Trout Fishing at Taupo – South Island, New Zealand

Trout Fishing at Taupo – Past and Present
Taupo, New Zealand

The Taupo Fishery lies on the central North Island volcanic plateau and is managed by the NZ Government Department of Conservation (DOC) as a rainbow trout fishery. It is unique in many ways. The trout spend much of their time in Lake Taupo, which occupies a huge volcanic explosion crater some 25 by 35 kilometers in size and is only about 1800 years old.

Stag Pool on the Tongariro River

In the autumn and winter, trout ascend the rivers that flow into the lake and spawn in the upper reaches which are closed to fishing at this period. However, the middle and lower sections of the rivers are open to fly fishing all year round so spawning fish have to run the gauntlet of anglers that crowd the pools. The main inflow to the lake is the Tongariro River. I doubt that even five percent of fish would be caught as fishing is restricted at night-time and as often as not, the river may be in spate so the trout take advantage of the murky water to run to safety in the highlands.

Anglers on the Waitahanui Stream

In the ’60s and ’70s, the daily limit bag for rainbows was ten fish and no limit on browns, which are less common and more difficult to catch. At that time, management regarded them as a pest as they were said to spawn late and disturb the redds of the rainbows. Fishing methods were very predominantly wet fly, or feathered lure, fished across and downstream. The pre-eminent fly was the “Red Setter” and for smaller streams the “Mrs. Simpson” and “Hamill’s Killer“, all of which will catch trout anywhere in the world, as I have found out. Fashions change and today the most popular lure is said to be the “Olive Woolly Bugger“.

Visiting Americans introduced “nymph” fishing, with its many variations. This method was viewed with suspicion by the old-timers but gradually it was accepted by the locals, and today could well be the predominant method. It took a while to sort out the protocol because you fish the lure downstream and the nymph upstream. Many an argument I have seen develop on a popular pool.

Only once on the Tongariro did I manage a limit bag of ten rainbows by midday all with a Red Setter from the Cattle Rustlers and Stag Pools. That weekend, the smoke house of TALTAC (Tongariro and Lake Taupo Angling Club) was in continuous operation. A bag of four to six fish was considered a good day’s outing but there would be blank days too. To be lucky, your visit had to coincide with a good run of fish up the river when the weather was favourable.

The idea of spending a weekend fishing the Taupo rivers used to be a costly and hit-or-miss affair due to dodgy weather conditions. Now-a-days one can obtain from the internet a fishing report for the main rivers and decide whether or not to go.

Today (2004) regulations have changed due to increased fishing pressure and further development in fishing techniques. The daily bag limit for trout is three fish irrespective of species and the minimum length is 45 cm. The rainbow trout average about two kilos and brown trout often double this weight.

The Hydro Pool is noted for its catches of brownies as they spawn in the little stream that flows into the pool, and so congregate in the vicinity. In the 1970s, I remember a fellow-angler catching six brownies mostly of eight pound size from the Hydro in one morning.

During the summer months, most of the trout are feeding on smelt and crustacea in the lake and provide good sport for the boat fishermen. At this time, the Taupo rivers become relatively sparsely populated with trout and the residual fish are not remarkable. Over summer, keen anglers tend to direct their attention to the surrounding more liberal district fisheries using traditional fly, spin and bait fishing methods for mostly brown trout.

At Taupo by far the greatest yield of trout is from the lake rather than the inflow rivers. Boat fishing has changed considerably over recent years with the use of downriggers for deep trolling. Jigging is also used a lot, often with a lure tied below the metal jig. Depth sounders have enabled anglers to target fish at depth when they show up on the screen (says my fishing mate Gil Brandeis).

There is scope too at Taupo for the spin fisherman along the lake shore, away from the river mouths (fly only) and also at the Kuratau hydro dam near Tokaanu, and the Waikato River that flows out of Lake Taupo. Reminiscences of fishing the Tongariro in the good old days (1970s) are found in Taupo Tales.