'Great catches' for Rotorua anglers in weather breaks

Unsettled weather is making for slim pickings for anglers on Lake Taupo, but fishing is picking up at Rotorua's lakes.

Fish and Game regional manager Steve Smith said anglers on the Rotorua lakes had enjoyed some great fishing when the weather had allowed.

"Lake Rotorua has fished very well with some excellent fish caught. A 4kg brown trout taken near Mokoia Island is the pick of the fish caught so far, although most of the fish are in very good condition."

Mr Smith said lakes Tarawera and Okataina had also fished well, although catches had generally been on the small side. A 4kg-plus rainbow from Tarawera was the exception.

Lake Rotoiti was also fishing well and was attracting more anglers than it had last summer.

"It appears that anglers now recognise that despite the water quality problems facing the lake, the fishing continues to be very good."

Windy conditions had affected fly fishermen at the popular Lake Rotorua stream mouth fisheries at Ngongotaha, Waiteti, Hamurana and Awahou, which usually attracted trout as the lake warmed over summer.

Strong winds and poor weather had prevented the lake from warming and it would take a few "decent days" before stream mouths started to produce good catches, Mr Smith said.

Anglers were being asked to watch for tagged fish in their catch.

"We release 1000 tagged fish in each of the lakes and rely on anglers to return these tags if the fish are caught," said Mr Smith.

"We can't emphasis enough the importance of the information. All we need is the tag, the date the fish was caught and an accurate length measurement."

Mr Smith said fishing early in the morning seemed to be the best option for anglers.

The unsettled weather has made life difficult for anglers on Lake Taupo.

Spawning was late this year, so many fish caught in Lake Taupo may be in poor condition or not suitable for eating.

The Department of Conservation is urging anglers to release those fish carefully.

- NZPA