Trout Fishing at Taupo, New Zealand - Past and Present

The Taupo Fishery lies on the central North Island volcanic plateau and is managed by the New Zealand 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.

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 nighttime 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.

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 preeminent 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 favorable.

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