Reel Life November 2024 - Eastern

Scott Tamblin with a good Rotoiti rainbow 

With water temperatures rising, the Eastern region’s fishing opportunities are hotting up. Most of the Rotorua lakes currently have surface temperatures between 16 and 18 degrees Celsius and we are still getting some colder evenings and the occasional brisk southerly wind.

Even so, Tarawera and Rotoiti are both showing indications of an early thermocline forming. The thermocline is layers of differing water temperatures. They become more apparent during the heat of summer and as the lakes become warmer, and they can produce concentrations of trout and their food. If you want to learn more about the thermocline and its effect on trout have a look at Boat Fishing Tuition below.

Speaking of the Big Rotorua lakes – the fishing has continued on the good start we saw at opening day. The 2-plus year old rainbows (Lp and Lpad fin marked) are in the best nick we’ve seen for decades and they will continue to improve all the way through to late autumn 2025 when they will be at their prime. The usual assortment of methods is picking up fish. Jigging and softbaiting is productive between 15m and 25m and trolling will work up until the thermocline develops more and most of the fish go deep, but for the meantime shallow trolling and harling early and late will be productive.

Lake Rotorua’s famous cruising brown trout are now well and truly on the move. Good fish can be seen hunting baitfish in the shallows from the Ngongotaha mouth all the way past Hamurana and along the northern shore to the Ohau Channel. These fish are rarely easy to catch, but very rewarding when you do. Floating lines and smelt flies, bully patterns or smaller nymphs like damsels are a good place to start. As we roll into December expect the stream mouths to become the preferred habitat of these big fish.

Jamie Anso of Rotoruatrout NZ with another cracker Lake Rotorua brown

The upper section of the Ngongotaha and Waiteti streams at Rotorua and the Mokau and Hopruahine at Waikaremoana will open to fishing on December 1^st. Our team has been doing access work at all these areas to ensure you can get to the water you want to fish. Please carry your licences with you at all times.

And if you are venturing out to fish one of our many lakes don’t forget this is the season damsel flies are highly active. Their larvae in particular are a favorite food of stillwater trout with their wriggly swimming action being hard to resist. A slow jerky retrieve under a floating line around weed beds and vegetation that extends above the surface is the key.

Damsel fly larvae are very energetic swimmers

Lake Okataina

Access to Lake Okataina can be obtained for fishing 7-days per week. An MPI Controlled Area Notice is still in place for the lake and anglers must wash their boats before going to the lake at The Wash Place, 338 Te Ngae Rd, Rotorua. Proof of wash (via a scan) will gain access to the lake.

Access hours: Monday - Thursday 6:00am to 8:00pm
Friday to Sunday: 5:00am to 8:00pm. Overnight stays are allowed.

Do the trout keep fooling you?! - Boat Fishing How-To

We are again putting on our popular Boat Fishing How-to, talk and demonstration, from our premises at 1130 Paradise Valley Road (the trout hatchery) on Saturday, January 4^th starting at 10.00am and running for about two and half hours.

The event will provide information on how to be more successful trout fishing from boats, cover some basic trout biology, various methods of fishing, lots of tips and tricks and finish with a demonstration on how to fully de-bone a trout and hot smoke it. It’s all basic, non technical stuff – so if the trout keep fooling you and you want to be more successful fishing from your boat then come along.

No bookings are required, it’s all free, plus we’ll be giving away a few spot prizes! For more information contact Mark, msherburn@fishandgame.org.nz

Be more successful fishing for trout

Datawatch tagged Trout

Tagged trout can now be entered online. Entries go into the draw to win one of 10 free whole-season fishing licences: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/QCH5ZR6

Eastern Region Fishing Diaries – All lakes and streams

Fill in your fishing diaries here to help us manage the Eastern Fish & Game region. Participants go in the draw to win a $100 voucher from Kilwell: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/QRSD7D3