The cold winter nights bring out a special type of fly fisherman on the Rotorua lakes, one who is dedicated to casting long lines while wading in knee deep water, often shoulder to shoulder with similar keen types – all hoping to feel the tug in the dark that signals a fat, thick bodied rainbow trout.

While jigging on the lakes for large rainbows may not appeal to the died-in-the-wool flyfishermen, in the hands of an expert the jigging outfit produces more hookups than any other style of trout fishing.

The adventurous fly fisherman prepared to put on a backpack and hiking boots and head into the hills can find some of the best trout fishing in the country, and there are plenty of opportunities to hunt out hidden places which offer special experiences. But there are some pitfalls and careful preparation and thought should be invested before setting out.

When the wind ruffles the surface of the lake and the trout are chasing smelt it is time to get out the harling gear. The best months on the Rotorua-Taupo lakes are November and December, but with a little experimenting fish can be caught throughout the year.

One of the greatest lessons I ever learnt as a budding young fisherman on the lakes and rivers was that in order to become as successful at fishing as possible, you must continually adapt and become versatile in order to consistently deceive trout in a variety of situations. To improve in these areas I have challenged myself to fish as many different types of water as possible so I force myself to learn new skills on every piece of water I encounter.

The Rotorua region is largely perceived by the angling community as a lake fishing destination, and for good reason – the city of Rotorua is surrounded by thirteen lakes, all within half to three quarters of an hour’s drive of the main street in the CBD.

Many people, when first considering the possibility of taking up flyfishing, naturally see it as a tranquil, poetic sport that is done in beautiful surroundings. There’s one hiccup though - most newcomers perceive flyfishing to be a difficult sport that is hard to learn.

There are a surprising number of winter options for the angler, Mike Davis gives us the game plan on how to bag some prime winter trout.

Nymph fishing is an effective method of catching trout but dry fly fishing offers some of the most visually rewarding and satisfying action available to the trout angler. In the sport of fly-fishing, the use of the dry fly is possibly the least understood technique.

For fly fishers, the purchase of a new fly rod will be the single most expensive acquisition in their fishing arsenal. The perfect fly rod is a complicated question and seldom produces a definitive answer, even when the query is pitched to an expert.

You’ve seen a big guy and you want him on the hook. what’s your next move?

Mike Davis with a simple guide for anyone thinking about going on a live on-board charter. Have you ever looked through fishing magazines and websites and seen the array of huge catches and wondered; how do I catch a fish like that?

The reason you should stay with the dry-dropper combo instead of fishing two nymphs under an indicator is that as the water starts to heat up more terrestrials will start flying. At some stage they will land on the water so you can still expect to pull some fish from the surface as it warms. I have become a fly fishing snob and if I have the opportunity to catch a trout on the dry, will take it. To me, a fish on the dry is worth ten on the nymph.

Trouble is there are so many different types of line and different brands to choose from. It helps to be aware that the major players in the New Zealand market are Airflo, Rio, Scientific Anglers and Cortland.

When you talk to people about fishing for kingfish, most will get excited about methods of chasing them by jigging, trolling, livebaiting and the now popular stickbaiting. What they don’t expect is to have someone talk about sight fishing for them with fly rod in hand.