Rotorua - January 2010

Hot weather boosts prospects

Anglers try their luck from the jetty at Lake Okatania.

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The Rotorua streams got off to a steady if unspectacular start on December 1.

Plenty of anglers hit the rivers on Opening Day, with the upper Utuhina showing up best. The Waiteti also fished quite well, though the Ngongotaha was a little slow. Fish & Game Officer Matt Osborne believes the main run of fish will occur in December. He says that while there were some big browns through the Ngongotaha fish trap in November (the biggest a monster of 6.7kg), overall the numbers were not high compared to what was expected. (In 2008 the December runs of fish through the trap averaged 80 fish per night.)

With a wet summer predicted, the rivers are likely to fish well, particularly when clearing after a fresh.

Lake Rotorua has been tough of late. Kawaha Point and off the airport have been the best spots, with signs the fishing was picking up off Awahau. The harling should improve steadily in coming weeks, though the weather will have a major influence. A few settled hot days will encourage the fish in around the Awahau

Stream mouth; otherwise along the edges of the weed banks off Ngongotaha, Waiteti and Awahau are likely to produce plenty of fish. Warm weather will also give fly fishers some good opportunities at the stream mouths – otherwise the river is the best bet.

Jigging should get under way properly this month. It has been patchy to date, but once the thermocline establishes it will be easier to target groups of feeding fish. (The thermocline shows up as a line of activity on the sounder at about 20 metres.)

Deep trolling has taken most fish on the main lakes, with some beautifully-conditioned fish caught. A great specimen of over 4kg from Okataina won the Rotorua International Tournament for Steve Wright.

The Ohau Channel has slowed after the level at the weir was reduced, though there are still plenty of smelt present.

There has also been smelting action at Rangiuru Bay and Rotoehu, where anglers have been making the most of the good fishing before any summer algal blooms hit the lake.

- © Fairfax NZ News