at Aniwhenua during the net weed days where all the monsters were recovering spawners that grew even bigger.    I cant recall if I ever looked at the vents of my double figure fish to see if they were maidens or second/third spawners.     Must ask the F&G scientists next time I am in Rotorua.
 
Rainbow


Posted By: Redfinger
Date Posted: 02 Jul 2016 at 12:01pm
What about only allowed 1 fish over 60cm? initially anyway.
Good points raised there- everyone really.
Spare a thought for us poor Jafas that only get to fish 4-5 times a season !! We cant have you locals catching ALL the big fish! Joke.



Posted By: RC17
Date Posted: 04 Jul 2016 at 10:04am
suppose the responsibility ultimately lies with the angler, which unfortunately is a bit of a doomed proposition.

we only tend to keep the 4-5lb table fish, with everything above or below generally going back. I have seen guys jigging with 3 or 4 people on board and knock 12+ fish on the head within 2 hours, often many of those over 5lb. don't see the need really, i guess while some are fishing for food, for many its that sense of satisfaction that it doesn't feel like you had a good days fishing unless you have the full bin to prove it....

personally I would be quite happy to go with a 1 fish per angler over 60cm quota, but if this was the case it would need to be applied to the shoreline winter guys too, because let's face it, whether a fish gets knocked on the head jigging in summer at 9lb, or in winter at 10lb, if it hasn't had a chance to spawn yet the result is no different.... on a good winters day, more 6lb+ fish will be knocked on the head in 1 day than an entire couple of weeks by boat fisherman....



Posted By: Redfinger
Date Posted: 04 Jul 2016 at 3:26pm
Yes agreed - I would be happy with half a dozen at the most - 4-5lbers - remember i dont get there all the time. A quick photo of the biggie and released would work for me.

How did you find the season overall RC17? COMPARED to previous years and and different patterns developing 

/ You can pm me if you prefer?


Posted By: Coochdog
Date Posted: 04 Jul 2016 at 7:51pm
RC17 are we talking size or numbers?
Rotoiti fish dont get a chance to spawn as there are practically no suitable spawning grounds,Sure they give it a good go running up the tiny creeks during heavy rain but either run out of water and or dig up an existing redd or are poached.The liberation points are for the anglers not the fish.

IMO the fish numbers are fine just the size is on the decline.

Sourcing ova from a smaller fish gene pool?

Staggered releases?

Having no protection from fishos (EG deep water that was not fished prior to jigging)?

Land use change over the last 100 years resulting in the gradual decline of the lake?

Hard to pin the decline in size on one thing,All of the above and some...


Posted By: NGOBROWNSLAYER
Date Posted: 04 Jul 2016 at 8:13pm
I absolutely agree about decline of numbers and sizes.I have fished every weekend since the start of May and havent seen or heard of one bag limit taken yet.And i speak to the whos who on the shoreline front of whats going on.

As for Jigging i know blokes having 30 fish days and if you times that by say for example 20 boats thats a staggering amount of fish being caught or killed and some die on release anyway.And we really dont know what numbers people are keeping,Technology is killing the fishing i believe along with poaching is just the icing on the cake,i believe most poaching occurs early hours and thats when i fish.I have encountered from a young fella up the Ruato creek netting them,to blokes pulling in before 4am to check the creek,to guys keeping foulhooked fish.

I truly believe the boaties season must be cut shorter and a smaller bag limit should be halved as 8 a day is rediculous.You cant tell me this doesnt have an impact,from day one when fingerlings are released they fall to predators.I know from speaking to many old school fisherman out there who have fished these lakes some 30 plus years and they will tell you.something needs to be done,Very concerned angler here!


Posted By: tmmo
Date Posted: 04 Jul 2016 at 10:39pm
Agree with the comment above.

The issue will come down to $$- who sells more licences? A family of four jigging equals as many licences as you can fit at some of the smaller stream mouths. I hope something is done.... but I'm not hopeful.


Posted By: Micsam
Date Posted: 05 Jul 2016 at 9:35am
RC17 if you speak with the Fishandgame Rangers they will tell you it is utterly irrelevant whether the few remaining now returning spawners are caught or allowed to spawn. Obviously a couple of successful spawners doesn't hurt. They are 90% put and take hatchery fish. The trout population in the lake is healthy and well feed. That's not the issue regarding trout size declining it's simply the trout are trolled/harled and jigged out and eaten before reaching double digit size. Can any of you guys remember when Rotoiti had a major algal bloom problem back say 15 years now? Well when that happened anglers were being warned not to take fish etc etc. For those couple years there was stuff all angling pressure and jigging was in its infancy with people using small metal grim reapers nowhere near as effective as three flies now. Those years produced staggering amounts of double digit fish at Ruato it was not uncommon to see 20 night anglers standing waist deep. Now I would be surprised if there were more than 5 fishing there tonight.


Posted By: RC17
Date Posted: 05 Jul 2016 at 10:26am
All fair comments. I guess the fishing will never be what it was 20 or even 10 years ago due to increased pressure which will only further increase. But i feel alot of the rest is a bit cyclical too. Remember when okataina went through a phase 10 years ago when the fish were small, and they introduced a 58cm min size to try get more fish to maturity. Didnt do a thing. But now the lake is producing some great fish, and that lake gets a fairly consistent level of angler pressure low-moderate, that can fluctuate a little depending on the state of the boat ramp. 2012 was a great winter by my limited winter knowledge, will never scoff at a 7lb average. This winter if we can call it that is far warmer than normal also, maybe the best fishing is still to come?


Posted By: Rainbow
Date Posted: 05 Jul 2016 at 2:00pm
Apart from a few ??????"wild" fish all the released fish are fin clipped .    It should therefore be possible with regular creel surveys to find out the percentage of individual year classes taken out of the system.     It should also give a good handle on the state of the 4 year old trophy cohort.     Maybe Eastern is doing that already?    I just have not seen any data.
 
Rainbow


Posted By: o Neill
Date Posted: 05 Jul 2016 at 4:04pm
I'm going to be shore fishing the lake regularly over the next couple of months will be interesting to see if F and G are doing survey work?


Posted By: Redfinger
Date Posted: 05 Jul 2016 at 6:07pm
Another thing I find interesting is as the water quality/ clarity in Rotoiti has improved from say 10 years 0r more ago  the fishing has slowly deteriorated.
Look at Taupo - much cleaner/clearer water and possibly not enough algae production for smelt food?

What about the affect of the "wall" at the canal on smelt migration - any ?

I must admit to be very surprised at the amount of smelt in this lake - huge schools on the fish finder - the trout must have enough food?

Is it a genetic thing why the fish are not growing as fast as they were?

In the short term probably best thing to do is take more smaller fish (plenty of these and they compete with big fish for food) and return the big ones.


Posted By: NGOBROWNSLAYER
Date Posted: 05 Jul 2016 at 8:14pm
Absolutely bro,Its about the money at the end of the day.F&G have too much to lose.


Posted By: NGOBROWNSLAYER
Date Posted: 05 Jul 2016 at 8:18pm
Agree Redfinger more smaller fish need to be taken,In particular in Lake Rotorua,Plenty of food as you say smelt numbers are there along with Bullies.it is a viable possability also with genetics,but far too much pressure has been added when you compare the old days less technology,less fisherman equaled superb fishing.


Posted By: Coochdog
Date Posted: 05 Jul 2016 at 8:22pm
Fish and game seem to be very absent this year,ive seen a ranger only once in the last 6 trips. Fishing the weekends mostly and a few mid week missions.As redfinger said there is a huge amount of smelt in the lake so no shortage of food.The last big rain event we were getting fish with the same fin clips (RP) that were around 6lb and they were all 3 year olds.Still very impressive fish, four year old fish seem few and far between these days..


Posted By: Rainbow
Date Posted: 05 Jul 2016 at 10:23pm
Last time I was there I had a discussion with the F&G scientist about the wall and diversion of nutrients     They are monitoring that but also recon that there are enough nutrients deposited in the lake mud, which circulate during the winter when the lake water mixes.    Apparently there is a hole in the wall that lets in more nutrient rich Rotorua water.      
Rainbow     


Posted By: RC17
Date Posted: 06 Jul 2016 at 2:02pm
I highly doubt food source is the issue, there is a ton of smelt in that lake. Although, smelt is traditionally a higher energy expending food source for trout than say koura and bullies which might slow the growth a bit. I also doubt water clarity is the problem, as Okataina has some of the clearest water in the region and this doesn't seem to effect things beyond the natural decline in fishing quality seen everywhere be it lake or sea due to increased fishing pressure. Likely it is the reduced pressure from poor water quality that would correlate water quality as a factor. 

I'm no scientist, but as an armchair critic, one would have to question the merit of continuing to harvest eggs from Tarawera given there has probably only been a handful of 10lb+ fish pulled of that lake in the last 5 years combined.... Suppose that's where the infrastructure and consistent fish runs come into play though.


Posted By: Nebuchadnezzar
Date Posted: 07 Jul 2016 at 9:36pm
Dunno what you're all crying about, I reckon the lakes just fine. Im picking next season to be an absolute cracker going by the condition and numbers of fish caught this autumn/winter.


Posted By: Redfinger
Date Posted: 08 Jul 2016 at 1:18pm
I agree mostly - im very impressed with quality of fish this season myself (esp considering im usually a Taupo fisherman).
It is interesting though to hear different opinions and compare to previous years.


Posted By: Rainbow
Date Posted: 08 Jul 2016 at 1:25pm
The Rotoiti trout are a clear reflection of a healthy food chain.    Looking at the recent decline of the Tarawera fish one can only conclude that all is not well with that lake's food chain as indicated by the smaller size and relative paucity of smelt.     No one really knows the cause or causes.    However, geographically Tarawera acts as a sink of the outflows of several other lakes, some of which have very active thermal vents, the intensity of which may vary over time and with it the contribution of toxic or benign minerals in the water column.     Then there is the productivity of the surrounding lands that contributes to the nutrient supply of the lake.     This can also vary from one year to the next as demonstrated at the largely pristine surrounds of Lake Okataina.    Whatever the problems with the Tarawera fishery are they may well be beyond the capacity of F&G to do much about it.     Maybe in time things might change for the better again??????
As I understand it the continued collection of breeding fish from Tarawea is to regularly supplement the hatchery bred R strain with "wild" stock to prevent inbreeding.     F&G also harvest "late" spawners in order to extend the Rotoiti winter lake shore fly fishing season.
 
Rainbow


Posted By: Hunterfisher
Date Posted: 11 Jul 2016 at 1:20pm
Originally posted by Nebuchadnezzar Nebuchadnezzar wrote:

Dunno what you're all crying about, I reckon the lakes just fine. Im picking next season to be an absolute cracker going by the condition and numbers of fish caught this autumn/winter.

Agreed mate,our  best season jigging on Rotoiti in the last 4 years, fat fish and plenty of them in a fair few spots  Wink. Man i can not wait for summer.


Posted By: RC17
Date Posted: 11 Jul 2016 at 2:44pm
wasn't disputing the quality of the jigging (i mainly jig during the open season and fly fish during winter), what we were discussing was the lack of decent sized mature fish showing up at the liberation points this winter, and over the past 2 or 3 winters. in years gone by the largest quantity of bigger fish were always caught winter from the shoreline, with the odd exception. now alot more seem to get pulled out during the rest of the year, mostly from jigging. was just trying to work out if that is a coincidence, or if there could be more to it e.g. alot of the larger fish now getting harvested prior to moving in to spawn in the winter.


Posted By: Micsam
Date Posted: 14 Jul 2016 at 8:01pm
RC17 I think you answered your own question and I don't think with Rotoiti it's any coincidence that shoreline winter fishing now is a shadow of its former self pre jigging. It's a compounding problem too. The amount of hours now required to get fish fly fishing from the release points doesn't justify the time when compared to jigging. Shame in some ways not catching double figure fish in winter fly fishing any more but I suppose the majority of boat fishos don't care.


Posted By: o Neill
Date Posted: 15 Jul 2016 at 7:50am
I know I can't catch a fish from the shore there, my casting has even gone to the pack there.
I guess my licence is not worth the same as someone who goes jigging and F and G have set up the fishery to suit them. great, not.


Posted By: Rainbow
Date Posted: 15 Jul 2016 at 12:34pm
One would assume that the fish that come in winter to the release points are those that are mature and are looking for somewhere to spawn.     As I understand it the majority of them are hatchery bred R-Strain and thus late (4year old ) maturing fish.    With regular creel surveys F&G should be able to work out what percentage of such fish are part of the overall fish stock from one year to the next.   
If there is a good percentage of such fish left but double figure fish are still rare than one must conclude the stocking rate is too high for the amount of food available irrespective of how many smelt show up on the sounder.  It may just mean that the effort of catching enough smelt for rapid growth is too much and the fish remain smaller.    
Rainbow   


Posted By: Micsam
Date Posted: 15 Jul 2016 at 3:00pm
Rainbow, there were plenty of fish reaching double digits late 80,s and up till 2000 before jigging pressure became extreme. I don't think one needs to complicate it. The vast majority can't get bigger when they are slipped into boat chilly bins at 4-6pound.


Posted By: Rainbow
Date Posted: 15 Jul 2016 at 3:56pm
Micsam I share your opinion because I fished there when the Big Fish programme started.   However, I would like to see it proven and one can only do that with reliable data.   
I stayed at the hatchery when Len or Frank Newman, the then hatchery manager lent me Peter Melcrests hand written notes about his ideas for this programme.  I stayed up all night reading this festinating account.     It was not just  Rotoiti that showed the results I caught 3 fish over 12lbs from Okataina and several nudging 10lbs and not all night fishing either.    A young lady (Jenny) who worked at the hatchery and trained falcons took me to "Fort Knox" a heavily secured enclosure on the spring creek inside the hatchery.    There they held the huge stud fish for the breeding programme including double figure fish from above the Waitangi Falls from the Ruakituri.    Massive fish both browns and rainbows if I remember rightly.    
Incidentally the Wildlife Service at Taupo also started to collect 10lbs+ rainbows and held them at the Turangi hatchery,     They named one Cassius and other names and were going to start a similar big fish breeding programme but the purists stopped that dead.    One morning I saw one of the studfish washed up dead at the screens of the hatchery creek.
I very much doubt that with the copious spawning grounds available at Taupo such a programme would have succeeded.    On the other hand it would not have done any harm either.   What disturbs me most about Taupo is the lack of imagination to address the huge variations in fish quality and the sheer political inertia that stifles any initiatives .
Rainbow 


Posted By: Rainbow
Date Posted: 15 Jul 2016 at 4:22pm
The last time I winter night fished Rotoiti was at the Pipe.    The fishing was so slow that I started first sitting on the pipe and finally straddling it like a horse.  Nothing at all happened either to my line or anybody else's.      I must have nodded off and slumped over which caused me to slip off the pipe.     I woke up when the shock of the freezing water hit my face and shot down inside my waders.
 
Rainbow


Posted By: o Neill
Date Posted: 15 Jul 2016 at 9:35pm
That's more exciting than Ive found there in the last couple of trips.


Posted By: Rainbow
Date Posted: 17 Jul 2016 at 12:37pm
Does anybody know if F&G is still collecting breeding fish from the Te Wairoa trap at Tarawera?     And further do anglers still donate wild double figure fish from that lake to the breeding programme?    
It is generally known that the quality of fish at this lake has gone down in recent years. While this is regrettable it makes any big fish from there that much more valuable.   
 
Why? Because under these stressed living conditions a few fish seem to have done better than the average.     So why have they done better?    Have they figured out how to exploit existing food sources better?    Do they convert food into trout flesh more efficiently?   Do they reach maturity later than the average?    Do they display a preference for say Koura or small trout as opposed to largely living on smelt?    Whatever that is it is clear that their superior size is no accident.
 
In other livestock breeding such minute trait are carefully identified and replicated in subsequent breeding programmes, which over time results in high performance animals.     
 
Why only focus on Tarawera?    Are there other sources worth looking at?   
What makes the rainbows of the Flaxy Lakes grow so well.    I have fished there for a good 20 years and have personally seen rainbows coming out of the lower lake up to 14.5lbs.    I have also caught quite a few rainbows to near 10lbs but never one reaching the magic 10lbs.    
 
What makes me interested in this lake is the fact that these fish grow to this size in a couple of ponds that have no koura  no smelt and until recently no large snails     How do I know this?    My good friend Rudi Ferris has a very comprehensive written record of stomach contents of all fish killed during January- April, dating back for at least 15years.    None of the above mentioned examples have ever shown up.     So what is it that makes these trout grow to this size?    Worth having a closer look.    A few big fish can be harvested before the poachers get them from the small spawning stream exiting into the top lake.
 
The R-Strain programme has been a huge success, which shows what innovative thinking can produce.    What other possibilities are out there that can address todays challenges?
 
Rainbow
 
PS One often sees large rainbows in Lake Taupo containing several koura.    From all the thousands of trout I have caught there such trout are the exception.    Yet there are millions of koura in this lake while most of the starving rainbows are chasing tiny smelt.   
 
This is an interesting question that might be equally if not more relevant to the largely Put and Take Rotorua lakes fisheries.    Can trout be conditioned to develop a taste for koura from the fry stage by being fed finely blended koura particles in the hatchery?        I am pretty sure that if koura were to form part of their daily diet as they grow up in the rearing races they would very likely hunt wild koura once released into the lakes.
 
        


Posted By: Rainbow
Date Posted: 22 Jul 2016 at 10:59pm

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Eg-YRWnVt4" rel="nofollow - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Eg-YRWnVt4

 
What impressed me was the recoil braid and how it activated the lure.    I think this could give the jigging flies some extra spastic movement.     I don't have access to this braid and have used a single strand of rubber from the core of a shock cord.     I used a Swift swivel for the dropper and this avoided most dropper tangles with the main line when the fly jumped.   The rubber band really jerked the fly around; at least in the air.    Will have to try it in clear water to see if it also gives these erratic jerks.
 
In one of my previous posts I commented on watching a guy wrist flicking the rod to produce a more erratic fly movement.    I wonder if the rubber band will do much the same.
 
Rainbow


Posted By: Redfinger
Date Posted: 23 Jul 2016 at 12:12pm
Interesting concept for sure Rainbow.
I know who imports the current nz range of savage gear so will ask if they plan to bring this product in .

Speaking to Pat swift he often leaves the Rods in rod holder when trout jigging - so movement not always that important? Probably depends on the day - sometime fish want more action before they strike.

Can see how this  recoil braid system could cross over to soft baiting and micro jigging for snapper too.


Posted By: The Tamure Kid
Date Posted: 23 Jul 2016 at 2:42pm
Very interesting guys.

In his excellent book on soft baiting, John Eichelsheim has several sections which mention drop shotting using a Palomar knot on the leader - which keeps the hook (worm or circle) perpendicular to the leader in a similar way to that complicated looking set up that guy uses.
That elastic bottom section is an innovation beyond what John writes about, but I have used his version with pretty good success on snapper in the Waitemata while at anchor in about 20m. I just put a rig with two Gulp 4" grubs above a tear drop sinker in the rod holder while i fish bait out the back. Standing straight out from the leader, head into the current, gave the grubs' tails a fantastic wriggling action and the snapper went for it.

As an aside, I don't think I've ever seen a video with more logo placement than that one. It's a wonder he hasn't got Savage Gear tattooed on his forehead - possibly will have that in his contract next time!


Posted By: The Tamure Kid
Date Posted: 23 Jul 2016 at 2:49pm
PS. Redfinger, my view is that leaving gear in the rod holder actually gives lures a more jerky movement than most of us can do by hand - as i said in my threads about beginner jigging at Tarawera, a rod left dangling over the stern of my dinghy, therefore open to the vagaries of chop and bottom bouncing really seemed to work. The tip of the Ugly Stik I was using was going bananas at times.

Obviously that's not going to be very effective if it's flat calm.
And you have to guard against point loading a graphite rod if your rod holder is very vertical.


Posted By: Redfinger
Date Posted: 23 Jul 2016 at 4:05pm
TTK - very good points there mate.
Re the rod point loading I use a Railblaza directional rod holder so rod is actually not far off horizontal to water not perpendicular where you could easily get into trouble. Most rod holders that are set into gunwhales are not like this so care needs to be taken.
I like your experiment with the soft baits in the current - good thinking there.
Im off to first Turangi trip of the winter next month - looking forward to both boat fishing the Tongariro delta with boobys and glo bugs, as well as joining the crowds up the rivers . Maybe a sneaky jig somewhere ie Tokaanu hole?



Posted By: Rainbow
Date Posted: 23 Jul 2016 at 8:28pm
On my first Rotoiti trip I struck a windy day and simply drifted too fast even with a drogue.     I decided to  hold station with my paddles and put the rod in the holder.   Then I rocked the yak from side to side and let the rod do the work.    Hooked a couple that way.    Already found out that with a shorter piece of rubber and a 4" dropper the recoil action is jerkier.   
Rainbow 


Posted By: Rainbow
Date Posted: 25 Jul 2016 at 12:52pm
Re Recoil braid and recoil action.     Definitely shorter rubber band is better.   When you carefully watch the video you can just make out the rod tip action before the soft bait jumps under water.    It is a short flick with the rod tip that bounces the weight and this sets up the secondary recoil that gives the lure the extra jerks.    Whether or not such jerky action works better on trout than the slow lift and drop can only be answered by the trout themselves.      However, worth experimenting as nothing is cast in stone.
Rainbow 


Posted By: Redfinger
Date Posted: 25 Jul 2016 at 2:02pm
Rainbow, i have a bungee chord and swimming pool ready for practical testing. Will let you know.


Posted By: Rainbow
Date Posted: 25 Jul 2016 at 10:45pm
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P2f0YCDILLA" rel="nofollow - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P2f0YCDILLA
 
Easy to make.     Heavier for sea fishing.
 
Rainbow


Posted By: A.H
Date Posted: 18 Oct 2016 at 8:30pm
Any word on how Rotoitis been fishing?

Heading down over the long weekend for the first crack of the new season


Posted By: RC17
Date Posted: 19 Oct 2016 at 8:25am
Had a couple of brief sessions on the weekend. Sat morning picked up a couple of 3lbers, sat avo a 4lber. Not alot of sign around, fish quite spread out. Decent amount of surface activity in the morning so I would say harling first light would be a pretty sure bet. I was mainly jigging.


Posted By: Redfinger
Date Posted: 19 Oct 2016 at 9:29am
Yes, thats what everyone is saying RC - very spread out sign and not alot of it either.
Still I heard Rainbow landed one very nice 6lber amongst a few others so always worth a crack.
Rc - were you seeing any of the sign alot deeper than normal? ie over 30m?


Posted By: RC17
Date Posted: 20 Oct 2016 at 2:45pm
Didn't really have enough of a crack to get a handle on it to be honest mate, had a go off west bank and actually found most of the sign in around 20m against structure, once we drifted out into 30m it went pretty quiet. Plan on giving it a better go over the weekend!


Posted By: RC17
Date Posted: 25 Oct 2016 at 12:42pm
Anyone get out over the weekend?

Managed a few fish to the boat myself. Fishing was super patchy, managed to pick up a fish most sessions though, had a particularly good session Sunday morning for this time of year picking up 6 fish in 2 hours jigging.

Overall though very tough work. Really struggled to find any smelt sign whatsoever. The fish were equally as hard to come by, resorted to fishing structure and drop-offs and hoping for the best.




Posted By: Redfinger
Date Posted: 25 Oct 2016 at 3:34pm
Decent fish RC? good conditioned?


Posted By: RC17
Date Posted: 25 Oct 2016 at 4:38pm
Good conditioned but not overly big. Out of about 8 or 9 fish landed over the weekend, 3 were around the 5 - 5.5lb mark, couple of 4lbers, and a couple of smaller 3lb models.

All nice and fat though


Posted By: Redfinger
Date Posted: 25 Oct 2016 at 4:43pm
Sounds more than acceptable to me - well done.
Selling my camry  - 2007 160km only 7800!! - to get a suv then im there.
Pleased you boys are giving the trout a good stir up before I arrive!


Posted By: Redfinger
Date Posted: 25 Oct 2016 at 4:47pm
I presume the smelt are all spread out still? wouldnt they always school up bigtime? Anything to worry about at this very early stage?



Posted By: OneWayTraffic
Date Posted: 25 Oct 2016 at 8:48pm
Spent a few hours trolling Sunday am from 6:30-9:30am. Caught  a nice conditioned Rainbow, and another boat got three doing the same thing. The trout took a deep diving (5-7m) Silver and black Rapala X-rap that I'd tied on mainly for getting depth and ignoring the smelt flies I'd tied on above it. 







Posted By: RC17
Date Posted: 26 Oct 2016 at 9:22am
smelt are there they are just spread out and holding a bit shallower so not much use to jiggers. Shallow trolling (targeting 3-5m) would probably be more effective than jigging at the moment


Posted By: Redfinger
Date Posted: 28 Oct 2016 at 7:46pm
Heading down Monday - first trip of the season.



Posted By: A.H
Date Posted: 29 Oct 2016 at 1:40pm
Battled a bit over labour weekend, fish seemed spread out and hard to locate in all the usual spots.
Only managed a couple 4lbers, dropped a couple of others.
Looking forward to the water warming up a bit


Posted By: Redfinger
Date Posted: 30 Oct 2016 at 5:54pm
I will be there tomorrow - day trip from jaffa land - keen bean.
Any last minute intell - will share mine of course.


Posted By: Redfinger
Date Posted: 01 Nov 2016 at 10:46am
Hard going - fished from 9.15 am to 4pm - maybe missed early and later bite times.
I hooked 7 and landed 2 jigging. Just under 4lb best .
No schools of smelt and fish very few and far between on sounder.
Hooked most fish around 30m mark.
My mate hooked one and landed one.




Print Page | Close Window